Take
your time exploring Allegheny & Appalachian regions –
you might miss something.
A
heavy rainstorm passed through Toronto, flooding many areas
and transforming the ravine behind our home into a lake. It
was the beginning of our Allegheny/ Appalachian mountain trip,
and we were anxious to test the CoPilot live Laptop 8 GPS Navigation
and RV Routing System by ALK Technologies. We were not returning
home. Besides, our house was one of the lucky ones that remained
high and dry.
Onward and westward in New York State towards Pennsylvania.
One of the KOA campgrounds we enjoyed is located at Westfield
near the border between the states on the shore of Lake Erie.
Across the road is Ottaway Park, where you can view a dramatic
sunset as the large, red orb sinks into the lake.
 Just
south of this is an interesting Amish country around Lake Chautauqua.
While you won’t find a factory outlet for Amish treasures,
a tour of the countryside will take you to homes of many Amish
merchants who sell their wares to the public. These people don’t
believe in using labour-saving devices. No windmills, electricity,
tractors. No buttons or zippers on their clothing. They travel
the roads in distinctive, black carriages pulled by horses.
Another campground you could visit there is Camp Chautauqua,
on the shores of the lake, located five minutes from the Chautauqua
Institute. The institute offers a nine-week, summer program
full of activities with Specials in the Amphitheater including
entertainers such as David Lettermen and Bob Newhart, plus Pat
and Debby Boone.
In Grove City, you can take a tour of the Wendell August Forge.
It was a primary influence in creating different uses for the
first modernmetal-aluminum and for establishing a new industry
based on hand-forging methods. Today, handcrafted items are
created, some in pewter and sterling silver. Every work of Wendell
August bears the mark of the master engraver who hand-cut the
die. You’ll find his initials neatly hidden within each
design.
Travelling south through Pennsylvania on State Route 79, you’ll
enter hilly country and the Old Economy Village, just north
of Pittsburgh in Ambridge – a religious settlement of
German craftsmen who practised celibacy. (The village was disbanded
in 1905 when the population dwindled.) Visitors who crave craft
demonstrations can tour 15 original structures such as the music
hall and 22-room George Rapp House.
In downtown Pittsburgh, take time to visit the Carnegie Museum
of Art, the Museum of Natural History, and the Science Centre.
These were donated to the city by Andrew Carnegie, a pioneer
in steelmaking, using the native coal from Pennsylvania mines.
On the north side of the city is the Allegheny Observatory where
amateur astronomers can use the 30-inch telescope to discover
the heavens. As you wander the city, be sure to stop at Station
Square boutique stores in a refurbished railroad station region
on the west side of the Ohio River, off West Carson Street.
While staying overnight at the Washington KOA, it’s a
good time to visit the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, a collection
of streetcars from the past. If you’re in the area on
Saturday night, drive your tow vehicle over to Wheeling WV to
take in the evening country music show, Jamboree USA, at the
Capitol Theater. It’s famous for its radio shows, heard
around the country on the AM dial.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is the home of Dollywood and the Dixie
Stampede. Both venues were developed by Dolly Parton to create
employment for people of her hometown. Dollywood is RV friendly,
with huge parking areas and shuttles to take you from RV to
thrilling rides. See the spectacular entertainment in numerous
theatres on Showstreet, where you’ll witness displays
of woodworking, blacksmiths, guitar manufacturing, plus handcrafted
buggies and carriages made to order in Craftsman’s Valley.
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Can you imagine a place that can produce a four-course feast
for 1,000 people, twice each evening, and still put on a spectacular
horse show? Parton’s stampede can. For each meal, cooks
prepare 1,000 whole rotisserie chickens, and nearly 250 pounds
of boneless pork tenderloin, for great southern dinners.
As for the show, 32 types of horses, from Belgian draft to quarter,
compete in the battle of skills between north and south. And
diners marvel at the power of the buffalo herd as it stampedes
around the arena. Performances range from Roman Riding, during
which two horses move side by side, with one rider standing
astride both horses, to barrel racing requiring tight turns
and breakneck speeds.
We made our way through Gatlinburg over the Newfound Gap, Indian
Gap, Right Hand Gap, and Luftee Gap to Cherokee at the Southern
boundary of the Smoky Mountain National Park. This is a real
climb for an RV and requires the use of some lower gears on
the steep mountain passes. Cherokee is an Indian Reservation
occupied by 11,000 members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee
Indians that has made this area their home for centuries.
Leading to the Biltmore House in Asheville, we drove Highway
19 with its steep, narrow, winding sections. Completed in 1895,
the house covers four acres, all under one roof, with 250 rooms,
35 bedrooms, 65 fireplaces, an indoor pool, bowling alley, plus
priceless art and antiques. It’s still the largest, privately
owned home in America. The estate keeps guests amused for days
with special events throughout the year, outdoor adventures,
food and wine tasting, specialty seminars, and its accessibility
to the Asheville area.
Next was Petersburg in Virginia. Civil War buffs will want to
visit the Petersburg National Battlefield, where 10 months of
trench warfare sapped the strength of General Robert Lee’s
Confederate Army, and led to the downfall of Richmond. To the
east of Petersburg, you’ll find Colonial Virginia, host
to restored villages of Williamsburg and Jamestown. Along Interstate
95 is Fredericksburg on the Rappahannock River. This was George
Washington’s boyhood home. By the end of the Civil War,
it was desolate, with shelled homes and dead people buried in
the streets. The intense fighting resulted in the loss of 65,000
Union and 40,000 Confederate soldiers.
Soon we discovered not all of America’s wide-open spaces
are outdoors. The Luray Caverns consist of 64 acres of underground
caves. You can wander along smooth, well-lit walkways through
massive chambers measuring 30 to 140 feet in height, containing
a variety of formations in natural color. The enormous columns
and crystal-clear pools took millions of years in the making.
Next, Washington DC. For our visit to the Capitol and Annapolis
area, we stayed at the city’s KOA. We wanted to see the
White House, but security instructed us to apply at the Canadian
Embassy for permission four months ahead of time. If you’re
lucky enough to get passes to see the White House, they can
be picked up at the Visitors Centre on the Ellipse. It’s
best to park your RV at the campground and take either a shuttle
or your car to visit the centre of the city. Parking is difficult,
so take a good pair of shoes and be prepared to hoof it.
The next day was spent visiting Annapolis, home of the U.S.
Naval Academy where midshipmen prepare to become officers. Tours
of the 338-acre Academy are available. Main Street displays
historic buildings, shops and pubs. The waterfront has great
seafood restaurants, along with the lure of sailing ships.
We drove around the City of Baltimore on the 695 Bypass. This
is like taking your RV to sea as you drive over a three-mile-long
bridge over the Chesapeake Bay, which allows large boats to
navigate the harbour. The USS Constellation is moored at Pier
One, the last all-sail Civil War warship remaining afloat. The
National Aquarium on Pratt Street allows you to come face to
face with at least 10,000 creatures that live in or around the
water. At the Decoy Museum on Giles Street in Havre De Grace,
hunters marvel at the collection of decoys and can view carving
demonstrations. It’s easier if you drive your RV around
the outside of many cities, then drive your tow car to explore
downtown areas.
We used Highway 287 to detour around the traffic of New York
City with our motorhome, and arrived at the Newburg KOA on the
north end. We prefer driving up the east side of the Hudson
River from I-287 on Highway 9, which takes us through many small
towns including Ossining and Peekskill – there’s
less traffic. From there, the campground operates shuttle buses
every day into the core of the city. That’s where the
action is.
Soon we experienced the spectacular route 100 in Vermont as
it wound through all the small villages instead of using turnpikes.
This led us to Stowe, one of the original ski areas of the Green
Mountain State. When we want to visit this charming mountain
town, we park our motorhome at the Goldbrook Campground on the
south side, just past Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.
This is a good base for touring the area in your tow vehicle
or towed car.
Then you can make dinner reservations at the Trapp Family Lodge.
The Von Trapp family escaped from Austria during the Second
World War and emigrated to Stowe where they established this
unique mountain lodge. I always feel like singing songs from
The Sound of Music when I stand on nearby hills.
Starting in the centre of town, there’s a five-mile scenic
recreation path for walking and biking. Mount Mansfield is the
highest peak in Vermont at 4,395, feet with 11 ski lifts, along
with 480 skiable acres of trails. If you travel to the peak
during the summer in a gondola, you can see for 50 to 70 miles.
If your tow vehicle is in excellent shape, you might like to
drive the Stowe Auto Toll Road with its steep roads and sharp,
winding curves. Park the car and take the long, difficult trail
all the way to the top of the mountain.
For the remainder of the trip, we experienced good weather and
high gas prices all the way back to Toronto. Total expenses
came to $1 per mile including fuel, food, entertainment and
campground fees – not a significant increase when compared
to last year. (Page
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