Day 71 - Tennessee

Day 71

Dec. 21

Pigeon Forge, TN

My Dearest Miss Smith,

    What a day this has been! I declare, I’m quite worn out. What with getting up before five this morning so I could get Katelyn, Kristina, and Amy to their plane on time, and then doing all the driving today. Though I do love to drive my red RV, one sometimes grows tired of watching the road and wishes to rest one’s eyes on the scenery which is passing. Now Miss Smith, don’t fret that you didn’t send anyone who could drive, I’m sure I’ll have a delightful time with my new companions, though I shall miss Amy dreadfully at first.

    But I must start with this morning.

    Arriving at the airport, we discovered that the departing plane was delayed, and my new traveling companions arrived before Amy and the twins left. We did enjoy a lively time of visiting. Amy gave the others instructions about Timber, for they couldn’t get him on the plane at such a late date. I don’t know how long I’ll get to keep him, but Nellie will be glad not to lose him. Those two are almost inseparable now.

    Anyway, we at last parted ways, and I escorted my new companions, Isaiah, Olivia, and Grace, to the RV where they made the acquaintance of the dogs. After stowing their belongings, we got underway. Since I no longer have Amy to ride shotgun, I let Isaiah ride up there today.

    We had to drive through the Great Smoky Mountains and, Miss Smith, it was very difficult to keep my eyes on the road! A light dusting of snow lay on nearly everything. Not enough to make driving difficult, for the roads were clear, but the landscape, the trees, mountains, and grasses, were softened from their drab brown by a delicate garb of white crystals. Several times we pulled over to get out and enjoy the snow. I’m very grateful that whoever designed these roads made sure there were places to pull off the road. We tried not to stop too many times as we did want time at our first stop.

    It was cold to be exploring Andrew Johnson’s homes in Greensville, but it meant there was no one else there but us, and we were glad we could go inside the different homes. I didn’t know President Johnson was a tailor, did you? In one place there was a timeline of pictures which really were quite fascinating once I realized that this was not Andrew Jackson! For some reason I had mixed the two up and couldn’t understand why there was so much about the Civil War! As you can imagine, Isaiah and the girls thought that was rather amusing. But Isaiah and Olivia were rather excited to see this place since they share the president’s last name. I wonder if they are related?

    I had to keep a close watch on the time as we had to make sure we had time to drive down to Pigeon Forge (what a name for a town!) to keep our reservations at the Dixie Stampede. This time we took the most direct route and listened to Christmas music most of the way.

    Oh, Miss Smith! How can I tell you about the evening? It was a mixture of music and lights, horses, dazzle, splendor, good food, and an utterly delightful Nativity. I would tell you what we ate, but it was dark, and I wasn’t paying much attention, only that it tasted very good and I believe there was chicken, corn, bread, and other things. I will point out, however, that when eating at the Dixie Stampede, you must use your fingers for everything since they do not give you any utensils. None at all! No one cares what your manners are, for everyone’s focus is on the show in the arena. Our servers were dressed as elves which was quite delightful. I did love their hats.

    Here I have been sitting without writing for at least ten minutes trying to come up with a way to tell you about the show, but to no avail. I simply cannot tell it. Perhaps it is because I am tired. Perhaps the wonder of it all is too recent. Perhaps it just can’t be described. Whatever the reason, I can’t do it and I won’t even try.

    Isaiah is up in his loft reading, and I hear the two girls talking in the bedroom. I am going to take the dogs for a quick run outside around the RV before I head to bed myself. We have busy days before us, and I must get some sleep.

Until another time,

Priscilla

P.S. I do hope the girls all made it home safely.

Day 64 - North Carolina

Day 64

Dec. 14

Outer Banks, North Carolina

Dear Miss Smith,

            On December 14 I woke up with a feeling of great excitement and anticipation. Today would be the first day of our week in North Carolina. I jumped out of bed to go see if my sister Kristina was awake. I found her up and petting the dogs, Timber and Penelope, while she was talking with Priscilla about the exciting week that lay ahead for the three of us.

            We started our travels on the first day of our trip in North Carolina by taking the dogs out for a walk. They seemed to know that they were not coming with us to Shackleford Banks Island, and were trying to make the most of their morning walk. We were not taking them with us because we didn't want them scaring the wild horses, and I don't think they would be allowed on the island anyway.

            Then we went back to the RV for a delicious breakfast. We fed the dogs too. I wonder if they have been to more states than I have? I'll have to ask Priscilla later. After breakfast we took a ferry to Shackleford Banks Island to see the wild horses.

            We arrived after traveling three miles on the water. Then we started on our walk to see the horses. On the ferry ride we were told that these horses are actually called bankers ponies and that they are descendants of Spanish horses that had survived shipwrecks around that area. We asked one of the men on the ferry how long the horses have been on the island, and he said, “As long as anybody can remember.” You might be wondering how they found out that the horses are of Spanish descent if they have been there as long as anybody can remember. We found out later that they had done some genetic testing to discover the horses’ origin.

            We didn't have to walk far to see some horses. They were wading in a pond known as the Mullet Pond, which is one of their favorite places on the island. I should mention that it was a warm day for December. We kept a safe distance away from the horses as we had been told to, but we were still close enough to be able to see what they were doing, and to enjoy watching them. After we had watched them play in the pond for a little while, then we decided to continue our walk.

  

Our favorite horses

          Next we headed to Bottle Run Point on the inland side of Shackleford Banks Island. This was not difficult because we were near there already. We walked up the coast a ways and then arrived at Bottle Run Point. The island is 9 miles long and not very wide. Most of the island is beaches and grassland, but there is a small forest near the Mullet Pond. There is also some fresh water on the island for the horses to drink. My favorite horse was a palomino colored stallion with a flaxen mane and tail. Priscilla's favorite horse was a dark bay mare that was standing right next to it. Kristina's favorite horse was also the flaxen maned stallion.

Getting a drink

            The view from the point was beautiful. From there we could see Harkers Island in the distance. Harkers Island is halfway between Shackleford Banks Island and the mainland. After we had been enjoying the view for a little while, we saw a horse just a short distance further up the coast. It was a bay mare digging a hole in the sand. As we watched, we saw it put its muzzle in the hole. After staying like that for a little while, it lifted its head and walked away. We were wondering what this was all about; so after the horse walked away, we went over to check it out. We looked in the hole and saw some water in the bottom of it, and came to the conclusion that the horse must have been taking a drink. We found out later that the horses do this when they are thirsty and not near any fresh water on the island.

            By now we were starting to get hungry, so we decided to start heading back. We would have to take the ferry back to Beaufort, because the only way to get to and from the island is by boat. When we arrived back at the RV we decided to take the dogs for a quick walk before lunch. We had not eaten lunch on the island because any food you want has to be brought with you to the island; and when you leave you have to take your trash with you. We had a quick lunch and started driving to Cedar Island. Our plan was to drive across Cedar Island and when we arrived at the port on the other end, to take a ferry to Ocracoke Island.

            While we were on our way to Cedar Island I decided to try to teach Penelope (the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) a trick. It wasn't long before I ran out of treats, so I asked Priscilla if we had any more. She said there was some more in the cupboard above the stove. I opened the cupboard; but I never got around to getting the treats, for all of a sudden three hats fell in my face. Priscilla, who was driving at the time, glanced in my direction, and then quickly turned her head back to look at the road. I think she was trying not to laugh. However, my doggy treat adventure did not end there. No sooner did the hats fall on the floor, than the dogs grabbed two of them and ran in different directions. Kristina jumped up to help retrieve the hats before they were ruined. I know Priscilla would have helped too but since she was driving she had to keep her eyes on the road. I know that this was difficult. I decided to chase Timber; the dog that was going into the bedroom; and finally retrieved the hat, but not before I had chased Timber around the bed a few times. Kristina was able to save the other two hats and thankfully they didn't have any tooth marks in them. After that, Kristina put Penelope on her lap; and I put the hats back in the cupboard. It was then that I decided I didn't need the treats anymore.

            As we were driving over the bridge that connected Cedar Island to the mainland, we looked out the windows at the amazing view. After we had been driving across Cedar Island for a while, I decided to take a short nap.

            When we arrived at the docks we began to wonder if we were going to have trouble trying to get them to take the RV across on the ferry, so we looked for the largest one and went to try to have the passage arranged. We finally managed to get someone to ferry the RV across to Ocracoke Island. When they loaded the RV onto the ferry, I thought I saw the ferry sink a few inches. It must be all those hats in there. The ferry ride was very enjoyable, and after two and a half hours we arrived at Ocracoke Island.

           First we went to see the lighthouse. The Ocracoke lighthouse is 65 ft. tall and white. The whitewash recipe that they used to make the lighthouse white, calls for blending lime, salt, Spanish whiting, rice, glue, and boiling water, and to apply the mixture while it is still hot. We were told that this lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse in the United States that is still in use; and that you can see its beam of light 14 miles out to sea. After this we went to look at the keepers quarters. It was a two-story white house not far from the lighthouse. We found out that the second-story was added to the house later so that an additional keeper and his family could live there, because the duties at the lighthouse had increased. The Coast-Guard operates it now so no keepers live there anymore. We also learned that the keepers and their families went fishing, hunted water-fowl, raised livestock and planted gardens in their spare time. And that the lighthouse service sent a traveling library every six months to light-stations along the coast.

Sunny Green

           After this we went to see the other historic spots in the town and went in and out of a few gift shops looking at their hats. That's when Priscilla bought her hat for North Carolina. It was a straw hat with a green ribbons and sunflowers on it. I'm not sure why they were trying to sell this during the winter, but she did get it for a great price. After Priscilla bought the hat, we got into the RV and drove up the outer banks of North Carolina to visit Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

  

Only there wasn't any snow when we were there.

         After we got there, we went to see the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. It was tall with black and white stripes spiraling upward, and we learned that it is the tallest lighthouse in North America, with 269 steps! This makes the stairs at home seem like nothing. During the summer months they have special night climbing tours weekly, and they also have a full moon climbing tour every month during the summer. Can you imagine climbing a lighthouse at night?

After that we walked along the beach for a little while enjoying the view. We didn't go swimming because it was too cold. Then we went to visit the Cape Hatteras visitors center. While we were there, we found out that it used to be the lighthouse keepers duplex. I thought this was very interesting.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

            After that we drove to Bodie Island Lighthouse. It was 156 feet tall, with black and white stripes. We were told that its first keeper was paid $400 a year! No wonder he's not there anymore. We were also told that it is actually the third Bodie Island Lighthouse. The first one started leaning because of bad construction plans and had to be abandoned. The second lighthouse was destroyed in 1861 by Confederate troops because they didn't want the Union troops using it. The first two Bodie lighthouses were actually on Pea Island.

            After this we were all getting very hungry, so we went to eat at a restaurant. The food was excellent. While we were there the waitress told us something about the Ocracoke Lighthouse that we had not heard earlier that day. She said that, unlike most lighthouses, the Ocracoke Lighthouse actually signals safety. We asked her how the mariners out at sea could tell the difference between a lighthouse signaling safety and one signaling danger. She said that each Lighthouse has a different paint pattern and light sequence so that mariners can tell it apart from other lighthouses even at night.

            After this we went back to the RV to sleep. It was then that I asked Priscilla how many States the dogs have been too. It turns out that I have actually been to more States than they have. I wonder how long that will last? We were ready for bed soon after we arrived back at the RV. After the lights were turned off I noticed something out the window. It was the beam of light from the lighthouse. I’m so glad all three of the lighthouses we visited are still running. And so ends the first day of our trip in North Carolina.

From,

Katelyn

Day 61 - South Carolina

Day 61

Dec. 11

Charleston, SC

Miss Smith

            Today we had a light breakfast so we wouldn’t be late to our tour. The tour we took was called “Savor the Flavors ofCharleston."

The streets were beautiful with the trees and all. Part of the tour we got to sample some food. It was delicious.

The tour was two and a half hours long. When the tour was over, we visited the gift store. I bought my mom some hot pads cause she’s always losing them. Abigail bought a cookbook and Cilla bought a chef’s hat. I have no idea where she is going to store it since the RV is already pretty full. Abigail is going to embroider Priscilla's name on the hat.

            We had a light lunch and drove to the Fort Sumter office. Since the only way to get to the actual fort is by ferry, we had to wait for the ferry to come back. While we were waiting, we looked around at the museum they had.

            Soon the ferry returned and we loaded up. It was a nice day so Abigail and I rode on the open top of the ferry. Cilla was afraid she would lose her “Mrs. Walton” hat so she stayed inside. While on the ferry we saw some dolphins following it. All too soon we reached the island. There was so much to see. The fort was exciting.

They had cannons, a few museums and you could walk on the fort.

42 pounder cannons

The museum was about the history of the fort. 

Ruins of the Officer's Quarters

Sadly we had to leave after an hour. Riding back we talked about everything we did that day and this time Cilla rode on top with us.

            We listened to some Christmas music on our way back to the cottage. We all sang along as we knew the words. We spent another relaxing night at the cottage. My absolute favorite part of the day was the ferry on our way to Fort Sumter.

Your friend,

Susanna

Day 57 - South Carolina

Day 57

December 7

Lexington, South Carolina

Dear Miss Smith,
    This was our first day without Amy and I must say that I missed her. Susanna, Abigail and I began our day with a delightful breakfast fixed by the girls while I took the dogs out for a morning walk. It was a lovely morning to drive over to Kings Mountain, and since we were headed to such a place of interest, Susanna and Abigail took turns reading Manly Wade Wellman’s book Battle for King’s Mountain aloud. Miss Smith, you really ought to pull that book off the shelf and reread it if only for the sake of feeling more connected with me in my travels.

    A fact I found quite interesting was that we were there two months to the day (and many years later) of when the battle was fought. Thomas Jefferson called the battle “the turn of the tide of success” since it was the first major victory by the Americans after the British invaded Charleston.

Loyalist's hat on left, Patriot's hat on right

    When we arrived we first visited the Museum, as all well bred persons do. It was fascinating to see an original Ferguson Rife. And as we wandered through the exhibit, which was created to resemble an old growth forest, we listened with interest to the talking trees which tell the story of the battle and the people involved. We also watched the film “Battle for Kings Mountain.” Did you realize, Miss Smith, that the battle for Kings Mountain only lasted one hour? I wonder if that was the shortest battle in the American Revolution?

    We were all so interested in what we saw that it was nearly lunch time when we left the visitor center and headed outside. After a quick lunch at one of the picnic tables, we leashed the dogs and headed out for the one and a half mile walk up the mountain trail to the top of the ridge where the Patriots assaulted the Loyalists. We even saw Ferguson’s grave. Timber seemed to greatly enjoy getting outside for a nice long walk, and even Penelope pranced along with a perky tail. The weather was perfect for a walk up the slopes of Kings Mountain; the air was brisk and chilly, but we didn’t have to wear heavy coats and warmed up quickly with the climb.

    We thought we might drive over to Kings Mountain State Park but discovered that most things were closed, so, after a trip to the bookstore, where we purchased a few things, we headed on down the road to Lexington. Of course as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot, Abigail picked up our book and began once again to read aloud.

    I purchased three Kings Mountain pins, one for each of us. Perhaps I’ll wear mine on my 50-State hat. I haven’t decided. The girls say I should wait and see if I discover something else. That sounds like good advice and I do believe I will follow it. Oh, how I miss Amy at times like this.
    We are now situated in an RV park. Supper is smelling good, and after we eat, I promised the girls we’d finish the book, so I must go and help with supper.

Farewell,

~Priscilla

Day 46 - Florida

Day 46

Nov. 26

Everglades National Park, FL

My Dear Miss Smith,
    Oh, what a lovely day this has been. Last night after the girls had gone to bed, Amy and I took the dogs for an evening stroll along the beach. The sun had set and the evening breeze was pleasant. We discussed our day and talked about the coming one. We were both wishing we could have spent more time with the dolphins since we were staying at the only hotel in the continental United States that has real live dolphins, so we began to scheme and plan.
    This morning, as we all sat at an early breakfast, I told the girls that instead of leaving right away for the Everglades, we were going to go spend another hour or so with the dolphins. Grace gave a cry of delight for she loved her time with them. Then Amy informed Mikayla that she would either have to remain on the dry dock herself or join the rest of us in the water. Amy had kindly remained on the dock yesterday with Mikayla since Mikayla didn’t want to go in the water. Mikayla was rather hesitant, but with the combined urging of Grace and myself and Amy’s continued refusal to stay out of the water, she at last gave in and agreed to join us.
    When I first heard we would be in the water yesterday, I assumed we would have to be swimming, but there was an underwater platform for us to stand on.

    Miss Smith, Grace said she told you about our time with the dolphins yesterday, but I doubt if she could share the thrill of holding on to a dolphin’s dorsal fin and being pulled through the water at a rapid pace, the water being cut around you and leaving a trail of waves behind; the fun of splashing and being splashed by a dolphin, the delight of directing a dolphin choir and listening to their wonderful sounds, the wonder of watching the dolphins follow your commands to fetch rings, leap, dive or dance on their tails, the charm of their kisses, or the humor of their laughter. All this and so much more. I begin to realize the impossibilities of conveying what it was really like.

    I know you will think me perfectly hopeless, Miss Smith, but I wore my “ladies top hat” to visit the dolphins this morning.

Ladies Top Hat

I did have one on yesterday, but left it with Amy and Mikayla. This morning, however, there was no one to leave it with so I wore it in the water. At one point my hat blew off my head, for I was in such a hurry this morning that I neglected to use a hat pin. But as I was saying, it blew off and went sailing across the water. I wondered how I could get it back and gestured to it and gave the sign to fetch to the dolphin I was playing with, and would you believe it, Miss Smith? He fetched me my hat! Oh the praise I lavished on him. I fear it made the others rather jealous for they came over too as though to see what the fuss was about and he must have told them, for he talked and laughed at me. The other girls laughed with him and even the real trainer who was with us laughed. I was half afraid Amy would take my hat and toss it back into the water for another dolphin to fetch it, she seemed to enjoy it so much.

The "Real" Trainer

    Later Amy said, “‘Cilla, if you are going to wear hats, you really must make sure they are secure before we venture out for our adventures or you will lose them one by one. If you wish, I can save you the trouble of slowly losing them and just pack them all up and mail them at once to Miss Smith.”
    I assured her I would be more careful, and when we reached the Everglades I made sure “Madaline” was securely on my head. But I am getting ahead of the day.

    It was hard to part with those darling dolphins. Oh those dear dolphins! I know I will always remember my time with them and I have certainly added that hotel to the visit again section of my notebook. And I’m sure it won’t surprise you, Miss Smith, that the addition to my “50-State” hat for Florida is a dolphin.

    At last we tore ourselves away and headed up here to the Everglades.
    It was rather overcast, but not enough to make us think rain. At first we thought we’d go walking on the trails and take the dogs along with us, but since no dogs are allowed on the trails, as it could prove hazardous to their health and to ours, we opted to go on a ranger guided canoe trip. ( Note from Miss Smith: Make sure your sound is on before clicking this link.)

    I didn’t realize until we got here that December though April are the dry season here and with it being so late in November, the wet season has practically ended. We were delighted to discover that since December hadn’t yet arrived, the crowds of the Everglades were only beginning. Thus it was that we had a total of eight people on our tour, making it a pleasant four-canoe trip.
    Our guide was a young man who enjoys his work and who answered questions quite knowledgeably. First he gave us instructions about our canoes. Since Grace and Mikayla had never canoed before, he assigned Mikayla to his canoe and Grace to another older man who had been canoeing for years. Amy and I were assigned to the same canoe for which I was thankful. Amy knows how to paddle a canoe. The next time you see Amy’s brothers, please give them my hearty thanks for teaching Amy to handle a canoe!
    Our guide, Josh, told us that the first rule was to remain seated at all times. For some reason, he said, there are people who, when they see the large American Crocodile (I had thought there were only alligators around here, but Josh told us there are both.) they want to stand up to get a good picture of him and then their canoe drifts closer and closer and what if they were to tip? It made me shudder to think of it. There was no danger of us standing up!

Alligator

    The whole experience was delightful. We saw alligators and yes, Miss Smith, we did see the large crocodile. And goodness, was he large! Believe me, we kept our distance.

Great Egret

We also saw a large variety of birds.

Brown Pelican

Madaline

Since it was the beginning of the dry season, there were thankfully very few insects to bother us. And my hat remained on my head the entire time.

    I neglected to mention that when we arrived, we were told that the vultures in the area liked to attack anything rubber and had been known to destroy windshields and tires, so before we left for our tour we had to take out a tarp and cover the front of the RV. I was much relieved to find everything undisturbed upon our return.
    We were able to take the dogs out right around our RV before supper, which we ate indoors. The clouds had dispersed and the moon was coming out when Amy had a brilliant suggestion.
    “Why don’t we get a blanket or two and climb out onto the top of the RV and lie up there and look at the stars?”
    I was charmed with the idea, so, gathering up a few blankets, the four of us did just that. Oh, Miss Smith, the sky was so beautiful, the stars so bright with no city lights to dim their brilliance, and we could see stars, planets and constellations which, in the city, remain invisible. We remained up there for over an hour just relaxing and talking now and then before everyone was yawning and we came inside.
    The others have gone to bed, and since I can scarcely keep my eyes open and my handwriting is becoming nearly illegible, I will close.

Sweet dreams,

~Priscilla