Our Wet Week in North Carolina

Hi there all,

Well, we are now in New Jersey visiting family. We wanted to catch everyone up...

Our visit to North Carolina was very rainy, so not many stories to tell. We spent much of the time in the trailer or under the awning.

We did get out to hike in some nearby woods. The rolling hills are beautiful, and was quite a bit of wildlife to watch. We met many great people, including the staff at the Smithville KOA. Very nice campground and stay, other than the wet weather.

The highlight of the NC visit for me was a great meal at "The Pit" in Raleigh. This is BBQ fine dining! Great meat, great southern sides, and delicious pumpkin spiced cornbread. My boss/supervisor chose this place, and i really loved it! Highly recommended if you are in Raleigh. We had some great conversation getting to know each other, (Thanks!) and i took the remaining cornbread home and had it for breakfast the next day, yum!

The next day we headed North for New Jersey...

It was beautiful when the rail let up!

This bird fell in love with its reflection during our stay 

These cute pigs were all over the Campground.

Brittney was really scared of this little guy!! wasnt sure how a piggy got a hat!.. lol

Taking our hike in the woods.

Pigs on the Wing!

The Pit was one of the best BBQ meals i've had on the trip! 

Long, Wet & Windy road to North Carolina...

We are now in North Carolina. We are at a beautiful campground in the rural community of Smithfield, south of Raleigh. It has been raining since last week, with little break.

The ride through the smoky mountains was quite an effort, many hills and inclines, while its not very large mountains compared to 'out west', the roads are windy, somewhat unpredictable, and many spots of construction made for a difficult drive.

I can say I want to look around the Smokey Mountains more in a future trip, I thought Ashville (we pulled off from the rain and wound up staying the night there) was quite interesting and want to visit some sights there. There's quite a bit to do in the Raleigh are, as well, I will take some more time here in the area next spring.

Whats next?...
The I-40 and I-95 meet nearby, and after my visit, I will be heading north toward New Jersey (Where I grew up) to visit my family and friends. I plan to get the rig/house cleaned up, as well as the Doggies. I need to go through the food and supplies and use up and cook some things and make a shopping list. I will also try get out and hike the hills a bit, if the weather clears. I will have the opportunity to meet my HR Manager/ Boss this week, She lives in the area. I'm looking forward to that, as She is the only manager I've had that i never met in person.

Will keep all posted, Thanks for following our Journey...

These poor pups are just so tired of the rain, and really need a bath.

An evening at the "Grand Ole Opry"

On Friday night, I headed for the famed Music Venue, "The Grand Ole Opry". I don't think you have to be a country or bluegrass music fan to know what it is, nor do i think to enjoy visiting it for a show.
It was a mix of artists, both country and bluegrass, and was being broadcast live on the radio. I enjoyed one of my favorite bluegrass artists, Ricky Skaggs, and LeAnn Rimes closed the show, and She was very, very good. The audience was great, and i enjoyed every minute of the evening...

Thats one big Telecaster! 

The Opry Has a large stage, and super high quality digital video and audio setup.

This fella was from Japan, and promotes Country music there, as well as sings to troops. 

Enjoyed a mini car show at our campground...

There is a national car show at Titan's stadium this weekend. This brought the car nuts in. The campground was full of great rods and musclecars. I figured id snap some shots while walking the dogs and make some new friends. I was also impressed with the huge RVs and trailers these guys drive, some rigs are 80' long!!
heres a few of the pics that came out ok... motorheads enjoy!...

Kickin' it in Nashville

 The week in Nashville continued with visits to a local park, a fun time at some museums, and catching some great acts on Broadway... Here are some pics...

Awesome sculpture at one of the area parks.

Mickey resting after a good run, a great shot!

My Baby Girl! Brittney!

The Downtown riverfront was bustling with activity.

The stadium the Titans play at.

Broadway downtown.

The Johnny Cash Museum, I highly recommend it!

One of Johnny's cycles, Most of my pics did not come out, had camera set wrong...

Broadway downtown, lots of music, bars, honkeytonks, and boot  stores.

A great duo act at one of the honkey tonks. (way in the back there)

The Willie and Family Museum, was mostly a trinket shop, but some nice memorabilia.

The Dukes of Hazzard Museum! yes, cheezy, but pretty cool, as i enjoyed the show as a child!

I remember having some of the toys and swag when i was a kid.