teardroptravelin'

We were up early (for us!) and at the Biltmore Estate gates just after opening time at 8:30.  We drove up the three-mile “front driveway,” parked in lot A, and took the shuttle to the “house.”

If you’ve been here you know just how fantastic the “largest private home in America” is.  If you haven’t been here, put it on your list, it truly is worth a visit.

Compared to this place, even Hearst Castle seems just a tad on the shabby side.  The Biltmore is decorated with standard European taste–Henry the 8th etc.  as opposed to the eclectic taste of Mr. Hearst.  Certainly Hearst’s pools are more beautiful, but Vanderbilt’s were earlier. The Biltmore had 45 bathrooms!  I could have survived without as much luxury, but the bathrooms in 1895 were a wonder.  They didn’t have sinks, though.  They were used to having the servants bring water for that!   One of the most interesting things was the displays on how they research the fabric restoration.  All the fabric appears to be from France and is being made again by hand loom.  It takes one day just to weave two – three yards.  Mr. Vanderbilt spared no expense, and when it was finished in 1895, the “house” truly was a state-of-the-art palace fit for royalty.

We toured about half of the inside of the house, and then because it was still a cool morning, we drifted down to check out several of the gardens.  Diana has been looking forward to these gardens, and she had great fun seeing how the plants and flowers were arranged, and being delighted by the variety of unusual plants used.  The gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same guy who designed New York’s Central Park, and he really outdid himself here.  The wisteria trunks were as thick as tree trunks.  It made me very glad that I took out ours before they got any more invasive.  They deserve a BIG garden.  I saw they appreciated some of the same large pots I have from Lowe’s! (We have lots of pictures, but we still can’t put on multiple pictures.  Our expert–Kit–is too busy in NY on business. He barely has time to eat!  :[   )

We returned to the house and finished touring it, then popped over to “Antler Hill” for a late lunch at the Bistro there.

We wandered around some of the shops, ate authentic Vanderbilt recipe ice cream, and finally left around 7:00.  It was a great day with a lot of amazing things to see.

The picture below was taken on the three mile drive between the house and the hill.  We paused at this beautiful spot along the river, just after we made an unscheduled stop to let a group of Canada Geese with their goslings cross the road in front of us.  They were cute and made for an excellent remembrance of a grand day in millionaire land.

Hugs On The Biltmore Estate

We decided to take a quick look around Dandridge before leaving.  The town is old and full of historic buildings.  When the Tennessee Valley Authority planned a dam near here, the water would have submerged most of the historic section of the town.  So the people petitioned the TVA to build a levee to prevent the inundation, and they succeeded.

The Jefferson County Courthouse (see yesterday’s picture) was built in 1845 and one of its claims to fame is that Davy Crockett filed a marriage bond for his first wife here.

We scoped out some antiques and gee gaws and grabbed a smackerel of homemade ice cream before leaving town.

Driving along the edge of the Great Smokey Mountains had its ups and downs with some terrific scenery including forest, lakes and rivers.  Coming down a long downhill stretch we crossed over into North Carolina (the ninth state on this trip) and paused at a very nice rest stop to pick up maps and find out more about the area.

As we entered the outskirts of Asheville, we stopped beside a Wendy’s restaurant to make some motel reservations.  After doing that we hopped back inside our Forester and I turned the key to start the engine.  Nothing happened.  Not a click, not a buzz, not one sound.  The battery was well and truly dead.

I checked to make sure there wasn’t a loose connection, and then called AAA.  While I waited for rescue, Diana slipped into the Wendy’s for a baked potato.  When the AAA guy arrived, he checked out our battery and delivered the bad news:  it had a dead cell and zero cranking power.  Well, it WAS the original factory battery and almost seven years old, so I really can’t complain.  And it failed when we were stopped at a safe place with easy access.

This AAA truck was a special battery unit and the man had a replacement battery available at a competitive price and he would install it and take away the old one to boot.  In no time at all we were ready to get back on the road.

I should mention that during the time the serviceman was here a big thunderstorm was rumbling its way in from the southwest and before he was finished it splashed us with a little rain and a lot of very close lightning and thunder.

We drove the rest of the way into Asheville, checked into our hotel and then set off to explore the downtown area.  This is a cool town with a lot of funky stores, buildings and eating places.  We discovered the Mellow Mushroom — a pizza place with a lot of outdoor seating and an interesting decorating scheme involving bowling balls embedded in a stone wall, among other things.

Waiting for our pizza we observed a group of about 20 hippyish kids, all tie-dyed and barefoot, set up shop across the street.  They proceed to play guitars while some of the girls did fancy hula hoop tricks and pan-handled.  It was right out of the 60’s, and fun to watch.

The pizza was delicious and we returned to our motel with happy tummies and good memories of a day that was a little more exciting than necessary.

Tomorrow:  The Biltmore House!

The Mellow Mushroom - Pizza Extrodinaire!

We reluctantly bid farewell to Christa and Casi and drove away from their warm, friendly home.  We drove down Hwy 40 through what seems to be an unending forest of beautiful trees covering hill after hill.

I know driving in the desert can be monotonous, so can the miles of I-5 through San Joaquin and Kern counties, but I’m beginning to think it’s also possible to get a tad bored with all this verdant terrain.  I’ll tell you one thing, ALL of California is going to seem bleak, brown and dry compared to what we’ve been driving through.

We turned off at a rest stop to stretch our legs and when we entered the building, the sounds of a guitar and dulcimers poured out.  Turns out it’s National Tourism Month and Tennessee is celebrating by having music along with information available at rest stops and other venues.  I sat down in a rocking chair and listened to authentic folk music being well-played and sung by a group of three gentlemen dressed in bib overalls.  It was great!

Other than that, we had a rather uneventful drive and day, ending up in Dandridge at the edge of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  Unfortunately there are no campgrounds at this end of the park, so we stayed in a motel right alongside the highway and turned in for the night with little fanfare.  Tomorrow it’s on to Asheville.

Jefferson County Courthouse, Dandridge, TN

As Diana begins to feel better, our sights are raised, and again Matt & Christa’s suggestions are enticing.  Today we drove to the Opryland Hotel, not to stay there, but to see the great indoor gardens and conservatory there.

The place is gigantic with large covered spaces between each of the huge wings.  We wandered through tropical foliage covered with orchids and other exotic plants and flowers.  Another atrium called “The Cascades” contained a large waterfall and waterways.  We ate lunch with the sound of the splashing water as our background music.  One warning, parking at this place costs $18!  Fortunately, you can get your ticket validated if you eat there.

Then we drove to downtown Nashville and took a look at the only full-size replica of the Parthenon in the world.  Nashville has been dubbed the Athens of the South, and for the  1897 World’s Fair the state celebrated its centennial by building this replica.

It is impressive from the outside, and even more so from the inside, where a 42 foot high statue of Athena dominates the large room.  What I found particularly impressive was that in 2006 they covered the statue with gold leaf — eight pounds of gold leaf!  It does look spectacular.

We stayed around to listen to a lecture on the structure and statue being given to a group of students.  Eavesdropping was informative!

After looking at pictures of the World’s Fair and reading descriptions of the attractions and events which took place during its run, we both wish we could have been there.

If you’d like to read more about Nashville’s Parthenon, check out their Web page:  www.nashville.gov/parthenon

We drove down to the area along the Cumberland river, across from the stadium where the Tennessee Titans play, and watched the river running strongly below.  A gauge showed the river level was above 29 feet, the water was running so high on a lower viewing and pedestrian area that it was covered above guardrail height.

We had dinner at The Spaghetti Factory with Matt, Christa, Ethan & Casi and then returned to their home for one last night.  We will miss feeling like part of the Demaree family, and our hearts will stay with them.  Tomorrow we will leave their lovely retreat and head out for Asheville and the Biltmore House.

Casi, Matt, Christa & Ethan @ The Spaghetti Factory

The cold continues its hold on Diana, but when Christa suggested that we visit President Andrew Jackson’s home, The Hermitage, which is just a few minutes away, we decided to give it a try.

“Old Hickory” was the seventh president of the USA, and his home and grounds are still in remarkably good shape.  We enjoyed the many displays of personal items in the visitor’s center, but being able to walk through his home and see it just the way it was when he died in 1845, ugly wallpaper, bedroom furniture, original piano and all was a treat.

One thing I found particularly interesting was that one of Jackson’s slaves, Alfred, lived at The Hermitage longer than anyone, white or black, and worked as a handyman and tour guide for the Ladies’ Hermitage Association when the house opened as a museum. He died in 1901 and his funeral was held in the center hall of the mansion. He had purchased some furniture from the Hermitage at an auction.  When the Association requested the items back, he made a deal.  In return for the items, Alfred was buried in the Hermitage garden, near Jackson’s tomb!

After dinner, we went to a baseball game and watched Ethan and his team play.  Everyone had fun and it was particularly enjoyable to see the pure joy on each child’s face as they approached the plate, bat in hand, dreams of home runs in their heads.

The weather has turned “warm” — OK, Diana says it’s hot — and so far there have been threats of thunderstorms, but that’s all.

At night, the fields and trees outside are filled with squeaks, buzzes, tweets and low rumbles, a kaleidoscope of sounds, most unidentifiable and mysterious.  Very different from home.  I like it!

President Jackson's Front Porch

We decided we were going to spend a few more days in the Nashville area while Diana recovers from the crud.  Matt & Christa’s generous offer was still valid, so we drove all the way to their lovely home in Madison, about 10 miles from our previous perch in Goodlettsville.

We really didn’t do much of anything else today.  We had the house to ourselves until everyone got home, so Diana rested and I did too.  We also enjoyed the company of the two indoor cats and one indoor dog.  We felt very comfortable and fortunate to be able to enjoy Matt & Christa’s home.  Thanks a million!

Big house, little house!

Yesterday’s clear skies have turned gray today and according to the Weather Channel there is a 30% chance of showers. we shall see…

Diana still has the drizzles, too, but she is soldiering on gamely.

We met Arlene & Jim at their church in Ridge Top today and enjoyed the fellowship and the services.  Afterward, they invited us to their home for lunch.  Joining us were Aaron & Larisa along with her parents and grandmother.

As we came out of church, the rain had started falling.  We realized that even though we had read the forecast, we had once again left the moonroof and windows open on our trailer.  Consequently, we made a quick 12- mile roundtrip to our motel to keep our teardrop’s interior dry.  We are slow learners, aren’t we?

We enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by more good conversations.  We hung around after everyone else went home and had a grand time discussing the verities which were well seasoned with dashes of Jim’s dry wit.  Finally, we left these dear people who we have grown to know and love because of the love which blossomed between our son and his wife.  We are very fortunate, indeed.

Tomorrow, we may be leaving Nashville, but where will we go next?  You’ll have to find out then.  (So will we!)

Aaron and his mom.

Diana slept better last night, but her cold is still hanging on.  We met another couple from California at breakfast and had a nice chat about the teardrop trailer and gave them a tour before heading out.  Bought gas here in Paducah at an attractive (for now) price of $3.85.9 at a Shell station.

As we drove along Hwy 24 we passed miles and miles of flooded fields, roads and residential areas.  Saw several partially submerged homes and many other threatened ones.  The amount of water in every river and creek we pass over is just astonishing.

We made a brief stop at “Patti’s 1880‘s Settlement” in an area called, “The Land Between The Lakes.”  It proved to be a quaint little town a mile from the shore where a  marina was completely overwhelmed by water and totally inaccessible except by boat.  Although we spent some time browsing an antiques store, we left without enriching the local economy this time.  On the drive to and from the “Settlement,” we saw a stopped convoy of troops who looked like they were waiting to move in and provide assistance to people in the flooded areas we had just passed.

As we came closer to the Nashville metro area, the traffic increased, and we passed Ft. Campbell as the radio was announcing that the president was visiting at the same time.  We scanned the skies, but didn’t catch sight of Air Force One.

We found our motel in Goodlettsville, a Nashville suburb where Aaron & Larisa Raines live and touched bases to let them know we arrived.

Then, after dozing for a while, we drove to Matt and Christa Demaree’s house where we hooked up with them and Aaron & Larisa and their 5-week-old daughter, Mikka as well as Christa & Aarons parents, Arlene and Jim Raines, Jakki’s (our daughter-in-law) aunt and uncle.

We were welcomed like true family, and not the shirt-tail relatives by marriage we actually are.  We ate sandwiches and soup on the back patio of the beautiful home they have, chatted up lots of memories, and took a short walk to the end of their street.  On the walk we learned that the many downed trees in and around the street, as well as their neighbor’s almost completely missing 100-year-old barn were the result of a TORNADO which had passed through their neighborhood just last week!  Fortunately, Matt & Christa and their kids weren’t home at the time, and no one was injured.  Still, the amount of damage this “little” tornado had done was awesome.

After greatly enjoying the company of our adoptive family, we drove back to the motel in the dark, marveling over the power of nature, grateful for the company of such lovely people, and thankful no harm came to them.

Poor Diana woke up this morning feeling stuffy and crummy and we’re both hoping it is just allergies.  We were going to leave camp and drive through St. Louis today, but because Diana isn’t feeling great, we have decided to do a day trip into town and return here tonight.

Robertsville State Park campground is really nice.  We are surrounded by thick trees and while there are train tracks and a road around a mile away, what we hear the most are unfamiliar bird songs and the mooing of distant cows.  I particularly enjoy the surprise of hearing a bird whistling away a totally new (to me) tune.  I look forward to more refreshingly different tweets (the natural kind) as we continue our trip.

We drove into St. Louis and the GPS did find the Gateway Arch alongside the Mississippi river.   We were amazed at the size and graceful appearance of the arch.  It is BIG and HIGH!  After we parked the car we walked through the park around the arch and down into the underground visitor’s center.

We purchased tickets and soon were riding in tiny, five-person “capsules” up the inside of the arch.  It’s an interesting trip with the capsules rocking intermittently accompanied by a variety of sounds, and a view through the tiny window of the inside stairway.

At the top we emerged from our capsules into a surprisingly small viewing area with small windows along each side.  We spent time peering out both sides and looking at distinctive buildings of the cityscape, the big, strong current moving the Mississippi downriver, and a great view of Riverfront Stadium.

When we returned to ground level, we had lunch at a local restaurant and then made the trip back to Robertsville with a quick side-trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  We got there an hour before closing time, so I let Diana commune with the gardens while I waited outside. The gardens were large, varied and beautiful.  A Chihuly glass sculpture was in the entryway and and another original was floating in a large pond.  There are several mansions on the grounds.  I didn’t get a chance to figure out why.  My favorite features were the Iris beds and wooded garden.  I know most of the plants are not right for our area, but how gardens are laid out always give me ideas.  I know I want to add an Iris to our yard in honor of my grandmother Iris.  I took down names of my favorites–the deep purple ones.  I love the wooded gardens, and I try to do that at home.  This year I’ve added 5 small (15 feet max) trees to give it that feel.  I want anything that is low water usage and high shade for Sacramento.  I walked constantly for that hour to see as much as possible.  It was well-worth $8. 

Back at camp we had another nice chat with Billy & Lynn before we turned in.  Diana is now in full cold mode and crawled into the teardrop equipped with kleenex, mentholatum, nose spray, water and plenty of decongestant medicine.  Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy (well, sneezy) ride!

At the top of the Gateway Arch

Well today we actually bid adieu to Branson and headed toward St. Louis.  We left around 10:00 a.m., and at 10:20 we got a call from Garland and Marilyn who were in the Branson area for a family funeral.  They were going to invite us to Fat Daddy’s for breakfast, but alas, we left a little too early.  Marilyn also had another package of genealogy data for Diana which she will mail to her instead.

We stopped at the AAA office in Springfield to stock up on maps.  We parked right in front of the office, and of course when we got to the desk, the nice woman waiting on us was intrigued by our teardrop so we gave her the 25 cent tour.  She then gave us the VIP treatment with maps, camping and restaurant suggestions and lots of insight on the route we are traveling.   We left having made a new friend and learning much more about the route ahead.

We saw a campground near Sullivan, Meramec State Park, with nice sites along the Meramec river and thought we’d give it a try.  We stocked up on supplies in Sullivan and then told the GPS to take us to the campground.  We were directed through several nice residential neighborhoods and then to a road running along a ridge with nicer homes perched along either side.  The road got smaller and the houses spaced further apart.  Then the road turned into dirt/gravel and the trees eased closer until they were leaning over each edge.  Finally we came to a dead end with no campground in sight!  I called the park and they were well aware of our plight — they said dozens of people every month end up at the dead end — and gave us proper directions.  When we arrived at the park it was just after 4:00 their closing time, but the doors to the visitor’s center were still open, and the nice lady there gave us a campground map, told us to pick a spot and pay the camp host.

As we left the parking lot, we pulled in behind a ranger’s vehicle and followed it toward the campground.  After a mile or so, he turned to the right and revealed a large barricade on the road ahead and a sign saying, “Campground Closed Due To Flooding”.

The ranger came over and told us they wouldn’t be open for a week or two.  He also acknowledged the GPS problem and said he had contacted all the major GPS makers as well as Map Quest and other companies.  Most of them either said they would update their information (but didn’t) or weren’t that interested in doing anything, even after he explained that 3,000+ people a year were being inconvenienced by their misinformation.  I intend to add my comments to Garmin about the problem.  If you have been reading our blog you know we had a similar experience in the wilds of Oklahoma as well.

The ranger was as nonplused as we were about why the lady at the visitor’s center invited us in.  That’s a mystery we won’t be able to solve because when he called the center, she had already left.

The ranger did advise us of another campground about 24 miles further east and that it was open and not near any water, so we hopped back on Hwy 44 and headed that way.

We found Robertsville State Park easily and grabbed a nice space (#7) in the almost empty campground and set up camp.  Soon the camp hosts, Billy and Lynn ?? came by to collect the fee, and we had a great conversation with them, found out we had a lot in common, and when they left, we had acquired some new friends.

As we got ready to turn in, Diana mentioned that she had a sore throat.  We’re hoping that isn’t a harbinger of bad things to come.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Robertsville State Park, Campsite #7