We are making our second trip in our Winnebaggo VIEW, and have a 250cc scooter mounted and strapped on the back. The scooter will make it easier to explore an area when we are parked for two or three days--instead of battening down the VIEW to move it.
We left home on November 20th at 6:00 AM right on schedule. We hadThanksgiving dinner with James' family in Virginia, and on Friday, the ten of us went to Fort Hunt, which is just 11 miles south of Washington, DC, and was built in 1897 to help protect the city.
We rode the scooter to the fort, and the rest of the family drove, taking their bikes for a beautiful day of exercise. At Fort Hunt, the kids ran around, climbed trees, and tossed a football before hopping on their bikes to ride the trails.
James and I explored the fort, which was originally was part of George Washington's River Farm. During World War II, the fort was a top security intelligence operation then known with the code name "P.O. Box 1142". German war prisoners were housed at the fort for interrigation. It is ironic that a military investment eventually turns out as a park for everyone to enjoy and commune with mother nature.
Traveling to and from Fort Hunt, we rode through the 'Old Town' section of Alexandria. The buildings are beautifully preserved, but some of the businesses are modern such as cell phone stores, while others are pubs and antique shops that reflect times gone past. There, also, is the George Washington Masonic Memorial and Museum which we have gone past, but never stopped to investigate. This will have to be for another day.
We left the family on Sunday morning, heading west on Route 66 towards Front Royal which is in the beautiful Shenandoah National Forest, and the starting point for the Skyline Drive. We have driven the Skyline Drive twice, and backpacked in the forest, but this time we had different plans, and kept going!
Rather than go on I-81, we traveled along US RT 11, It was more scenic and passed through villages with Historic Districts that were well kept. We also went through farmland with acres of rolling fields and herds of Black Angus cattle.
Traveling from state to state on the Interstate Highway System, we always stop at the Welcome Center. Each state has displays of their culture, and offers free road maps of the state. Some will also offer coffee or other refreshments as well as vending machines for snacks. While we always get AAA regional maps before we leave on a trip, it is good to have each state map which show local roads. Back on I-81 we saw a burned out tractor trailer on the north bound lane. It must have been fairly recent or it would have been removed from the side of the road.
One difference on the Interstates, is what they allow for overnight parking at their rest stops. In Georgia, no overnight is allowed, while in neighboring Florida, not only do they allow overnight parking, but they have armed security as well. Tennessee only allows 2-hour stops at their rest areas, and Arkansas posts signs stating that "overnight camping" is allowed. James wants to test the 2 hour limit and if and when the time limit is enforced, to ask the question what will he do if he still feels--after two (2) hours--he is too tired to drive! Abuse is one thing, arbitrary time limits is something else.
In Tennessee, on I-40, we passed by fields of solar panels. This was the West Tennessee Solar Farm, in Stanton, TN. The solar panels cover 25 acres and can generate 5 megawatts of power. This can power 500 homes and save 250 tons of coal per month! There is an educational and informational center there to educate the public on the use of solar power. The American Vagabonds support renewable energy and have concerns about Gobal Warming,
The VIEW is self-contained and we 'boondock' at Walmarts along the way. (Which means parking in the lot, away from the store. Walmart welcomes travelers as we usually make purchases in the stores.) There always seems to be a few other travelers in the parking lots. At a Walmart in Knoxville, we were joined by seven RVs and two tractor trailers. Most of the Walmarts in the country are Super Centers opened 24 hours.
In some areas, 'boondocking' is not allowed. If there is a local attraction, and a few private campgrounds there, the campground owners band together and ask the town fathers to ban parking at Walmart, Target, and other places of business that generally allow overnight parking. In those cases, we leave the town and go to a rest area or truck stop. What the campground owners don't realize is that we are traveling---not camping. Most of the time, here for 8 to 9 hours and then gone.
The morning after staying at the Memphis Walmart, we went into the store to replentish our food supply. We saw a tow truck with a Nissen Pathfinder on the hook. We talked to the driver's buddy and discovered that they were Repo Men and were taking the SUV away. Imagine coming out of the store with your packages to find your vehicle missing! I hope they call the police to inform them!
Thursday, November 29, was a beautiful, warm day. I think the forcast back home in Connecticut was not so nice. Driving through Memphis we passed by the famous and magnificent St. Jude's Hospital where they do such good work with serious children's illnesses. We then drove across the Mississippi River and into Arkansas.
At the Arkansas Welcome Center, it was suggested that we leave the interstate and take an alternate route to avoid heavy construction and traffic congestion. The route they gave us (RT. 70) took us through the countryside with a narrow road--no shoulders--and big ditches on either side. We went through small towns, (population 600 - 1600) some of which had very little business and several abandanded buildings. One town had huge grain elevators and silos along the road.
Route 70, which runs parallel to I-40, also follows the "Trail of Tears" that the U.S. Government dictated to the Indiams. Cheorkee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole Indians were forced to leave their lands and walk to Oklahoma Territory in 1830, mandated by the Federal Indian Removal Act.
There were ponds along both sides of the road (Route 70) in one town which were for spawning catfish. As we drove, James noticed a flock of birds flying over. There seemed to be no end to the flock--there must have been thousands-- geese possibly heading to their winter feeding ground. We saw close to every goose in North America!
We are now heading to Oklahoma, to see the Cherokee Capitol in Tahlequah, OK.
Don't forget to check out our website: http://www.americanvagabonds.net
James and Joan, The American Vagabonds
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