Oct 14th-Broadway, Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee and on to Waverly, TN on the 15th

279 miles today. This is a driving day.  No museums!  The sun came out around noon time.  We were on I-81 and I-40. The hills continue to be gently rolling. I-40 always makes me nervous with fast moving tractor trailer trucks only inches from us. At least it isn't' snowing like the last time.

We passed this sign that intrigued me:  Hungry Mother State Park. We didn't stop but I found a story on the internet.

The Legend of Hungry Mother

Legend has it that when the Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders’ base north of the park. They eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed, and her child wandered down a creek until the child found help. The only words the child could utter were "Hungry Mother." The search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly collapsed to find the child's mother dead. Today that mountain is Molly’s Knob, and the stream is Hungry Mother Creek.

We saw these oak leaves at a rest area.  I thought they looked purple.

Victory Baptist Church had this very large cross on the lawn.

From Bristol, we drove 385 miles. Weather is showery with wind gusts. We plan to camp at Loretta Lynn's Ranch just as soon as we find it!  The GPS failed us by sending us off on old back roads.  We asked for directions and followed a guy for a while but we lost him, too.  It was getting dark by now and the anxiety level is ramped up.  Finally, we got on a more traveled road and into   the local town for more directions.  In the end, the GPS had us to turn a half mile before the main Ranch entrance. Had we stayed on the main road, we only had another mile or two to go. Grrrrrr. The campground was in a pretty tree covered hill with paved sites.  However, it was on a hill and it was a sharp turn to exit the site.  I walked ahead while Sonny pulled out as I didn't want to watch!  

On Monday, we asked the park host if we could leave our rig at our site while we took the Ranch tour.  She kindly agreed so we drove out to the ranch  where Loretta lives.  She actually owns 3500 acres which is the whole town of Hurricane Mills, TN.  I believe the Post Office is the smallest in the US.  We aren't big followers of Loretta Lynn but Sonny listened to her music growing up.  I'll continue with our tour in the next post.

Oct 13 Visiting Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello

We stayed a second night at the Broadway KOA so that we could visit Jefferson's home, about an hour away and then drive back to our campsite by way of Skyline Drive, the northern section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was a very bright man, though he  did hold slaves, some free, some indentured and  some enslaved.  We had a couple of hours to pass before our tour. We listened in on a very informative  talk being given by a black instructor who was a explaining aspects of the slaves who lived in the cabins. This was one of the slave family cabins on Mulberry Row.  Some cabins were the workshops of artisan slaves who excelled in weaving, spinning, tin, nails, carpentering and textiles.

Family cooking area.

The garden on the lower terrace.  The little brick building was a place to sit, reflect and enjoy the mountain view. 

Jefferson  grew 330 varieties of 99 species of vegetables.

Another of the craftsman cabins

I think this was an oak.  I liked the shape of it.

Rear entrance to Monticello

This flower was intriguing.  Wish I could recall the name of it.

Could be a kind of lily.  

Jefferson's grave marker.
"Author of the Declaration of Independence"
The marker was being spiffed up behind the
plastic barrier.
On the way back to our campsite in Broadway, we took the Skyline Drive.  It
was late in the day and foggy. Even so, the scenery
was pretty.
Fog hung over the valley, the sun was trying to break through and it was so quiet.

Oct 12 Harpers Ferry to Harrisonburg, VA Broadway KOA

Today, we stopped at the Shenandoah Caverns, Quicksburg, VA.  We descended to the cave floor in an elevator for a one hour tour of the  cavern. In addition to Stalactites and Stalagmites, the complex included additional exhibits of antique restored buggies, one of parade floats from  famous national celebrations (like the Rose Bowl Parade) and one of holiday  store window displays.  

Welcome to the Caverns

Original steps to the caverns, no longer
used for safety reasons.

The reminder sign that there was to be no touching the cave walls.

"Breakfast bacon" hanging from the ceiling.

An inner room formed by 2 underground rivers.  Other
rooms were formed by earth quakes.  Great slabs
were tipped on their sides.

Another inner room

Looks like the laundry drying  to me.

Whale teeth?

The guide told us that it would be
15 more years before the top and
bottom actually touch.  It's a
slow drip.

The colored lights set off the cavern walls.  The reflective pool looks like glass.

These talking bears greeted  us on the stairs. They were in on of the Rose Bowl parade.  There were several more exhibits but my phone camera had died.

After we left the parade museum, we headed
to town by-passing the yellow barn with
the antiques in it.  We had enough walking
for a while.

 

Our campsite in Broadway, outside Harrisburg, was quite a ways from town on a windy road  through rolling hills of farming country, not like the city parks
we have stayed in other nights. 

We had an early dinner in Harrisburg at the old railway station. Sonny had a stew called "mulligatawny" with chicken, curry and rice.  He said it was the best meal he ever had!  I had a smoked pork salad that was also tasty.

Revisiting Harpers Ferry

Wednesday Oct 11

We had one more day and at least two places to visit-Harpers Ferry and Monocacy Battle field. In the end, we spent time at Harpers Ferry, the Appalachian Trail office  and Storer Normal School. Parking is non-existent in Harpers Ferry so we took the shuttle bus.  We stopped at several exhibits and learned about Storer Normal School.  Being a teacher, I was interested in the school's history so we spent time exploring the campus.  We didn't get to Monocacy.

The Battle of Monocacy (also known as Monocacy Junction) was fought on July 9, 1864, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early defeated Union forces under Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace. The battle was part of Early's raid through the Shenandoah Valley and into Maryland in an attempt to divert Union forces away from Gen. Robert E. Lee's army under siege at Petersburg, Virginia.^[1] The battle was the northernmost Confederate victory of the war. While the Union troops retreated to Baltimore, Maryland, the Confederates continued toward Washington, D.C., but the battle at Monocacy delayed Early's march for a day, allowing time for Union reinforcements to arrive in the Union capital. The Confederates launched an attack on Washington on July 12 at the Battle of Fort Stevens, but were unsuccessful and retreated to Virginia.

Storer College was a historically black college located in Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Established as a normal school to train black teachers, it operated from 1865 until 1955. Established after the American Civil War with the help of philanthropic Baptists from New England and, especially Maine, it lost state funding after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the United States Supreme Court that said segregated public schools were unconstitutional. The state decided to fund other facilities that could offer more education.

The defunct college's former campus and buildings were acquired by the National Park Service, authorized in a 1962 appropriation, as part of what is now called the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. At the same time the NPS began to develop this facility for use as one of its four national training centers.

Hard to read the notes.

I think this was a dorm.

One of the museum volunteers in Harpers Ferry told me about the Storer Normal School. She had attended a reunion of sorts the weekend before.  Several graduates also attended and shared stories.  One told of being a football player who threw the pass that won the only game in the school's history. A cheer leader was also there. I learned that a white man from Sanford, Maine, funded the start up of the school.

This was probably a classroom.

One person we talked to suggested we go to the Appalachian Trail office for information since their office was in  one of the old  Storer buildings.  This office was even more interesting to me because I have climbed Mt Katahdin, the trail terminus, twice. The mountain is  6 feet short of being a mile high so there is a  six foot rock pile at the top that we all added a rock to.  No one in the office could talk about Storer School.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the Eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.^[1] The trail is about 2,200 miles (3,500 km)^[a] long, though the exact length changes over time as parts are modified or rerouted. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy claims that the Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking-only trail in the world.^[2] More than 2 million people are said to do at least one day-hike on the trail each year.^[3]

Manassass (Union side) or Bull Run (Confederate side)

Tuesday, Oct 10th

Today, we drove over windy country roads to the Manassas, Virginia battle field.  The countryside was pretty with rolling hills, big lawns, horses, wineries and Halloween Decorations.

Practicing those selfies at the confluence of the
Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers in Harpers Ferry.

Fall colors

Many homes are made of stone or brick.

Old homes along the way, so close to the road.

I have a 325 i, also.  It looks a little different than this one.

    Here it is below.........

Union solders retreated over this bridge twice.

Henry Hill Visitors Center at Manassas

Halloween decorations at the KOA

Oneonta, NY to Carlisle, PA and on to Harpers Ferry

(Note:  I notice that some of the photos in this section do not show in the published version.  I'm not sure how to fix this but I'll work on it. I am often frustrated with this program.)

Sunday  October 8, 2017   273 miles  81*

Today, it was a warm  ride, though rain misted off and on.  We were back to paying toll fees on the highways.  It's a feat to read the signs to find the lane we are supposed to be in.  Usually, it's the wrong lane but it's too late to change lanes.  Sonny was considering storming the barrier but a live person came along to help. 

Monday October 9, 2017   Carlisle, PA to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

We had  planned to visit Harper's Ferry again (we were here a few years ago) and a couple of other battle sites so we booked 3 nights at the campground. 

Antietam was the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War.  23,000 were killed, wounded or missing.

One of first photos of a Civil War battle field.  Dunker Church in the background, like many civilian buildings,became a hospital.

 Looking out to the battle field from the Visitor's Center.

This sunken road was filled with bodies after the battle.

The battle field was huge.

This monument was erected in honor of the Union soldiers. Sonny walked out to the monument for a closer look.

Monument  Ceremony

General "Stonewall" Jackson got his
nickname from General Lee who proclaimed:
"look at Jackson standing there like a stonewall."

I'm finding a spot where I can look
up to see Sonny.

There was a stone tower observatory on the battle field.  Sonny climbed to the top and took pictures.  Tower stairs scare me so I waited  at the bottom.  Can you see my Maine pines in back of the truck?

Section of battle field.

View from the tower of the sunken road.

The Union  cannons fired point blank at this house since Confederates were sniping at them. Cannon fire hit an 85 year woman inside who wouldn't evacuate. She was the only civilian death in this battle.

Confederates were initially buried on the battle field where they fell so the people of the town dug them out of the battle field, erected a cemetery and placed them in marked graves.

The cemetery castle