RV Adventures

October is over and I am sad. It is time to tuck our beloved RV in for the winter. This means drain the tanks and pipes of water and refill with antifreeze, so that when we are ready to head out next spring we won't find water trickling down the walls in some unexpected places. Before October faded into the past, we squeezed one last trip in to a very busy couple of weeks. We headed to Lake Allatoona Marina Campground in Cartersville, Ga. for three days.

And of course, we had a chance to add to our list of adventures.

First rule, reconfirmed. DO NOT put the address of the campsite in your GPS from memory. There will probably be a major routing difference between Chestnut Street, Chestnut Drive, Chestnut Landing or Chestnut Avenue. We, of course, did put the address in from memory and after driving through narrow, busy downtown streets searching for our lakefront campsite, we finally decided to check it. OOPS. Note to self: RVs with Toads do not make U-Turns. Country roads do not have 6 lane turn-arounds. And we don't back up! Double check the address before leaving!!

Rule No. 2: Follow the directions in the RV Camping Directory when it tells you what exit to take off of the interstate. My always adventurous husband decided to leave I-75 at exit 290 instead of exit 283 because, "that road should take us down there, shouldn't it?" Um hmm. Perhaps that is also why we were winding our way through narrow, busy downtown streets. Not all roads are RV friendly. Your favorite RV directory probably knows better! Refer to the consequences stated in Rule No. 1.

We managed to make it to the campsite in tact, and settled into our site. Before long we heard the sound of an approaching train. The train blew its whistle--3 short, 1 long (very long) blasts as it neared a crossing, and then rumbled past the campground.

Fence=edge of campground. Trees=non-soundproofed barrier by train track.

As we sat at the picnic table, we eyed the train passing through the trees. Larry said, "They missed this part in the campground description." We both thought back to the tracks we had crossed over as we came into the campground.

"I wonder if they observe quiet hours?" I said. 

The next morning we pulled ourselves out of bed, and said, "Nope. They don't observe quiet hours." I counted 12 trains that went by during the night. 

In spite of the trains that frequently went by, we enjoyed our stay at the lake, and exploring nearby Cartersville. Cartersville turned out to be a really nice town with some interesting places to check out. 

The Welcome Center was a renovated Train Depot along tracks that are still used.

The Welcome Center was a good place to start, and the woman we spoke with gave us some good ideas of places to eat lunch. The variety of choices covered a real diner with counter seating only, Pizza at the Mellow Mushroom, Swheat Market for healthy offerings, wings and oysters (an interesting combination) at Jefferson's as well as atmosphere at some other downtown establishments. We settled for Monte Cristo's at the Appalachian Grill. I ate almost the whole thing and then swore off all food for the next 3 days to counteract the calories I had just consumed. But boy, was it good!

Walking around town I found a great variety of shops to peruse. Larry found plenty of benches from which to observe the world.

Note the train tracks from four directions meeting at Cartersville

I discovered a map of the area drawn in concrete, that explained the importance of trains to the area. Cartersville is located at a spot in the mountains where the ridges are easiest to cross. The trains come from north, south, east and west and converge to cross the Etowah river. While there was a single track by our campground, trains went by there in both directions meaning there were double tracks that came to a single track at that point.

Notice where the track crosses the water? Draw an RV next to the track. Add 2 sleepy people by the RV.


This was also a main battle and defense area during the civil war when the North held control of the train track. Today, transportation by train seems to be alive and well in that region. 

As we walked past Young Brothers Pharmacy the displays in the window drew us inside. It quickly became my favorite spot downtown.

The first thing I noticed was the great Coca-Cola wall outside. (more about this in a moment) Walking inside I was instantly transported back to my childhood. This was a true pharmacy, not the typical drugstore/mini mart of today.

I love the checkerboard floor and the simple low shelving

At the front of the store the shelves were full of all things Coca Cola.We were intrigued by the massive display. Clearly there was a strong connection with the famous brand.

Looking for Coca Cola paraphernalia? Here it is!

 It all became clear when Larry came across a scrapbook near the front door. Apparently the owner of the drugstore had heard tales that under coats of paint on an outside wall was an original painting advertising Coca Cola. In researching the rumors he discovered that back in 1894, Coca Cola Salesman, James Coudon, made the offer that any store selling Coca Cola could have their wall painted with the advertisement for free. Then he proceeded to paint the sign. This store was the first one ever to get the Wall sign! In 1989, the owner, Dean Cox commissioned some restorers to find the sign. The article detailing the work was fascinating. And sure enough, 25 coats of paint down, there was the original sign.

There is plenty of history to peruse in Cartersville.  The Bartow County Museum and the Booth Western Art Museum affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute came well recommended. There were great reviews of the Rose Lawn Museum which is actually an old house..  I would enjoy visiting these places but we ran out of time. Something to do if we go back! 

I did get a chance to visit the Etowah Indian Mounds and the Etowah Archaeological Museum.

The day I went turned out to be School Day, and the parking lot was packed with buses and cars. The advantage was that I was able to tag along with some class groups and hear some narration by the park rangers. However, watching the video was pointless as the teachers used that room as a roundup and transition place for groups. 

Map of the village on the banks of the Etowah River.
A mock up of the village in the museum shows the placement of the celebration plaza, villagers huts and fields where crops were grown.

I originally thought the mounds were referring to Burial mounds, but that wasn't the case. This was a community. The Chief lived on the highest mound and conducted business from there. The lowest mound was, indeed, a burial mound.

There were two paths visitors could take so with all the kids on the main field, I chose the perimeter path which took me by the river and brought me to the back of the mounds.

Lots of steps led up to the top of the mounds. The school kids had made the climb to the top of the highest mound. I eyed those steps and promptly headed to the lowest mound. I climbed those steps and declared that sufficient to assuage my curiosity. It was a mound. It is a mound. Big hill. Lots of steps. Lots of grass. No chief living there now. All still safely buried. 

The area was well marked with plaques explaining how things were done. This hut under construction demonstrated how they built their homes and covered them with Georgia clay. These were not nomadic people. This was a permanent community of several thousand people who lived here over 600 years, in the years before the European explorers arrived. By 1550 they had moved away.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit I picked up was how the Indians farmed. They planted their three main crops--corn, beans, and squash--together. The corn grew tall and provided a pole for the beans to climb. The beans produced nitrogen and returned nutrients to the soil that the corn needed. The squash grew along the corn and the large leaves provided shade on the ground helping to keep the moisture in. How clever! It shows how effective companion crops can be.

One last site I visited was the Allatoona Battlefield located just outside our campground. Soldiers from five northern states and six southern states fought there in an effort to secure control of the railway system through the pass. Signs detailing the importance of this place during the civil war told of a bloody battle to win control of the train track. Both the northern states and the southern states placed granite stones recognizing the units involved. This memorial is arranged in a semi-circle at the site of the old railway track to commemorate this battle.

  Today the track has been relocated and widened a few yards away. The old track is now a foot path open to the public.

All in all, our last trip was a good one. We managed to sleep through most of the trains by the last night. At least we didn't hear as many. The campground itself was a very nice one and the lake was beautiful.

Frog's final trip of the season was a good, but it was time to head home. The hummingbirds have flown south. The leaves have fallen. It is time to let Frog hibernate through winter.

 (If you've forgotten my reference to the RV as Frog, refer to my post a year ago on 10/25/14.)

October, Corvette Month: Part 2, Setting a World Record

Corvette owners, indeed most sports car or motorcycle riders, keep a mental list of great roads to drive. They usually involve lots of turns; the kind that test your vehicle, show off its suspension, handling, and your driving skills.

One of those roads is US 129 crossing the mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina. It is called The Tail of the Dragon. If you look at it on map, it kind of looks like a dragon tail.

It's claim to fame is 318 curves in 11 miles. Speed is not as big a deal on this stretch of road because many of those turns are very tight hairpin curves that bring the car to about 25 mph. But even at that speed, centrifugal force takes over leaving the driver clinging to the steering wheel, and the rider grasping for a handhold.

Thanks to some of these turns, vehicles over 20' are prohibited from driving this stretch.

Since this stretch of road is not far from us, we have been on it a few times. On October 16, 2015, corvette owners from all over the United States signed up to set a Guinness World Record for the most corvettes to drive the Tail of the Dragon in one day. Since there is no official count, whatever we came up with would set the record. The hope was to get 200+ cars involved. There were well over 438 corvettes when it was all said and done, but the official record will be 438 because that was the number that officially signed up!

Corvette Caravan: View of our club from our rearview mirror

Our club left Blairsville, Ga at 9:30 that morning and headed for Loudon, Tennessee to attend the Corvette Expo. Once there, we registered for the run and received our certificate.



Car shows are mostly about walking around admiring someone else's car, or sitting by your car as people come and admire yours. Think of it as you will; 'exciting' probably doesn't quite describe it, but it can have its moments when you come across some really unusual old cars, new cars, souped up cars,.... anyway, it's a car show.

Happy 'Vettes wear happy faces. 

Love this sign! Humor and reality meet.

At 3:30 pm the moment had arrived to line up the cars. At that point, we didn't know just how many cars were participating but we knew it was a lot. As we sat in our car and waited for the signal, 'gentlemen, start your engines', we could hear a gentle, low rumble take over the hill above us where the first cars were getting ready to go. We didn't start our engine, because while there was a 'gentle, low rumble' in the distance, if it had been OUR engines we would not have been able to hear when it was our turn.

Our arm of the car show, lined up and waiting for the call to GO!

I was glad the day was sunny and not cold. For a convertible owner, it would have been unthinkable to participate in such an event with the top up. However, it also wasn't warm. The sun was bright in a clear blue sky, but the air had a chill to it, so I had my fleece headband protecting my ears, and my hoodie and windbreaker and heated seats protecting the rest of me as we headed into the mountains.

We took our place in an already lengthy line and rumbled out of the Loudon Municipal Park. Engines revved as we accelerated onto the highway. Traffic was not an issue. This was an official event and every (EVERY!) intersection for miles was blocked by local police. I wondered what the people sitting in traffic one mile from the traffic light were thinking as Corvette, after Corvette, after Corvette........ kept passing them by. Did we feel a little smug? Of course. It's hard not to as a police officer holds everyone back and waves you through a red light!

For some of the onlookers, it was truly fun. I glimpsed people standing outside stores, eyes fixed on the passing parade of sports cars. One couple, who had planned ahead, had pulled their car over and set up lawn chairs. (By the time our parade was done they probably wished they'd packed a picnic lunch.)  As we passed a Harley-Davidson store five guys stood outside. (I told Larry they were standing at attention, saluting. "Really?" he asked. "Well, the sun was in their eyes, so maybe that's why their hands were there," I admitted.)

As we finally turned onto 129, a group outside a store cheered and waved. I would love to know how long they had been standing there. We were in the middle of the pack and cars had been going by for quite a while.

Leaves filtering down left water spots on the windshield.

I must confess, that when 438 cars line up to drive the same road, it definitely changes the tempo. As in any traffic jam, when one car slows up for a turn, the accordion effect takes over and the whole pack slows down. This run really wasn't about speed, superb handling or skilled driving. It was totally a numbers game. Even so, it was fun!

11 miles and 318 turns later we turned into The Dragon Motorcycle Resort at Deals Gap, in North Carolina. It's an iconic pit stop, and that's why we were there...i.e. bathroom break and soda pick up (or drain and refill). Fifteen minutes after we pulled in corvettes were still filing by!

Some went on to Fontana Dam for a photo op, but by then, it had been a long day and we had an hour drive home.

So with the sun setting, the temperatures dropping to a cool 52 degrees, the heated seats on, and the top still down, we said goodbye to the Dragon. It had been fun. I'm really glad we were able to say WE were there, the day the World Record was set.

Now, dinner was calling.

11 Miles, 318 Curves, 438+ corvettes! Yeah, It was definitely worth it.

NOTE: When checking sources online, I found one article that said the unofficial count was 423. Our club president sent us an email telling us the count was 438. Whatever the official count turns out to be, it was still a pretty awesome experience!

This link has a pretty good video of the Tail from the cockpit of a Corvette. guinness-world-record-on-the-tail-of-the-dragon/

October--A Corvette Month: Part 1, National Corvette Museum

We've barely had a chance to take our corvette out this summer, but this month we tried to make up for that. For starters we took a 3-day trip to Bowling Green, KY, home of the Corvette factory and National Corvette Museum. The factory and museum are on adjacent properties. We toured the factory first, but no cameras are allowed inside. In fact, the only thing one can take is their ID and car keys. Everything else stays locked in the car.

All corvettes are made in Bowling Green, and all are made to order, whether they are ordered by the dealer or special ordered by a customer. And customers can make that order as special as they want. (We saw one 'fully loaded' with a price tag of $99,000! Personally, for that amount of money I'd rather have something on 4 wheels that's equipped with a bathroom and a bed!)

If you do order one from the factory you can arrange to go through the factory and watch it being made, then have it hand delivered to you at the museum! All this special treatment comes with a fee, but it is a really cool opportunity.

Assembly lines are fascinating. Watching robots bob up and down, or twist around welding parts is just fun to see. But I watch in wonder as a frame comes from one area and an engine or seat comes from somewhere else to meet at just the right spot and at just the right time.  I think the engineers who do the math and figure it all out are amazing. My mind simply can't work that way.

After the factory tour we visited the museum. Not being a true car buff, I focused on what made this place unique.

National Corvette Museum: They Yellow Cone is the Rotunda. More about that in a moment.

Entering into the building you are greeted by a long hall. The day we were there, there were eight cars lined up on each side of the hall, behind ropes. These cars were being delivered to their new owners at 10:00 that morning.

View from the back of the hall, facing the entrance.

Each car had a sign with the name of the person who would receive their car. Some of these people were already walking around, examining the one they would take home. Their excitement was palpable.

This guy was ready and waiting! It was actually a photo op of him in his new car; another 'special order' perk.

On the right side of the hall, was the gift shop and the rest rooms across the way were clearly marked.

There was an arrangement of flags on one wall that I found really unique. It seems people send American flags that have been flown in a variety of places to the museum and they have placed them on this wall. I called it The Wall of Honor.

(The plaque isn't crooked. It's the angle I had to use to avoid any glare.)

I also noticed a wall of military emblems in the factory. When I asked about it I was told that everyone who has been in the military and works in the factory has their name and branch of service on that wall.

There were lots of displays of cars that had stories behind them, but the focus for many people right now is the display in the rotunda. (That big yellow cone you see in the Museum photo) Early on the morning of February 12, 2014,  the earth gave way under the floor of the rotunda. A collection of cars on loan from various people and organizations was on display there. When the dust settled, eight cars had disappeared into the sinkhole. All eight were eventually recovered, although it took ground penetrating X-Ray to find some of them.

The building has been repaired and reopened. Two jagged lines are painted on the floor. One shows the opening in the floor, while the other outlines the entire hole under ground. The cars are once again on display, but there is a difference. Only three could be restored. The remaining five are on display as they were pulled out of the hole.

The blue car was the first one pulled out. It was damaged, but started right up and was driven out of the building. It has been fully restored. The white car was the 1,000,000 corvette ever made and had special signatures on it. It was a mess, but it was able to be restored. The black corvette on the lift in the background still has some damage on the door, and the fender. It will also be restored.

The pictures that follow are ones that were too damaged.

Wow. Not much to say here. Amazing the tires aren't flat.

Museums are good at salvaging and using everything. This rock is no exception. It was embedded in one of the cars. Now it is part of the landscaping.

After looking at the devastation, it was nice to go back to the entrance hall and see the brand new cars waiting for new homes.

The guy in the blue shirt (that would be my husband) isn't buying, just dreaming. For that's what corvettes do to people. Many start dreaming of owning one before they can barely drive. Just like that guy. And no matter when you get one, when you do, the wait was worth it.

Once you get it, the best part is just driving it. This month we had the chance to participate in a record setting event driving our car. Stay tuned for Part 2--The Tail of the Dragon!