Babcock State Park, Day 3

Glade Creek Grist Mill & Pond

Friday, August 31 - Babcock State Park, WV, Day 3 - 48.5 Miles Today, 14,837.0 For the Trip

A pleasant surprise this morning - the internet was back on my WiFi Ranger & I can connect with the control panel. Once we figured out what the WiFi Ranger ID was, Brian at tech support reset my router & reinstalled the latest update.

I was planning to hike along the Narrow Gauge Trail to see a swinging bridge, but after walking down to the trailhead I discovered that it was very muddy. Not sure why since I seems pretty dry here at the campground, but I decided to skip it & visit the swinging bridge closer to the mill. I did take a couple of photos from a standard road bridge near the trailhead. Managed to shoot the first one through condensation on the front of the lens due to the camera still being cold from overnight & the high humidity at the stream. I managed to do the same when I changed lenses when I went to shoot some photos of the Glade Creek Mill from a different location than yesterday. I was hoping for a nice reflection on the pond below the mill, but the floating leaves kept getting in the way. Actually, I kind of like the stream image, but the mill is way too soft. As usual, more photos at today's LakeshoreImages Page.

I also shot a photo of one of the cabins along Old Sewell Road as well as some of the woods along side the road & a millipede in the middle of the road. It was about 4" long - a lot bigger than our upstate New York bugs! The cabins look nice - electric & water & some are on the edge of Glade Creek. There are 28 cabins located in the park, ranging from Economy 2 person to 4 Bedroom Deluxe units.  I found the swinging bridge - it didn't swing all that much, but is cable supported.

I made a run to the nearest grocery store (a Walmart along US 19 about 20 miles away) for some supplies, and came back to the campsite. The reservable sites are starting to fill even though the prediction for the weekend is rain. There was a herd of deer (well, four of them) nibbling along the road next to my trailer. By the time I got out the camera it was down to one, and she got chased away by a vehicle driving down the road.

Since I've been snacking on watermelon and junk food (is watermelon junk food?) I'm just going to have a salad for dinner. I picked up some vegetables to make a pizza tomorrow or the next day.

Until Tomorrow -

Babcock State Park, WV - Day 2

Glade Creek Grist Mill

Thursday, August 30 - Babcock State Park, WV, Day 2 - 17.2 Miles Today, 14,788.5 For the Trip

All of today's mileage was done driving around the park. I went to the mill during the morning (while still a pretty building, it sure looks better in the fall, and with a little more water in the creek), drove to one of the lakes, finding a number of trees blown over. I talked with a park ranger & she told me that a bad storm went through on June 29th. While parts of the park look OK, some parts look like a tornado hit it.

I also took a short walk to "Natural Arch". Not quite as impressive as those out in Utah, but a pretty arch made of area stones with much more vegetation than out west. More photos at today's LakeshoreImages Page.

I made the stupid mistake of trying to update the software running my WiFi Ranger. I should know better and waited until I got home. After the update I can no longer access the control panel & have no internet connection through the device. I plugged the USB modem directly into the laptop & managed to get a connection, so I should be able to post page updates, but I no longer have a WiFi connection for my iPhone. I'm currently working with WiFi Ranger's tech support & hope to have things back to normal soon. A further complication is the internet connection here at the campground is very slow...

Just realized that today makes 4 months on the road. Time sure flies when you are having fun! Dinner is going to be Orange Chicken with rice.

Until Tomorrow -

Babcock State Park, WV

Fall, 2011 - Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park, WV

Wednesday, August 29 - Babcock State Park, WV - 184.1 Miles Today, 14,771.3 For the Trip

I wasn't planning on stopping at Babcock State Park because it has been so dry the Glade Creek that runs by the Grist Mill would probably be close to dry. Still, when I started checking campgrounds within a day's drive of Carter Caves in Kentucky, the only one I knew that had openings over the holiday weekend was Babcock. So, off I went. I spent most of the drive on I 64, knowing what many of the secondary roads in West Virginia were like. Even with that, Matilda of the GPS tried to route me on an undriveable road. I said no, and continued to Clifftop on US 60. Even US 60 has some interesting twists & turns, but at least it is paved. One of my earlier experiences with West Virginia & my GPS steering me wrong was in this area.

I'm in site 35 for the next 6 days. The campground has 30 amp electric, but no water or sewer. Not a big problem - I have enough water in the tank to do the week, and even if I go overboard & run out there is a fill station not too far from my site. They do have a nearby rest room with hot showers so I'm a happy camper.

I did drive to the Glade Creek Grist Mill (about 2.5 miles from the campground) and as expected, the creek was just about empty. The mill race had weeds growing in it. I talked with the miller & he said this is the longest dry spell they have had since the mill opened. He hasn't been able to grind corn since early June. I'll probably try for a few photos one morning - the sun sets behind the mill making afternoon photos ugly. For now I'm using a photo from my trip here last fall.

Until Tomorrow -

Carter Caves State Park, KY

Yea, We're Back to Campsite Photos!

Tuesday, August 28 - Carter Caves State Park Campground, KY - 124.9 Miles Today, 14,587.2 For the Trip

While much of the driving was on US 68 today, unlike yesterday it was a much better road. A bit wider, fewer twists & hills, and most pleasing, trimmed bushes along the side of the road. I'm in site 22 at the Carter Cave State Park. I did plan to check out the caves, but discovered that I needed to do laundry. The way I can tell is when I run out of socks. Doing laundry was interesting. The price is 1/2 that of Kentucky Horse Park (also a Kentucky state park). While I was washing my 2 loads of clothes, someone came in and threw a bunch of clothes in the two dryers. He never came back. After mine were washed & his dryers stopped, I waited a bit, wondering when he'd be back, then the campground manager came into the laundry & asked if I needed change since my damp clothes were piled on the washer & the dryers weren't running. I said they were full & she proceeded to yank the clothes out of the dryers & said now they are empty. Mine dried for an hour & the guy had still not come back.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to determine where I'd be for the weekend. Like all the campgrounds I tried, this one is full. I finally talked with the attendant at Babcock State Park in West Virginia & she said they only have 6 campers in the park & there are plenty of open sites through the weekend. So, I'll skip the caves & head to West Virginia in the morning.

Dinner was a pizza; not one of mine or frozen. They have a restaurant here in the park & I ordered a sausage & mushroom pie. Not one of the best I've had, but it beat cooking!

Until Tomorrow -

Lincoln's Birthplace Memorial

Lincoln's Birthplace Memorial

Monday, August 26 - Kentucky Horse Park Campground, Lexington, KY - 157.0 Miles Today, 14,462.3 For the Trip

While I only drove 157 miles today, it seemed longer. Almost all of it was on narrow, hilly & twisty roads. KY 84 & US 68 were better than the earlier county roads, but until I hit Nicholasville, even they were work to drive. I did make another discovery - the birthplace of Lincoln. Maybe I was told sometime in a history class, but I don't remember knowing that both Jefferson Davis & Abraham Lincoln were born in the same state. I stopped & took a few photos at the memorial, then continued east. More at today's LakeshoreImages Page.

I stopped for the night at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground. I stayed here on the way west on my 5th day out (May 7th) in site 245. This time I'm in 84. Good shade, and an easy back in site with water & electric.

It is still too hot to enjoy cooking, so I'll probably do something simple for dinner.

Until Tomorrow -