Pittsburgh PA

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We meet a great couple that is running the C.G in Tarentum just 20 Milles North East of Pittsburgh.

They own a great log house on the C.G grounds and they use as their home and public restrooms.

For many years they would hold a Blue Grass festival in the C.G but had to stop as it interfered with the the regular RV camping activities,we were invited for coffee ,cookies and even welcomed to use their computer to check our e-mails.

The city of Pittsburgh is beautifully spread out  ,the city is surrounded with nice green hills with house all around, and at one point 2 rivers Monongahela and Allegheny meet to create Ohio river many bridges connect different parts of the city above the rivers and it creates  a beautiful sight.

We strolled along the downtown,bought a sandwich in a famous bakery and sat down in the Market Square to eat, then walked along the banks of the rivers close to the famous Steelers Stadium and the Baseball one.

After that we drove to MT Washington sat in one of the pubs facing the rivers,bridges and the downtown-and what a sight it was…

At the C.G we were just on time for gorgeous sunsets that were just right to complete a fantastic day.

Youghiogheny Lake PA

The Corps of Engineer in the US have built dams all over the country  ,after finalizing the work they have arranged campgrounds in most of lakes/dams.

Many of them have electrical hook ups,a tab where you can fill water before you go to your site and a damp station,they also have on the grounds showers and toilets for those who camp with a tent.

ALL the campgrounds are located in a beautiful nature and are quite comfortable to go and out.

We chose Youghiogheny Lake Corps of Engineer C.G as it was on our way and had no idea what to expect.

It was a great choice,specie RV  sites   with Electrical hook ups and a clean C.G.

We had a long drive through hilly terrain ,so after getting settled we took things easy,took a shower and strolled around the  C.G and the river that ran just next to our site.

Day later we visited on of the most fantastic beautiful S.P called Ohaiopyle S.P,there is a river running through the park,waterfalls with a short hiking distance,picnic areas,white water rafting,canoeing , many bike and hiking trails-what else can one ask for….

It was a great day like many others ,but this came as pleasant

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surprise.

Luray Caverns VA

Yes I know that I already posted a post about Endless Caverns but I must add that Luray Caverns are outstanding from all Caverns we saw and we did see some.
So with out any more words here are some selected pictures.

Shenandoah N.P Virginia

Shenandoah N.P is located on the North part of the Blue Ridge PWY and is a like a cherry on top of a cake,anywhere you hike,drive or have a picnic is beautiful and you can not go wrong.

The only “problem” we had is to choose from a long list what  hikes to take ,but we managed…

As the park is located in the North part of the BRP we decided to move our rig to a C.G close to it,driving with the trailer ON the BRP and the Shenandoah N.P is possible but not wise,the road is curvy and narrow so stopping or turning around is almost impossible, the best solution was leaving the trailer at the foot of the mountain and making side trips with the truck alone-it worked just fine.

We found out that beside the vistas,hike and falls there is also night life in one of the resorts,so surly after a long day we enjoyed local dances and music with food and beverages.

I add some pictures for you to enjoy.

Life is good.

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Endless Cavers VA

Near New Market at the foot of the Shenandoah N.P and the Blue Ridge PWY many cavers can be found, we have visited the Endless Caverns and used their C.G for 4 days to explore this fantastic area.

We arrived at 2PM to the C.G ,got hook upped eat some snack and walked to the Caverns just next to the registration office of the C.G  

According to the tour operators, the cave was discovered by two boys in October 1879, while hunting rabbits on the property of Ruben Zirkle. The boys cornered a rabbit behind an outcropping of limestone rocks, and began moving some of the loose stones to flush the rabbit from his hiding place. After doing this they discovered a hole in the ground and ran back to the house to grab some ropes and candles. After going into the hole the boys found that there were many chambers and rooms. Not long after the discovery, the Zirkles began doing candle lit tours through the cave. In 1919, the cave was bought by Colonel Brown. Brown had the cave fully wired and lights were installed. Endless Caverns was allegedly the first cave ever to have electrical lighting.

Endless is home to colonies of bats, primarily little brown bats, that are visible on the tour route

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Blue Ridge Parkway VA

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We did a long drive (our standards) from Virginia Beach to West VA and settled down for 5 days along the South part of the BRP of Virginia.

Virginia Beach called also called Hampton Roads area is land and waters waved in a way that you do not know where is the ocean,where are the inlets and it reminds an octopus legs with waters in between them.

The city itself reminds Miami Beach with a long boardwalk (made from concrete) along the Ocean when restaurants,hotels and shops on the West side of it, different all together from West of Virginia.

It was 230 Milles long and took us around 6 hours with 3 stops,one of the stops we have done was next to a dinner recommended to us by a friend, “when you pass Wakefield on HWY 460 do not forget to stop at the dinner to taste their peanut pie” and so we did and never regretted it as it was delicious.

The C.G in Greenville has a swimming pool,a lake surrounded with grass ,Wi-Fi , full hook-ups and located comfortably to the BRP.

On our second day we headed towards the Natural Bridge using the BRP going South with many out looks towards beautiful vistas.

The Natural Bridge is a huge rock with a big hole in the middle of it,all made by nature,it is a beautiful sight and the only thing that I dislike about it is that it is private owned and became a tourist trap…

On the next day we headed to Shenandoah Valley C.G near Verona, it has a beautiful Waterfall on the grounds with a running river attached to it,we stopped and had some  branch facing the falls.

From there we took HWY 11 towards Stevens Tavern and crossed the BRP on HWY 56 towards the trailhead to Crabtree Falls,4 Mile hike roundtrip with high elevation we reached the lower and the upper falls, the vistas on the way were breathtaking but the falls at this time of the year were not at full stream,never the less the Autumn colors and the hike were great.

Fish,wine,salad made by the Chief Chef Shula Oren was a great treat to complete another wonderful day.

On the third day we took a ride towards the Allegheny Mountains through the small country roads,our first stop was at the old town of Raphine there in a pastoralists views people renewed old house to look as they did many years ago instead of replacing them,this only added to the whole ambiance of this beautiful place.

We continued West seeing from far the BRP as we came to Warm Springs and found two old round white big huts that are used today for Hot Baths with water that runs under them,it appeared to be the oldest Warm Springs in the US,great place to take a dip for an hour ,only 18$ per person.

Further down the road lays Homestead a hug beautiful hotel that has it all,Tennis courts,Golf Course,Swimming Pools,Restaurants,Shops and VIEW,I imagine that for few thousand $ you can have a room there…

On the way back we stopped to see a huge Falling Spring falling from a large rock with the Appalachian Mountains are seen behind it…what a view.

At the end of the day I smile  to myself when some asks me “Again you are off to see another fall,mountain or sunset”…..What can I answer to that “it makes my heart beat differently…”

Rosh Hashana,Williamsburg,Jamestown&Yorktown VA

Rosh Hashana , for those who do not know the meaning of these two words –it means in Hebrew “New Year” and as our calendar is accordingly to the Moon rather than the Sun it happens each year on a different date in the Christian calendar.

This year we celebrated Rosh Hashanah on 8 September while camping in Williamsburg,Rosh Hashana is a family Holiday and therefore it was a Holiday with a touch of sadness as at the table were only Shula and myself with all the family in our hearts…although we took advantage of the high-tech Skype system to talk and see the family.

While in Williamsburg we have visited and learned about the early history and battles of this area,we visited the landing sites , the ships that brought the first settlers,the museums and the restored villages in Jamestown and in Yorktown.

Talking with the people that played the role in the sites you start to wonder what on earth brings a person to fight ,risking his life,having close to nothing for food,slipping on the floor and if he makes the day with out a bullet he gets fever from almost anything…well it must be the will for freedom and a better life for himself and for the future generation DON’T WE ALL…

Here are some selected pictures from our visit.

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Washington DC.

We thought that visiting Washington DC after 40 years would be nice again,so we parked our trailer on friends lot that were kind enough to invite us and took the metro into downtown.

It was a tough long day but we accomplished a lot,we have visited the Holocaust Museum ,the American History Museum and walked the “Mall” from Smithsonian Museum to the Lincoln Monument,White House,Capitol hill and to Union station where we took the subway back.

The weather was on the hot side and we had to go into some museums just to cool off.

In the statue  gardens we stopped for lunch listening to live Jazz sitting around a pool dipping our feet in the water.

Our next move is towards South Virginia to Virginia Beach area.

Till then….

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