Roadtrip 2 Appalachia
Day 1
Ronkonkoma, NY - Gainesville, VA
Finally it was time to hit the road again. It was time to go, Lenny in his new Swedish clogs.
This time we wanted to do more thorough visits to the countryside, especially in Kentucky. We wanted to listen to lots of country music and to check out those horses at the Kentucky derby.
We left in May 2012.
This time we wanted to do more thorough visits to the countryside, especially in Kentucky. We wanted to listen to lots of country music and to check out those horses at the Kentucky derby.
We left in May 2012.
Day 2
Gainesville, VA - Asheville, NC
On our second day we got an early start. We planned to take the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a very nice stretch of road, 105 miles long, and the speedlimit is 35mph. So when we left the Natural Bridge we took I-81 and let the Silver Ghost stretch out. Like a racing car. We wanted to end up near the Smoky Mountains so we could spend a day there.
Day 3
Asheville, NC - Pigeon Forge, TN
We had talked about this magical place a long time and were really looking forward to see the Smoky Mountains area.
As usual we saddled up the Silver Ghost early in the morning and left with the rising sun at our backs and with high expectations. First we went to the Biltmore Estate, just outside Asheville. We wanted to see how the gardens were taken care of. Soon we saw that they did indeed take good care of the estate. We actually didn't need to go in and pay the $60 entrance fee, instead we took off heading west, into the Smokys. As our Trustworthy Silver Ghost climbed higher and higher up the mountains we saw fewer and fewer leaves on the trees all around us. Springtime had not yet arrived to these altitudes. But it was beautiful nonetheless. We wanted to see the famous smoke, but the weather patterns weren't right. We saw lots of bikers however, gliding up and down the mountain. |
Coming out of the Smoky Mountains, we came to the gateway of Gatlinburg, and got hungry by the time we got to Pigeon Forge, and decided to look for a hotel. This is like a redneck Disneyworld. a miles long stretched out amusement park, from Gatlinburg to Sevierville. Nearby is Dollywood, Dolly Partons amusement park, and tons of tourists Crowds are usually not our ticket, but it looked like a fun town and we decided to stay.
We checked out a few attractions: Titanic, a house flipped upside down, the Hatfields & McCoys show, and other equally fine attractions. Found a nice hotel and ended the evening with a gigantic plate of ribs, before stumbling back to the hotel.
We checked out a few attractions: Titanic, a house flipped upside down, the Hatfields & McCoys show, and other equally fine attractions. Found a nice hotel and ended the evening with a gigantic plate of ribs, before stumbling back to the hotel.
Day 4
Pigeon Forge, TN - Pikeville, KY
Today we're heading for the famous Country Music Highway. A lot of stars in country music are born or have worked along this stretch of road.
We decided also to look for smaller roads to get more of a hillbilly feel. And we got that. We found small narrow back country roads where meeting another car was problematic. Appalachia at its finest. We drove on til we got tired and then the signs said Pikeville. A small town squeezed in by the mountains of Kentucky.
Holiday Inn was open and welcoming this night. Next door was a Mexican place, not very impressive, even though they did wear nice sombreros.
We decided also to look for smaller roads to get more of a hillbilly feel. And we got that. We found small narrow back country roads where meeting another car was problematic. Appalachia at its finest. We drove on til we got tired and then the signs said Pikeville. A small town squeezed in by the mountains of Kentucky.
Holiday Inn was open and welcoming this night. Next door was a Mexican place, not very impressive, even though they did wear nice sombreros.
Day 5
Pikeville, KY - Paintsville, KY
Up at dawn. Today we're playing golf! Half an hour away, in Prestonburg, we found a good course. It was built on an old coal mine, where the top of the mountain had been shaved off. When they restored the top they turned it into a golf course. The result was gorgeous, with challenging holes and scenic views. It was too hilly to walk, and a golf cart was included in the green fee.
JJ was a local golfer and he joined us. He was a miner, and worked nearby. We were lucky to have him since he knew the course vey well, and guided us as well as he could. He also taught us how to say 'sheeet' when a shot went bad. That was used numerous times during the round.
Afterwards we followed JJ to town where he showed us where to find good food and refreshments.
JJ was a local golfer and he joined us. He was a miner, and worked nearby. We were lucky to have him since he knew the course vey well, and guided us as well as he could. He also taught us how to say 'sheeet' when a shot went bad. That was used numerous times during the round.
Afterwards we followed JJ to town where he showed us where to find good food and refreshments.
We drove on another half hour north to Paintsville.
Ramada Inn emerged thru the darkness and we rolled to a stop.
The next morning we were still in the fog..
Day 6
Paintsville, KY - Georgetown, KY
Sometime during the night we both woke up from a roar. Lennart thought Per was in the toilet with stomach issues. Per thought Lennart was snoring way too much.
Imagine our surprise when we got out the next morning and saw destruction all around the hotel. A tornado had passed thru during the night!
It had been fairly narrow, maybe 300 feet, and you could clearly see the track it had taken thru town. Luckily it missed our hotel, but it was close.
A few days later we'd learn more about tornados.
We headed for Lexington, KY. On the way we passed the extension of Daniel Boone National Forest. We took the Red River Gorge road. This was a wilderness area, small roads with narrow tunnels, hardly big enough for a Silver Ghost. And bear warning signs.
Since we were in Blue Grass Country we kept looking for the blue grass. Not too much around, but we did see one area shimmering a bit in blue.
Imagine our surprise when we got out the next morning and saw destruction all around the hotel. A tornado had passed thru during the night!
It had been fairly narrow, maybe 300 feet, and you could clearly see the track it had taken thru town. Luckily it missed our hotel, but it was close.
A few days later we'd learn more about tornados.
We headed for Lexington, KY. On the way we passed the extension of Daniel Boone National Forest. We took the Red River Gorge road. This was a wilderness area, small roads with narrow tunnels, hardly big enough for a Silver Ghost. And bear warning signs.
Since we were in Blue Grass Country we kept looking for the blue grass. Not too much around, but we did see one area shimmering a bit in blue.
This was horse country. Also white fence country. Lennart showed a form of white fence fetish, and fence photos were a must in this neighborhood. We saw some fences, but were disappointed to learn that they are now made of plastic, and most are now black. That hurt. That would never happen in our hometowns of Munka-Tostarp. But we understand it's a lot of money to keep painting the wooden fences since they run on for miles.
We got stuck on the highway a while because of an accident. Police and ambulance cars blocked the road. Anyway, slow crawling for miles, it got late, and we decided to stop at the next exit. We spent the night in Georgetown, just outside Lexington, KY. Georgetown is where Toyota build their US cars.
We got stuck on the highway a while because of an accident. Police and ambulance cars blocked the road. Anyway, slow crawling for miles, it got late, and we decided to stop at the next exit. We spent the night in Georgetown, just outside Lexington, KY. Georgetown is where Toyota build their US cars.
Day 7
Georgetown, KY - Louisville, KY
Muhammad Ali's face greeted us from a wall as we rolled in to Louisville. It was Thursday, and the famous Kentucky Derby was set for the weekend, with a smaller race on Friday. We decided to avoid the crowds on the weekend, and go on Friday instead. Someone said they expected 100,000 visitors on the weekend, and that was surely reflected in the hotel prices. We had a pretty good central location, and our room would double in price. We took a walk thru town. We met a copy of Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The smell of food made us really hungry, for a burger. We walked on, as people were busy decorating the streets and buildings for all the special events on the weekend. Almost by accident we walked into the worlds largest producer of baseball bats, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. The entrance had an enormous phallic symbol, pointing skywards. We entered anyway, and had a guided tour thru the factory. Up to now, a 'bat' had been a piece of wood to hit a ball with. Soon we understood that there was almost a rocket science to producing a bat, fitted and personalized for each player in Major Baseball League. |
Day 8
Louisville, KY
This Friday we went out to Churchill Downs, Louisville's horse racing heaven. The Kentucky Derby is the first of three races in the quest for the Triple Crown, it's like Olympic Gold for horses. They had lots of events and glamorous parties the days leading up to raceday, but our NST press cards did not help here.
JJ would have said 'Sheeeet'
JJ would have said 'Sheeeet'
Instead we took a look at the Muhammad Ali Center. On the pedestrian street 'Fourth Street Live' we saw a flock of window washers, acrobatically cleaning windows, almost like Cirque de Soleil. We strolled around, listening to racing fans. Their tips, their bets and their promises of sure winners, there'd be lots of money circulating that weekend!
Soon we turned our attention to Smash burger and filled up. Great burgers.
Soon we turned our attention to Smash burger and filled up. Great burgers.
Day 9
Louisville, KY - Mt Sterling, KY
We knew we wanted to go shooting today. An hours drive south from Louisville took us to Knob Creek Gun Range. We squeezed in a hefty portion of Ettans snus, were amazed at all the different models, and laughed at the sign saying 'Defeat Communism Now', while next to it they had Russian ammo for sale.
We continued to Fort Knox, but there was nobody home. Nobody that opened the door anyway. We didn't want to just stand around, so we took a look at the Patton museum, a short drive away. His big green car that he had his fatal accident in was there.
We continued to Fort Knox, but there was nobody home. Nobody that opened the door anyway. We didn't want to just stand around, so we took a look at the Patton museum, a short drive away. His big green car that he had his fatal accident in was there.
Trailmix became our friend during the long afternoon drives. Very convenient to grab a handful while driving along.
We were heading northeast, saw a lot of fine fences along the roads, and after a few hours we ended up at Mt Sterling, a small bus stop, with a hotel next to it. Nothing much to do other than walking around in the parking lot and talking to truck drivers A couple of guys told us about West Liberty.
We were heading northeast, saw a lot of fine fences along the roads, and after a few hours we ended up at Mt Sterling, a small bus stop, with a hotel next to it. Nothing much to do other than walking around in the parking lot and talking to truck drivers A couple of guys told us about West Liberty.
Day 10
Mt Sterling, KY - West Liberty - Ashland, KY
West Liberty was knocked down by tornado two months earlier, March 2nd. 'This tornado had a continuous path reaching an astonishing 86 miles in length through east Kentucky and western West Virginia, and a consistent path width of one mile across the downtown section of West Liberty.' Six people died, and left the town looking like a war zone. Trailer park owner Bobby Jones said 'this town is dead'. war zone. Traiailer park owner Bobby Jones said 'this town is dead'.
After checking out the destruction and more or less understing the consequences of a catastrophy of this size, we continued to Ashland. In Ashland we went as usual to the tourist bureau. We found a nice, local lady who told us everything, and more, about the town. She explained that she herself was a 'mountain girl' and she never understood the allure of going to an ocean.
We steered her away from mountain tales, and asked what was going on in town that night. She told us about the big carnival that weekend. All of Main Street would be shut down for parades, music and crafts, and antique cars. That sounded promising. And we looked forward to a nice evening. First we hade to find a hotel. And a block away we found our place, right on Main Street. It looked good, and the price was right.
Lennart had also heard about the blue people in these parts of Kentucky. Our quest to find these blue people started.
Naturally we had to start the quest with a good burger. In the restaurant we met a lovely waitress. She hadn't been to Barcelona. Not to Kuala Lampur either.
We explained our mission that evening to her, to find blue people, and our jaws dropped to the table with a thud, as she explained that she was a blue blood, or at least a partial blue blood.
Amanda's last name is Fugitt (Fugate), and it was that exact family that started the whole blue people family in Appalachia around 1820. We didn't see any shimmering blue on her, but her sweet and curious face decided it for us. Later Per used his genealogical skills and checked her out when we got back to the hotel. Then Amanda told us that her relatives today live around Hazard, Kentucky, but we had already passed that place the day before.
Read more here!
Another curious custom we wanted to check out was about the snakehandlers, but the closest we got to that was seeing a guy on Main Street bending balloons for the kids. People were not interested in talking to us about snake handling.
We walked around town to check people and vehicles. Carnival was a somewhat enthusiastic description of the spectacle on Main Street. But there were a lot of people milling about, showing their shiny cars, having a beer or two, listening to blues and rock by the trio of Glo & Embers. Everyone was enjoying a nice evening, as were we.
We steered her away from mountain tales, and asked what was going on in town that night. She told us about the big carnival that weekend. All of Main Street would be shut down for parades, music and crafts, and antique cars. That sounded promising. And we looked forward to a nice evening. First we hade to find a hotel. And a block away we found our place, right on Main Street. It looked good, and the price was right.
Lennart had also heard about the blue people in these parts of Kentucky. Our quest to find these blue people started.
Naturally we had to start the quest with a good burger. In the restaurant we met a lovely waitress. She hadn't been to Barcelona. Not to Kuala Lampur either.
We explained our mission that evening to her, to find blue people, and our jaws dropped to the table with a thud, as she explained that she was a blue blood, or at least a partial blue blood.
Amanda's last name is Fugitt (Fugate), and it was that exact family that started the whole blue people family in Appalachia around 1820. We didn't see any shimmering blue on her, but her sweet and curious face decided it for us. Later Per used his genealogical skills and checked her out when we got back to the hotel. Then Amanda told us that her relatives today live around Hazard, Kentucky, but we had already passed that place the day before.
Read more here!
Another curious custom we wanted to check out was about the snakehandlers, but the closest we got to that was seeing a guy on Main Street bending balloons for the kids. People were not interested in talking to us about snake handling.
We walked around town to check people and vehicles. Carnival was a somewhat enthusiastic description of the spectacle on Main Street. But there were a lot of people milling about, showing their shiny cars, having a beer or two, listening to blues and rock by the trio of Glo & Embers. Everyone was enjoying a nice evening, as were we.
Day 11
Ashland, KY - Elkins, WV
On a dark rainy foggy morning we set our sights on the mountains in West Virginia.
Elkins is one of the rainiest cities in US, and it was raining for most of our ride. Free carwash for the Silver Ghost! At night we went to the American Mountain Theater in town. Turned out to be a first class music show, lots of country singing, fiddling and foot stomping. |
Day 12
Elkins, WV - Harrisonburg, VA
Yesterday we got a good tip from the guy in the tourist bureau. We should take the train from Elkins, up to the mountains.
EJ, 90 years, welcomed us to Tygart Flyer. Turns out that the engineer Bob Robinson's wife's grandmother was from Sweden, and he invited us into the cab, very cool!
Lennart got to toot the horn at the road crossings. It was supposed to be a short-long-short. Lennart was tooting short and long ones ones without any semblance of order, he was very excited, but he did a lot of tooting so all was good.
Click and watch video for A closer look.
EJ, 90 years, welcomed us to Tygart Flyer. Turns out that the engineer Bob Robinson's wife's grandmother was from Sweden, and he invited us into the cab, very cool!
Lennart got to toot the horn at the road crossings. It was supposed to be a short-long-short. Lennart was tooting short and long ones ones without any semblance of order, he was very excited, but he did a lot of tooting so all was good.
Click and watch video for A closer look.
Day 13
Harrisonburg, VA - Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
Homeward bound, we took the tunnel thru Baltimore, continued up on I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike, straight up to NJ. We hung a right and took Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island, the Verrazano Bridge to Broooklyn, and without hitting the brakes, we continued on Southern State Parkway, hung a left for Sagtikos Parkway up to Long Island Expressway. Pedal to the metal to exit 60 and after two weeks we were back at beautiful downtown Lake Ronkonkoma.
Having arrived safely back, we had time to play a bit of golf, and fine-tune our swings...
see it here:
Per smoked one!
Another great Roadtrip, we are lucky people!
Having arrived safely back, we had time to play a bit of golf, and fine-tune our swings...
see it here:
Per smoked one!
Another great Roadtrip, we are lucky people!
and a little video...