The Most Expensive Flight (of beer) EVER!

 When we left Freighltiner in Gaffney, we had a short trip to Windsor Run Cellars near Hamptonville, North Carolina. This Harvest Host was a welcome stop after the short distance, but heavy rain!

Bob followed the hosts directions and pulled in near their distillery. Once we were set up for the evening, we walked over to the tasting room to sample their goodies!

The tasting room was busy as a group just finished a tour of the distillery. I sampled 4 of their wines and Bob sampled their honey beer. All the wines I sampled were good, but of the 4, I liked the port best....yes, I got a bottle! 

We spent a restful night at Windsor Cellars and were ready to continue our trip the next morning. Our next stop would be the longest of this trip...4 nights! Once again, the travel day was going to be a short one, but there was an accident on I-77 that closed the interstate in both directions. We stopped at the Virginia Welcome Center to find the best route around the closure.

The hostess in the welcome center had print outs of alternate routes depending on your destination. We took our directions and continued on our way following US 52 until we could return to I-77  just south of  Wytheville (pronounce 'wistful' with a lisp), VA. Our home for the next 4 nights would be Stony Fork National Forest Service Campground at the base of Little Walker Mountain. The sites were all paved. Our site had electric, some had water and electric, and others had no hook-ups.

 

 It was too late in the day to start a hike, plus rain  was in the forecast. Our choice was to visit downtown Wytheville to do a geocache adventure lab and visit the local brewery. Our first stop was Seven Sisters Brewery. It was a nice place with live music, seating inside and out, plus quite the list of local brews. Bob ordered a flight of beer (4, four ounce pours) with one of them being for me. Well, when I heard the price, my jaw hit the floor! It was the most expensive flight of beer EVER! And to top it off, the beer wasn't even the best! Okay, I guess you want to know how pricey it was....it was the same price as a 12 pack of what Bob usually drinks! Yes, it was $17.45! And that was without tax. Needless to say, we just had the flight and left.

From there, we walked around the downtown area doing the historic adventure lab for Wytheville. Of course, when we were farthest from the car it began to pour! Time to get back to the car, check one more destination to complete the adventure lab and head back to the campground. The last lab location was Wytheville's smallest church which is open 24/7 year round. It is 12 feet by 16 feet.

 

The next day we decided to try Three Sisters Trail along the ridge of Little Walker Mountain. The trailhead is located in the campground and we knew it would be very steep. We weren't wrong!

 We were able to hike UP about 2 miles before we decided to turn around and head back to the campground. The views would have been great, but it was an overcast day.

 It sure was faster going down the mountain that climbing up the mountain.

 Overall, it was a good hike.  

The next day I used AllTrails to find a hike. Crystal Springs Recreation Area on the south side of Wytheville was our choice for the next 2 days. The first day, we hiked Crystal Springs Loop Trail. There were some interesting signs along the trail.

The trail follows the stream throughout the area.

 As we approached the junction of Woodpecker Run Spur, we spotted the trail's namesake having his lunch.

 There were two small waterfalls about halfway around the loop.

 As we continued on the trail, out of no where there was a yellow azealea! It is not a mountain rhododendron, it is a tall, leggy azealea like you would grow in your yard! It was the only one along the trail, hmmm, I wonder how it got there....

Nothing else was blooming on the trail...the rhododendrons had buds, but they won't open for another couple of weeks!
 

The second day we added more trails to our itinerary. We started on the Waterline Trail, intersected the Crystal Springs Loop Trail and then finished with the Woodpecker Run Spur. To keep track of the turns, I was constantly checking AllTrails.

 Bob saw this bird house...we weren't sure if it was place in the fork of the tree or if it fell from above.

Another successful hike in the books...

Time to do some chores...While in Wytheville, we filled both vehicles with fuel and restocked necessities from the local Wal-Mart. 

Time to travel to our next stop!

Our Next Big Adventure

 As many of you know, it has been quite some time since Bob and I have updated the blog. No, we haven't been at home all this time, we have been exploring. Some of the places we explored were Oklahoma, Arkansas (2020),  New England (2021), Hawaii (2022), cruise to New Zealand (2022), cruise to Bermuda (2023), trip to Quartzsite (2024) and a few other close to home trips. After much discussion, it was decided to continue the blog as we embark on our next adventure.....The Maritimes!

April 29, 2024, was the launch date for this adventure. Unfortunately, as we left home, we realized that one of Sol's rear air bags wasn't inflating properly. This was evidenced with an unusually rough, noisy ride, plus a lower ground clearance on the right rear passenger side. Our first scheduled stop was not far from home. O'Leno State Park is just off I-75 near High Springs, Florida. 

 To relax after that terrible ride, we hiked the River Sink Trail. The suspension bridge is closed as it  needs repair, so the trail was not very long.

The area has an interesting history. Much of  the park was built by the CCC  after many name changes for the small town.

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When we returned to Sol, we decided our next stop would be a repair place as we didn't feel safe driving all the way to Gaffney for the repair. Bob researched repair shops near the park and found one! The next morning, we drove 32 miles to Tom Nehl Freightliner/Oasis. They were able to get Sol checked in, diagnosed, and fixed that day! Our ride that afternoon was much nicer! 

It was late in afternoon when we got back on the road, but our next stop was only a few hours away--a Harvest Host in Ashburn, Georgia.  This was our second stay at Carroll's Sausage and Country Store, but our first as Harvest Host guests. The store also has a full hook-up campground. It wasn't too, too hot so we boondocked on the gravel area under their sign.

The store is always an interesting place to shop as it is truly a country store. We purchased a few items to snack on as we continued our travels the following day.

From Ashburn, we continued to Anderson, SC. We had reservations for another Harvest Host, but due to the heat we were really considering finding something with hook-ups. While we were pondering our dilemma, I received a text telling us there was a full hook-up host site available at the Harvest Host! Next stop, Green Pond Event Center and Boat Ramp. This was a county park for fisherman, no camping except for Harvest Host! There are frequent bass tournaments on the lake, thus 'event center' in the name. 

We watched a beautiful sunset from our site overlooking Lake Hartwell.

We took advantage of the full hook-up site and were glad we did---it was a scorcher! The next morning we drove into Anderson to collect a few geo-caches. There was no hurry to get on the road as we were just traveling 84 miles to Gaffney, SC, for Sol's yearly maintenance.

While Sol was in the shop, Bob and I deviated from our usual hikes at Cowpens National Battlefield or Kings Mountain National Military Park. This year we hiked the Overmountain Victory Trail at Lake Whelchel.

The trail was long (7.9 miles). We chose to walk the trail counterclockwise from a parking area on Concord Road. No, we did not walk the entire trail, but we did hike a total of 5 miles out and back. It was a nice trail and we were the only hikers. Mountain bikers love the trail and we saw a handful of those as we made our way around the lake. 

The tulip trees were dropping their blooms in the trail. It was the first time I had seen these delicate blossoms. They must not stay on the trees very long. 

The mountain laurel were also in bloom.

We enjoyed our hike around Lake Whelchel and will keep it in mind for our next visit to Gaffney.

Once back at Freightliner, we sat in the waiting area for Sol's checkup to be completed. Once Sol was back in her site, we made a trip to the store for a few perishable items. Saturday would be our next travel day....moving further north on our adventure.

Wayne County Fairgrounds--Home Base for Exploring Henry Ford Museums

After leaving Cicero, Indiana, Bob and I headed back to Elkhart to find out if we needed a new base for my passenger captain's chair. We want to replace it as the material is wearing unnaturally. We found out we wouldn't need a new base since Winnebago used the flexsteel base when installing the chair! Now, when we get home, we can order a new chair!

From Elkhart we drove to Coldwater Welcome Center and stopped for the night. It started to rain and we didn't want to end up with wet basement compartments. The leaky compartments are a known flaw in Forzas and Soleis.

The following morning, it was on to Wayne County Fairground in Van Buren Township, Michigan. It would be our base for exploring The Henry Ford.

Our first day, we explored Greenfield Village. The buildings are historic or replicas of historic buildings. It was an interesting place, but the weather was not so good. It rained off and on the whole day! 

Our favorite stop was Thomas Edison's workshop from Menlo Park, New Jersey. It was an amazing area. The docent even recorded his voice on Edison's voice recorder/player. And yes, he played it back! It was the first sound recording device to play the sound. Many others recorded sound, but this was the first to play the recorded sound.

 We found this clock displaying Romulus and Remus as we were nearing the end of our visit. No, we didn't stick around to hear it...it was raining!

The next day, we took the day off and ran some errands, did laundry...you know stuff that has to be done whether you are traveling or at home.

The following day we drove back to The Henry Ford to use our remaining tickets. We started out in the main museum looking at Presidential vehicles.

 There were old cars of most makes and models.

This was one of my favorite displays. The board clamped to the kitchen sink has Henry Ford's first working gasoline engine. His wife poured gas into the intake valve while Henry cranked it. No, it is not much to look at, but look at where this invention has us today!

We took time off  after lunch to tour the Rouge Manufacturing Plant. Photography is not allowed in the factory. We able to take pictures from the roof viewing area. Yes, that is grass growing on the roof of the factory.

 After the Rouge Tour, it was back to The Henry Ford to finish our visit. The afternoon took us through the aircraft section and the steam engines. We missed the Liberty section and only spent a few minutes in Mathematica. The museum and factory left us awestruck by the inventors.

When we arrived at our campsite, there was a woman picking veggies in the fairground garden. She said to take all I wanted as the gardener was going to pull everything up in the next couple of days. Here is my bounty!

We enjoyed our trip to The Henry Ford and our stay at Wayne County Fairground. Time to move on down the road.

Elkhart, RVs, and on to Indianapolis

Connie and Larry left the casino about 2 minutes before us. We were all headed to Goshen, Indiana, for a stay at Elkhart County 4H Fairground. After we registered and found 2 spots close to each other, it was time to explore.

 We found out there was an  apple festival in Nappanee, about 15 miles south, so we headed out to investigate. We thought there would be everything apple, but no, it was more like a street fair with vendors selling jewelry, cosmetics, handmade towels, and other stuff.The cosmetic vendor made some of her wares with camels' milk and she had the camels to prove it. They were very photogenic. Connie said when they saw the camels, a train went by and they weren't so calm and photogenic then.

Only one tent was selling apple baked goods. Bob and I chose one apple dumpling with caramel sauce to split back at Sol. I have to say it was delicious.

While in the Elkhart area Bob and I wanted to find a few things for Sol. We spent a lot of time driving from one place to another looking for parts.

Another day we went to the RV Hall of Fame. There were a lot of interesting RVs in the museum.

After touring the museum, we wanted to have lunch and see  Downton Abbey. It was the first time we had been to a movie since we were with Connie and Larry in Las Vegas last fall! We a.ll enjoyed the movie and I can see the unfinished storylines as the next Downton Abbey movie!

Another excursion we went on with Connie and Larry was to Shipshewana, Indiana. It is an Amish town with lots of neat shops in which to browse. Not long after we arrived, Connie and I set out on our own, Bob and Larry went a different way. About 5 minutes later we got a call to meet them, they wanted lunch at Blue Gate Restaurant. The food was excellent! I had the best Reuben I have had in a very long time.  We continued shopping, finishing up at Yoder's Meat Shop. There were many different meats and cheeses to sample. We bought some bratwursts and cheese. It was a productive outing and I would not hesitate to return to Shipshewana.

On our last day in Goshen, we went to Bradd and Hall to check out captain's chairs. The one I ride in while we travel down the road is shredding where it shouldn't shred. We found one we liked, but it would take 4-6 weeks for it to get to Elkhart. We didn't know if we would need a new pedestal so we couldn't order it (plus we wouldn't be in the area when it arrived). Hmmmm, on to plan B.

After our stay in Goshen, it was time to say goodbye to Connie and Larry. We were heading to Indianapolis to visit a friend and they were headed to Camp Perry near Toledo.


The morning after we arrived at White River Campground near Cicero, Indiana, we met Pete and Susie for breakfast. Bob and I hadn't seen Pete since we lived in Schwabach, Germany, 34 years ago!
It was quite the reunion...they talked 'war' stories like you wouldn't believe. Susie and I were able to say a word or two occasionally.

 The next morning, Bob and I hiked the trail at the campground.This bridge leads to the trail.

 Sol is in the distance as viewed from the bridge.

Pete and Susie came to visit at the campground and brought some German items to share: Nuernberger brats, brotchen, and black forest cake! After hiking a portion of the trail again, we grilled hamburgers and had some of that deliciously wonderful cake.

That night we met Pete, Susie, and Matt (their 16 year old son) at a pizza place. Matt had lots of questions for Bob and Pete--mostly verification of army stories he had heard over the years.

The next day, we didn't get together until late in the day. It was time to cook those bratwursts and share more stories. And, yes, we ate some more of that cake!

 It was great to see Pete again and meet Susie and Matt. We hope we don't have to wait 34 more more years before our paths cross again!

Making Our Way to Indiana

Bob and I said goodbye to Connie and Larry for a day. We were headed to Sparta, Michigan, to visit a friend of mine. Connie and Larry went to Muskegon to tour a submarine.

Bob and I used our Harvest Host membership to stay at Apple Country Soapworks in Sparta.The soapworks is located in a house that used to be a stagecoach stop. We had a view of the house on one side of Sol.

On the other we had a view of an apple orchard. The trees are not the apple trees we are used to seeing. These trees have been grafted to another tree base and grow on supports. These trees are 3 years old and bearing fruit. They were just planted last year. Two advantages to these are that new trees bear fruit in 3 years and there is no need for a ladder to pick the apples.

After getting set up we talked with Jayne, the owner of the soapworks. Then it was on to Downtown Trini's to meet the parent of two of my former students. The family moved to Michigan just after Bob and I retired. I enjoyed catching up with Renee and was glad to hear that she and the girls are doing well.

After lunch, it was back to Sol to plan our route for the next day.

I did take a walk around the property and saw these two in a coop not far from Sol. At one time, there was also a herd of goats. But now, there are  just two hens and a dog named Otter.

The next day we didn't travel far. We made it to Gun Lake Casino to meet Connie and Larry. They left for the day to visit Holland, Michigan, while Bob and I stayed at Sol to catch up on chores.

After a noisy night---there was a train track near the casino, we all got on the road. Destination: Elkhart, Indiana.