Palaia Winery - April 14 - 15

We decided to make our last stop in our journey another Harvest Host location, Palaia Winery in Highland Mills, NY. Ellen appropriately dubbed this the "hippy winery"! Eleven acres of vineyards in a valley between Rte 84 on one side and a ramp on the other made for a somewhat noisy night but nothing compared to a night at a Flying J Truck Stop. We arrived in the midst of a wine tour amongst the local wineries for pasta and wine tasting. We had our own tasting and then came back later for a pizza dinner, wine and music in their barn.

We called it an early night, up for breakfast in Cornwall on the Hudson and homeward bound on Sunday!

Still trying to get Nina out of the van convincing her the trip is over - for now . . . . !

Photos

Just a couple more days - April 13 - 14

We stayed a few more days on Assateague Island to enjoy the warmer weather and poke around a bit more. We biked the park, over the bridge to the Visitor's Center and to the Rackliffe Plantation House. The main part of the house dates back to the 1740s and has just been restored. We lucked out and just caught the caretaker for a quick tour. She saw us looking in the windows! On the ocean side of the park, we saw the first pony born this year and one we had seen last fall.

The final day was a trip to the Chincoteague Island side in search of crab and oysters for lunch, museums and a look around. We couldn't go into the refuge area because dogs are not allowed (even in a car) but Steve & Ellen said the ponies were a distance away although the birding was great. This was the first day of Spring Pony Roundup so they can be seen by veterinarians. We went into the Chincoteague Maritime Museum which was small but nicely done and worth the visit. 'Course I didn't realize that the real Misty would be there stuffed! I took a picture but looking at it later decided imagination and memories are better. No worries, you won't see it in the link below!

Today we are headed for another Harvest Host, Palaia Vineyards, in Highland Mills, NY.

More pony pictures

Assateague Island National Seashore - April 10 - 12

OK! We thought we were ready for the cold and push for home but not so quick! A forecast of a 20 +/- degree night in the Shenandoah made us realize we should "zig" east one last time before heading north. We left a day early and the popular vote was to go back to Assateague Island National Park in MD for several days. We were there last fall but it was one of those places we didn't leave enough time for and knew we had to go back. It was a long but easy drive through Virginia farmland and not so bad traffic on the ring road around Washington DC. The redbuds and dogwoods were all at peak - beautiful!

Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague" has always been a favorite childhood book of mine. Years ago, Harry and I took a quick side trip out there only to see pony poop - a terrible disappointment! I have since learned more about the island and ponies. Assateague Island is divided by two states, MD and VA and there is a fence that separates the island's ponies into two herds. The MD side is owned by the Assateague Island National Seashore (National Park Service) where the ponies live in the wild feeding in salt marshes. Because they ingest a lot of salt, their stomachs are more bloated but they are perfectly healthy and happy. The only intervention is in the management of the population by allowing every mare to have one foal. After that, the mares are darted once a year with a birth control med - no small feat!

The Virginia herd is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and is grazed in two designated areas on the refuge. They are fed and given supplemental water. The Fire Company rounds up the entire herd for the Annual Pony Penning and Auction held on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July. Some foals and yearlings are sold at auction to benefit the town's ambulance and fire services. This was the basis for the book. If I were a horse, I'd jump the fence and choose MD!

Needless to say, the ponies are all around and Sika and White-tailed deer, birds, beaches and water. We'll be home soon . . . . . 

Pictures 

Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park - April 7 - 9

Figuring it was time to acclimate to NE weather, we headed up to Big Meadows CG in the Shenandoah National Park. We were there last November during one of our trial runs on the last weekend the campground was opened. There were only a couple other campers and it snowed! Five months later, we arrived on Easter weekend, a week after they opened and the place was packed.

Now on Monday most have gone home and the deer are starting to come back out of the woods. Ellen, I and Nina did a 4 +/- mile hike, saw turkeys, wildflowers and the first snake on a trail, a ringnecked snake. Harry walked a bit more of the Appalachian Trail with no goals set yet as to when he will finish! Great hikes, reading, laundry, showers and dinner out at Skyland Resort. Temps in the 60s during the day and 30-40 at night.We will most likely start the sprint home in a couple days

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Over to Smokemont CG and beyond - April 4 - 6

The drive across to Smokemont GC was about a 4,000' climb up and then down on Newfound Gap Road with a temperature difference of about 15 degrees at the gap. We decided to leave Clingman's Dome for another day which proved to be a mistake. Our first trip over, the weather was perfect which wasn't the case the next time around. Clingman's Dome is the highest peak in TN and 3rd highest in NC at 6,643' straddling the boundary between the 2 states. It is also the highest point on the Appalachian Trail where we could see some hikers passing through. I could barely see Harry half way up to the observation tower because of fog. We'll just have to come back!

Smokemont was another great campsite with rivers passing through. We lucked out with a secluded spot at the end. More great hikes with Ellen, trips to Cherokee to the Cherokee Museum, Craft Center, Indian tacos made with frybread a bit too thick and Internet service to get the taxes off.

Friday we worked our way north about 300 miles to Cave Mountain Lake CG in the George Washington & Jefferson National Forest in Natural Bridge Station, VA. Showers, showers, showers! The one thing we were missing in the Smokies. 

Photos here

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains - March 29 - April 4

Our first campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was Cades Cove. A "cove" here is a flat valley between mountains or ridges. Cades Cove is an amazing place for the landscape, viewing wildlife and the historic buildings of the Southern Appalachian Mountain folks. The campground is at the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop Road which is an 11 mile narrow one-way road that goes around the cove. Harry and I spent the day in Cades Cove (lots of pictures at the end) and then tagged along with Steve & Ellen for a 10.2 mile hike up to the summit of Rich Mountain the next day. It was a good test. I don't think I've taken a hike that distance with the elevation since college! There was no internet or phone so we spent the next day at the Visitor's Center catching up w/emails, the blog and updates for Turbo Tax to finish the taxes.

On Monday, we headed to Elkmont Campground about 21 miles east. Harry and I headed to Gatlinburg for provisions and wine. What a zoo! We got in and got out but we did see a mother bear and cub from quite a distance. Normally, the bears don't come out until middle April but the warm winter must be bringing them out early.

The Smokies is a great place with the one exception that dogs aren't allow on any of the trails. Harry and I swapped back and forth and he didn't mind staying back at camp to read when the rest of us went on the long hikes. Ellen and I headed off Tuesday afternoon to hike the Jacob Creek Trail to the gap. We weren't as prepared on this hike; wrong clothes but we did have ponchos when the rain came. All day there were grumblings of thunder but we headed out anyway. Up, up, up we climbed. I think I remember Ellen saying there wasn't much elevation! We crossed paths with a group of 20 something guys coming back from a backcountry campsite. One was really sweet telling us to be safe. What do they know that we don't! After getting across a difficult river crossing about 3/4 mile from the gap, thunder was on both sides of us and the dark clouds seemed to be knitting together to form one. We headed back down and managed to get to camp without getting too wet. Good hike about 5.5-6 miles. We didn't have "tech support" with us to let us know the actual distance and elevation. That evening, Ellen showed us her ice cream machine. There are no words to describe. Click here to see how it works! 

Off to Smokemont Campground on the east side of the Smokies today so Harry can see Cherokee country.

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