And So It Begins

After three restful and enjoyable months at my daughter’s home, I am, as the Willie Nelson song goes, “On the Road Again”. The original plan was to stay with Lisa, Chris and Sydney till the end of March, but as Chris’s mom wanted to visit for a while and too enjoy her granddaughter and family, my room was no longer available. G-pa had to hit the road.
Rather than heading out for Michigan, where I will visit with a friend for a while and then up to Canada and west to Alaska, I decided to go to South Carolina and camp in a county park on Lake Wiley in Rock Hill for several weeks and wait out the cold weather up north. It’s been cold enough here so I could only imagine what camping would be like there. I am now comfortably dug in with full hook up consisting of water, electric, and sewer. A nice private view of the lake and a very reasonable daily fee of $10 may just keep be here for a good while.
My stay with family was wonderful, and as an added bonus Daniel and Ashley drove up from South Florida for a four day visit at Christmas. We even had snow for the occasion. As I have expressed before, my granddaughter Sydney is an unusual child, very bright, funny, determined and most adorable. She has captured my heart. I will miss her.
So, the plan is to head up to Michigan after my stay here in South Carolina then to Ontario and west through the other provinces in Canada consisting of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, north through the Yukon Territory, Alaska and Denali National Park for an extended stay as my final destination. Canada is packed with National Parks so finding an amazing place to camp should not be an issue. There are so many places I would like to see, but as I am not on a schedule and as I always say, “you can’t see everything”, I will fly by the seat of my pants and just enjoy what I can when I can. Stay tuned for entries to follow and enjoy with me my Alaska adventure, but for now enjoy some pictures of my stay in North Carolina. TC…

                                                      What a face!

                       Yes, that's correct, I am only three years old.               

On behalf of my country and all the little people, like me, I'd like to thank you for your interest and continued support.

                                              Playroom fun.

My birthday party at my favorite place.

For me?

You said THAT?!

Smile, you're on Sydney Camera.

Yes, we made that beautiful child.

                                    Family fun in the snow.

                                                  Lisa and Ashley.

                                    Daniel and Lisa.

                                                                    

                               Working on snowman with uncle Dan and Dad.

Ummm, he reminds me of someone.

                                                       
                                                               

Final Thoughts......

                                                                                                   

As you may have noticed, I have been putting off posting my final entry, this one, for a good while now. As there was no immediacy in posting, that is to say, because there weren’t going to be any other posts to build up, there was no rush. I set out to see the 19 states that I missed on my Harley and to see as many National Parks as possible. Both of those objectives were accomplished, but that was only an aside from what I really ended up seeing. What I did see was America at its very best, not only in its obvious beauty and diversity. but the people, at their best too. The people that I met were willing to offer directions, food and drink,their company, their fire for the evening, stories of their travel, advice, suggestions, and showed an amazing willingness to just plain be friendly. I don’t know if it is just a commonality with people who are camping, but I’d like to think it’s more of a trait that we humans exhibit when given a proper chance to do so. People are inherently warm and caring. This I believe to be true. Sure, there are always exceptions to the rule, but those exceptions, at least for me, were few.
As for our national parks, well, you are going to have to see them for yourself, because there is no way that I can do justice to their excitement, beauty, and the sheer wonder of experiencing them on your own.  A suggestion though, consider investing in the six DVD set by Ken Burns, Our National Parks, America’s Best Idea, you will want to see it more than once and it may just inspire you in planning your next vacation and having your own adventure.
So, a few facts you might find interesting; twenty two thousand miles in eight months, twenty three national parks, if you count the east and west side of Glacier and Olympic National Parks, and I do, count them as separate, as I had to pack up and drive to each, twenty seven states, 1375 gallons of gas (approximately) the excitement, beauty, wonder of the whole experience, priceless……OK, so I borrowed that one from TV.
I appreciate those of you who followed my journey and all of your comments. I look forward to hearing from you again when I set out on my upcoming Alaska adventure, which will be announced when the date is set. Right now February or March is possible.  Thanks.
TC….

Post Script To Warrior State Park, Tennessee And the Finale

As it turned out, my thought of a short lay over at Warrior State Park turned out to be an enjoyable four days of beautiful weather and a great day at Autumn Fest in the park, presented by Friends of Warrior State Park. I had a fantastic afternoon of trying the local foods and meeting the Remnant Yuchi Indian Tribe members that are indigenous to Tennessee. I was fed by the tribe with food intended for the participants of the tribe, but their generosity seemed to win over the practical. These people are an amazing example of adaptability; sincerity, kindness and most interestingly have the look of the white race. That is to say, they do not look like Native American Indians. Now, I realize that Native Americans do not all look alike, but after you view a few pictures, you will know what I am talking about. We discussed that subject and they too agree. Chief Lee Vest, the chief of the tribe was especially interesting to speak with, and we did at length. Aside from my interesting afternoon with the Yuchi, the Fest offered Fly Tying, flute playing and a great concert by two young woman who sparked my interest in the Violin or if you’re from the South, the fiddle. I also tried the Beans and fried Cornbread which is a local favorite.  I am a convert.
OK, so now onto Great Smoky National Park in both Tennessee and North Carolina. The park is in two states. The plan was to camp for a few weeks, enjoy the changing of the leaves and have Lisa, Chris and Sydney join me for some camping and outdoor fun, but, so much for plans. The park was totally traffic ridden and all the camp grounds were full. After eight months of camping, enjoying and seeing the country, I felt it was time to pull the plug instead of venturing out to find another camp ground. Initially, I was to stop my journey  Thanksgiving and stay with Lisa and Chris, but again, so much for plans.
I am now in Charlotte, N C staying with my daughter and family and enjoying a great bedroom with semi private bath that I share with my granddaughter Sydney. So far she has been the perfect bathroom partner and has removed her potty seat whenever she is through with it. Such and amazing child you have never seen. In the eight months since I have seen her she as learned to speak Russian, mastered Quantum Physics and yes, learned to use the potty with almost regular consistency.
So where to now you may ask? Possibly a position in the National Park Service as an interpretive ranger or an extended trip to Alaska in April, 2011 if the ranger thing doesn't work out this year. It’s still too early to say. There will be one more entry after this with my final thoughts and some interesting facts and figures of my journey.For now enjoy some pictures of Autumn Fest. TC…

                                            Ellen, master weaver.   

                                       Michael, ranger and fly fishing expert.

                                             "Snake" ranger.

                                  Martha Egan, Flutist.

                                          Chair weaving

Young talents.

                                   Jessie and friend.  1800's experts.

                                              Chief Lee Vest and assistant.

                                                 Yuchi women.           
                                                             

Yankee Springs State Park In Michigan, Findley State Park In Ohio & Cuyahoga Valley National Park In Ohio, Warrior State Park In Tennessee

From Wisconsin, on to the 49th of the 50 states that I have visited.  Only Alaska is left to see and that trip, well, that trip is to be announced.
Michigan is a beautiful state with the now all familiar country roads and all that is associated with them; farms, live stock and beautiful scenery.  I stopped at Yankee Springs for a few days of relaxation and discovery of the surrounding area.Next planned stop was to Findley State Park in Ohio. This stop was planned as it was the closest camping place to Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. No camping in this National Park. Cuyahoga is the most unsual National Park I have so far visited. The park is more like a recreational area that winds its way from Garfield Heights on the North to South of Akron on the South. There are farms, towns, a continous biking trail, hiking, boating,a train, and wild life all along the Valley. You don't actually have an entrance to the park so you are not really sure when you arrive. It took a little getting used to the idea that I was in a National Park while I was in the town of Peninsula, where I was to take the scenic train ride along the Cuyahoga Valley to Akron and back. I enjoyed three days at Findley State Park in Ohio and then proceeded on to Great Smoky Mountain National Park in North Carolina & Tennessee only to stop for a few nights at Warriors Path State Park in Tennessee, where I am now.
Next post and probably my final post will be from Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Stay tuned. Enjoy a few photos. TC..