Chattanooga TN

 

16Sep-19Sep

We chose to stay in Camping World C.G which is close to downtown and the other attractions we wanted to visit.

The C.G is nothing fancy but has full hook-ups, cable TV, pool, WiFi (from the CW sales waiting lounge), the sites are long and levelled but close one to another, the C.G was not full and there enough space between the trailers.

Chattanooga is nestled between the mountains: Signal Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Racoon Mountain and Missionary Ridge.

The Tennessee River runs through Chattanooga, 3 bridges connect both sides of the city; one of them is the longest pedestrian bridge.

There are several view points from the surrounding mountains into the Grand Canyon of the Tennessee River and the downtown area.

Add to this a lovely Downtown area with many restaurants, shops, ChooChoo Old Train Station, Bluff View Art District and free summer concerts along the river and you have a good excuse to stop for few days.

16 Sep

After settling in the C.G we wondered around the CW shop and took a look at some new RV that were for sale and then used the lounge to get online and check our e-mails.

17 Sep

*A day in Downtown that included:

*Walk along the river and the pedestrian bridge.

*We took the free shuttle to Choo Choo Old Train Station and a visited the Toy Train Museum.

*Lunch in Sticky Fingers a local BBQ dinner(Ribs,Chicken)-great food.

*Drive to the Signal Point that has great view to the Tennessee River.

*Concert in the park along the river, listening to music and watching boats sale by.

By 1030PM we were back and as you can imagine had no problems sleeping through the night……

18Sep

The farmers market was a real treat, local restaurants had a completion going on ,for 8$ you got to taste 8 samples from deferent restaurants and then voted for the one you liked the most, there was live music, fresh produce ,beer, wine and many other vendors.

We got ourselves some good fresh vegetables, goat cheese (which we love) and some herbs.

On the way back we popped into a Wal-Mart to get some presents for the kids and grandkids.

All this shopping activity made us thirsty and tired and at 5PM we headed home to cool ourselves in the AC.

The CW was closed so NO WiFi today….

19 Sep

Today was our “Tourist “ day, we drove to Lookout Mountain to visit Ruby Falls ,the tallest and deepest underground waterfall, it is 1120 feet underground (do not worry there is an elevator)and fall from 260 feet high,the tour is an hour and beside the falls many stalagmite /stalactites’ can be seen.

Then we drove to Rock City (crossed to GA without noticing) and walked the 1700 feet above sea level place to see SEVEN States from the observation point. The place is a beautiful botanical and geological wonder between natural rocks. Some of the paths are between “crakes” in the rocks so one might want to skip a meal before heading there.

We crossed back to Tennessee to a battle field at the Point Park where at 1863 Federal and Confederate armies clashed in some of the Civil War’s hardest fighting; it also has a fantastic view point on Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.

Just heard a short joke “How do you call a fish without an eye?”FSHHHH…(a little stupid ah..but funny)

That’s it for this beautiful area, moving tomorrow to Murphy NC.

Technorati Tags: Chattanooga TN

ON THE ROAD AGAIN..

Some have their rig parked by the house(so convenient-I envy them),some are using the rig as full timers(Can't do it) and some store the rig at the end of each trip for the season and fly home-LIKE WE DO.
As non residents we have to leave the US after 6 months , so our best solution to this situation is to RV in the summers for 4-5 months,store the rig at the end of each trip and pick it up in the following spring to explore new States/Provinces.
We started RV in 2002 and since then we follow our DREAM.
The kids and grand kids adopted quickly to Grandma & Grandpa disappearing for the summers and some already joined us partly on some trips (Not all together....LOL).
This weekend we had the family for a BBQ and a fun day to say our goodbyes.

OUR COUNTRYCLUB

OUR SON & 4 OUT 5 GRAND KIDS.

BEFORE THE ACTION….

Technorati Tags: RV,MICHIGAN,INDIANA,KENTUCKY,TENNESSEE.

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Finally we are flying out tonight on a direct flight from Tel-Aviv to Toronto,the rig is stored since October 2010 just an hour North of the city , it will take us a few days to service the rig and load the fridge before we hit the road.
Our route plan will be Michigan(Upper & Lower),Indiana,Kentucky and Tennessee.
We have NO reservations,the route is flexible with no time frames except the ending point in late October has to be near Charlotte NC to be able to take a flight back home.
We are excited to start our 10th RV trip - let the wind bring health,good friends ,joy and laughter to you all.

Back at home for the winter

Leaving Israel (home)  to North America for a period of 4-5 months it is not an easy task,there are many issues that have to be taken care before departing such as:

Banking,bills,gardening,mail,vehicles,medicals and being ready mentally to leave your family and friends behind,BUT what is the alternative? sit put and feel sorry for not doing what you dreamt about for many years ? No way -it is all about balance.

So we decided to divide our time between RVing in North America during the summers and spending time at home in the winters.

We did some RV “test” trips in Italy,Norway and New Zealand with relatively small motorhomes before purchasing a 5W and a truck in North America.

It is not so easy for one that lives out of the US to do what we are doing,at the end of each trip the rig has to be left in storage (each time in different location ),stuff such as clothing has to be arranged so we will have everything in the trailer and ready for different weather conditions,but we have solved all these issues from experience.

We started doing this in 2002 and fell in love with it, each spring we start our trip from where it ended last Autumn never repeating our tracks,always exploring new States/Provinces ,meeting people from the RV world and some of them became our friends.

We love nature,hiking,meeting people and managing our time without any pleasure,we are always curious to  discover what is “BEHIND” the next mountain.

So we just ended our 9th RV trip and this time to Ontario-Pennsylvania-Maryland and Virginia, you can read all about it in my previous posts,this time we had our eldest grand daughter (12 years old)with us for a month and only people that did it can understand the joy and pleasure of spending time with a grandchild .

The house and the garden are almost back to normal but the greatest news are that my medical test came back showing that I am clean from cancer cells after having 36 radiation treatments before our RV trip,not that there was another option…I believed in winning this battle and sometimes during the trip even forgot all about it,but it is good to have it “OFFICIAL”.

So back to normal,family ,holidays,friends and planning our next summer trip to Michigan-Indiana (visiting the manufacturer of my 5W)-Kentucky and Tennessee leaving the rig next to Charlotte NC just to continue to the Carolinas on the following year.

As English is not my mothers tongue (thanks God for the spelling automatic  corrections) forgive me for any mistakes I do.

See you on the next summer trip and remember that today is the first day of the rest of our lives.

From Pittsburgh to Canada

As the Autumn came knocking on the door ,the nights became colder ,the days shorter and the RV traffic thinner,the C.G became almost deserted but we still had the desire to keep going and experience the foliage on the way back.

On the way from Pittsburgh to the Canadian boarder we have done 3 stops ,one in Mercer PA  one in Tionesta PA and one next to Jamestown NY , some of the days were rainy and some crispy clear but cold (that’s how I like it),we enjoyed every minute and took it as it came still taking short hikes to waterfalls and visiting an Apple fest in Franklin PA,rain did not stop us at all ,it is only water…

In Jamestown C.G we meet again the owner Max that was glad to see us after we camped in his C.G last year coming from NY towards the Canadian boarder, he too is closing up and moving for the winter to Florida as most of the RVer’s from the cold area.

Crossing the boarder was smooth ,we did not have even to get out of the truck although I had everything ready for the usual questions we got so much used to.

In July in a C.G we meet a great couple that lives an hour North of  Toronto , they offered us to leave our rig on their land during the winter ,we just talked with them and will on our way to their place in 2 days that will be used to do the laundry and get the staff packed and ready.

The next 2 weeks we will spend with our son in Toronto,visit friends and get presents for the grandkids .

Next year plan is already going through my head …Michigan,Indiana,Kentucky and Tennessee… I can’t wait.

Technorati Tags: Tionesta,Niagara Falls NY

Grand Rivers-Land between the Lakes KY

30 August-4 September.

We found a great spot in a Corps of Engineer Canal C.G in Grand Rivers at the North entrance to LBL.

The C.G has 110 sites, some pull through, some with full hook ups and some only water/electricity connections, regular price 20$ and 10$ for Golden Age Pass (so there are some advantages for being elderly….)

Grand Rivers is an ideal destination for anyone that likes the outdoors, boating, hiking, wants to see good theatre show ,eat well or just taking it easy taking scenic drives along the lakes.

Grand Rivers has a population of 350 but hosts the famous Pettis Village including a restaurant that serves the best huge 2” thick Pork Chops it also has great shows in the local theatre called Badgett Playhouse *, we went to both.

As it was Labour long week end there were many things going around: Fests, Parade and Concerts so we did a schedule to be able to see them all.

As you can see Grand Rivers is small but has all you need to enjoy the outdoors, Theatre, Gourmet food and most important people that let you feel at home when you are away from home.

At the center of LBL there is a prairie were Elks and Bison’s roam and this is surly on our list, so as you can see our hands are full, NO DAY OFF SINCE WE RETAIRED….

31 Aug

Information Center-Kim the lady that is running the center was kind enough to direct us to all the interesting places we should visit and attend she also invited us into the aircondioned center and let us use the WiFi (it was like 100F outside), later we found out that she told Bill Minihan the owner of the Budgett Playhouse that we will be coming to the Patty Clien’s show *(see 2 September to find out about the surprise).

*Bought Tickets to the Budgett Playhouse.

*Groceries supply

*Pettis Village

* Jetty to see the sunset.

Beautiful sunset from the Jetty in Grand Rivers.

*Pettis restaurant (2” thick pork chops) it was so large we had to share one Pork Chop plate for both of us… -EXCELENT, Put this on your bucket list as a MUST EAT…

Pettis Restaurant in Grand Rivers KY 2” Pork Chop.

1 September

Grand Loop from Grand Rivers to Cadiz-Bison Elk Prairie-Grand Rivers, with multiply stops and side trips.

Maybe it was too hot but we managed to see only few Elks and one Bison even though we made more than one run through the loop.

Elk in Land between the Lakes prairie.

2 September

Paducah KY-The town is located Just 30 minutes west from Grand Rivers where the Tennessee River joins the Ohio River

In the beautiful downtown area near the river we found an old Bakery (had breakfast there),antique shops, impressive old buildings and fantastic Murals telling the history of the town painted on the wall that protects the city from flooding.

In uptown artists from all over North America found a friendly place to show their arts and by that attract tourist to this area.

Badgett Playhouse Grand Rivers-KY

Shula in front the BADGETT THEATERE IN GRAND RIVERS.

We have purchased tickets to Patsy Cline’s show in advance (the great singer that died in a plane crash when she was only 30 years old) and I am glad we did that as the Theatre was completely full .

Before the show started together with some advertisements there were titles running on the screen welcoming new people that joined the theatre Season pass and Patron’s pass ,following these titles suddenly we see a title saying “Welcome to Danny and Ursula from Israel” beside the mistake in my wife’s name we did not believe our eyes, we did not give this information to the cashier while buying the tickets????

As if this is not enough just before the show started Bill (the owner) said a few words about the future theatre shows and plans and then said “we welcome our friends from Israel Danny and Ursula, let’s give them a hand. Please show yourselves”…so here we are rising while audience is clapping hands-Wow that was something we have never experienced before but surly appreciated it very much.

At the interval people came over and showed interest on our travels, we felt welcomed and among friends-Thank you all.

We grew up on Patsy Cline’s songs and when I closed my eyes I could swear that I am actually listening to her and not to Erica (Complement..) that is blessed with an outstanding voice, It is a MUST ++ DO NOT MISS.

Erica the magnificent in action…..

Bill and Sara invited us for tomorrows show and gave us the best sits in the theatre, what a couple….they both are very talented and a part of the cast ,Sara not only dances ,sings and acts but she also is the chorographer and does the all the costumes herself…(wonder women).

3 September

We started the day by visiting the Grand Rivers artist Fair where 90 venders showed their merchandise, it was organized very well; unfortunately it was too hot and humid so people stayed only for a limited time.

At 7PM we drove down to the Budgett Theatre to see Variety show, music, memories and more, it was 2hours of Branson style great entertainment that we enjoyed very much.

We said goodbyes to Sara and Bill, exchanged E-mails hoping to see them again in the future.

In January 2012 they will adding a new addition to their family nest- Mazal Tov(Good Luck in Hebrew).

Bill & Sara Minihan (the owners),Shula ,Erica (a great singer with a divine voice).

4 September.

A kind of “a day off” just before we hit the road to Nashville.

Getting some supplies, checking E-mail, visiting the city Dam and taking it easy.

For the last few day the weather was around the 90’s and it was tough to stay out of the air-condition but today finally it became cooler-what a relief.

All in all we enjoyed very much these last 5 days in Grand Rivers and the Land between the Lakes, it is surely one of the most beautiful places in Kentucky.

End of our 10th RV summer trip

It is the end of our 10th RV trip and this time we explored Michigan-Indiana-Kentucky-Tennessee and Part of North Carolina. We are storing the rig next to Charlotte NC and flying back home for the winter just to come back in next spring to pick the rig to discover,hike,meet people and LIVE the Life as we like. To all my Blogger friends,people that we meet on the way and maybe never will see again and to friends that shared with us their time,here is a short run down of this fantastic 2011 summer. See YA ALL IN 2012. CLICK ON THE ARROW TO START.

2011 Summer rv Trip-mi,in,ky,tn,nc Slideshow: Danny’s trip from New Lowell (near Angus, Ontario, Canada) to 33 cities including Nashville, Chattanooga, Lexington, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Holland, Saint Ignace, Muskegon, Petoskey and Manistee was created by TripAdvisor. See another United States slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Pikesville Tennessee

 

14 Sep-15 Sep

Our next stop was in a great small beautiful Mountain Glenn RV park next to Fall Creek Falls S.P.

The place is very well maintained,nice pull through sites and outstanding bathrooms (5 star hotel)..

The owner was very nice and helpful,we stayed in the game room watching cable TV while the washing and drying machine “worked “ on our laundry.

In the evening we built a fire and grilled some eggplant on it.

The following morning we woke up to a gloomy rainy day,but this did not stop us from getting our hiking gear together and hitting the Fall Creek Falls S.P just 20 miles down the road.

There are some beautiful hike in this huge park but due to the weather we did only 2 short ones to falls,hanging bridge and view points.

The scenery was just fantastic and I made a note to come for another visit.

Technorati Tags: Fall Creek falls S.P

 

2nd Day in Chuckey TN-Margarette Falls&Jonesborough TN

The day started very early in the morning ,around 4am I felt very hot and therefore turned the small ventilator on,but it did not start,I checked the electrical connection and found out that we are with no power,as it was still early I went back to bed but woke up again at 7:30am just to find our electrical plug burned out,luckily Lows had it on stock and we were back on track in no time.

At 9am we were ready for Margerette Falls hike http://www.cmpros.com/hiking/Margarette ,a drive of 10 miles from our (great) location and a 2 mile hike R/T took us to a very rewarding hike along a creek and to an outstanding beautiful waterfall.

Along the hike we encountered huge mushrooms,snake and a group of butterfly's,good that we were wearing our hiking boots….

All along the hike we followed a running water creek with high granite walls from both sides which made the whole hike jus great,many small rapids created inviting stop spots in almost every turn,but the most rewarding and exciting is the minute you see the falls ,especially if it comes to sight as a sudden surprise  around a corner-you turn and here it is in front of you in full size woow factor ..

            

SMALL RAPIDS ALONG THE HIKE TO THE WATERFALL

 

THE BEAUTIFUL MARGERETTE FALLS

We took our time to let this sink in ,no rush,enjoyed the natural power of falling waters,the sound and the smells of the wet wood,on the way back Shula “lifted” a huge tree trunk ,it was heavy but not a match to “wonder woman”

THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME PASS….

As it was only 1PM we changed our clothes (had it ready in the truck) and took off to Jonesborough the oldest town in Tennessee  just in time to hear a Story Teller in the famous Story Teller Center in the town http://www.storytellingcenter.net/.

All this made us hungry and especially thirsty…so a local Brewery was out next stop followed by a BBQ place –both just fantastic and just as needed it,not far was an old style  Lollipop store which we avoided in purpose….

       

If you think that this was the end of this endless day you got something coming,there was a street concert at the town square at 7PM ,so we pulled our folding chairs and enjoyed great young girl singer singing among others Petty Klein…

What a way to conclude this outstanding day,wow I am tired see you soon-tomorrow.