2017 - Shenandoah NP & Great Smoky Mountain NP - Part I

Travel Map

June 1, 2017

We departed Carmel, Indiana around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, 2017 headed for Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.  We headed Southeast around Cincinnati and then South around Lexington before heading East.  We stopped for the night at Clear Creek Campground in the Daniel Boone National Forest.  $7.50 for the night with the “Geezer Card”

June 2, 2017

The next morning, June 2^nd, we were up by 6a.m. and on the road by 7a.m.  We passed through Huntington WV, Charleston WV, and Beckley WV along I-64.  We exited at Waynesboro WV and started the climb along Skyline Drive to Loft Mountain Campground, arriving around 1:45p.m. selecting our campsite and setting up camp.  We then headed out for a drive, stopping at numerous overlooks for pictures and the great views.  Along the way we spotted a Buck and doe.

June 3, 2017

On Saturday we were awakened by a woodpecker, the natural alarm clock.  After breakfast we headed out on Skyline Drive, stopping along the way for more pictures and the views.  We drove up to Big Meadows Campground, saw the lodge and visited the Byrd Visitor Center.  We stopped at the ranger station so Susan could purchase her geezer pass.  September 1, 2017 they will cost $80.  We arrived back at camp late morning and after lunch hiked the Appalachian Trail for approximately 2 miles.  We met several hikers that were on their way to Maine.  We also met 3 women that were hiking 70 miles on the trail, and they were having the time of their life.  We wished them all safe hiking.  We forgot to put a small cooler in the camper when we left on the hike and the rangers picked it up, leaving a note where we could claim it.  They mean business.

On Saturday night we went to the ranger presentation at the amphitheater.  The program was on the “Wilderness” people that contributed to our Wilderness areas, John Muir and Bob Marshall were a big part of the program.  The sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains was spectacular.  

June 4, 2017

On Sunday, we decided to take a drive South on The Blue Ridge Parkway.  We drove 100 miles, stopping at numerous overlooks for pictures and the amazing views.  Our destination was Mile Post 176 and the Mabry Mill.  We soon realized that we couldn’t make it and get back to our campsite before dark.  We exited at Roanoke, VA, gassed up and re-supplied before heading back on I-81. The azaleas were in full bloom along most of the parkway.  The Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park with Great Smoky Mountain Nation Park, a distance of approximately 469 miles with a speed limit of 35-45 mph.

Southern Indiana - 2017 Easter Trip

On Friday April 14, 2017 we left home for Southern Indiana, destination Charlestown State Park, in Charlestown, Indiana along the Ohio River.  We were supposed to go to our son’s for Easter Sunday, but due to the weather forecast our son’s family came to our campsite on Saturday for a cookout and Easter for our grandkids.

Friday night dinner consisted of gourmet pizza cooked on the grill followed by a nice fire.  The weather was great for the weekend, mid-80's for the day and mid-60's at night. 

In 1941 the land along the Ohio River between Jeffersonville and Charlestown, Indiana was home to the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant.  Indiana Ordnance Works Plant 1, 3,565 acres made smokeless powder.  Indiana Ordnance Works Plant 2 2,757 acres made rocket propellant.  Hoosier Ordnance Plant, 4,327 acres manufactured and loaded propellant charge bags.  The three plants were combined as the Indiana Arsenal under War Department Circular No. 329 on November 30, 1945. It was renamed the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant in August 1963 by Department of the Army General order No. 35.  Several different private companies took over running the facility and operations continued until April 1972.  After disposal of Plant 2, the plant had 10,655 acres, 1,700 buildings, 30 miles of fence, 84 miles of railroad tracks, and 190 miles of roads.  The ammunition manufacturing facility, placed into modified caretaker status in 1992.  Recreational facility development began in 1995.  The park opened in 1996, with picnicking, fishing, and hiking available.  The modern campground opened in 1999 and expanded in 2002.  In 2007 4,500 acres were transferred to the State of Indiana and is operated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as Charlestown State Park.  There is still a significant amount of explosive residue threat removal and building demolitions operations that should be completed by 2018, with the land being developed as manufacturing and warehousing.

The Ohio Valley was glacier formed beginning 2.5 to 3 million years ago.  The earliest Ice Ages occurred at this time and dammed portions of north flowing rivers.  The Teays River was the largest of these rivers, and the modern Ohio River flows within segments of the ancient Teays.  The ancient rivers were rearranged or consumed by glaciers and lakes.

The new east end toll bridge now called the Lewis & Clark Bridge opened in December 2016

Saturday morning we were up and I grilled bacon and blueberry pancakes , while Susan made coffee in the coffee press.  Following breakfast we took 1.5 mile hikes which lead us down into ravines  and along the Fourteenmile Creek, which flows into the Ohio River.

 Fourteenmile Creek

 

 Exausted after a long hike.  A piece of firewood came in handy as a place to rest her head.

Late Saturday afternoon our son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters came for a visit and cookout.

 "Grandma, this is like a bunk bed"

We grilled hotdogs, filets, and Italian sausages, and had ice cream sandwiches for desert.  They left around 8:30 p.m. and with rain forecast over night packed everything up, so all we had to do is remove the rear awning and drop the top and head for home.

It was a nice trip.  Indiana State Parks charge some of the highest fees of any parks that we are aware of.  We paid $38.60 per night.  I think this will make us rethink our weekend trips in Indiana, unless we can find some boondocking sites or lower fees.