Return home

There is no adventure to speak off today. We basically packed up and left for home. The drive home (148 miles) was fine until we reached the out skirts of Baltimore. For two weeks we drove mostly on highways and back roads with little to no traffic except for Nashville.  Outside of Baltimore, the human race drive like their lives depend on it. Once we hit the interchange between I70 and 695 east the traffic came to a dead stop for no reason. Drivers weaving in and out of lanes without signaling. It was 2 pm in Saturday afternoon and it drove like 5pm on a Friday night. I guess Cesare was spoiled by the rural driving. We also received news just as we left the campground that Michele's Aunt Beverly was rushed to the hospital for a blood clot in her leg. This is something we were not ready to hear with a long drive home. She is in surgery at the moment and praying all goes well for her.

Floyd, VA in the morning and Edinburg, VA in the afternoon

Michele and Cesare woke up early to experience Floyd for the last time before we left. The kids stayed in the camper and slept. We made into Floyd at 8 am. hoping the Country Store would be open, but to no avail it was closed. We walked around town and found the Blue Ridge Cafe open for breakfast. Michele and Cesare had a nice breakfast and proceeded to walk around some more before returning to the campsite.

We packed up, cleaned up and said our goodbyes to our newly found friends before we headed off to Creekside Campground which was about 182 miles from Chantilly Festival Farm RV Park. 

Creekside is small, shaded campground with select sites facing a creek for fishing or swimming. This is a really nice little campground.  We were there for one night and upon arrival it began to rain. We were planning to have a fire, but we stayed in, made dinner (leftovers) and watch TV.  The rain eventually stopped, but too wet to sit outside instead we prepared for our trip home.

Floyd, VA for a day.

Sorry for the late post. There was no reliable internet to be had in Floyd. Upon arrival in the afternoon, we wanted to set up camp at quickly so we can drive into town for dinner and hopefully some live music. Chantilly Farms is a lovely campsite on a series of hills that overlook green pastures and tree filled mountains. Here is the view from our camper.

Other campers were sharing the hill with us and had a quick moment to briefly meet our neighbors before we left for town. 

We'd returned for a second time to our favorite Mexican restaurant in town called El Charro. The Mexican food is pretty good there so there is no need to list what we chose to eat. After dinner, we walked to the amphitheater at the Hotel Floyd knowing there was live music between the hours of 6 pm. and 8 pm. on Thursdays. A quintet of various musicians were there playing Bluegrass music.  Kellen wasn't feeling well so we stayed for a set. Michele and Cesare could have sat there all night listening to the music with a cooler of beer and a couple chairs. We returned to the campsite only to find our neighbors together slightly inebriated. 

Our neighbor Jim is a retired Chemistry professor from UNC Chapel Hill in North Carolina. Him and his wife were camping for the week for the Floyd Country Store Friday Night Jamboree where Jim was hoping to join in with his guitar.  Unfortunately, we had to miss the Jamboree, but we will return one day.  Jim supplied whiskey to our other neighbor John and got him started for the night before we arrive back to the camper. Upon arrival to our campsite that evening, Jim and John were barking my name "Cesare" as we pulled in. John had started up his fire pit and cooked chili and rice for his family's dinner over the fire. Jim retired early for the evening guessing in due part from the whiskey. Michele and Cesare meet John's wife, Mary and their two lovely teenage boys. John and Mary hail from the UK yet live in Denmark. They were on holiday for seven weeks here in the US traveling the eastern coast. They started in Boston and will end up in the Key West.  They rented a RV for a portion of the holiday. John was feeling good thanks to Jim and Cesare proceeded to bring out his stash of various beers. Mary had wine and Michele drank root beer beer. As the night progressed, we talked about our recent travels and exchanged photos of the sites we visited. We discussed the similarities and differences of our cultures, we laughed and joked about a variety of topics. We had a bloody lovely time together. Kellen stayed in and didn't meet everyone until the next day. Carina sat with us later on in the evening. I can say we thoroughly enjoyed meeting another family and getting to know them. Everyone was absolutely friendly and wish them well in their travels.

Off to Floyd, VA.

Not much of a sightseeing day yesterday. Michele and  the kids visited the Knoxville Zoo in the after upon our arrival. Michele recorded a gentleman with a guitar serenading a Sumatran and a Bengal tiger.

Cesare decided to stay in the RV with Willow to clean and fix a couple things including making dinner. 

We took the time in the evening to catch up with the laundry. Michele and Cesare meet a couple in the laundry area that were tent camping this week in the heat. They came to the laundry area to cool off in the air conditioning. The woman was Knoxville and he was from Melbourne, FL. for a visit.. We had a nice conversation while the clothes were drying. The kids laid back in the RV watching Ironman 3. This campground has beautiful view of a lake with surrounding trees. The campsites are tight, but we are here for one night.

We are packing up for a long ride of  253 miles to Chantilly Festival Farms in Floyd, VA.

Off to Knoxville

Today we start backtracking east towards home.  Our trip to Southlake RV Park is 197 miles and our plan is to stay for one night. We have a lot distance to cover in a short pan of time in our return home. Trying to condense a lot of sightseeing in a short amount of time does take a toll on us. In Knoxville, we plan to set up camp and immediately go to the Knoxville Zoo. After Knoxville, we are looking forward to returning to Floyd, VA. A favorite little town we visited a few years back and made it a point on our trip to return. Population of Floyd is 425 and is known for its live Bluegrass music venue, "The Country Store" where musicians of all sorts join in for an afternoon jam session of Bluegrass and dancing. The scenery around Floyd is breathtaking with the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby.

Fun-filled Second Day in Nashville

Today we planned for a full day of sightseeing around town, but first we started to day with breakfast at RV Cafe located right outside our door. Cesare set up the griddle on the gas stove and made pancakes and eggs while Michele cooked the bacon. Here is a photo of our campsite with Kellen in the backseat of the truck just before we left for the day.. We were not crazy about this site, but it did not matter since we were out all day. Most of the RVs here are some of the largest we have ever seen in a RV park.  See the highway behind us? At night all we hear is one loud frog and a motorcycle or two.

Our first stop for the day was Centennial Park located two miles west of downtown Nashville. There we saw the full size replica of the Parthenon. The park itself is a lovely place to spend the day walking, riding or just having a picnic. Kellen and Cesare decided to go in the Parthenon to see the forty foot  statue of Athena inside in addition to the art and photography exhibit.

Following the park, we ventured to Nissan Stadium, Home of the Tennessee Titans, but on the way we saw a Jack in the Box and we had to hit the drive thru to bring back some old memories. Michele and I ordered tacos while Kellen had a Sriracha burger. It was well worth the stop. We ate our recent find in the parking lot of Nissan Stadium while taking photos. 

We didn't go inside, but did drive all way around it to soak in its beauty. Very impressive architecture  and modern features, the ramps for the concourses extend away from the stadium to allow for more interior space. 

After Nissan Stadium, we ventured along Broadway Street where all action is.  This is the main thoroughfare of the entertainment district for country music. Even in the afternoon, the bars and restaurants were alive with patrons and live music. In front of us there was a human powered vehicle that a dozen people were peddling up and down the streets. They may have been drinking while doing so. 

We continued to drive around the city taking in all it had to offer. We toured around Vanderbilt University and many numerous sites I can't seem to remember at the moment. Later in the day we stopped at the famous Hattie B's Hot Chicken for our dinner carry out.  We heard about this place and luckily found it in our travels. Michele and kids went in to order our meals while Cesare walked Willow around the area receiving compliments on how pretty Willow is.  We return to the camper to feast on the Hattie B's fine bird.  Cesare order the "damn hot" two piece while Kellen had the "hot". The hottest is called, "Shut the Cluck Up!!!!".  Kellen tasted Cesare's chicken and went into pain induced gasping followed by tears of agony.. Cesare likes hot food and said it was the hottest chicken he has ever had yet still enjoyed its authority. After a while the pain becomes a dull numbing sensation. After dinner we indulged Kellen by going to see Spiderman Homecoming at the nearest theater. We thoroughly enjoyed it and ended the evening updating this blog before settling in for the night.  

First Night in Nashville.

We arrived at campsite, Grand Ole RV Park. Not much to boost about this place. It is basically a glorified parking lot with us being the smallest of all the RVs.  This place looks like a tour bus museum.  There is a train that rides by on occasion that is located on the other side of the park.  We have a lovely view of a highway. Not much grass in this park, but it is close to town.

Upon arrival, we set up camp, had lunch.and laid back for a bit before we left for Dancing with the Stars at the Grand Ole Opry. The show started at 7:30 pm. so we left around 5 pm. to shop at the nearest Aldi for drinks and ice. We arrived at the Grand Ole Opry to find an enormous mall across the street, Opry Mills, reminded me of Arundel Mills Mall. We had a lite dinner of appetizers at Friday's and proceeded to the Grand Ole Opry.  We attended the show and were disappointed that it did not follow the TV show's format. It consisted mostly of dancing routines with wanna be stars that would stop and speak highly of themselves from time to time. It was not enjoyable. We decided to leave early to avoid the almost packed house's departure. The theater itself is beautiful with its fine woodworking and grand stage.  We would of preferred to have seen a country music singer or band instead. We returned to camp and quickly settled in for the night. Looking forward to the city of Nashville today.

Interior of Grand Ole Opry.

Out front of the entrance.

Goodbye Kentucky, Hello Nashville

This is our last day in Kentucky as we venture forth to Nashville, TN.  Our trip is only 73 miles to Grand Ole RV resort and we are not sure if we are stopping to see any sights on the way. Our stay here Kentucky was very memorable especially with Mammoth Cave. Kellen and Cesare explored for two hours and over two miles of deep cave.  At one point we were 320 ft. below ground. The world down below seems so alien to us.

Mammoth Cave was used to produce gunpowder from saltpeter during the war of 1812 and after the war the need for saltpeter "petered out" as how the phrase was coined. Years after the war, the cave was sold and tours were to had to this day. Our tour was two hours, but in the 1820's one could take a short tour or a long tour. The short tour being six hours and the long tour fourteen hours. Fried chicken and wine were served as meals on the tours and those who attended were rich white folk from the east or Europe. Their tour guide was usually a slave who worked for tips. If the tourists were disrespectful to the guide, he would simply blow out his torch to remind them who was in charge. Tours back then were extremely treacherous since there were no paved walkways and handrails. The male tourists wore three piece suits and the woman wore Victorian dresses with corsets and high heels.

Our experience was much more tame, but still exciting and nerve wracking. Cesare has a fear of heights and there were situations where he climbed over one hundred steps within an open cavern only look down seventy feet of rock.  There was a crossing known as the "Bottomless pit" with a grated walkway. Cesare had a couple mild anxiety attacks.

Later that evening the family returned to Mammoth Cave Park Amphitheater for a presentation about the mysteries and myths of Mammoth Caves presented by ranger Charlie. He's a adjunct professor at Kentucky State and offer history and facts about the cave.

Final thoughts
Kentucky offers a lot beauty to behold with its rolling hills, dense forestry and big sky. There are some similarities to Maryland too as we drove through portions of the state. One being the horse racing industry here, but there is non specific aspect here that feels like home. The locals are very friendly and courteous with their slight southern draw in there voice. We really enjoyed what Kentucky had to offer and would love to come back.