We waited until early June to leave on our summer migration north to see our first grandchild finish elementary school. The end of May saw a flurry of school functions for all three grandchildren and preparations for this trip.
Three generations have passed through the halls of Clear Lake City Elementary.
Logan looked quite sharp in a suit for the last day of fifth grade.
On our last four-month adventure driving to Alaska through Canada, we missed most of last summer's brutal heat and drought in Houston. We were eager to set off on this newest journey.
The first two days of the trip were quite arduous with us logging 500 miles each day. As the road began to rise into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, we both felt more relaxed. We made a stop near Chattanooga to visit Chickamauga National Battlefield before heading east into Cherokee National Forest for a lovely night at Chilhowee Recreation Area with fireflies for company. The road up the mountain had terrific viewpoints and I could feel the beauty and grandeur fill my soul.
International Friendship Bell represents peace and friendship with Japan.
It weighs 8,300 pounds, was designed in Oak Ridge, and cast in Kyoto.
It is constructed to last 1,000 years.
It commemorates lives lost in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Our next target was Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, where Daniel Boone forged a trail across the Appalachian Mountains - the Wilderness Road. The Pinnacle Overlook in the park is very near where Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet.
Rainy weather made for interesting views from overlooks
old iron furnace
Along the interstate on the way to Roanoke, VA, we saw a sign for "Birthplace of Stephen F. Austin." As alumni of Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, we were intrigued and made a side trip to the small community of Austinville on the New River.
(Texas flag is on the left pole)
From Roanoke, we drove the northern 120 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. (In 2015, we drove the entire 469 miles of the parkway from Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.) We prefer the slower pace of 35 - 40 mph and the absence of 18-wheelers with lovely scenic views around every bend.
Under the Roanoke River Bridge
Kris was given a book about trails by grandson Caleb for Mother's Day so a stop along the Parkway
where the AT crosses was a fun photo op.
Several weeks before Mother's Day, we made camping reservations at Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania. As I later learned, the AT passes through this park and is the location of the Appalachian Trail Museum, the only museum in the country dedicated to hiking. It is also the midpoint of the entire AT. Serendipity is a beautiful thing!
Old sign from the northern terminus at Mount Katahdin, Maine. A newer one is there now.
An original trail shelter that was taken apart and moved to the museum.
We encountered this gentleman at Mile 0 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. He is a "through-hiker"
and left Georgia on March 20. He graciously allowed us to take this photo.
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