June 12 - Westminster, MD

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at: 

 

Bounder Across America Itinerary 

 

Hello all.

Sorry we haven't updated our blog lately. Right now we're in a Safeway Supermarket in Westminster, MD checking our e-mail because the lame RV park where we're staying has had an internet wi-fi outage since last weekend.

We've been touring Washington DC and Baltimore, and today we visited Gettysburg.

As soon as we have reliable internet, we'll update the blog. (That may actually be a week or two - check out our itinerary link above so you know where we are for the next couple of weeks.)

Donna & Glen

June 8, 2008 - Broadway, VA (Shenandoah Nat'l Park)

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:

Bounder Across America Itinerary

We arrived at the KOA campground here Friday evening, and we're pleasantly surprised to learn that unlike many large commercial campgrounds, this KOA is located amongst forest and streams and is relatively pristine. We have a great site, and although we are in what appears to be wilderness at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we do have Wi-Fi Internet! Hurray!!

Yesterday we spent nearly the entire day driving the Skyline Drive that cuts across the ridge-line of the mountains, and forms the backbone of Shenandoah National Park. We travelled about half of the more than hundred mile drive, and were in awe of the natural beauty of this area.


The day was hot and humid as we left the lowlands, but the weather cooled a bit as we rose to the ridge (averaging about 3500' above sea level). The views of rows of mountain ranges that fan out from the main ridge were spectacular; and as the day progressed and some brief thunderstorms rolled in, the views became even more beautiful. Dawdling along the Skyline Drive, listening to the 'Shenandoah' CD that Donna bought at the Visitor Center, left us both immensely inspired at the beauty of this part of the country. It's sometimes hard to believe, that here, so near to where early settlement of this country began, there is still so much unspoiled natural beauty.

Donna took a lot of snapshots, and you can see a small sideshow of these shots by clicking on this link:

ShenandoahNational Park
June 7, 2008

We have found the folks here in Virginia to be extremely warm and friendly. There are a number of families camping at sites surrounding us who, although they live very near to this campground, come here every few weeks as a group. We had some interesting conversations, and managed to get a shot with Tracy, one of the gentlemen, for our 'Bounder Across America Tour' album. We took the photo so Tracy could show his friends a picture with 'Dick Butkus'. :))

'Dick' & Tracy'
at Mountain Valley KOA

Tomorrow morning we head out of Virginia, and will make our way to Woodbine, MD, where we will be staying for five days. We will use Woodbine as a base for visiting Baltimore and Glen's cousin, Stephen; and also for visiting Washington D.C. and our niece Erin.

Leave a comment so we'll know you were here!

Donna & Glen

June 5, 2008 - Bristol, TN (continued)

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:

 

 Bounder Across America Itinerary 

 

The day started with a pleasant surprise. We were getting anxious to get the dashboard a/c on the Bounder fixed, so we contacted a Lincoln/Mercury dealer in Kingsport, TN who also does RV repairs on Ford chassis motorhomes - and were told that they currently had about a 2 week backlog of work. After Glen gave a sob story about how we were just passing through, so there's no way this could do us any good, we were told that if we could get the RV in around 1pm, they could at least take a look. Not knowing what to expect (and fearing the worst - namely about a possible $1000 repair for a new compressor, or some such) we arrived promptly at 1pm.

 

Fred took a look under the hood, brought out his a/c repair console, and told Glen to start up the engine and turn on the a/c. Within a minute or two the cold air began to come forth, and soon there was enough cool air to practically cool the whole R/V. (Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, the temperature being near 90 - but it really was blowing cool!!) A half hour later Fred finished up, and said we could go into the office, as he'd forward the paperwork there for our payment. Now mind you, we'd noticed a sign that said labor was $70/hour, with a minimum of one hour per job, so we figured that although it would be far better than our worst guess, it would still run up to a couple of hundred bucks. When Glen went to the cashier, his jaw practically dropped to the floor. The total? $11.50, including tax! Fred had replaced 3 pounds of refrigerant, and charged nothing for labor.

So if you're ever travelling through Kingsport, TN, and need an RV repaired (or just wants to stop in and say 'Howdy' to some really nice folks) we can highly recommend Metro Motors.

After such a fine experience, we took the Bounder back to Rocky Top Campground and RV Park, and drove the car into Bristol (the second of the tri-cities - the third being Johnson City) for some lunch. First we stopped at Manna Bagels to pick up some bagels for tomorrow's breakfast, and asked about a good lunch spot. JJ's, just around the corner, came highly recommended. The small tidy eatery was cheerful looking, so we decided on a beer and some lunch (Glen a hamburger with some of the best home-cut fries he's ever had, and Donna for a 3 cheese vegetable quaesedea). The beer was cold and the food was excellent. The restaurant's been open for only a few weeks, and specializes in fresh food that is locally produced. It is highly recommended.

Donna & Glen enjoying a cold beer at JJ/s

Bristol is a bit of an oddity as a town, in that it's main street (State Street) is the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. We had lunch in Tennessee, and coffee in Virginia - and all we had to do was cross the street!

State Street, Bristol TN/VA

Later, when we returned to Rocky Top Campground and RV Park, we sat on the porch with owners, Joe and Sue, and rocked and chatted until Sue brought out a barbecue buffet for us to finish the evening.

By the way, check out Rocky Top's web site at:

http://www.rockytopcampground.com/

Donna & Glen with Rocky Top owners, Joe & Sue (and Willy)

All in all... a pretty good day!!!

Donna & Glen

June 4, 2008 - Bristol, TN

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:

 

 Bounder Across America Itinerary 

 

Today the weather was nearly tropical, with near record highs for this time of year. This would, of course, be the day that the cab air conditioning (run off of the engine) chose to give out. With windows wide open, we had a leisurely (but hot) drive in the Bounder through East Tennessee, arriving near Bristol, TN around 5:30pm at Rocky Top Campground, owned by our old friends Sue & Joe. They've owned the park for just a little more than 2 years, and they've done wonders here. We visited soon after they took over, and we knew then that they had their work cut of for themselves... but now, two years later, the fruits of their labors are evident. It's a beautiful place!

Tomorrow we'll see if we can find anyone who'd like to work on the a/c; but if not, we're not too worried... YET! When we get to the Southwest and the desert - that'll be the time to be concerned.

More to come - before we head out toward Shenandoah National Park in Virginia on Friday.

Donna & Glen

June 3, 2008 - On the Road Again

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:  

 

Bounder Across America Itinerary

 

We've been in GA for a month and what a wonderful month it was. Spending time with our son Glen Jr. , daughter-in-law Velvet and the apple of our eye - our grandson Evan - 3 3/4 yrs. old.

 

  Velvet, Evan & Glen Jr.

Don't grandchildren just make you feel like a child again? The giggles are the best and we sure had our share. Mother's Day was a family day and then we went to see Glen Jr. play soccer. May 11 was also our youngest son's birthday - Dave who lives in MN.

 

May 18 was another celebration as it was Glen Sr.'s, 63rd birthday. Our children surprised him with a GPS for our trip. Glen, Velvet, Evan, Glen and I decided to take a ride around the neighborhood to see how the GPS works. Evan kept saying, "Look Um-Pa, (Grandpa Glen) the road curves just like on the GPS". Believe me this is going to come in real handy on our trip across America. Already Glen has put in all the stops for our trip and that's some undertaking.

 

Donna got to meet with some of her Red Hat friends over lunch. Talk about giggling. Red Hatters sure know how to have fun.

 

Glen Jr. and Donna had a Son & Mom bonding time. We went to the Smith-Gilbert Arboretum in Kennesaw, GA and strolled through their gardens. Lots of good conversation came from this one-on-one time and we definitely want to do it again.

 

This past weekend Donna & Velvet had their time together. We went on a whirlwind clothes shopping tour. I haven't done this in ages and we really had what I refer to as a 'fun to do' time.

 

While we shopped, Glen, Um-Pa Glen and Evan had their bonding time. They went to the 'big park' to play a bit and then on to the bookstore for reading time.

 

Babysitting for Evan is the best. He's becoming a real conversationalist. He loves playing games and 

when Evan wins, he says, "Um-Pa.......I'm awesome". Of course we giggle. How could you not?

Tomorrow we will start the second leg of our journey and head to Blountville, TN where friends of ours own a RV Campground, then looking forward to seeing our niece Erin in D.C. and Glen's cousin and his wife in Baltimore, but more on that visit next time.

 

When you have a minute, feel free to comment. We'd enjoy hearing from you.

Donna & Glen

May 4, 2008 - We've Completed Our First Leg!

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:

 

 Bounder Across America Itinerary

 

Well, we've made it to Marietta, GA without mishap - completing the first leg of our journey. We plan to be here for a month. 

 

We have a few minor RV tasks to accomplish before we start our next leg, but nothing other than routine maintenance. For the most part, we hope to enjoy some rest and relaxation with our son and daughter-in-law and grandson. We had a great stay, for two nights, at F.D. Roosevelt State park at Pine Mountain, GA. On Saturday the weather was a bit gray, with occasional drizzle, but for a couple of travelers who've lived in England - not enough to slow us down. 

 

Mostly the day was spent touring the 'Little White House' in Warm Springs, GA. This is where President Franklin Delano Roosevelt bought land and built a home in 1932. He believed that the warm springs would help his Polio. Although there was no cure, this became the spot where he was most comfortable during the rest of his life. (It was here where he came, after meeting with Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill at Yalta in the final days of World War II - never returning to Washington D.C.) He died in Warm Springs on April 12, 1945) 

 

At the Visitor Center for The Little White House we watched a film about FDR's life. In the film there was a story about a handicapped little four year old Warm Spring's girl who he befriended - helping her to overcome some of her disability. Later in the day, as we toured the famous warm spring baths, we met an elderly woman who asked us if we'd ever heard about how FDR Had helped a young girl back in 1936. She went on to give us her 'first-hand' account of the story, as she was Suzanne Pike - the young girl befriended by FDR! It seems that the president had promised that if she could learn to stand and walk in braces, he would give her a special surprise. As it turned out, she did indeed learn to manage the braces, and so she was invited to The Little White House to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with the president. For us, hearing the story from 'Suzie' (as FDR called her - she called him 'Rosie') was the highlight of our visit to Warm Springs. 

 

Donna with Suzanne Pike

In the evening we headed to the small town of Cataula, where our friends Faye & Glenn recently bought a home. (We met them a few years ago when we first came to Marietta in our motorhome.) We very much enjoyed 'catching up' with them, and enjoyed a wonderful dinner that Faye prepared for us. 

Now that we are in Marietta for a month, there probably won't be a lot of 'blogging' - until we set out for points East on June 4. Until then, we hope all are well, and we look forward to your comments here at BounderAcrossAmerica!!

Donna & Glen

May 1. 2008 - We're On Our Way!!

Don't forget to check out our itinerary at:  

Bounder Across America Itinerary

 

After months of planning and preparation, it's hard to believe, but in 9 hours we'll be on our way. Our first leg takes us only about 10 miles away. 

 

The Bounder has had a recall from Ford for a faulty cruise control switch. Apparently this is the largest recall in Ford history, and because there have been some serious fires resulting from the problem, we thought we'd stop at the local Ford dealer before going too far. 

 

Hopefully, after only a half hour or so, we'll be continuing on for about another 300 miles, staying for a couple of nights at F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Southern Georgia. Our friends, Faye & Glen, live nearby, and so we'll have the opportunity for a visit over dinner. 

 

Then, on May 4, we'll pack up and head just 75 miles to Marietta, GA, where we'll be staying for a month. We can't go away for such a long time without a bit of quality time with our Grandson - Evan. Once we've actually made some progress, we'll post again and let everyone know how this leg turned out. Drop us a Comment and let us know you've been here.

Donna & Glen