Day 87–Home Sweet Home!

Ron woke about  3 am and was ready to leave – me not so much. I convinced him to come back to bed and get at least another hour of sleep. We both fell back to sleep and woke at 7 am to a heavy fog  surrounding us.

HMMM – would it have been better to drive in the dark or in the fog? I guess we will find out. We were on the road by 8 am and the fog was intermittent  throughout the day. Sometimes so bad you could barely see the vehicles in front of you. Other times the sun was trying to brighten the day.

 

 

As we were driving over the Hudson River there were lots of  chunks’ of ice floating along the river. There was a heavy fog over the Hudson and what looks like white caps in the water is actually large chunks' of ice.

 

 

                               

 

     

It didn’t rain until we got home – just in time to unload the MH.

Ron pulled the MH into the driveway so we could unload. We didn’t do badly getting the job done in about three hours! We will have to leave the MH at the end of the driveway until the snow melts and the area we use for parking it is dry and not a mud hole. That could be until June!

It was a great trip despite not really ever finding the sun and warmth we were looking for. We had a wonderful visit with cousin Nancy and with our friends Ginny and Dick.

We traveled  8,005 miles in the MH and 2,309 miles in the Jeep in  87 days!

 

 

The End

 

Day 86–Driving Home–Wal Mart, Milford, Pennsylvania

Ron is not happy about going home but some things need to happen in life that we don’t like. Dr’s appointments and taxes to name at least two of those things.  We left around 10:30 am in dreary, cold weather.

Ron took a different route taking us over mountains. It wasn't too bad until the temp dropped to 31 degrees and we were pelleted with a freezing rain.

 

  

 

  Frozen Water on the side of the mountains!

                                                   

Ron had determined we would travel a little over three hundred miles today stopping at a Wal Mart in Milford Pennsylvania. He had checked on the internet to determine if they allowed RV parking and it stated they did. However, when we arrived there were signs everywhere – NO RV PARKING! It was late and the weather deteriorating quickly so we went inside and asked. We received an ambiguous answer but the bottom line was we could take our chances that the police wouldn’t throw us out – a town ordinance  - not Wal Mart’s wishes.

We took our chances  and parked at the farthest point away from the store close to the highway. It is very noisy but at least we didn’t have to continue on in the pouring rain.

We are so close to the highway you can read the fine print on the passing trucks! LOL We got settled  in for the night and just hoped we wouldn’t get a knock on the door telling us to leave.

Day 85–Shenandoah CG, Shenandoah Caverns, Main Street of Yesteryear, American Celebration on Parade, The Yellow Barn, Mt. Jackson, Virginia

Today we had hoped for another sunny, warm day but no such luck. The temperature never got above 45 and the sun was hiding all day until 5 pm when it made a brief appearance. The air is really cold and damp so feels more like 35 degrees.

Our first stop today was at the Route 11 Potato Chip Factory.

http://www.rt11.com/

       

We were hoping  to see them in operation but they were not making chips today. The woman at the counter told us that this is their slow season  and it won’t pick up until Easter weekend. It will be non-stop with tourists until the middle of October. They make a variety of flavors and the Dill Pickle Chips are one of their biggest sellers. We tired them and indeed they are delicious. Needless to say we bought two bags of chips – one regular and one dill pickle.

Next we stopped at the Shenandoah Caverns.

Before seeing the caverns  we took the  a tour of Main Street  of Yesteryear. It is a  series of old window displays from department stores from over 50 year ago. Needless to say it was delightful to see the different displays – almost all animated.

 

 

                                                     

 

  

                                                              

                                    

Couldn’t get a good full shot of most of the window displays – Cinderella & her pink horses             

We really enjoyed seeing the window displays, and it  is nice to see that these have been preserved.

Then it was time to take the cavern tour.

   

It was not busy so we were privileged to have a private tour through  the caverns and we didn’t have to walk up & down the stairs because they installed an elevator. Our guide reiterated the same info about slow season here but that beginning with Easter weekend it will be non-stop until the middle of October with long lines and overcrowding.

http://www.shenandoahcaverns.com/

The caverns were  a pleasant surprise. Neither Ron or I were expecting too much but as soon as we walked into the main corridor we were immediately taken by the beauty of Shenandoah Caverns.

 

                                   

 

 

                           

 

We really enjoyed our private tour and we both rate these caverns among our top three favorites.

Next it was on to the American Celebration on Parade – A parade float museum.

Once inside we were treated to a variety of floats that have been used in many large cities across the country and at Presidential Inaugural Parades.

 

 

 

                                                              

 

 

                                                                      

  

We cannot believe that we have driven this route numerous times over the years and never stopped until this trip. This was a real find for us and we enjoyed everything we saw and did today.

We stopped by the Yellow Barn to take a look. It is essentially a large gift shop but during high season they put on shows on the stage at the far end of the store.

We took a short ride around the area and drove through the Covered Bridge.

 

 

On our way back to the CG we spotted some unusual art work.

   

Some people are so creative!

Back at the MH we began preparing the final leg of our journey. To date we have been lucky enough to find CG’s that are open. Not so sure about the last few hundred miles. CG’s further north tend to open at the beginning of April so tomorrow night may be a rest area or Wal Mart  stop before getting home on Thursday.

 

 

Day 84–Travel Day, Shenandoah Family Campground, Mt. Jackson, Virginia

Today we left the CG around 10 am.  Jewel was very unhappy when I closed the bedroom  slide and sulked in the corner by the bed.

She wasn’t any better when she had to get on the couch for the ride.

   

 

She refused to lay down and sat in her sulk position the entire 311 miles.

Another uneventful driving day for us. Ron had mapped  out driving around 311 miles today. He found a CG in Mt. Jackson, Virginia, adjacent to Shenandoah Caverns. Of course he wants to visit the caverns. More underground activities for us.

We arrived around 5 pm and were promptly put off by the owner who took a personal phone call when we were trying to check in. She left us standing there for about 10 minutes while she chatted with a friend. Finally she addressed us.

 

It is listed as a Passport America CG so we planned on the discount. She only allowed one night on the PA discount. Ron wanted to do some activities in the area so we booked two nights. I didn’t do my homework so was surprised to see the charge for $47.00 for the second night. I mentioned that I was surprised at the price and she immediately told me how lucky I was to get  the PA discount. Great customer service here!! NOT If we had not already paid (no refunds) I would have asked Ron to take us somewhere else.

There were only two other campers here  even though we were charged high season rates.

Tomorrow we will tour the caverns and the potato chip factory across the street.

 

Day 83–Driving Day–Baileyton RV Park, Baileyton, Tennessee

We left Nashville around 11 am on our way home. Ron is not too happy because he hasn’t been able to wiggle his nose and bring on warm Spring weather. LOL  It was slow going  today with the traffic and mountain roads.

We arrived in Baileyton RV Park around 5 pm and settled in for the night. It was a nice evening – around 60 degrees so we took Jewel for a long walk.

 

                                            

Nothing much else to report except we are still hoping to run into good weather either in DC or NYC.

Day 82–Jellystone Park Camp Resort– Barbara Mandrel's Fontanel Mansion, Nashville, Tennessee

Today we toured Fontanel Mansion, the former 27,000 square foot home of Barbara Mandrel. She and her family lived in the home until the children graduated from college and moved out. It is the largest log cabin in the world.

The tour is very informal and we were allowed to take as many pictures as we wanted, touch anything and sit the furniture. The first room we visited was the 2500 sf family room – bigger then most single family homes!

 

  

 

                                               

 

                                   

Throughout the home there were multiple guitars from other famous artists.

 

We saw a huge walk-in closet that every woman would love not to mention a gigantic bathroom.

  

                                                          

The master bedroom is very nice!

The home is huge and the family had a spot that they gathered regularly just off the kitchen. It is a more normal space and not cavernous like the rest of the house.

 

 

There is a huge pool that is permanently covered that was used for parties. It has it’s own kitchen adjacent to it.

 

  

It is quite a magnificent place with too many rooms to address. Not quite sure why anyone would want a place this big but I guess if you have the money the world is yours!

Did I mention it also has a shooting gallery attached to the house. We were told that the entire family has adept shooting skills.

                               

After finishing the tour we stopped by Prichard’s Distillery and got a tour of their small facility.

 

     

We were given a sample of their spiced rum. WHOA! It was really strong and not so spicy!

On our way to dinner we drove through a very nice neighborhood and admired the homes.

It was time for dinner so we went back to the Opry Mall and ate at  the Claim Jumper’s Restaurant. The food there is really good and we were not disappointed. After eating an appetizer, bread and salad we couldn’t finish the main meal so once again have leftovers for dinner on Sunday.

Ron is still hoping for some good weather to appear suddenly so we can make a few more stops on the way home. Campgrounds that he hoped would be open are closed until April 1st and the weather is to cold further north to enjoy any outside activities. As beautiful as the weather was last year at this time on our trip home , this year is just the opposite.