Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Good morning. We were up and ready for the road by 9 o’clock. It’s amazing that it cooled down to 69 overnight here in Cordele Georgia. It was still 95° when we went to bed. A cold front must’ve moved through but, it is forecast to be 95 again here in Georgia. 

I heard Karen & Pete leave about 6 o’clock this morning. They have a family emergency to return home to so they were on the road extra early. 

We’ve had a fabulous trip. It’s been a wonderful month of our regular lives. Now, we just go home, sort out the mail (and pay our bills) and carry-on. Ha ha. That’ll be fun. Not.

At 10:30 we crossed into Florida on I-75 S 👍🏻 ... It was a good drive, and we were home by 2 o’clock. 

No, Mark is unloading the rig, I’m putting it away and opening mail from the last month.

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Good morning y’all ... we’re up ‘n ready to roll to Cordele Georgia for our last night on the road this trip! Karen & Pete know of a good steakhouse, one that Randy also recommended, so that will be our plans for later.

Traffic approaching Atlanta at 10:45

Atlanta Georgia 🇬🇪 

Olympic Torch tower in downtown Atlanta 

We had a quick lunch at Juliette Rest Area and got back on I-75 South for our destination, KOA Cordele. Saw this cool AMC Javelin on the highway ...

It was nice shape ... cherry bomb exhaust. 👍🏻 

We arrived at the campground, set up and went for fuel.  It’s 94F here. Karen & Pete pulled in about a half an hour later. We are going to dinner with them tonight.

Dinner was okay ... as Mark says, the beer was cold! 😜 It’s a pretty restaurant!

It’s time to watch The Bachelorette ... Ta ta til tomorrow. 

Monday July 29, 2019

Good morning sunshine! It’s our 1 full day in Chattanooga Tennessee! Mark and I are going on the incline railway with Karen to see Rock City. As it turns out, Pete is terrified of heights so offered to drive us and wait. 🤷‍♀️ We plan to be back for lunch before checking out the caverns near the RV park. Then, it’s dinner at home for Mark and I. 

Our campsite at Raccoon Mountain, #218. That’s Lookout Mountain behind us!

My elevator man is ready to ride the Incline Railway!

That’s Pete (circled and arrowed) who 🐥 chickened out when he saw it. 😂

You ascend backward / decend forward  ... the final 100’ is straight up! 

At the top we walked 1/4 mile to Point Park, a Civil War site. That’s the Tennessee River below, flowing through Chattanooga. 

Karen & Mark posed in front of Point Park.

Mark leaned over the edge for fresh raspberries! 

It was hot and humid ... rather surprising at that elevation. What? 

Civil War statue ... and Mark. 😜 (We had a laugh when we got into Pete‘s truck. Everyone was wearing blue!)

Just imagine hanging over the edge and loading those cannons. No thanks. The battle for Chattanooga was fought atop Lookout Mountain. (There is a city on top of the mountain ... you can drive up by car!)

This picture reminded me of grand canyon walls.

At our train arriving for the descent. 

It was a great morning. By the time we got back to the RV it was 90° and humid.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Good morning. We’re supposed to be traveling with Karen & Pete today at 9 o’clock, but Mark seems in a great hurry to get on the road. It’s just 8 o’clock and he’s hooking up the truck. I guess I better get jiggy with it. Ha ha. We’ve sure had a fun time here in North Carolina. Next year, we have plans to travel to Canada, but the year after that, we will be back right here. 😜

Robbie just relaxing on the bear rug by the fireplace. 🐾💕

We stopped at a rest area 50 miles from Chattanooga. It’s a gorgeous drive!

North Carolina I-40W around Cherokee National Forest. 

We’ve never driven in a winding tunnel; usually they’re straight through. 

I-40W

Tennessee River

Sleepyhead beard! 😂

Downhill to Chattanooga 

Betcha never saw a purple Airstream! 

 Arriving at the Raccoon Mountain Campground, we discovered caves and caverns adventures on site. Who knew? Our site has a view from the back window of  Lookout Mountain. The incline Railway to Rock City Gardens is nearby! The sites are large, and each one has a fire ring and concrete patio. Pretty darn good.

Our patio and view of Lookout Mountain. 

Karen and Pete have stopped at another campground to check it out for a future event. (They arrived about 2:30.) Once they got settled we had happy hour on our patio to make plans for dinner. Since Karen had nothing in her fridge 🤷‍♀️ (and they didn’t like what I had to offer) we went out. 

The Boathouse is in downtown Chattanooga on the Tennessee River. It was crowded, with a 45 minute wait for a table. So, we found ourselves a place at the bar and waited. The food was good, and the place was absolutely packed. That’s usually a good sign if you don’t know the area.

Dinner at the Boathouse. 

Hahaha ... Mark and Pete clowning around! 

The Tennessee River at sunset, after our bellies were full. 

 Back at the campground, we sat outside with all three dogs. BZ was a bit fidgety so she had to go back in the house, but otherwise all was well.

Tomorrow, we’re planning to go on the incline Railway to the top of Lookout Mountain.

 

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Good morning. Oh Em Gee, we all slept in until nearly 9 o’clock. Even the dogs! Mark said we had pizza coma! 🍕😋 Last night was so much fun, but the ride was long coming back from Asheville in the dark. Oh well, we weren’t in a hurry. (Pam caught traffic and was almost an hour later getting to our RV!)

Susan & Wayne sent this beautiful picture of a doe and fawn plus a chipmunk on the deck railing. Absolutely a terrific picture. 

This morning, Pam decided to visit Savannah to buy some leather earrings, and then spend more time with Jackson at his ma-maw’s house. (Jackson requested Pam visit again, so cute.) so, I am loaded up today and will spend the night at Paula‘s. She flies out tomorrow from Charlotte back to Minneapolis. We’ve had a grand time with her here! 🥰

So, our plans today are a little shopping at a cute store I spotted and Mark wants to pick up some meat for the dogs. Then, we’re having a few friends in for happy hour at 4 o’clock prior to the 7 o’clock bonfire. The bonfire is for all hundred plus that are here. Yowser, that’ll be crazy. 

We had Karen, Pete, LaDonna and Wayne in for cocktails at 4 o’clock. Afterword, the bonfire began at 7 o’clock and went until nearly midnight. 

I counted 80 people there ... fun times!

So that was our last evening at Pride RV Resort in Waynesville! 😜

Friday, July 26, 2019

Good morning y’all. It’s a bright, beautiful sunshiny day with a high of 72F. 😎 We ❤️ this place! 

Pam drove to Asheville today to spend time with Jackson, the latest family high school graduate. 

We’ll see them later for dinner. Otherwise, Mark and I are doing laundry and chores ... a lazier day than usual. 😜 

We took the Scotties for a ride to mail Hailey’s birthday present and to pick up some groceries. It’s 78 in Waynesville today. Nice. 

Tonight, we are meeting family in Asheville for dinner. Here we are, minus Paula and Jonathan, at the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Asheville. 

Savannah’s “the best” selfie stick photographer!

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Good morning 🌞 ... it’s going to be a busy day for our VIP group. We’re boarding a bus at 11 for Bryson ... then an historic steam train to Dillsboro for lunch and shopping before we make the return trip. All the camping dogs will be watching the rigs. Tonight, we’re having family here for pizzas 🍕 and wine. Whew! We’ll sleep in tomorrow morning! 

Pam and I were photobombed by the engineer. 😂 (Later on the train I saw a young, good looking fella walking down the aisle and said, ‘Hey I remember you!’ But it wasn’t the same guy! 🤣

We Had the best brisket at Haywood Smokehouse in Fillsboro. The best. 😋 

Mark, Julie, Pam, Wayne, LaDonna, JJ and Dee. 

Fun in Dillsboro 

We saw a couple of power poles in the river! 🤷‍♀️ 

It was a great day ... much fun and many laughs with friends!

Mark with our friend crazy Linda. 😂 

Back at the RV park, Paula and Jonathan came to visit. They brought Biltmore wines and we ordered in pizzas delivered by Papa John’s! It was a fun night. 

Christmas in July! 

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Good evening. Well, we’ve had a very busy day. We went shopping in Waynesville and had lunch at  Boojum, a Brewery. Karen and Pete joined us, so they were five of us in Pam‘s car. It was much easier to park Pam’s rental than the dually downtown.

Pam with the banjo players in Waynesville ... 🥰

While we 3 girls were popping in and out of the shops, Mark and Pete found rocking chairs and benches.

Hahaha 💕 a bro-mance!

We went to The Grove Park Inn with the gang for a pricey dinner. You can’t beat the views and service! Mark and I had Diver Scallops (big!) Some at the table had elk and beef ... huge prices!

Karen and Pete at the GP entrance 

Our table on the Veranda ... 

L side - Mark, Bobby, Donna, Karen, Pete. 

R side - Julie, Pam, Red, Judy.

Looking towards the grotto and the Great Smoky Mountains. 

We were back home and sitting on the patio by 9 o’clock. It was a great day. 😎