Sunday April 23

We spent two days and two nights on the Cumberland River. We passed the rainy Sunday with a trip to a very large dam and an restaurant we didn’t think was Mexican but turns out it was. Fine by us!

The Cordell Hull Dam was a sight to see. Prehistoric-looking birds flying about, fisherman casting lines and a huge wall holding back a whole lot of water. We kept hoping there would be someone using the canal lock but no dice.

Emily, under cover from the driving rain.

The Acapulco Grill was a sweet find. Similar to El Jimador at home in Belmont, NH only super cheap. A pitcher of Dos Equis Amber for $7.49, yes please! Certainly made our day.

We spent a good amount of time Sunday in a McDonald’s parking lot soaking up some wifi. Our data plan on our phones will be running out soon. I think McDonald’s and Acapulco were the only places open since it was The Lord’s Day.

Monday April 24

Cooper needed a quick hike before we rolled out of Granville, TN on Monday morning. We decided that since we were so close to Alabama, we had to go. But first, a quick stop in Dickson, TN. The city of Dickson in Dickson County. How could we resist? Some of you might know we have a piece of land in the town of Grafton in Grafton county in NH. Dickson Dickson was a must see.

I know we had flipped a coin to travel West, but something was drawing us to 'Bama!

The drive south on the Natchez Parkway was great. Hardly anyone was on the road. We saw a gorgeous waterfall called Jackson Falls. It was nice to be able to pull over, see something worth seeing and stretch our legs.

Jackson Falls

We landed at McDougle Hunt Camp in the Bankhead National Forest in Alabama around 7pm. We were greeted by a dude ("dude" is definitely the appropriate title) our age and his two barky but friendly dogs. Adrian was from Indiana and had been staying here for the past week with his girlfriend Jillian. Nice guy, gave us some firewood.

As we set up camp and we see an older man ride in on a horse. Yes, a horse. We had seen this man earlier in the day taking a leak on the side of the road. We wondered where he was headed. His name is Jerry. He may already be one of my favorite people on this trip. He is a frail and bearded man with long hair pulled back into a grayish blonde ponytail, piercing blue eyes and the typical strong southern accent.

The five of us enjoyed a fire together that night. It was unlike any other fire we have ever been to before (not because the fatwood, but because of the somewhat awkward company) Jillian talked a little about our “signs” and the stars. “You come from the stars man, you come from the stars. You come from the stars man, you come from the stars” she said, no joke, 5 times in a row. Ryan and I had been planning on staying 'til Wednesday but we were seriously considering leaving the next morning ‘cause shit got weird.

Tuesday April 25

We offered to make everyone breakfast in the morning, sausage and french toast. Adrian stated that he usually drinks a beer for breakfast but accepted the offer just the same. You could tell by the lack of clouds that it was going to be a beautiful day, so we decided to stay another night so we could play.

There weren’t any maps that we could find of the area so we just started driving. We found the Sipsy River and some horse trails to explore. The river is so clear and pretty. Since it’s been awhile since our last shower, we went in the frigid water. I thought for sure it was would be warm water down here in Alabama, but I dare say the water is as cold as NH. We stayed there awhile, enjoying the peacefullness and watching Cooper chase butterfly shadows. He could do that for hours.

Everything was shrinking at this point.

We later found a site of a natural bridge. The trail seemed under used and all the picnic tables had moss growing on them. It’s too bad (but great for us!) that this park doesn't get more use, it's quite pretty.

Natural bridge

Back at camp, we hung out with the crew. I was typing up this post and Jerry came up and asked if he could sit a spell. He is one interesting man. Jerry is just coming back “home" from spending the winter going around to different Cowboy Churches. He rides his horse, Babe, everywhere he needs to go. A 45 minute drive for us takes him 2 days on horseback. When I asked him if we was headed home, he said “Honey, I ain't got a home” in his southern drawl. Jerry grew up nearby but calls himself homeless. His daughter lives close but when he is back in town he choses to stay in a cave in the woods. Our minds are blown.

Jerry let Ryan and I take a ride on Babe. Jerry rode with me because he said Babe will sometimes do as she pleases but will behave if he was there. He calls me “Little Yankee” which I actually find quite endearing.

Babe. No Photo of Jerry out of respect- he didn't seem like the type.

Dinner was a joint effort last night. Jerry, earlier in the day, asked what kind of steak we like. He went into town with Adrian and bought us all a cut of rib eye and an ear of corn. He is a generous soul. We brought over a salad and Adrian made baked potatoes as well as cooked the rest of the food (hickory smoked the steak - absolutely amazing). Everything was fantastic. This night was different from the night before and we were glad of that. 

~Emily

-A note from Ryan-

It was difficult to leave this morning. I'd be omitting the truth if I didn't tell you that I was silently swallowing a lump in my throat as we drove by Jerry on the road, with Cooper howling out the window at Babe.  If you're ever traveling the side roads of Alabama, and pass a very tan pony-tailed man with a felt hat and (maybe inside-out) camo jacket, do yourself a favor and stop and sit a spell with him. You'll learn something.

Today we're headed south of Tuscaloosa to Belmont, Alabama to a campsite recommended by Joe and Nicole last week.  I have high hopes - I believe there was mention of some hookups of some sort. The use of a 110V outlet would be welcome, as I have some welding to do (remember the story of a folded bumper, and dragging bicycles up a mountain road? Yeah, that.)

I'm waiting for the photos to upload, listening to news in the background. It's nice to be separated from all this.

It’s been one week! I am trying really hard to not get a Bare Naked Ladies song to get stuck in my head. We have learned a lot so far. Just when you think you’ve mastered securing everything in the camper from falling….you haven’t. Also, just when you think you’re “there”….you’re not. Everything takes longer with a camper. I have a love/hate relationship with the camper right now. I really do love the camper. I love sleeping in the camper especially. It’s so comfortable! When it’s pouring rain outside, it’s amazing to be able to come inside to a warm and dry area. (We saw two unfortunate souls setting up a tent last night in a ridiculous rain storm. There was nothing we could to to help, although we tried to come up with a way.) On the other hand, a van would be so much easier for driving and camping location purposes. It has only been one week. Let's check back about the camper feelings in a few weeks.

So we brought too much crap. Who knew? The knife block I had to have for that “homey” feeling is now sitting in a storage tote in the back of the truck. That was dumb but there was no talking us out of it. We should probably suck it up and mail home all the stuff we don’t need. I think we will find many more things to “put in storage” between now and October.

Good news! I have finally mastered the art of making homemade Kombucha after months of trying! Although we will never really know for sure. The Kombucha splashed all over the camper for the last week while driving. We tried putting plastic over it but it just found a way onto the countertop amongst other places anyway. We saved what we could but we pitched it yesterday, it was a sad day. I miss it already.

We, somewhat reluctantly, left the comfort of Lake Powatan Campground today. The on-demand warm showers were hard to let go. The campground itself was very well maintained and everyone that worked there was extremely nice. We even met a man that lived in Colebrook, NH half of each year! What are the odds? We would recommend this spot to anyone. It was quiet and just what we needed in a time of complete frustration. Completely worth $22/night, in our humble opinions.

North Carolina has been a state Ryan has said many times that he could live. Between you and me, I think he will be saying that about a lot of places! The people have been very pleasant so far. Just in the last couple days, people have actually stopped their cars to get out to see Cooper, our neurotic Weimaraner ! He has been a huge hit down here! Maybe we’ll try to pawn him off on some innocent bystander. Just kidding, I love him dearly. In all seriousness, though, NC loves “the gray ghost”.

Before the pelting rain came, we explored a small amount in Asheville, NC. We went to Pour Taproom. At this place, you could pour your own beer and try whatever you wanted. You had to wear a bracelet that kept track of what beer you tried and how much you tried of each. No waiting for someone to take your order and no getting a shitty beer and not liking it!

Pour Taproom

Draft selection at Pour Taproom

We flipped a coin while hiking this morning (it was actually a multi tool, 'cause who has change in their pocket while hiking?!) to see if we should head south or west. In our hearts, we secretly wanted that multi-tool to tell us west. It said west. The faster we get out west, the more time we have out there. But are we missing out on what the south has to offer? I mean, Alabama and Mississippi would be very interesting to go through! We’ll see. Maybe that needs to be a whole other trip.

In the meantime we have landed in Granville, Tennesee, a cute little po-dunk town about an hour and a half outside of Nashville. We chose this spot because of free camping and a short drive, only about four hours. You never know with these free camping sites if they will lead you on a wild goose chase or if they will be exactly what you want and expect.

We lucked out! We are literally camping on the Cumberland River, like in the Old Crow Medicine Show song. Yes, I relate most things in life to songs lyrics and/or FRIENDS episodes. It is a little slice of heaven here at Cordell Hull Lake Horse Trail. We have the place to ourselves and even have a 3 sided shelter which is ideal due to the pouring rain that seems to have followed us from NC. At least we will be well rested for the next leg of our journey.

Our amazing free campsite.

Nice geologic backdrop!

See you soon!

~Emily

Day 6

If every place is going to be as hard to leave at Centreville, we will never make it to Alaska. We somewhat unwillingly left Centreville Tuesday afternoon. Jessie and Phil were so accommodating, we can't begin to thank them enough. We were offered all the foods, showers, laundry and Emily even went to the gym with Jess! On Tuesday, Jessie's dad Bill took us on a hike to Great Falls and her mom Becky cooked us a wonderful Mexican-style dinner! What a great family. Thank you all!  As an added bonus, we enjoyed a lunch with a dear friend from my college days, Kristen Barry, before hitting the road.

We hit Virginia at just the right time. Everything was green and blooming. It was quite lovely. The flat walking trails were welcomed since we rarely get flat in NH. Most of the trails seemed to wind along rivers and streams with a nice refreshing breeze.

Trails near Great Falls on the Potomac River.

Great Falls National Park. (so many rules)

When we left of comfort of street side camping we drove for about 3 hours south. We ended up at a free campsite near Braley Pond. It was quiet and beautiful. We were only accompanied by one other group. We went over to introduce ourselves. They were a nice couple from San Diego CA, Joe and Nicole. Nicole's dad had just arrived from Indiana to celebrate his recent retirement and birthday. Congratulations Rick! Joe and Nicole are a month and a half into their 4 and a half month adventure. They are driving around doing events for their outdoor fitness business, Gut Check Fitness. We enjoyed their company around the campfire with some of our favorite wines and cigars. We hope to meet up with them again in Seattle, WA in June.

Braley Pond Campsite (FREE)

We had thought of spending another day in Braley Pond Forest but it was raining and we were excited to keep going south. We did a quick hike and loaded up.

A sweet free campsite peaked our interest in Bland, VA- haha! The reviews of this campsite said we would have a drive up a dirt road for 3 miles and didn't recommend it for big rigs with no clearance. Well for sure, we did it anyway. The ride up was full of anxiety watching the camper sway back and forth in the ditches. The original review said it would take about 20 minutes to drive up. 20 minutes turned into about 1 hour with an 18ft trailer. About 1 mile into the drive up, one of our bicycles somehow ended up in the middle of the "road". We jump out to find our camper bumper had bent over and we were dragging our spare tire and bicycles. We had no idea how long we dragged them for. Emily found out the next day as she ran down the road, we dragged everything for a least a mile.  In hindsight, a photo to document this mishap would have made for some memories... stress level was red-lining.  Good times! We both managed to keep our shit somewhat together and move on. At least the camper was ok. If there was a spot we were able to turn around, we may have but there wasn't.

We made it to the top and boy was the view amazing. The sign, however, read "Closed from Sunset to Sunrise." Screw it. We aren't going anywhere. We did a quick meal and googled where to go to next. Cell phone service was excellent since we were surrounded by cell towers, yikes!

"Free Campsite" albeit, not legal campsite. And damned hard to get to.

We picked up early the next morning to head to our next destination in the Pisgah National Forest. GPS said about a four hour drive, we planned on 5 with stopping. We managed to find the free campsite to be greeted by a locked gate. Bummer dude. It looked like such a cool spot!

Since we were in the Blue Ridge Mountains, we jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy the view as we search for another free campsite. Mount Mitchell is located here, it is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi! As beautiful as the Parkway was we wanted to get off it now! It was four hours later and we had yet to find a home for the night. Wrong turn after wrong turn, both of us near tears with frustration. Aborting free camping for the night, we pulled into Lake Powhatan Campground, just outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

Blue Ridge Parkway. Absolutely incredible.

A very nice older couple checked us in and comforted us after we told them of our last few hours. After an unexpected nine hours of driving, we were relieved to be done for the day. Emily asked if there was coin operated showers- the woman informed us that they were included in the campsite and were nice and warm. Emily almost hugged the woman and cried with happiness. It was a long day.

Today is Friday, we have decided to stay another day at the campground. Neither of us could bear to pack up the camper again today and drive aimlessly to our next free site (if we can find one). We decided we need good beer and a relaxing day. Ashville, NC seems like the place to do it.

There may seem to be a decent amount of negativity in this post... don't fear! Nobody said this would be easy, and right now, we're soaking up some modern comforts with smiles on our faces.

Not mentioned: Falling Spring, VA. This water flows from a hot spring.

This tower has a name that I cannot recall, so I'll coin it:
"Blow Your Tits Apart Tower"
We didn't go up into it - it was closed when we arrived, and closed in the AM when we left.

Tomorrow... on to Nashville!

It's day 3.

For two nights now, we've been parked streetside in Centreville, VA outside of Washington D.C. parked in front of the home of wildly accommodating dear friends Jessie and Phil, and their two very fun children.

The trip down on Saturday was a learning experience.
For one, you cannot tow trailers on parkways... here's how we learned that:
Traveling outside of New York City, we proceeded under an overpass.  Emily pipes up from the passenger seat "How tall is the trailer? That bridge sign said 10'10" clearance!" and soon after, we spied warnings of an upcoming 8'8" underpass.  "WHAT??"  I thought sure we were pushing 12' in height.  Panicked, I slowed down to a near stop, with drivers behind us likely screaming or laughing.  The fine gentleman in front of us directed to use the left lane, where the arched underpass would be significantly higher.  We cleared it.... by inches.  Our air conditioner lived to see another day.  We soon learned from a friendly motorist that we were not permitted with a trailer on the parkway.... makes sense.... Forget your negative feelings toward New York drivers. Without their help, our trip would have ended on day 1.

Travel note #2:
When towing an RV, seek bridges, NOT tunnels. Propane cylinders are not allowed in most tunnels.

Can anyone recommend a GPS app to avoid tunnels and parkways?? 😂


The following photos were taken at Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, VA.

Meet Cooper

Meet Emily

Winter Camp for Civil War Soldiers

Blue Bells

The landscape was a strange reminder of some of the
Costa Rican landscapes that we've been through.

Nobody to answer to.

Stay tuned!