2018-5-13 – Nashville 

Nashville is a happening city – two days really didn’t do it justice, but I did pack a lot in.  Stayed in an Airbnb in the 12 South area.  According to locals, the only reason you’d go here 15 years…

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2018-5-11 – Big South Fork

Fifty years ago I traveled around the country with what was referred to in our house as my practice wife.  (Trish had a practice husband, too.)  It was a simpler time and we were simpler people, but some things were…

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2018-5-10 – Knoxville

I was pretty bushed by the time I got to my room in Atha’s modest, unpretentious house not far from downtown.  It was convenient and inexpensive – just what I needed for the night.  I crashed for an hour or…

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2018-5-9 – Dollywood?

As I left the winding roads of the Smoky Mountain National Park I decided I would take the Gatlinburg Bypass Road since I felt I could survive without experiencing Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium, Mysterious Mansion, and the Salt…

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2018-5-9 – Clingman’s Dome

Instead of taking the faster Interstate route I meandered my way along the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  As I had been told, it was dramatic and beautiful and definitely worth…

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2018-5-8 – Asheville

Having spent an extra day in Floyd, I needed to make up some time on my way to Asheville.  Interstate 81 was fast and unremarkable, but things changed once I was on I-26, rightly designated as a Scenic Highway.  It…

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2018-5-8 – The first thousand miles

So far, so good.  The Outback has been a pleasure to drive and the camping setup works admirably.  The Skyline Drive did not disappoint – spectacular scenery.  I’ve been to some beautiful and remarkable places and met some interesting…

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2018-5-7 – Dogtown

I had gotten used to having No Service.  I figured that phone and Internet access were luxuries I didn’t need in the forest anyway, but when I stopped at the visitor center along the Blue Ridge Parkway and mentioned…

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2018-5-6 – Camping on the way to Floyd 

I’m seeing progress.  The first day of camping it took me an hour to set up and 45 minutes to break down.  Of course, I had to figure out how the tent got assembled and remember where I had put…

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2018-5-5 – Graham Ordinary

I’m up early, as has become my habit on the road since I go to bed early and the sun wakens one while camping.  In this case it’s also because of Frederick, the name I’ve given to the multi-colored rooster…

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2018-5-4 – The camper from hell 

Last evening I met Jim at Lewis Mountain Campground on the Skyline Drive.  He’s a throughhiker just starting out on a 400 mile trek over the next 40 days on the Appalachian Trail.  He recently retired from a long career…

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2018-5-3 -- Logistics

Logistics: the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. (Wikipedia) 

Thus far my logistics have worked out reasonably well, although I see room for improvement.  I was surprisingly tired last night and went to bed not long after…

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