Gettin' Wythe It!

It's been a bit since my last post. After my stay at Wilderness Road, I ventured North to the southeastern area of Ohio to camp at Iron Ridge at Lake Vesuvius. There's not much to say about the Iron Ridge campground, as it was literally a ghost town. It turns out that Lake Vesuvius had been drained to repair a dam valve, but there was no mention of this when I made my reservation. After the fact, I did find an alert about it on the US Forest Service website that governs this area. Oh well, sometimes things don't always go to plan.

My site at Iron Ridge Campground, Lake Vesuvius

After my brief stay in Ohio, I drove up to Indiana to stay at Clifty Falls State Park. It's a lovely campground and state park, within a short drive of Madison, IN, with lots of trails and waterfalls. In addition, staying there puts you within minutes of the Ohio River and a bridge crossing to Kentucky. Lots to see and do in the area for sure.

My youngest daughter drove down from Indianapolis to spend one night with me. We enjoyed each other's company, took in the local sights, and had a nice campfire that evening.

Site 72 at Clifty Falls State Park Campground

Prepping for our evening campfire

My closest neighbor had the funniest spare tire cover

After Clifty Falls, I headed South to Wilderness Road, as I was on my way back to Stony Fork campground in Wytheville to close escrow on my new-to-me house. However, there was a glitch in the Matrix, and my 30-day escrow turned into two months -- much weeping and gnashing of teeth on my part. LOL. 

Seriously, the appraisal went all wrong and my lender eventually ordered a second one. Needless to say, I did close escrow on August 25th, and I have been living in my new place for just over two weeks now. But, I owe a debt of gratitude to the camp hosts at Stony Fork campground for all of their encouragement and support while I was navigating the home purchase issues.

I am loving being in Wytheville. My older daughter is just two and a half hours to the East, and my younger, is less than a day away North of me. Both daughters have already paid me a visit, and we're all looking forward to spending holidays together in the future.

My first "decoration" -- a hind horseshoe from my childhood horse, Missy.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I would end up buying a house in Virginia! I have been looking for my "tiny" house for two years, and I finally found her. She's 86 years young, with 700 square feet of good bones and a long, interesting history of ownership. The previous owner had her up for rent for the past six years, and made major improvements, but I have many little "cosmetic" projects that will be keeping me busy for quite some time.

Blue Ridge Cottage

Binx has settled in nicely. She's happier than I've seen her in a very long time.

The geography surrounding me is absolutely stunning. I'm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, and the town of Wytheville has all of the amenities I need, with the added bonus of small town living. The people here are kind and welcoming, and I already feel like I've lived here for a long time.

The view from my back deck looking East on a foggy morning

This area is full of many similarities to places I have lived in my life. When I look out my back door, I feel like I'm in the English countryside, but with mountains. My house and the neighborhood I'm in remind me so much of my childhood home, and the backroads all around me are reminiscent of places like Highway 9 in Saratoga, CA and northern California's Lost Coast. 

Also, I'm at a higher elevation (2400'), which helps to keep the summer temps and humidity lower. I'm really in a sweet spot in more ways than one.

Summer is winding down and Fall is just around the corner and I can't wait to experience the leaf change. The Blue Ridge Parkway is very close to me and I've been told I need to drive it mid-October. So, stay tuned for updates from beautiful Wythe County and the surrounding area. I have so much to explore and experience and can't wait to share what I find with all of you.

Mind the Gap

Cumberland Gap, that is. :)

After my 2 week stay at Stony Fork, I ventured West to visit the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, and stay at the Wilderness Road campground. Sooooo much history here, which involved my ancestors, as I mentioned in my previous post.

Tucked away in Site C-17 at Wilderness Road Campground

There are lots of historic things to seek out and explore, as well as many trails and geographic sites. I know I'll be back here in a couple of weeks, so I didn't want to exhaust everything in one go, so I limited my exploration to visiting the historic town of Cumberland Gap, TN and the Pinnacle Overlook that is located within Virginia, and very close to the campground.

Panoramic view from Pinnacle Overlook
L-R, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky

Cumberland Gap, TN

It was so clear the day I visited the overlook, that I could actually see the Great Smoky Mountains that are approximately 66 miles south.

The National Park Service commissioned an artwork commemorating the great migration West on the Wilderness Road by artist David Wright. Looking at the scene brings to life what my ancestors experienced so many years ago when they made the journey from Virginia to Kentucky through the gap. A journey fraught with dangers and physical challenges -- one I'm not sure I could have made.

Gateway to the West by David Wright

Cumberland Gap, definitely something to put on your bucket list to see and experience.

Coming Back Home

Wait, it's not what you think. I am not heading back to Arizona. Rather, I have come to the state of Virginia, into which my paternal ancestors first emigrated back in the mid-1600s. Of course, at that time, Virginia was the first colony of what would become the United States. I've been fascinated with my paternal family history for many decades and on this trip, I've learned even more about them.

My 7th Great-Grandfather, William Ball, who was born in England in ~1632, emigrated to the colony of Virginia in ~1649 as an indentured servant on a ship captained by John Fleet, settling in Christ Church Parish, Middlesex, County. After the typical time of 5 years working off his indenture, he was granted a land certificate on October 24, 1653.

I have yet to visit Christ Church Parish, but it's on my list of places to see in Virginia in the future. But, I have been staying in an area that is very close to the great migration route, known as the Wilderness Road, where my ancestors traveled. It gives me goose bumps when I think about it. After leaving Virginia in the late 1770s, they settled in Kentucky and lived there for several generations.

I've been spending my time in Virginia in and around the town of Wytheville (pronounced With-vill), which is a small close-knit community, at an elevation of 2,400' in the Blue Ridge mountains. The Stony Fork forest service campground is only 8 miles from town, situated at the base of Big Walker mountain.

My own slice of the Jefferson National Forest - Site 45 in Stony Fork Campground

Stony Fork campground has its own resident Beaver that Steve, the camp host, refers to as the campground mascot.

Stony Fork creek that winds its way through the campground

As luck would have it, I found not one, but two four-leaf clovers in the campground. They are definitely getting easier to spot. Here's the second one I found. I've decided to no longer pick them and to leave them be for others to see.

The Big Walker lookout tower that has been managed by the same family for many, many years is located near the top of a lovely twisty, turning scenic byway, just a few miles from camp.

Big Walker Lookout and Store

View looking Northwest across the road from the lookout

In all, I spent two weeks at Stony Fork, just savoring the cooler, less humid climate. I ventured up north to West Virginia to check that state off my list (only 10 to go now) and stopped in the community of Bluefield.

My next camp takes me to the Cumberland Gap, which is home to some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen, as well as lots of national history.

Horses, Bourbon, Bluegrass, and KFC

Y'all know I'm talking about Kentucky! My drive through the state from Indiana to my campsite took me through some of the prettiest country I've ever seen. I stopped in Lexington, the racehorse capital of the world, where all of the major streets are named after famous horses. And, I saw my first "rickhouse" -- a storage facility where Bourbon is aged. Huge black buildings in the middle of the countryside. At first, I thought they were a data center. LOL.

My site in Holly Bay campground was very peaceful and quiet. Holly Bay is located on Laurel River Lake, one of Kentucky's cleanest, clearest, and deepest lakes. It was very pretty to say the least.

Site E3 at Holly Bay -- getting in the mood for the 4th of July

Laurel River Lake

I saw a lot of Poison Ivy all around my campsite. You know the rule, "Leaves of Three -- Let Them Be", unless of course they are a clover leaf.

A fun fact about where I was staying, is that just a few miles from camp (Corbin, KY) is where Colonel Harland Sanders concocted his famous "11 Herbs and Spices" recipe and perfected what is known today as Kentucky Fried Chicken. His Wikipedia page makes for some very interesting reading.

My next stop is Virginia, so stay tuned for that.

Hidden Paradise

My next camp after Illinois was tucked away along the grassy, tree-lined banks of the Flatrock River in the tiny town of St. Paul, Indiana, at Hidden Paradise Campground. The site is about 50 minutes from Indianapolis, but a world away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Site 74 along the Flatrock River

If you're a fan of Saturday Night Live from the old days, you may recall the hilarious Chris Farley skit, where as a "motivational speaker" he makes mention of what can happen to youth who go astray, and may up ending living in a Van down by the river. Fortunately, I have not gone astray, but, I was living in my Scamp down by the river. 

View of the Flatrock River from my campsite at Hidden Paradise

I also got "lucky" during my stay (okay, get your mind out of the gutter). What I mean by lucky is that I found a four-leaf clover while my daughter and her boyfriend were visiting me from Indianapolis. You see, this daughter has a knack of finding them, and I think some of that luck rubbed off on me.

A "lucky" find

For the young or young-at-heart, there is a fun water playground available for a fee at the campground. For free, you can kayak or tube the river.

Dream Lake at Hidden Paradise

The campground has a wonderful, fully stocked store, golf carts for rent, laundry, cabins, tent sites, electric sites and more. And, on weekends, they have Karaoke!! There is something for everyone at Hidden Paradise,

A couple of funny signs in the camp store

Stay tuned for my next post, coming from the beautiful state of Kentucky.

Feels Like Home to Me

I'm now in Illinois at one of my favorite campgrounds, Coon Creek, on Lake Shelbyville, just outside the charming namesake town of Shelbyville. This is my third stay here -- twice last summer -- and now this summer.

I can't quite describe why, but from the first time I was here last year, it just felt like home. Last year during my travels, I was having a difficult time finding a campground to stay in over the Labor Day weekend. I found Coon Creek and booked a site, but later realized it was Shelbyville, Illinois, not Shelbyville, Indiana as I had thought. When booking on your phone, IL and IN can look the same. I decided to go ahead with the stay as it was less than a 200 mile drive, and I'm so glad I did.

Shelbyville, IL is kind of in the middle of nowhere, halfway between Decatur and Effingham, but has everything you need. Stately old homes, cobblestone streets, a charming downtown, and there's also a beautiful U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) visitor center perched near the top of the dam that is a delight to visit.

The Lake itself is fairly large, with an abundant array of campgrounds, trails (bike and hike), and charming little towns along its borders.

Coon Creek has over 200 campsites, many with FULL hookups (water, electricity, and sewer) for a very reasonable price -- especially if you use the America the Beautiful pass to get 1/2 off. I chose a nicely shaded, private electric site a bit further from the main entrance this time.

Site 205 at Coon Creek Campground

Binx felt right at home in our cozy little campsite

I'm sure this won't be my last visit to Coon Creek, and I'm so glad that what seemed like a mistake last year turned out to be such a wonderful choice.

Let Freedom Ring(s)

I'm now in the absolutely beautiful state of Kansas. My route from Oklahoma took me through the Flint Hills, which are gorgeous, green rolling hills of tallgrass prairie.

I have to admit, other than Kansas being the home state of my former mother-in-law, I don't know much about the state. What I was pleased to learn is that Kansas was anti-slavery from before the Civil War -- fitting that I arrived at camp in time for Juneteenth.

Cedar Ridge Campground - Bloomington East USACE at Clinton Lake

The area surrounding my campground is steeped in history. At the bottom of Clinton Lake are the remains of the original town of Bloomington, most of which was moved to what is now the small town of Clinton. 

On the grounds of the recreation area is a small museum that has recorded some of the history. Near the museum is a beautiful art installation of circular rings, which connects the relationship of the Underground Railroad to the areas' ten extinct and extent communities. The rings revolve around a historic windmill tower, positioned in relation to the North Star.

"Freedom Rings" by Stephen Johnson

Bloomington East and Clinton Lake are also very close to Lawrence, Kansas, which is the home of the University of Kansas and the renowned JayHawks basketball team. I learned from my friend Derrick that the inventor of the game of basketball was KU's first coach. Also, the name JayHawk is very closely tied to anti-slavery, and the people of Kansas are very proud of that fact. I saw many KU and JayHawk supporters while in camp.

Kansas is much more than I thought and I'm hoping to be back for more.