An Appalachian Trail in W. Virginia (Train Rides, Entertainers, Yosemite (Jr.) and the Falls

Beautiful West Virginia

May 10-14-17

The social planner and driver, Perry, made reservations awhile ago on the outskirts of a small town called Elkins, W. Virginia in the Monongahela National Forest.  The GPS took us up a narrow road where we missed our turn into the RV park. We eventually turned around a few miles down the road arriving at another unique place called Smokey Bottom RV park.  The young owner told us to pick a spot (not many RV's at this place) which we found next to a "babbling brook".  We were first greeted by a couple who were so excited to see our license plate from California, she came up to us saying "finally, normal people".  We weren't quite sure what she meant since she had never met us.  Comes to find out, she was from California and hadn't been back in many years, missing her home state.

The next day we made an hour drive to Seneca Rocks to do some hiking.  The drive was so picturesque with all the greenery and rivers running through the mountains, spotted with century-old homes and white-steeple churches. The formation of Seneca Rocks reminded me of a small Yosemite.  After, we ventured over to a park called Blackwater Falls State Park which was magnificent!

Are we there yet ?

Rock climbers were on Seneca Rock!

Ahh....freedom!

Beautiful Blackwater Falls

Missing our Children

 During the Derby, Kaylyn had her birthday but three weeks later, David (our oldest) was celebrating his birthday.  Knowing we recently saw Kaylyn and soon would be seeing Brandon during the next couple of months made it a little easier.  David had recently gotten a new job and wasn't able to make a trip out to see us.  Technology is a wonderful thing, so we could wish him a "Happy Birthday" over FaceTime.  Taylor, his wonderful girlfriend of four years made sure he felt special on his special day!  His birthday always falls close to Mother's Day (sometimes on the actual day) ………my Mother's Day gift…

The dearly missed "Birthday Boy"

Perry and I attended Church together on Mother's Day with the large windows looking out over the mountains.  Since being in the south, you can't help but notice most of the churches have cemeteries on the property.  Catholic churches typically don't, however, this beautiful friendly church did.  The young pastor was newly assigned and pleaded to the congregation for guidance in being a good, "hands on" pastor.  He had a good sense of humor and drew us into the Mass. We left with a Mother's Day carnation and some parishioner handshakes….off to a great day! 

Perry wanted to take me on a two hour old fashioned steam engine ride through the Monongahela (Appalachian) Mountains.  The scenic hour long drive took us to a very small town that primarily was supported by the train rides.  We got there early so we decided to get a drink before.  We sat at the bar next to a "crusty" grumbly old sort of man who turned out to be the train conductor.  This was going to be an interesting ride!  The small crew shoveled in coal to the steam engine built in the early 1920's which was used to transport logs back in the day.   They sounded the train whistle and off we went at a clip of 15mph.  It turned out to be a lot of fun and we got to know and like our conductor…….he was quite the character!

    

Appalachian Performers 

Mother's Day

Not confusing, right?

Our steam engine in the Appalachians

The "crusty" old conductor

A typical hollow

(I am intrigued by the Appalachians for many reasons but mainly the people.  It's a different culture and from what I read online the people originated from Scotland and Ireland settling in the mountains.  They found work either in the coalmines or timber and most of the people over the years in the Appalachians were uneducated, hard working, of modest means who were happy staying away from the outside world.   They are religious Christian people but not necessarily affiliated with any one religion.  They live a simple life!

There's something about W. Virginia that really tugged at our hearts.  We loved the simplicity, the kindness of the people and the beautiful serene mountains.  We're going to miss it!

Off to Pennsylvania and Amish Country!

NEXT- AMISH COUNTRY, LANCASTER, PONY BOY AND TRACE ADKINS!

Tennesee...family, horses AND The Kentucky Derby!

TENNESSEE FAMILY

We left the next morning for Paris, Tennessee where we'd be joined by Perry's sister and brother-in-law, (Patty and Don) who flew in from Texas.   We always have fun together and this time was no different.  We were staying in an RV park not far from family and Don and Patty rented a cute cabin across from us.

We all got together with Perry's niece's and nephew for a small family reunion in the small town of Paris, a part of Tennessee where some of Perry and Patty's family is from.   It's always fun to hear family stories realizing just how important family is! We were all treated to a delightful dinner out, enjoying the best catfish. Afterwards, we joined Perry's niece and her husband (who is Chief of Police in Paris) at the annual Paris Catfish Fry followed by a rodeo. 

 After spending a few days with family, we left for the town of Shelbyville, Kentucky. There weren't full hook-ups meaning Kaylyn and I had to shower in the bathhouse!  Definitely an inconvenience before the derby but Perry swears it all balances out since our unique spot was surrounded by families of geese and a rare type of fishing boat that lights up at night. Another cute but small town with not a lot to do, we took this opportunity to show Kaylyn how we seek out small, unassuming places.  We found a small restaurant that happened to be offering karaoke that afternoon.  I couldn't resist surprising Kaylyn by putting her name on the list  and she sung her old time favorite "I'm a Red Neck Woman".  Thankfully, she wasn't angry with me for being bold but somehow must have realized how much I've missed her and her singing…..and I have!

Family get together

A night at the local rodeo!

Rodeo in Paris, Tn.

Some of the Tennessee Family members

Horses, more horses and while in Kentucky……visit a Distillery!

Kaylyn has loved horses since she was a small girl (recently acquired her own"Bandit"), and prior to the Kentucky Derby wanted to tour thoroughbred farms.  We did this over a period of two days touring the most beautiful Kentucky countryside.  There were many colts on the farms that were as young as a day old and we saw offspring of the Triple Crown Winner, American Pharaoh.  The stature of these beautiful colts were evident they were from royalty, displaying a muscular build and athletic ability.  The next farm we visited was a stud farm.  I was fascinated by the process of breeding a thoroughbred and the money it takes to invest in one of the these beautiful animals.  This particular stud farm was not only stunning to look at but I was impressed by its' cleanliness.  On our tour, we were shown how four workers place a male and female thoroughbred together in a small arena where they mate. Stud fees for racehorses can be as high as $20,000.  I don't know much about horses, but my overall observations were it's a business for investors who have a great deal of money.  The grounds and buildings are meticulous and well manicured and the horses are spectacular looking with their athletic and muscular builds. 

Entrance to one of the Thoroughbred Farms

The grounds

The size, muscles and build!!

Worth Tens of Thousands

Triple Crown winner "American Pharoah"'s offspring

"The connection"

Kentucky has a lot of history to it and we decided to take a side trip to Frankfurt (state Capitol)  where we stopped at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.  We missed the last tour of this historic place but while in line buying souvenirs, an employee who had just gotten off work offered to take us around.   An old brick building of the early 1800's stored many floors stacked with barrels of aging whiskey.  On the bottom floor was the packaging room where employees hurriedly filled and packed bottles.  The employee took us to a place not offered on a tour, where a recently uncovered room revealed the original Buffalo Trace Distillery of the late 1700's.  We couldn't have thanked this young, married family man enough who took time after work to show us around. 

Floors of aging whiskey

The bottling and packaging line

Whiskey storage tank

Entrance to the Distillery

The Kentucky Oaks and Derby

Kaylyn and I had a short amount of time to prepare for the derby so we headed out for a much needed mother/daughter shopping trip.  This included buying dresses, shoes and hats (we were making our own), a trip to Michael's where we purchased feathers, ribbons and netting.  Together we decorated our derby hats, keeping mine on the conservative side (later wishing I had done more) while Kaylyn opted for a decorative headband. 

The weather was predicted to be rainy and cold. Kaylyn and I had gone into many stores looking for rain ponchos but were informed that were all sold to someone who sells them at the Derby for a profit.  Restrictions applied to what you couldn't bring in and of course the one thing…..umbrellas! The day of the Oaks (day prior to the Derby), I couldn't wear my cute, comfortable sandals because of the rain so I wore boots.  Kaylyn didn't have the option and wore sandals.

Churchill Downs Entrance

A cold rainy day at The Kentucky Oaks

We couldn't resist the "selfie"

Definitely, one of the most exciting things we've done!

           The Kentucky Oaks             

The Kentucky Oaks is an event for 3-year old fillies always held prior to the Derby. We were so excited to be going to Churchill Downs even if we had to drive over an hour and through nasty weather to get there.   A shuttle bus took us to the entrance of Churchill Downs and the three of us were so excited (despite the cold and rain).  Going through the entrances you couldn't help but notice hundreds of umbrellas that were given up prior to entering.  First, we toured the muddy racetrack, bought mint juleps and headed towards our Grandstand seats. The people behind us were from California and offered us extra ponchos.  They honestly saved us from the wet seats where we weathered the cold.    This day,( because of the weather) the event was not packed with people and we shivered through the races.  It was fun and memorable but the best was yet to come……..

The Kentucky Derby

By our experiences of the Oaks, we had an idea of what to expect at the Derby.  The vibe was entirely different, however.  The Derby is a rare "breed" (no pun intended) in itself with lots of fancy hats and outfits for guys and girls. There were a lot more people, more mint juleps and cigars (Perry bought both) being offered and the level of excitement was unmatched.  Thankfully, the sun was shining and it was slightly warmer day.   Kaylyn brought us to the paddock area where you can view the horses and jockeys prior to entering the track.  Here, we cheered them on while taking pictures with the National Anthem being sung by Harry Conick, jr. , everyone singing "My Old Kentucky Home", and the bugler playing the song prior to the race.  The race was about to begin!  We were close to the muddy racetrack and I still marveled at these beautiful racehorses.  The actual Derby race lasted only a few minutes and prior to this, Perry and Kaylyn had stood in line to wager bets.  Kaylyn placed a small bet on the first-place winner, "Always Dreaming" and I was ecstatic she had won.  It was an epic, long, memorable day and we were all exhausted!

Derby Prep

It was cold but worth it!

Paddock area for jockeys and their horses

Cold Derby weather

And........they're off!

Happy Faces....like the beret?

Sharing these wonderful moments at the Derby with Kaylyn was the best.  I couldn't be happier to have spent this time with her and was sad to see her go back to California.  This long-awaited part of our journey was coming to a close with hugs and many tears.  Time to venture on……

No Sewer hookup? Wildlife and Nashville ......not all in the same place!

Tullahoma, Tn. and Nashville

As we worked our way towards Tennessee, I reflected on our unique but wonderful stay in the Appalachians along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Being from the suburbs of southern California, I realized just how unique each state is culturally.  Tennessee was another stop we looked forward to because we'd be spending time with Perry's family and during this next stop, we'd be joined by our daughter, Kaylyn for a week.  We were fortunate before leaving for this trip to acquire tickets to the Kentucky Derby certainly an event on all of our bucket lists. 

Our first stop was in Tullahoma, TN.  at Arnold AFB a beautiful small base with a highly rated family recreation area.  We arrived late in the afternoon and once again we were fortunate to be close to a lake, but unfortunately this remote spot didn't have full hook-ups.  We usually look for RV parks that have water, electricity and sewer. (If you don't have sewer hook-ups then you're unable to drain your tanks at the RV site).  Arnold AFB didn't have sewer which meant using the bath house for all physical needs. Not to sound spoiled but I like the privacy of my own bathroom.   I don't want to have to worry about the amount of dishes I wash because we can't drain our tanks for a few days.  Paper plates and eating out will soon become a reality.  It is a give and take I suppose, as we were surrounded by nature.  The stay here is short but during this time we had seen a fox, many deer and birds of all sorts waking us up each morning.  On one of our many hikes, we came across hundreds of monarch butterflies clustered in one spot which always makes me think of my wonderful mom!  

Daisy acting like a coonhound!

Our spot on the lake at Arnold AFB

This region is known for its many distilleries and not far from us we could tour the well known Jack Daniels Distillery, but we opted instead for the less well known place (but equally good) called George Dickel.  We were given a personal tour of the factory which ended with a tasting.  I'm more of a wine person so whiskey is not my thing, however Perry made a small purchase anticipating our daughters arrival and The Kentucky Derby.  In the state of Tennessee as well as many areas of the south, areas were referred to as a "hollow" and in my earlier years, I recall "holler" being used in some country songs. 

A "hollow" is an area between two mountains and a lot of times there's a stream running through.  The George Dickel Distillery is in a hollow and had been there since the 1800's. Perry needed an "outfit" for the Kentucky Derby and maybe it was a good thing he did whiskey tasting.  We found him a yellow shirt, blue pants, bowtie and a beret.  I can't wait to put it all together!  

Another view of the lake

George Dickel Distillery in a "hollow"

Kaylyn would be flying into Nashville (an hour and a half drive from the RV park) so Perry and I decided to spend the day there where she would Uber in, once she arrived.   Kaylyn and I always loved country music and we were excited to see each other and enjoy Nashville, however things didn't quite turn out as planned.  After Perry and I listened to some amazing country duos we visited the Johnny Cash museum while anticipating Kaylyn's arrival.  Kaylyn learned at the airport her flight would be delayed two hours which was disappointing knowing it would be too late for her to meet us.  We continued walking downtown Broadway which reminded me of a cross between New Orleans and Las Vegas because of the bright lights and a lot of people.   Most country bars were crowded with young people in their twenties and thirties with the majority having three levels of various bars.  The music was so loud you couldn't carry on a conversation.  The talent was phenomenal and most bands performed near the front windows, luring in listeners.  The streets were full of bridal parties, many of them on large pedal bikes. 

This is a "hollow" hard to tell but there are hills on eitherside

A Nashville Bridal Party Bus

Main Street Downtown Nashville

A three tiered bar/music venue

Famous Ryman Auditorium

By 9:30pm we left downtown to the airport to finally pick up our beautiful daughter, Kaylyn! It's been too long since we've seen her and we had so much to look forward to over the next week!

Next-  Family, horses, more horses and.....THE DERBY!