Ready for a summer adventure heading north
As the summer breezes come on, Jan and I find that we are ready for another summer road trip adventure. Now that we are living in South Carolina full time we find that escaping the summer heat and humidity is a good thing for us.
We start the trip in North Carolina in the Smoky Mountains, plan to get as far north as Newfoundland/Labrador in the Canadian Maritimes then returning home following the East Coast back south. One of our goals when we retired was to stay overnight in all of the 49 states and Canadian Provinces. There are 5 states left on the list and one Canadian Province which cannot be reached by road so we took it off the list the same as Hawaii. After this trip Rhode Island will be the only state remaining.
This trip is planned for 67 days and around 7,000 miles behind the wheel.
Our first few nights out we stayed at the Smokemont Campground in the Smoky National Park. There had been lots of rain so the trails were soggy and the rivers overflowing. Between the rain drops we did a couple of good hikes and got to enjoy the abundance of color and plant life along the way.
First stop Smoky Mountain National Park
Lots and lots of rain made for a raging rivers in the Smokys
Just a little on the scary side with all that rushing water, however the rest of the hike was great!
The mountains were lush and very green
Lots of smaller eye catching streams along the trail
Several of these type bridges over the water and wet lands. Well done National Park Service!
The rhododendrons were in bloom all along the way
All the moisture translates to a colorful fungi landscape…
There were lots of these
Found the red ones very photogenic
Eye catching for sure!
The Blue Ridge Parkway has been calling us. We drove the entire 450 miles enjoying the views along with quite a few twists and turns. It does require one to slow down and enjoy the scenery at a much slower pace (for sure). There were three full days so there was plenty of time for pictures and taking advantage of the National Park curation.
The Blue Ridge Highway is a great national treasurer
This road is high and winding
Always a different view around the next curve in the road
The view from the top never stopped. Enjoyed the drive even with all the twist and turns
These are the type of vistas you see starting on the south end
Sometimes we drove through the clouds
…and then vistas give way to just great scenery
The curation along the road was educational. This stop focused on the fences of the past. Many examples in this shot.
Where the Blue Ridge Parkway ends the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park picks up. Driving the road is about the same as the Parkway with a few less mountain scenes and more evidence of civilization. Here are some shots as we travel that section of highway.
The Skyline drive an extension of the Blue Ridge gives way to more civilization and less wilderness. However, these are still great views.
Another take from the Skyline Drive in Virginia
Skyline Drive…made lots of stops and took advantage of the views
The Shenandoah National Park has been on our to do list for some time. Although we did not spend a lot of time we got to know what the park has to offer. Our plan is to make it a destination trip next year. There is already a Shenandoah to do list on file.
The campground in the Shenandoah National Park is at Big Meadows. Nice base camp with some nice hikes.
Early morning hikes often finds some interesting sights
This is “The” Big Meadow at sunrise
The mountains of West Virginia are wonderful. It was really quiet and we found the area very rustic as well as interesting. Staying in Seneca Rocks was fun as I got the T-Shirt. We just changed the Rocks in Seneca Rocks from a Noun to a Verb.
Here is where we pause as we cross over the mountain from Virginia to West Virginia
West Virginia has its charm as well
West Virginia one more state on the retirement bucket list. Found this great National Forest campground.
The campground is in the Seneca Mountains. Lots of World War II history as this was a mountain climbing training location for the Army. Considerable curation on the local involvement.
This is Seneca Rocks, yes we climbed it!
Looking down from Seneca Rocks Mountain top
Jan coming down from the mountain…look at all the big rock that has fallen over the years.
After West Virginia we quickly made our way through Pennsylvania and New York. Staying in State Parks that were close to the interstate. Nice overnight experiences.
Bald Eagle State Park in Northern Pennsylvania.
Another overnight stop in the State of New York. The park was convenient.
Vermont was another state that needed to be checked off the list. In past travels we had stayed a few times in New Hampshire along the East Coast. We had heard a lot about the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We were able to spend a day in each one. Great country and as usual want to come back to spend more time.
The Green Mountains of Vermont, another check mark on the bucket list.
Found the original Vermont Country Store. Fun stop. Walk back in time to a simpler era.
Camped out at another National Forest Park (Hapgood Pond). Great find with some very nice hiking in a very remote setting.
The Green Mountains have their own personality. Enjoyed the look and feel.
We never get tired of the long mountain views and Vermont did not let us down.
Next up on the bucket list was the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The white is in reference to the granite which was hard to see with all the green on top.
Our last stop in Maine is our first overnight stay in a private park. The goal was to find good internet to catch up on life, get provisions before crossing the border into Canada and finding a place to do laundry. After doing a lot of hiking it is always good to stop to shake off all the dirt collected along the way. On my morning walk I did find a bit of Maine color along the path!
We are ending our time in the US with the last over night stop in Maine…
Life is good being on the road again. Looking forward to Part 2 as we catch the Bay of Fundy, make our way to Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland/Labrador in the great nation of Canada.
God bless,
Larry and Jan