First Landing State Park VA

Broad Bay

We biked on the multi-purpose trail at First Landing State Park.  It was a wonderful fall day, perfect for biking.  We had biked it on Mother's Day but we wimped out and only did 8 miles.  This time we bit the bullet and completed the 12 mile trail.  It was worth it!  We had a nice lunch stop at Broad Bay (see photo).  But Deb paid the price.  She had no blood left in her legs.

We had our Friday date night dinner at the Hot Tuna in Virginia Beach area.  It was wonderful, good food, good service and good atmosphere. 

First Landing - Virginia Beach, VA

We're back at First Landing.  We seem to end up here at the beginning of every fall trip... Now three years in a row.  We are at the same site we were at for Mother's Day, six months ago.  The weather is gorgeous... 76 degrees, sunny.  We walked the beach with Drex going in and out of the water.  We sat around till the sun set, admiring the "messy" beauty of nature.  The grasses here have very sharp small burrs. It's nature's "invisible electric fence". If Drex takes even one step away from the campsite, he gets one of those burrs in his paw and he won't move until I come "rescue" him!

Grayson-Highland State Park - Damascus, VA

We left Mammoth Caves with 400 miles and a time zone change that was not in our favor ahead of us.  At first, our GPS routed us on interstates but later sent us across Kentucky on scenic highways.  It was a lovely drive until we got to Damascus (a town we really would like to get back to).  After Demascus the road turned curvy and nasty for 25 miles
Grayson-Highland has always been on our must see list.  The park itself is nice, but the campground was incredibly crowded.  Granted, it's Labor Day weekend but it wasn't fun.  Tried to light a campfire but couldn't get it started, so we watched "Foot-Loose".  Left before sunrise for home.

Mammoth Cave National Park - KY

Spelunking in Kentucky

It was a quick drive to Mammoth Caves.  Got in and settled by 2:30.  Deb says "you want to do a cave tour at 3:00?  Sure, but it's 95 and the dog will fry... But there is a kennel at the Hotel ... What hotel?  We close up the RV and look for the hotel ... The line at check in is long and the clerk doesn't seem to mind.  Deb gets the cave tour tickets ... I finally get the lock for the kennel that is way over there... Deb says give me the keys to the RV ... I  don't have them. ... Well I don't have them... We only have two minutes till the tour... I'll find the keys you find the kennel... Excuse me  sir, are these your keys?  We can't leave the dog here, He has no water....  Wow, there's a bowl... Just need to find a spigot.  Ah, there's the water.   How do you lock this thing?  Oh, I see... Run... Run... And we join the tour at precisely 3:00... Yes we are masters at time management...

The cave tour was thrilling.  For a general tour is was pretty tight in spaces, but the cave is huge and very long.  We walked two miles, down 350'.

Back at camp, we celebrated my birthday with garlic mashed potatoes, T-bone steak, and corn on the cob. For dessert, we had RV made vanilla cake with Ben & Jerry Cherry Garcia Ice cream.  Deb finally got her Angry Orchard (they never heard of it in Kansas or Arkansas).  I'm drinking Sorta IPA.

Meeman-Shelby State Park - Millington, TN

Hollandaise sauce and grilled salmon!

Left Oklahoma at 7:30 and drove through the Ozarks. Rolling wooded hills or mountains (if you use a little imagination). Meeman-Shelby is a nice little hardwood forest near Memphis, actually across the road from where I did my technical training in the Navy (that part was decommissioned in 1993). Gosh I feel old!  Speaking of getting older.  Tomorrow s my birthday, so Deb made a cake in our convection/microwave oven.  (Tomorrow we will not have power, and the oven puts a load on the batteries).  It looks really good, and as an added bonus, she asked what we could do with two egg yokes...and we had already decided on Salmon..   Yes...it was Hollandaise Sauce on the Barbie!

Then  we watched Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood .... I thought it was an adventure flick ... It was good but I probably should have googled it to set my expectations.

Natural Falls State Park - Colcord, OK

Dripping Spring

We've decided to change our itinerary slightly but Natural Falls stayed.  Only three hours drive. The park is the size of a postage stamp but had a few nice hikes. We went to the natural falls.


Had to run the A/C for awhile but it cooled down. Off at the crack of dawn or as cracked as we ever get at 7:30 to get to Tennessee.

Wellington KOA - KS

It's Kansas, It's 95 degrees, It's miles of flat farmland.  We're at a KOA with a pool. It's very nice, site 17 (E/W).  Tomorrow we're off to Oklahoma.

Chris forgot to mention that we are right near the highway and train tracks.  We listened to train whistles all night long.  At one point Chris counted 21 whistle blows in succession.   (Instead of counting sheep, I guess.)