Tupelo, MS

We are winding down tonight at Trace State Park in Pontotoc, MS, (pronounced Pon-toe-toc) which is a few miles south-west of Tupelo - the birthplace of Elvis Presley. 

Trace State Park is a sweet, pretty, quiet, peaceful parcel of land surrounding Trace Lake, located close to the Old Natchez Trace Trail.

 We are nestled among the tall pine trees laden with pine cones and surrounded by squirrels who provide Lucy with early morning entertainment. 

The view from our door.

Looking out the driver's side.

Looking out the driver's side......squirrel watching.

Lucy's morning entertainment.

Stock photo of what we missed hiking along.

The Natchez Trail was the lifeline for Native Americans, slaves, early settlers and traders. I discovered all of this information too late to hike any one of the 60 miles of scenic trails. That fact alone has me determined to return to the Tupelo area. 

Earlier today we took a ride over to Sherman RV to sneak a peek at our new baby.  When we pulled in we came upon twin 36LA's parked side by side. A quick glance inside one showed a different color interior, so we knew the other was ours. We got to have a quick look-see, but she was in the process of being "prepped," so we felt a bit in the way. I know I'd surely dislike someone watching me work, so we reluctantly left her to the professional cleaners.

There were a couple of little "glitches," that are being addressed, but nothing as big as what we realized after getting home. We both noticed right off-the-bat that the half-bath door and the master bath cabinet door both opened in the opposite direction as Allie's. We didn't think anything of it at the time, but upon further thought, the half-bath door swing can be a potential hazard. We will address the issue tomorrow before signing on the dotted line. We think it could be an easy fix.

Tonight will be our last night in Allie. We have started to remove the wall-hangings and packed up the linen closet. The refrigerator and freezer are just about empty and the cupboards are practically bare. We didn't want to move too much food unnecessarily so we've been literally eating ourselves out of house and home.

So, on to a challenging issue for me.....her (or his) name. I thought of Honeybee, from Van Morrison's song! Tupelo Honey. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN 

Honeybee?

Then I thought, why not call it Elvis? After all, we ARE close to his birthplace and I COULD have a lot of fun with writing how, "Elvis has left the campground," or "Elvis has left the state." 

Elvis??

Some other thoughts..... 

Gracie II

Allie II

Tracie (We stayed at Trace State Park) 

Ol' Miss

 

I'm pulling at straws now.... 

I came up with the names for our two previous RVs right away, but this one has me stumped. Feel free to leave name suggestions in the "Comment" section.

Speaking of comments, I know people are reading this blog, but I get such little feedback. Please drop a comment or two to let me know your thoughts, opinions, a thumbs up. or suggestions - and that your out there.....{sound of crickets chirping}

Help, I need a name, folks.

Deep thought for the day:  Courtesy of Mr. Van Morrison, singer/song writer - 1945-present

You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't keep us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with in-sight, men in gran-ite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

Stuck in the middle (of the country) with you.....

For the past two weeks, we have been hanging out in eastern Tennessee, soaking up the sun and all the tourist attractions in the area. I still haven't Zip Lined or gotten in any White Water Rafting, but we've kept ourselves busy with tech-y stuff, wine tastings, hiking and plain ol' every day life. 

Our "tech" stuff was related to our trusty HP printer that finally decided it had taken it's "final trip" and quietly refused to print one day when it was truly needed. It was lovingly replaced with a newer model, but after spending about 4 hours trying to get a wireless connection to both our laptops, iPad and Kindle, I realized it might just not be compatible or able to handle so many devices. Back to the store it went and a different model was purchased and connected last night. It took a long time to download the drivers and software over our phone's hot spot, but George actually got his set up and running before even I did. I'm hoping that wasn't just a fluke, because I'd gladly turn over the technical stuff to him.

Now for the reason for why we've been hanging in limbo in TN for so long. We hadn't wanted to share our good news until we returned to NY, but a mechanical glitch threw a monkey wrench in our plans. Since we've had to explain our behavior to most of our families and friends, I will now officially announce that we will be purchasing a new and improved version of Allie that we will finally be able to take possession of on June 9th. Her name will be determined. I was thinking of Gracie II or Allie II (two, duex, due, du, dois, dos, zwei, et al), but I think I need to see her in person to make my decision.

Many may shake their heads and wonder why we would purchase a newer version of the very same motor home opposed to getting something totally different, however, we purchased the the one that had the most of what we really wanted and needed.  There is no motor coach that embodies every single desire, but this model, the Tiffin's Allegro Open Road 36LA, continued to come the closest for us. We love the bath and a half, the recliner, the fireplace and tons of storage and the huge counter top in the master bath is crucial for me. Other than opting for a big 40+ foot diesel pusher, we couldn't find all of those things in this class of motor home.

Some of the different or newer features include a heavier-duty chassis, an outdoor TV (George's favorite) a residential refrigerator (bigger, better and no defrosting), a ceiling fan in the bedroom, pull down shades (opposed to chain pulls), mocha wood cabinets, porcelain bathroom sinks, a straight (opposed to L-shaped) sofa, a computer station that has file drawers, pull-out shelves for a laptop and the new printer, lighter colored wall coverings and accents, upgraded faucets and counters and a beautiful kitchen back splash. I now have extra storage under the stove top since we opted to omit the never-used oven. 

Although it was an afterthought, we realized that perhaps Lucy might not even notice the difference since her litter box, scratch pad, water fountain and food dishes will all be located in the same areas. We can only hope.....

Here a few stock photos I found on line that are the closest to what we ordered: 

Rear end.

Same exact floor plan as Allie, just with a regular couch and the table with desk option.

The huge counter top in the master bath.

 

George insisted on this....

New fridge - no more defrosting! Ours won't have that oven but the counter and cabinets are the same.

New one will have a ceiling fan. Handy for warm Walmart nights.

Half-bath with lighter colors and porcelain sink and commode.

We have a lot of work ahead of us next week. The almost 400 mile trip to Sherman MS, transferring all of our possessions from one coach to the other and then the long, three day ride back to NY will surely exhaust us once our adrenaline stops pumping. 

The delay in taking possession of the new RV was due to an issue with the Anti-Lock Braking System that needed to be rectified by Ford before Tiffin would release it to the dealer. We figured we would give Ford all the time they needed since brakes were involved. We really want and need good breaks, I mean good brakes. 

That bad break with the brakes necessitated a revision to Phase II of our journey out to the west coast. We decided to shave off two weeks in order to give us some extra time in NY to catch up with family, friends and doctors. 

Our discovery of The Badlands, Custer State Park and Grand Tetons will need to be postponed until we head out west again. The more I think about it, the more I realized I tried to fit way too much into that trip, so the disappointment and frustration in having to reschedule so many reservations has just faded into quiet acceptance.

My birthday was a couple of days ago and George took me out to the restaurant of my choice (there were two to pick from). I chose Angelo's on the Point, which was located right on Douglas Lake. We had lovely views of the lake and the Smoky Mountains in the distance. Of all things to order, George chose pizza! After the waiter left, he looked at me and said, "What made me order pizza in Tennessee?" I ordered a soup and a salad and figured I would taste his pizza. Turns out (Moe - don't read any further) that there is a whole lot of sugar in their pizza dough. It tasted like dough you would use for an apple pie. It was topped with "less-than-acceptable" mozzarella cheese, but the sauce was tasty.

Regardless of the food (my soup and salad were good), we had a fun night as we celebrated yet another year of my life. The ride to and from the restaurant afforded us the opportunity to see the old town of Dandridge, a very quaint, friendly-looking place that is depicted below.

I've included a few photos of my birthday celebration and what we've been doing.

Celebrating my birthday!  Bad lighting is so flattering. I think my eyes were even open!

George's Tennessean pizza!

George's opinion of Tennessean pizza.

My birthday dinner, soup and a salad (plus a taste of the pizza)

They were closed when we drove by, but I'd love to have seen the soda fountain!

Jefferson County Post - the local newspaper.

The Maxwell House - B&B. I wonder what kind of coffee they serve.

Can't figure our when this dike was built. Am I missing something?.

No post is ever truly complete without a "Lucy" update. As you can see below, she is very comfortable in Allie. Like I said earlier, she may never know we got a new motor home because all of these spots will be the same.

Morning spot - in the sun.

Afternoon nap spot.

Evening location. At first I was very worried, but then I heard her gently snoring.

Deep thought for the day: As much as we are the masters of our own destiny, there are many contributing factors that make us just a novice.  

Day 3 at Smoky Mountains National Park

The signs at Laurel Falls Trail.

We decided that yesterday would just be spent hiking two easy trails to photograph waterfalls. A wrong turn changed our day into a beautiful adventure through the forest. Eventually, we found one of the "less strenuous" trails on my list, but I didn't realize it was a 2.6 mile hike and not a half-mile, until we were at the .8 mile marker.  
  
Since it looked like this might be the only falls' hike we would accomplish, we decided to just take our time and see it through, and we were so happy that we did. Besides, we kept passing people who were coming back down from the top who were either a lot older than us or didn't seem as physically fit as we considered ourselves (we're in denial). Each one that went by convinced me that we were going to do this, no matter. 

Along the path we passed the beautiful Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron, various flowering weeds, pines, oaks, maples, dogwoods and tulip trees. Signs were posted warning us about the sheer drop offs and reminder signs that we share this area with the black bears were a bit unsettling. Someone reported that he spotted a black snake that, although non-poisonous, does bite, however, we didn't see him (phew....I don't like snakes and I think George likes them even less).

Once at the top, we snapped a few photos and sat on the smooth water-worn rocks to rest.

I had managed to keep my blood sugar at a good level up to the top, but all of a sudden it began to rapidly plummet. Adjusting my insulin intake is a very fine balance, and I almost had it covered, but needed to be rescued by my glucose gel, a Kind© Honey and Nut Bar and George. The gel and Kind© Bar elevated my blood sugar, but George talked me into sitting and waiting for them to kick in, which was the wisest decision I don't always make in these instances. 

The wait also offered us time to speak with a Park Guide who filled us in on the Laurel Falls Hiking Path. He explained about the bears, the snakes and people who constantly make foolish mistakes in the park. He found a Goldfish Cracker and explained how things like this could kill a bear. He told us about a little cub who was found emaciated and who is now being monitored with a GPS device after being rehabilitated and returned to the park. Some bears, referred to as "Nuisance Bears," also wear GPS trackers to alert Park staff of when they venture too close to neighboring towns. The residents don't like their visits, but the bears are only in search of food that they have tasted due to human carelessness. The bears are also so used to seeing and smelling humans, that they don't know enough to be afraid of them. When bears do wander out of their safe habitat, they don't always make it back. Quite interesting stuff offered by a quite interesting man.

The easier 1.3 mile hike down.

Looking out from the trail.

By the time we reached the car my feet were sore and achy. It felt good to take off my boots and let them breathe a bit. Although, after only a few breaths, back on they went, because we found another little spot to investigate, "The Little Greenbrier School." The school was built by the Walker family, whose many children attended. Opposite the school was a fenced in area that I couldn't figure out what it could be until I reached the open gate. It turned out to be another cemetery. 

Notice the wide planks of wood and the teacher? at the front.

Many of the stones were so old they couldn't be read, but newer stones had been lain with just the names of those whose remains lay beneath the ground. Sadly, I found five original stones of five siblings all in a row. All had been born to Mary Walker - three girls and two boys, buried close to one another. Only one of the boys lived until five years old, the others passed immediately or within a year of their birth. I can't imagine how a mother could bury so many children.  

How fortunate for all of us reading this entry to have been born now, opposed to back in the early 1800s, when life for these strong pioneers was so challenging.

Right by the side of the road.

Luckily, we were afforded the opportunity to view a little wildlife during our day. We watched a grouse and her babies cross the road and, in two separate areas, two black bears -  one large and one small. The little one was so cute, but the fact that momma was probably close by made him frightening. I kept glancing at the cub and looking around for mom.

She was at a distance, and we dared not get any closer.

Things I observed (other than the flower and fauna): Few people are overly friendly, most barely make eye contact and may just nod their head once, some mutter, "hey." some look down while you pass by, some are obviously in a world of their own and totally ignore your presence. I also witnessed the lack of respect for the park, the animals, other visitors and the environment. I found deliberate littering to be such an insult that I picked it up on my way down from the falls. Yelling and hollering in this serene location was also disturbing to those of us who want to appreciate the quiet solitude of the paths, sights and natural sounds.

On our way back home, we needed to make a pit-stop at a supermarket and it turned out to be the grand opening of a brand new Publix. We've never seen so many people in a supermarket at one time. They were offering chances to win gift cards, handing out free cookies, free sushi samples (I got one) and cooked food. Down every aisle we ran into someone chewing something. It was nice not to have to worry about expiration dates since everything was obviously delivered recently. We checked out, received a free insulated grocery bag and went on our way. A long day, full of adventure had come to an end.

Deep thought for the day:  "Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners." ~ Laurance Sterne

To market, to market to fetch a fat pig. Home again, home again, jiggity-jig

Well, we didn't get a pig, but we did get us some beef jerky! 

Today was a day where I crossed of a few of the things we had either missed or hadn't gotten to yet. The biggest coup was getting a photo of the entrance to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. A fellow tourist offered to take our photo, and since I close my eyes all the time, I asked her to snap a few. Good thing I did, because although my eyes were open in every picture, all but one was askew. I am too OCD to post a crooked photo, so only the one I took and her best one made it to the blog.

We found a pretty path along the parking area by the sign and strolled down along the Little Pigeon River. The crystal clear water was noisily babbling along the smoothly worn rocks. It was an idyllic spot.

We spent the afternoon in Gatlinburg with the original plan to visit five wineries that were along that main strip of road, but after visiting two of them, I discovered that they only offered the sweeter, fruitier wines.

Searching for a dry wine.....

Unfortunately, nothing here for me.

Gatlinburg is a touristy town with a main road that would take you a full day to walk just one side to check out the businesses. You would want to avoid this area during the week-end when so many people visit for the day or long week-ends. We found every type of store imaginable. We found one that sold all kinds of popcorn, one that sold all types of jerky and nuts, one that sold flavored olive oils and vinegar and several that sold your typical souveniers. We ended up with something from all the above, including the jerky!

George was such a good sport about taking me to wineries that he got to pick his reward! 

With his sugar-high peaking, George decided to try one more winery that we would pass on our way back home (yes, home is wherever Allie and Lucy are parked) and this one, Hillside Winery, was the best of the bunch. I was able to purchase two bottles out of the 10 varietals that they offered. The remaining eight were the sweeter wines. 

We drove by a multitude of attractions. There were many different themed dinner show venues, Dollywood, Wonderworks, Ripley's Believe it or Not, The Titanic and The Wax Museum, to mention just a few. The sights are almost overwhelming. You have to see it to believe it.

The Wax Museum

No caption necessary....

Dollywood, if time permits.

This is a perfect place to take kids ranging in age from toddler to late teens.

For us, the National Park would have been enough to fill an entire week. We have one more day planned to spend in search of waterfalls to photograph. On our two previous trips in we weren't able to view any, but we plan to accomplish that task tomorrow. Completing those hikes will end our visit on a high note and my bucket list will be partially full (for this visit). I would love to return some day, but at a different time of year. I'm thinking the fall would be spectacular with all the sugar maples in peak color. 

Deep thought for the day: Vacations are always too short. They are spent watching the week fly by too quickly. You exhaust yourself trying to fit it all in before you have to leave and return to "reality." 

Retirement and living full-time in an RV is "un-reality." It's unreal......yet it's real. ~ vc