10. THE HOME STRETCH - OVERNIGHTS IN LOUISIANA, ALABAMA, TENNESSEE, AND VIRGINIA

Louisiana	Alabama	Tennessee	Virginia

Day 24: Monday, April 3

When I arrived at Sam Houston State Park yesterday afternoon, I had outrun the thunderstorms. Set up in a light rain, called home, and settled in for the night. But by midnight the thunderstorms caught up with me - even with all curtains drawn and windows closed, the cabin of the van would at times be sufficiently illuminated by lightning so that one might have read a book.

Decided to do very little driving today so that the storm could get ahead of me. Slept late, enjoyed a leisurely shower and breakfast, and didn't head out until 10:15 AM.

Took LA-378 east to US-171, then US-171 east to Ragley, US-190 to Kinder and then US-165 to Oberlin and Oakdale. Heavy rain along the way, including hail. The roads probably would have been somewhat pretty had there been sunshine.

Stopped in Oakdale at a laundromat. While waiting for my laundry, went to nearby supermarkets to restock the pantry. I guess the locals don't consume gin and tonics - had to try several places before I found a few bottles of Schweppes - at twice the price I'd pay back home. Couldn't find English muffins anywhere. Bought gasoline at $1.429, averaged 16.4 mpg on the last tank.

Was on the road again two hours later, taking LA-10 and LA-106 to LA-3042 and Chicot State Park - where I had originally planned to stay last night. So now I am a day behind schedule.

The park is absolutely beautiful, even in the rain. The sites might be a bit close to each other, but most are empty today. The bathhouse looks OK. I tried to talk the office staff into letting me use one of their phone lines, no luck. Paid $6 (after Golden Age discount) for a water & electric site that is quite level and only partially under water - the storm did drop 2 1/2" of rain during the night.

Have good TV reception of one station - the weather forecast is for clearing during the night, sunshine tomorrow, and lower temperatures. I guess it was a good idea to let the storm get a headstart on me.

Arrived at the campground at 3:00 PM and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the interiror of the van, working on the journal, playing computer games, and watching TV. By 6:00 PM the rain actually had stopped and something resembling the sun is almost visible through the thick foliage of the trees.

Day 25: Tuesday, April 4

My plan to get behind the bad weather worked - woke up at 7 AM to beautiful sunshine. The temperature certainly had dropped - low of 45F during the night, 58F when I got going at 10:15 AM.

Today was mostly interstate highway driving. Took US-167 to I-49 south to Lafayette, then I-10 to Baton Rouge. Nice stretches from time to time through mixed and pine forests. Crossed the Mississippi river at Baton Rouge and drove around town for a bit, looked at the Old State Capitol, admired some houses with wrought iron balconies.

Much traffic on I-12 to Slidell, but still a visually pleasant road. Then I-59 north to Meridian. From time to time jumped off to travel on US-11 which parallels I-59. Sometimes I lucked out and drove through attractive looking villages, at other times it was junk.

I-59 joins up with I-20 at Meridian, heavy truck traffic from there on.

Crossed into Alabama, road quality improved. Jumped off near Tuscaloosa and found my way to the Lurleen Lake State Park. Didn't even dare to ask the cranky lady at the entrance booth whether I might use her fax line to connect to to my ISP. Perhaps I'll find a Kinko's in town tomorrow.

The setting is definitely "two stars" - good views of the lake, good separation between sites, many sites very level and built on quasi-decks. $12.38 (after disount) bought a water & electric site of my own choosing. First impression of the bathhouse is favorable.

The weather forecast is for clear skies but night temperatures in the mid-thirties. Checked my propane tank - the gauge says "E" for don't turn on the furnace if you still want to have enough propane left to cook dinner, boil an egg in the morning, and make coffee. Wel, if need be, I can always use the microwave oven to heat a cup of water for the coffee.

Drove 465 miles today, was on the road for 7 3/4 hours.

Day 26: Wednesday, April 5

A pleasant day - nothing spectacular, just pleasant.

Left the furnace turned off for the night to conserve propane. The outside temperature dropped to 34F, but inside the van it only hit a low of 40F. The L. L. Bean sleeping bag kept me quite warm and I slept until 7:15 AM.

The bathhouse was a bit of a disappointment. Nice and warm, clean, but of the three showers, only one delivered a pleasant stream of water. Of course, took me three tries to find that one. No problem - I was the only customer, so could choose.

There was enough propane left for heating water and boiling an egg, so had a good breakfast, did the dishes, and was ready to roll by 10:00 AM. Visited Tuscaloosa and drove through the University of Alabama campus. Very attractive. Other than football, what is the unversity famous for? Scientific breakthroughs, Nobel prices, famous graduates?

Found AL-69 and followed it in a generally northern direction to Jasper, Bremen, and the intersection with I-65. Very pretty country, hilly, through forests and open fields. Had the propane tank refilled near Jasper - 30 lbs.

I-65 took me to I-565 and Huntsville. Visited the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and was less than overwhelmed. Have seen better at the Smithsonian. Seems to me that more floorspace is devoted to extra revenue-producing acivities such as the cafeteria and the gift shop than to the actual museum. No effort is made to show the evolution of space travel. All in all, I think I got more for my $6.45 (or whatever it was) at Alamo City than I got for the $14.95 I spent here.

Found a little road to take me to New Market, a very pretty old town, and on to Tennessee and TN-122, which connects with US-64. Beyond the interchange with I-24 stayed on TN-50. Turned off at TN-108 to Gruetli-Laager (noticable Swiss heritage) and then took TN-399, TN-111, and TN-284. These are all quite attractive roads winding over and around hills and flanked by pine trees and oaks that are just beginning to show the first leaves.

Ended up at Fall Creeks State Park. This is one huge recreation area near Pikesville, TN with playground, rec room, inn, restaurant, pool, fishing, lake, boat rental, bike rental, horseback riding, and nature trails. More than 200 campsites are scattered over four campgrounds. While the sites are fairly close to each other, they usually are surrounded by shrubs and bushes - providing a measure of privacy during the main season. At this time the shrubs and bushes are still without leaves - but only about 2/3 of the sites are occupied. The grounds are well-kept - a park-like setting. Certainly, of all the campgrounds I've stayed at on this trip, this is the most attractive one as far as the setting is concerned. It definitely deserves the two stars I've awarded it.

My site has water and electric hook-ups, a grill and a fire ring, and a clean picnic table/benches. Cost: $10.50.

Evening temperature was 70F - so I grilled for the last time on this trip. Used up the remaining charcoal, hamburger patties, cheddar cheese, rolls, and barbeque sauce and then watched TV. Drove 290 miles, was on the road for 7 1/4 hours, and bought gas in Tuscaloosa for $1.399/gal. Averaged 16.3 mpg on the last tank.

Day 27: Thursday, April 6

Didn't wake up until 7:30 AM. During the night the temperature had dropped into the low forties, and it was 52F inside the van. Turned up the thermostat and fell asleep again - woke up an hour later. Went to the bathhouse, but the shower delivered only lukewarm water.

Was on the road by 9:15 AM and the beautiful bright sun had warmed up the air to 62F. Drove around the park for a while, enjoying the views of the well-kept grounds. Then picked backroads pretty much at random, as long as they generally headed northeast. Finally wound up in Crossville and hopped on I-40 eastbound. Advanced the clocks by an hour as I crossed into the Eastern Time Zone. Did not get off at Knoxville (lots of construction) and enjoyed a scenic drive on I-40 through the Great Smokies and the Pisgah National Forest.

My original plan was to stay on I-40 to I-77 and drive through the Fancy Gap to connect with I-81. However, I-40 got to be such a bore that I jumped off and took NC-16 north and west. A beautiful country road that winds its way through the foothills to Wilkesboro, then climbs up to cross the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then rollercoasters down through southwestern Virginia mountains and national forests to Marion and the intersection with I-81 - my expressway for going home.

Pulled off at exit 102 and headed for Claytor Lake State Park. Had stayed there last year (1999-4 journal) on my way to Florida and had liked the setting. $14 got me a site (without hook-ups) and the bathhouse looks clean and modern. There are less than 10 campers spread out over about 60 sites. Excellent TV reception.

Drove 475 miles today, was on the road for 9 hours. Bought gasoline at the Asheville/Biltmore Exxon station - big mistake since they charged $1.549/gal - the highest price for regular I saw anywhere in North Carolina. Averaged 17.3 mpg.

This is the last night on the road for this trip - and I feel both eager to get home, but also sad that this great trip is coming to an end. After almost a month on the road, memories and impressions blend together and it's difficult to remember specifics. The journal and the photos will help me later to sort it all out and to remember the many beautiful sights I've seen.

Day 28: Friday, April 7

Woke up late. Outside temperature 53F, beautiful sunshine. Enjoyed a good shower, ate whatever breakfast food was left, and hit the road at 10:00 AM. Interestate driving all day long. I-81 is rather scenic in the southwestern part of Virginia. Then through West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania to the intersection with I-80. I-80 to New Jersey and home. A long day (8 hours on the road, 515 miles) that was made longer by interstate boredom.

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Trip Summary

Was on the road for 28 days, drove 9,890 miles, most of it off the beaten path. Used 582 gallons of gasoline, averaging 17 miles per gallon. Spent $920 on gasoline (average $1.578/gal). Had a great time and mostly sunny weather. Stayed at 27 different campgrounds for $334.60, many of which deserve at least a one star rating for a beautiful setting and/or a comfortable bathhouse.

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