The first thing we did today was swing by the local post office to take care of an errand. The post office was about 10 minutes away.
From there we drove another 10 minutes back to downtown Knoxville to go see the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Today they were offering free admission to all females in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. We learned about the history of women's basketball and got to play around, Bernie even got to shoot some hoops. Very cool place and worth a visit if you're ever in east TN. http://www.wbhof.com
When we left there we drove south for about half an hour to Lenoir City, TN where Will lives in a ranch house he is renovating. Will is a member of one of our yahoo groups, who had emailed us to offer us his driveway with water, electric, and wi-fi.
When we tried to fill up our water tank, the outside faucet was frozen, so Will brought out a heater to thaw it out. That worked, so we got water, parked under a tree next to the carport, and hooked up the electric.
Will had planned to cook dinner for us but decided against it. Instead he took us out to dinner at Aubrey's, a local chain restaurant new to us. Dinner was fabulous. We had a tender and delicious hawaiian prime rib and a wonderful turtle cake a la mode for dessert. Through dinner we enjoyed a bottle of red wine along with interesting conversation, while getting to know our new friend, Will.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Free breakfast
We had heard that Denny's was giving away free grand slams today so we went to check it out, it is free food after all.
It looked like the whole world had heard about this too. Even though it was really cold, the line to get in went halfway around the building.
We figured even the promise of free food was not enough to get us to stand in a line this long and in this cold. So Bernie kept our place in line while Mar went inside. She spoke to the manager who gave her a rain check and a coupon book. Mar then went outside and stood in line, while Bernie went inside to get her rain check and coupon book. We'll just find another Denny's later when there are no lines to get our grand slams breakfasts ... for dinner, of course, because we don't eat breakfast - we sleep through it.
After that, we drove to the Sevierville Visitor Center and then to the bookstore where we they trade books. We unloaded about half our stack of already read books. Bernie got a book from the Oprah book club and Mar got a hispanic cookbook.
Then we drove about 45 minutes to Knoxville TN. There we went to the Visitor Center, which was closed when we got there even though it was not 5 pm yet, and the hours listed said it closed at 6 pm. What a bummer.
Then we found the World Fair Park and went to the top of the Sunsphere, to the observation deck with a 360 degree view of downtown and beyond. Then we drove to Volunteer Landing along the Tennessee River with an impressive bridge and beautiful views as the sun was coming down.
Then we went to the Pizza Palace, which was recommended on the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network (Mar’s favorite channel). There is no seating inside or out, only drivethru stations. We ordered both of the items we were told the show's host liked, the pizza and the onion rings. We think we liked them both but they were a bit cold by the time we found a place to park for the night and have dinner.
It is supposed to be really cold tonight with plenty of snow so we decided that boondocking would not be a good idea tonight. We stopped at a Hampton Inn and asked if we could plug in, and lucky for us, they said yes, so we spent the night in their parking lot, eating cold pizza and getting free wi-fi.
It looked like the whole world had heard about this too. Even though it was really cold, the line to get in went halfway around the building.
We figured even the promise of free food was not enough to get us to stand in a line this long and in this cold. So Bernie kept our place in line while Mar went inside. She spoke to the manager who gave her a rain check and a coupon book. Mar then went outside and stood in line, while Bernie went inside to get her rain check and coupon book. We'll just find another Denny's later when there are no lines to get our grand slams breakfasts ... for dinner, of course, because we don't eat breakfast - we sleep through it.
After that, we drove to the Sevierville Visitor Center and then to the bookstore where we they trade books. We unloaded about half our stack of already read books. Bernie got a book from the Oprah book club and Mar got a hispanic cookbook.
Then we drove about 45 minutes to Knoxville TN. There we went to the Visitor Center, which was closed when we got there even though it was not 5 pm yet, and the hours listed said it closed at 6 pm. What a bummer.
Then we found the World Fair Park and went to the top of the Sunsphere, to the observation deck with a 360 degree view of downtown and beyond. Then we drove to Volunteer Landing along the Tennessee River with an impressive bridge and beautiful views as the sun was coming down.
Then we went to the Pizza Palace, which was recommended on the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network (Mar’s favorite channel). There is no seating inside or out, only drivethru stations. We ordered both of the items we were told the show's host liked, the pizza and the onion rings. We think we liked them both but they were a bit cold by the time we found a place to park for the night and have dinner.
It is supposed to be really cold tonight with plenty of snow so we decided that boondocking would not be a good idea tonight. We stopped at a Hampton Inn and asked if we could plug in, and lucky for us, they said yes, so we spent the night in their parking lot, eating cold pizza and getting free wi-fi.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Rolling
We both felt just fine today, so we finished packing Bella up, and got ready to roll.
First, we drove about 15 minutes to the Biltmore Estate, America's largest home and home of the Vanderbilt family. Bernie had always wanted to visit Biltmore but since it was getting close to closing time we decided there was no point in buying the $35 tickets (per person) to see the house so we just wanted to drive around the grounds and take a look. http://www.biltmore.com
When we got to the entrance, we were informed it was another 4 miles just to get to the house and that we could not access the grounds without tickets. Dissappointed we left and then drove east through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park towards TN.
Our first destination in TN was Gatlingburg, about two hours away. On the way there it started snowing lightly. As instructed by our GPS, Lola, we took the exit towards Gatlinburg only to find the road closed, probably because of the weather. This was a two lane road with nothing but trees on both sides. Turning Bella around was an adventure that only got more interesting as the snow started coming down hard. It took a while, but we finally got back on the interstate as Lola recalculated our route.
Lucky for us it was not snowing when we got to Gatlingburg but it was still very, very cold. We parked on the main street, bundled up, and walked around a little bit. We decided to try the Amazing Mirror Maze, as we had a coupon to get in (there are two mirror mazes here, we decided on the non-ripleys one). We were the only people inside the maze and kept getting lost again and again, bumping into the mirrors a few times. We had a few good laughs, this was so much fun.
Then we drove up the mountain to get to the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park. There is an indoor ice arena, a scenic chairlift, an alpine slide, water raft rides, and skiing. We walked around and got to watch people skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. It was too cold for us so we decided to keep rolling.http://www.obergatlinburg.com
It was still early evening so we decided to head towards our next destination, Pigeon Forge. When we got there we found a bookstore still open so we went to check it out. We asked if they trade books, and they said no, but gave us the name of another bookstore that does.
Then after driving around a little more getting to know the area, we went to the Welcome Center. It was already closed when we got there, but we decided to park there for the night.
First, we drove about 15 minutes to the Biltmore Estate, America's largest home and home of the Vanderbilt family. Bernie had always wanted to visit Biltmore but since it was getting close to closing time we decided there was no point in buying the $35 tickets (per person) to see the house so we just wanted to drive around the grounds and take a look. http://www.biltmore.com
When we got to the entrance, we were informed it was another 4 miles just to get to the house and that we could not access the grounds without tickets. Dissappointed we left and then drove east through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park towards TN.
Our first destination in TN was Gatlingburg, about two hours away. On the way there it started snowing lightly. As instructed by our GPS, Lola, we took the exit towards Gatlinburg only to find the road closed, probably because of the weather. This was a two lane road with nothing but trees on both sides. Turning Bella around was an adventure that only got more interesting as the snow started coming down hard. It took a while, but we finally got back on the interstate as Lola recalculated our route.
Lucky for us it was not snowing when we got to Gatlingburg but it was still very, very cold. We parked on the main street, bundled up, and walked around a little bit. We decided to try the Amazing Mirror Maze, as we had a coupon to get in (there are two mirror mazes here, we decided on the non-ripleys one). We were the only people inside the maze and kept getting lost again and again, bumping into the mirrors a few times. We had a few good laughs, this was so much fun.
Then we drove up the mountain to get to the Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park. There is an indoor ice arena, a scenic chairlift, an alpine slide, water raft rides, and skiing. We walked around and got to watch people skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. It was too cold for us so we decided to keep rolling.http://www.obergatlinburg.com
It was still early evening so we decided to head towards our next destination, Pigeon Forge. When we got there we found a bookstore still open so we went to check it out. We asked if they trade books, and they said no, but gave us the name of another bookstore that does.
Then after driving around a little more getting to know the area, we went to the Welcome Center. It was already closed when we got there, but we decided to park there for the night.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Change of plans
Today was Mar's turn to feel sick. Bernie felt much better today, but Mar was not feeling well at all, she was exhausted and could hardly move, she slept most of the day.
While Mar rested, Bernie dug up a hole for a fountain in Lula's backyard.
Later when Mar was able to get up, she did the laundry while Bernie got Bella ready for the road. We had planned to leave today, but we decided to wait till tomorrow and hope we both feel fine then.
While Mar rested, Bernie dug up a hole for a fountain in Lula's backyard.
Later when Mar was able to get up, she did the laundry while Bernie got Bella ready for the road. We had planned to leave today, but we decided to wait till tomorrow and hope we both feel fine then.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Hiking
Today Bernie got up really early to go hiking with Lula and some of her friends, who hike regularly.
Unfortunately, Bernie wasn't feeling too well so after hiking a little while, Bernie decided to go back and just wait for everyone to finish the 4 mile hike.
While she was waiting she got sick twice, so after she got home she pretty much slept the rest of the day. She was too weak and tired to do anything else.
Mar spent the evening working on her laptop and being very quiet as to not wake Bernie up.
Unfortunately, Bernie wasn't feeling too well so after hiking a little while, Bernie decided to go back and just wait for everyone to finish the 4 mile hike.
While she was waiting she got sick twice, so after she got home she pretty much slept the rest of the day. She was too weak and tired to do anything else.
Mar spent the evening working on her laptop and being very quiet as to not wake Bernie up.
Friday, January 30, 2009
The post office
It was already evening when we got to Asheville yesterday so we couldn't go to to post office to pick up Mar's mail that her daughter forwarded for her here.
On the way here last night we got a chance to see how close the post office was to the house so we decided to walk there today. According to google maps it was only .3 miles, so we bundled up and off we went.
After waiting in line for a few minutes, when it was our turn to go up to the counter, we were informed this particular post office has no general delivery and to get the mail, we would have to go to the main post office downtown.
We have been to 18 other states and this has never happened before ... but there is always a first time for everything, isn't there?
The other post office was only about 3 miles away and they drew us a map, but we were on foot so first we tried to find a bus to get us there but there were no bus stops near us that we could walk to, so we headed back to the house.
Lucky for us, Lula had come home early from work to wait for an appliance repair person and she was kind enough to lend us her car. So we drove to downtown Asheville, found the post office and picked up Mar's mail, and it was nice to get to see a little bit of downtown.
After we got back to the house, Bernie installed some window blinds for Lula, and then they discussed some more the projects that Bernie will do while we're here.
On the way here last night we got a chance to see how close the post office was to the house so we decided to walk there today. According to google maps it was only .3 miles, so we bundled up and off we went.
After waiting in line for a few minutes, when it was our turn to go up to the counter, we were informed this particular post office has no general delivery and to get the mail, we would have to go to the main post office downtown.
We have been to 18 other states and this has never happened before ... but there is always a first time for everything, isn't there?
The other post office was only about 3 miles away and they drew us a map, but we were on foot so first we tried to find a bus to get us there but there were no bus stops near us that we could walk to, so we headed back to the house.
Lucky for us, Lula had come home early from work to wait for an appliance repair person and she was kind enough to lend us her car. So we drove to downtown Asheville, found the post office and picked up Mar's mail, and it was nice to get to see a little bit of downtown.
After we got back to the house, Bernie installed some window blinds for Lula, and then they discussed some more the projects that Bernie will do while we're here.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
South Carolina ?!?!
We are headed to Asheville NC today for Bernie’s next job, about a two hour drive.
The “service engine soon” light came on so Bernie checked all the fluids and found nothing wrong. We don’t know why the light is on.
We were happy to find out the fridge was working fine so we packed up all our food, closed up the house, entered our destination in our GPS, and we were ready to hit the road.
For some reason, Lola (our GPS) decided to take us to South Carolina on our way from Charlotte to Asheville. As soon as we saw the “Welcome to South Carolina” sign, we got off at the next exit.
After confirming our route using online maps, we got back on track and were very happy to see the “Welcome to North Carolina” sign. We turned Lola off for a while, she needed a break.
When we finally got to Asheville, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a couple of things and then we went to Lula’s house.
Lula had emailed us about some projects she has for Bernie at her house and offered us her driveway to park with water, electric, and sewer. Lula gave us the tour, this house was built by Habitat for Humanity for the previous resident. Lula showed Bernie what she needs done and then we went back to Bella and settled in for the night.
The “service engine soon” light came on so Bernie checked all the fluids and found nothing wrong. We don’t know why the light is on.
We were happy to find out the fridge was working fine so we packed up all our food, closed up the house, entered our destination in our GPS, and we were ready to hit the road.
For some reason, Lola (our GPS) decided to take us to South Carolina on our way from Charlotte to Asheville. As soon as we saw the “Welcome to South Carolina” sign, we got off at the next exit.
After confirming our route using online maps, we got back on track and were very happy to see the “Welcome to North Carolina” sign. We turned Lola off for a while, she needed a break.
When we finally got to Asheville, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a couple of things and then we went to Lula’s house.
Lula had emailed us about some projects she has for Bernie at her house and offered us her driveway to park with water, electric, and sewer. Lula gave us the tour, this house was built by Habitat for Humanity for the previous resident. Lula showed Bernie what she needs done and then we went back to Bella and settled in for the night.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Packing up
After spending a wonderful week at this quiet, cozy lodge, we spent the day today cleaning, packing, and getting ready to leave tomorrow.
Bernie spent this week cleaning and organizing the shed, fixing the screen door, installing a new light fixture outside, replacing the electrical outlets inside, hanging rope lights from the porch beams, and fixing the caulk around the kitchen countertops.
Mar spent the week working on her classes and answering student emails, doing laundry, watching the Food Channel to her heart’s content and cooking up a storm. She did a couple of her cooking and baking marathons and now we have extra food packed and ready to eat on the road. Just heat and eat … but be careful when you open the freezer, you may get hit by projectile tupperware …
… and there are rumors that Bernie overdosed on the lemon squares that we were supposed to save for the road, but it’s only rumors after all …
It rained this afternoon for the first time since we’ve been here, which slowed down our preparations a bit. The rain came down in sheets and it was very windy, dark, and grey outside. We had to wait for the rain to stop, and then we got back to packing Bella.
While we were packing, Bernie noticed our fridge was not working properly even though we were plugged in, probably because Bella wasn’t level where she was parked. So we moved Bella to a more level spot and hope the fridge will be working by the time we leave tomorrow.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Bella and the Road
Our original blog is back!
You can now read about Bellas' adventures since we left Orlando FL in June 2008.
The only difference between the two blogs is one word only. The address for one blog is "bella ON the road" and other blog is "bella AND the road".
You can read either as we will continue to publish both, just in case something happens with blogger again.
When you visit the other blog, remember to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see the slideshows with tons of pictures from all our travels.
We hope you enjoy reading our blog as much as we enjoy sharing it with you.
You can now read about Bellas' adventures since we left Orlando FL in June 2008.
The only difference between the two blogs is one word only. The address for one blog is "bella ON the road" and other blog is "bella AND the road".
You can read either as we will continue to publish both, just in case something happens with blogger again.
When you visit the other blog, remember to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see the slideshows with tons of pictures from all our travels.
We hope you enjoy reading our blog as much as we enjoy sharing it with you.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The lodge
We got another email that helped us decide what we’d be doing today.
Kay and Shirley who live in Gastonia NC and own a vacation rental in Charlotte, invited us to stay at their lodge in exchange for Bernie doing some light work needed around the house.
So after we said goodbye to Tom and Elizabeth, we headed back to Charlotte to meet Kay at the lodge. We gave Kay a tour of Bella and she gave us a tour of this gorgeous property, she made us feel right at home.
The lodge is a secluded house in the woods. It is a very comfortable and lovely house on five acres, which sleeps 8. It is within walking distance of the newly opened National Whitewater Center. http://www.usnwc.org/
This house is very private and has everything anyone could possibly need, including a fire pit, foosball table, swings, screened porch, and a big bbq grill. Pets are welcome and it is handicap accessible. http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p192364
We brought in a few of our things from Bella and started to get acquainted with the place and settled in. It is a great place and we’re delighted to be here.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Coyote Joes
We were trying to decide if we should stay or go, or what to do, since our hostesses are so busy this week. Well, we got an email that made that decision an easy one.
Even before we bought Bella and left Florida, we met an online friend through our rv yahoo groups, who has been with us throughout the whole planning and traveling process. He has given us tons of valuable help, advice, and information, and is always available to answer any question we throw his way. If he doesn’t know the answer, he finds out for us. In case you can’t tell, we love our Tom. This trip would have been much more difficult without his never ending support.
When we let Tom know we’d be coming through Charlotte NC, where he lives, he invited us to share his favorite weekly activity: western country dancing. Wednesday night is ladies night so we decided to just go to Charlotte, finally meet Tom in person, and get some line dancing lessons. Why not? We were up for it. We put in the address for Coyote Joes in our GPS and hit the road. http://coyote-joes.com
Down the road from the dance club we stopped for a quick dinner at a place called the BBQ King. This place was featured on the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network (Mar’s favorite channel). There is no seating inside or out, only drivethru. We ordered both of the items the show recommended, the bbq chicken and the minced bbq sandwich. We both agreed it could have been better. But we did it and it’ another notch in our belt. http://www.barbqking.com/
At Coyote Joes we met some of Tom’s friends also. They all tried to teach us a few of the easier line dances and Mar got to two-step with Tom. She only stepped on his toes a few times. Bernie got to ride the electric bull. This was her second time ever, and this time she was able to stay on longer. She has the pictures and the bruises to prove it. We had a lot of fun tonight.
When we couldn’t dance any more, we all went to Waffle House for a late night snack. Then we followed Tom and Elizabeth to her house in Dallas NC, where we plugged in and parked for the night.
Introducing Cornelia
We have a new travel partner. Her name is Cornelia and she is a purple sock monkey.
You may notice from the pictures that Cornelia is a bit challenged, we don't speak of this in her presence of course.
But yes, she is a challenged sock monkey. Cornelia came into our lives these past holidays. Mar's kids made her, since they can't sew and have never sewn before, Cornelia didn't end up perfect but that just makes her more precious to us. She is our very own sock monkey and she brings joy to our travels.
We are proud to have Cornelia as our other travel partner and we hope she enjoys the trip as much as we do. Stay tuned for Cornelia's adventures on the road with Bella. Life doesn't get any better than this.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Spring cleaning in winter
Today was a beautiful, crisp winter day. It was very cold with a little sprinkling of snow here and there. This place is gorgeous, it's a 70s ranch style house that is set back in the woods. A wonderfully peaceful place, with tons of bare trees and a creek.
Mar had a productive day, she did some spring cleaning and reorganized the cabinets. Now things should be easier to find.
Last night Mar showed Bernie how to play a new computer game called mahjong, and she is now addicted to it. She plays every chance she gets.
We only get a few tv channels since we don’t have cable in Bella and we didn’t get our converter box yet, but we did get to watch some of the inauguration celebration.
Monday, January 19, 2009
A new day, a new town
Today we drove about an hour and a half to the house of Lyn and Jane in Greensboro NC. The weather was in the 40's and it was a good drive. We stopped at Walmart on the way to pick up milk for our coffee and a couple other things. We got gas for $1.69 a gallon.
Lyn and Jane weren't home when we got there but on the phone they told us where to park and where to plug in the electric. We got settled and met them later tonight when they got home. They were so friendly it felt like we've known them a long time.
Lyn and Jane weren't home when we got there but on the phone they told us where to park and where to plug in the electric. We got settled and met them later tonight when they got home. They were so friendly it felt like we've known them a long time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
