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DFW (May 11-12)
May 11–We left Hot Springs and drove to DFW. We stopped in Bossier CIty, LA and in Longview, TX to visit their Art-o-Mats and a F.L.A.G.
May 12–Visited with Mama for an early Mother’s Day.
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Hot Springs, AR (May 6-10)
We arrived in Hot Springs and dang, it is HOT! We have gotten used to cooler climates. UGH!
May 6 & 7–we literally just unpacked and got settled…chilled on the second day because it was too dang hot to do anything else and we don’t like the weekend crowds.
May 8-Walked around downtown a bit. Most everything is closed or renovating. I guess we are too early for the ‘summer’ hours.
May 9–We got up early and went to Garvan Woodland Gardens. I love this place as it hold many great memories and is a place I always visit when in Hot Springs.
While at the Gardens, we discovered that there was an event of painted rocks left all along the trails and you could pick one to keep. I picked one for me and one for Mama, as Ed wasn’t interested. They were very cute! I don’t know if we discovered them all, but we saw lots!
Every time Mama visits the gardens, she leaves a little art offering on the serenity circle. When she is not with me, I leave one and send her a photo, letting her know that I am thinking of her.
May 10–We chilled at the hotel all day and decided to head to Texas early, as it was too hot to do anything outside and nothing was open yet for the season.
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Chattanooga, TN (April 29-May 4)
April 29–I still felt terrible, but we had to move to Chattanooga. We are here for almost a week, staying at Staybridge Suites. Again, it’s a very nice place!
April 30–Woke with a terrible migraine, stayed in bed all morning. Walked to Chili’s for lunch and started to feel better. Walked the Arts District.
May 1–I am feeling better, still have the nasty cough and had a migraine this morning. Ran a few errand and took a walk in the afternoon. Really love this area and the walking is wonderful! Unfortunately, Ed is now suffering with whatever that horrible flu-like thing is!
May 2–Chattanooga is a really awesome city for walking and their art district is wonderful. I am really enjoying my time here. Ed is still not feeling well, so I spent the day wandering and exploring on my own.
May 3–Ed is feeling a bit better, so we went to the Chattanooga Zoo. It is a small and quaint zoo. As I get older, the more I dislike typical zoos. I am ok with the rehab type facilities and those who are working hard on conservation and education….but the average zoo just makes me sad. Animals should be in large open enviornments, not tiny cages with very little area to roam.
After the zoo, we ate at the resturaunt in the hotel. The Chicken Florentine was very good and the entertainment was nice, however a bit loud.
May 4–We went to ROCK CITY! One of my favorites!!
We rode the Cog Railway to the top of Lookout Mountain. The railway is ok…but the top is a disappointment. Nothing to do but ride back down really! LOL! It was a one-time thing.
I made a new discovery! ART-o-Mats! They are refurbished cigarette machines that are full of art! You purchase a token for $5 and get to select some art! I am hooked! I got some really cute pieces!
May 5–Today we depart Chattanooga. I stoped by the Hunter Museum and the AVA to visit their Art-o-Mats on the way out of town!
We stayed the night in Corinth, MS, didn’t do much, just supper at Cracker Barrel and then drove to Hot Springs on May 6th.
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Pigeon Forge, TN (April 21-28)
April 21–Went to the laundromat to do the wash and the owner suggested that we go up the mountain and see the Brown Bison Farm….so we did! There were a couple babies!
We went to the Hatfield and McCoy Dinner show. The show was good and the food was decent. It was a fun time!
April 22–Lazy Day. We just chilled out at the hotel most of the day and caught up on our rest. I did take a walk, there is a walking path near the hotel that is nice. I met up with my old friends the Canadian Goose family. Why are they always so mean?!?! LOL!
We did go to the Comedy Barn Show in the evening. It was a cute show.
April 23–Went to the Mill Shopping Center and found a really awesome store called “Long Story Short”. I could have stayed in there all day! I bought this beautiful leather journal to use for my letterboxing log after I complete my current logbook.
I took a longer walk along the walking path and it went through and behind the entertainment area called “The Island”. I really enjoy the walking path, even if the geese hiss at me and Scooby!
April 24– We went to Dollywood. I was really looking forward to visiting Dollywood! Almost everytime I have come to the area, Dollywood is closed! Well…we had a really terrible experience. I won’t go into detail, as it really isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. We ended up leaving and receiving a full refund due to issues that could have been more appropriately handled. I was so disappointed. I did get a couple of photos before we left.
We will likely try again someday … perhaps things will be different next time.
April 25–We went to Bryson City to ride the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. We had a wonderful time! There was a stop at Natahala, which is a stop along the Appalacian Trail. I can honestly say now that I have hiked the entire width of the Appalacian Trail! We really enjoyed our day.
April 26– We went to Gatlinburg and wandered around the shops. Had lunch at Chicken Guy, it was pretty good! Love the option of so many sauces to choose from. Ed walked with me to the Island later in the day and we shopped around a while. Had supper at Mel’s Diner and it was ‘meh’. Not terrible, but nothing great either. Apparently it is hit or miss on getting an enthusiastic server…ours seemed to be bothered by our presence, which is a shame because we certainly won’t be back.
April 27-28–Did laundry and picked up dog food…then I suddenly got very sick. Flu-like symptoms of cough, body aches and chills. I stayed in bed the rest of the day and the entire next day.
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Final Blue Ridge Parkway Day (April 20)
Our first stop was a little town called Black Mountain, NC. There is a Free Little Art Gallery there and I wanted to chekc it out. The town looks adorable and I hope we can go sometime when we have more time alloted. Many cute shops and a cute train depot.
We stopped at a viewpoint and I the light was so great, so I snapped a few photos of Scooby….I mistakenly said “Work it, Scoob!” Then…
Scooby changed the entire vibe of the shoot … Nasty boy! LOL!
Rollin’ around like some kinda floozy! Shesh! Your mama should be ashamed ….
We stopped at several viewpoints and overlooks along the route. Found a painted rock and took it to the next overlook.
Oh look! I found my spot!
Made it to the Smoky Mountain National Park!
Now to spend the week at Pigeon Forge!
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Ashville, NC (April 19)
Today I woke up with a horrible migraine. It never let up the entire day. It was miserable, but I pushed on, as we have a schedule!!
We went to the Biltmore. I have always wanted to see it and boy am I glad we did. I will do my best to not make this a crazy photo heavy post, you can likely see most of the rooms via the internet these days. I was fascinated with it all. I hope we can return someday when I feel better. I loved all the gargoyles!
We walked the gardens…oh my heavens, they are stunning! So much beauty! I can see why this place is so popular! I cannot even fathom what it must have been like to live here!!!
We stayed another night in Asheville and will be doing our last day on the Parkway tomorrow …
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Ashville, NC (April 18)
We visited the Moses Cone House. It was not open, so we just walked the grounds. I remembered going here when I did my trip with Mama, so I really wanted Ed to see it. The first photo is the house, the second is the horse stable. This is such a beautiful place!
I convinced Ed to hike up Banner Elk’s Rough Ridge so that I could take photos on the rocks. He wasn’t thrilled, but he did it! He can be a champ!
We had lunch at a great Mexican place called Los Arcoiris in Pineola, NC. Very Yummy! I’m a sucker for any place with good chips and salsa!
We pulled in to hike Linville Falls, and there was an elderly couple who had locked themselves out of their van! The lady looked very tired and dehydrated and their dog was inside the van!!! The window was down a tiny bit, but not enough to help. We tried to reach a ranger with no luck, as we had no cell service and the office was unattended. We drove to a campground that was a bit down the road and found the attendant mowing the grass. He attempted to reach a ranger and they said they would try to find someone to check on the couple. I searched around the check in shack at the campground and found a thin metal rod. We went back to the parking area and Ed was able to jimmy the lock open! The couple was so grateful. They left and we went on our hike.
Ed enjoyed some rock skippin’ (What is it about men/boys throwing rocks into water?!?! Gotta love ’em!)
Tomorrow will be Day 4 of the Blue Ridge Parkway…
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Boone, NC (April 17)
We left Floyd and headed on down the Blue Ridge Parkway for day 3 of our adventure. We stopped at a town called Meadows of Dan to visit Nancy’s Candy’s….guess who was the driving force for that stop? LOL!
We found this bench next to this gas pump funny…have a rest while this slow pump dispenses your fuel. LOL!
Along our route, we stopped at this small cabin. Mrs. Puckett was an extraordinary woman. If you are unable to read the photo of the plaque, look her up “Aunt” Orelena Hawks Puckett. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to lose 24 children in their infancy and then going on to deliver so many babies for others!
Our next stop was Mt. Airy, NC, which is the birthplace of Andy Griffith and the town on which Mayberry was based. It was such a cute place and so fun to wander around!
As we headed on to Boone, NC, we stopped at a few spots to enjoy some hiking and the views.
This was an interesting spot. I never realized the song “Tom Dooley” was a true story!
Tomorrow we continue …
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Floyd, VA (April 16)
We headed out on our second day of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stopping along to enjoy the vistas and short hikes. We knew this would be a 1/2 day, as we wanted to see Floyd, VA and it was not far from where we began the day.
We stopped at a Mill on the parkway and explored a bit. Scooby was happy to be out of the truck for a bit. It was a little village of sorts and we had it to ourselves which is always nice.
Floyd, VA is a cool artsy town. I enjoyed walking around and exploring the area. There is a little country store in the downtown area that has live music in the evening and a small cafe. Unfortunately, we discovered it after we had already eaten, so we decided we will have to return someday to experience the live music and food. There was quite a crowd, so it must be good! The downtown area had a shopping center with an art studio filled with art from local artisans. I was fancinated with the plant nymphs. If I had more space, one would have certainly come home with me! Seeing the little bus camper, made me miss my June!!
We will be continuing on down the parkway tomorrow …
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Roanoke, VA/Blue Ridge Parkway (April 15)
We officially started our trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway. I traveled this parkway many years ago with Mama and it has always been a fond memory. I am excited to share it with Ed now.
We saw fun stuff and beautiful views on our first day!
We visited Natural Bridge and did the hike to the falls
Then we headed off to Roanoke for the night…stopping for the views and a short hike or two.
Tomorrow Day 2 of the Parkway and heading to Floyd, VA
