Today was a great day. For those following my day by day, I should explain about the two BRISTOL’S. Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee are right next to each other. So bouncing back and forth between the two is easy. We started our day heading south on I 81 from the Bristol, Virginia Motel 6 and stopping at Steele Creek Park in Bristol, Tennessee, AGAIN! This is really an awesome park. Seeing how the temperature here was in the 90,s today, it was pretty “cool” walking along the lake, in the shade. E T liked it a lot 🙂
Then we headed further south on I 81 to I 40 to Kodak, TN. This is where the RV was repaired and stored. It is just outside Knoxville. Everything went smoothly picking up the RV, EXCEPT, we lost everything that was in the refrigerator. We have a propane / electric refrigerator. Lesson learned, you need electric or battery power to keep the propane going. Oops!
Other than “big city driving” around Knoxville it was an easy 285 mile ride to Lebanon, TN (30 miles south of Nashville). This is where we found another “diamond in the rough” campground to spend the night.
Shady Acres Campground ($24.86 full hookup – 50 amp) is only 2 miles off I 40. It boasts laundry facilities and a swimming pool. There is a Walmart and an Aldi 1 mile off the highway. Awesome when your fridge is empty! The best thing about Shady Acres is the people. All the people I met were down home, country. When was the last time you had a conversation with someone you just met for the first time and walked away smiling. It happened to me three times today and I hope I have the pleasure of meeting them all again.
We won’t be stopping in Nashville. We’ve been there before and have reservations to return in the spring of 2016. It’s our favorite “big city”.
For those of you following our “GAS-capades”. Today’s fill up was at the I 40 Exit 320 Pilot. We took 56 gallons at $2.269, $127.00. This is a big jump from our previous 12 gallon fill up! We’re keeping our fingers crossed the gas prices stay down 🙂 Next Stop Missouri

Yesterday,  we drove a hellish 400 miles.  We covered 7 states and the entire ride was a white knuckle …rrrrr.     Today was awesome!   We covered 1 state,  Virginia,  300 miles and the traveling difference was like night and day.   There was considerably less traffic,  the road was smooth, the scenery was beautiful and the majority of drivers were courteous.

I love the rolling hills of Virginia.   I asked David if we could take Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park.  He looked at me like I had three heads.  I won’t even repeat what he said, but he didn’t call me a pain in his A– .   So I’m still doing good 🙂   It is still only day two … stay tuned for day three 🙂

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E T is doing awesome.   I am a Catholic,  but just in case there is a remote chance of reincarnation,  I would love to come back as a pet treated like E T.   We added another 20 miles to our trip today to take her walking/doggie dipping at Steele Creek Park,  in Bristol, TN and then drove 10 miles  back to Bristol, Virginia to a  #1 Pet Friendly,  Motel 6 for the night.

I’m just going to add a quick note about Motel 6’s.  Last night we stayed at the Winchester, VA “6” ($52.99).  We stayed here last month and the room we stayed in was fine.  Last night we had a different room,  in a different “wing” and I thought it was “run down and dirty”.  Tonight we are in a Motel 6 in Bristol, VA ($59.00) and this room is as nice or nicer than many  bigger “name” and more expensive hotels where we’ve stayed.  Go figure!

Needless to say,  I’m really looking forward to picking up our RV tomorrow.

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July 8, 2015.    On the road again : 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning.
What a crappy ride 🙁 Traffic, Traffic, Traffic! Tractor Trailer Trucks, Tractor Trailer Trucks and MORE Tractor Trailer Trucks! Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh!
We took the Merritt Parkway to I 287 over the Tappan Zee Bridge ( Hallelujah!! No Army Convoys ). I 78 to I 81 … CT, N.Y., N.J., PA, MD, W.V., VA This is NOT a nice scenic, leisurely drive. David did a great job driving. The traffic never let up. He had to be on his game the entire drive … 7 1/2 hours. Yuck!
We are on a mission to get to Knoxville, TN to pick up the RV. That’s when the fun begins. Westward Ho!!! This is going to be our second East Coast to West Coast Adventure.
Our first trip out west was in the fall of 2011. We had made plans to go to Indianapolis, Indiana to the “Grandaddy of Drag Racing … The Big Go!”, Labor Day weekend. A week or so before leaving David asked me. “What do you think about heading out west, in the RV, after Indy?” On a wing and a prayer, we went and had a FABULOSO time!
This trip we “planned, planned and planned some more”. We’ll be going in a new RV vs a 20 year old one. We have the two teen Grands joining us for three weeks and will be joined by their, Dad, my oldest son for two marathons and a week in the Rocky Mountains. We’ll only be going back to two places we’ve already been, Indy and Yellowstone. This is going to be an awesome adventure!
First Gas Stop New Jersey I 78 Exit 7 we had less than an 1/8 of a tank of gas in the CAR. It took 12.883 gallons at $2.49.9 per gallon for a total of $32.19. We’re saving $$$ here vs driving the RV, but I miss traveling with the comforts of home. Yes, I am VERY spoiled.
Before we started RVing I was a great traveler. Car, Train, Airplane … It didn’t matter … I just loved traveling. Now that I’ve come to enjoy the comforts of RVing, it’s hard sitting here crammed into this car, packed to the hilt with all our “necessities of life”, wondering how long before the next rest stop.
We stopped for the night at E T’s favorite, Motel 6, in Winchester, VA ($52.30). There is a very nice, almost park like, area to walk her. After sleeping for most of the ride down she’s ready for a little exercise.
We have started an E T / Motel 6 tradition. Take Out Pizza for dinner. Less than 1/4 mile from this “6” is Metro Pizza. I like New York Style, white pizza , David likes Greek, red pizza, they make both 🙂 Great way to end a loooong day. Next Stop: Steele Creek Park Bristol, Tennessee

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July 6-7, 2015.  Having a picnic on the lawn at Tanglewood,  while listening to some amazing music,  has been on my bucket list for a long time.   Thanks to my oldest Grandson I’ve added  another check mark on that list.

He is a member of his high school marching band.  His band teacher had tried to put together a bus trip to Tanglewood to see The Boston Pops Brass and Percussion Section, Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps and the 16 time Drum Corps International World Champion Blue Devils from Concord, California perform “A Brass Spectacular”.   The trip didn’t come together, so I asked Rowan  if he would like to go with me.  Not only did he want to,  so did my daughter and younger Granddaughter.

Together we planned a fun filled overnight trip.

On arriving in Lenox, MA our first stop was the Tanglewood box office.    Lawn tickets for youths 17 and under,  purchased at the box office the day of the performance,  are FREE with an adult ticket purchase.  Our four tickets for this AMAZING performance cost $30.  What a deal!

Lunch was at Betty’s Pizza Shack on Housatonic Street.   I had the best tasting vegetarian quesadilla ever.   I know … who orders a quesadilla in a Pizza place,  Betty’s is a funky place!  All I can say is  “Try it, you’ll like it!”  The Grands ordered Pizza and were equally as pleased.

Next stop,  check in at The Yankee Inn,  on Pittsfield Street,  an easy 5.6 miles from Tanglewood ($129.99 a night plus 11.7 % hotel tax).    This is a fun Inn.  The staff was very helpful and extremely nice.  It has an indoor heated pool and an outdoor cool pool, a hot tub and full breakfast in the morning.  Our evening swim we pool hopped.  The morning swim was strictly all “heated”!  The room was quaint and VERY cozy.  We brought one of our own cots to space out the sleeping arrangements 🙂

We picked up our “picnic” dinner at the Subway located across the street from the Inn.    How convenient is that ???

The concert was SPECTACULAR!  The grand finale was performed by ALL THREE GROUPS on stage together.  They rocked the 1812 Overture like it’s never been played before.  It was a once in a lifetime performance.

Our only disappointment was not being able to stop on our way home in Charlemont, MA and ride the Berkshire East Mountain Coaster (half alpine slide / half roller coaster).  It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Next Time!

Stay tuned for our “Spectacular” East Coast/West Coast Adventure.  David, E T  and I are headed back to Knoxville TN in the morning,  to pick up the RV and head west my friends!

Yesterday was a “Fun Day” with all five Grands. As they get older it is getting harder and harder to find “age appropriate” things to do with all five together (current age ranges from 7 – 16). Yesterday, I think I hit a jackpot! First Stop:
Soarin’ Indoors Aerial Adventure Center
422 North Main St
Manchester, CT 06042
860-645-1595
www.soarinindoors.com
Admission $18.95 Adult
$12.95 Ages 12 and Under
I have not laughed so hard in a long time. This is a great place to have fun and get exercise. Anyone that can reach 5 ft high when standing flat footed can do it. There are even exceptions for those that can’t, but have parental supervision.
Zip lines, rope bridges, high wires, swinging logs and much more make this a great adventure. The obstacles can be VERY challenging, or not, depending on the route you chose. If you’re afraid of heights, you can still have fun staying on the lower level? If you need to “bail” a staff member will bring you a ladder. We had no such incidents 🙂
Oh! I don’t want to forget to say, it is all inside a climate controlled environment. This is a great place to go on a rainy day or hot humid summer day. When we walked in it actually felt cold, but not for long! The admission fee covers unlimited trips through the course. This is where I’m having my next Birthday Party 🙂
Next Stop:
Foxwoods Festival Buffet / Fox Theater
The buffet food was NOT Great. The nice part was no haggling over who wanted to go where, or who liked or didn’t like what to eat. For $10.95 a child and $15.00 an adult (this was part of a Theater package), I thought an unlimited “soup to nuts” meal was a deal. I would NOT bring the kids here just for the buffet.
Our tickets were to see “The SuperNaturalists” a performance by nine world renowned magicians and illusionists. The show was fun. The kids loved it! I loved that they loved it! I liked it. It was probably because I paid that I didn’t Love it. I didn’t think it was worth the ticket price. $50 per adult $65 for the Buffet Package
$35 per child. 12 and under The ticket salesperson advised against buying the package for a child. The regular child buffet price is $10.95 vs $15.00 as part of the package.
These are general admission prices, there are much higher priced tickets available with assigned seating. I would have been VERY disappointed had I gone for the big bucks to sit up closer. We did wait an hour in line, but had seats third row center on the first level. We could have had railing seats, but there were seven of us and we didn’t want to split up.
The Headliner, Criss Angel was not really there. They did a Skype “trick” with him, but it was pretty weak. One of the other magicians, Banachek, did a VERY similar mind reading, live. If you pay attention, the show promotions say Criss Angel PRESENTS. He does, via video.
It was LOUD! I had wished I’d brought ear plugs for 10 year old, Emily. She has sensitive ears. As a “Fun Day” with the Grands, I gave it five stars 🙂

The first time I came to New York City was with my Mom when I was in my early teens. I’ve been back countless times.  I Love New York!

My most memorable experience was in May of 2003.  My brother, Dave, and I did the 26th Annual, Bike New York Five Boro Tour (every year, third Sunday of May).  This is a 42 mile bicycle ride through the cities five boroughs.  The streets are closed to traffic and it’s a bicyclists paradise.  We started out in front of Ground Zero and finished at Battery Park. The biggest challenge was biking the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.   What a ride!

My brother, Dave is the reason I love coming to New York so much.  He is the best New York trip planner, tour guide and companion ever!

This trip formulated when the Divine Miss M (Bette Midler) announced her Divine Intervention Tour.  All I had to do was say “Yes” when Dave asked if I wanted to go.  Ticket purchasing, hotel reservations, research and the hardest part of all,  planning the navigating were all up to him. Our concert plans evolved into a two night “Barb and Dave Getaway”.

Dave drove us to the Stamford, CT Train Station where a new overnight parking garage, Harbor Point Gateway Garage, recently opened ($10 per 24 hours).  We caught the Metro North Express Train (50 minutes) to Grand Central Station ($22 round trip).

He had booked us a room at The Wolcott Hotel ($200 a night).  The Wolcott opened in 1904.  It is very old, but well maintained.  The architecture, design and decorating is very ornate and quite interesting.  The lobby is awesome!  Best of all is the location.  It is on W 31st Street, midway between 5th Ave and Broadway, just a few blocks from Madison Square Garden.  Our room was tiny, with two twin beds that were more the size of large cots.  They were comfortable enough and the room was neat and clean.  The Hotel serves coffee, tea and muffins every morning. The muffins are fresh bakery, not frozen minis, delicious!

Dinner the first night was at The Pita Grill (291 7th Ave).  We both had Falafel Pitas and Sweet Potato Fries ($10.07).  Dave is a Vegan and I am Vegetarian.

The concert was FABULOUS!  Or I guess I should say “SIMPLY DIVINE!  Bette Midler is the epitome of a great performer.  At 69 years old she ROCKED the Garden and received three standing ovations!  Her voice, although a few octaves lower,  was superb.  She was on stage for over two hours and her stamina never waned.  She made us laugh with her jokes,  sang songs that brought smiles to our faces and sometimes tears to our eyes.  The concert was a past to the present, 40 years of the Best of Bette!

The next day, we were at the Brooks Atkinson Theater box office when it opened at 10:00 a.m..  We wanted to see the play  “It Shoulda Been You”.   There are many places to buy discounted tickets,  but Dave has found that going to the box office you can often do better. We got lucky!  There were day of the show “Rush” tickets available.  Ticket prices for this show range from $57 – $142.  We got first mezzanine box seat tickets for $35.  Have you ever been at a theater and seen these cute little balconies on either side of the stage and wondered “Are those seats only for special people?”.  Yes, they are! Those are the seats that Dave and I were in 🙂  The show, a musical romantic comedy,  was FANTASTIC!   Tyne Daly (Cagney from the TV show Cagney and Lacey) was one of the stars.  She was great!  The storyline was totally unpredictable.  Dave and I were both very pleasantly surprised!  We are having a ball!

Our days were filled walking around Manhattan.  The High Line, an elevated rail yard park, that runs from 11th Ave to W 34th, has beautiful gardens and gorgeous sky line views.  This was my first time walking on the High Line and I was very impressed.  From there we headed toward the water to The Hudson River Walkway and down to Battery Park.  We had great views of The Freedom Building the 9/11 Tribute and Lady Liberty.  We headed back to the hotel through Greenwich Village and stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at one of Dave’s favorite restaurants, Red Bamboo (140 W 4th Street).  It’s menu is vegan/vegetarian soul food.  Entrees range from $10 – $16.  Our meals were excellent (two for $27).

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Our original plan was to store the RV in Kingsport, TN, just outside of Bristol, for a few weeks and take the car home. Mid July we’re headed further west and will be taking the same route. We’ve never used storage before, but why put the miles on the RV and pay for all the gas driving back and forth. David found a place under cover and electricity for $100 a month.
The accident put a little twist in our plan. David found a repair shop, 100 miles further west, in Knoxville, TN, that will do the repairs and then store the RV until we get back. This adds several hours to our trip home. We’re in a bit of a hurry to get home, but you have to do what you have to do.
So, it’s 850 miles 14-15 hours home. Some of you may be thinking, YUCK! That’s a lot of driving. David likes to drive, which is important. I love “scenery watching” and I’m like a kid, I pack a box of “things to do” and when I’m not “scenery watching” I have no problem keeping busy. David and I also talk about EVERYTHING!
For those of you just starting to read this blog, I’ll tell a Readers Digest version of how David and I met. One day I walked into the back entrance of a restaurant and David walked into the front entrance. I thought I recognized him and waved, he waved back. After a minute of weirdness when we realized that we didn’t know each other, we started talking. That was ten years ago and we still haven’t run out of things to talk about 🙂 So we are good Roadies.
Next Stop … New York City, not by RV, by train! Not with David, but with my brother. This one will be different!

June 19 – 21, 2015.   Thunder Valley is our favorite track.   We camp at Earhardt East Campground adjacent to Bristol Motor Speedway.   Our view is of the Nascar Track.  It’s a short walk through the campground and parking lot to the drag strip.

This is out first year having E T with us.   She’s going to spend a lot of time alone in the RV, so I went on line and found a great park to walk her, Steele Creek Park,   not 10 minutes from the track. Gotta love the internet 🙂

Friday night qualifying doesn’t start until 4:30 p.m., so we get second round under the lights.  Thunder Valley sights, sounds and smells are intensifying.  This is the only venue where you can get seats as close as 75 feet from the starting line.   From the burnout to launch of the 10,000 horsepower nitro dragsters and funny cars  you are on the edge of your seat.    The strip is built in between two mountains, hence Thunder Valley.   The Grand Stands are built into the side of one mountain.  This venue brings new meaning to the saying Shake, Rattle and Roll!

Saturday we had rain showers on and off throughout the day.  You might think this would ruin the day.  No way!  It made it better, we got to enjoy two night sessions of racing instead of one.

Sunday mornings most tracks have a track walk where fans can actually walk the 1/4 mile track with many of their favorite drivers.  The National Hot Rod Associations boasts that your ticket is a pit pass.  This is one of the reasons that David and I enjoy going to NHRA events so much.  You can talk to the drivers, get autographs and photos, watch the crews work on the  cars in the pits and so much more.

This was a great weekend of racing.  One of my favorite drivers, Richie Crampton won, driving the Lucas Oil Top Fuel Dragster.  He ran 1,000 ft in 3.88 seconds at 321 MPH.   Matt Hagan won driving the Rocky Boots Funny Car,  running 1,000 ft in 4.16 seconds at 303 MPH.  Erica Enders-Stevens won for Elite Motorsports in Pro Stock running the 1/4 mile in 6.68 seconds at 206 MPH.

David has been a Gear Head since he was in his teens.  Ten years ago, he took me to my first event in Englishtown, N.J. and I’ve been hooked ever since.  We spent our honeymoon in Indianapolis, Indiana at  “The Big Go” the  premier drag race of the year and have attended at least 4 events and at least one new venue a year ever since.

Next Stop Knoxville, Tennessee to get our RV repaired from the Tappan Zee Bridge accident.

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June 17 – 19, 2015.    This is our fourth time here and we will come back as many times as we can.    “The Virginia Creeper Trail traverses through some of the most rugged and picturesque scenery in the Eastern United States and is widely lauded as one of the most beautiful trails on the continent.”  Comment from brochure …  We agree 100%  🙂

The Trail is  34.3 miles and started as a Native American footpath.  It runs from Abingdon, VA to the Virgina/North Carolina border.  The town of Abingdon was originally named Wolf Hills by Daniel Boone when he came through and saw a pack of wolves.

We stay in Damascus, Virginia “Heart of the Virginia Creeper Trail”,  at the Creek Side RV Park.

Damascus Population: 815

Traffic Lights :0

The Creek Side RV Park has a whopping 6 sites.  It’s a real small town friendly park.   The owner Russ is very nice.   It’s well kept and all 6 sites back up to a very pretty creek.  Negatives are check out is 10:00 A.M., but you can negotiate a later check out with Russ, depending on how much electricity you ‘ll be using.  We paid an additional $10 (over the $30 per night) to check out late and leave the air conditioning on for E T 🙂

Dinner is always at the Damascus Old Mill Restaurant, Inn and Pub a short walk from the RV Park.  Excellent food, fair prices and fabulous atmosphere.  There’s seating out on the deck or in the dining room with views of the Mock’s Mill Falls.  Check out the TAXES on the photo of our check …  Virginia has a State Tax, Sales Tax, County Tax, Town Tax and worst of all Beer and Wine Tax.  I could NEVER live here!

In the morning, we walk across the street with our bikes to The Bike Station and are shuttled to White Top Station,  1.1  miles from the N.C. / VA border in the Jefferson National Forest. Don our driver is a very cool guy!

From there we ride the gradual  downhill trail for 18.3 miles back to downtown Damascus.  This is a spectacular ride that ANYONE in half way decent shape can ride.   The first 12.3 miles is easy.  The next 6 miles into downtown Damascus  is fairly level, with never more than a 1 or 2% grade.   Our 7 year old grandson, Zach, could ride this trail and thoroughly enjoy every minute.   The scenery is SPECTACULAR!  The 15.6 miles into Abingdon is quite a bit rougher with lots of open areas and bright sunshine.  If your like me and like to complete a trail,  it’s an accomplishment.  Do I ever have the need to do it again?  The answer is NO!  I’m good with the 18.3 miles from White Top Station to Damascus 🙂

This is the best of the best when it comes to bike trails.

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Next stop,  Thunder Valley at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol Tennessee!  NHRA Drag Racing at it’s best.

June 14 – 16, 2015.   This is a wonderful place if you like rustic camping, beautiful scenery and hiking. I would return in a heartbeat, David would NOT.
Not because he didn’t like it, but once was enough. He said the same thing about Hot Springs, Arkansas. These are the only two places in all of our travels to date that he’s said that he wouldn’t care to go back. My one and only place to never return, New Orleans. We just hiked miles of mountains and forests with bear, bobcat and snakes. I was not afraid. In New Orleans I was afraid of getting, robbed, stabbed or puked on. Different strokes for different folks!
Four days into our travels, David has already called me a pain in his “butt”. Can you believe it? All I did was say, “How about driving another 15 miles north, for the second time, to hike ANOTHER trail to ANOTHER waterfall. He was flabbergasted that I did not realize that HE was NOT enjoying driving me (and E T) up, up, up and down, down, down and all around these fabulous mountain twists and curves while dodging black bears, deer and worse yet, bicyclists. It’s unbelievable how many people are crazy enough to bicycle on these narrow, winding, mountainous roads. These roads have, NO shoulders and are highly traveled by all kinds of vehicles.
Well, I have been enjoying the scenery and I kind of thought David liked pulling in and out of all of the 30 or so Overlooks along our way, so I could take photos, but I’ve been wrong before 🙂 So I guess I am a pain in his butt. Better than a thorn in his side, right???
Hmmmmm, I might have to change the name of this “tour” from the Rock and Roll Tour to the Power of Love Tour!
Speaking of Rocks. We hiked the Windham Rock trail. These formations are the oldest in the park. I’ll post photos, but they do not do justice. The formations are sparkle-tacular!, This was one of the trails that we hiked that branched from a section of the Appalachian Trail. There was another that led to columnar jointing rock formations. This trail would be on my list if I came back. We just ran out of time and energy. Most of the trails here are miles long and have steep grades and rocky terrain.
E T bailed on the last hike. We had time for just one more hike … There is a trail called Traces that circles the campground. No driving just walk a few hundred yards from the RV to the trail head. We walked about 100 yards from the RV and E T laid down in the middle of the path. She was not going any further unless it was in the direction back to the RV. She’d had enough hiking! So we put her back in the RV and went without her. She is very spoiled and very smart, says my aching back, knees and feet 🙂
We’re on the road again, headed for one of our favorite small towns, Damascus, Virginia, home of the Virginia Creeper trail, one of our favorite bike trails.