Bear Sighting! And The Curse

 

As we were traveling in Georgia, we saw a small bear (bigger than a cub but not full grown) crossing the road in front of us.  Luckily John was able to slow down so we didn’t hit him as he crossed safely to the other side.  In the excitement, I forgot to get the camera, so no picture.  Instead, I have a picture of five turkeys at our campsite (no, it’s not the same).

We decided the trip has been cursed.  It started with the air conditioner breaking which we had repaired in Tennessee.  Then the TV blew so we got a new flat screen.  Later, the camera failed. the Kindle screen went bad, and the grill just wore out.  All were replaced.  The windshield on the car was hit.  We’ve been watching the crack grow and plan to get it replaced when we get home.  Now, John’s crown fell out.  I called to get an appointment at the dentist at home.  Oh, and I washed John’s phone!  We’ll be glad when the curse is over!

 

Today’s hike was Amicalola Falls.  While the gorge yesterday was difficult, this was worse.  This hike included 600 steps.  However, the falls were amazing.  It’s said to be the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi.  The park is also known for being the start of the Appalachian Trail starting at Springer Mountain.   

 

Georgia Hiking

We left North Carolina for Georgia.  We’ve been enjoying the autumn colors.  As we’re driving through the Smoky Mountains we got to see clouds in the mountains and sometimes drive through the clouds.  Is it considered to be raining if you are inside the cloud?

 

Our first stop is Tallulah Gorge State Park.  It’s a very deep gorge (1000 feet in places) with several waterfalls below.  The hike around the gorge isn’t strenuous, but the hike down 356 steps and back up 310 steps certainly is.  It’s the equivalent of approximately 20 stories.

 

One of the interesting things here were towers left over when 65-year old Karl Wallenda (of the Great Wallenda family) crossed the gorge on a high wire back in 1970.  He walked 1000’ across the gorge to celebrate his 50^th anniversary. He died eight years later crossing a high wire in Puerto Rico.

Andy Griffith

We stopped in Mount Airy, North Carolina.  This is the town where Andy Griffith was born and is said to be the inspiration for Mayberry.  The Andy Griffith Museum was full of memorabilia from the Andy Griffith Show, Matlock, and movies he was in like “No Time for Sergeants”.

The bad part of the museum is that no pictures are allowed.  I’d love to show you the Barney Fife suit (remember how proud he was when dressing up in a ‘fancy’ suit and going on a date with Thelma Lou?) and a suit from Matlock.  I instantly could see Matlock in court with that light colored suit.  Instead, I can show you a Mayberry sheriff car and the Andy & Opie sculpture.

On the Road Again

We’ve spent the last week or so in West Virginia working on John’s parents’ home.  It’s been for sale for a few years, but with the house market it hasn’t sold.  We worked on sprucing it up.  We painted several areas and then sanded and refinished the wood floor in the living room and dining room.  It was a busy week with multiple trips to Lowe’s and the garbage dump (oh yes, the transfer station).  To top it off, John helped to build a porch for his niece.
 

We’re on the road going south.  Over the last month, we’ve seen autumn at all stages.  The leaves were just starting to change in Maine.  In West Virginia it is a bit past peak with the leaves off some of the trees.  Today we traveled through peak areas but in Virginia leaves are just starting to change.

The picture of the leaves is blurry since we spent the day driving!

Washington Traffic

 

In case you haven’t realized, I really hate crowds.  We stayed north of Washington DC to see one of my brothers.  The hope was we’d miss most of the traffic by being outside DC, but that didn’t happen.  I guess I can only be in awe of my brother for surviving this.

Our first stop was the National Cryptologic Museum.  It’s right beside the NSA (National Security Agency).  The part I liked best was how it described history that we’ve recently visited but adding in the story of the codes that were involved.  For instance, signals were used at Gettysburg at Little Round Top and Benedict Arnold sent information to the British using code.  I also didn’t realize how old the science of cryptology was.  There was a book written in 1518 at the museum.  From historical examples to the current state of encryption, it was fascinating and a bit scary.

Sometimes I list stops that sound good on paper but are just disappointing. The church at a Franciscan monastery was nice enough but the garden had recreations of holy places from around the world.  Are fake holy places really holy?  This is a recreation of Lourdes.  Pretty, but why?

 

The Basilica National Shrine made me think of just one thing…holy sh..!  It’s big.  It’s the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States.

 

 

The Washington National Cathedral is a very large Episcopal church.  I loved the space window to commemorate Apollo 11.  A moon rock is included in the window.

Our next few days had to be cancelled.  We planned to visit two national park type stops that are now closed.  RV life means going with the flow.

Gettysburg Crowds

(written before the shut-down post)

This year is the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Between visiting on a weekend, during an anniversary year, and the fact that 3,000 Boy Scouts were visiting the park (you can see them at the visitors center and walking the paths), the place was incredibly busy.  That made it difficult to find parking and just walk around.  But a highlight was seeing this snake in a tree.  OK, this shouldn’t be a highlight but it was cool.

 

 

I could show all these very historical things, but I thought this was funny.  The poor guy’s nose is shiny with all the people rubbing his nose when they walk past.

The view from Little Round Top where the battle was on the 2^nd of 3 days (July 1-3, 1863).  There were more casualties in this battle than another other battle within the United States.

 

Monument for Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  The cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863.  After the first speaker spoke for two hours, President Lincoln gave this address and took just two minutes.  A speaker I would enjoy!

 

Government shutdown & Update

Just thought I'd mention we have to leave our campground since it's run by the National Parks.  It's a beautiful park set very near Washington D.C.  Even though it's in the city, it has plenty of deer running through the park.

Grow up, congress, and do what you have to do to get the government going again!  Oh, and personally, I pay for my health insurance.  I like that I can continue to pay for David for a few more years.  I like the idea of not worrying about finding insurance if I develop a pre-existing condition.  Don't say the program isn't working until we try it.

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Update:
We were told last night it would be a controlled closing and not to rush.  I went out to McDonald's this morning to use the internet.  When I got back there were two police cars parked facing me as I came in with a bulldozer behind it.  Wouldn't a simple 'Closed' sign work?  They let me in since I already had a campsite. The ranger trucks kept circling the campsites.

Then John found out they locked the bathrooms!!! We were OK because we had the RV, but the people camping in the tents were literally sh__ out of luck.  We saw some people walking back in the woods.  Really, they can't keep the bathrooms open until noon when people are gone?

When we left, the bulldozer had to move to let us out.  A local TV station was set up trying to interview people.  We left without comment.

Wow, I felt we were in some type of military coup like in the movies!