Of Caves and Quilts

Paducah Kentucky

We said goodbye y'all to Tennessee and all the fun we had there.  Heading North from Knoxville, we entered into hilly country in Kentucky.  Our Rand McNally RV Navigator took us the long windy way to Cave City, Kentucky.  Along the way I heard a little thump as we went around a curve.  Nothing big just like a bump.  When we finally made it to a highway I started hearing a new rattle coming from my side of the Beast.  I narrowed it down to maybe the awning.  When we stopped I looked up, the awning cover was gone and the motor was dangling.  Guess the bolts just came loose and it fell off.  We zip tied the motor into the awning.  I just love a nice rig held together with zip ties. 

We spent the weekend in Cave City, Kentucky at Singing Hills campground.  This was a Passport America park with a cost of $36.00 for two nights.  The rules were  many and made me wonder what had happened there in the past that led to such rules as "appropriate clothing must be worn at all times" and "profanity will not be tolerated".  Also this is a dry county so alcohol consumption must be done discreetly at your camp site.  No problem for me as I always wear clothes and I drink my wine inside.  ;-)

A long and winding road

Isn't this a cute little trailer

Mammoth Cave is managed by the National Park Service.  No fee is required for entrance to the Park, but the tours within the caves require a ticket.  The least expensive tour was $5.00 and was led by a ranger to the saltpeter mining operations and a little further back to a closed in sink hole.  It was interesting and the rooms within the cavern were huge.

We took the early morning Domes and Dripstones tour.  The stairs numbered 280 on the way down through narrow tight tunnels.  The grand finale was the Frozen Niagara.  The entrance was discovered in the 1930's and gave way to large canyons and drops several hundred feet down.  The tight spots kinda got to me at times, but it was worth it.  

Every quilter needs to head to Paducah, Kentucky to the National Quilt Museum.  Photos are not allowed in the museum, but they sell a book of the quilts on display.  These quilts were beautiful.  The new thread painting techniques were my favorite as they paint a picture with machine stitching.  On display were old civil war era quilts with all hand piecing and hand quilting.  There were quilts made with bright beautiful colors and crystals.  I enjoyed the afternoon there, buying the book for future reference.  

The Quilt Museum

Paducah has murals along the river detailing their history 

Another mural

A gentleman was flying several remote control aircraft along the river.  It was fun to watch them.

Of course, a bucket of KFC in Kentucky

Paducah, Quilt City, USA

We stayed at Victory RV Park.  We used our Passport America so the price was right at $37.00 for two nights.  It was a nice park, in the summer you could walk right over to Paducah International Raceway.  The down side for me was hunting season just started so you could hear shotguns blasting nearby.  The camp hosts a Big Buck Challenge and unfortunately there were lots of deer parts stacked near the entrance.  Yuck for me!

The next morning we headed to Sams Town in Tunica Mississippi just south of Memphis.  It was a last minute change in plans as I got an email from my Aunt Nancy that she and my Uncle Steve would be in Memphis for a couple of days.  We met for dinner at the buffet at Sams Town and enjoyed a long evening of catching up.  They have been in Germany for several years and it was so nice to see them.  A good time was had by all, even little Bandit the cutest and best behaved little dog.  Gidget would have loved to play more, but Mowgli was a little cranky about sharing his house.  After they left I realized I didn't take pictures!  I wish I had.  Next time for sure.

Next stop is Red Bay, Alabama.  Every Tiffin owner knows Red Bay and the Tiffin Service Center.  We have a lengthy list of must do's (like the awning motor cover replacement) and some things it would be nice to do (like a little paint repair from a couple of tight spot oopsies).     

Beautiful Tennessee and good ole moonshine!

Pigeon Forge, Kentucky
temps in the 60's but not for long!

A big storm was moving in so we exited Virginia and headed into Tennesse.  Snow was expected and yep, here it came.  We settled into Lakeview RV in Bluff City to wait out Halloween, snow and what else could come our way.  We woke up on November 1st to a bit more than a dusting of snow.

The snow turned to rain early in the day

We stayed inside and watched movies all day and caught up on small chores that needed to be done.  Eric asked the owner for nearby BBQ recommendations and he sent us off to Ridgewood BBQ.  The menu was limited to shredded brisket, pork or chicken but it was huge portions for really reasonable prices.  The blue cheese dip came highly recommended and did not disappoint.  I couldn't eat this all the time as I would be big as a house!

Most of the snow melted the next day so off we went for a little side trip into North Carolina.  I wanted to continue on the Blue Ridge Parkway and see what else there is to see.  We stopped at a little shop/bakery and I found a set of depression ware dessert plates that I just had to have.  They are wrapped securely and boxed up for the journey.  I don't know why I had to have them but I did!  We spent just as much on desserts as we did on the dishes and boy was it all good!

We passed lots of trucks full of Christmas trees.  It was the first of November and they are cut already!  No wonder they are dry as a bone by Christmas!









We were less than 5 miles from Bristol Raceway.  They offer tours, but due to the cold weather we decided not to do one.  I'm not a Nascar follower, but thought maybe it would be interesting.  Not enough to freeze for though!

Our plan was to leave Bluff City and head to Paducah, Kentucky.  Eric discovered Oak Ridge National Laboratory outside of Knoxville.  The longer tours are only done in the summer and only with 2 weeks notice.  He inquired anyway to see if one was possible.  There was a High School field trip from North Carolina on Thursday, we could join 42 kids if we wanted.  So off we headed to Pigeon Forge so we could see the Great Smokies and do the tour.

The Smokies were beautiful!  We spent an afternoon in Gatlinburg drinking moonshine.  Every distillery offers free tastings of 12 different kinds.  My the end of the afternoon I was just a little bit tipsy!

Ole Smoky Distillery

Deep Fried Oreos?

We were up in the clouds at Clingmans Dome

You can cover two states at one stop

Pigeon Forge is a crazy place.  The Parkway from the Highway to the Smokies takes more than a half hour with no traffic.  Along the way you'll see everything from upside down houses, King Kong hanging on a building, the Titanic, and every chain restaurant and gift shop you can imagine.  We come from Las Vegas and this is like the Strip on steroids.

Tennessee was a lot of fun and we enjoyed it.  The mountains are beautiful and the people were friendly.  I will do a separate post on Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Next Stop is Kentucky and the National Quilt Museum!

Shenandoah Valley, Virginia Military Institute and Blue Ridge Parkway

Natural Bridge Virginia
Jellystone Camp
Temps in the 60's

Making our way south, we made a pit stop at Jellystone Camp.  This place is almost 9 miles off the highway and very quiet (for now that is).  This park does a huge Halloween business with haunted houses and scary trails for 6 weeks before Halloween.  Every weekend is a sell out.  Wednesday and Thursday night the happy campers started showing up complete with oodles of Halloween blow ups, lights, spiders and webs, you name it.  The music came on early along with the bonfires.  Whew, glad we won't be here for Halloween!

There is not much around here, so a drive along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park is a must.  The colors are starting to dull a little, but still excellent for peeping.  Skyline Drive merges right into the Blue Ridge Parkway making for a beautiful drive back to the camp. 

Virginia Military Institute 

VMI opened their doors on November 11, 1839.  Faculty members included T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson, one of the most respected Generals of the Civil War.  The faculty to student ratio of 12:1 is amazing, providing a near one on one experience.  I was most impressed with the clean cut, polite cadets with their "Good Morning Mam, Sir" as they walked by.  We took the Tour led by a Cadet and visited the free museum.  Very nice!

The Gardens

Navy cannons

George Washington bronze statue, the 2nd oldest in the US

General Jackson and his cannons-Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

A Cadet's (3 of them share) room

The coat General Jackson was wearing when he was shot

General Jackson's portrait

The Chapel.  The painting depicts the battle at New Market where 10 Cadets where killed

We enjoyed our short stay here.  The pups enjoyed the car ride and long walks thru the trees and leaves.  A cold snap is forecast for this weekend complete with freezing temps and snow.  BRRR!

A giant spider web

 A portion of my time was spent trying to turn this giant knot of yarn into a tidy ball.....

Note..Peanut Brittle should contain peanuts!

Going to miss these beautiful colored trees!