Travels with Moe

Moe and I recently took a trip. We were visiting some family out of town, and we took some side trips for fun.

Vader helped me pack. He loves my suitcase.

One place we went was the Carter Caves state park in Kentucky. I'm not necessarily fond of the state (sorry to you folks from there), but they do have some nice state parks.

Moe went on a tour of the saltpeter cave there. I would have gone, but there were a bunch of stairs and NO handrail. I can go up, but I gotta have a railing to go down. Bad balance.

This is in the saltpeter cave. This cave was used to make gunpowder in the War of 1812. Apparently  in the Battle of New Orleans, gunpowder created with the saltpeter from this cave was used up in a very few minutes. BANG!

Moe liked the cave and took a lot of pictures. And he gave no explanation. All I can tell you is that the saltpeter workers liked to add their mark to the cave walls. Graffiti, circa 1869.

Outside the cave, there was an area where kids could pan for fossils and different stones. It was a pretty day, and the children had fun.

Another day we stopped a a cool KY state park, Ft. Boonesborough. This was Daniel Boone's fort. The original fort was built in about 1775 to assist settlers in the area. In 1778, the fort was attacked by Shawnee Indians and the French, who laid siege over 13 days but did not prevail. We saw a cool film about the history of the fort.

There were a lot of cabins that made up the fort. Some had people in costume doing demonstrations and showing how people lived. Here's Moe in the tavern admiring a bison skin. It was really soft!

Here's a weaver demonstrating a 2 harness loom, weaving linen. I learned the difference between linen and linsey-woolsey and why the settlers preferred the later. (It didn't catch fire as easily!). I asked about the striped cloth to the left of the weaver and why it seemed crooked. It was because the warp was linen (which lays flat and doesn't stretch) and the colored weft was wool, which has a wiggle to it. She stretched it like it would be on the loom, and it all laid flat.

There was even history shown in the restrooms! Click on the picture for a better view.

We saw a craftsman working on powder horns - really nifty.

Also a blacksmith. Moe loved it all.

Being a settler was a hard, hard life. But we enjoyed learning about it.

We also stopped in Berea, KY at a great arts center. Berea has a lot of artists there, and we went into a neat shop and checked out lots of stuff. I bought a chicken! He's so cute.

And Moe had to have this huge hunk of chocolate. Which he woofed down that night.

We had a good trip!

What did you do this summer?

Ridin' the Crazy Train

DH, Moe, and I rode an old train today. And it was a lot of fun.

We drove up into North Georgia to Blue Ridge, GA, and rode on their old rail line - the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.

We got our tickets and looked at the train. It's made up of older cars that have been refurbished.

Some cars, like this one, were open air. This would be great in the fall - but since it was so hot, I opted for an air conditioned car.

We were on car 332 - it was cheery and bright. Before it was refurbished, this car had a darker past. This was supposedly the very last rail car made under Jim Crow rules - designed for segregated seating of black and white folks. I'm glad those days are gone.

As we waited in our car for the trip to start, we saw a tiny train which sent us on our way!

The trip was not a long one, but the scenery was gorgeous. The tracks follow the path of the Toccoa River, which flows north into Tennessee.

Here's the basic path. This line started before the Civil War, part of the narrow gauge line known as the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad. The current line is staffed mostly by volunteers!

Here's a lovely home along the way. According to our guide, the home was owned by a railroad conductor who built the home and raised 11 children on the grand salary of fifty cents a day.

We saw a lot of pretty scenery as we made our trip. This is an ancient Native American fish trap in the Toccoa River, which flows right to left here. They put rocks in the river and herded fish into the V of the trap.

And soon enough we were at our destination. This little town is split by the GA/TN state line, so it's two towns in one.

The state line runs straight through the town, marked by a blue line. Moe's big dogs are in seperate states.

The town is quaint, with the Toccoa River running straight through it. Lots of rafting/tubing companies are based in the area. The town used to have copper mines, but they closed up years ago.

Other residents enjoy the river. We grabbed some lunch (sandwiches we brought) and browsed some shops.

This is just wrong. (The candies are feather shapes!)

After a two hour layover, we got back on the train and headed back to Blue Ridge.

We met the jolly conductor. What a fun job!

We were tired on the trip back - it was really hot that day, and we walked around for hours in it. (DH later told me his feet hurt. He was wearing shoes with no supports.)

Soon enough we got home. The train pulled into the station and we found our car and headed home.

Here's a little treat for you, a little movie I took on the trip. You can hear the train sounds well, and see the river through the trees.

A fun day - I recommend riding the rails!

Back from a brief break

First off - registration is open for Palmetto Tat Days 2012. I'm teaching! Come and have a great time. If you've never attended a tatting conference, let me say - you're in for a treat if you come.

I'm back from a short overnight jaunt with DH, sans the Stooges. We headed up the hill from Hotlanta, in the sweltering heat, to Chattanooga, TN.

Unfortunately, it was sweltering at our destination too. Thank heavens the car's AC is now fixed!

DH and I managed to have a good time despite the heat. Nice room, with a comfy bed. We were told the room had a mountain view.

Oh well! Who looks out windows in hotel rooms anyhow? The AC worked, that was important!

We did see lots of things. We went through a long tunnel at Tunnel Hill. Kinda cool. And narrow - one lane.

For those not used to driving in the South, See Rock City signs used to be everywhere.

I decided we should drive up Lookout Mountain. So up the hill we went. We did not See Rock City, but we did go past Ruby Falls. I was really amused when DH thought Ruby Falls was a place to mine rubies, instead of being a tourist trap. Lots of folks were being sucked in at Ruby Falls, but not us. We journeyed on, up up the hill and stopped at...

The Incline Railroad.

Where we just watched the train go up the steep, steep hill, choosing not to ride it. Great view though!

We weren't done yet. We went a little further up the hill, to Point Park, on the top of Lookout Mountain. For those that don't know, Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain were big parts of the American Civil war. The battle of Lookout Mountain was known as the "Battle above the Clouds".

Lots of things to see at the park, which is run by the National Park Service. There were cannons. I think these are the kind referred to as Napolean cannons.

And memorials. This is the New York Peace Memorial, which has a Union and a Confederate soldier shaking hands on top.

And lots of great views, like this of the Tennessee River. As you can tell, the extreme heat made the day hazy.

We got reminders of how many soldiers were killed or injured in this battle. This is just the Confederate casualties.

For Civil War buffs such as DH, this is a great spot to visit. The visitor's center houses a huge painting called "Battle Above the Clouds" painting by James Walker. It's 13' x 40' - very large. It was commissioned by the winner, General Hooker (center on the white horse).

After we left the park (and consumed a lot of water - hot hot hot!) we went down, down the hill. I remember a friend burning her brakes out on this hill years ago, and I wonder how. It's steep - but not as bad as going to Mom's place! I just gear down.

The other adventure we had in Chattanooga was a river ride on the boat River Gorge Explorer. It makes guided tours down the Tennessee River, and you learn about the river, wildlife, and Civil War history. Since it's a catamaran with jet engines, the boat is FAST.

And comfy - air conditioned! DH and I were glad to beat the heat.

We got to see wildlife. This is an osprey nest, with adults and fledglings on the nest. We saw a lot of herons, egrets, turtles.

The guide was a biologist who specialized in shellfish. He showed us some neat mussels. The interior of this large native mussel is pink - isn't it gorgeous? I recommend the boat ride - it was fun.

And yes, I did a bit of tatting. I bought an old timey cloth doll at a fair recently, and have given her some tatted edging on her blouse. I'm adding some hair to her (using embroidery floss), and then I'll give her to my little niece Kara.

What are you doing this summer?