We got an early start on Monday. Our first stop was a bike trail that wasn’t too far away. The Perkiomen trail, named after The Perkiomen Creek is Lenapi and means “where the cranberries grow”. The ride was pleasant, especially after two days of cold and rain. I rode ahead while Cathie took her time on her trike. We came back from the bike ride and ate lunch. Then we were off to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I have so many fond memories of the Art Museum. Sure, the artwork inside is wonderful. But the building itself and its location in the city is what I remember most. Years ago I spent many a summer night folk dancing in the courtyard of the art museum. It was the perfect place—with water fountains in the courtyard and at the bottom of the steps. When driving into the city it’s sitting there on a hill, at the end of Boathouse Row, welcoming me back.

Cathie and I couldn’t have explored all 240,000 art objects in one afternoon. We picked a few collections and browsed in some of the adjacent rooms. So many amazing pieces of work.

On Tuesday we head to the Hudson Valley for a night before going back home.

That’s the weather forecast for the Philadelphia area this Memorial Day weekend. The rain started Friday afternoon and is expected to last through Sunday. Highs in the 50s for Saturday and Sunday. We’re taking it easy. On Saturday I did the laundry and Cathie did some planning for a program she is coordinating for the synagogue. Sunday was more of the same.

Friday was a busy day. We started by going to Liberty Trike, the company that built Cathie’s trike. The power wasn’t working and we thought it would be best to have the experts look at it. They found the problem quickly and fixed it in less than half an hour. Then we took off for a short bike ride. I wanted to squeeze in a ride before the rain started. I also wanted to make sure that Cathie’s trike was working fine. We rode on the Delaware canal trail. It wasn’t too far from Liberty Trike, which is why we chose it. On the ride we passed lots of geese, including several families. The parents squawked at us as we passed, protecting their young. Geese can be very threatening, even when on a bike.

After the bike ride, we went back to the RV, took showers and headed off to dinner with friends, Elyse and David. It was a lovely evening; we felt pre-pandemic normal. We were their first post-pandemic dinner guests. We talked late into the night and probably could have talked longer if we didn’t have to drive back to the RV in the rain. By the time we got back, the RV had cooled down, so we turned on the electric heater to warm up.

We hope to have a more interesting day on Monday. We’ll probably take a bike ride and do something else outside.

We just finished six days in the Harrisburg/Hershey area. On Wednesday we went to Bird-in-Hand, which has a large Amish and Mennonite community. There is a farmers market there which Cathie thought would be fun to visit. The many shops included canned goods, a leather shop, meats, fresh produce, cheese, candles, quilts, candy, jewelry and others. We bought some interesting jams and some vegetables. After the farmers market we found a nice park where we ate lunch.

I rode on a pretty bike trail that bordered the Susquehanna River. I remember passing over that river many a time in my travels from Philly to Penn State. It’s a very wide and shallow river. I didn’t realize that it’s the longest river on the East Coast. The name comes from the Len’api tribe and means Oyster River. The oyster beds were at the mouth of the river, in the Chesapeake Bay. The bike trail was a 14 mile stretch that meandered through wooded areas and farmland. It was a very nice ride.

Not all KOA campgrounds are the same. KOA, or Kampgrounds of America is one of the large chains of campgrounds in the US. They follow a cookie cutter approach to camping, which isn’t exactly the type of campground that interests us. However, we found a wonderful KOA in Lynchburg, VA. It was on a rural road with no houses around. Our site was next to a wooded area of the campground. It was peaceful and relaxing there. Even the internet was good. So we tried our luck and booked another KOA, in Elizabethtown, PA. Not as nice. You can see the comparison pictures to get a sense of the difference in the campgrounds.

Today was a slow, catchup day. We did some chores in and around the RV. We read, we sat outside. When it got too hot, we came in and turned on the air conditioner. We went to town to get some items and picked up some Chinese food for dinner. That kind of day.

Since this is a catch up day, I’ll mention a couple of places we visited in Virginia. Natural Bridge is a geological formation that has some colonial history. George Washington came to this area as a surveyor in 1750. He carved his initials into the wall of the bridge. I’m not sure if that was common for surveyors in those days but it is an interesting tidbit. Thomas Jefferson purchased land in the area, including the bridge, from King George in 1774. Today it’s a state park. The day we visited it was hot but in the shade of the state park it was cool and pleasant. We met a couple from Milford, MA and chatted next to Cedar Creek, which formed the Natural Bridge many years ago.

On Thursday we toured Lynchburg. We walked through a lovely garden behind the Anne Spencer House, an African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance. We walked on Riverwalk Trail which borders the James River. I got a picture of Cathie investigating the Love artwork on the Riverwalk.

It’s now summer weather. Today was in the high 80’s. Tomorrow looks to be much of the same. That’s not the best weather for Cathie. Only a week ago we were in the hills of Tennessee and needed to turn on the heat in the morning. In some ways it will be nice to get back to New England.

We spent most of the day in and around the National Park yesterday. There were a few interesting things we happened upon.

We drove on the Foothills Parkway, a pretty road that is close to but not connected to the National Park. The Parkway has an interesting history. It was planned over 75 years ago and is still not completed. The longest stretch of the completed road is ~33 miles, which twists and turns, providing great views of the Smokies.

Motorcycles and Jeeps were everywhere! There was a parade of motorcycles on the Foothills Parkway. We must have seen over 50 riding together down the road. A few minutes later there was another parade of just as many Jeeps! People love clubs.

We witnessed a wedding in a parking lot. No, it’s not as bad as you would imagine. The parking lot was actually a turnoff on the Foothills Parkway with the Smoky Mountains as the backdrop. There were 20 or so in attendance. We imagined that the couple were avid hikers and this was a good way to celebrate their wedding. Another 50 yards away there was a group of Jeep owners congregating and sharing libations.

We stopped for lunch on the Foothills Parkway. The pictures above are a poor representation of the grandeur. The mountains are just beautiful. I think I finally understand the allure of the Smokies and why it’s the most popular National Park in the US.

We took a short walk on a path that was dubbed an ‘Easy Trail’. I commented that whoever put up the sign claiming it was easy clearly didn’t have any physical disabilities. We managed, over the tree roots but stopped at the small stream as Cathie was hesitant to step on the rocks to cross it. Given the mis-labeling of the trail, it was still a nice walk.

We went into the Visitors Center at the park and experienced some of the confusion around the recent change in the mask mandate from the CDC. All the staff were wearing masks and there were hand sanitizer stations but the staff made a point of stating that the hand sanitizer and masks were now optional. I think they had just changed the policy.

In the park, we drove along the Little River, which we decided is mis-named. It’s actually 60 miles long, so I wouldn’t classify that as ‘little’. Naming aside, the river was just spectacular, with the water rolling over rocks, twisting and turning and providing wonderful views from the road.

The Cherokee called them Shaconage (pronounced Sha-Kon-O-Hey), which translates to the “place of the blue smoke.” The Cherokee believed these mountains were a refuge, and a mythical and spiritual place. During the Indian Removal Period of the 1800’s, the Trail of Tears, these mountains meant safety from pursuing soldiers. Today, we know them as the Great Smoky Mountains.

Today I drove to Clingman’s Dome, which is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail and the third highest point in the Eastern US. The view was spectacular. The first part in getting there was driving up a long and twisty road. From the parking lot, there was a half mile walk up a steep, paved road and to the Lookout Tower. Being at the top was incredible. Pictures don’t do it justice. It reminded me of being at the Grand Canyon over 30 years ago. I had the same awe-inspiring feeling back then.

Yesterday we went to Cades Cove, a flat valley nestled in the mountains. This area was populated by white settlers in the early 1800’s. Cherokee lived in this area but had left by the time whites moved in. About a hundred years later, Tennessee bought the land from the farmers and gave it to the federal government for park use. Today, Cades Cove is part of the National Park Service and has a nice loop road for tourists. There are a number of wildlife in Cades Cove. We had three black bear sightings and saw some wild turkeys. Unfortunately, there were too many cars the day we went. It was stop and go, mostly stop, for most of the loop road, even though it was mid-week in May. (Cades Loop actually gets about 2 million visitors a year.) On Wednesdays, the loop road is closed to motorized traffic. Then, walkers and bicyclists can explore the area in a much more relaxed setting. If we ever come back here, we’ll do that.

I’m sitting in a chair on a small farm outside of Greensboro, NC. The temperature is in the mid 70’s and is sunny with a nice breeze. There is a small pond nearby. I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. It feels like heaven.

The owners of the farm are part of an ingenious membership club called Harvest Hosts. We pay an annual fee and are able to stay (one night at a time) at farms, wineries, golf clubs and other places that have enough space to accommodate an RV. We don’t pay anything to stay, although we are expected to purchase something. For tonight’s stay, we will buy some of the wooden crafts that the farm owner made. It’s a nice proposition for everyone.

Yesterday we were in Durham, NC, visiting my cousins Chelley and Bob. I actually have two Chel and Bob cousins, one on my mother’s side and one on my father’s side. We visited Chelle and Bob on my father’s side when we were at my sister’s in MD. This Chelley and Bob decided to retire in the Raleigh/Durham area about five years ago after living in Augusta, GA, Teaneck, NJ and NYC. Raleigh/Durham is a nice area with lots of cultural activities. The four of us drove to the North Carolina Museum of Art, about 30 minutes from their house. Part of the museum is free, so we went there. Then we took a tour of Raleigh and ordered some Lebanese takeout for dinner. Back at their house, we ate and talked late into the night. It was a rich day and evening.

We had a couple of mechanical hiccups yesterday. There was small pool of water on the bathroom floor. This was the second time we saw water on the floor. I was concerned that maybe there was a leak in the roof. After tracing the leak, it appears to be coming from the water intake to the toilet. I don’t have the tools to repair it, so we called for assistance. Since it was a weekend, no one was available. It’s a slow leak, so I wrapped the hose with a towel. We will contact someone on Monday to get it fixed. We will be at our next stop, in the Smoky Mountains, for a week, so we will have time to schedule the repair. After that experience, we took off for a nearby bike trail but our problems weren’t over. We got to the trailhead, I set up Cathie’s trike and tested it out. At first it worked fine. Then there was no power, even though the display was working. I tested all the connections and made sure it was properly set up, but no joy. Something is wrong with Cathie’s trike. Now we have two items to fix. “RVing is fixing something so that you can drive down the road and have the opportunity to fix something else.” At least nothing is major and nothing is keeping us from driving to the next location.

We’re at a rural campground halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg. The campground has large sites and most of the sites around us aren’t occupied. So, we’re basically alone. There is a pond on one side of the campground and a creek on the other side. I expected there would be lots of mosquitoes with this much water but that isn’t the case. By the weekend, the campground will be full, with many weekend campers enjoying the outdoors.

Yesterday we toured Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown. In Williamsburg we went to the Folk Arts Museum. It’s a collection of Americana art in all it’s forms, weaving, windmills, pottery, cabinetry and much more. It was more than I expected when walking into the museum. Cathie and I managed to explore less than half of the museum but after a few hours both of us were ‘museumed out’. We then took a drive to Yorktown and Jamestown. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic road that connects the three towns. The road was built between 1930 and 1957 and traveling on it feels like going back in time. The road is bordered by the large trees that are so common in this area, and by the Jamestown River near Jamestown and the York River near Yorktown. I hadn’t realized that the last battle of the Revolutionary War was so close to the first permanent settlement in North America. There is a lot of history in this corner of Virginia.

Today we plan to visit Richmond. The weather shifted overnight. The past few days were hot with weather in the high 80’s. The next few days will have highs in the mid to upper 60’s. That’s much better weather for Cathie.

Most of our time this past week has been in ‘The District’, as DC is called in this area. We did some sightseeing over the past few days. Although most indoor events are still closed because of COVID, we found some activities open. Yesterday we went to the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art. The weather was sunny in the mid-60’s. A number of others were also visiting in the gardens but it wasn’t too crowded. We also drove to the Tidal Basin where there are several monuments. We stopped at the MLK memorial and walked on what felt like hallowed ground. On Thursday we went to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, one of the only indoor museums currently open. One of the floors was devoted to Sonya Clark, a textile artist, who uses thread, fabric, hair and combs to create interesting artwork. Cathie and I were very taken by her work.

We spent a lot of time with Tessa and Dan. Tessa kept saying how much she loves hanging out with her parents, which is sweet. I suspect that Dan isn’t quite as excited to be spending so much time with his girlfriend’s parents. However, it is nice getting to know him better. Last night we went over to their apartment for some takeout dinner and a game of Political Monopoly. It was an interesting take on an old board game, with the added dimension of modern politics thrown in. A fun evening.

We have had four very good takeout dinners this week. It was Indian, followed by Mexican, followed by vegan Israeli, followed by vegan Chinese. We aren’t lacking in variety and quality of restaurants. One could amass a sizable belly living here.

Today was a family day. We visited my sister, Marla, and my cousin Chelle. Tessa and Dan came up to join the party. At the end of the day we drove them back to their apartment, said our good-byes to them and headed back to the campsite. Tomorrow we have a relatively short drive to the Richmond area where we will be staying for a few days.