Kathy & Scott’s USA Tour in the Southeast

Cutting Loose

Kathy and Scott visited Jocelyn in the hospital the night of June 14^th. She said she had received a very encouraging message from Uncle Dave.

Friday, June 15^th was Scott’s last day of work and there was a lot to wrap up. The next day we began packing together, not knowing how long that would take. But Phil headed to Maine that day for his summer job at New England Frontier camp. Scott was intense, but looking forward to relaxing once we were on the road.

On Saturday evening, June 16^th we said goodbyes to Jocelyn & family at their apartment, with pizza and Mexican Train. At that point we were about 2/3 packed, planning for Sunday morning to attempt to fit everything in the minivan and shortly after that start on our way.

We finished loading up the minivan and got on the road at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. We started the day Monday in a motel near Valley Forge, where we enjoyed some historical sightseeing, planning to head south or southwest from there.

at our motel in Valley Forge

We weren’t expecting to visit the east coast, but after an evening and a day in Valley Forge, we decided the time would be well spent to visit Greg and DeeAnn Slover in Virginia. So we made our way down the Delmarva Peninsula, spending two nights in State Park campgrounds. Wood thrushes serenaded us in the mornings, and fireflies put on a show in the evenings. Keeping the boxes and bags in the car organized for camping and sightseeing is a challenge and we were glad we would have weeks to work on it.

Although many of our nights have been in motels, camping in beautiful sites is one of our goals. Here’s Kathy at our camp site in Pocomoke River State Park in Maryland.

We’ve enjoyed walking around Valley Forge National Historic Park, as well as the birds of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware, where we saw ospreys, green herons, snowy egrets, and purple martins. On the approach to the the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Kathy said, “This would be a place to see an eagle,” and within a minute, there was an adult bald eagle sitting on a tree.

After crossing the bridge to the south side of Chesapeake Bay, we stayed in a motel in Hampton, VA, to escape the heat and wash up after camping. Also, the state parks don’t have WiFi, so this gives us a chance to catch up on email.

The Mountains of Tennessee

Following our visit with Greg and DeeAnn Slover in eastern Virginia, we high-tailed it west for the Great Smokies. We spent the night in Bristol, Virginia, not far from Johnson City, Tennessee. The next morning we roused ourselves early so that Scott could enjoy a big hike. We still needed to drive a couple of hours in the morning, just to get to the Visitor Center, so we didn’t split up until 11 a.m., with Scott hiking up and Kathy returning down to Gatlinburg for some walking among the shops.

Gatlinburg

Scott hiked 6.6 miles to the summit of Mt. LeConte, at 6,600 ft., taller than Mt. Washington.

Mt. LeConte

Along the trail, other hikers telling Scott that the trail would get rough and steep near the top, but eventually he realized that was not going to happen, and the entire route would be comparable to the easy beginning of a trail in the White Mts.

Rainbow Falls

Rhododendrons along the trail

While the trail provided excellent views, and the summit is higher than Mt. Washington, this photo shows that the summit is wooded.

A carpetlike hillside of laurel (1000s of buzzing bees present but not visible or audible in this photo)

After clouds and sprinkles during the ascent, the weather on the mountain cleared up, making for exciting views for the descent on the dramatic Alum Cave Trail. Many sections of this trail were built by blasting rock out of steep cliffs, and then bolting a wire safety rope to the rock face. At one point a huge rock face overhangs hundreds of feet above a 30-foot wide area around the trail.

Sedge Bald

Alum Bluff

Then on Saturday we joined a group for a fun, full day of whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River southwest of the national park. Sorry, no photos of this since they simply asked us to bring only stuff which should get wet. Our raft had 6 paddling passengers (ourselves included) and a young, but experienced and knowledgeable guide named Philip. Kathy and I got soaked several times, as the guide liked to maneuver us into a wave behind a rock which would rapidly fill the raft. Kathy was in the middle of the left side, which bore the biggest share of the flow! Happily, the sky was sunny, the air warm but not hot, and the water pleasantly cool. The canyon sides featured lush spring foliage, and some interesting flumes and pipes that help produce electric power.

After the day of rafting we stayed in a cabin near near Chattanooga, TN. We made a plan to accelerate our travels westward toward the Texas relatives, while still enjoying part of the Natchez Trace parkway.

The Natchez Trace Parkway

We traveled a good portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway into Mississippi, highlighting its 18th and 19th century history, ending with a tour of the Vicksburg battlefield.

The Natchez Trace Parkway was developed 60-odd years ago to memorialize the Natchez Trace road used in the first half of the 18th century by traders from the Kentucky region. They would raft their goods down the Ohio/Tennessee/Mississippi rivers, and then travel overland back north. The Natchez Trace from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee was the most traveled return route.

We set a leisurely pace for three days, stopping and getting out of our minivan in the 90 to 100 degree heat for historical and natural sights. The attached photos illustrate our time.

A sign announces a location where the remains of the old road can be observed, and Kathy points to a parallel road (barely visible in the photo).

We visited a natural area where we saw a Louisiana Waterthrush.

At one stop a short trail led to the gravestones of 13 unknown confederate soldiers.

Fairly early on the second day, Kathy was reading while Scott ran through the woods of a state park.

Later we stopped to examine ceremonial burial mounds, about 2000 years old.

We also stopped at the “French Camp”, a school established about 200 years ago, where sorghum molasses is still made the old way. Kathy demonstrated how to use one of their porches.

Later we reached a cypress swamp, nothing like our familiar swamps of the Northeast. We saw a 3 foot long alligator.

When we left the Natchez Trace Parkway we spent the night at the Cedarwood Bed and Breakfast, a restored house dating from before the Civil War. It was beautiful, and comfortable. The host and hostess made us feel like family, and Kathy loved the old furnishings and the quality with which the old materials had been used to restore the house. The garden was beautiful and the breakfast varied and delicious.

The next day we visited the Vicksburg National Military Park. Kathy used her umbrella for sun protection — very effective.

We visited a restored gunboat which was sunk during Grant’s Vicksburg campaign.

On the old battleground, Scott stopped in the shade of a tree to wait for Kathy.