Week 5 - Homeward Bound

 

peaceful evening at Bulltown Campground near Burnsville, WV

Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia

West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston

Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight  

poem by Vachel Lindsay

    We enjoyed our drive on the Cumberland Parkway through Daniel Boone National Forest and camped on Cumberland Lake.  On to Tennessee and our ill-fated attempt to visit the State Capitol in Nashville.  We were frustrated by the lack of visitor parking, so we gave up after seeing numerous "Permit Parking Only" signs.

    We spent two nights camping at Priest Lake and spent a day roaming around the Franklin and Murfreesboro area, locating geocaches.  We visited a National Park Service site - Stones River National Battlefield where one of the bloodiest Civil War battles was fought in December 1862.

in the stairwell of a public library

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

(Opening lyrics to "Taps", written by Union Army General Daniel Butterfield in 1862.)

Little Rock, Arkansas - our 24th state capitol visit

Not far past Little Rock, we exited the interstate to see an unusual building in Benton - the Gann Museum.  The building is made of blocks of bauxite (an ore of aluminum).  A knowledgeable young man inside gave us a tour and told us of the history of the building and its contents.

We decided to avoid Texarkana and drove minor roads in Louisiana and entered Texas near Caddo Lake.  We traversed very familiar territory in East Texas along US Highway 59.  

We traveled for 39 days, through 13 states, covering 7,046 miles.  We are now acclimating to the heat and humidity of Houston and are planning our fall adventure to Arizona, Utah, western Colorado, and New Mexico.