NOV. 1, Saturday, To Kentucky
I got up early and drove to the Ford dealership only to find that they were closed due to inventory! Go figure! That black cloud is still there. Anyway, I tried a couple of other places with no luck so decided to go on. This campsite is shutting down today so we can’t stay here anyway.
We got on I-77, a toll highway and headed north to Charleston, West Virginia. Our cost was $3. for the whole trip on the toll highway. Once in Charleston, we got on I-64 again and headed west. The highway going through Charleston was very narrow and curvy so we had to slow down to 50 mph. We stopped for lunch then went on. We crossed into Kentucky and slowly the scenery changed to rolling hills. We stopped at the Info Centre and decided to stop at Daniel Boone Park. We turned onto 697 and finally arrived at our destination: Fort Boonesborough State Park where we paid $22./night and booked 3 days. I hope to get the truck fix here.
This is where Daniel Boone and his compatriots built a fort along the Kentucky River. We will visit it tomorrow.
It was sunny the whole day and the temperature went up to 72*F (22*C) It’s still warm now at 8 p.m. There are lots of young families here for the week-end. We met a couple of them who were from Kentucky and were camped across from us. They were quite impressed with our travels stories.
N 37* 54’ 03”
W 084* 16’ 10”
Alt: 608 feet
Av Speed: 55 MPH
Dist. Today: 359KM
NOV. 2, Sunday, In Richmond, Kentucky
We rolled our clock one hour back overnight! Now back to Eastern Standard time we got up an hour earlier. Another sunny and warm day…gotta love it! We went to the fort and were told it was closed but we could still go through without any charges. As it turned out, it was for the best as the volunteers, who were all dressed up in that era’s fashion, were having a meeting and going over the year’s show. So we had them walking around in their gabs and took lots of pictures. It also turned out that quite a few of the cabins were unlocked so we could take a peek inside of them. We even talked to a couple of the volunteers.
We then went for a drive to where we thought they made barrels for bourbon but we never found it. Even Ms Daisy had a hard time. The truck was acting up again so we headed back to our site.
I ran a diagnostic on the engine and it showed that the throttle sensor was the cause which is what I had already figured anyway.
We had a BBQ tonight and a warm night it was
NOV. 3, Monday, sightseeing
I got up before 7 a.m. and drove to the Ford dealership where they were very friendly and accommodating. They confirmed my diagnostic and had to order a new Throttle Control Switch which they had within a couple of hours and then installed it. By noon, and $250 poorer, I was on my way back home.
I picked up Val and Tucker and we headed out for more sightseeing and bourbon tasting. We headed to “Buffalo Trace Distillery” in Frankfort, the Capital of Kentucky. Our guide was named Freddy, a colored man whose dad and grand-dad also worked here. The tour was free and our guide was most informative and knowledgeable. He had a thousand stories about the place and recounted its history without any glitches. We learned for example that Kentucky produces 98% of the world’s bourbon. We also found out that once out of the keg, the bourbon stops aging. Did you know that aging 20 year old bourbon in a barrel loses almost half of its content to evaporation!?? WOW!! Bourbon can be served chilled or at room temperature and each gives its own taste, believe it or not! We tried both and it’s true.
We had a wonderful day. Tomorrow, we move to Tennessee.
NOV. 4, Tuesday, In Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and a side trip to Kentucky Fried Chicken
We were on the road by 9:30 a.m. after dumping. We drove west to I-75 and filled up @3.09/gal. We stopped in Corbin, where the original Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant was situated and where Colonel Saunders began his career in his restaurant and motel on Hwy 25. We took a few pictures and of course, we had lunch there.
Got back on I-75 and headed south to Knoxville. We crossed the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee after stopping at the Information Centre. The people there were very friendly and informative. We stopped for fuel in Powell and paid $3.19 Diesel is more expensive in Tennessee.
We went on to Dandridge where we were hoping to spend our time only to find out that the campground was closed so we drove back on I-40 and then on 411 to Pigeon Grove at the “Eagle Nest Campground”, a Passport campground. We are here for at least 3 days and may stay an extra one.
N 35* 47’ 32”
W 083* 36’ 07”
Alt: 1002 feet
Av speed: 50 mph
Distance today: 383 km
NOV. 5, Wednesday, sightseeing
Before leaving for our sightseeing, I called Fran at Fleetwood and of course got her answering machine so I left a message.
We went East to the “Davy Crockett State Park”. The country side was absolutely gorgeous. We had the Appalachians mountains on our right and the country side was full of autumn color and rolling hills. We stopped in Greeneville where the 17th President, Andrew Johnson lived and worked before becoming a politician. He was the first President to be tried for impeachment (unsuccessfully by the way) He was acquitted by one vote in the Senate!
At the Park, we saw a replica of David Crockett’s house where he was born and raised. We took a few pictures, bought a magnet as a souvenir and drove back home via a different route.
I have now fulfilled a lifelong dream…seeing where Davy Crockett, my childhood hero, was born
in Tennessee and where he died at the Alamo, Texas. Life couldn’t be better!
CHECK OUT ALL THE NEW PICTURES IN FOLDER #25 in PICASA
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