After seeing the newest US National Park in West Virginia we make it to Niagara Falls and had a "lot-of-laffs". Great visit with and former Bay Area friend - Joel and his wife Beverly.
It was a week with some preventative maintenance on Ruby and BigAl - (Eagle Eye) Jo spotted some rubber peeling off a trailer tyre which we then replaced and after a precautionary "service" on the truck, we discovered that the both the rear and front brakes had burned out and all needed replacing. Pleased we did this before it got to be really dangerous.
Friday, September 17th - Piney Flats - nr Bristol, TN
After leaving the Great Smokeys, we arrive at our Harvest Host, a Moonshine Distillery. We parked in our signed Harvest Host spot and walked via all the outbuildings to find the distillery. The distillery had every flavour of moonshine you could think of and two types of moonshine slushies. We tried a lot the potency was too much for me if with the flavours. Really nice family owned business, Peter bought a small bottle of hot pepper moonshine and their brand of bloody mary mix. I had a blueberry alco-slushie which was a delight in the heat.
Saturday, September 18th, Egeria, West Virginia
We left the distillery early avoiding the main road to Bristol as today is the annual Bristol NASCAR race. For our route to our friend Joel and his wife Beverly, Joel suggested we meet him at a junction off from the motorway and assured us the route to the farm was trailer friendly. Joel found us pulled over on the verge and we followed him down and up windy narrow roads thinking OMG I hope we don’t meet anything coming in the opposite direction. Joel did say his neighbor had a trailer so the road must be OK, we rattled along every bump taking in the countryside and then the final dirt track to the cabin via the pond, we had a lovely flat area to reverse in and checked inside the trailer for the bumpy journey devastation and not too bad.
As well as meeting Beverly for the first time we saw Joel's daughter Claire who we haven't seen since Alvarado days. Lovely artistic woman who was fearless about nature and in fact was seeking and found snakes, and no I didn't ask to see it.
Sunday, September 19th, Egeria, West Virginia
What a great weekend, of great food, great company and amazing walks through Joel & Beverly’s woods,
we had campfires, foraged for wild mushrooms,
floated on the pond
and sitting on the porch/deck watching the clouds/sunset you really couldn’t get tired of this place, quite magical.
Monday, September 20th, Beckley, West Virginia
We all packed up to leave Joel & Beverly's to go to their town house, gorgeous spacious 1930’s period home. Joel had helped us find a mechanic and made an appointment for us to have Ruby-Ford F150 serviced, after almost 8000 miles we thought best to do it now before we put on the ship to Southampton. Good job too as all the brakes and things needed to be replaced. While this was happening Joel took Peter and I to New River Gorge National Park, the views were amazing and any of our really good photos here in the blog are Joel’s (Joel is a photographer by profession) and loved how he steps forward and says “just one more” 😊
Another amazing meal from Beverly what a treat to be in a gorgeous, spacious home.
Tuesday, September 21st, Ohio
We said our goodbyes and drove to Hocking Hills State Park campground, this campground was 50 miles outside Columbus, Ohio and our family friend's son, Sam and his girlfriend Lizzie. When we reversed back into our spot and I was putting the chocks/blocks on the wheels of the trailer, I noticed one of the tires was splitting, you know all that shredded tyre debris you see on the roads well that would have been us if we didn’t change it. After 3 hours in the rain, we have put on the spare, no time for walks in Hocking Hills. We leave early for our supper date with Sam & Lizzie to buy a replacement tyre.
We meet Sam & Lizzie for a lovely meal in their very hip part of town, near their apartment. We had a great evening catching up with them and hearing their thoughts of where they will be after Sam finishes his Physical Therapy training, only 20 months left of his 3 yr course. BTW - shame on Sam's San Francisco friends for not visiting him in Ohio as this is a very cool place to experience.
Wednesday, September 22nd, Conneaut, Ohio (near PN)
As we leave Hocking Hills, we stop and check they newly attached spare that every is OK, and go to Walmart Auto Center to put on the new tyre on the wheel hub as we will then have a spare, we also check the trailer wheels for any splits and tears. We also bought a spinning tyre iron as part of the 3 hours yesterday of changing the tyre/wheel was finding a tyre iron, which meant me going around our neighbors asking for a tyre iron that might fit our wheel nuts.
A torrential rain storm starts as we leave Walmart on our drive to Conneaut, Ohio – Buccia Winery. The rain last for 3 plus hours, it is the worst and longest rain storm both of us have ever been in on a motorway, at some stages we can’t see a thing. Finally out of nowhere there is a glimpse of blue sky and the turn off for the winery we are ahead of the storm and the tornado warnings – yikes.
The winery is an Oasis of warmth, friendly with cozy couches, a fire, a charcuterie board and a flight of wines to taste, so lovely. It felt so good to not be driving and watching the thunder and lightning storm from inside a non-moving space. The winemakers left their building open all night in case we needed anything.
Thursday, September 23rd, Niagara
The weather overnight was amazing the winds howling and shaking the car & trailer, this morning its blue skies and dry as we leave Conneaut with views every now and again of Lake Erie.
We arrive at Branches of Niagara Campground Resort, it’s a bit overcast, it was so nice to drive without blinding sheets of rain/water hitting our windscreen. We check the weather to figure out the best day time to visit Niagara Falls and that is tomorrow afternoon. We pop to a family owned Louisianan restaurant for supper, they moved up here after Hurricane Katrina and brought their menu here to Niagara as they lost their restaurant in New Orleans.
Friday, September 24th, Niagara Falls
We wake up to rain, and the forecast said it would stop at 10 am and it does, blues skies and wind, its time for Autumnal clothes, sweaters and jeans. No more hot & sticky days – hurrah!
We knew we would see alot of water today but we had way more fun than we thought we would. It was like being in a Waterpark, we got so wet and felt some of the force of the falls.
The boat trip on Maid of the Mist was brilliant we went so far into the base of the falls. The wind, spray and noise from the plastic ponchos flapping was amazing. The electric powered boat wowed Peter.
We then went for our second soaking and this time as well as a poncho we were given free water sandals. The Cave of the Winds, walk up and down algae covered stairs and the power of the spray blew us across the platforms so fun and so wet.
We were giggling like little kids, and then we hiked to as many viewpoints as we could find and then drove home back to the campsite for dry clothes and a cuppa. A fun day and not as touristy and cheesy as we thought.