siga siga

Day 10

Wed 4th July Mid Tennessee

Very bad and angry morning. Threw camp back into the truck. Simmering drive punctuated by explosive stops and hateful silences re-evaluating our lives trucking towards Memphis. Eventually hit Savannah (is that as far as we’ve got?) and headed for Pickwick Dam and lakeside state park camp. Found a site and evolved into nicer people. Erected an empty space tent I bought in Walmart. Nothing to it but a vinyl canopy and mosquito netting sides but it claims ground and makes a room private in space.

With that marking our spot we drove out and discovered a stall at the lakeside selling delicious deep fried twinkies and crap cheese fries.

The poorer people were crowding the shore playing games and swimming off the beach while the richer folks lolled on pontoon boats offshore. The best and richest boats stayed in the marina. Stop at a wayside fruit and veg stall and learn that people are gathering for the annual fireworks display on the water by the dam with mighty crosswinds.

As dusk advances we tromp off through the woods to find a solitary vantage point in the dark on the water’s edge amid nameless things. Beautiful evening with animal and bird life in the woods and all the humans out on the lake in small boats.

After a grand aerial display we creep back down a spooky path with rustling all around. The torch catches a 2 foot armadillo broadside which bunnyhops into the thicket. Slept well.

Day 9

Tues 3rd July Eastern Tennessee
This internet broadband only functions well alongside major routes but even so it takes 2 hours to upload 170 photos after stupid software makes me process them individually. Just like being back at work. I dont miss it at all. Sewage pipe springs great arcs of fluid as I pull the the valves on our stored liquids. Put our clothes back on and headed out through the back roads to the main road south past the George Dickel and Jack Daniels distilleries. Missed both turnings and realised we didnt care enough about icon tourism to turn back.

Very hot day. Screeched to a halt passing RV sales park to buy shiny new 10 ft sewer hose and adapters from large, sweaty Tennesseean. Getting a lot of pleasure from the countryside especially as we seldom drive over 50 mph and still often do 30. Windows full open, elbows out, leaning back. Pushed on through Manchester to Davy Crocket State Park, guilty for spending 2 expensive days going nowhere. We have to get used to the idea we have no destination but it is very hard to disengage that purpose. So we are still making for California even though George is leaving for England today. At this rate he will be back before we get there anyway.

Took a long walk around the park to build up some leg strength, seeing wild turkey, semi tame deer, fish and geese going about their evening routine. Walked down to the tiny waterfall by Davy’s creek where his businesses and his fortune were swept away by a flash flood sending him off first to DC and then to the Alamo. Watched 3 potbellied men in shorts and a potbellied women in a sodden dress playing and yelling with small thin children in the water. Overtaken by an intensely fit 80 year old professional jogger. Forgot to take camera - too far to do it again for posterity.

Day 8

Mon 2nd July East Tennessee
Decide to stay another day here. Another old couple with a trailer pull in next door and repeat our entry debacle. Her eventually half encouraging him to back into a tree at speed. Considered going up into NW Arkansas for the gathering but there are too many cops and apparently they are parking on the road side and walking in. Not much good for us. Did very little today but sort out photographs and reduce them. Everything resembling work takes a big effort these days. Swam and lazed. Argued a little. Well a lot actually. We are finding it difficult to live in such close proximity without nagging eachother. There is a lot to bite back and once it starts its difficult to stop escalating. We are working at it though. We see the danger signs by now.
We crossed a time zone about 10 miles away.  Here people are on easy time or fast time depending on their whim.  Must be odd for kids who live in Eastern Time and go to school in Central Time.

Day 7

Sun 1st July Eastern Tennessee
Dumb RV park layout. Sewer outlet too high to draw blackwater tank so we had to move to another pad to empty it. Sad how wrong they have it when they’ve spent so much money. Set course for Crossville and Stupid immediately took us up and down a steep one lane dirt track.

Very small roads all the way which was a treat after the highways. Speed low enough to spot farm and wild life again.

Provisioned up in hick Crossville and discovered the manual focus on our expensive Sony DSCH5 has stopped working. Yet another commonly experienced fault unrecognised by the manufacturer. Going back on ourselves slightly, heading NE. Found a spot to park in Cherokee Lodge Nudist Camp, after much aggravating ineffectual re-reversing, and finally felt clean. Met snowbirds Abe and Betsy in the ancient hottub. Abe carries a pistol in his cab. Made him feel a lot safer lost in DC. Betsy makes saddles of plastic flowers to put on graves but younger people dont visit cemeteries and competition uses cheap flowers made by chinese children so her business is petering out. Old halfbreed cherokee with a pretty young wife owns the place and runs all the hot water from wood stove buildings around the grounds. Swam and met the heart surgery swingers, a burly tattooist and his his older buddy with their ample wives, determined to live their remaining years doing whatever pleased them. Played 5 aside pool volleyball (old naked men v old naked women). Met the elderly pierced people who showed us their most intimate metal with much pulling aside of flesh. Big southern drawls all round, much white hair and droopage but very friendly.

Its crazy that you have to pay $70 a day to take off your clothes outside. We are witnessing the demise of a freer time. Lisa did the laundry while I stood and ruminated.

Day 6

Sat 30th June North Carolina/ (Georgia)/ Tennessee
Hushed morning conversation with the inevitable snowbird with lipstick and powder wife. Admired eachother’s Toyotas and gave guided tours. Saw some weird chicken things on leaving and headed south towards the Georgia line on what turned out to be a major road.

Took a brief tour into Georgia around a pretty lake and became aware of the importance of Jesus in these parts. Southern accents getting longer, slower and more tunefully deliberate.

On to Chattanooga so I can see choo choo but swept onto giant highway where we were assaulted on all sides by real vehicles until we were forced down a sliproad by an unyielding greyhound bus into a blinding rainstorm that washed us up on a semi-derelict industrial railyard outside town. But it had a choo choo so we aborted the town center mission and headed north into sunshine. Pleasant drive to yet another RV park we had found on the internet who had assured us there would be room as indeed there was. Newly opened and badly designed and up a steep winding road we were one of only two guests of desperately kind and hopeful Bostonian entrepreneurs. We met their neighbours while buying gas at the 2 pump shack up the road so we got the whole story. Unpleasantly hot with zero shade but strong Wifi so skyped Dan and showed him some Tennessee cows and their many flies.

Felt the need to get free of sweat, road grime and clothes and take a break from the journey so we decided to turn back NE a little and get our kit off for 2 days. 18 mpg - the truck likes flat country.

Day 5

Friday 29th June North Carolina
Hike up to the falls - they are tall and fast moving through rock channels and the valley was deep.

There is a fire further down that 3 helicopters and 300 men cant contain it so they let it burn. We saw the pall coming in the night before. Back on the bus headed for Ashville city NC for stuff. Passed by a hill of rhododendrons and tunnels and there were a few flowers still to see.

Came down off the mountain at last led by George (or Stupid as Lisa now calls him) to a dead end looking for a Best Buy. Good signal so we found a nudist camp to aim for in Tennessee in case the world was booked up for Independence Day. Found a battery charger, made contact with family and headed out on the highway for the Smoky Mountains.

Decided not to push the truck through the mountains but to take the easier southern trail down to Chatanooga tomorrow. It seemed that Cherokee was all about the tourist dollar. Stayed the night in Holly Cove, another RV park at the foot of the Smokys with the obligatory single dad with the rude whiny kids and beautiful butterflies. 18.8 mpg - must be some mistake?

Day 4

Thurs 28th June South Virginia/ North North Carolina
Try to find Pinnacles of Dan but the route takes us through narrow steep country roads before rocking out so we abort and turn around.

Weird silent aircraft fills sky briefly. The one that checks your speed. Rejoined Parkway and trucked on through North Carolina towards Linville Falls, supposedly one of the best sights on this scenic drive.

Found Grandfather Mountain and decided to drive up it. Bottled out at the last carpark before the summit when the truck strained then threatened to go down backwards and I took to the footpath in lightning and heavy rain.

Looked out over the country from a very high suspension bridge during a brief lull then cadged a lift back to the truck for a towelling and a hot cup of tea. George got very lost taking us to Linville Falls so Lisa took arcane directions to an RV park from a good ole boy. Parked next to a Class A who advised me on connecting directly to a sewer hook-up. Slimy work. Looked forward to a good swim in the pool but forgot to pack trunks. German kids dressed as Cherokees lurking with bows and arrows. 13-14mpg.

Day 3

Wed 27th June - 38281 Mid Virginia
Good Sam recommended a garage close by. Drove down impossibly steep hill in lowest gear to giant Truck Stop and threaded through giant parked rigs to the guy who explained we were too small a vehicle for truck services. Sent us to a small place down the road where they had lunch before dismantling the back end and thoroughly checking it out for $32. Suggested the hand brake may have unrusted itself. Smiles and life stories all round and onward with a lighter heart and a cooler wheel, bullied up the highway by SUVs before a difficult hairpin climb back onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. Head for Meadows of Dan because of the name. George gets lost a lot but country folk here stop to make sure we are ok when we U turn.

Continuing beautiful drive - fairly empty road which is good since we’re the slowest thing on it. Not getting very far - feeling this could take a long time. Countryside very similar (but beautiful of course).

Meadows of Dan is a small slow hick hamlet with an eclectic general store and cheap petrol.

More snowbirds at rv park living in a homemade box on the back of a truck. We admire their lack of friction. They appear to ignore eachother even whilst in conversation. I light a fire which attracts a zombie group of old people who exchange grandchildren stories with us. They are all perfectly coiffed. Got better at wheel levelling. Slept marginally better once I turned 180 degrees to put head higher than feet. Civilised tent sites here - they all have electricity. Lisa’s camera battery runs out - recharger back in MD. 15 mpg but petrol getting cheaper.

Day 2

Tues 26th June - 38198 North Virginia
First experience at dump station. Corrugated plastic pipe jammed in rear 4″ square bumper. Got wet and sticky prising it loose, attaching it to our outlet and making it not jump out of the sewer hole. Surgical gloves disintegrate - need thick rubber gloves asap. Fill up with petrol - apparently getting 13.3 mpg which is a bit disappointing but its been tough going. See more baby animals - wild turkey with triplets.

Getting used to slow travel, wondering if 30 mph will be the average speed across America. Its a small truck with a heavy load making truck noises in low gear - sometimes walking speed. We see a lot of nature close-up. Skyline Drive begins to open out to viewpoints and we see we have climbed high. We stop at a scenic view of Virginia and the wheel is still running hot.

We have a (poor) internet signal so I try to find a mechanic while Lisa makes tea and sandwiches in the kitchen. Too big a vehicle for car services - rv shops need 2 weeks notice. We program Montebello rv park into George the TomTom GPS unit and carry on along the ridge through treetop country and river vistas. Lisa reads manual and discovers the overdrive switch. Lovely empty campsite down by a big pond with geese, big fish and bullfrog conversations.

Used our lego style levelling blocks to try for a better nights sleep. Deaf Snowbird shouting advice reckoned wheel about to fall off and recommends calling my Good Sam breakdown service. Wife had knee replacements and Lyme’s disease. Boats locked up but pleasant evening walk around pond vainly looking for turtles and snakes. Made drumsticks. Burned them in fire which Lisa lit with witchcraft. No signal but lots of birds and cicadas. We are constantly rearranging ourselves and our stuff to keep all the surfaces clear and useable. Didnt sleep too well.

Day 1

Monday 25th June 2007 - 38085 miles on clock Maryland / Northern Virginia
Preparations came to a head in frustration and wrangling - we ditched the big tent and set off far too late at 5pm on a miserable afternoon. Hit rain on 340 and headed for Skyline Drive at Front Royal. Stopped at last 7/11 for bread and supplies, washed broken egg off front of shorts and left toilet to pitying looks. One rear wheel extremely hot. Dusk gathering so nothing to be done but worry, buy yearly ticket at the park entrance and head up the hill at 25 mph.

Manual says we can change gear on the move. Unconvinced but more confident after a few grinding miles of tight bendy hills at 20 - 30 mph. Quaint leafy road, gentle evening, delicate light - rain stopped. Gloaming drove right past twin bear cubs on the road - too surprised to photograph. Lisa spotted mother’s head rising out of the ditch so we moved on. Unconcerned deer walking almost at our speed, treating us as fellow evening loiterers. Driving in the dark down headlit leaf tunnels we found Big Meadows campsite and drove onto an unoccupied rv pad. Electricity and water on wrong side. RV pads are designed to reverse in - 1st 6 point turn in the dark. Plugged in our wealth of rechargeable electrics, showered in the disabled toilets because it was free and slept very badly on a tilt. 100 miles from home. No signal on ultra expensive Sprint EX720 mobile broadband express card with 2 year contract. Repacked all my stuff into more intelligent paces - most used things in front. Forgot to take photos. Camp toilets open to the world, not quite clean enough, spooky at night and attracting great banging black insects. How to clean your backside properly?