Monday we visited the Spy Museum and then had lunch at the Union Station food court. After lunch it was off to the Zoo. This was a very hot day, even the animals stayed inside and out of sight. We did get to see them feed an octopus.

With all of the walking and the heat we were bushed at days’ end.

Tuesday Lee was finally done with her conference and we decided to make it a monumental experience. So we all boarded a trolley for a whirlwind sightseeing tour of DC. It turned out to be a good choice because today it was about 92 in the shade!

Made it to all the normal places.

The best was probably the little known FDR memorial. It is located between the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial along the Tidal Basin. It is four distinct areas, each depicting each of his 4-year terms. He is and will be the only President to serve 4 terms, through the depression and the WWII. This is a must see if visiting Washington.

We did a drive by of the White House, National Cathedral, and down embassy row and through Georgetown.

Again, today the heat just sapped the life out of you, but Shelby took it all in stride.

Wednesday everyone came out to the RV Park and we played in the pool. It was a good thing because today it was 95 in the shade.

All in all this has been a very rewarding seven weeks on the road. Tomorrow morning we head home, with a stop in Savannah to visit with Bill Z and his wife Yvonne.

This is the last report for our Spring 2007 trip. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!!

A Monumental Experience remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Next stop was the National Gallery of Art. Believe it or not everybody loved it. I could spend a couple of days in this building alone. The sculptures and paintings are life like and the colors in the old paintings are vivid. It is quite a collection of art. Many objects of art dating to the 1400’s and 1500’s.

We rested for a while in the National Gallery Sculpture Garden around the fountain. In the winter this fountain becomes a skating rink.

Decided to call it a day since we have several more days to see the various sights. Went back to Lee and Tim’s hotel and met up with Lee. I think Granny was the most excited today getting to see Kory and Shelby. I almost had her talked into staying on the road for another month, but there is one more in Gainesville that she needs to see, Jennie. So I guess we will stick to the original plan.

For dinner we joined my two nieces and my two great nieces for dinner. It is so nice and priceless meeting up with family that you don’t get to visit with very often. My great nieces sure are turning into young adults.

Granny couldn’t resist, we took Shelby back to stay with us at the RV for the night.

Of course the only way to get around is the Metro. It takes about 60 minutes to ride from one end to the other and it just so happens that Lee and Tim are on the south end and Kathy and I are on the north end. Got back to the RV about 10:30.

Tomorrow we will hit the Mall again bright and early.

Sunday we left around 8 and met Tim and Kory at their hotel. We then ventured out as promised. First stop today was the National Archives. Visited the Navy Memorial on the way. Once at the Archives we waited in line to see original manuscripts Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta. Last week Kathy and I visited Philadelphia and Independence Hall, where the Declaration and the Constitution were written and signed. My knowledge is almost “smarter than a fifth grader” on questions about the American Revolution and the creation of these documents.

These documents are displayed in the rotunda of the National Archives building, which to say the least is a large area. Above the Declaration of Independence is a mural by Barry Faulkner depicting Thomas Jefferson presenting a draft of the Declaration to John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress.

On the opposite wall above the Bill of Rights and the Amendments to the Constitution is another equally large mural by Barry Faulkner depicting James Madison offering the final draft of the Constitution to George Washington, President of the Constitutional Convention.

Next we spent a couple of hours in the Museum of Natural History. The kids loved all of the exhibits. This was one of their favorites and they got to meet one of their oldest relatives!

From here we went to the Old Post Office and had lunch in the food court. At least some of us had lunch.

Then we took the elevator up the clock tower of the Old Post office and arrived on the 12th floor to a magnificent 360-degree view of Washington. And the best part is all of these things are free of charge.

After all of this walking we were tired and our feet were hurting. We went back to the hotel and rested by a nearby fountain in Crystal City.

Later, Kathy and I loaded up both Kory and Shelby and brought them back to the RV to spend the night. In the morning we will meet up with Tim and go to the Spy Museum, this one has an admission fee but we are told it is warrants a visit.

Washington, DC Saturday June 23, and Sunday June 24, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Coming through Baltimore we could not take the I-95 tunnel due to the amount of propane that we carry in the RV. We knew about this ahead of time and took the Francis Scott Key bridge, interstate 695 then back to 95.

Tomorrow we will meet Lee and Tim and plan our adventures. They flew in today and are staying in Crystal City which is close to the Ronald Reagan National airport. So we will get on the metro here at the north end and get off at the south end and spend the day relaxing around their pool.

Then tomorrow afternoon we will meet up with my nieces and nephew who live close to DC and unfortunately for them, work in DC and fight this traffic every day. I will not complain about traffic in Gainesville ever again, even football game traffic!

Washington DC Arrival remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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However, the most bizarre was the home he built, Fonthill. We toured Fonthill and it is the strangest building I have ever been in. Fonthill, built between 1908 and 1910, is a testament to Henry Mercer's vivid imagination. He designed it, "room by room, from the interior, the exterior not being considered until all the rooms had been imagined and sketched," Mercer wrote. The result was spectacular.

Built entirely of hand mixed concrete, Fonthill has 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, 32 stairwells and more than 200 windows of varying size and shape. The National Historic Landmark contains more than 900 prints and other objects that Mercer gathered throughout the world, creating an intensely personal statement of his genius. The lavishly embellished interior surfaces show an incredible array of Mercer's original decorative tiles.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the campground we are staying in is right next to a covered bridge with an old grist mill next to it. Here are a couple of photos of the bridge followed by a photo of the mill.

This bridge was built in 1873 and is 130 feet long.

Sheard's Mill operated until 1972.

Well, we said we would take a riding lesson at Merry Lee's and we did. She has been another gracious and helpful host along our summer of 2007 adventure. Thanks, Merry Lee for you advice on places to see and the best way to get there (train rather than car) and sharing your time with us. There is nothing like visiting with old friends.

Kathy took a lesson on Surprise. No surprises!

So that's it from Quakertown and vicinity. It's on to DC tomorrow.

Happy Trails! The end!!

Quakertown, PA last report June 21, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Our travels down from Niagara Falls were for the most part uneventful. The roads, whether interstate or secondary roads, are at best adequate, bumpy, under construction, narrow, and some very narrow etc. This becomes a problem when driving a 36 foot RV with car attached and you take up a normal lane. One road was very curvy, hilly and narrow with either shear rock walls or hedges or tree trunks right next to the edge of the road. Oh, did I mention this edge was THE edge, no shoulder what so ever.

Tuesday, June 19, we went to Valley Forge and spent the day. It was about a 45 minute drive from where we are staying. Valley Forge is significant even though no battles were fought here. Many men died here the winter of 1777 / 1778. They didn't die from freezing or lack of food, but mainly from diseases. About 2,200 men died that winter. Valley Forge is significant because this is where the various militias from the now United States became a cohesive, well trained army. It is because of the hardships and vigorous training at Valley Forge that we are a nation today. The Continental Army was now ready to defeat the British to become an independent nation.

Here is a typical log cabin that housed up to 12 soldiers. Each unit built their own cabin and with 12,000 troops, the cabins stretched for over two miles.

Washington, on the other hand, along with his top officers were housed in local farm houses along with their wives. Here is the house that was Washington's home and headquarters. Quite a contrast!

Wednesday, we took the train from Doylestown to Philadelphia. It was 1 hour and 15 minutes by rail and well worth it. Traffic in Philly is bad, many one way streets and horns honking all the time, not much brotherly love. Once in Philly we took a trolley tour and we were able to get on and off at any of the 20 stops.

First stop was the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art that Rocky ran up. Notice the look alike below.

Now for a real shock, blink your eyes, notice the striking resemblence next to the statue of Rocky.

Next stop was South Street and Jim's Steak house. They have awesome Philly Cheese Steaks at this place. It is one of Philly's famous places to get a real Philly Cheese steak. I had mine with provalone cheese although a true Philly Cheese is made with CheeseWhiz.

We have definately been eating well on this trip. I did not realize how well until I saw this photo that Kathy took.

No trip to Philly is complete without seeing the Liberty Bell.

Nor is it complete without going to Independence Hall. This area in front of Independence Hall some 231 years ago on July 8, 1776 is where the Declaration of Independence was first read in public.

Inside the hall is where the work really took place in the Pennsylvania Assembly Room to write and discuss the Declaration of Independence. It is also where in 1787 where the US Constitution was debated, compromised and written. The work of many minds, the US Constitution stands as a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise.

Remember, in the 1770's Philadelphia was the capital of the new United States. Philadelphia had fallen to the British following the bold signing of the Declaration of Independence. Washington with his newly trained army following the winter at Valley Forge fought to regain Philly and other cities and areas taken by the British. This was accomplished with the help of the French. The deciding battle was at Yorktown in 1781.

Anyway, you get the picture, this place drips with the history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of these United States. It makes one proud to be an American!

Tomorrow it is local sightseeing with Merry Lee and a horseback riding lesson in late afternoon at Merry Lee's

Valley Forge and Philly remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Kathy took this suitable for framing photo of the American Falls from the Maid of the Mist.

We then rode into the Horseshoe Falls which is quite an experience. You can feel the power of nature, which is fierce. This photo was taken as we approached the Horseshoe Falls from the Maid of the Mist. Note a sister Maid of the Mist in close to the falls.

Then, the ever present rainbow when the sun is shining. This photo was taken from the closest point you can get to the Horseshoe falls on the Maid of the Mist. Besides the rainbow, note the thrashing water.

We also did a behind the falls tour, where once again you can feel the power of nature. The flow over the falls was reduced in the 60's to both control erosion and to provide more water to produce electricity. The flow is about half of what it use to be and can be reduced even further. The flow of the falls does not change that much, but the erosion is slowed to one foot every 10 years while in the past the erosion was about one foot per year.

Friday, we drove over to Canada and visited the must see town of Niagara on the Lake. It is a quaint town at the mouth of the Niagara River as it enters Lake Ontario. On the main street are shops and the Prince of Wales Hotel. The street is lined with beautiful flowers. Here is Kathy beside the Prince Of Wales Hotel.

We then drove to a quiet spot along the shore and enjoyed the view and solitude. Here is a photo of the mouth of the Niagara River where it enters lake Ontario with old Fort Niagara visible on the US side.

Then it was time to drive back to Niagara Falls, Canada, for dinner and a view of the falls illuminated at night.

We ate at Edgewaters with a commanding view of the falls.

Then, when darkness arrived, we were treated to a live band that only played songs from 1964 to 1967, right up our alley, as well as the illuminated falls, complete with fireworks at 10 pm.

Saturday, believe it or not, we slept in until 9 am. Then, after some shopping, it was off to Lake Ontario on the US side and Old Fort Niagara.

Yesterday, we took a photo of the fort from the Canadian side, today we took a photo of the Canadian side from the fort.

We toured the fort, which was built in 1678 and has a long storied history on being crucial for the protection of the waterways and country. It has been under the control at various times of France, England and finally the US. It was used to train troops for WWI and as a missle defense in the 60's.

We spent the rest of the day having a picnic and relaxing on the shore of Lake Ontario. Nice breeze and temps around mid 70's just a gorgeous day!

This is a the last update from Niagara Falls. We leave tomorrow to travel for a couple of days, eventually making our way to Quakertown, PA where we will stay for a couple of days visiting MerryLee, Kathy's best friend from high school. Updates may be scarce for awhile. Guess all of you are looking forward to that!!!

Niagara Falls June 14, 15 & 16 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Got set with tours for tomorrow and found our bearings. we are in an RV park 6 miles from the falls.

Thursday morning we ventured out sans tour to the American Falls and the Niagara Falls State Park, the oldest state park in the US.

Here's the happy couple now, looks like they are on their honeymoon!

We decided the best way to see everything on the American side was to walk Goat Island.And that is what we did for several hours taking in the sights and sounds! The weather is perfect, things have cooled a bit to the upper 70's, dry and clear skies.

This is a photo of the falls looking across the Am Falls with the horseshoe falls in the background.

This is a shot of the horseshoe falls from the American side.

And one of our favorite photos, the falls with the Maid of the Mist boats and the ever popular rainbow.

More later, Off to take a tour from the Canadian side and ride the Maid of the Mist.

Niagara Falls Wed. & Thurs. June 13 &14, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Hanover was a thriving port on the Sandy & Beaver Canal and an important link in the region's underground railroad.
Early Hanover played a particularly key role in the life of the Sandy & Beaver Canal which extended 73½ miles from the Ohio River at Smith's Ferry to the Ohio & Erie Canal at Bolivar. Situated midway between these two points just west of the big canal tunnel, Hanover was to become a flourishing center of commerce, boasting a peak population in the late 1830's of 2,000 inhabitants.
Hanover was also known as a safe-haven for runaway slaves. Evident still today are remnants of the underground passage that connected George Sloan's "Brick Row" with his brother-in-law Dr. James Robertson's home just across the street. Runaway slaves were often whisked then, to a secret upstairs hideaway in the Robertson home that was accessible only by the way of a second-story window. At nightfall it is told, the slave fugitives would board a canal boat and flee to their next safe-haven and on to freedom in Canada.
The coming of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad in the early 1850's signaled the end of the Sandy & Beaver Canal and ultimately the demise of the once bustling village of Hanover. Today virtually all that remains of this grand and illustrious past is historic Plymouth Street, with its many fine century homes and its once venerable Spread Eagle Tavern, with a cluster of ten national historic trust buildings adjacent to the Historic Spread Eagle Tavern.
The building was built in 1837 and today the inn encompasses the barn and main building as a fine award-winning restaurant with the upper floors housing the bedrooms of the inn. Prices for rooms average $200 per night.

This is an outside photo of the barn area with the main building to the right. We were seated in the barn area of the inn.

Lunch was some of the best Yankee Pot Roast Rich and I have ever tasted, and Kathy enjoyed a delicious Maryland crab cake. Aside from the superb food, the building reeks with history.

The road that runs through this area, US 30, follows the old Sandy and Beaver Canal and is known as the Lincoln highway.

I mentioned that this building reeks with history. Look at this photo of the main meeting area in the old inn and the magnificent fireplace. It is said that Abe Lincoln gave a speech in front of this very fireplace.

Note the elephant on the table to the left of the fireplace. That should be a clue as to which party meets here. Throughout history it has been the meeting place for Republicans. Eisenhower, Reagan, Bush, Quayle, Taft, Gingrich, Buchanan, etc. have all met here with the locals to discuss politics and raise money.

In the basement there is a replica of the tunnel that connected this house with a house across the street.

The tunnel was used as part of the Underground Railroad to move slaves to freedom. Several of the houses along this street in this little town of Hanoverton, OH, were built in the 1830’s and were part of the Underground Railroad or supported freeing the slaves.

Once again, Rich was an exquisite guide teaching us the history of the area and local lore.

Thanks again, Rich, for being such a grand host and guide during our stay.

Spread Eagle Tavern and Inn remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Here is the kiln, as it appears today, all that remains of the pottery factory.

We visited one of the few remaining pottery factories, Homer Laughlin. It is where Fiesta pottery is made.

We also toured downtown East Liverpool and visited the Lou Holtz and Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame.

This was a very impressive exhibit of much of Lou’s memorabilia from his days at Arkansas, Notre Dame, South Carolina, etc.

Rich standing among some of the Lou Holtz exhibit.

Also included in the Hall of Fame are noted celebrities from the Ohio Valley including; Dean Martin, Regis Philbin, Clark Gable, and Robert Urich to name just a few.

Rich is a contributor to the Hall of Fame. Here’s Rich pointing out his name.

We crossed the Ohio River into Wellsville, OH, to view the floodwall for the Ohio River, placed in a low area in town. Painted on the wall are scenes of the history of the area including the bottle kiln (same one as shown above) and a scene with the Delta Queen on the Ohio River.

That’s another trip Kathy and I want to take some day.

Tuesday was another great day learning more about the back roads of America and a friend’s childhood.

Today Tuesday, June 12, we met Rich for lunch and went to the Spread Eagle Tavern & Inn. It was once part of the underground railroad in this part of Ohio.

This will be the last update from Guilford Lake. Tomorrow Kathy and I travel to Niagara Falls for 5 days. Another grueling 238 miles, all in one day!!

Guilford Lake Ohio June 11 and 12, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Ray and I waited at the picnic table behind our RV’s waiting for the water taxi.

Then out of nowhere the water taxi and area guide arrived.

Rich then took us on a tour of the lake explaining the history of the lake and the area.

Next stop was Mark’s, the Friendly Tavern of Lake Guilford. Just like Cheers, where everyone knows your name!

After grabbing a beer the weather was turning nasty with wind gusts and rain fast approaching, so we made a dash to Rich’s house for a fantastic spaghetti dinner that Rich prepared. What a great host.

Things cleared up after dinner and Rich then took us for a driving tour of the lake and surrounding area. We saw beautiful views and interesting historic buildings and heard local lore. We hope to explore more of this in the next few days.

Saturday Rich picked all of us up again in his deck boat and we toured the lake. The weather was clear but cool!

Here is a photo of Rich’s place from the lake.

Saw some baby ducks and their mother. We fed her some bread for the little ones.

For dinner we boated back to Mark’s Landing. Upon arrival we spotted the pirate boat at the dock. This group dresses up like pirates on the weekend and boat along the shore throwing candy to the kids!

Rich is quite the handy man when it comes to furniture refinishing and house refurbishing. At his house he has made a clear laminated table with memorabilia from his life. It is really neat. Then for Mark’s landing Rich made a similar table with the history of the area imbedded in the clear poly top. We ate dinner at “Rich’s table”

Barely made it out alive after the locals heard we were Gator fans!

Sunday Ray and Linda departed to meet up with their son and his family in Bryson City NC.

Bye Ray and Linda we had a great trip with you guys, with many special memories.

Spent the rest of Sunday enjoying the RV State Park and the great weather, high near 80, slight breeze. It was perfect weather for grilling out, which we did and had Rich over for dinner.

Guilford Lake State Park June 8, 9 and 10, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The world’s largest apple basket stands over 29 feet tall at Longaberger Homestead. The Apple Basket was hand woven of hardwood maple in 1999 and measures over 19 feet in base diameter.

The Longaberger Company’s Home Office was built as a replica of founder Dave Longaberger’s favorite basket-The Medium Market Basket. Of course, the seven story office is 160 times larger and is home to 600 employees. Its two handles are attached with replica copper and wooden rivets and the 750 lb. gold leaf painted tags are 25’ x 7’ x 3’.

Dennis and Ray stayed behind to do chores and get ready for our trip tomorrow to Guilford Lake State Park, another grueling drive of 134 miles. While we are at Guilford Lake we will visit Rich Bryer, another Florida Power retiree, who lives across the lake from the campground.

The weather has turned warm again (92 today) so the lake sounds inviting.

That’s it for Columbus. All of us Gators made it out alive!

Splitsville for the day remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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First stop was the Columbus Park of Roses. This is a 13-acre garden setting within one of Columbus’ largest city parks featuring over 11,000 rose bushes of 350 varieties both miniature and heritage roses. The Columbus Park of Roses is currently one of the largest municipal rose gardens in the US. Peak blooming times are mid June and mid September. So we hit it just right. It was a virtual sea of different colored roses in full bloom.
Kathy and I have visited the rose gardens in Tyler, TX and Portland, OR but this was a spectacular setting. A must see if you are ever in Columbus.

We took time to stop and smell the roses. That is what this trip is all about!

Ray promised Linda a rose garden.

While Pop took a snooze-a-roo.

Next we ventured to the south side of Columbus to the German Village. Germans founded this area in the 19th century. It is a historic area where many of the old houses have been restored. Located within this district is Schmidt’s Restaurant and Sausage Haus. Located in an Historic Brick livery Stable, Schmidt’s has been serving authentic German food by five generations of Schmidt family members since 1886. The food was great especially the cream puffs for dessert.

Maybe tomorrow we will think about starting that diet!

Stop and Smell the Roses remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The binge included a trip to a candy factory, an ice cream factory then on to dinner at an Amish restaurant.

Not many photos today, we were too busy eating.

We left about noon and first went to the candy factory. A local mom and pop operation that is famous in the Columbus area. Actually, it is one of the largest family-owned candy making facilities in the US. It has been past down from generation to generation having been established in 1952. Four generations of Zanetos candy makers have contributed to the company's success. Today, Anthony-Thomas makes millions of pounds of candy every year. Each piece is made fresh daily, always in the best of taste. Besides making candy for their 14 local retail outlets, they also have a fund-raising division and contract-manufacturing division. They are one of the largest family-owned and operated candy companies in the mid-west and now employ over 200 people and produce an average of 50,000 pounds of chocolate on two shifts daily.
They make many different fine chocolate candies with various cream centers, plain bars both milk and dark chocolate and the famous Buckeye candies ever so popular here in Columbus. Almost everything is done by hand with very little mechanization. At the end of the tour they give you a Buckeye to enjoy. I remarked that we eat Buckeyes for lunch. Our tour guide remarked that you Gators would. The name of the candy factory and signature brand name is Anthony-Thomas. They sell their candies in local stores.

We sampled some other candies then purchased additional candies in case we got hungry later.

Next stop was the locally family owned ice cream factory, Graeter’s, touted as Columbus’ best ice cream! We agree with this statement. This too is a business that has been handed down from generation to generation having been established in 1870. Since its founding in 1870 by Louis C. Graeter, Graeter's French Pot Ice Cream handmade chocolate confections and fresh baked goods have become traditions in Columbus. Again, most things are done by hand, very little mechanization. The ice cream is made in 2 gallon batches in machines very similar to what you might use at home to make hand cranked ice cream. This process creates a very dense ice cream without entrapping air. They claim other large ice cream factories trap as much as 50% air in the final product.

We, of course, enjoyed some of their product.

Note our attire, we all wore long pants and long sleeves or sweaters. Today was rather cool 74 degrees and breezy. Even without the U of F shirts the locals new we were not from here. The temperature is to drop to the mid 40’s tonight.

We took a breather and walked off some of our nourishment in a mall, Tuttle Crossings.

Well at least some of us walked while others took a nap.

We had to kill some time before dinner. Dinner was Northwest of Columbus out in the farm country in a place named Plain City. Here we arrived at an Amish restaurant, Der Dutchman. The food was typical Amish, lots of it and delicious.

One of these days we need to plan a fast and exercise day.

Binge Day! remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The drivers around Cincinnati were courteous, but Columbus is a different story. Columbus is also a larger city, the 15th largest in the US.

Got set up in another very nice state park, Alum Creek State Park immediately north of Columbus.

We have sites right on the lake. So far we have seen rabbits, geese and loads of Robins and Cardinals.

Last night was our first rain in 26 days. It rained last night beginning about 8 and lasted several hours. It washed the dust off the RV and cleansed the air of pollen. This also brought a cold front with the high today expected to reach 74 and cool off to 50 tonight. However, by Thursday it is predicted to be 89. Oh well, we will enjoy while it lasts.

Awoke today at 6:51 with a phone call from Jamie. He wanted to be the first to tell us who has been selected as the new basketball coach at Florida. Billy Donovan has come to his senses and will stay at F-L-O-R-I-D-A. No better place to here the news then here in Columbus. We are definitely going to the Ohio State University today with a little restored pride.

Seems the Gator Nation has some competition.

Learned a lot about Ohio State University. It was founded in 1870 and has a current enrollment of 38,500 under grads and 10,500 grad students. The campus covers 1,700 acres and has more than 400 buildings.

The stadium was built in 1922 and was the first horseshoe-shaped double-deck stadium in the country and seats about 104,000. It is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

Couldn’t resist a photo op outside of the Big Horseshoe.

We respected their campus and enjoyed seeing the brick buildings and driving past the famous Oval, which symbolizes Ohio State to so many people. They are our friends as I recently heard since they helped us win two National Championships in the same year!!!

So concludes our day at Ohio State. Afternoon activities are planned for relaxing by the lake.

Columbus, OH and Ohio State University remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The Toyota tour was fast paced, fact filled, and very interesting. This is the first and largest Toyota plant in the US. Only 1% of the workers are Japanese. The plant has under roof the equivalent of 156 football fields! They produce Camry’s, Solara’s, and Camry Hybrid’s, all at the same time, in random sequence. They make the cars based upon demand orders. They produce 2,000 cars a day using just in time supply. For example, 80 minutes before bumpers are needed the order is placed for bumpers for the various car models and various colors to be delivered in the correct sequence for installation on the line There is very little inventory including the cars themselves. As soon as a car is driven off the line it is driven to the loading area to be put on truck transports or rail cars.
They have their own stamping presses for the steel, their own injection machines for the plastic bumpers etc. and many, many innovative production processes. It is well worth the tour if you are ever in the area.

We hurried back to get the ladies who, we thought, had been stranded for 2 to 2 ½ hours shopping. Well, we were wrong again, they had not finished!

Checked out the city of Georgetown. We were told it would not take long to see the town and they were correct. Kathy’s sister, Linda, attended Georgetown College so we made it a must see on our tour.

Friday evening we had dinner with our Lexington friends, Bill and Paige Rea. They are such gracious and great hosts.

They are also big UK fans and in respect for them and our recent news on Billy Donovan Ray and I had placed black tape over our Gator logos. The mourning is now over and the tape has been removed, life goes on. Watch out Columbus, here we come!!!

Thoroughly enjoyed our evening and dinner.

Paige had just completed in the past year a complete renovation of her kitchen and Linda and Kathy, I am afraid, now have some new ideas about kitchens.

As can be seen in the above photo no self-respecting home in Lex would be without a TV tuned to live horseracing, even one in the kitchen.

Today is a day of regrouping and rest. We leave tomorrow for Columbus and a visit to the Big Horseshoe, Ohio State football field. The trip tomorrow will be one of our longer days traveling, 202 miles! Not sure when we will have internet access again, so the updates may be in hibernation for awhile. From Columbus we travel to Rich Bryer’s place on Guilford Lake then Kathy and I split from Ray and Linda Blush. Kathy and I will then go on to Niagara Falls, Quakertown, PA and Washington, DC.

Last update from Lexington, Saturday June 2, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It takes a full day to see everything at the Horse Park without viewing any special events.

We started out at the Draft Horse barn where they were grooming the horses in preparation of using them for the horse –drawn tour. They had Percherons, Clydesdales, and Belgium breeds. We then took a 15-minute narrated tour of the property in the horse drawn trolley shown below, which was drawn by the pair of Percherons

Next it was on to the Hall of Champions. Here they do a show and tell of past champions housed at the Horse Park. Most of these champions were hard to control in their youth and were not expected to amount to much due to leg and hoof problems. Two of the most famous horses were among those shown. First was Cigar.

Cigar is 59 years old in human years and ranks 18th among the all time top 100 racehorses.

The old man of Champions and almost a twin to Cigar with respect to winnings in today’s dollars is John Henry.

John Henry is 104 years old in human years and ranks 23rd among the all time top 100 racehorses. Just amazing animals, which over came difficult physical problems in their first couple of years to become champions.

Next it was on to the parade of breeds. Several different breeds were featured along with its rider clad in clothing representing the country of origin of the particular breed. Opening ceremonies included playing of the Star Spangled Banner.

And last but certainly not least was the mare and foal show. We were shown these horses in the Big Barn viewing area. The viewing area was the spot where the first auction of thoroughbreds took place in Kentucky.

We learned a lot about horses.

1. They only sleep 2 to 3 hours per day, either standing or lying down.
2. A hand as in how many hands tall is a measurement of the width of the human hand and is equal to 4 inches.
3. A pregnant mare can postpone giving birth for up to two weeks if she feels there is a danger present.
4. Did not know there are so many different breeds.
5. Did not know the emphasis on the care of retired horses.
6. Did not know there are so many horse lovers!

A visit to the Horse Park would not be complete without a race. I think it turned out to a photo finish, judge for yourself.

I would highly recommend this campground and a visit to the Horse Park.

That’s it for today, very hot again. They claim it is 15 degrees above normal for this time of year. It should begin to cool early next week. Also very dry, no rain.

Tomorrow the ladies shop while Ray and I visit Toyota’s largest plant outside Japan. It is located just 6 miles up the road in Georgetown, KY. It produces 2,000 cars a day.

Kentucky Horse Park Thursday May 31, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The campground is very nice, with large sites, etc. Set up, and then arranged a tour for Wednesday of the surrounding area including a horse farm and Keeneland Racetrack.

The tour was informative including a history lesson of Lexington and the horse industry. We started by touring the old downtown area and drove past the houses where Mary Todd Lincoln was born and where she lived when Abe was courting her. The historical area has houses protected due to their historical nature and are identified with a BGT sign on the house. This stands for Blue Grass Trust. Transylvania College is located here and dates back to the times of the settlement of Lexington. Enrollment in the Liberal Arts college is about 1,100. The name Transylvania comes from Latin and means "across the woods"—a good description of the vast region settled by a pioneering land company whose chief scout was Daniel Boone. Kentucky still marked the nation's western frontier in 1780 when Transylvania became the sixteenth college in the U.S. and the first college west of the Allegheny Mountains. Transylvania is linked with many famous names in American history. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Aaron Burr were early supporters. Henry Clay was a law professor and a member of Transylvania's board of trustees. Among other distinguished alumni are Stephen Austin, Cassius M. Clay, two U.S. vice presidents, a Supreme Court justice, 50 U.S. senators, 101 U.S. representatives, 36 governors, and 34 ambassadors.

The Lexington area was chosen as a settlement for farming and raising of livestock, including horses due to it being on a high limestone plateau as opposed to the dense forests that surround the area.

Then we went to Keeneland to tour the racetrack.
Here is a photo looking across the tracks.

The above is a photo showing the turf or grass track and the polyturf or dirt track.

This racetrack was built out from the city of Lexington in 1935. It is a rich looking stone structure and a non-profit organization. All profits go back into upkeep, expansion and anything left over is given to local charities. It is a beautiful facility. At this time of year there is no racing (only in April and October) and no horse auctions. Many of the high priced and prized horses are auctioned here to THE PEOPLE in the racing industry, including Sheiks, actors, and wealthy horse racing farms. They sell for as little as $25,000 to several million.

Kathy in the paddock area.

The above is the group less Ray down at the track and close to the winner’s circle.

Next we went to Donamire farm. It was 650 acres of rolling hills and many, many paddocks and barns. The barns were made of limestone with big heavy oak doors and brass hardware. It is rumored that the barn doors cost $25,000. This farm has its own racetracks for practice, both turf and dirt. The main house is a large limestone structure.

This is a photo of the back porch of the house

Next, it was off to the Old Friends at Dream Chase Farm. This is a facility that cares for retired Thoroughbred Champions. Many owners simply get rid of stallions after they are no longer profitable. This facility cares for the horses much like an assisted living center for aged senior citizens. Some were rescued from the chopping block or put there by their former owners. Some of the former owners actually pay for the services.

One of the horses is Popcorn Deelites who was one of the horses who played Seabiscuit in the movie. This particular horse is in the scene that shows Seabiscuit winning the race.

That’s a recap of today’s activities. Tomorrow it is on to visit either Georgetown a couple miles up the road where Kathy’s sister, Linda, went to college for a year or on to visit the Horse Park and Horse Museum etc.

Weather update, HOT, HOT and DRY! Cools down at night. The best part is no humidity.

Lexington horse farm and Keeneland Racetrack tour remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Did a google search and found directions as follows:

Directions - Rockcastle County. From Exit 76 on I-75, go east 3.5 miles on KY 21 to the center of Berea. Turn right at the light (staying on KY 21), past the Boone Tavern, and travel another 5 miles. Turn right (south) on to US 421 and travel 2.6 miles. Turn right on Burnt Ridge Road and travel .2 miles, then left on Himanns Fork Road and travel 3.4 miles. Look for a red brick house on the right (box 530); approximately one-tenth of a mile past the house make a sharp left turn down a steep hill on to Anglin Falls Road. Travel .9 miles on Anglin Falls Road to a sign that says "Anglin Falls" next to a mailbox marked "542 R2". Turn left and travel .2 miles to the parking area/trail head.

My navigator had no problems following these diredtions and guiding us.

We were in search of falls that look like this:

The scenery on the way was eye-catching. Here is a look at the hard road on the way to Anglin Falls.

The walk was not too steep until you get near the end. It was about a 1 mile hike. Met a man coming down who lives 10 miles from the falls. He enjoys the hike and inquired where we were from. When we replied Florida, he said he was a Gator and had lived in Gainesville and Tampa etc. GO GATORS!

The hike was deep in the forest. When we got to the falls area this is what we saw:

Ray pointing out where the falls should be.

Actual view of the falls.

Unfortunately, they are having a drought and there was no water flowing, but the hike was nice.

We headed back to the RVs for lunch, but got diverted along the way to Blondies, an ice cream shop.

So much for lunch.

Thought I would catch you up on a few photos from yesterday. First you never see much of the editor in chief so here he is:

As always, hard at work while the others carried on other activities.

Here are a couple of photos of normal activity on the trip:

Planning

Relaxing

You will remember our trip to the other falls and the house we saw for sale. h
Here is a photo of that house. The first one to guess the correct price wins the prize!

After it cools off a bit we plan on cooking out tonight. Tomorrrow we head to Lexington, KY. We will be staying at the Kentucky Horse Park north of Lex for 5 days. May or may not have internet access so if you don't get updates you'll understand. After Lex we are skipping Cincinatti and going on to Columbus. While in Columbus we'll stay at the Alum State Park and ocassionally venture into town to harrass the natives and Ohio State University.

In search of Anglin Falls, Berea, KY remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Ray was the designated driver today and I was the navigator. We headed north on 1-75 about 10 miles to the Richmond exit. We then headed west per instructions from our park host. We were told to take a small vehicle since the road does not allow trucks and soon turns into a country road. Take this to mean hilly, winding and narrow. After about three miles past some really nice large estate homes we came to the falls.

The remarks from the driver and backseat were not kind. Something like we drove 775 miles from home to see THIS!!! Nonetheless, we did pull over and take some photos of the dam.

Not the largest falls in the world, certainly not Niagara Falls (that's later in the trip)

We headed back in search of the city of Richmond. Stopped along the way to check on one of the nice houses we saw, Neat house only $430,000 on about 2 acres. This house would have been $1 million at home.

During our tour of the city of Richmond discovered that the driver does not listen to the navigator and as a result there were several times we had to turn around and retrace our steps.

We stopped for lunch to kill time since the ladies wanted to shop in a shoe store we had passed but did not open until 1:30. Our waitress was cute but not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Richmond is the home of the Eastern Kentucky University. The Gators have played them in the past. This coming season the Gators open against Western Kentucky.

We chatted with our waitress about Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky and she wanted to know if we were Gator fans. Well it was tough to answer since Ray was wearing an orange and blue shirt that said Florida Gators etc. Then she asked if the Gators were playing Western KY at home or at Western. How do you answer a question like that with a straight face?

Ray said in spite of this that they are "good people"

Returned to the RV park via the back roads to view some of the rolling hill countryside. Thus ended another adventure.

Berea, KY Sunday May 27, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We started out at Indian Fort Theater. Nice park area if you can find it. I think in the past two days we have driven past it 5 times. I blame all of this on the Site Transportation and Safety Director, Ray!

It is a 1.1 mile hike to the top. The trail starts out as a paved walkway, fairly level, but soon turns into a steep, root tripping, narrow dirt path. The group made it to the first rest area as shown in the photo below.

On the way back we stopped at the outdoor ampitheater of Indian Fort. When we started our walk the resident tour guide, "Scout" led us up the path and stayed with us the whole time until we returned to the parking area. Here I am with our tour guide Scout on the stage of the Indian Fort Theater.

From this lonesome spot we travelled several miles up the road to the Owsley Fork Reservoir. This reservoir supplies the water needs of the city of Berea. It is a beautiful spot, very serene. The photo below will attest to the beauty.

This turned out to be my lucky day. Ray has a goal to find money in parking lots, etc. as he travels. The goal is at least an equivalent of a penney a day. Upon exiting the car at the reservoir I hit the jackpot! A 2007 Montana quarter was mine for the picking. Looks like I am good towards the goal for several more days!

The afternoon turned hot and we retreated to the AC in the RV.

Tomorrow we may venture out again. This time in search of a waterfall.

Berea, KY Saturday May 26, 2007 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Arrived yesterday without fanfare. We took local roads in lieu of the interstate. It was a very scenic drive, all 40 miles.

The ladies checked out the arts and crafts exposition and visitors center while Ray and I travelled 10 miles up the interstate to the next exit. The reason for this was a key to our survival. Berea is a dry city and we were out of beer. Got our beer and headed back to pick up the ladies and tour the city of Berea.

The town was built around the college that is located here. The Berea College was established in 1855. It is a liberal arts school that is quite unique. The college students are students that cannot afford to go to college. However, at Berea all the students work for their tuition etc and end up with a degree.

The old town section is devoted to various arts and craft shops. We then visited the College Square area and located Boone Tavern on the Square. The Boone Tavern was built in 1909 and is of course on the Historical Register.

Below is a photo of the tavern.

We may visit the tavern later in the weekend for lunch.

Around the corner from the Boone Tavern was an excellent Italian restaurant, where we had dinner. See photo below.

Friday was a day of rest and of doing more laundry. Tomorrow we may venture out and do some hiking.

Berea, KY May 25 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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It was a long, tiring trip, 57 miles up the road from Cumberland Gap. It would have taken Daniel Boone several days for this trip. The road we took basically followed the Daniel Boone Trace and the somewhat parallel Wilderness Road.

Weather continues to be just fantastic, high in the mid 70’s and low in the mid 50’s. The predictions are that it will warm up in the next couple of days.

Got set up at the Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park in London, KY. Nice campground, large sites and even a pool!

After setting up it was time to catch up on laundry (the campground has washers and dryers) while others tried to stay busy.

Both the original trace of Daniel Boone and Wilderness Road cross through the campground. We may walk some of the trace tomorrow.

We will keep a sentry posted tonight to watch for Indians. On October 3, 1786 one of the worst Indian massacres took place in the area of what is now the park. The McNitt party massacre resulted in the deaths of twenty-four people. Can’t be too careful.

Happy to report there were no Indian attacks last night. I think it is due to Ray’s ability to adapt to nature so well.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007 was spent relaxing some more. We did however go to the McHargue Grist mill. It is a replica of a typical mill used in these areas. You had to have something to trade in order to obtain goods you did not have. The choices were grain, corn meal, furs or moonshine. Those living up in the mountains choose to trade moonshine since it was easier to carry a jug of moonshine down the mountain rather than several bushels of corn.

While walking the campground I came across this sign. The sites all have a paved pad for parking your rig, but we got a little confused by this sign.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Our self proclaimed site transportation and safety director, Ray, declared today a recreational day. There is a miniature golf course at the campground and we challenged the ladies. Of course we let the ladies win.

Tomorrow we travel to Berea, KY and we will spend the Memorial weekend there.

The weather has turned hot. In the upper 80's and cooling down into the 60's. I think our really nice cool weather is gone.

Levi Jackson State Park, London, KY remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Cumberland Gap National Park

We arrived without incident on Tuesday the 15th of May. We plan to stay until Monday the 21st of May and then move on to Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park. The Wilderness Road is the historic route that Daniel Boone and some 250,000 to 300,000 others traveled on their trek through the Appalachians via the Cumberland Gap. The Gap was the only way through the Appalachian mountain range for several hundred miles to the north and to the south.

Met up with Ray and Linda Blush. You can see who came in last. My rig is in front and that’s Ray in the window upon arrival

The campground is really nice. Lots of trees, not many people and very quiet. We have electrical hook ups and full tanks of water since there is no water at the campsites.

We are just exhausted from just sitting around enjoying the peacefulness.

Ray’s is on the right ours is on the left.

As you can see we have plenty of trees and shade.

The weather has been in the upper 70’s and down into the 50’s at night. Wednesday morning we had a little rain and it was cool all day and some sprinkles. Tonight a cool front is coming through and it should go down into the lower 40’s. Visited the visitor’s center to learn more about Cumberland Gap and it’s importance to the westward expansion and of course it’s most colorful character, Daniel Boone, who crossed here a couple of times. He crossed once in 1769 and then again in 1775 with his family.

Thursday was supposed to be another day of rest. We were expecting rain, wind and possibly hail. Actually it turned out to be a beautiful day. Temperatures were in upper 60’s. We decided to drive to the Tri-State Peak. We got as close as the parking lot driving then hiked 2 miles up and up and up to the Tri-State Peak, where the Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia borders intersect.

I couldn’t resist, I had to touch the actual boundary intersection.

After recovering from our hike down we then drove to the Pinnacle Overlook. Here we could look straight out to the Tri-State Peak and look down into the Gap and the Saddle of the Gap

Plans are to go to one of the first settlements, Hensley Settlement, on Saturday and go cave exploring on Friday into Gap Cave. These are all Ranger led activities.

I tried to get Ray to walk to Hensley Settlement. It is only an 11-mile hike from our campsites. He wanted to have the Ranger drive us. So I deferred to my elders.

Kathy and I decided to hike it for a short distance. You could smell the sweet smell of Honeysuckle.

Friday’s hike to Gap Cave was a shorter and easier hike then the hike to the Tri-State Peak, only ½ mile up and up to the cave entrance. We walked the same trail that Daniel Boone once traveled. Soldiers from the Civil War explored this cave. You felt like you were walking through history. There are no lights in the cave so each one of us was issued a flashlight by the Park Ranger. This is a Ranger conducted tour and the tour size is limited to 15 people. There were 14 in our group. We had made reservations for the tour on Wednesday. Once at the cave we entered through a narrow opening.

You had to crouch down and watch your head. This was typical of most of our 2-hour excursion into the cave. There were 183 steps to encounter along the 1.5-mile walk through the cave and several places where you had to duck and watch so you did not hit your head. The cave temperature stays 53 degrees year round.

The cave is host to bats at various places through out our tour. The total darkness of the cave suits their lifestyle. Their internal clock is what wakes them to exit the cave at night and eat insects.Bat is the dark spot in the center of the photo.

They were as curious as the humans, as can be seen below.

All in all it was a fun day. Had lunch at a Webb’s Country Kitchen, a Mom and Pop restaurant, in Cumberland Gap TN. Great lunch and reasonably priced. Returned to camp and Ray started a fire, which we enjoyed for several hours. The wind increased and the temperature dropped. This should be our coldest night. Temperatures in the low 40’s are expected.

Last night we heard rifle shots around 9 pm, didn’t think anything of it until this AM. We heard there was a bear in the campground last night and that the Ranger had scared him off with the rifle using rubber bullets. The group now wants to be sure and take their showers while it is still daylight!

Saturday’s trip to Hensley Settlement involved more hiking. We met at the Ranger Station and they drove us in a 4-wheel drive van to the Settlement. It was only 17 miles but took one-hour. Then we walked the Settlement for 1- ½ hours while the Ranger explained the workings of the Settlement and some history about the families that lived there. Families back then were large. One family had 19 children. It was a 5 mile trek down the mountain for the settlers to get to town for mail and other provisions that they did not grow on top of the mountain.

It was another gorgeous day, high around 70, no rain, clear skies. Tomorrow, Sunday, will be a day of rest. No activities are planned, except lounging around the camp and reading. Monday we move onto Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park. It’s about 55 miles up the road towards Berea, KY. We’ll stay there 3 nights.

But before we leave all of us give a hearty thanks to Chuck Wilcox at Lazydays for his suggestion to stay at Cumberland Gap National Park!

Cumberland Gap remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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We went to Gatlinburg yesterday. Haven't been there in 25 plus years. It sure has changed. Lots of traffic and tourist shops. However, the drive there was scenic as you can see in the photo.

We did not make it up to New Found Gap, maybe next time.

The weather has been just great no smoke from any fires, no rain, highs about 80 and lows about mid 50's and no humidity.

Monday we went back to Dollywood to take in all the shows we didn't see the other day. Plus ride the flume. This was as close as we got to the flume, didn't have a change of clothes and people were getting very wet.

We will be leaving tomorrow to join Ray and Linda Blush in Cumberland Gap National Park. Not sure how long we will be there possibly 7 to 10 days. I don't think there willl be any access to the internet so the updates will be delayed until we hit civilization again.

Bye, Bye Dollywood

Tomorrows trip is only about 90 miles up the road.

Last report from Pigeon Forge remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Found out that NASCAR stands for Non Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks.

For dinner we went to the Dixie Stampede. Great show but the meal was served without any utensils it was all finger food, whole roasted chicken, pork, potatoes, corn on the cob and a vegetable soup. It was a little messy.

Also found out why all these people in Tennessee have TGIF written across their shoes. Toes Go In First!

Tomorrow we plan on going into Gatlinburg and maybe up to New Found Gap.

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

May 12 remains copyright of the author popding, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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