Movers and Shakers

Dormitory

Still no fall colors. Sunday night we made it into Harrodsburg, KY and met up with fellow Scamp owner, Mary Fletcher. We shared a hot meal around my dinette and fussed about the damp. The following morning's rain, however, did not deter us from spending the day at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, KY, just outside Harrodsburg. This 3000 acre site preserves the buildings, farms and heritage of the third largest settlement of Shakers in the United States. Active between 1805 and 1910, Shakers endeavored here, with discipline and hard work, to create heaven on earth, and to offer peace through charitable acts to those in need.

Inside the restaurant

We enjoyed the dignified old buildings, generous barns, charming shops and the excellent restaurant. Many of the buildings house rooms for guests. The main museum building was undergoing restoration so most of the site's artifacts were in storage. There still were lovely examples of Shaker furniture throughout the buildings we were able to visit and we learned much from the educational placards and a self-guided tour brochure.

Most remarkable of all to me were the beautiful stone walls that went on as far as the eye could see. What labor and what love. So here are the

Worship space

pictures of what we saw.

The trip home was nothing but more rain. Not much excitement there, except for the last picture. Ruthie had never visited a Steak 'n
 Shake, half the reason I ever went back up North. Now that they are down here, I was amazed she'd never had their shakes or fries. We fixed that. Made the rainy trip home so much sweeter. And we finally saw some fall color near London, KY. Briefly. Still waiting in Asheboro...

Ruthie's first Steak 'n Shake

Searching for Fall

The leaves on my ordinarily stunning maple trees are falling without turning color. So Ruthie and I headed north to a Fiberglass RV rally at Brown County State Park in Indiana in search of fall color. Not a red or gold leaf in sight until it got down to 36 degrees one night and we woke to just the bare beginnings of color in the trees. We have left Indiana but there is a frost warning there. We wish them a lovely fall.

We started out Thursday morning in the rain from Hurricane Michael. Actually, we pulled out of town just in time. We drove through constant rain to Charleston WV where we finally saw some sun while the folks back home were cleaning up from downed trees, flooding and power outages. The campground was cozy and full of these Amish chairs (make of polypropylene--Amish??) which were remarkably comfortable tho a taste gaudy and out of budget.

New Richmond OH

Friday we had a lovely drive along the Ohio river on US 52 through lush farms, charming old villages and past multiple refineries and power plants. It is my favorite drive back to Indiana, far from the Interstate and within sight of the river for most of the way. We ducked around Cincinnati on the Interstate then got back on US 52 and ambled up to Metamora,

Canal boat

Aquaduct

the place where my grandmother's grandparents' family settled from Scotland before moving north to Shelbyville.

Metamora has become a tourist stop, though it remains very much a small town. It is crossed by a canal where you can still ride a canal boat or a historic steam train. And it hosts the last remaining wooden aquaduct in the US. The aquaduct allows the canal boats to cross a local creek. It's a pretty amazing thing to see one channel of water crossing another. There are several old wooden locks still in operation just a short walk out of town.

From Metamora we traveled up to Rushville IN to see the old Durbin Hotel where we had many happy meals with my grandparents. Wendell Wilkie, running for president against FDR, had his campaign headquarters in the old hotel. Rushville is half way between Indianapolis and Cincinnati on old US 52 which long predated the Interstate. Cincinnati Reds Fans made the Durbin their stop for supper on the way home from games. It had a long association with the railroad as well, which made a stop in Rushville. The bar was named the Gandy Dancer Lounge. It was years before I knew what a Gandy Dancer was. I'll let you look it up, but Charles Kuralt's first episode of his On the Road TV show documented the last working team of Gandy Dancers before automation replaced them. I was privileged to see a team of elderly Gandy Dancers working at the NC Transportation Museum when the kids were small. Like the Gandy Dancers, the hotel is long gone, but the building remains and appeared to be gutted for renovation.

Mama Ruth's house

From Rushville, we headed to Shelbyville to see if my grandmother's old house was still standing. My sister and husband lived there the last years of their lives. Ruth died suddenly of an aneurysm. Larry remained in the house for a few more years but became ill and the house fell into disrepair. My son and I visited about three years ago and the damage was so significant that we were afraid there was no future for the old place. My grandmother's grandfather built it and it remained in the family until recently. I'm happy to report that repairs were underway and the new owners are intent on keeping it alive and well.

From Shelbyville, in the dusk and rain, we made our way to Brown County State Park. We crossed paths with other fiberglass RV owners and had a great visit with them. We had the buffet in the Abe Martin Lodge--identical to the buffets we enjoyed for Sunday dinner there when I was a child. We wandered touristy Nashville IN and hit my favorite shops. But the height of the visit was a hike on a trail created by the CCC when the park was built, replete with carefully crafted stone steps and bridges. Like the lodge, many of the older buildings are log and stone. Because of its scenic location (Brown County is called The Little Smokies--the rest of Indiana is on the edge of the Great Plains and incredibly flat, but the glacier that flattened it stopped before reaching the Ohio River, leaving these wooded hills) and also its proximity to Indiana University and its many sporting events, the park is very heavily used. Despite this, the facilities are beautifully maintained and while the buildings may be rustic, they are clean and well cared for.

Inside the Dome at West Badin

West Badin Dome

We had one clear day in the park then headed out in the rain again for a campsite in Kentucky. On the way I took Ruthie by the French Lick and West Badin resorts.
My son and I visited them on our trip three years ago, just after they had completed a multi-million dollar renovation. Both resorts are close together, clustered around natural mineral springs. Folks came here years ago to drink and bathe in the healing waters. My parents brought us here on weekend vacations for the good food

Fireplace West Badin

and comfortable rooms. Now folks come for the golf course, casino

and train museum. When it was built, West Badin was the world's largest unsupported dome. It is still incredibly impressive. The gilded lobby of the French Lick resort is far more elaborate than I remember as a child, but like my grandmother's house, I'm pleased to see these historic buildings having another heyday.

Lobby at French Lick

After the glitter and glory of the resorts, we were off in the rain again. Our next stop, quite in contrast, will be Shaker Village in Harrodsburg, KY. Stay tuned...

Hungry, Mother

My intrepid friend, Joan, and I spent three days at beautiful Hungry Mother Park near Marion, VA. I had never heard of Hungry Mother until a library patron who was originally from that area talked about vacationing there. Such an odd name. The legend is that Indians captured local settlers including a mother and small child. These two managed to escape but were lost in the woods. The mother died and the child followed a creek into a settlement. Her first words were "Hungry Mother". Joan is a retired school teacher and insists that the name should be "Hungry, Mother" as that is what the child presumably said repeatedly in the woods as they foraged for food. We did not mention this gaff to the park rangers...

The park is one of the first six state parks in Virginia and was built by the CCC. Like Cheraw, there is an earthen dam at one end of the valley forming this long, narrow lake. The mountain literally comes down to the water on one side. The road in follows the other. There are two campgrounds. We stayed in Creekside and were literally on the water's edge.

Since returning from Canada, I have been madly cleaning house, painting and rearranging after my daughter's move. Then the yard needed attention and on it goes. Joan was recovering from a large family gathering. Between us, we were pooped and took this trip as a rest break. That said, the historic town of Marion will be worth exploring on our next trip up.

We had lunch at Wolf BBQ--a place I can heartily recommend. Since I brought a few extra pounds back from Canada, I did not try their pumpkin cobbler but it sounded scrumptious. There are antique shops and the historic Lincoln Theater which hosts traditional music and bluegrass. Brochures indicated there is river rafting in the area and I will not come back without a kayak to explore the lake.

The railfans among us were particularly taken with the old train station, now shops and offices. It always makes me happy to see old building kept alive by new uses.

The park itself was full of CCC era cabins along with more modern facilities for rental by families or groups. There is even a conference center on site. And we found some lovely places to walk. I bought a bear bell for the Canada trip and Jessie gave me a safety whistle. I'd never really needed them in Canada, but with bear warning signs throughout the park, I did take them walking in the woods. Apparently they worked as we made it home rested, well and wanting to come back.

Jiggety Jog--Retirement Trip Days 13 & 14

The LeClerc factory closes each Friday at noon so our appointment was early--8:30am. We had broken camp and were towing LibraryAnn with us downtown. The route we'd planned last night worked despite lots of school buses on the road (I had totally forgotten about school starting). Mr. Brassard patiently answered our questions and demonstrated the answers on a Weaverbird set up in their show room. While he was finding some repair parts for us, I explored the yarn displays. Sigh.
It really did make sense to spend those Canadian dollars I brought in Canada. Did I mention mohair boucle and an alpaca/silk blend? Oooh, and a handy loom attachment to help keep selvages straight. Broke but happy, we headed out for Burlington, VT.

And the itch to head home hit. We got to Burlington early enough in the day we decided not to stop. And our Saturday night reservation graciously moved us up to Friday night despite being slammed with holiday travelers. We still enjoyed the beautiful mountains, lakes and river valleys booking down the Appalachian ridge but mostly we enjoyed thoughts of home. We pulled in late to Dalton PA, slept hard and were up and out early Saturday morning, and home by 7:00pm Saturday night.

As a bookend to the trip, we were back in rain, just as we'd started it. As we pulled into Randolph County, Asheboro was under a severe thunderstorm warning. We missed the storm and Ben snapped this dramatic picture of the clouds as they raced out ahead of us.

I have learned a few things from this trip. One is that I can trust my equipment. As rough as most of the roads were up north, I should have slung trailer parts all across the northeast, but we made it home in tact. I learned to respect the Planning Fallacy--things always take longer (and cost more) than you imagine when planning. I learned that about two weeks is as much as I enjoy being away from home--Coos Bay may not be in my future. And I learned that, despite all the news media would have us believe, it is still a beautiful world out there full of mostly really nice people. And on that note, Goodnight.

And another scenic river valley--Retirement Trip Day 12

Three bridge abutments at Grand Falls

Ben and I are getting a little tired of traveling and all that the added burden of camping entails with set objectives and breaking camp almost daily. We both woke up sluggish and grouchy and not really wanting to hit the road again. Until we did. Then it was all ooohs and aaahs and look at that!

We tried to view the gorge at Grand Falls last night but the rain was awful. So we decided to try one more time. The entrance to the public overlook is in the parking lot for a zipline that crosses the gorge. Some folks is crazy. That said, the parking lot was empty in the early morning and we headed for the overlook. The welder was excited to see bridge abutments for all three of the bridges that have spanned the gorge. The public overlook is built on the

Hydroelectric Dam at Grand Falls Gorge

pilings of the first bridge. He got even more excited to see the history of the bridges posted as we walked in. I got excited to see that there was a tall cage around the cantilevered observation deck. The gorge is 280 feet deep in spots. Did I mention I do not like heights? Still, it was lovely, but we both were glad to trot off the cantilevered deck once we snapped some pictures.

Yesterday, we were driving back roads up the St John River Valley on a provincial scenic byway. Today we completed the byway and crossed the border into Quebec, and back to our standard time zone about 10:30am. Vita had directed us to a scenic back road along the mighty St Lawrence river as we headed southwest towards Quebec City. We were gobsmacked. To the left of us were towering folds of granite, to the right, the broad St Lawrence. Between them was wonderfully fertile farmland dotted with huge barns, comfortable farm houses and sweet villages.

When we were in New Brunswick, we were charmed by the clapboard churches, largely Protestant and surprisingly, largely Baptist. But we were in French Canada now, and each village hosted a towering cathedral. The river valley is very flat and we could see church spires long before we could see the villages. Again, the road was narrow and getting off to take pictures was a challenge, but we captured a few.

St Lawrence River

We are in Plessisville now, scheduled to visit the folks who made my Weaverbird loom early tomorrow. We did make a trip in to town to be sure we could find the place, especially since we will be towing tomorrow. What we found was lots of road construction in tight downtown places and lots of one way streets. We have now identified a route that avoids most of the mess and are ready to tuck ourselves in for a chilly 50 degree night. We are also ready to come home. Lots of folks here speak no English and the bilingual signs are a thing of the past. We really are foreigners here and I'm surprised that I find no excitement in it. Probably because it's the end of the trip and we're sort of played out of excitement. I'm just ready for some familiar.

You can click on each photo to enlarge it and enjoy these beautiful village churches.

Godde willing, we will be back on US soil tomorrow night.

Scenic River Valley--Retirement Trip Day 11

Grand Lake ends in the St John River. The St John River Valley is credited with being the most scenic river valley in all of Canada. New Brunswick has identified a number of scenic routes and between their map and clear signage, we had no trouble enjoying the trip.

The river is broad and the road follows along close by through primarily rural areas and occasional small villages. We saw lots of lovely old farm houses typified by the steep central gable seen in these two charmers.

 They remind me of the old houses with a "Carolina A" back home though most of the houses we saw did not have a front porch. Obviously the steep pitch of the A is a nod to winter snow but they seem to be about the same age as the Carolina As, early to mid 1800s. We also saw many charming clapboard churches replete with gingerbread details and of a wide variety of denominations. As detailed as the woodwork on the churches was, the farmhouses were surprisingly plain by comparison. Very little gingerbread, very few with shutters. Still, they all had their own charming flavor.

Anglican Church

We did see a lot of water damage at the start of our trip up the valley--many homes with siding replaced several feet up from their foundations. Vita said 13,000 homes had been damaged. In an area so sparsely populated, it indicates the expanse of the flood.

Anglican Church

We saw these beautifully preserved clapboard churches the entire length of today's drive. It was hard to stop for pictures on the narrow road but we caught this Anglican Church at a wide place and managed a picture of these two across the river through the windshield.

We also saw the world's longest covered bridge. It was being repaired, so we couldn't drive a cross, but it was impressive. The Canadians love their covered bridges and build them with aplomb. A cross country bicyclist stopped in a gift shop we were visiting and asked the clerk what he should see in town. She mentioned the covered bridge and he replied that he'd seen the world's second largest covered bridge already in Quebec. We passed others on the way including one bridge that had a covered section to the first abutment followed by trestles the rest of the way across the river. In fact, we saw many graceful and intriguing bridges of all sorts. Ben the welder enjoyed them all and photographed most of them. 

World's Longest Covered Bridge

Yet another lovely bridge

And, of course, we had to stop at a train exhibit--The Smogonoc Train Museum--such wonderful names. And finally, we are in Grand Falls. We have yet to see the falls. It has started to rain, but not hard. We may take a trek into town for supper and see what we can find...

Smogonoc Depot