Guess I went a little crazy with pictures of leaves! But it's so Gorgeous!

October 10th...We left Crossville and the beautiful state park, headed for the Smoky Mountain National Park.  We had a beautiful drive and it really didn't take that long to get there.  We stopped in Townsend Tn at the little visitor center and had lunch in the camper. After that we drove into the park.  We headed for Cades Cove and hoped to get a campground for the night.. We did, but one of the last sites that wasn't reserved.  Nice, $20.00 a night no hookups but still very nice.  

We decided to take the drive of Cades Cove Loop, an 11 mile drive.  I asked at the info booth and he said it would probably take an hour or so, so I said well maybe we'll take it tomorrow, he replied if you do it then it would probably take 3 or 4 hours!  Sooo many people, a beautiful drive but when we got to this little grist mill, the traffic stopped!! We were stuck for about an hour, not quite knowing why...well, it was a DEER...how ridiculous...these people stopping a million times for a deer!  So when that broke and we got through it was smooth sailing until people saw a BEAR...we waited and finally got through...amazing!  So we were probably gone about 2 1/2 hours for 11 miles...never again..

Had a nice night, got up, slowly got ready and then headed out to go over the top into Cherokee, NC...we decided to see about finding a grocery store in Pigeon Forge, TN..wow that was a chore...that little city has sure grown, and of course being the time of year, crowded, crowded, crowded!!!  We did find a nice Mexican Restaurant and had some great food!  

After lunch we headed over the park and it was incredible!! The colors are gorgeous and it was really cool to see so many people out enjoying the beauty of America!! Love it!

We made it to Cherokee, NC and thought we'd find a campground, but then decided that we'd go back to another campground in the park.  We went to the Smokemount Campground, again $20.00 a night and sits very nicely. Not quite as crowded as the Cades Cove so that was great.  Cold nights, but beautiful!  

Got up the next am and we took a nice little walk around the park and took a few pics.

Headed through Cherokee and over to the Cherohula Skyway..this is a 41 mile parkway, through NC into TN.  The Skyway took almost 40 years to build and cost over 100 million dollars, but if you see it it's definitely worth it!  Especially the colors in NC!! The trees were every color you could think of including PINK!! AWESOME! AWESOME!

I would gladly go do this drive again, during the same time as it was so beautiful! We had a nice picnic lunch in the camper!  

I have to say, only because this skyway isn't as advertised as the Park, there was very few people on the skyway!! And the colors had the Park beat, I have never seen anything as beautiful as this area!! 

We made it to Cleveland, TN and the KOA..it was nice to have a real shower and some cable tv..( I know, spoiled I am)...

We left and headed for Cracker Barrel for breakfast...yummyyyy!! Then we took a beautiful drive, TN, 108,111, and another i'll have to look up..two lane and four lane highways..we even saw one highway twice, from different ways as I missed the turn on the map! But beautiful, the highways are so gorgeous...haven't opened a book yet!! I love this neck of the woods! 

Got back to Don's house and it felt good to be "home"...sad thing is we are here to get ready to go home..so these few days are precious to us..such a special place..we were so blessed to have the time here...I know when Don and Dana finally get to move here, they won't want to leave..TN is a special place, and if it weren't for the kids and gkids in CA  i would move here in a heartbeat! 

Leaving Crossville, TN

Crossville, TN 

Cade's Cove Drive Great Smoky Mountain NP (GSMNP)

A church on the Cade's Cove Drive

GSMNP

GSMNP

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GSMNP

Our camper in GSMNP, Cades Cove

A beautiful view in the park!

Another view of the colors!

THe green canopy in the park

GSMNP

GSMNP

GSMNP

Elk at the GSMNP

Our campsite at Smokemount GSMNP

Headed to the Cherohula Skyway...beautiful

More beautiful trees!

The Skyway

THese pictures do not do the colors justice! I've never seen anything so incredible!

LUNCH

More colors!

A fog bank that came up quickly! 

The Skyway

Cade's Cove Cabin!

Crossville TN and a visit from Clif!

October 9th..Crossville, TN...Cumberland Mt State Park...Had a great evening last night! Great dinner, those were the best portabellas ever!  We turned on the heater in the camper as it was cold!  Actually for the first time since May or so I actually put on sweatpants!  We went to bed and watched a movie for a bit and then out we went.  Got up about 0630 to a cold morning, had our coffees and got ready for the day. 

Clif came to the campground around 1200, we chatted a bit and then Ken fired up the bar b q!  I have to say they smelled delicious and looked every bit as good! The boys seemed to enjoy them!  We had a really nice visit for a few hours, always good to see Clif!  

After he left, Ken and I looked at the maps planning our trip for tomorrow and then took a walk through the campground.  It is amazing how full this state park is with people camping!  It's really good to see and most of them have TN plates on their rv's..

Not to hungry this evening, so just gonna cook up a few veggie burgers and beans for us.  

I found my cable so am able to upload pics! Yay!!

Don and Dana, the first 4 are for u!! Click on the pic it will get bigger!

From your back deck

Your trees out front!

Your tree out front!

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Cross in Cookeville, TN

Color on a tree in Crossville, Tn

Our campsite!

Color in Cumberland Mt State Park

Clif

Clif and Ken 

Ken, Clif and me at Cumberland Mt State Park

Chasing the fall colors from Cornersville to Crossville, TN

Monday, October 8th..Cornersville, TN...Woke up this am to some rain and cold temps.  Took our time getting ready and decided to head for Crossville, TN where Ken's friend (and mine too)...Clif lives.  We are hoping to get together with him tomorrow before we head for the smoky mountains.  It's still cold, definitely fall is in the air!  

I took a few pictures this am before we left so I could show Don how his trees are slowly changing...got to the campground, snapped a few more and discovered I forgot the cord that plugs into the camera to download the pictures...I am soooo disappointed, because I plan on taking hundreds of pictures and was hoping to post them as I go!! Not happening I guess till we get back..so bummed!!  

The campground, Cumberland Mountain State Park is gorgeous!  So hard to believe how many people are here camped in this cold, damp and cloudy weather.  It is a beautiful campground, we drove through here with Clif when we were here a couple of months ago. The colors are outstanding, all the shades from yellow, to red and orange and still some green..I love Fall !!! 

We have the cabover and the truck this time...diesel was $3.89 in Cornersville.  Don sent a text this am showing gas prices over $5.00 in CA and he said some places are at $6.00. So we'll see as we go.  We both are thinking we can't afford to drive back to CA...may get stuck in the middle til our next paychecks...wow!  j/k....

We're going to have a dinner of marinated portabella mushrooms for dinner..should be yummy!!

Life is so good, onto a new adventure!!

Tupelo, MS to Cornersville, TN

October 5th...We left Tupelo, MS after spending the night in the Days Inn we stayed at in the beginning of our trip.  We went next door for dinner on the 4th..neither one of us were impressed...they make a better breakfast.  We decided upon leaving to just go to Mc Donalds and then stop somewhere along the way for lunch.  

On the road we had a beautiful drive through the rest of MS and then into AL. It was a few hours and just seemed to fly by!  We hit I65 and then we were really moving.  Saw alot of rv's and campers coming down the freeway. You don't seem to see as many here as you do in CA and NV.  Once we got to Don's we figured out they were headed to Talladega, AL for a race. 

We had lunch at a new Mexican (surprise, surprise) restaurant in Athens GA.  Yummy!  So brought the leftovers home to have later.  

Got back to Don's and just relaxed..the colors are just barely changing..Don's trees out front are a prettier shad of red than when we left.  There are also more leaves in the yard...Yep...Fall is here.

October 6th...got up this am to a really cold house, Nashville says it's about 40 degrees or so, it is overcast..Last night we had a great thunder and lightning show after we went to bed..shook the house a couple of times!!  

We stayed home all day, which was really nice.  Had some veggie burgers and oven baked fries for dinner..yumm!! 

Tomorrow the 7th is Lori's birthday. She'll be 34! Wow how time flies..we plan on a trip to WalMart to get supplies for our trip to the smokies this week! hoping the weather holds.

Vicksburg National Military Park to Tupelo, MS

Vicksburg, MS to Tupelo, MS today..Oct 4th...Had a lovely night in Vicksburg at the Days Inn..got up this am and went to the lobby to see what was up for breakfast...not..white toast and a few pastries...not working for us..so we went next door to the waffle house and we both had a great breakfast with real grits!  How do I know that? There were lumps and they were delicious!  We left and headed over to the Vicksburg National Military Park.. 

The park is incredible! We watched about a 20 min movie on the battle of Vicksburg..wow..the history there is something else!  We took the driving tour which was about 15 miles long and it took us more than a few hours! You could spend days seeing this park.  I love doing things like this, as you see so many other people there from so many other places just enjoying as we do..I'm stealing from my dear friend  Irene,,,"Now this is America!"  and I don't mean the fact that the Civil War was American upon American. It's the beauty of the National Park system! I can't explain the feeling it gives to see the history..

We left there knowing we had to drive to Tupelo, MS which was about 200 miles away and we wanted to take the Natchez Trace Parkway.  

Well, we made it so we can proudly say we have seen the 444 miles of the parkway from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS!!!  It was beautiful, I told Ken, it's like driving through a park the whole way, and not alot of traffic.

We are at the Super 8 we stayed at last week here in Tupelo. Nice motel, and the gas station has a restaurant we had breakfast at last week...Dinner tonight!

Tomorrow we head to Don's, should be an easy drive..can't wait to see how his trees have turned. 

Inside the visitor center of Vicksburg Military Park

Outside the visitor center

The state of Illinois has an impressive memorial to the Civil War Soldiers..

Inside the Illinois Memorial

Looking up through the hole in the top of the memorial

Ken inside the memorial

The Illinois Memorial...Incredible!!

The best part of the park....THE SHIRLEY HOUSE!!
Only surviving structure in the park.  Headquarters for Illinois.
Members of the military built shelters around it to protect themselves

General Ulyssess S Grant

The USS Cairo...It was sunk in Dec 1862 and brought back up 1964..

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The Cairo

This was the ships bell..they found it and after all these years there was
an air pocket inside..so the Yazoo river was bubbling when it
was brought up...so cool! And the bell is beautiful!

Sailors silverware..doesn't compare to the officers silverware..

US Marine Corps dress cap insignia

The ship exhibit...incredible!

The paddle wheels

2and 1/2 inch steel plates with 12 to 25 inch wood behind
so it wouldn't shred apart when hit with artillery!

Side of the ship

13000 of 17000 Civil War soldiers are unknown.  Beautiful cemetary

More of the unknown

There are some WWI, WWII and Korea veterans buried here
They stopped burials in 1961 when they ran out of plots

Don, thought you would like this!

And of course the Arkansas memorial!

America is so beautiful, and so glad we are getting to see alot of it on this trip.