Day 68 – Nashville, TN

Short report today, we’re having a little bit of a late evening tonight because Geri and Don went to a show. More about that later. Had two walks this morning; Geri thought it was going to rain right away, and wanted me to get my walk, so she took me out. Didn’t rain, so Don took me for another walk at our usual time. Yeah, got my exercise, did my business, did my sniffing, but didn’t meet a soul; think everyone sleeps late in this park. When we were all dressed and ready (I was the first one ready), we got into the truck and headed for town. We found a parking garage downtown and parked the truck and me, so I could do some napping. Geri and Don went to the State Capitol, which was built in the 1850’s. Their report to me was that it an attractive design, a bit on the small side, with legislative chambers that were nicely appointed, but far from extravagant. I think they still favor the Montana Capitol. On the way back to the truck they stopped by the Tennessee State Museum, which they said had really excellent displays and exhibits on the history of the State. We drove down to the river bank and parked to take a walk down to the replica of Fort Nashboro, which was Nashville’s first settlement. It’s fairly historic itself, as it was originally constructed in 1930. Then we took a drive through the Music District, where the music industry is centered; block after block of recording studios, agents offices, publicists, attorneys, everything it takes to make records.

Back to the coach, and Geri took me for my evening walk. I spied a lady eating something out of a bowl, and I thought that I should offer to clean her bowl when she was finished. I looked at her and wagged my tail in a very friendly manner; she smiled and waved at me, saying something in a language that I didn’t understand. I took that as an invitation, and charged over to her, dragging Geri behind. Turned out she was eating Wheat Chex, and she gave me one, again with some words I didn’t understand. Geri tried to drag me away, but I wasn’t moving. Duty called, and I was there to clean that bowl. Geri was getting mad, and I decided that I’d better humor her by going back to the rig. When she got me alone, she told me that the lady was speaking French, and was saying, “I’ll give you one of these if you will just leave, you nasty beast!” I don’t if I believe her.

So, I got dinner and they headed out for the show, which was at a theater right next door to the RV Park. When they came back, several hours later, they were raving about the show. It was all country music, with a little bit of comedy, and they said that all of the performers were terrific. Understand, these two should not be considered connoisseurs of country music by any stretch of the imagination. But they have listened to a lot of it while we’re traveling and enjoy most of it. They thought that these artists were so good that they bought two of their CD’s. They said the buffet dinner was good, too.

We’re out of her tomorrow, looks like we’re heading for Memphis. Looking forward to some more beautiful Tennessee scenery. Will check in with you tomorrow!

Day 67 – Nashville, TN

Most of my report today is going to be second hand information, because I stayed home all day while they were out gallivanting around. They thought that the weather was too hot for me to be in the truck most of the day, so I had to stay in the air conditioned coach catching up on my napping. Truth is, I did have some catching up to do. Even my morning walk with Don was kind of a snoozer, as I only got to meet one person who wanted to pet me. On the plus side, I got my lunch early before they left. They were gone until about five in the afternoon, in time for my dinner on schedule. Of course, they had to tell me about all the wonderful things they had seen and done, while I yawned. Let’s see, they went to the home of another long dead President, this one by the name of Andrew Jackson, who was apparently quite a character. When he was inaugurated as President, he threw a big party in the White House and invited everyone in to eat and drink their fill. A lot of people got really drunk and started a riot, and they had to call in the police and the Army to shut it down. He chased thousands of Indians out of their homelands, then adopted one Indian child. Then he invented the Democrat Party. But, before he was President, he was a really good General. Don sang me a song about him, something about how we fired our guns but the British kept a’comin, but there wasn’t nigh as many as there were awhile ago. I don’t think he sang it very well. But they said the house was very interesting, the rooms were very large and nicely decorated, and the furniture was mostly original. They thought the wall paper in the halls was particularly interesting, as it had been made to order in Paris, France. The gardens were quite beautiful, they said, and they liked the fact that many of the plants were identified. So, they were impressed with the house and grounds, though they had mixed feelings about the President himself.

Next, they headed to downtown Nashville and went to a place called Centennial Park. This was where the people of the State of Tennessee had their one hundredth birthday party, back in 1897. From the pictures they saw, it was quite a party. They built some really spectacular pavilions and other buildings, and even had electric lighting in some of them! When the party was over, they tore down or moved all of the buildings they had put up, except for one. And that was what Geri and Don went to see. It’s a full-sized replica of the Parthenon, in Athens, Greece. I’ve seen a picture of it in a book, and it looked like a wreck. But the Parthenon in Nashville represents the structure as it was when it was built, not after everyone took turns wrecking it. The said it was really remarkable and quite beautiful, and I’m sure Don will post some photos of it. They said that it also contained an art gallery of paintings that had been donated to the City of Nashville by an art collector back in the 1920’s, and that the paintings were really first rate art from back in the time when people really knew what things looked like and how to paint them. They were also intrigued by the letter that the donor wrote to the City of Nashville, where he described proudly his activities in recruiting a band of little girls and training them in military discipline, tactics and maneuvers, representing them as a Drill Team. Sounds like he was ahead of his time. Anyway, the central figure in the Parthenon was the statue of the Goddess Athena, forty-some feet tall, and covered in gold leaf. They said it was mind-boggling.

They drove through downtown Nashville, and report that it is very clean and attractive. I think they like this place. At least, they didn’t say anything that knocked it. They went out for dinner, leaving me with no plates. Oh, well, some good, some not so good days. But I got a nice treat bone and got to take it outside on the grass to chew it up. Maybe I’ll get to go with them tomorrow; guess it depends on the weather. We’ll see.

Day 66 - Nashville, TN

When Don and I went on our walk this morning, Jake and his mom came out of their delicatessen to meet us and say goodbye; Jake’s dad came by in his truck, too. They were interested in Don’s quest for dead Yoakums, and were pleased to hear that he had done so well. Jake was his same desperate, whirling, jumping and pawing self. Maybe he needs some meds. I know he’s a nice guy, he just needs to learn some self-control. Don told them that we had really enjoyed our stay here, and that he would like to come back again next year, which pleased them also. I’d like to come back, too. This is a really nice place. We got our act together and shoved off about eleven, heading west on Highway 40 toward Nashville. We were all impressed with the beauty of the scenery along the route, and we were in agreement that Tennessee is a really beautiful state. Don said that he wasn’t surprised that so many of his ancient ancestors chose to stay there.

We got into our RV Park in Nashville around mid-afternoon, and scored a pull-through spot with a little grass. Kind of a comedown from our luxurious site with beautiful grass on the riverfront. I think we got a little spoiled. But the people here are very nice and friendly, and seem to like me a lot. Shortly after we arrived, Don and I were taking Garmie out to the truck to install her, and a blond lady in a miniskirt and low-cut blouse saw me and had to hug me and talk babytalk to me. Don and I both enjoyed it; he said that I’m really great at attracting the “hotties”, whatever that means. Geri and Don got into a discussion on what they wanted to do in Nashville. We’re right next to a place called the Grand Old Opry, but we can’t go to that tonight because Geri has to get her hair and nails done. And besides, she was hungry. Before I knew it, something very strange and unusual was happening; Don had whipped a bunch of leftovers out of the refrigerator, warmed them up, and they were having dinner before I had mine! I don’t think that this has ever happened before. Once they realized what had happened, I think that they were a little embarrassed. I got my dinner as soon as they were through eating, and some fine plates afterward.

After dinner, we all got in the truck and took Geri to the OpryLand Mall to get her coiffed and a chop job on her nails. Don and I headed for the Nashville Trader Joe’s, guided perfectly by the intrepid Garmie, who performed her job perfectly. Don loaded up on my cookies, Geri’s pretzels and sparkling water, and a few other essentials. He told the checkout clerk that TJ’s was the only reason that we were in Nashville. She said she’d tell her boss. We went home and unloaded the groceries, and settled in to wait for Geri to call for us to pick her up. The call finally came, we made the pickup run, came home, and settled in to watch a little TV, then to bed. Not an eventful day, but we wound up in a nice place, with new adventures ahead of us. Life is good.

Day 65 – Sevierville, TN

Well, we’re still here, for a number of reasons; one, we like it here, and two, Don’s got that big bug up his butt again about hunting for dead relatives. More about that later. Our morning routine was less than routine, with Dave (or Craig) and Jane visiting for muffins and coffee before their departure, which was probably a little later than they were accustomed to. We really enjoyed our rendezvous with them, and may be seeing them again in Arizona on our way home. They hit the road around mid-morning, and Don readied himself for the search for 200 year old Yokums. He headed out, armed with the laptop, the GPS, and assorted maps shortly after the bird and cat show did. Geri and I trundled up to the office to arrange for another night’s stay, and I got to do some visiting with the office manager and some other folks. We went back to the rig, and spent a very peaceful and quiet afternoon, Geri reading and me snoozing. We had one little disagreement concerning couch occupancy, which I stood fast on and won, but otherwise it was very pleasant. It’s good to get rid of Don once in awhile.

He came rolling in, back from his explorations, a little after five in the afternoon. He was very pleased with the results of his prowling, having found Yokum (or, in this case, Yoakum) artifacts in the Powell Valley, just one range of hills short of Kentucky. He had found Yoakum Road, which led him to the Yoakum Cemetery, which, not strangely, was full of dead Yoakums. Some of them were children of the original settlers of the Powell Valley, most were their descendents who recognized the place as a really nice place to live. Don said that the valley was a picture book of a beautiful hilly rural setting, with forests, pastures, farmlands, some nice houses, a few junky places, but altogether very attractive. He had taken pictures of every one of the Yoakum gravestones, and a few of those whose families had intermarried with the Yoakums. He also had photos of the countryside and some of historic buildings in the valley. He admitted to having driven right past a dam without stopping to admire it, he was that anxious to get to Yoakum stomping grounds.

Since Geri had been snacking all afternoon, dinner was cancelled, and Don just had some leftover appetizers. No plates for me. We watched a little TV and turned in fairly early. We are definitely getting on the road tomorrow, heading for Nashville, for a very good reason; I’m out of my cookies, which are only available at Trader Joe’s. The only Trader Joe’s in the area is in Nashville. So, we go to Nashville. Makes a lot of sense to me. Will give you a report tomorrow. Sayonara!

Day 64 – Sevierville, TN

First of all, I need to deliver an apology to some dear friends, Craig (also known as David) and Jane (also known as Jane) for referring to them as “jerks” in yesterday’s post. I made the remark in a fit of canine pique because they had not contacted us regarding our planned rendezvous in Sevierville; moments after posting the blog, they called, and all was well, and I immediately regretted my comment. Additionally, they are just across the street from us right now, and have promised me a severe beating if an apology is not forthcoming. So, I apologize already. Happy to get that out of the way.

On our walk this morning, Don and I met Jake and his mom again. He really is a nice dog, just not old enough to have calmed down. I can tell that he likes me, because he obviously wants to play with me. But that’s impossible, because he has to be on a leash, or he’ll run off until he gets lost. When he gets older, I’m sure he’ll understand that running off is very dangerous, because if you get separated from your human, you might never get home again. When I go on a walk with Geri or Don, I often get a ways ahead of them, but I always stop and look back to make sure they are behind me. If they are too far away, I’ll stop and let them catch up. Well, enough sermonizing. Since we had heard from Craig and Jane last night that they would be here in Sevierville this afternoon, it was decided that this would be a housecleaning day. There was sweeping, vacuuming, washing and laundrying. I had to keep moving to keep out of the way of their activity, and it interfered greatly with my napping. They finally went off to do some shopping, and I finally got some good nap time in. Shortly after they got back and unpacked their groceries, Craig and Jane arrived with their cargo of birds and cats. Craig brought Homer, a lovely green parrot, over to our place, and I thought he was a very nice bird. As I mentioned in a previous posting, I once held a bird in my mouth, after having chased it, and I knew I was doing something wrong. A squirrel, that might be different, who knows.

Don cooked up some pasta for dinner, with a little salad, and we all ate out on the patio. The weather was beautiful, warm with a little breeze. The people did a lot of talking, and I waited for the plates to show up, which they did. It was just a very pleasant evening, with a little rolling in the grass, a lot of petting, some good treats, and some work on the blog. Then to bed. Not sure what’s happening tomorrow, but I’ll surely keep you informed.

Day 63 – Sevierville, TN
We covered some territory today. We got our morning routine done fairly early, including a brisk walk and a wild, unprovoked run by myself that covered about a half acre of grassy ground, and got ourselves into the truck. We fought the weekend traffic through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge to reach the parkway that leads to Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Don wisely chose to take the Gatlinburg bypass route to the Park, avoiding the weekend mess there. We quickly got to the Park Visitor Center, only to find it subjected to a parking crisis; too many cars! And motorcycles! We managed to find a parking place, and Geri took me for a stroll while Don went into the building. We met a few people who appreciated me properly, even some bikers! We got back in the truck, and joined the stream of traffic heading up the mountain; the higher we went, the more beautiful the scenery was. The road was very curvy, and at one point we went through a little tunnel, then the road curved around and went right back over the top of the tunnel! We finally reached the top of the mountain, where there was a large parking area with a great view of the mountains, but it was full of cars and motorcycles! Don found us a parking spot by doing some vaguely illegal driving, and we got out to walk around. Geri found that the Allegheny Trail, which runs from Georgia up to Maine, goes through the spot where we were. She took me by the leash, and headed up the trail toward Maine. We hadn’t gotten fifty feet before she saw a sign that said that dogs weren’t allowed on the trail. “Well,” she said, “At least I can tell people I hiked part of the Allegheny Trail”. Don and I didn’t comment. I got to meet a lot of admiring people, got a lot of pets, and generally enjoyed myself. Don climbed up to the top of a big rock structure, where the President at the time (his name was Roosevelt) proclaimed the Park open to the public. Don wondered how they got the President up there. I wondered what he was talking about. Geri informed me that Roosevelt was not able to walk, and was in a wheelchair. So, I was with Don, how did he get up there? We finally got back in the truck and headed down the hill. When we got back to the Visitor Center, we turned west and drove down a beautiful canyon with a big creek for quite a ways, then turned off to get back to Pigeon Forge and home.
When we got back, Don said that he wanted to take a run over to Dandridge, the County Seat of Jefferson County, where some of his ancestors had lived a couple of centuries ago. We excused him, and settled in for some relaxation, which is sometimes hard to do when Don is around. A couple of hours later he was back, with stories. He hadn’t found any relics of his relatives, but he had determined that Dandridge was the second oldest town in Tennessee, that Dandridge was Martha Washington’s maiden name, that there was a cemetery full of Revolutionary War heros in the middle of town, that Davy Crockett had gotten married in the County Courthouse, and on, and on, and on. He had gotten someone to open up the Visitor’s Center, and had engaged in a long discourse with the guy, who Don suspected was sparking the lady next door to the Center. Anyway, he had a good time. He cooked up some bratwurst on the grill, with some Bush’s beans and some green beans with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was well received, and we enjoyed the beauty of the evening on the river. We still haven’t heard from the jerks with the birds and cats who are supposed to meet us here. We’re getting concerned. Will let you know what happens. See ya!

Day 62 – Sevierville, TN
Can’t say that this was any kind of a special day for me, except maybe for catching up on my napping. We were all late risers, and things got off to a slow start. Don finally took me for my walk, which was mildly interesting. I did get to meet a young dog named Jake, whose human told us that he had been a stray who just wandered into her yard a few months ago, very undernourished and sickly, with no identification. She took him in and fed him, and took him to the vet to get his medical problems handled. He turned out to be a very humorous and nice guy, and she made him a part of her family. I really love to hear stories like that, because dogs who don’t have humans are very sad. It’s in the very heart of our nature to be with humans.

After our walk, Geri and Don took off in the truck to do some exploring, and since they didn’t really know what they would be doing, they decided I should stay in the rig and watch TV. That means napping. OK by me. I had gotten tired watching Don clean the windshields on the coach and needed a nap. They came back just a couple of hours later and had lunch with me, then took off again to look at some nearby stores. Then they were back again to walk me and give me my dinner, and they were gone again. They came back about seven o’clock, and told me about the show they had seen, a lot of singing and dancing with lots of music from the 50’s and 70’s. I have no idea how to put that into dog years. They seemed to have enjoyed it, saying that the young performers showed a lot of talent. Don was musing on the concept of a young Kristen Chenowith showing up on Broadway with her performance in The Black Bear Jamboree in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee as her major experience in her resume. She probably wouldn’t wind up as Glinda the Good.

Geri took me for a walk up to the office so that she could report that a bird nest was being constructed in the poop bag dispenser in the dog area. We met a little Shi Tsu, whose folks were new to RVing, and they shared some experiences. Then back to the coach, where we sat outside for awhile to enjoy the weather and the view. Tomorrow should be a bit more exciting, as we’re going to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’ll give you a full report. G’nite, all!

Day 61 – Sevierville, TN
Boy, are we getting organized! We got my walk done, got the rig ready, and got on the road by ten thirty this morning. Think that’s a record. We headed west on Highway 40, and pretty soon the road got really windy and curvy. Don was doing his usual very good job of driving safely, but Geri refused to get up and feed me lunch because she wouldn’t be able to watch and criticize his driving. When the road straightened out, after we got into Tennessee, she finally broke down and fed me. They had discussed the selection of an RV Park last night, and had finally agreed on one. When we turned off 40 and headed down Highway 66 toward Sevierville, Don got the name of the Park wrong, and followed the signs to a Park different from the one they had agreed on. Geri was sure it was the wrong park, but went in the office anyway. Sure enough, she came back out and told Don that he was wrong again. Don said that was OK, he liked it here, go back to the office and check us in. I think Geri liked it too, because there was no argument.
I think that this is the most beautiful park setting we have stayed in this trip. We are on the bank of a river called the French Broad, a wide and quiet river. We have lots of beautiful grass, nice shrubs and trees, and a wide, level concrete pad. I think Don will post some pictures of the sunset we had tonight. We took a ride up to a dam that forms a lake on the river, because Don likes dams. It was kind of a pretty dam, as dams go, and it was built in 1942 as part of the Tennessee Valley Project. We met a man there who had camped next to the dam with his grandfather, back when the dam was new. His daughters had fished right at the place where we were standing. It turned out that he was very familiar with the Powell Valley area of Tennessee, where we will be going, and even knew about Yoakum Station, which is the reason we’re going there. On the way back to our Park, we stopped by the place that we had originally intended to go; we were glad that we wound up where we did. Don cooked a steak dinner on the grill, with baked potatoes and asparagus. Good plates! After dinner, Don had his first cigar of the trip, sitting at the picnic table working on the computer, and petting me. It was a good evening. I’m sure we’ll have more here. Ciao!

Day 60 – Asheville, NC
I think the weather is finally changing in our favor. I know we had some rain last night, because I heard it on the roof. But when I went out to get the dopey paper, it was clear and sunny. Those of my party who were not favored with natural fur coats would say it was a bit cold, but it felt fine to me. It had warmed up even more when Don and I went walking. There was some very nice grass down at the end of the road, and I got some good rolling in. When we got back to the coach, Don took the truck to get it washed. I couldn’t go, because I really don’t like going through the automatic car washes; they make me feel like the truck is under attack by monsters, and I tend to whine. When he got back, we all got in the truck and headed for Biltmore, which is the big house that Geri and Don want to see. We got a parking place, and I had to stay in the truck, which I understood. You know, the hair shedding thing. So, I got a nice nap while they toured the house. When they got back, Geri told me that when George and Edith Vanderbilt lived there, they had five Saint Bernard dogs that pretty much had the run of the house, except for the kitchen. Think of the hair they dumped! But it seems they had an army of maids who did nothing but sweep and clean all day every day, so I guess it was bearable. Don told me that his favorite room was the library, which contained thousands of books and was two stories tall. He said that he would like to have a room like that in our house. Geri pointed out that our house would fit in that room, with plenty of space to spare. The tour they took covered about fifty rooms, which was about one quarter of the house. They were comparing the mansions that they had toured in Newport, Rhode Island, with the Biltmore house; their opinion was that the Newport places were elegant and beautiful, but they couldn’t compare in scope and scale to Biltmore. I guess it might be an understatement to say that they were impressed. Don had read a book on the Vanderbilt family some years ago, and thought that George Vanderbilt, the builder who built Biltmore (like that?) was among the more productive of Commodore Vanderbilt’s children and grandchildren. They were also surprised to learn that the house and the rest of the estate still belonged to the Vanderbilt heirs, who were active in managing the property.
We drove down to the estate’s gardens, and parked so that we could all get out and look at the beautiful plantings of flowers and shrubs. I was on leash most of the time, except when I got let off to do some rolling in the wonderful grass. But I was able to meet a lot of people who loved Golden Retrievers, especially me. I got a lot of pets and compliments, and I responded appropriately by smiling a lot, wagging my tail, and sitting on people’s feet. A good time was had by all. I even met a little Dachsy who didn’t want to kill me! That’s a rare thing! We left the estate and headed for downtown Asheville, but Don was looking for a gas station, as we were low on fuel. While we were searching, Geri got a phone call from Craig, also known as David, who is brother to Gary and slightly wiser. I say that because he married Jane, who is a very sweet lady. Anyway, they are leaving Maine on Friday in their motorhome and heading for Phoenix. They’ll be traveling down Highway 81 to catch Highway 40 near Knoxville, so we have the opportunity to meet them somewhere in this neighborhood in a few days. Geri and Don will be working to coordinate this, and I will be very happy to see them. They have some interesting birds traveling with them, and two smart-aleck cats who need a good talking to.
By the time we got our gas and did some shopping, the traffic was way too bad to go back downtown, so we went back to the coach. I got my dinner, and Geri and Don did some research on RV Parks near Knoxville. They had some warm-ups for dinner, and I got a few good plates out of it. We tried to watch TV, but American Idol was a disaster. So to bed, tomorrow to travel again. See ya then!

Day 59 – Lexington, VA to Asheville, NC
We’ve spent longer here in Lexington that anyplace else on this trip, and we’ve really enjoyed it here. But the Captain, with consent of the crew (that includes me) has decided to move on. Apparently there’s a big house in Asheville that Geri and Don want to tour, which I assume leaves me out of the action, but I know I’ll find something interesting there. Before we left, Don took me out for my morning walk, and I decided to explore more of our walking area than I had before. Several squirrels needed chasing, and I discovered that I could make a real storm of dead leaves just by kicking them up with all four paws. That was really fun! Have to try it again sometime. When we got back to the rig, Geri was over talking to some new neighbors who had just moved in last night. Don and I went over to join them and their dogs, a nice brown lady dog and a white workaholic standard poodle. This dog couldn’t stand still for a minute, particularly when his human (male) was throwing a Frisbee. He was literally working himself into a lather. I’ll have to admit, he was very good at catching the Frisbee. But I noticed that he didn’t get any cookies for doing good catches. Pretty dumb on his part, I’d say. They were from Canada, and were spending a month just visiting Virginia. We agreed they were pretty smart travelers.
We finally got rolling just before noon, and headed down Highway 81 toward Tennessee. There was a lot of confusion over which road to take down to Asheville, because the road that led there had different numbers on different maps. We stopped at a Tennessee Visitor Center, and found out that one of our maps was really out of date. We got on the right highway, which went across some beautiful mountains, and headed down into Asheville. After we found our RV Park and got moved in, Geri and I went for a walk down to their dog run. We looked across the valley, and there was the house that they want to visit! It’s really big! Geri says it’s the biggest house in the country! It used to belong to some people called Vanderbilt. I hope they can see everything they want to see in just a day. We had some black beans and rice with sausage (good!), watched a little TV, and went to bed.

Day 58 – Lexington, VA
We had rain all night, and it was still raining when we got up; fairly early, I might add. The rain slacked off around nine, and Don took me for my morning walk, which was kind of soggy. We decided to make this a shopping and provisioning day, with a little sightseeing thrown in. We got some groceries in town, then drove home and had lunch. After lunch, we went back to town to see about getting Geri a manicure. She got an appointment, and we killed some time by driving through the Virginia Military Institute campus, which is very beautiful. Then we drove across town to a place called Boxwood Gardens, a horticultural park that had been planted many years ago by a Doctor and his wife. We went into the office building, and who should I meet there but another very beautiful Goldie, by name of Georgia. She was four years old, very friendly and well-behaved. Except that she made a complete fool of herself when Don gave her a good butt scratch. I was happy to meet her, but I was even happier to meet her humans, two ladies who made a big fuss over me. We spent some time walking in the gardens, admiring the trees and bushes, but it was starting to rain and we had to get Geri to her appointment. Geri and Don did some more shopping after her manicure, and we went home and had some leftover meatball soup for dinner.
We will be leaving here tomorrow, and I hear we may be going back to North Carolina. Well, maybe, you never know for sure with this crew. But I know for sure that we all really enjoyed our time here, and that we think that Lexington is one of the most beautiful and fun towns we have ever visited. It’s way up there on our favorites list. We’re kind of sorry to leave, but the open road calls!

Day 57 – Lexington, VA
A most unusual day. It started out pretty normally, except everyone got up a little late. Don and I took our normal walk, I chased a few squirrels. When we got back to the rig, Don got a bunch of things together, including me, and got into the truck. We took off and headed up Highway 81, until we hit the 64, and headed toward West Virginia. It was a long drive, but I napped most of the way. When we got to Lewisburg, WV, we stopped and walked around a little bit, but found that the Visitor Center was closed. Sunday, you know. We got back in the truck and drove through Lewisburg, which was a pretty and obviously historic town. We headed for our ultimate destination, the little village of Alderson, on the banks of the Greenbrier River. Let me tell you why we were on our way there. As Geri puts it, Don had gotten a big bug up his butt about a historical incident called The Muddy Creek Massacre. Some of his ancient ancestors had been killed there, and many had been taken into captivity by the Shawnee Indians. The captives had been surrendered some years later at Fort Pitt, which was to become Pittsburgh, PA. The massacre happened in 1763. Ever since Don found out about it, he has wanted to see where they lived and died. So that’s why we’re here. Alderson is very near where Muddy Creek joins the Greenbrier River, and Don’s ancestors usually tried to settle on a tributary to a major river, near their junction. He was hoping to find some local knowledge about the location of the settlement. We found a restaurant in Alderson with a lot of cars in the parking lot, and Don hadn’t eaten yet, so he pulled in. As he got out of the truck, an old guy standing nearby asked if he was really going to leave that vicious beast in the truck where he could bite people who tried to pet him. Turned out he was kidding, and knew all about me and my kind and loving attitude. I have such good press. Don engaged him in conversation, and found that the guy had lived there forever. So, Don asked him if he knew anything about the location of the Muddy Creek settlement that had been massacred. He said he didn’t know much about it, but his brother-in-law should, and he was in the restaurant. He spied a lady who was headed for the restaurant, and told her to bring his brother-in-law out. A few minutes later, a big, strapping guy came out and asked loudly “Who’s callin’ for me?” Don’s new friend said “This here fella is tryin’ to find out where the site of the Muddy Creek Massacre was, and I thought you might know.” The big guy said “How the hell should I know? I wasn’t near born yet!” But they both tried to be helpful, even though they were clueless. Don asked if the restaurant was a good place to eat, observing that it looked pretty popular; his new friend said it deserved the reputation of being the best place in town, seeing as how it was the only place in town. So, Don and his friend went into the place. Don told me that he was introduced to four different guys, each of whom was knowledgeable about local history; not a one of them had any idea what he was talking about. So, he took a table and ordered a Poor Boy sandwich. He told me it was the poorest excuse for a Poor Boy he had ever had.
So, we took off and explored Alderson; it didn’t take long. The business district, which consists of two blocks of 150 year old buildings, is on the south side of the river, in Monroe County. It had a nice grassy area next to the train station, where the Amtrak comes through but doesn’t stop. I got in some good rolls. The residential district is across the bridge, in Greenbrier County. Kind of strange. There was one big building, a huge Baptist Church, that had been built a long time ago and was surrounded by a large cemetery. Don wanted to walk through the graveyard, but I told him that it was getting a little late for that. So we drove up Highway 12, alongside Muddy Creek, and we took a little side road that got down close to the water. We got out and walked around a little, and Don took some pictures of the creek. He seemed a little let down, and I tried to cheer him up. We got back into the truck and went home.
Don made Geri give him a haircut, which he badly needed. For payback, he made some pasta with Rao’s sauce and Italian sausage. The plates were superb, as I like things a little spicy. It was starting to rain a little when we went in for dinner. Don’t know what it’s going to be like tomorrow, but Don has promised Geri that she gets a haircut and a manicure. Ho-hum. See ya manana.

Day 56-Lexington, VA
Remember when we were in Saint Augustine, and I had such a wonderful day, meeting lots of people and getting lots of petting and adoration? Well, today was just as good, maybe better! We got another sort of early start, and went into downtown Lexington. It was a clear, sunny, beautiful day, and there were lots of people downtown because the local merchants were all having sidewalk sales. I was constantly being spoken to, petted, and complimented by grownups and children both, sometimes three or four people petting me at the same time! They were all very nice and loving, and I really appreciated it. Don told me I was being a good boy for putting up with all of this. Phoo, what does he know. Then we walked over to the campus of Washington and Lee University, which is very beautiful and has lots of great grass. Geri let me off leash, and I got in some really great rolling. We walked over to the Lee Chapel, where Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General, was buried, along with his wife and the rest of his family. His horse was even buried next to the Chapel! There was a museum in the Chapel, and I couldn’t go in, but Geri and Don took turns staying with me and visiting the museum. There were a lot of people walking by, and many of them stopped to talk to me and pet me. While Don was with me, one lady petted and hugged me for at least ten minutes, and told me she wanted to take me home. Personally, I don’t think she would have minded if Don came along. We went up some steps to the entrance to the Chapel, and Geri went in to take a look. She got involved in a personally escorted tour of the Chapel with a woman who worked there, and was gone a long time. Meanwhile, Don and I were outside meeting people who were going into the Chapel and talking to them while they petted me. The woman showing Geri the Chapel soon had quite a few people who were interested in hearing her, and Geri saw a chance to leave, saying that if she didn’t get back to her dog, he would probably bite her. The people who had just come in started saying, “You mean DeeBee? That beautiful Golden Retriever outside? Oh, he’d never bite you, he’s such a nice dog!” They were all telling her how wonderful I was, and how lucky she was to have such a good-natured and polite pet. I had a real fan club. Meanwhile, I was out rolling in the grass again, and loving it. We walked back downtown, and Geri and Don had lunch in the patio of a little bakery, where I could sit with them.
We went back to the truck then, and I was glad to have the chance to lay down and take a nap. We went for a ride out Highway 64, toward West Virginia, and then turned south on a smaller road, where we saw the place where the James River begins. We went further south to a little town called Fincastle, which is the county seat of Boutetort County. Don told Geri and I a story about this little town that is hard to believe. When the Louisiana Purchase was made, and our country bought about a quarter of what is now the USA, there was no immediate system set up for administering the new territory. The Government in Washington decided to make this new land a part of Boutetort County, making Fincastle the Capitol of Louisiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, and what would be a whole bunch of other states. You couldn’t tell that by looking at it now. Don was hoping the Fincastle Historical Society Museum would be open, but it wasn’t. Don says a lot of his early relatives were born, married, had children and died in Boutetort County, but that isn’t so surprising, because it was so big.
We continued south, and got onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a very beautiful road. I have a little problem with this kind of road though; every time I lay down for a nap, within a few minutes we’re pulling into another view point, and I have to get up and look out my window to see what they’re looking at. This can happen every two or three minutes. I don’t get much napping done. We finally got off the Parkway and headed for home. I got my dinner, and Geri and Don went down the road to the Pink Cadillac Diner to eat; they said it was great. Long day, lots of fun, very tired. Nighty nite!

Day 55 – Lexington, VA
Wow, what a day! We really got around! Everyone was up early, and we got on the road before eleven, a record for us. We headed for Natural Bridge, a landmark attraction south of our park. We had to stop, though, at another landmark, Foamhenge. Don told me about the ancient place of worship in England that consisted of some massive stones standing on end in a circle; well, Foamhenge is an exact replica of the English place, Stonehenge, but the rocks are made of Styrofoam. A local artist designed and erected it on a level spot next to a hillside. Don went up the hill and took some photos, which I’m sure he will post. When we got to Natural Bridge, Don promised me that they would try to get permission for me to come with them on their walk to the Bridge. Just a few minutes later, they came out of the building and got me out of the truck! I was in! We walked down a whole bunch of steps alongside a very pretty creek until we got to the bottom of the ravine where the creek flowed into a larger one. Then we walked along the larger creek until we got to the Bridge; it was awesome! It was very tall, but just a little wider than the creek, and there was a highway going over the top. A nearby sign said that it had taken 350 million dog years to create the Bridge. Don showed me where George Washington had carved his initials into the rock on the side of the Bridge, when he was a young surveyor of the Virginia Territory. He took a lot of pictures, and I’m sure he’ll share some with you. We walked on beyond the Bridge, and found an Indian village alongside the trail. Don says that some would call it a Native American village, but that wouldn’t be accurate because everyone born in this country is a Native American, and the people that were here before the Europeans were named Indians by Columbus, and they’ve had that name for a very long time. I don’t really care. Don talked to one of the Indians, and asked him if the people that lived in the area before the Europeans came had dogs. The Indian said he didn’t think so, there were no stories from that time that said anything about dogs. He also said that if they had dogs, they most likely would have eaten them! I shivered at the thought. Anyway, it was a fun walk, with beautiful scenery, and I got to meet lots of people who had the good taste to realize that I was handsome and nice to pet. I got a lot of attention, and I was the only dog there!
When we got back to the truck, we headed for the little town of Glasgow, which Don suspects may be named for some of his grandmother’s ancestors. We stopped there and Geri and Don had lunch at a little restaurant. When they got back to the truck, Geri told me that Don had eaten something called a Bologna Burger, which was a big, fat piece of fried bologna, served on a bun with lettuce and tomato. I think she was embarrassed. It sounded pretty good to me. We headed for the hills then, and went up a windey highway over to Lynchburg. We found our way to a place called Poplar Forest, where Thomas Jefferson had built another house as a place to get away from all of his visitors at Monticello. I couldn’t go in the house, which I understood, but I could see that it was very unusual and attractive. Geri told me that it was an eight-sided house, and all of the rooms except one, the big dining room in the middle of the house, were also eight sided. They are still in the process of restoring the house, and Don was very interested in seeing how they were doing the restoration.
We headed home over the same windey road, and I got a little uncomfortable, with the truck going so fast around the tight curves. Geri had to remind Don that he wasn’t racing sports cars any more, and he ought to slow down. He tried real hard to keep it slower, but I could I could tell that he was having trouble. We finally made it back to the rig, and Don cooked up some curried chicken and rice, which Geri thought was too spicy for me, but I really liked it. Don’t know what’s happening tomorrow, but nobody else does either, so I don’t feel bad. See ya!

Ve Day 54- Natural Bridge, VA
You’ll notice that we’re including our present location in the daily masthead; this is due to a recommendation from Geri, who was reviewing some of our recent posts, but couldn’t figure out exactly where this all went on. Don and I think it’s a good idea.
Today being a travel day, the morning brought a lot of activity. Don took me for a nice hike up the mountain, and I got to look into some places that I had discovered on my previous trek up here. Again, we sat for awhile at the top and just enjoyed the morning, which was sunny, though not at all warm. Before we left, we had to take a run into the little village of Crozat, a few miles away, to find some new sunglasses for Don, who had broken his only set. Cute little town, like most around here, founded by an Officer in the Napoleonic Army who had emigrated to America, built a railroad, founded a town and contributed his skills to the betterment of this country. This area is full of great stories like this.
When Don got the rig started, he was unnerved and upset because the jack alarm was ringing again, even though he had replenished the fluid in the jacking reservoir. He checked the jacks and found that one of them was leaking a lot of fluid. Always something. We headed out with the alarm bonging and Geri complaining about it. Don said that we would have to find a repair facility to get it fixed. Geri started researching all available repair shops along the way to our destination, and found one. We pulled into it, waited for the crew to get back from lunch, explained our problem, and were back on the road in a little over an hour, with problem solved. They even got the radio partially operational, which it hadn’t been since the great electrical problem a few days ago. Geri was particularly effusive in her thanks, since it meant no more dong-dong in our travels.
Shortly after, we pulled into our new RV Park, a KOA, in a nice site just above the office and showers. We took a walk on a nature trail, which was interesting, though the activities of the afternoon had interfered severely with my normal napping routine. We got into the truck then, and did a tour of the surrounding towns, Glasgow, Buena Vista and Lexington. All lovely little towns in a beautiful setting in the Virginia hills. I think we’ll be seeing more of them in the next couple of days. Back to the rig, and Don cooked a ham and yam dinner, with asparagus on the side. Not much left on the plates. A little TV, some blog work, and to bed. We should have some good adventures tomorrow!

Day 53
When we got out of bed this morning, we looked out the windows and saw that it was still drizzling and very overcast. It was kind of depressing, as we had deliberately come here to tour the South during a time of year when the weather was very mild and sunny. Don has lectured me on several occasions about the great issue that has been raised by some scientists, people in government and the media concerning “Global Warming”. The average temperature in these regions is a full twenty degrees below normal for this time of year. We can see on the Weather Channel that the same thing is going on all over the country. And we’re supposed to be one of the biggest parts of the “Global Warming” problem. Don wants to know when reality is going to set in, and I would have to agree. Maybe we would go along with “Global Cooling and Raining”.
When it’s raining, my walks are shorter, and I get less exercise. Don tries to take me to interesting places in the morning, but if I don’t have time to investigate them thoroughly, it makes me feel like I’m not doing my job. This morning we walked around a beautiful, green, but very wet meadow. No rolling allowed, and I had to be careful to stay out of muddy spots. I actually was relieved when he put me on the leash to walk by the office. Around mid-morning, we got in the truck and headed for Waynesboro. We went to a Veterinarian’s Office, where Geri and Don had me examined in relation to my recent problem, which Geri says is too gross and personal to discuss, so we won’t. But I got some pills and an opinion that I was otherwise in fine condition. I felt sorry for a little Dachsy who was so unnerved in the waiting room that she had to dump a load. I think she was really embarrassed.
We went back to the coach and had lunch. Don went outside and looked at the sky and proclaimed that the bad weather was over, the sky was turning blue, and it was a great afternoon to go for a sightseeing ride. Geri and I looked at each other, shrugged, and got into the truck. We headed up the Skyline Drive, which goes through Shenandoah National Park, and sort of follows the high spots of the hills that line the Shenandoah Valley. The first overlooks that we stopped at were very spectacular, with marvelous views across the Valley and to the east toward Charlottesville. As we progressed along the Drive, the clouds were closing in and the overlooks revealed nothing but more cloud interiors. We were eventually crawling along the road in a dense fog, with barely a view of the white line down the middle. We stopped at one overlook, and Don had to tell me which way to look to see any kind of a view. We finally got off the Drive and headed down into the Shenandoah Valley, where we went south back down to Waynesboro. Geri and Don had to do some food shopping there, and they had a little excitement when someone took their food cart when they had nearly finished shopping. They got that straightened out, and we got home and had a fine dinner, Don’s meatball soup. Great plates! I understand that we’re moving down the road a few miles tomorrow, a travel day, but not a long one. Will give you a full report.

Day 52
We had quite a bit of rain last night, and there was a big pool of water right outside our door. I had to retrieve a soggy phony paper, but it was worth it for the cookies. This RV Park is sort of on two levels, the one we’re on, which is right next to a creek (with ducks!) and the other is up the hill in the woods. Don and I walked up the road to the top of the hill, kind of a steep climb, and we wandered around among the dozen or so rigs that were parked up there. I really liked the way the air smelled up there, and Don liked it too, so we hung out for awhile and just enjoyed the beauty of the morning. On the way back down, a lady in a car stopped to tell me how beautiful I was; made my day. Don told her I was a very good dog, but he says that to everyone. When we got back to the coach, the man in the coach next to us was out checking his tire pressures. Don talked to him, and found out that they had a blowout last night on Highway 64, and pulled into this park after they got it fixed. It turned out that the guy works for General Electric at Evendale, Ohio, a place where Don used to go on business when he worked for GE. While they were talking, I got bored and tried to lay down in the water puddle; Don admonished me and sent me into the coach, so I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation.
Geri and Don agreed that they needed to decide where they were going when they left this place, because the weekend was coming up and they might have trouble finding a park that had room for us. They had a hard time deciding where to go, but finally made a decision and got a reservation. Then we all got into the truck (after I got lunch) and headed out. We went back on 64 to Charlottesville, and found Monticello, where Thomas Jefferson lived. Geri and Don went on the tour of the house, while I napped. They were very impressed with the beauty of the place and the planning that Jefferson put into it, as I gathered from their conversation while they walked me after the tour. Then we went to another President’s home, President James Monroe, whose place was just a few miles from Monticello. You know, I think I understand why even well-mannered dogs, such as myself, aren’t allowed in these places. They’re not afraid you’re going to poop in a corner; it’s shedding! I could leave a cubic foot of hair in one of these homes in an hour of touring. Multiply that by ten or twenty dogs a day and pretty soon you couldn’t get in the door for the dog hair. So, I can understand not being allowed in. This was obviously a much smaller home than Monticello, but Geri and Don thought it was quite interesting, and they learned a lot about President Monroe, who was the last of our Founding Fathers to become President. They said the Guide had a thousand stories about Monroe, and told all of them. I think they enjoyed it as much as they did Monticello.
We drove home through Charlottesville, a funky little city with a magnificent University of Virginia, which was founded by Jefferson. I saw a lot of the campus, and the buildings were really nice. We got home, had dinner (leftovers, not many plates), watched a little TV. I don’t know what we’re doing tomorrow, they say it’s going to be rainy. I’ll let you know what happens. Bye for now.

Days 49-50-51
Oh, Lordy, Lordy. How things can go from great to gruesome in such a short time. We hauled out of Virginia Beach Saturday morning, and had a fine voyage to an RV Park near Williamsburg, VA. We set up the rig and hooked up to the utilities, then got in the truck to visit the first English settlement in North America in Jamestown, founded in 1607, fourteen years before the Pilgrims. How does a dog know all of these facts? This dog lives with Don, and spends a lot of his time with him in his office at home, where he does a lot of genealogical work. He tells me a lot of things, because I’m the only one who will listen to him on such subjects. And I do find them interesting. When he found his family’s connection to the Pilgrims, he was very pleased, and explained it all to me. He didn’t seem to care that this association involved a mother who was the first woman hung for murder in the colonies, or that several non-marital relationships were involved; really, I didn’t either. So that’s why I know so much. So we had a good time in Jamestown, though Don’s camera batteries went dead and he didn’t get many pictures. We went back to the rig, and Don looked at our electrical load display. He got really upset. The battery charger for the house batteries wasn’t working, and the batteries were losing voltage rapidly. He tried a whole bunch of things to correct the problem, but none of them worked. The battery voltage was getting so low, we had to turn off all of the power consuming equipment in the coach. Then he remembered a similar problem we had in Las Vegas a couple of years ago, and checked a little fuse in the battery charger; sure enough, it was blown. He replaced it, and hoped the problem was fixed. It wasn’t. Nothing was happening, and it looked like we would have to try to get an Easter Sunday visit from a RV Technician. We shut down everything in the rig and went to bed. This included the heating system, and it was cold. Geri was less than happy. I thought I was going to have to get in bed with them to keep them warm. But we made it through the night, and Don got up early to try to work on the problem again. After checking a few things in the coach, he went out to check the circuit breaker at the box where we plug in our cable to get shore power; it had tripped! He reset it, went back into the rig, and saw that all the systems were working again! We had heat, lights, TV, everything! He said he was very sorry that he hadn’t checked the box the night before. Boy, was he sorry!
They got dressed, fed me lunch and took off in the truck. I had some good nap time, and they came back late in the afternoon. They told me about Williamsburg, and how interesting it was to see a real Colonial era city that had been completely restored to look like it did in the 18th century. They had a really good time, took a lot of pictures, and even had some New York style pizza for lunch. Huh? They put me in the truck, and we drove down to Yorktown, where the last battle of the American Revolution was fought. There were a lot of grassy hills and hummocks there, that Don told me were built by the armies that fought there. We went for a good walk on the grounds, and I had a great time running up and down the hills and valleys of the battlements. Don found a place where brochures describing the grounds and the battle were available, and took one. I offered to carry it back to the truck, and he gave it to me. Something snapped in me, I went absolutely nuts when I got that brochure in my mouth, and I went Crazy Dog. I was whirling, running, spinning, ripping and tearing for about five minutes. There wasn’t much left of the brochure. Don didn’t mind, he thought it was funny. We got back in the truck and drove around Yorktown for awhile, then headed back to the coach. Don made some pasta, resulting in some good plates. All systems were working, and we went to bed warm and happy.
So, today, Monday, was a travel day. There wasn’t much discussion (argument?) about where we were going, Geri and Don both want to see Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home. Don took me for a really nice walk in the meadows around our RV Park, and I found a place that I had to some digging in; I’m not sure why, but there was a place in a log pile that made me a little crazy, and I had to dig a hole there. I almost never do that. I didn’t really find anything, but it was fun. We got underway, drove for a couple of hours, and settled into a RV Park near Waynesborough. Don made some pork stir-fry, which we all enjoyed. We worked hard on updating the blog, and went to bed pretty early. Tomorrow should be interesting!

Day 49
Friends, neighbors, relations, and fellow travelers, I must tell you that we will not be posting tonight. We have some kind of electrical system problem that Don has been working on all evening, and he will not be available to assist me with the blog. Rest assured that I will update you as soon as possible.

Day 48
We all got off to a good early start this morning, mostly because we had to get the rig ready to move and shift to another site before Don and Bill left to go museum crawling. Don took me for a walk over to the dog run, and there were several people there with their dogs. The first one I met was much taller than me, and very good natured. His name was Andre, and he was a Great Dane. I recalled another encounter that I had many years ago with a Great Dane, Greta, who saw that I was a little upset about being left in a boarding kennel, and tried to comfort me by putting my entire head in her mouth. It didn’t have the desired effect. Andre was very pleasant, though, and we enjoyed exchanging identification data. Another smaller black dog named Dakota became enamored of Don, and brazenly cozied up next to him to be petted. She was just openly coming on to him, making Andre think that she might be on the easy side. So, he made a very clumsy attempt to embrace her from the rear, causing Dakota to turn into a very different dog. She turned and gave him a chewing out in the strongest possible dog language, causing him to stumble and retreat. She then turned her attentions back to Don, who was chuckling over the affair. I looked at him and let him know that we should get out of here, and he made our excuses and escorted me out of the dog run.
Bill showed up about 9:30, and we began our move to the new site. It was a little tight getting into it, and we scraped some bark off a tree with one of our canopy fixtures. Don was annoyed because the jack retraction alarm was starting to ding again. But we got set up and Don and Bill took off. Bill had brought Geri some books on Williamsburg and Richmond, and spent most of the day reading them, while I took some well deserved naps. Don and Bill got back at 5:30 or so, both of them raving about the Mariners Museum in Hampton, where they had spent the whole day. Apparently there was a battle back during the Civil War between two ships, the Monitor and the Merrimac, that changed the face of naval ship design from that point on. And this museum had salvaged the turret, guns and engine of the Monitor some years ago, and had a very comprehensive display on the history of this encounter. Don said it was one of the best museum exhibits he had ever seen. Well, OK. Geri and I realize that Bill and Don are both ship nuts, and that this sort of thing makes them crazy. Don is fixated on the design of these ships, and Bill dotes on the military aspects of these battles. I’ll just say that if dogs ruled the world, we would settle our differences in a much simpler manner, because we wouldn’t be building these monstrosities. That’s my view. Needless to say, Don and I don’t agree on everything.
Geri and I had a very nice walk through the campground, which is starting to get very crowded for the weekend. We’re out of here tomorrow, heading for Williamsburg. Bill and Judy might be coming up to have dinner with us on Sunday night. I’ll let you know how the travel goes. Ciao! (Un poco di Italiano!)

Day 47
Again, everyone slept in but Don. He says he can’t help it, he has to get up early, a hangover from his days in the Maritime Academy. That was more than 350 years ago. He was shaving when I got up, so I had to wait for him to finish before I could do the phony paper routine and get my breakfast. He took me for a very nice walk up to the dog run, which was unlike any dog run I had ever seen. It was huge! There was grass, there was sand, gravel, trees, squirrels, and they were building a swimming pool in it! It was really nice, and I spent some time exploring it. We walked through an empty tent area, which was nice and grassy, but Don told me not to roll, because it had just rained and he didn’t want me to mess up my nice clean coat. Naturally, I obeyed his wishes. Around nine, the first Hornets from Oceana took off, and they were roaring overhead off and on the rest of the morning. They don’t bother me, I know that they are training to defend our country, and I’m glad they’re there.
Just before lunchtime, Don’s old buddy Bill arrived, and they had a very nice reunion. We all sat out on our patio, as it was very sunny and warm. Don cooked some bratwursts and beans for lunch, which didn’t provide any input for me. Bill was very friendly to me, and gave me a lot of attention, which indicates that he is a fine person. Don says I’m right about this. He’s a retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, and served on one of the missile submarines that Don helped to build. Bill left after lunch, and Geri, Don and I got in the truck to do some touring. We drove through the beach area of Virginia Beach, and noticed that there weren’t a lot of people there. Geri says that on the East Coast, nothing happens until after Memorial Day, then everyone wants to go the beach. We drove up to an Army post called Fort Story, and had to through a very thorough security examination of the truck before we could go in. Once we got on the post, we went to see the two Cape Henry lighthouses, the oldest of which was constructed in 1792! It was made of stone, and was really tall. Then we went to see the place where Englishmen first landed on the shore of this continent to settle a colony. But they decided not to settle on Cape Henry, and went up the river to found Jamestown in 1607. I don’t even want to think about how long ago that was in dog years.
We went over to Bill’s house then, and Bill and his wife Judy invited us in. The first thing I saw when I walked into the living room was a cat! A large, very pretty cat named Sandy, who lives there. She hissed at me. I wagged my tail at her. She hissed at me again. I think we’ll get along fine. We all went out on their patio, which had a gate that opened onto a strip of land that had some really nice grass. They let me out to explore the area, and I did a little rolling, since the grass was dry. Judy was also very nice to me, lots of petting and talking to me; she has a very nice voice, and I enjoyed listening to her. Sandy came out, hissed at me, and went back into the house.
After a while, Geri took me out and put me in the truck, while they got in Judy’s car and went out to have dinner. Geri had already given me my dinner in the truck, so I wasn’t complaining, and I needed a nap anyway. They weren’t gone too long, and then we left for home. Don had a couple of little fights with Garmie on the way back, but we made it back to the coach pretty well. Don and I worked on the blog, and I went to bed; long day! See you tomorrow!

Day 46
Well, another eventful travel day. Personally, I kind of hated to leave here, because of the acres of grass right outside my door. But, the humans have their reasons, and they make the rig go. Don was up early, but I can’t say that for the rest of us. He got ready to take me for a walk, after my breakfast, and we went out for a final gambol in the grass. I had to do several rolls, but, at his advice, I steered clear of the creek. He knew what a good time I was having, and let me stay out longer than usual. When we got back to the coach, Geri and Don got into the usual discussion of where we were headed, and how we were going to get there. They eventually arrived at a decision, Geri called and got a reservation, and Don planned a route to get there. Sounds good on paper.
As we were making our final departure preparations, Don noticed that the alarm bell for the leveling jacks was indicating that they were not fully retracted. He looked under the coach and determined that the jacks were almost completely in their retracted positions, but not quite enough to silence the alarm. He decided to move out with the alarm ringing intermittently. So, we headed out to the occasional muted dong-dong-dong of the jack alarm. We headed north on Highway 17, looking to move to Highway 13 further north. We got to a town called Williamston, and tried to follow the Highway 17 signs through town. We got to an intersection that said that 17 (Business) went to the right. Geri said we should go right. Don said that we didn’t want the business route, we wanted the direct route. Well, we wound up on another route. It was interesting, picturesque and colorful, but it sure wasn’t direct. Eventually, with Geri navigating, we got back to Highway 13 and headed north. We were soon into Virginia, heading for Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Geri pointed out that there was an alternate route that kept us from having to go through Norfolk to get to Virginia Beach. Don said he didn’t mind driving through Norfolk. Then we hit the tunnel traffic. It was a slow crawl through the tunnel, and wild jockeying for position among all the drivers after we emerged. Don was saying some bad words. Meanwhile, I was starting to have a recurrence of my bowel problems, and I conferred with Geri on what to do about it. She told me to be calm, and it would only be a little while before I could find relief. We got off the highway, and bumped along a road under construction. We finally got to the RV Park, and Don took me off to a grassy area, but on leash. I can’t handle this sort of thing on leash. I need a little privacy. So I waited while Geri was dealing with the registration office. When she got back to the rig, we headed for our assigned site, which wasn’t far off, and pulled in. Geri got me out into the grass and let me take care of my problem, which was a great relief.
Don had jacked the rig up as high as it would go, and was underneath doing something. He had it up so high that we needed the auxiliary step to get up into it. In a little while, he let it back down, and was very pleased that he had solved the jack alarm problem. Something to do with WD-40. He left in the truck to get something special for me for dinner, while Geri and I stayed in the rig and listened to the sound of the jets from the nearby Naval Air Station. When Don returned, Geri cooked a special dinner for me, rice with boiled ground round. It was really good, but I remembered that that’s what Don cooked for Buddy in Lynnwood, just before he went to Doggy Heaven. I really hope that’s not where I’m headed immediately.
Don called his old friend Bill, a guy he went to high school with, who lives here in Virginia Beach. Bill’s coming over for lunch tomorrow, and I’ll be on my best behavior when I meet him. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow!

Day 45
I had another little emergency this morning. I really had to go out, so I went around to Don’s side of the bed and whined at him. Nothing happened. I whined some more, a little louder. Still nothing. I was about to start barking when Geri woke up and asked me what was wrong. I whined piteously and she got out of bed and let me out. So much for Don in a crisis. The resulting commotion, however, did wake him up, so here we were, all standing in the kitchen at 5:30. Geri and I did the sensible thing and went back to bed. This was beyond Don’s capability, so he turned on the computer and did his internet thing. After a while he put me through the phony paper routine, then gave me breakfast. He went over to the bath house, and came back raving about the quality of the showers here. Large, clean, lots of hot water. He says he’s going to write a very good review of this Park; I hope so, and I hope he mentions all the great grassy areas, which will please lots of dogs. He took me for a good long walk out in the grass, and I made the mistake of crossing the creek at a place other than the bridge; got a little soggy and muddy. When we got back to the rig, he didn’t let me in, but put me directly in the truck. We were soon out the gate and heading down the road. I had forgotten about my grooming date! When we got there, I was very excited, straining on the leash, which I almost never do, anxious to get my bath and all the personal attention that goes with it. There were some other dogs in a fenced-in area that were barking at me; I looked at them with canine disdain. I was getting groomed and they weren’t.
The lady who did my bath and grooming was very nice, and talked to me a lot. I like being talked to by humans, particularly when they’re not shouting or chewing me out for an infraction. I understand a lot of what they say, and I can respond by smiling, rolling my eyes, or looking deeply at them. I can also make meaningful grunting sounds that not everyone understands, though Geri and Don do. Anyway, she did a nice job of trimming my coat and my paws, and gave me a great blow dry afterward. When Don came to pick me up, he said I looked really beautiful; he doesn’t say that very often. We went back to the coach, and Geri agreed that I looked really great, and smelled good, too! She told me to try to stay clean for a few days. I really would like to do that.
While I was gone, Geri had been doing laundry, and Don was getting the truck washed and doing grocery shopping. So all their chores had been completed, and Don wanted to go touring. Geri wanted to stay home and relax, so Don and I took off in the truck. We drove through the countryside, looking at the houses and farms, until we got to a town called Bath. Don got me out of the truck, and we walked around an old church that had been built way back in 1734; it looked pretty good for that age! Don told me that Bath was the first town to be incorporated in North Carolina, and was famous for being a pretty rowdy place. A pirate called Blackbeard used to hang out there, because it was the town nearest his pirate camp. It’s really quiet there now. But it’s very pretty. Don went into the visitor center and talked to the girl at the desk. She asked where we were from. When Don told her, she said that we had come farther to visit Bath than anyone else recently. Then Don asked her why Bath was named Bath. She got a little bit flustered, and finally said that it had something to do with the absentee owners of the land, and maybe one of them was from Bath, England. That made as much sense to me as anything else; I sure didn’t see any baths in Bath. On the way back to Washington, we stopped at a churchyard that belonged to the Athens Church of Christ. It was surrounded by a huge grassy area, and Don turned me loose to run and roll. I found five great spots to roll in, but I was careful to shake myself clean after each roll. Didn’t want to ruin my “do”. We picked up some fried chicken for dinner at King Chicken, and went home to eat. I got a little chicken, but no real plates. We’re trying to get to bed early tonight, big travel day tomorrow; Virginia Beach! I’ll let you know how it goes.

Day 44
Travel days are always fun. For one thing, I get to watch Geri and Don fuss over where they’re going and how they’re going to get there. Once they agree on which RV Park they want to go to, then Geri calls to make a reservation. If it turns out that we can’t go there because they don’t have room for us, then it starts all over again. Then, once they’ve gotten a reservation, they have to agree on the directions on how to get there. Like today, the Park where we’re going is on a road where a bridge is under repair, so we have to take a detour to get there, and the directions we got from the lady at the park were a little confusing. Don was looking at a map on the computer, and couldn’t find any of the roads the lady was talking about. But they decided to get underway regardless, and they would figure it out when they arrived in the area, near Washington, North Carolina. This morning was kind of dark and blustery, and it was raining a little bit. We headed north up highway 17 through Jacksonville and past Camp Lejeune, seeing some really beautiful country. We got to Washington about two in the afternoon, and followed the lady’s directions perfectly to the Park. When we got there and Geri opened the door, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Beautiful grass, acres of it! I was so excited! A nice young lady who had escorted us to the site in a golf cart saw me and liked me immediately. She gave me a lot of petting and compliments, then took me for a ride in her cart. That was a lot of fun! Then Geri took me for a walk in the grassy field, and I ran and rolled to my heart’s content. What a nice place! When we got back to the coach, I had to lay down and rest for a while. Don and Geri were doing some cleaning, and I had to get up and move once in a while, but I still got a good nap. Geri called a local groomer, and it looks like I get a bath and grooming tomorrow. I probably need it badly, particularly after that little incident with the fire pit. My tail plume hasn’t looked the same since.
I got my dinner, which Don fixed, and then we all got in the truck and went into Washington to look around. It’s a very old city, founded in 1776, and was the first town in the country to be named after George Washington, our first president. It has a lovely waterfront on the Pimlico River, and some old buildings downtown, some well preserved, some not so well. Geri and Don had dinner at a place called Blackbeard’s, which was the name of a pirate who hung out in this area. They said it was great, lots of shrimp and clams. We went home, did the blog, watched 24, and went to bed. Grooming day tomorrow!

Day 43
Late start today, everyone slept a little late. When Don got up, about 7:30, he tried to get our schedule tightened up a little, but we still didn’t get our walk started until nine or so. This is not the best walking park we’ve been to, but it’s not that bad. There are some wooded areas, and some grass here and there, and plenty of nice people who like Golden Retrievers. Don let me off leash several times, including one opportunity to chase an impudent squirrel. When we got back to the rig, Geri was getting dressed, and Don gave me my lunch early. That’s a sure tip-off that they’re about to take off without me. So, I got an early nap. They were only gone a few hours. When they got back, they told me that they had been to see another Battleship, like the Texas, which they visited in Houston. This one was the USS North Carolina, and Geri, who is not normally really that big on ship tours, said that this was one really beautiful ship. Don was particularly pleased about getting to see the engine room and the boilers, for some strange reason. He even got into one of the gun turrets. I was just as glad not to have gone, as Geri was complaining about how steep and hard to climb the ladders are to get from one deck to another. But they were very impressed, and I’m glad they went.
So, we all got into the truck and headed down to a little beach town, Wrightsville Beach. We drove down to the very end of the island that the town is on and parked. We walked through the sand dunes to the ocean, and I got to play in the surf for a while. Understand, I’m not much of a water dog, though I have enjoyed swimming in some rivers and lakes. I find surf a little intimidating, but I don’t mind getting my paws wet at the water’s edge. Face it, I’m no Buddy. So, I had a really good time, and Don took some pictures, which I’m sure he’ll post. Then we got back in the truck and went into downtown Wilmington, where they had an Azalea Festival going on. The streets in the downtown area were blocked off for the festivities, and we parked a little ways away. We headed down to the festival area, but we were stopped by a policeman; he told us that dogs weren’t allowed in the festival! Imagine that! Like, I have watered so many azaleas in the past few weeks, I don’t know who could claim to be a better friend to azaleas! But we didn’t have any choice, we turned back and wandered the streets of Wilmington, looking at all the beautiful, historic homes and buildings, all of which are in wonderful condition. This is truly a beautiful town. Anyone who wants to get a good look at the Old South should come here.
We went back to the KOA, and Don cooked some pasta while Geri took me out for a walk. We met quite a few people, and one lady was particularly enamored of me, because she had been the responsible human for two Goldies in the past, and she apparently thought that I was a particularly good representative of my breed. After dinner, I got some really good plates, and made my contributions to the blog. Then I went to sleep. The beach takes a lot out of me. Travel day tomorrow, see ya then.

Day 42
Since this is a travel day, where nothing much happens besides getting ready to go, going, and arriving at our new location, I’m going to take the opportunity to tell you a few things about travelling that I really like. For example, Don and I went for a walk this morning, like we almost always do, unless the weather interferes. Now, you might think that walking a dog is just a chore that humans have to do to allow us dogs to eliminate wastes from our systems. Yeah, we have to do that, just like you do. But Geri and Don have the right approach to dog walking; they believe that the walk is my walk, and that I should be allowed to explore, sniff, roll, and run when and wherever I feel like it, within reasonable limits, that is. Like, I shouldn’t be allowed to roll in a fire pit. They encourage me to run and get some good exercise, they point out things I might be interested in, like squirrels, and they talk to me about the things we see on the walk. Best of all, they only put me on the leash when they absolutely have to because of camp regulations. So, our walks are mutual experiences that we all enjoy, and they are some of my best experiences, particularly on trips, where we are always in new territory.
Another thing I enjoy about traveling in the coach is just the feel of the ride; I love the low vibrations of the big diesel engine as I lay on the floor, and I particularly enjoy the smooth ride of this coach with its air suspension, which Don told me all about. Our old RV was very noisy and had a rough ride, which neither Buddy nor I liked. This one is like sleeping on a diesel powered cloud.
One of the things I like most about traveling is meeting new people. Almost all of the RVing people that we meet in the parks are warm and friendly, and many of them have dogs of their own. I have gotten so much attention and affection from other RVers that I think that they are a special breed of dog lovers. Some of their dogs are not quite as friendly, but I recognize that as just their insecurity manifesting itself when their people meet someone as handsome and personable as me. It really doesn’t upset me.
Well, enough generalizing, back to specifics. We got out of James Island RV Park about 11:30. Don was afraid that the 10K footrace over the bridge would have traffic tied up through Charleston, but he decided to chance it anyway. Surprise, it was all clear! We flew over the bridge, and made our way up Highway 17 through Myrtle Beach, which Geri and Don said looked like Atlantic City, and into North Carolina. Don relied on Garmie to guide him to the KOA Campground in Wilmington, and she didn’t let him down. We arrived in good shape, I had a nice walk with Geri while Don cooked turkeyburgers, and I had a lot of plates to clean up afterward. Don and I worked hard on the blog tonight; I hope you enjoy it! And a special shout-out to my friends Alice and Cooper, who have volunteered to be flown out to join us on our homeward trip! But I really don’t think their human, Big Barb, is serious about that. Bye till tomorrow!

Day 41
Another easy-to-report-on day. First, let me tell my friends who have been concerned about my tummy problems (and those that haven’t), my symptoms seem to have mostly cleared up. Geri and Don are happy about that, and so am I. I can also report that the awful rainstorms are gone, and the skies are clear. Don says that there are parts of Georgia and Alabama that really needed that rain, and we should be glad they got it. Well, yeah, I just wish they had gotten all of it, without so much being wasted up here. So, when Don and I went for our morning walk, it was pretty soggy. We stopped at the office, and I got tied up outside, where I got lots of pets and compliments from several ladies. Like Don says, I’m a Babe Magnet. We had to move the coach to another site, part of the deal to get another night here. I like the new site better, because there is a nice patch of grass right next to it, great for rolling.
After I got my lunch, Geri and Don took off in the truck, leaving me to my afternoon nap. It was a good long nap, as they got back a little late. They had taken a boat trip out to Fort Sumter, which is out in Charleston harbor, and is where the Civil War started. This Civil War stuff is confusing. My command of English is far from perfect, because it doesn’t always translate well into Dog Talk. But I do know what a war is, it’s a big fight. And I think I know what civil is, because Don sometimes tells me to be civil, meaning don’t jump up on someone and frighten them. It means to be nice and thoughtful. So, how do you have a nice, thoughtful big fight? It’s bothersome. Anyway, they said the Fort was on a very small manmade island, that there wasn’t a lot left of some parts of the Fort, and there was a big, black, concrete Spanish-American War fort planted right in the middle of it. They could see Fort Moultrie, where we were a couple of days ago, from Fort Sumter. It also provided a nice view of Charleston. It seemed to be a very enjoyable outing for them.
So, I got my dinner, Geri took me for a walk, Don got the satellite antenna going, and they had some leftovers from their lunch. No plates. Hmph. Travel day tomorrow, up the road to Wilmington, NC. There’s a big footrace over the route we would normally travel in Charleston tomorrow, so Don is planning an end run around it. We’ll see if it works. Manana! (Este perro habla Espanol!)

Day 40
I’m not going to have a lot to say today, because there isn’t much to tell. Geri is fond of pointing out that we traveled to the South for the good, warm weather. Well, today wasn’t it. It was raining real hard when I woke Geri up and told her I had to go out. It was raining even harder when Don got up. We got a little break around nine, and Don took me out for a walk in the woods, not a bad experience. It started raining real hard right after we got back, making a thunderous noise on the roof. The people next door, who were packing three kids in a little travel trailer, had a moat around their spot. We stayed in the rig, Don browsing on the internet, Geri reading whatever we had to read. As the day went on, we heard on TV that Charleston was getting record rainfalls, it was flooded downtown, and everything was a mess. Don and Geri decided that we would hang out here for an additional day, so that they could do some sightseeing that they hadn’t covered yet. Don went down to the office to sign up for another day, and found out that we would have to move the rig to another site. Well, OK. We’ll be moving in the morning. Seems as though they’re having a big foot race in town tomorrow, and a lot of people are coming in for it. Part of the race is on a bridge over the Cooper River; I’ll bet my friend Cooper in Ventura didn’t know there was a river named after him in South Carolina.
The rain let up a little in the late afternoon, and we went for a ride in the truck down to Folly Beach, a laid back little village on the ocean. It was cute, but also flooded. When we got home, Geri took me for a walk in the rain, and I got to wear my nice raincoat, which doesn’t cover my head. I got a wet head, but the rest of me stayed pretty dry. Don made chicken cacciatore for dinner, which is one of my favorites. After dinner, we watched some TV, but the satellite was out and we had to watch some stupid shows on the alphabet networks. Tomorrow has to be better.

Day 39
I’m still not feeling quite right in the tummy, but Geri says no one wants to hear about my gastric problems, so that’s all I have to say about that. It rained all night here in Charleston, and I do have one complaint about our coach; it has a hard roof, and the raindrops make a drumming sound that is a little bothersome. But I got a pretty good night’s sleep anyway. I got up with Don, got my breakfast, and Don went off to the shower. When he got back and got dressed, we got in the truck and went to a store to get some bottles of water for Geri. We were also looking for some of my food, but there weren’t any stores nearby that have it. So, when we got back to the rig, Don looked on the internet for a place that had my food and found one five miles away. Geri was ready to go, so we got back in the truck and headed out. After a little driving, we pulled into a parking lot in front of a PetsMart! My favorite store! I love to shop there! There’s always some food bags that are leaking, and the clerks always have treats for me. And they didn’t take me into the store! Boy, was I, umm, upset. But, then, I figured that they’re getting this stuff for me, and if they don’t do it, who will? So I calmed down.
Then we drove into downtown Charleston, and looked at all the really beautiful homes in the old part of the city. It really is grand. There was a mansion on the waterfront where some workmen were making some repairs, and laying on the porch supervising them was another Goldie! We stopped and took a walk on a pier that overlooked the waterfront, and spent some time in a park area that had some lovely fountains. Geri and Don thought the signs at the fountains that said that no lifeguards were on duty were really funny. We got back in the truck and went to a restaurant that Gary had recommended, the Hominy Grill, and they had lunch there. Don liked it more than Geri did. Then we drove out to Sullivan’s Island to see an old fort that had been there since the Revolution, Fort Moultrie. They enjoyed the history lesson and the tour of the fort; I enjoyed the grassy meadow that surrounded it, and the chance to sniff some Revolutionary territory. We all had a good time there. On the way back, we stopped at Patriot’s Point, where the USS Yorktown is berthed. Don visited the ship some years ago, so he didn’t make Geri do the tour today. But we did stop at a display that memorialized the contribution of the submarine service to the winning of what they call the Cold War. Which I guess is better than a Hot War. Don had worked on a lot of the submarines that were memorialized there, and was glad to see that their contributions had been recognized.
When we went back to the coach, they were still stuffed from their lunches, so no dinner, no plates. But they did give me a new toy that they had gotten a PetsMart, a crunchy toy that they know I love. I’m so lucky, they’re always doing nice things for me. Except for not letting me into PetsMart. Guess we can’t have everything. Don’t know what we’re doing tomorrow, but you can be sure I’ll let you know! G’Night!