Appalachia: Beautiful and Smells Like Rubber

From Florida to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and now back into Tennessee, I've been traveling through some beautiful hill country. I've also found some gorgeous places to stay, and I'm realizing I didn't take pictures of most of them.

One of the waterfalls seen from the rim walk at Cloudland Canyon

The Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia, just above Chattanooga, was the exception. I arrived late in the afternoon on a cloudy day, so I couldn't really enjoy any view as I drove up the switchbacks to get there. But I knew the next morning was supposed to be sunny again so it seemed worth the trip up. Sure enough, on my walk-around the next day, I saw how beautiful the area was. I especially enjoyed the drive back down a different route from the mountain, catching sight of the gorgeous valley on my way to Chattanooga.

I only spent an afternoon and an evening in Chattanooga, but it really was a nice city, and easy to get around. From there, I stayed a night in the Blue Ridge Mountains, then headed down to Martinsville, Virginia for a NASCAR race.

Although it was early, I got there the day after the trackside campground opened up, hoping to nab a site that was as level as possible on the hilly terrain, at the top of a slope, and close to one of the gravel driveways. Rain was in the forecast, and I saw last year how mud could create a challenge. I heard many stories of people needing to hire someone to tow their RV out of there after a wet week. I didn't do too bad - couldn't find quite level, but close enough. I opted for a longer walk to the track in favor of a low-risk site.

My little motorhome parked high and dry in the center, above the Canadian flag, Monday before the race

By Sunday, the hillside had filled up pretty well. I'm about 1/3 way from the left margin, on the top of the hill.

After the Martinsville race (and an RV repair stop in Greensboro, with a return trip due next week after a part comes in) I went to Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is another city that I really enjoyed. I stayed in an RV park on a hillside just out of town with a great view, and within walking distance of a bus stop (convenient for an afternoon contributing to the craft beer economy--there were plenty to choose from with dog-friendly patios).

When I'm in a city that offers tour trolleys, I often grab one of their flyers to see what locations they go to. That and Trip Advisor's "What to Do In..." help me figure out what places might be worth seeing. In the case of Asheville, one of the locations was the Basilica of St. Lawrence, which is open to the public at most times. It was beautiful, and definitely worth the short walk from the bus station.

A unique feature of this building is that the domed ceiling is constructed with bricks - quite an engineering feat!

Gorgeous stained glass windows all throughout 

I also spent a day at the Biltmore Estate and Gardens, of the Vanderbilt family.

Breakfast in the garden room, anyone?

The enormous dining room included a pipe organ at one end...

...and a triple fireplace at the other end, with a spectacular carving. 

The view from the living area is truly picturesque

Now I'm in Bristol, Tennessee for another NASCAR race. I decided that I'm not likely to be in the eastern states again for some time, so I might as well go to another race. The event isn't for another week, but this is hilly country too, so I wanted to stake out a level spot while I could. I was among the first few RVs to arrive. The campground opening was apparently a major deal. As I was arriving, police traffic control was setting up to stop highway traffic and let the line of RVs across the road to the most lucrative sites near the track. I scored on a level site, it's just a short walk to the gate and the entertainment stage, and a reasonable walk to a craft brewery if I get bored. I lost the campsite lottery on one aspect, though - the guy that set up closest to me has a large open-frame generator that looks like it will really sound annoying. Can't win 'em all, I guess.