Al came home last night from his trip to Tampa....yea!! I was very glad to see him and he was very glad to be home. He was completely worn out from his "vacation". That'll teach him to run off just when we're making progress on getting the house ready to put on the market! We had dinner and started to watch a Roku/Netlflix movie, but he was just too tired and went to bed before it even got dark.
I've been looking at a good route to take for our potential Tennessee trip and a good place to stay a night. I know we could drive the 500 miles all in one day, but why would we? Mapquest has us going right around Atlanta and I'd rather not do that. Al thought maybe we could head north from Macon and then spend the night at a state park in Georgia or South Carolina. Margie gave me a reminder about the Mountain Directory, so I ordered one online. I probably could have gotten one at Camping World, but the nearest one is 45 minutes away, so I figured the gas would cost more than the $5 I spent on postage. They have an Eastern and Western book. I didn't get the Western one at this time, but I'm sure I will later. I think it will help me figure out the grades and elevations ahead of time. Margie gave me a good suggestion for handling scary roads. She said to 1. go into the bedroom and close the door. 2. put your head under the cover until it's all better!! I know most people don't think the Eastern Mountains are anything to worry about, but remember, I'm a Floridian and our highest elevation in the entire state is 345 feet, and I've never even been to that "mountain." Any other suggestions for things we might need to help us navigate, find campgrounds, live on the road? We have a good GPS, but the newer ones have the lane assist, which I think would be nice.
Well it's almost 7am and poor tired Al is still in bed. He never sleeps in! I'm planning to make him rest today and tomorrow there will be no mercy. :)
Here is an interesting site. It tells you the highest elevations in each state. It's a good way to help me avoid mountains! Well, I don't want to avoid them, I just want to see them from a distance or in the CAR!
Good decision to order that book. We have used ours a lot on this trip and prior trips - east and west.
ReplyDeleteMountains scare me too - mainly the descent. I'm a little more comfortable with them after this trip. I think I needed to know that Roger was capable of driving them - although some of them stressed him out...especially the one where the one brake got hot. We're both looking forward to flat land.
Do you have the book "Camping with the Corps of Engineers"? We are going to try to fit some of them into our eastbound travels. We've stayed in one in TN and they are wonderful and inexpensive because you can use the NPS park pass.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice for mountain driving is just to "go slow"! It's amazing how just a few miles per hour less can make the trip easy and enjoyable for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe he got up and went to bed. Jim just falls asleep on the couch until I wake him up when I want to go to bed.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in Montana I have such a different perspective of mountains. I'm not going to be any help to you at all.
But I sure hope you have a great time.
I think it will be fun to hear about all your planning for your trip. Those mountain books are nice for knowing what is ahead and how steep. No surprises that way!
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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/