Sailboat Bellissima from New Bern, NC to Shelburne Bay, VT 4/30/13 - 5/22/13

Distance and daily locations for Bellissima, a 42' sailboat, from New Bern NC to Shelburne Bay, VT 4/30/2013 - 5/22/2013. Bill Brown and Dave Usher, captain and crew.

From/To Distance (Nautical Miles)

New Bern, NC  - Norfolk, VA 180

Norfolk - C&D Canal (West) 197

C&D Canal   17

C&D Canal (East) - NYC 190

NYC - Troy Lock 134

Champlain Canal   60

Whitehall, NY - Shelburne, VT  63

841  (968 statute miles)

Day-by-day

Apr 30 Tues  Set off into Neuse River to Pamlico Sound (ICW)
May 1 Weds  Albemarle anchorage (nasty NE winds; sailing until 2300)
May 2 Thurs  Albemarle - Coinjack Marina
May 3 Fri   Coinjack Marina - Portsmouth anchorage
May 4 Sat  Portsmouth Anchorage - Cape Charles Marina
May 5 Sun  Layover Cape Charles Marina (unfavorable winds)
May 6 Mon  Layover Cape Charles Marina (unfavorable winds)
May 7 Tues  Cape Charles to Cornfield Harbor anchorage
May 8 Weds  Cornfield Harbor anchorage- Poplar Island anchorage
May 9 Thurs  Poplar Island anchorage - Rock Hall Harbor Marina
May 10 Fri  Rock Hall Harbor Marina - Delaware Bay anchorage (Reedy Point)
May 11 Sat  Reedy Point anchorage to "18 Mile anchorage"
May 12 Sun "18 Mile anchorage" - Cape May, NJ anchorage
May 13 Mon  Layover Cape May (unfavorable winds)
May 14 Tues  Cape May to Sandy Hook anchorage (fish weir snarl 0415)
May 15  Weds  Layover Sandy Hook anchorage
May 16  Thurs  Sandy Hook anchorage to Haverstraw Marina 
May 17  Fri  Haverstraw Marina to NY State yacht basin (north of Poughkeepsie)
May 18  Sat  Yacht basin to Catskill Hop-o-Nose Marina (mast down)
May 19  Sun  Hop-o-Nose Marina to Champlain Canal, Mechanicville NY town dock.
May 20  Mon  Mechanicville NY town dock to Lock 12 wall tie-up in Whitehall, NY
May 21  Tues Lock 12 Whitehall, NY to Partridge Cove, NY anchorage 

May 22  Weds  Partridge Cove anchorage to Lake Champlain Yacht Club mooring in Shelburne Bay VT

Laying-by Waiting for Better Winds

At Port Charles, VA on Chesapeake Bay.

Nice day as wind moves to East from NE. Shower and clean-up later in the day, then dinner at Kelly's pub. Off early in the morning for Cornfield Harbor on the west shore of the Bay.

Mayan Pyramids and The Old Swimming Hole

While at the Mayan Riviera on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico last month (February), my son (in the photo) and I toured the Mayan ruins at Chechin Itza. [Map] More on the site here.

On the bus trip back to the coast we stopped for only 30 minutes for a swim in a cenote. It was a Sunday and this was a very popular place for people on the weekend. My son took this photo. 

Only a few from the tour group swam, but it was so refreshing after a hot day walking among the ruins.

While too brief, it was a wonderful experience, unlike any before. The closest was as a teen skinny dipping at abandoned granite quarries in our hometown. No vines there, though, and the water was much colder!

"...The Yucatán Peninsula is a porous limestone shelf with no visible rivers; all the fresh water rivers are underground. Being porous, caverns and caves formed where the fresh water collects – hence the cenotes or water sinkholes. The water that gathers in these subterranean cenotes is a crystal clear turquoise color with a very pleasant temperature of 78° F (25.5º C). 

The stalactites and stalagmites that form inside the cenotes are true natural works of art. In many, holes in the ceiling allow the sunlight to filter into the cenotes, giving the scene a magical feeling..."

Mount Etna erupts, drive-through funeral parlor, winter freeze and more in the day in photos - The Washington Post

Mount Etna erupts, drive-through funeral parlor, winter freeze and more in the day in photos - The Washington Post

The first two photos are of Mt. Etna's eruptions. Scary stuff, but the volcano has never been peaceful. I was up at the top in 2008 when it was relatively quiet compared to this.

Passport Control at JFK

We returned to the U.S. on Monday, September 12 and were greeted very warmly by an officer who checked our passports. He asked how long we had been out of the country and when we told him three weeks, he replied: "Welcome back home. Well, you were lucky to have missed those Vermont floods." Yes, we were fortunate that Irene caused only minor damage at our home (one small tree down in the yard).

It was gratifying and refreshing that this officer (I didn't get his name) was warm, friendly and chatty. His attitude and demeanor reflected well on Homeland Security, unlike so many customs and immigration officials we have encountered here and abroad.

In Garlate with Friends Antonio & Mari

We arrived here in Garlate Lecco on Monday, August 29, with gracious transportation by Oriana and Filippo from Olgiate Molgora, only a few kilometers away. They stayed for lunch which was delicious rice and mixed vegetables along with ham and prosciutto and melon and, ....well, all good things! In  the afternoon, we went to visit the marvelous new home under construction for Allessandro and Laura, Antonio and Mari's son and daughter-in-law. The home is wonderfully designed with three levels, as most homes are on hillsides here in Garlate. When finished, it will be absolutely fantastic with a clean, modern design, superb construction and finish work with magnificent windows and doors baths and cucina. They will be very happy when they are finally able to move in later this Fall.

In the evening Mari cooked ravioli with other fixings and Antonio opened a nice white wine. Then we learned a little bit how to play briscola, a card game with a special deck of cards that is lots of fun with trumps and no need to follow suit.

Yesterday, we awoke to a traditional Italian breakfast with cappuccino, bread, jams, juice and rolls. Later in the morning we went to Monte Barro Park,

 the mountain that dominates Garlate and the surrounding area on the west side of Garlate. It offering magnificent views of Lago Leco and several smaller lakes to the south of the mountain. We were joined by Luigi and Edda, good friends of Antonio and Mari. We had lunch at the mountain top restaurant, Eremo. More delicious food!

Then we drove part way down the mountain to a very old refuge building that is owned by 6 people  (Edda is one), apparently passing down from generation to generation. The stone building is stocked with water, beer, wine, soft drinks and lounges, chairs and tables a full kitchen and a bathroom. People come on weekends  or weekdays to escape the heat and enjoy the fresh mountain breezes.

Carol's description of our evening meal at Il Ronco Azienda Agricola - Agriturismo follows. A superb meal that was, well, wonderfully Italian. [we'll diet when we get home :-)]

Dinner in Garlate...
You would have loved the place we had dinner at tonight! The road up to the place is so narrow that a normal car can't fit. We had to change cars at the bottom of the hill to go up - in a tiny, narrow van!
The restaurant is part of an agriturismo with all organic food from it's own farm. We walked in the garden with fruit trees, olive trees, veges etc. The figs, ripe and right from the tree were SO sweet, I had to restrain myself to only a few.

Mari picked some for breakfast, though, so I'll get another taste.
The farmhouse is 300 years old, all beautifully restored, with 4 rooms to rent. We must have had  10 courses in the antique dining room, starting with a diced mix of veges, barley, wheat berries and fresh herbs, then a plate of salamis and lardo with a fresh fig, then tempura with fresh vegetables and herbs like salvia leaves, then a spinach quiche with a raddicio-walnut-grape salad, then a chopped-vege crepe with a wonderful cheese sauce with poppy seeds, then risotto with a filet of local fish, then porchetta with roasted potatoes, ending with gelato with fresh raspberry sauce! Only some of us could even fit a coffee!
Of course, you must add the wines that flowed as well. :-)

Beautiful Mountains and Spectacular Lake Como

(August 28, 2011) With our friends Roberto and Oriana we rode the cable car to Piani di Bobbio, high above the town of Barzio and meandered in the ski bowl with hundreds of hikers, sun-bathers, mountain bikers and others enjoying the bright sun and mild breezes.

We had lunch consisting of traditional mountain cooking including pizzoccheri, (a mix of mountain greens, coarse pasta and cheese), polenta with stag and gravy and cold beer and wine at a restaurant on the mountain.  Several para-gliders were wafting above in the mountain updrafts, while a large herd of dairy cows, guided by a cowherd and his dog, were roaming the piani  with their bells resounding in the clear mountain air.

In mid-afternoon, we visited the castle at Vezio with commanding views of Lake Como and the dozens of boats on it. Next, a short ferry ride from Varenna, just below Vezio, to Bellagio where we were joined by Filippo and his girl friend, Claudia, for drinks on the Bellagio waterfront as the sun set.  Then a dinner a short drive to the southwest for dinner just outside Bellagio at Ristorante Ittiturismo (da Abate pesce fresco a palate) where fresh fish from lake Como is served in several marvelous ways both as antipasti and primi/secundi. It was a delicious meal! Roberto drove home and we slept soundly after a Moscato grappa.

Tomorrow, Filippo and Oriana will drive us to Antonio and Maria's home in Garlate where we will stay for a few days. Life is good among friends in Italy!

It's the Litttle Things that Matter!

8/26/11 (post by Carol) Years ago, European toilet paper was a topic of derision: too hard, too scratchy. Not so now. Compared to the ultra-soft, squishy American stuff that dissoves in your hand if you manipulate it too much, or which won't even tear off when you want it to, this stuff here in Abruzzo is perfected! Just the right amount of hardness that eliminates all scratchiess, holds together perfectly, and tears off with ease at the perforations! I have no idea how gracious it is to the environment, but it's my preferred product by a long shot !! (See what hapens when you have time on your hands - when you have chosen the inconvience of schedues using public transportation versus the freedom of using your own car!)

The Wedding in Campo di Giove and Pescara Reception

The Wedding: Ilaria/Carlo 8/25/11 (Posted by Carol)

How can I include everything in the description of the wedding we came to Italy to attend?

Festivities began at the bride's house. About an hour before the ceremony, guests arrived to a house replete with every kind of good thing to eat -   finger foods both savory and sweet. When it was time to leave, the bride appeared from upstairs with her father, and greetings and kisses followed with everyone. A line began to form behind them as they went outside where a group of village children waited expectantly for a barage of confetti candy (white sugar-coated almonds) and coins (the favored treat these days) to be showered on the bride from the house by her mother and friends.

In this case, Dora, the bride's mother, tossed out only confetti 3 or 4 times to the disappointed children before showering them with 80 euro coins! It was then the scramble began!

As the bride and her entourage began the walk to the ceremony through the streets of the town, others joined in.

Ilaria, the bride, met up with the groom, Carlo, at the Town Hall where the ceremony was held. They ascended the marble staircase of the Comune (Town Hall) to the balcony overlooking the piazza (square) with as many guests as could fit in the small space, where they were officially married.

Greeted with cheers, the throwing of rice and a toast-for-two, the couple made their way through an obstacle course prepared by their friends (for a joke) and then left for the reception in a black Porsche convertible decorated with flowers.

The guests then boarded the 2 privately-rented pullmans and headed out down 12 miles of  mountain roads to the main road to the reception 1 1/2 hours away at the Regis Hotel just outside Pescara near the Adriatic coast.

The reception was elegant, both the ambiance and the food. Appetizers and desserts were served in the enclosed garden by a lighted fountain. The several white table-clothed serving tables formed the center of the garden, sharing space with a stringed band. Each table was adorned with several large balls of white roses and lit up by either candle light or small white electric lights.

Appetizers and desserts were served in this lovely garden, but the main courseS were served indoors by candlelight: boiled lobster with spaghetti, risotto, fish (called "coda di rospo," rolled in on huge platters, replicating the real fish with a huge mouth and teeth that looked like a barracuda!), and finishing with a salad. The appetizers and desserts were too numerous and too creative to even begin to describe!

Dancing began shortly before the "early" pullman returned guests to Campo di Giove at 2am. I never found out when the "late" pullman left!

As you can imagine, the event in itself was memorable enough, but the remewed connections with my Italian relatives put the "topping" on my own personal "wedding cake." :-)

August 24 Second Day in Italy

We had a quiet day today. In the morning we walked to the town center to visit Sergio and Dora until noon, then returned to the hotel. It was good to catch up with them before their daughter is married tomorrow here in Campo diGiove, after which two chartered buses will take all the Campo diGiove attendees to Pescara for the reception.

Then, I spent far too long on the phone with the British company from whom I rented a WiFi hotspot that will enable us to get on the internet while traveling without incurring the exorbitant Verizon data roaming charges. The tech support person walked me through re-programming the device for use in Italy. They had  mistakenly shipped me a device programmed to work in the UK.

Carol spent time at the pool in the sun on another beautiful day while I attempted, unsuccessfully, to make reservations on the high speed train from Pescara to Milan on Saturday. It seems it's not possible to make reservations and pay online, which is a peculiar situation.  After several calls to the overloaded Trenitalia call center and when I got through a couple of times they said they would call me back because "the system is down," which means they must have a massive backup of calls. I will try again later. In hindsight, I should have made the reservations at Rome's Termini.

I walked a bit in the late afternoon to do some shopping and shake off the 'technology woes,' then had a nice nap before dinner.

Dinner was again plain and simply delicious. Many delicious contorni, then penne pasta, cabbage soup, followed by rosemary-seasoned pork and fried cheese with tomato sauce. 

i really like this simple food because the tastes of the food are so much enhanced, not overwhelmed, by the spices.

Tomorrow we meet at 4:00 pm for the wedding ceremony, then board the bus to Pescara.

August 24 in Campo diGiove

 Our Delta flight from JFK to Rome was late leaving by an hour, but the pilot made up about half the time on the flight. It was a bit bumpy at times, but we survived OK.

We took the regional train to Tiburtina Station, rather than the DaVinci Express to Termini Station. It turns out the train was rerouted a few weeks ago due to a fire or construction or...who knows? S we took the metro to Termini. just a 10 minute ride.

The train WAS on time and 2.5 hours later we were met by Carol's cousin who whisked us the 20 km up the mountain to Campo diGiove. Weather and food are both wonderful at Hotel Abbruzzo. This morning, the sun is about to rise over the Majella mountains, which we can see from our hotel room, surrounding the town.

For dinner we had very simple, but delicios Abbruzzo food. pasta and oil with crushed red pepper, an Abbruzzo folk specialty (Carol's dad always loved it.), veal with a special sauce for secondi and an assortment of local cheeses and fresh fruit, a bottle of Montepulciano and fresh fruit. All  this was accompanied by a delicious buffet selection of contorni...yum! We hadn't eaten since breakfast on the plane.

Will explore Campo diGiove today  on footand generally meander.

Sun's up. Time for breakfast!

Photos during the 16-day voyage north to Lake Champlain from Portsmouth VA via Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay of Bill and Nicole Brown's 42' sailboat Bellissima.

RV Travel Day 20 (May 18, 2011)

After traveling from the Sight and Sound theater performance of Joseph in Lancaster County, PA to Port Jervis NY then on to Hopedale, MA on Wednesday we parked the RV in a nephew's driveway, we provide this report to the proprietor:


Since we are members of the Good Sam Club team of inspectors for your facility, we give you this rating, which we will gladly post in our new, special edition of Trailer Life Directory for Relatives Staying with Other Relatives.

10 - 10 - 9.5

The first 10 reflects completeness of facilities. You have everything a motorhome requires for hook-up. The free Wi-Fi and the indoor TV reception were more than adequate.
The second 10 is for cleanliness. The restrooms and showers were A-1 (brand new, in fact), plenty of hot water, and always available.
The last rating falls a bit short of a perfect 10 because the site was not quite level. Next year, add a little height to the right side as you pull in (ha ha!). However, the site was easy to find and well marked by a neat sign on a unique signpost.
All in all, our stay at your facility was near perfect. Highly recommended! The office staff was the best we encountered nationwide. The adjacent restaurant was 5 stars and the chef deserves special mention because of the superb service and food.
We will post your facility in our 2012 Guide. Thank you for providing a quality respite!

RV Travel Day 18 (May 16, 2011)

Day 18
Our RV park is only a stone’s throw away from Hershey Park which is a massive complex, but we visited only Hershey’s Chocolate World. This is another high quality attraction which includes a free tour of a make-believe chocolate factory that explains the chocolate making process in pictures and with machines that simulate the real process. But, hey, it’s good enough for tourists and the kids don’t know the difference :-). If you go, don’t miss the 3D movie and you CAN’T miss the massive chocolate and souvenir shop along with a food court with excellent offerings...and they serve Green Mountain Coffee!

After the Hershey lunch we were off to Lancaster County, PA for the afternoon in the Amish country. We had been in this area a long time ago but it has since become a hyper-commercialized, tourist mecca. Yet the Amish horses and mules working the fertile fields while the horse-drawn black travel buggies navigate the ever more treacherous highways.

While in Intercourse, PA. we met Pat and Doug Richmond from Underhill, VT who were also RVing and heading back to Vermont. We had a nice chat commiserating about all the rainy weather. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable to meet up with fellow Vermonters so far from home.

Time to eat again and we chose Red Lobster and had a really nice meal. But just as we were leaving a deluge hit and delayed our trip back to the RV park for 15-20 minutes. As I write this the rain continues, though mostly light showers.

Tomorrow we’ll attend a show at Sight and Sound in Strasburg before heading northa to NY.

RV Travel Day 17, May 15, 2011

Day 17

Today was a travel day from Waynesboro, VA to Hershey, PA pretty much a straight shot on I-81 north arriving at about 3:30pm at the Hershey Highmeadow Campground. Carol had a craving for pancakes so before leaving Waynesboro we spotted a Golden Corral with a weekend breakfast buffet. We got in just before breakfast service ended at 11:00 and transitioned to lunch. So we had breakfast and lunch, though they serve steak with the breakfast. This was a far better Corral than the one where we had supper in Nashville with Jacques. So, no lunch today and a salad for supper.
Showers and sprinkles all the way to Hershey and a heavy downpour after we set up for the night.

RV Travel Day 15 & 16 (May 13-14, 2011)

Day 15
Up, down around and up and down and around agin describes the whole day on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. 
We began in Asheville, NC and no sooner were on the Parkway when we stopped at both parkway headquarters and a fabulous Appalachian arts and crafts shop and exhibit, and ended the day in Meadows of Dan, VA, a peculiar name for a town.

The weather was cloudy and cool in the 60s and 70s depending on altitude with sprinkles and some fog when in the clouds. Most of the time we were above 3,500 feet and our high point was 5,200...like being on top of Vermont’s Mt. Mansfield. 

Traffic was practically non existent. We saw more bikes and motorcycles than cars. What a pleasant ride with maximum speed limit of 45 mph, but with all the ups, downs and arounds, we probably averaged 30 mph with the RV downshifted in 3rd and 4th speed nearly all the time.

The highway design and layout is superb and very well maintained with dozens of vista lookouts Couldn't see vistas because of the low overcast...most of the mountains were in the clouds), picnic areas and historic sites.

We spent the night in Meadows of Dan RV Park.

Smartphone maven and snoozing Scuffer

Day 16

We had a late start this morning with showers and sleeping in a bit. After a brief stint on the Parkway to visit Mabry Mill, 

we traveled I-81/64 to Waynesboro, VA in the beautiful Shennadoah Valley where we arrived eariier than usual at at the Waynesboro North 340 Campground. (What were they thinking when they chose that name, descriptive, but not very alluring?). We had an outstanding supper at Gavid’s Steak House, a family restaurant that serves a 10 oz. ribeye cooked to perfection any way you like it for 15 bucks including baked potato and a salad bar and a food/dessert bar with absolutely scrumtious fixins...all you can eat, except for the steak. Carol and I went way off our diets feasting on this fabulous food. The saving measure is that we did not stop for lunch. If ever in Waynesboro, don’t pass up this meal!

Depending on the weather, we may drive part of Virginia’s Skyline Drive tomorrow as we head for PA.

RV Travel Day 13 -14 (May 11-12, 2011)

Day 13
Before arriving in Charlotte NC, we had trouble yesterday with the propane generator which is needed to cool the cabin when we leave the dogs for any length of time during this 90 degree weather. I called the repairman, as I indicated in my last post, and he ‘promised’ to come just after noon on May 11.

So we visited the Billy Graham Library in the morning.
This place is quite impressive with one of the best multimedia displays I’ve ever seen. Billy’s life and ministry are portrayed in a series of rooms with video and audio of very high quality.

Also a massive bookstore and dairy bar is available. What an amazing life he has led under God’s anointing. He has spoken in person with more people than any man in history with the consistent message of God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ. This impeccably maintained place is well worth a visit in Charlotte and there is no admission charge for this high quality facility. Bessie will greet you at the entrance.

Arriving back at the RV park at noon, I received another ‘promise’ that Mark, the RV repairman would be here at 2:30.

We hung out and relaxed, but made the decision that we would leave at 4:00 pm for Asheville regardless. He didn’t show and didn’t call so we were in Asheville by 6:30 with little traffic enroute. Mr. Caudle is not reliable.

Day  14
We had ferocious thunderstorms last night, no wind or hail but heavy rain and continuous lightning and crashing thunder. Jesse is fearful of thunder so she does anything possible to huddle with one of us. Scuffer seems immune to the storms and sleeps right through.

Off to Biltmore this morning which is only 4 miles form the Bear Creek Campground. I purchased tickets online yesterday so we were all set upon arrival to pick up the tickets and drive to one of the many parking lots which are all served by squeaky clean air conditioned shuttle buses driven by ‘old’ men (They’re probably retired and Biltmore doesn’t have to pay benefits!). The stats on this place are mind-blowing. You can learn more here. There are 1800 employees, likely making it Asheville’s largest employer.

I could go on and on, but you really must visit it for yourself. Think Shelburne Farms (That Vanderbilt money was everywhere!) on steroids, but without magnificent Lake Champlain! The views at Shelburne Farms are more beautiful that at BIltmore, IMHO.

One reality that enabled the ‘largest home in America (250 rooms) to be occupied by the Vanderbilts and their guests in 1895 was the advent of electricity, it seems to me. Without it, the place would nave been more like a medieval castle than a 20th century home.

We had lunch in the Arbor Grill at the Antler Hill Village and Winery. I had one of the best burgers ever... made from Carolina bison and cooked to perfection. Yum! The wine shop is huge and the Biltmore label adorns many varieties, although I don’t know if it’s made at Biltmore or nor.

The generator worked fine while we visited the Biltmore house in the morning, but again would not start while at Antler Village. Arrrgh! We drove to an RV repaid shop a few miles away, but they could not fix it on the spot, so we’ll have to muddle through if the problems persist. The diagnosis is that maybe an oil pressure cutoff switch activates when the engine becomes hot and requires a long time to cool down. The generator may have to removed from the rig in order to fix it.

We did a bit of shopping at Wal-mart and now are settled in for the night. We plan to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway north tomorrow.

RV Travel Day 12 (May 10)

Day 12 (May 10, 2011)
Today is a travel day with a late start from Cleveland, GA after a shopping spree at Wal-Mart to refill the pantry and refrigerator. Then on to South Carolina and North Carolina. The propane generator ran fine powering the A/C to  cool the dogs while we shopped. But when we stopped for a late lunch just before entering SC on I-85 (lots of traffic on this route especially between Greenville SC and Charlotte NC), the generator would not start and stay running. We need it because the temps have been 89-91 for the past two days.


We are in Charlotte NC tonight at the CaroWinds Camp Wilderness which is associated with a large amusement park on the SC/NC border. I called Mark Caudle, a RV repairman ("Road Tech To The Rescue, Factory Trained and Insured, Low Prices, Satisfaction Guaranteed" reads his business card), who travels to the site to make repairs. He said he would be here a bit after noon tomorrow. We hope to have time to visit the Billy Graham Library in the morning and be back to meet the mechanic after noon.


We have the park nearly all to ourselves because it's so early in the season. The shower in the spic n' span restrooms (They get a '10' for cleanliness) felt especially good this warm night.

Day 11 (May 9, 2011) RV Travel in May

Day 11 May 9, 2011)
Marguerite had a full day planned and fortunately it was sunny and quite warm. We began with a visit to her daughter’s beautiful home on a pond out in the country. They are traveling in Italy so we missed meeting them.



Then on to Sautee Nacoochee to visit a friend of Marguerite who operates a B&B. From there to the Pottery Museum of North Georgia and its associated craft/art gallery.This place is a marvelous museum in a superb award-winning building connected to a renovated former grade school with one of the best craft galleries we’ve seen. High quality creations all from within a 50-mile radius at very reasonable prices. Carol was 'in heaven' and bought a few items for herself and some gifts.

Then a visit to two winery tasting rooms and a purchase of some fairly decent Merlot and Traminette
Then it was time for supper at a buffet in the restaurant in Unicoi State Park with some delicious trout, a house specialty. This restaurant and lodge at Unicoi is 100% state owned and operated and a superb facility offering extensive lodging and outdoor trails and activities.
Laundry at Marguerite’s finished the day. Shopping scheduled for tomorrow to restock the larder.

Day 10 May 2011 Travel Sunday, May 8

Day 10 (May 8)
Another warm day traveling with temperatures in the low '80s as we headed southeast from Decatur TN into the mountains along the TVA lakes and rivers. Lots of rafters and kayakers along the TVA rivers. We stopped at a gigantic flea market in extreme western NC and wandered through the dozens of permanent stalls. It seems everything was for sale (We thought of Gayle and David)!

As we entered northern Georgia in the Cherokee National Forest we went through an area where a tornado,  part of the huge storm system that devastated to much of Alabama, touched down last week with significant damage to tress on both sides of the highway.

We checked in at the Leisure Acres RV Park at about 4:00pm then we found our friend, Marguerite, who lives in Cleveland GA where we had a light supper and conversation. 

We then spent 6 hours in the ER of Northeast Geogia Medical Center in Gainesville for a severe pain in her left torso which had been raging since 10:00am. They did all the tests including a CT scan and found no life threatening problems. Meanwhile, the pain disappeared. We’re guessing it may have been a gall bladder attack.