blog it was a very nice place. John was just sorry that he did not have his fishing pole with him this trip.
We should be home for a while, but then you never know with the wandering Badgers!!!!!!
That is all for now,
Candy
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Townsend, GA
Here are several photos of the Lake Harmond RV park that we stayed at in GA on the way home from Martinsville. As I said in the last
blog it was a very nice place. John was just sorry that he did not have his fishing pole with him this trip.
We should be home for a while, but then you never know with the wandering Badgers!!!!!!
That is all for now,
Candy
blog it was a very nice place. John was just sorry that he did not have his fishing pole with him this trip.
We should be home for a while, but then you never know with the wandering Badgers!!!!!!
That is all for now,
Candy
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Martinsville, VA
Hi All,We got to Martinsville, VA. on Friday morning and checked into our camping spot. We were not in a campground but parked in a big field with hundreds of other race car nuts!! The weather was overcast and rather cool. As we have our generator and are all self contained we were fine. On Friday we went to the track which was a short walk over a hill, to watch the time trials. Jeff Gordon won the pole for the race on Sunday with the fastest time.
We had a cold night and the temperatures on Saturday were only in the low 40's. Thank goodness we had brought warm clothes with us!!! We walked over to watch the truck race in the afternoon. I don't like them as much as John does but they were fun and it is a short race.
Sunday was the big NASCAR race. It was COLD, with an overcast sky that looked like rain (snow would be more like it!) Anyway we bundled up and headed to the tack. I had on three shirts, tow pair of socks along with my jeans and warm jacket. We had a blanket and
had brought seat cushions with us. The sky kept looking like rain. We did not see any rain but there was sleet in the air!!! It was a good race. I like the short track as you can see the entire track. The only thing is that you have to know who is in the lead because the leaders catch up with the slower cars and then the fun begins! Denny Hamlin won the race and Jeff Gordon came in second. I have to admit that I was glad when the race was over to get back to the R V and turn up the heat.
We left on Monday morning early. It had rained over night and the field was turning into a mud field. John got stuck but got going okay again. We drove in the rain most of the day until the sun finally broke out in Georgia. We stopped at the Lake Harmony RV Park in Townsend, Ga. It was a lovely campground with
a big lake that you could fish with no licence. John did not have any fishing gear with him. The lake has bass and bluegill. There was a limit of 5 bass and 10 bluegill. There were several people fishing but we did not see them catching anything. We were told that the lake is 80 feet deep! They had a nice little beach there also but it was a little cold for swimming. We had a beautiful evening and were very grateful that the weather was much warmer than what we had left in Virginia!Well, we are home again for a while. John is still looking to leaving Florida in June for points west again. It will depend on the cost of fuel as to where we will end up this summer. That's all for now.
Love, Candy and Johnny
Hi All, We are finally back home! It was another fun trip! Johnny really like this life style and would go full time if I let him. I need my roots and home! We were without Internet access for most of our trip. We have talked about getting the phone Internet access but I 
am still not sure...
On Tuesday, we drove up to Boonsville, N.C. Along the way we stopped at the Richard Childress Winery. Richard Childress owns several NASCAR teams along with all his other ventures. I have to say that he has put a great deal of money into the winery. The building and the grounds were something. They have a small bistro in the winery, so we had lunch there. It was excellent. We had some wonderful soup and sandwich. Then we took the tour of the winery and learned that they have not been making wines very long. They planted the first vines in 2000 and produced their first wines in 2002. They are wonderful and have won awards already for their wines. The grounds are very beautiful and very well kept.
On Wednesday we went to several other winery's in the area. One was RagApple Lassie. This again is a new winery. The name comes from 1957 when the owner of the land entered his prize cow in the county fair and won first prize. The label on their wine has a picture of a cow sitting on a half moon. When the farm was no longer profitable the family turned from crops and cows to tobacco. The tobacco business did not last very long with the decline in smoking in the US. Rather than let the lane be turned into developments for housing, the family wanted to keep the land and the area the small town that it was so they turned to growing grapes and producing wine. Their wines also were very nice! From Rag Apple we went to Shelton Winery. John and I had experienced some of their wines on previous trips to North Carolina and had been very impressed. They also have a very lovely winery and a restaurant on the property. We had lunch there and the food was excellent. John had called and made an appointment for their reserve wine tasting. We found several great wines there. Their Reserve Chardonnay was out of this world. It is in high demand that one could only purchase 3 bottles. Not near enough for my liking. John also enjoyed their red wines. Have to admit that we did spent over our wine budget but got some beautiful wines.
As our budget was spent, on Thursday we decided to drive north along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had only been south on the Parkway from where we were, so we headed north into Virginia. The weather was sunny and nice! Along the way we stopped at the Mabry Mill. It has been preserved and very lovely. The trees were just beginning to bud out. There were some Cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom and they were very pretty.
The last photo here is of a still that they had on the Mabry property. I think that this reminded John of the good old days!!!!
I will close this blog for now as I can only seem to get 4 photos on each blog. I will finish up with the race photos in Martinsville in the next up date.
That's all for now.
Your wandering travelers,
Candy and Johnny
am still not sure...
On Tuesday, we drove up to Boonsville, N.C. Along the way we stopped at the Richard Childress Winery. Richard Childress owns several NASCAR teams along with all his other ventures. I have to say that he has put a great deal of money into the winery. The building and the grounds were something. They have a small bistro in the winery, so we had lunch there. It was excellent. We had some wonderful soup and sandwich. Then we took the tour of the winery and learned that they have not been making wines very long. They planted the first vines in 2000 and produced their first wines in 2002. They are wonderful and have won awards already for their wines. The grounds are very beautiful and very well kept.
On Wednesday we went to several other winery's in the area. One was RagApple Lassie. This again is a new winery. The name comes from 1957 when the owner of the land entered his prize cow in the county fair and won first prize. The label on their wine has a picture of a cow sitting on a half moon. When the farm was no longer profitable the family turned from crops and cows to tobacco. The tobacco business did not last very long with the decline in smoking in the US. Rather than let the lane be turned into developments for housing, the family wanted to keep the land and the area the small town that it was so they turned to growing grapes and producing wine. Their wines also were very nice! From Rag Apple we went to Shelton Winery. John and I had experienced some of their wines on previous trips to North Carolina and had been very impressed. They also have a very lovely winery and a restaurant on the property. We had lunch there and the food was excellent. John had called and made an appointment for their reserve wine tasting. We found several great wines there. Their Reserve Chardonnay was out of this world. It is in high demand that one could only purchase 3 bottles. Not near enough for my liking. John also enjoyed their red wines. Have to admit that we did spent over our wine budget but got some beautiful wines.
As our budget was spent, on Thursday we decided to drive north along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had only been south on the Parkway from where we were, so we headed north into Virginia. The weather was sunny and nice! Along the way we stopped at the Mabry Mill. It has been preserved and very lovely. The trees were just beginning to bud out. There were some Cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom and they were very pretty.
The last photo here is of a still that they had on the Mabry property. I think that this reminded John of the good old days!!!!
I will close this blog for now as I can only seem to get 4 photos on each blog. I will finish up with the race photos in Martinsville in the next up date. That's all for now.
Your wandering travelers,
Candy and Johnny
Monday, March 24, 2008
Off to Martinsville...
Here it is Spring 2008 and the Badger's are once again on the move in our RV.
We are heading up to Martinsville, Va. to go to the NASCAR race on Sunday, March 30, 2008. We left Palm Coast on Easter Sunday and drove to Yemassee, S.C. We stayed in a KOA campground near Beaufort, S.C. After setting up the RV we went out for a look around the area. The town of Beaufort has lots of history. The first house you see is the Thomas Hepworth House. It was built in
1717. It is the oldest house in town ( the town was burned by Indians in the Yemassee War of 1715) Musket slits in the back wall of the foundation were used to shoot Indians. The second house is the Jamed Fripp House. Circa 1850. One of the many houses and plantations sold at auction by the federal government during the 1860's It was bought by a Frenchman who returned it to the Fripp Family. The Bing Crosby-Warner Brothers film "The Great Santini" with Robert Duvall was shot here during the winter of 1979. It is also the house where "The Big Chill" was filmed. The lady who has since purchased the house told the local Chamber of Commerce that she wanted to have the house removed from the Historic District Tour Map, but the Chamber has refused. She is not happy to have so many tourist driving by her house and taking photos, but that is life!!!
On the way back to our Camp ground we stopped by The Old Sheldon Church. The church has lain in ruin for more than 140 years. Its gable roof, pediment, windows and interior have disappeared, but the classic simplicity of its design still remains. The church was burned by the Prevost's British troops in 1779, and again during the Civil War, however it still serves as a religious center for special observances.
Today, March 24, we are in Lexington, N.C. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Richard Childress Winery.
Hope everyone is well. I will try and keep in touch again through the blog whenever I can get an internet connection. Love to all.
Candy and Johnny
On the road again
We are heading up to Martinsville, Va. to go to the NASCAR race on Sunday, March 30, 2008. We left Palm Coast on Easter Sunday and drove to Yemassee, S.C. We stayed in a KOA campground near Beaufort, S.C. After setting up the RV we went out for a look around the area. The town of Beaufort has lots of history. The first house you see is the Thomas Hepworth House. It was built in
1717. It is the oldest house in town ( the town was burned by Indians in the Yemassee War of 1715) Musket slits in the back wall of the foundation were used to shoot Indians. The second house is the Jamed Fripp House. Circa 1850. One of the many houses and plantations sold at auction by the federal government during the 1860's It was bought by a Frenchman who returned it to the Fripp Family. The Bing Crosby-Warner Brothers film "The Great Santini" with Robert Duvall was shot here during the winter of 1979. It is also the house where "The Big Chill" was filmed. The lady who has since purchased the house told the local Chamber of Commerce that she wanted to have the house removed from the Historic District Tour Map, but the Chamber has refused. She is not happy to have so many tourist driving by her house and taking photos, but that is life!!!
On the way back to our Camp ground we stopped by The Old Sheldon Church. The church has lain in ruin for more than 140 years. Its gable roof, pediment, windows and interior have disappeared, but the classic simplicity of its design still remains. The church was burned by the Prevost's British troops in 1779, and again during the Civil War, however it still serves as a religious center for special observances.Today, March 24, we are in Lexington, N.C. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Richard Childress Winery.
Hope everyone is well. I will try and keep in touch again through the blog whenever I can get an internet connection. Love to all.
Candy and Johnny
On the road again
Monday, October 22, 2007
Greetings, Well we are finally home!!! John is ready to leave again as it is still very hot here in Florida. We really had such a great summer! Lots of new places and faces it was great! Next summer John wants to leave earlier and get back later.
We left Townsend, TN on Thursday, October 4, 2007 and headed up to Virginia to see John, Aimee and the grandkids, John (4) and Morgan (2). We stopped along the way at Roanoak/Salem, Virginia
, and then on to Haymarket, VI which was not far from John and Aimee's. We had fun with them for the weekend, unfortunatally John was not able to come home from Columbus, Oh. as he had to work but we spent time with Aimee and the kids.
We left Virginia on Sunday morning, as you can see from the top photo, it was very foggy the morning that we left. Heading south we stopped at Fayetteville, NC for the night, the following night we decided to go to
Savannah, GA. We went downtown and walked around the waterfront for awhile and, of course, had to stop at Wet Willys for one of their slushy drinks! We sat and watched some of the boats along the river and then went to the Six
We left Townsend, TN on Thursday, October 4, 2007 and headed up to Virginia to see John, Aimee and the grandkids, John (4) and Morgan (2). We stopped along the way at Roanoak/Salem, Virginia
, and then on to Haymarket, VI which was not far from John and Aimee's. We had fun with them for the weekend, unfortunatally John was not able to come home from Columbus, Oh. as he had to work but we spent time with Aimee and the kids.We left Virginia on Sunday morning, as you can see from the top photo, it was very foggy the morning that we left. Heading south we stopped at Fayetteville, NC for the night, the following night we decided to go to
Savannah, GA. We went downtown and walked around the waterfront for awhile and, of course, had to stop at Wet Willys for one of their slushy drinks! We sat and watched some of the boats along the river and then went to the Six
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Townsend in the Fall
Greetings, We are still here in Townsend with our retired Pilot friends and their wives. We have had such great weather, not at all fall
like at all, warn sunny days and cool nights. I have to admit that this adventure has really been a wonderful experience! John can hardly wait to go again!! 
The other day John and I took a drive through the Smoky Mountains again. We began our trip on the Foothills Parkway, which is an unusual road since it's located outside the park, but is administratively part of it, and offers a panoramic perspective found nowhere else.
The 18-mile drive follows the crest of the Chilhowee Mountain, an unusually long and uniform wrinkle in the plain beyond the Great Smokies. Chilhowee is an unusual mountain: one continuous narrow ridge almost 30 miles long and 2,700 feet high.
Along this drive you find no better views of the great bulk of the Smokies. The lowlands below are another of those relatively flat geologic oddities called a cove. Miller Cove- about 8 miles long and scarcely a mile wide- is a fertile lowland bounded by the abrupt rise of Chilhowee Mountain on one side and the knobby foothills of the Smokies on the other. The views were wonderful!
From the Foothills Parkway we ended up on Route 129, also called the Tail of the Dragon. This is a place that the bikers in the area love to ride as there are 318 curves in 11 miles. One really does not get to enjoy the view as you are so busy concentrating on the road ahead!!!
We then drove by the Fontana Dam and Lake. The water level is very low as they are also in a drought in this area. We finally came to the Newfound Gap Road. This drive across the mountains is the park's most traveled road. Once again the views are so memorable. As you follow the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River up from the 1,462-foot eleveation at Sugarlands to 5,046 feet above sea level at Newfound Gap, then descend 3,000 feet to Oconaluftee, 16 miles away. It's an easy ascent, although the road requires two tunnels and an unusual 360-degree loop over itself to make the climb.
We ended up in Gatlinburg, Tn. This is a real tourist town! John and I had stayed here on another trip that we took on the way home from attending a NASCAR Race in Martinsville, Va. We remembred the cute resturant that we had dinner in that night along the river, we were going to stop for a drink but they were not open so we continued on through Pigeon Forge and finally back to Townsend.
Last night we finally had some rain! We were going to leave today and head up to Virginia to see John, Aimee, John and Morgan, however last night we discovered a leak in the water system so we are waiting a repairman to see just what the problem is???? Just like boating, always something just when you think all is okay..... well stay tuned for more information later. We hope to be home by Monday or Tuesday.
Until later..... Candy and John
like at all, warn sunny days and cool nights. I have to admit that this adventure has really been a wonderful experience! John can hardly wait to go again!! 
The other day John and I took a drive through the Smoky Mountains again. We began our trip on the Foothills Parkway, which is an unusual road since it's located outside the park, but is administratively part of it, and offers a panoramic perspective found nowhere else.
The 18-mile drive follows the crest of the Chilhowee Mountain, an unusually long and uniform wrinkle in the plain beyond the Great Smokies. Chilhowee is an unusual mountain: one continuous narrow ridge almost 30 miles long and 2,700 feet high.
Along this drive you find no better views of the great bulk of the Smokies. The lowlands below are another of those relatively flat geologic oddities called a cove. Miller Cove- about 8 miles long and scarcely a mile wide- is a fertile lowland bounded by the abrupt rise of Chilhowee Mountain on one side and the knobby foothills of the Smokies on the other. The views were wonderful!
From the Foothills Parkway we ended up on Route 129, also called the Tail of the Dragon. This is a place that the bikers in the area love to ride as there are 318 curves in 11 miles. One really does not get to enjoy the view as you are so busy concentrating on the road ahead!!!
We then drove by the Fontana Dam and Lake. The water level is very low as they are also in a drought in this area. We finally came to the Newfound Gap Road. This drive across the mountains is the park's most traveled road. Once again the views are so memorable. As you follow the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River up from the 1,462-foot eleveation at Sugarlands to 5,046 feet above sea level at Newfound Gap, then descend 3,000 feet to Oconaluftee, 16 miles away. It's an easy ascent, although the road requires two tunnels and an unusual 360-degree loop over itself to make the climb.
We ended up in Gatlinburg, Tn. This is a real tourist town! John and I had stayed here on another trip that we took on the way home from attending a NASCAR Race in Martinsville, Va. We remembred the cute resturant that we had dinner in that night along the river, we were going to stop for a drink but they were not open so we continued on through Pigeon Forge and finally back to Townsend.
Last night we finally had some rain! We were going to leave today and head up to Virginia to see John, Aimee, John and Morgan, however last night we discovered a leak in the water system so we are waiting a repairman to see just what the problem is???? Just like boating, always something just when you think all is okay..... well stay tuned for more information later. We hope to be home by Monday or Tuesday.
Until later..... Candy and John
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