November 6, 2014. Truck shopping

LOCATION:  Winston-Salem, North Carolina

WEATHER:  Spotty showers.  Highs in 60s

We are seriously thinking about trading in our Honda Pilot for a pick-up truck.  The Honda is at its maximum weight limit  for towing.  A truck could pull a lot more, which we might need in the western mountains next year.  We have put 47,000 miles on it on this trip so far. 

Here is one truck we looked at.  I would prefer a silver one, if possible, to match the Airstream. 

While looking for a truck, George got distracted by this Corvette.  :-)

We had dinner at a restaurant with George's sister and brother.  Fun evening!

November 5, 2014. Shopping in Winston-Salem

LOCATION:  Winston-Salem, North Carolina

WEATHER:  Warm fall day. Highs in upper 60s

My memories of Winston-Salem are from years ago when we visited George's parents here for Thanksgiving.  There were always mountains of leaves that our daughters played in.  It is like that now.

We are parked in our cousin's driveway.  George trimmed some tree branches so we could fit in better.

We shopped and ran errands.  The malls are decorated for Christmas and are playing Christmas music!  

We visited George's aunt who lives in a Moravian church retirement community.  The church there is from 1750.  She was glad to see us.

 

DINNER:  I though we were finished cooking in the camper until after India, but our dinner plans fell through.  So, we bought chicken thighs and bell peppers and grilled them.  Now we have leftovers again.....:-(

November 4, 2014. City camping

CAMPGROUND:  George's cousin's driveway

LOCATION:  Winston-Salem, in north central part of state

WEATHER:  Nice fall day. Highs in upper 60s

We left Asheville with a few scares.....1) George lost his wallet (then found it) and 2) Our bank called to investigate what appeared to be a hacking into our account. (Turned out just to be a mix-up). 

We stopped at a brewpub for a great blackened tuna sandwich for lunch. Their booths are old wine barrels. George bought a growler of Hickory Stick Stout.

We drove on to Winston-Salem, George's hometown.  We parked the camper in the driveway of George's cousin's house.  We will stay here until we go to India.

DINNER:  My last cooked meal in the camper....  I made an omelette with everything left in the refrigerator:  eggs, onions, broccoli stems, goat cheese, and leftover brats.  

November 3, 2014. Awesome Asheville!

CAMPGROUND:  Courtyard by Marriott!  5 stars!

LOCATION:  Asheville, NC, in southwest part of North Carolina

WEATHER:  Sunny, and warmer. Highs in 60s

We drove through the Smoky Mountains, through snow melting in the sunshine.  I always get nervous on the curvy roads.  

We checked into the hotel and took the bus into downtown.  We didn't want to unhook the camper, or deal with difficult parking.  

We had lunch at a nest bar that featured North Carolina beers.  Then went hiking around town.  Asheville is really hilly, so we got a workout.  We went to 2 breweries to sample more local beers.  At one place, we had lima bean hummus, surprisingly good!  I counted 16 breweries in the Asheville tourist guide, but that didn't include the small ones.  Amazing that they all seem to be doing well.  There are new ones that weren't here last year when we visited.

Back at the hotel, we luxuriated in the pool and hot tub.  We had dinner at Carrabas, which is in our hotel parking lot.  Not bad for a chain. 

November 2, 2014. Frost and snow in the Smoky Mountains

CAMPGROUND:  Smoky Bear RV Park. Nicer than most commercial RV parks. Spacious sites.  Lots of amenities, many that we couldn't use....like swimming pool, game room.  Full hook-ups, WIFI, laundry, great bathrooms.   They loaned us a cable so we could get some TV.  Kindly upgraded us to a  more expensive pull-through site.  4 stars out of 5.  $39 with Good Sam discount

LOCATION:  Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in SE part of state

WEATHER:  Cold.  Highs in 40s

We awoke in Alabama to a frosty morning.  It was in the 20s overnight.  We had unhooked our water to prevent the hose from bursting.  It was cold inside, too.  Here is George, with lots of layers on, having morning coffee.

We drove through the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. A foot of snow had fallen yesterday.  300 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway are closed due to snow and ice.  

We drove through tourist-tacky Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood.  No, we did not stop.  Then through Gatlinburg, which seems like a nice mountain town.

We started looking for a campground.  Some of the national parks in the Smokies were inaccessible.  We pulled in to a couple of RV parks, but they were closed for the season.  We finally found this one.  They had vacancies, as many campers had left earlier in the day as they lost electricity for 24+ hours.  Luckily, it came back, right as we checked in.  

DINNER:  Our refrigerator contents are shrinking, to prepare for our India trip.  I made a pasta dish I had seen on a cooking show.....fettuccini with the leftover cannellini beans (mashed), with kalamata olives, onion, garlic, chicken broth, sage, and Parmesan.  Just so-so, although George ate seconds.  

November 1, 2014. Grand Canyon of the East

CAMPGROUND:  3rd night at Desoto State Park

LOCATION:  NE corner of Alabama

WEATHER:  Cold and windy. Highs in 40s

We took a strenuous 3-hour hike on trails in the woods to keep warm, and out of the wind.  

Then, we took a scenic drive along the rim of the Little River Canyon.  It is very deep.

They call it the Grand Canyon of the East.  Dare devils ride the Class IV rapids in the spring.

Back at the campground, we watched a DVD and munched popcorn while the wind howled outside.  We turned off our water as the hose might freeze tonight.  A low of 25 degrees F is predicted.

DINNER:  George braved the cold, and grilled brats over a campfire.  We had those with a salad and cannellini beans.   

October 31, 2014. Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain

CAMPGROUND: 2nd night at Desoto State Park

LOCATION:  Northeast corner of Alabama.  Near Mentone, AL

WEATHER:  Cool, some rain. Highs in 50s

We hiked to the registration office to see if there had been any cancellations, to ask  if we can stay an extra night.  There are a lot of trails we'd like to explore and scenic drives to take.  Luckily, there was a cancellation (probably due to the cold forecast), so we paid for another night.

So, we unhooked and drove to Mentone, a few miles away.  This village and area were recommended in the book "1000 Places to Go Before You Die".  

It is off the beaten track, and we wouldn't have known about it, except for the book.  It is very scenic.  Along the road were beautiful mountain homes with spectacular views.  Also cute log cabins.  We walked to some impressive falls.  Then, we took the Lookout Mountain Parkway into Chattanooga.  We couldn't have pulled the trailer on these curvy, narrow mountain roads.

We had lunch at Terminal Brewhouse, next door to the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo train station.  We split a veggie hoagie.  I had a Terminal IPA; George had a stout.  

We went to Camping World to buy a few parts.  While in Chattanooga, with good cell service, I looked at the weather for the Smoky Mountains, our next destination.  A blizzard is forecasted!  A snow storm warning has been issued for the next few days there.  So, we decided to see if we can stay here one more night to wait out the storm.

Back at the park, we asked whether we could extend our stay (again) one more night.  I think they think we are crazy.  "Oh, you again?" We were able to stay another night.  So, we will leave on Sunday, when the mountain snows are supposed to end.

DINNER:  It was rainy and cold, so we decided to cook inside.  I made paninis on the George Foreman with roasted red peppers, salami, mozzarella and sautéed onions.  Not too many things left in the refrigerator, preparing  for our upcoming India trip.