Our Last Two States

Since we started RVing in 2008, we have camped in every one of the 49 states accessible by RV except for two which we always seemed to go around, one way or another. On our travels back to Florida this year, we decided to take them in. We are now camping in Elkins, West Virginia at the Pegasus Farm Campground. This campground was a little funky to get into, since we turned onto a gravel road and the entrance is a single lane path from the owners’ house down to the camping field. We were actually greeted at the entrance by the owner, who was very friendly and escorted us to our campsite. After getting set up, he came back with information on the area and our registration paperwork. He was trying, in a joking way, to get us to stay for more than 2 nights, but we have a deadline in Dothan Alabama and we still want to visit with friends in Kentucky. He mentioned playing music and found out that I play guitar. He came back later in the evening and brought his mandolin. We played together until the light was failing. I think we sounded pretty good.

The second day, we went into Elkins and took the New Tygart Flyer, a 1950s streamline locomotive pulling some 1940s train cars along the Cheat River. Along the way we went through a 3/4 mile long tunnel with an s-curve in it and ends at the High Falls of the Cheat River where we were able to get off the train for about 30 minutes and check out the falls. The track also takes a the sharpest curve east of the Mississippi and the train could not make that turn.

After two nights in Elkins, WV, we headed west again to Lexington, KY. Traveling west on I-79 through West Virginia, we passed through lots of rolling mountains covered with tress. It was very beautiful. We landed at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground. The first evening there, there was a horse jumping competition in the arena at the Horse Park. We went to see it and it was very interesting, with a points system based on making all the jumps in a specified time. All of the riders who made it with no errors in the time allowed went into a “jump off”. The final rider had to beat just over 39 seconds with no errors and she did it. It was very exciting and she looked very happy. It looks like a dangerous sport though, as there was one horse that fell and threw the rider in the first round and then a rider who fell from her horse in the jump off. Fortunately all the horses and riders seemed to be fine.

The next day, we went back into the Kentucky Horse Park as real tourists. There is a small admission fee, but they are currently only charging 50% so it was really reasonable. We rode our bikes in rather than trying to find parking for the car. We took in the “Horses of the World” show twice, in which they bring out different breeds of horses and explain their origins and uses in their countries. We also went to the Museum of the Horse where they have many artifacts and information about the history of the horse and its relationships with man over the ages. It was quite interesting but Geoff eventually got “horsed out”.

Next, on to Louisville, KY to spend an evening with our friends from Sun’N’Fun, Rick and Gayle. Jordy got to go along too and see their doggy, Sarah. While the dogs relaxed at their house, we went into Louisville for a tour and to visit the Louisville Slugger Factory (which curiously used to be across the river in Indiana). It was fun although we could not take any photos in the factory. Geoff and Rick tried (in vain) to hit balls in the batting cages and we saw a fun film which made us ready for Spring Training to start.

Next we will be stopping in Nashville, TN for a couple of nights to take in the Grand Ole Opry before going to Dothan, AL for Rosh Hashanah and then (finally) off to Sun’N’Fun for the winter.

The End of Summer

Our Summer travels are coming to an end. We have been parked in Salem, Massachusetts now for more than two weeks while visiting with our sons and their families. We returned to Winter Island Park where we had come for the spring as well. It gave us an opportunity to return to some of our favorite spots. We took in a couple of exhibits at the Peabody Essex Museum and even became members. We saw the very end of the exhibit on maritime paintings by Joseph Turner and the beginning of the exhibit on the sculpture Calder. Plus we got to revisit some of the other exhibits in the museum in downtown Salem. We also got to go back to a few of the restaurants we enjoyed in our first time here. This time, we spent two days in the field and then two weeks on the water. There certainly are some fabulous views in Salem Harbor.

Of course the major reason for returning here is our Grandson, who is just turning one year old. Last year at this time, we came here for his birth and then stayed through the end of November to spend as much time as possible with him. Now he is walking and starting to imitate talking he hears and is doing a little sign language and understanding things you tell him. We got to sit with him once and to visit with him and his parents a few times. We went to the water park with him while the weather was still hot and he played in the water spray. Of course the highlight was celebrating his one year birthday. He certainly got a lot of gifts and his fill of chocolate cake. It was the most sugar he had consumed in his first year of life.

Tomorrow, after a lunch visit with Brian, Katherine and Oliver, we will move on. First stop is our friends David and Myra in Trumbull, CT and then we will make our way toward Elkins, WV. We have two states, West Virginia and Kentucky left on our camping map. We plan on staying in both of them and then we will have filled our states map by camping in each of the lower 48 and Alaska. We have also stayed in 7 of the Canadian Provinces. Our schedule is to be in our home in Sarasota, Florida by the end of September after spending the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah in Dothan, Alabama with our friends there. It was a great summer but autumn is upon us and we are looking forward to being back in our home.

Friends 2014

These are just a few of the friends we visited with this last year while traveling. It was nice to see them all.