We are now coming to the end of our 2022 anniversary trip-don’t let that fool you though, the end is just as fun as the beginning and middle-filled with quirky stops! The morning of October 1st found us enjoying continental breakfast at our hotel.
Checking out the Big Stone Gap visitors center was another wise choice. We chatted with a very knowledgeable gentleman there that told us about the movie Big Stone Gap and the author of the book who is from Big Stone Gap – Adriana Trigiani. The visitor’s center is in a vintage gas station. You can sit in the booths where the diner scenes were filmed. It is a very pretty area- a place we want to go back and visit. We did see the movie when we got home and enjoyed it!
On we went up route 160 around winding curves and little towns we drove through Appalachia, Virginia. A little further up we wanted to stop at Portal 31 for a coal mine tour, but they were having equipment issues, so some cool images were about all we got from that spot. It looked like it would have been a very interesting tour.
Kingdom Come State Park was another interesting park with some trails, huge rocks and pretty views. The weather was a little rainy and no one else was there. Creepy or cool? Either way it was nice having the area to ourselves.
After about an hour and a half more of driving we were both hungry we saw a Dairy Queen, nothing fancy but we got to eat and move on down more winding and curving roads, in and out of GPS signal we had discovered something that was going to be up ahead-good thing we used the download map option on our phones. Before we knew it, there it was Webb Grocery in Van Lear, Kentucky.
Webb Grocery was built in 1918 for consolidated coal company. Originally company store number 5, it is now on the National register of historic places. Herman Webb (Loretta Lynn’s brother) bought the store and ran it for many years, giving tours of their home down the road where Herman and his siblings were born. Sadly, Herman passed away in 2018. Rodney Turner was working in the store the day we stopped, and we chatted for a bit then made arrangements to get a tour of the birth home of Loretta Lynn. Sadly, Rodney passed earlier this year.
I can’t tell you how fortunate we were to have the history and tour delivered to us by Herman’s daughter Hermalee Webb. The tour was priceless-to experience such well preserved pieces of history by local people who were vested in it. I get emotional thinking of the short amount of time we spent in butcher holler and the impact it made on us. If you are in the area and you can visit either of these-DO IT!
We clearly manage to cram a lot of adventure in our days while on vacation. The next half hour of driving seemed to be suspended in time we got to the US 23 Country Music Highway museum and they were closed but there was a private event going on so they let us in to check it out, pretty nice of them we enjoyed our quick visit and pulled into the Falls Campground in Louisa ky about 6PM. They too were having a private event but let us plug into a space up in the corner. We walked across the street to a convenience store to get a few things and cooked some hot dogs. It was raining some and pretty muddy. The nice thing about sleeping in a van is all the sounds you hear like rain or leaves and sometimes acorns falling on the roof, it is kind of soothing.
Well, we woke up to the bittersweet realization this is the last day of our trip and we would be home later tonight. Normally I would be really anxious to get home and see my sweet dog Mya but she passed over the rainbow bridge on July 5th of 2022.  For almost 18 years we would arrive home and be greeted by a fluffy tail wag and kisses. With not much appetite and feeling very melancholy. We started on our way. I was in my head, of course I still missed my daughters and my grandson.
About 10 am I desperately needed a bathroom break which led us conveniently to a parking lot of the Huntington Museum of Art which had some great nature trails to walk on. The trail is set up with some art installations along the way. We stretched our legs and recharged.
 After some discussion we decided to go up Route 2 along the Ohio River, and all of a sudden there it was-Hillbilly Hotdogs. Stop? YES! Conveniently it was lunch time and where else would one eat in West Virginia along the Ohio River.
Now one might ask- How can you top Hillbilly Hotdogs on this last day of your journey? Well, I will tell you how-by stopping in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. As you may be aware, Point Pleasant is known for a very eventful year- the home of the Mothman from November 15, 1966 until December 15th 1967 ending with Silver Bridge collapse. The official name is the Point Pleasant Bridge.
I found Point Pleasant very interesting, it sits on the Ohio River across from Gallipolis. The accounts of the Mothman were fascinating. The Mothman Museum is great, it has history of the sightings and well documented history of the bridge collapse. Admission is only $4.99 per adult. The day we went it was a little cool and overcast. We did not get to explore the TNT area -due to hunting. I will take a few risks to get a great image, but trudging around with hunters is not one of them.
Well, this brought our adventure toward its end. We left the area tired and ready to get home and sleep in our own beds. The rest of the trip was filled with conversation over all the things we had seen and done. We thought of so many plans for weekend trips over the past year to go back to things we visited for the weekend, sadly we did not do that. I am trying to make a conscious effort to enjoy all the adventures we can for as long as we can! Happy Travels!

On the continuing adventures of our 2022 autumn vacation we found ourselves in search of breakfast. We saw a sign that said Mr. Biscuit-well our cat is named Mr. Biscuit so we thought why not? Well, all I have to say was interesting. It always amazes me how different the same meal can taste in different areas of the country. Mr. Biscuit was in Dalton Georgia.
Often on these trips we think -wow if we just go a few miles this way or that way we can dip our toes in a different state. As we meandered through Georgia, we made our next stop Expedition Bigfoot! Expedition Bigfoot is a sasquatch museum and an official reporting center for sightings and research. Of course, we loved this stop. We love the sasquatch so much Mr. Trent wrote a song about him. This is a must stop for any sasquatch enthusiasts.
Next portion of our journey would be entering into the great smokey mountains. We took our time stopping to stretch our legs. We made our way into Bryson City, North Carolina. That is where we found the Grumpy Bear Campground. Our site was right on a river which included delightful views and a visit with a Heron as he searched for food. The campground was a wise choice, I would highly recommend spending more than one night there. Sadly, after our breakfast and coffee with our Heron friend we had to depart and continue through the mountains that lived up to their name. The views were delightful with the cloudy capped mountain tops. A view much appreciated from several overlooks on the way including Patton’s Overlook.
We drove through Cherokee, North Carolina on the way to Clingman’s Dome Trailhead. Wow, wow, wow! It was a warm fall afternoon, and the trail is made accessible to everyone-however, the park site warns it is too steep a grade for wheelchairs. We did see some people with wheelchairs that day. You probably want to be in ok health before you start also, and pack water and snacks.  Mr. Trent was not so pleased with my choice on the hike up-but boy-oh-boy once we made it to the top and up the spiraling ramp to enjoy a breathtaking view who could question the decision. At 6643 feet, Clingman’s Dome can claim the title of highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was also pretty cool to see access to the Appalachian trail off the path.
Relieved we made it up and down in one piece and without either of us having a massive MI, you know I bought the I survived Clingman’s dome t shirt! We pushed on for a few more hours hoping to spend some time in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The last time we were there was on our honeymoon and it was off season…..not this time. I could see as we approached the lines of traffic. Oh, my goodness, this was something neither of us were up to tackle after our earlier hike. We managed to get out of town, pausing after our exit to find the nearest campground that had any spaces. Greenbrier Campground was the winner! It is located close to Gatlinburg and groceries. I have to say we have had a lot of great luck with campgrounds.
We had reached the date of our 16th wedding anniversary, traveling in wedded bliss even after Clingman’s Dome and Gatlinburg. The day started out pretty good, campground breakfast, and we discovered we would be passing Bush Bean’s Visitor’s Center-heck yeah, we are stopping and having lunch there! On a side note, to those out there celebrating anniversaries as awesome as lunch at the Bush’s Beans café was it does not count as the anniversary dinner.
We are music lovers, a suprising stop was the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Virginia. We easily spent two hours here and could have spent more. This will be a revisit in the future. We thought “oh we will only be here an hour” boy were we wrong. Definitely glad we did not miss this one.
I unfortunately had assumed it would be easy to find somewhere nice to stay with a fantastic dinner early. We quickly discovered there were several big concerts in town. We drove for more than two hours until we finally decided we needed to eat. Tired, hungry and irritated we stopped at Milano’s Italian cuisine in Abingdon, Virginia. At this point hangry was a mild description of myself. We placed our order and Mr. Trent made several phone calls until we finally were able to reserve a room. Despite my grumpy state the meal was quite nice, nothing wrong with a delicious Italian meal for an anniversary dinner. We got to the hotel about 9 PM. Boy oh boy were we beat. This trip was a whirlwind of activities! After showers and figuring out some plans for the next day we both settled into a deep sleep.

With just a few Ironman stragglers left we were able to settle into Chatanooga and explore. What better way to start than the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. Wow what a ride, and talk about an incline, it is definitely an incline. We went to the top and wandered around a bit -most things were getting ready to close, that did not stop us from scoping things out for the next day.
Point park was a short walk from the incline. Before returning down the mountain we stopped there. You will find the National park service’s Chicamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. There was a clash between the Confederate and Union army in Chattanooga, so much civil war history in this area, this could be almost a day stop if chosen wandering different mountain trails and becoming immersed in the history.  We made a quick stop at the gift shop before carefully climbing into the incline and starting our journey back to the valley.
You know are love of everything vintage so of course the obvious choice of hotel was the Chattanooga Choo Choo -once a 1909 railway terminal it is spectacular. The room was an oasis. A nice hot shower was greatly appreciated and necessary before dinner!
Just a quick evening walk through the Glenn Miller gardens over to Nic and Norman’s for dinner (owned by Norman Reedus and Greg Nicotero)-that was a fabulous meal.  How could one not have a fantastic night’s sleep after such a relaxing time-we were definitely going to be ready for the big activities planned for the next day.
We repeated our evening walk in the morning and had breakfast at the Frothy Monkey -local sourced ingredients and fresh roasted coffee. This led to a discussion that helped make the decision to book the room for an additional night. No rushing for us to figure out anything later, we imagined we would be tired after the day’s adventures.
We are truly suckers for old gift shops and we passed one riding the incline up the mountain. Since the mountain road goes over the incline and by Mountain Memories Gift Shop we stopped, Purchased a few items and continued up the winding mountain where Ruby falls awaited us. This was a classic tourist thing to do for sure. Mr. Trent remembered it being exactly the same when he was little. There were a lot of steps and some tight passages which was good prep for fat man’s squeeze at Rock City.  The views were incredible, just the beginning of many beautiful views for the day-starting more than 1120 ft below the mountain surface to an incredible view of seven states from Rock City Park. Believe it or not the view of seven states was not the last one on this trip!
I had never been to either of these places -a little further than the normal vacations my parents took my brother and I on. I know my dad would have loved all the photography opportunities and mom would have loved the miniature scenes in fairyland caverns. Both parks were a delight with breathtaking views and very cool rock formations below and above ground.
More later on our excapades. 

Well, I once again find my work-life balance completely out of sorts and my soul is suffering for this. I am making it a goal to get back to the ramblings. I have lots of things to write about and many images to share.
The next few are going to be about the little anniversary trip we did last year. On September 24th we got on the road early, starting our vaca with a gig. Maple City Mayhem did not disappoint. We saw some old friends and had a blast playing. We ended up playing a little longer due to a cancelation. Once we were finished playing, big hair and all, we headed south on route 75 toward Kentucky.  This took us  through rolling hills and farm country -I don’t mind. I appreciate all the different types of terrain we have in Ohio. Ohio is where home is.
 Mr. Trent and I agreed we needed to get out of the state to truly start the trip. We planned on finding a nice truck stop in Kentucky to settle in. All I have to say is EEEEk, holy cow, at this point we were exhausted and couldn’t find anywhere we felt comfortable sleeping. Mr. Trent pushed on while I dozed in the darkness, startling myself awake at some point to realize we needed to find someplace soon at that point it was time to help navigate finally just north of Tennessee we settled in at a nice Love’s truck stop. Well-lit and safe, we buckled down for a well-deserved rest.
The sound of many trucks rumbling through the lot woke us up bright and early to begin a new day. Next stop Chattanooga Tennessee-or so we thought. After more driving and excited chatter about all the things we planned to do in Chattanooga, we were shocked to find ourselves trapped in what seemed like a maze of road closings due to Ironman Chattanooga. Ugg after hours, literally hours, trying to navigate the city we were starved and tired and stumbled across Bea’s -finally food! The restaurant was a step back in time -the tables were round with a high top lazy susan in the middle. The waitress brought out mounds of food that were placed on the lazy susan and we just kept spinning it and loading our plates until we couldn’t eat another bite. With full bellies, we were able to make the decision to bail on Chattanooga for now.
We decided to search for Tri-state corner Tennessee. We found it! We were able to hike back in and find the place where Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee all come together. Outside the parking area was Historic state line cemetery. I wandered around there for well over an hour taking in the history all around me. I do love an old cemetery. When I looked up the cemetery I discovered that there are many Historic state-line cemeteries in Tennessee. This one, however, was very cool and if you can get to the Tri-state corner you can find it.
We set our sites just west of there in the area of South Pittsburg, Tennessee. We went to the Lodge Cast Iron factory store; I have to say if you need cast iron this is the stop. Great prices, an incredible selection, and of course some fun photo ops!
Steve found a “haunted” old hospital we drove by met some people and planned a tour for the next day. We stayed at Best Western Kimball. The people were nice, it was a busy area. We could walk to food, so those were all bonuses.
The tour of old South Pittsburg Hospital was incredible. It was just us and our tour guide Heather was incredible. She had a vast amount of knowledge about the property. I definitely had some interesting experiences there. If you like history, old architecture, and the paranormal this is a must-stop at.
Well, that concludes this edition of Monday’s Ramblings next stop Chatanooga.

​We have had a few rains that froze on the trees lately. I love to capture these images but the last few I have been working so I have been unable to grab my camera and enjoy this.
Everything fell together today. We had rain that froze in typical February fashion on everything. Surprisingly, it remained on the trees for more than a few days.
The morning sun was at the perfect angle. The trees looked as if they were covered in ice. The trail looked as if it was graced with hundreds of crystal chandeliers. Each little bud and branch a pendalogue.
I stopped, closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath in of the crisp air. For a change, it wasn’t cold enough to burn my lungs and nose -just refreshing. There was no one else on the path. Being alone with all my senses being engaged in such a pleasant way led to a very zen state.
I walked for quite awhile and took an insane number of pictures. After about 45 minutes I passed a runner. The only verbal interaction was a quick warning to her about the snow-covered ice ahead. I had somehow managed to see it and navigate around the edges. In minutes she was completely gone. back to the sound of birds communicating their secrets through the treetops and the tinkling of the ice-covered branches all around me as the breeze blew. I call it a breeze because it wasn’t bitter cold, it had a milder hint to it.
I headed back. I did not want to go back to reality, I wanted to stay here in this magical world. Sadly, I knew the path would become busier as the day went on, the sun would move up higher in the sky and the ice would begin to melt. I took several deep breaths closing my eyes and letting nature envelope me. I opened them again slowly and rounded the corner-I could see the parking lot, my journey for the day was over.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic and all our lives changed forever. Just six months after that is when we normally would have been heading on our annual anniversary trip. There weren’t vaccines available yet and I did not want to travel anywhere-thank goodness my husband is the voice of reason! He pushed ever so gently. he told me - “you need time away, you need to be out of town for a few days.”
I thought about it, decided he was very right and opened my ears up to his suggestion. he had found a wonderful B&B in Cincinnati, Ohio.
At first, I was adamantly “no we can sleep in the van”
I expressed my concern for fears about disinfection and handwashing all the important things to avoid dying-which I had seen and heard enough of since it all started-I am a first responder.
That is how we landed at the Gaslight Bed and Breakfast in Cincinnati Ohio for several days. The entire place was gorgeous. I have to recommend the Swiss Family Robinson Room. The room felt like we were sitting in the tops of trees and the views were pretty great too.
Maria took excellent care of us, just what I needed. The room was beautiful and the food, oh my goodness, the food was fantastic. We never left the table hungry. Her caring was greatly appreciated. My heart was hurting, my soul was hurting and a big ole plate of dutch babies and normal conversation was like a warm blanket.
We ventured around many places starting off our time in Cincinnati at the American Sign Museum-wow that was just incredible -something about the vibrant bright colors and that soft buzz of the neon really gets me. I could have curled up in a corner and slept for hours blanketed in the glow.
We picked up chili at Camp Washington Chili-delicious! We ate it at Spring Grove Cemetery. Good food and beautiful scenery.
Of course, we galivanted and checked out the Roadside America and Atlas Obscura suggestions. We did what we could. We never seem to have a lack of things to explore on our escapades, although the closings were a little frustrating, we were still quite occupied.
We also visited the Cincinnati Zoo. I have been following Fiona the hippo who was born prematurely and now is quite the sassy social media star. This was on my bucket list so a big check for that.
There were scenic overlooks of the Ohio River the greens getting a little drabber and the color popping through here and there to make the hikes a bit more interesting.
Unfortunately, it was time to leave our cozy nest and head back to reality. On the way there was time for a visit at the William Henry Harrison Memorial.
 From there we dipped our toes into Kentucky-just for a minute to visit the Rabbit Hash General Store. The store was established in 1831.  I can’t even imagine what it would be like to hear live music in that old building-they have been having live music for a very long time. I am pretty sure the indoor music is still on hold with the pandemic.
Well as you can imagine we were hungry by this time and stopped by the Weather Oar Knot Marina restaurant for a little alfresco dining. It was slightly chilly, but the sun was warm and so were the employees. I had a tasty pizza and Mr. Trent had a burger. This fueled us for our final stop at Big Bone Lick State Park. I want to go back here to explore more in the future. It was very impressive.
So despite the pandemic we had a bit of normalcy, a lot of fantastic food and some much needed rest.

Mr. Trent and I ventured out during this pandemic for some social distancing shooting of video. Specifically, we needed to shoot some background video on some serious back roads. So off we went toward southern Ohio.
We packed all the essentials - hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, toilet paper and masks. We took my vehicle. It has a moon roof which was perfect for the GoPro. Mr. Trent is the videographer, so I was the driver for this adventure.
On the way we stumbled across Prospect Place Estate. It was not open at the time we stopped. I took some shots from the road, and we continued - flying past farm fields, cutting down empty old roads trying to find all the perfect shots for the project. Out on those roads with the wind buzzing around the vehicle for a minute or two it did not seem like we were in the midst of a pandemic….it just seemed like a regular adventure.
We decided we were hungry -I had packed some snacks, we did however decide to pick up some fast food…..gingerly and anxiously we chose a place and ordered-the only problem there were absolutely NO bathrooms open anywhere. Now I have to say I am spoiled-most of the time Mr. Trent and I galivant it is in the comfort of the van with most of the luxuries of home including a tiny camping toilet! I settled for a large clump of trees keeping my eyes open for snakes and poison ivy, with just enough brush to keep fellow travelers’ eyes off me.
We stumbled across a scenic little pond and took a break to explore some areas of Zanesville, Ohio. We stretched our legs and walked to the bridges where the Muskingum and licking rivers come together. It was a mixture of farm town and history, I definitely want to spend a little more time there again but we were ready to head back to our home and I wanted to drive by Prospect Place estate again.
We headed north through Dresden, Ohio on Main street and out toward Trinway.  The estate sat formally off the right side of the road. The gates were open. I was delighted to find it was open for tours-limited of course with all the appropriate rules being followed. I parked and grabbed my camera and started the self-guided tour. What a treat, it is a beautiful home and there were people to answer questions -best of all photography was allowed. I am completely obsessed with the intricacies of these old structures, so this was a much-needed treat.
The home was a stop in the Underground Railroad-I could not even imagine coming through fields and woods to the grand home, a place to get food, water and warmth while looking for safety and rest. I could picture the brick stables filled with horses and livestock in the surrounding fields. In the house I imagined the elaborate parties in the attic ballroom, the secret meetings behind the keyhole framed doors and the day-to-day hustle and bustle. The access to the basement was convenient. The brick structure would have been cool in the hot summer months for weary travelers to rest and there were many fireplaces for people to warm up in the colder months.
I am looking forward to visiting Prospect Place Estate again. I foresee more adventures with family exploring some of Ohio’s small towns this summer.

​Saturday we heard of an old building being taken down in Akron. We loaded up and headed north. The strong front corner of the building was the only thing that remained by the time we had arrived. We parked and exited the vehicle camera ready -it was probably a good thing it was happening so fast or I would have been standing there with my mouth hanging open and tears streaming down my face.
The building -listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1976- was designed in Akron ohio in 1895 by Architect Frank Meade for Paul Edward Werner of Werner Printing and Lithograph Company.
I had driven by this beautiful building many times over the years, always admiring it. It was known for resembling a german castle. A structure this spectacular did not appear overnight between Intricate details of stone, brick and wood work, I can’t even imagine the hours craftsmen put into this.
Hours and hours of labor, years upon years of people coming in and out to their jobs-A sea of faces, this wasn’t just a structure, an office, it was a livelihood. A place people came and went for over one hundred years, only to be knocked down in a manner of a few hours by just a few men.
This was very emotional for me to process the photos and write about. It saddens me greatly that so many years of history was erased for road construction-heartbreaking.

​Saturday morning, I woke up to a hard snow. I quickly got myself ready, grabbed the dog and off we went. There is something about Spring snow, especially this late in the year. All the birds are singing their early morning spring songs. I had not made it out quite fast enough to enjoy the first burst of snow but the next one wasn’t too far behind. As I cut through a discreet area-away from people and traffic-I was fully in my element. The fresh smell of the warm earth and the early spring blossoms was such a soothing blend. The vibrant pinks and lavenders were accented by spring greens popping through the heavy snow showers. I could hear the snow blowing through the trees, brushing every new leaf as it fell, and it fell hard. The wind whipped around, and the hard snow pelted my face. I did not mind though; I knew this would probably be the last real burst of snow until fall.
I got back to the house, picked up my other camera and set off to a park. In that mere half an hour the warmth of the sun and earth had already melted most of the snow. Only bits clung to the rounded petals of the blossoms. A mallard couple looked as surprised to see us as we did them. That didn’t stop them from their pursuit of breakfast.
I crave the warmth of spring but I truly enjoyed this late snow.

​Today is the vernal equinox, the earliest first day of spring nationwide in one hundred and twenty-four years. Here in Ohio it is cloudy but warm with a temperature of 52 degrees. As I sit here typing I can hear all the birds of spring through my open window. I know, I know 52 degrees isn’t all that warm, but we will take it here, and for the last several hours it hasn’t been raining so it was nice to get out of the house and walk for a bit today.
Today I am including some wonderful images from a walk we took on another beautiful March day. This is a park we love to go to where we can often see things like frogs and turtles. We all needed to step back from media and away from what we are all facing right now with quarantines and may businesses temporarily closed. So, a walk it was.
My youngest daughter and my grandson were my companions. We started off with an intense conversation about frogs. My grandson took off running in front of us in an oversized hoodie yelling “don’t step on the frogs” which my response was “it is has been a little too cold, I don’t think we will see any frogs today” He argued the point of course which eventually ended up being right.
The sun was warm, but the wind was quite chilly, with seventeen mph gusts we were thankful for the tall grasses that toward over our heads and of course all the other vegetation that blocked some of that wind. When the wind wasn’t blowing the sun was delightful, giving us something to look forward to in the months to come.
We saw many new buds, lots of worms which, of course, led to lots of birds having quite the banquet. Like many of our adventures there was lots of activity- walking, running, lots of talking and suddenly a frog, quite the specimen with vivid details. “I knew it” was whispered so the frog wasn’t scared-and very gently little hands picked him up and sheltered him from the cold wind. We were all quiet for a few moments while boy and frog bonded, then he was gently placed back in a sunny grassy patch off the path out of the site of dogs or runners.
I can’t wait for so many more adventures like this to come.