FONTANA DAM AND THE NC MOUNTAINS
The mountains of North Carolina and Tennesee have been spectacular. We were expecting rain and cold, and luckily got neither! The “new greens” are almost as spectacular as the fall colors especially with the dog woods and rhododendron. Fontanna Dam hadn’t changed in 35 years which I guess is a good thing (how can a dam change?). But we still marveled at its height -480 ft- and the beauty of the lake – clear blue water!! The narrow public road across the dam is very unique and reminds Dave of a movie set where the bad guys are trying to blow up the dam.
WE SAW ROCK CITY!
We realized that we would be near to Rock City when we drove by Chattanooga. I never knew Rock City was on my “bucket list” but when I realized I could go there, it quickly moved to the top!! All my life I’ve seen the barns and the bird houses saying “See Rock City”, and now I was!! I expected it to be very commercial (it was a little, but not the upscale South of the Border Dave was expecting) but it was really very classy. The founder had carved a garden trail through the rocks and you wandered through crevasses and onto plateaus with spectacular views of the city and beyond. On our drive up there, we missed the parking lot at the bottom and ended up having to drive the RV up the mountain with some VERY steep grades. Dave gets an A+ for getting us both up and down the mountain safely and with all our mirrors and pieces in tact! We enjoyed the day there.
ON TO…DAVID CROCKETT & DEB DRIVES
We made our first “adjustment” in the itinerary. Neither of us was excited about Nashville. We had done the Opry Hotel and sites when Emily and Greg lived there, so we decided to cut across the southern part of Tennessee to get to Memphis. A review of the possible campsites revealed David Crockett State Park. It became our destination. Once we were out of the mountains, Highway 64 became a very flat, divided 4 lane highway and practically deserted. Dave decided it was time for Deb to practice driving the Marvy RV (we’re testing out names, what do you think?.. suggest some others!) After some initial weaving, Deb got the hang of it and even drove through a small town, but Dave still said that being a passenger was more nerve-wracking than driving!!
David Crockett Park was very nice, shaded and quiet. We thought we were being smart and choosing a spot near the bath house when we discovered that only one of the bathhouses was unlocked and ours wasn’t it!! But we were so pleased with the park that we decided to stay in another TN State Park in Memphis. When Deb called to ask for availability, she made sure the bathhouses were unlocked!!
HAPPY EASTER
The little town near David Crockett, Lawrenceberg, had 7 churches none of which were Lutheran or Episcopal, so we decided to be Methodist for Easter. The church was very welcoming with folks giving us a mug and everyone sitting around us making a point to say hello. The little chapel had a gorgeous free standing stained glass cross and the preacher had a nice sermon, though his delivery sounded like a “radio preacher”. In the bulletin, they were asking for a donation for a computer with a floppy disk. (Dave whispered to me… I have one of those!!) I guess they have a treasurer still using an “old program”… lol!! After a hearty breakfast by the campfire, we are off the Memphis.
Dave has posted on his blog about maintenance and improvements to the RV… but he doesn’t think anyone is “reading” him…. Please let him know, he isn’t being left out!!
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