New River Gorge Bridge

Yesterday, during the white water raft trip, we were able to see the New River Gorge bridge from a different perspective, below it. Today we went to the vistor's center for the New River National River area to learn some information about it and the area. We also got an excellent view of the bridge. The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel-arch bridge. It has a length of 3030 feet (924 m), it was for many years the longest in the world of that type. Its arch extends 1700 feet (518 m).Many locals say, with little exaggeration, that completion of the bridge cut the travel time from one side of the gorge to another from 45 minutes to 45 seconds. Check out the 18-wheelers on top.

The bridge is the centerpiece of Fayette County's "Bridge Day," during which the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. This festival includes BASE jumping and is held in October. Yikes!

White Water Rafting the New River, WV

Mike wanted to go white water rafting. I went when I was younger and had some mishaps so I wasn't as enthusiastic but I went for it anyway. What better place than "wild, wonderful, West Virginia". We stayed near the New River (actually a very old river) because it was a National River (in the National Park system). Monday afternoon, we took a half day rafting trip with Rivermen (www.Rivermen.com)down the New River. This is the beginning, where we put the raft in. Looks calm, doesn't it?

It was awesome! The weather and the scenery were outstanding! The area had some rain recently so the river was 1.5 ft above where it usually runs. The guide said we were lucky because usually at this time of year, the white water sort of disappears and it's more of a technical, manuevering trip down the river. Our guide was interesting. Definetly a river rat...best to stay up wind of him. :) Rapids are on a scale of I-VI, I being anything with a current and VI being unpassable, the rapids we went down were II-V. One guy on our boat fell out twice. The second time, he stayed under for about 8 seconds. Enough to start making us nervous. In the end, everyone went home in one piece. The evening included a few beers and a really good dinner. A very fun day!

Mammoth Cave - River Styx tour

We left the Mammoth Cave area on a Sunday morning. During our time there, we took the River Styx tour, in addition to the Violet City Lantern Tour. Here's the description: Trace the stages of cave development from solid layers of limestone into the world’s longest known cave system. Follow the course of the water from ridge top to river bottom and witness the persistence and power required to create this geologic marvel. Experience some of the largest continuous canyon passages on the planet, smooth elliptical tubes and beautifully sculpted shafts. Working your way to the cave’s lowest level you’ll be able to peer into the cold river water that still hollows out the limestone and lengthens the cave system. Understand the processes of both the surface and subsurface and realize how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together to make the story of the world’s longest cave unfold before your eyes. It was pretty "cool" (neat and 58 degrees) When we made it to the river, we were able to shine the flashlights into the water and see the blind, white cave crawfish.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Yesterday, we crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains and drove into Kentucky. The goal was to reach the longest cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave. The next day, we went for a two hour hike on the surface of Mammoth Cave and then went on the three hour, three mile Violet City Lantern Tour through Mammoth Cave. Here is a description of our tour: Walk though some of the largest passages in the cave by lantern light as guides recreate the experience of the first visitors in the 1800’s. Become part of the tradition of visiting one of the oldest tourist attractions in the country. Relive the stories and illusions expressed by Ralph Waldo Emerson and others of the day. See evidence of saltpeter production, an underground hospital and prehistoric mining of cave minerals. It was a lot of fun and we had a wonderful Ranger/Guide.

While waiting for the tour to begin, we browsed some brochures of things to do in the local area. Much to our delight, we found a Drive-In and that’s where we headed for the evening. Granted, there’s no surround sound, but it sure is fun and the weather outside was perfect!

Lake Lure, NC

Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are quaint little communities (tourist attractions) Southeast of Asheville. The drive is a pretty one. Mike and I have been there before and we wanted to see how much they had grown, if at all. Well, there are a lot of subdivisions going in and they all look expensive. Anyway, we packed a picnic and found a nice big rock on the side of the creek/river that runs through the town and had lunch. It was a short trip. Mike had to get back to town and better cell phone coverage for an afternoon phone meeting. Somebody has to pay for this trip :)

Horseback

I have been wanting to take a horseback ride since we were in Glacier National Park. The trip in Glacier went to one of the chalets up on the mountain and I’m sure it would have been breath taking. The down side was that it was an all day trip and I didn’t think my bum could sit on a saddle that long. Looking back, it was a good decision to pass on that trip. Mike and I took a 2 hour trail ride this afternoon. The scenery was nice and the weather was cool. About half way through the ride, we started to hear the rumble of thunder. Soon after, we could feel the cool breeze blowing through the trees. It was really nice.

My horse was a big boy, 17.5 hands tall and 1700 lbs. He seemed pretty calm and everything went smoothly. It’s a good thing too because I think he was the one in control and I was just along for the ride.

Blue Ridge Parkway and The Grove Park Inn

Back in the fall of 2002, Mike and I took our first trip to Asheville. I was in my first year of CRNA school in Durham and we took a weekend trip to the mountains. We had dinner one night at the Grove Park Inn and that was the night we got engaged. The next day, we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway in our convertible Mustang. It was a great weekend. This trip, we, once again, drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway, went for a hike, and had dinner at the Grove Park Inn. It was a great day and the scenery was beautiful as it always is in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Asheville!

Asheville, NC - Yeah! We pulled into Asheville today. I have always liked it here. It’s beautiful, has modern conveniences but is not overcrowded, has cultural venues, live music, nightlife, and individualality. I don’t know why, but I just like it here. Did I mention it was in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. First stop this afternoon was the Farmer’s Market.

Emerald Hollow Mine

Yes, another gem mine. I told you it was kind of addicting. Maybe I just like to play in the dirt. Anyway, I convinced Mike to go to another gem mine with me today. We went to the Emerald Hollow Mine in Hiddenite, NC. After the other two experiences, I decided that I had more fun with the enriched buckets so I paid for a big bucket and had a really good time. I think I got a lot of good stuff. I found a lot of different gems than the previous times so I feel like a have a lot of choice of which ones to cut into to jewelery. Now I just have to find a gem cutter and make a decision on the shape.

Franklin, NC - Gem mining again :)

I had such a good time at the gem mine the other day that I wanted to try it again. This time, we drove about an hour north to Franklin, NC. The town's website boasts five gem mines in the area. After driving around the country side around the town, I think there are more than that.

I went to the Sheffield Mine and tried to find some native Rubies and Sapphires. I did not realize this before, but apparently, you can buy "native" buckets, which is dirt straight out of the mine or "enriched" buckets, which has gem stones added to the dirt. I guess my previous day's bucket was enriched although I didn't realize it at the time. So this time, I tried the native bucket. This was a lot more time intensive and altogether dirtier work. At the end of this day, I came home with a 5.5 carat ruby. I've decided that gem mining is similar to gambling...pay your money and you might come out ahead or you might not, either way, the next bucket is sure to have the really BIG ONE in it.

Camping in the woods

Yesterday morning Mike and I drove to Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia. The view was really nice even though it was somewhat cloudy. I can only imagine how nice it would be on a sunny day.

Later that afternoon, we packed up the jeep with the tent and some camping gear and headed out into the woods. We found a campground 5 miles down a gravel road in a national forest. Mike picked out what I thought was the perfect spot. Some shade, some sun, next to a bubbling creek and we were the only ones out there.

We cooked out that evening and made some pancakes the next morning. There were signs all over the campground stating that black bears were active in the area but thankfully, none of them bothered us that evening.

Gem Mining

Yesterday we arrived in northern Georgia, near the North Carolina border. The scenery is fantastic. I didn't realize this area was SO pretty. About 20 miles from our campground was a gem mine and I had to try it. When we got there, it was almost empty. Yippee! I bought my bucket o' dirt and headed to the flume. After a few hours (I was slowly searching through every bit of rock and dirt) we went into the office to have find out what we had found. As it turns out, I had some Amethyst, Emeralds, Topaz, various kinds of Quarts, Rubies, Sapphires, and some other various gems. I think I will be able to cut some of them into facetable pieces of jewelery. Yeah! I had a great time and I can't wait to do it again. Here is a quick photo of my haul...

Charleston, SC

Mike and I left Charleston this morning. We have had a fun and eventful couple of days. We arrived in Charleston on Wednesday, 7/11/07. It was sunny and HOT when we were hooking up the RV. A few hours later, we were under a Tornado Warning with the two rotating storms about about 10-15 miles away. It turned out ok as the storms died a little before they reached us.

The next morning we took a city tour. What a beautiful historic district. That afternoon, we took a tour of the Calhoun mansion. Click here for the website overview

Friday, the weather was a bit cooler so we visited one of the plantations in the local area. Magnolia Plantation It wasn't "Tara" from Gone with the wind but it was nice.

Saturday, it rained all day! ...so we went shopping. One stop was a local Farmer's market where we had an awesome lunch. That evening, we made the short trip to the Isle of Palms (Atlantic beach) and saw some live music. We tore up the dance floor. After all, nobody knew us there. Later we went out to the beach and watched a lighting storm WAY off the coast. It was beautiful! Mike and I both agreed, it was a very FUN night.

Hilton Head Island

Yesterday, we drove the arduous 25 miles or so to Hilton Head. (It was the easiest drive yet) Our RV park is on water and has a marina, two pools, and a restaurant. Most of the lots are privately owned and you can rent them when the owners are away. The park is landscaped nicely and I like it here. This morning we rented a jet ski and went out to play and look at some of the HUGE houses on the water. It was overcast and not as hot so we sat out by the pool for a while after returning the jet ski. Somehow the sunburn crept up on me because later I noticed my distinct resemblance to a raccoon. How embarrassing! I have a very clear, red and white, sunglass line across my face. Anyway, later we grilled out and I made some kabobs, trying to stay under the awning as much as possible. Tomorrow we are going out to explore the island.

Tybee Island

Tybee island is affectionately referred to as Savannah's beach. "Tybee means "salt" to Native Americans. Located 18 miles east of Savannah, this small barrier island boasts a wide, 3-mile long beach that's backed by sea oat-covered sand dunes and is perfect for sunbathing, people-watching and frolicking in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The island's south-end pier and pavilion is a splendid venue for strolling above the ocean and listening to the music of the live bands". We drove over on Friday, July 6th (my birthday) and went to the pier and pavilion. It was really hot outside and there were ALOT of people on the beach and enjoying the ocean. We strolled through the small, but informative Marine Science Center. Before heading back to Savannah, we had a really good seafood dinner. It was a nice birthday. I'm happy that I made it to 30.

Savannah Experience

I would say that today we got a really great overview of Savannah. In the morning we went on an air-conditioned (it's hot here in July) bus tour of Savannah with a very knowledgable guide. This man had quite a head for facts! If you're in the area, the name of the tour was the Savannah Experience and the guides name was Jefferson. After the tour, we wandered around through the famous squares, the historic district, and the river front. Savannah is a beautiful town! I would recommend it to anyone. Here is a photo of river street.

Savannah, GA

We arrived in Savannah, GA today. Tomorrow we are signed up for the Savannah Experience tour which should give us a pretty good overview of the city. I am really looking forward to it. This evening we found a nice spot and watched the city fireworks display over the Savannah river. You just can't go wrong with fireworks! They always put me in a good mood.

Key Largo, FL

We had so much fun snorkelling, we decided to take a dive trip on Monday. After dinner on Key Largo, we scouted some dive shops and wrote down some phone numbers. We decided to go with Quiescence Dive shop for a 1pm trip to the reef. We ended up doing two shallow dives, less than 35 feet. Up until now, the only place I have scuba'd was Cozumel, where you are with a fairly large group and accompanied by Dive masters. On this dive, there were 4 other divers on the boat, the captain tied the boat to a bouy and said, the reef or the wreck is over there, and you jump in with your dive buddy (Mike). We had a great time! Once again, on the way into shore, we narrowly missed a lighting storm. Tomorrow we start the trek up the peninsula of Florida.

Biscayne Bay National Park

Today we ventured out to Biscayne Bay National Park. This park is just south of Miami and is comprised of about 95% water. Mike and I signed up for the 1pm snorkelling trip. When we left the dock, you could see a storm firing up around the Miami skyline, along with some impressive lighting strikes. Great time to be going out on a boat, right? That storm was north of us and moving out to sea (not in our direction). When we got to the snorkelling area, the water was like a washing machine but once you were in the water with your head down, it wasn't so bad. The reef was really nice and we saw numerous colorful fish. At one point, I popped my head up and saw this...

between us and the shore. Yes, it looks like land in the back ground but that's just an island. The captain finally loaded everyone on the boat and we headed back in. The rain was pretty cold but we made it safe and sound.

That evening we decided to have a nice seafood dinner in Key Largo and try to catch the sunset. The sunset was absolutely beautiful! Of course the pictures just can't capture it but we tried anyway.

And here's a photo of us, so our family can remember what we look like :)

Having a great time! Wish you were here!