Norris Lake, TN: Reunion Day

While this whole weekend is a family filled weekend, Saturday is the only day where everyone is here for the whole day. We declare it this year’s reunion day! Aunt Joyce rented a pontoon boat for a few hours out in Norris Lake. Certainly not a paddle boat, like Mom told Lori. That would be one hell of a day for our crew. Aunt Joyce also gifted us Autumn Olive Camping t-shirts; she’s the best. Everyone piles into someones car and we set off! The ride took longer than anticipated due to A) construction and B) one wrong turn. Cousin Josh is driving the car I’m in and he tells us (after we’re on the road) that in Tennessee the law is that a passenger in the car can drink, just not the driver. Good to know. I actually just now looked this up to verify and there are 7 other states where this is legal. In fact, in Mississippi the driver can also drink, so long as his/her BAC is under .08%. The more you know.

LaFollette, TN: Family

When I was a child most of my family lived within 20 minutes of each other. There was a time when I was visiting Aunt Joyce’s house and I heard a scary voice coming from behind her couch, but couldn’t see who it belonged to. She explained to me that it was Aunt Tilly, a mean old lady who hated children. I can't remember how long I thought this was true, but over time she would tell me, “no, you can’t go in there, Aunt Tilly is in there” or “you better be good, Aunt Tilly is watching” and things along those lines. Needless to say, I was terrified of this woman that I had never met, and never would meet because she didn’t exist. Aunt Joyce claims that she never knew I really believed in Aunt Tilly.. I don’t know if I believe her. Fast forward about 20 years, I fostered a mastiff mix who was just a unique dog with a creep stare that had a high prey drive. She needed a name and was gifted with ‘Tilly’. Aunt Joyce loved it and the name fit my girl so well. She didn’t last long as a foster dog before she became my forever furbaby. I’ll come back to Aunt Tilly.

R.I.P. Tilly

LaFollette, TN: Autumn Olive Camping

Nestled in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains is a rustic, fun, and best yet- inexpensive campsite. There are four cabins varying in size that are set up with comfortable beds, electricity, and heat/AC. There is space for tent camping as well, either bring your own or rent one. A clubhouse is available with a large satellite TV, pool table, dart board, hottub, wifi, outdoor games, and indoor plumbing. The owners provide you with the option of having them cook for you; I recommend it, the food is delicious... the got-to-have-it speciality is the biscuits and gravy. The name of the campsite comes from the numerous Autumn Olive trees on the land. A variety of products are made by the owners using the Autumn Olive leaves, such as chapstick, sunscreen, bug spray, soap, face cream, and the list goes on. Within an hours drive are fishing spots, hiking trails, ATV tours, and Norris Lake. The property is located about an hour north of Knoxville in LaFollette, Tennessee. All of that being said, the highlight of your visit will be the company. 

Louisville, KY: The beginning and the end

Kentucky is the next stop on my route. The only other time that I have been to Kentucky was a year and a half ago with my mom and two of my cousins; we drove up from Tennessee to go to a mall since none of us had ever been to the state before. The ‘mall’ we came to was one of a few businesses in a small plaza and it was more like a flea market. Granted, we did find some awesome things in there. I found a sign that says something along the lines of: I got gas here! and has a photo of a gasoline pump on it. Because I’m classy. Mom had the best find, though. Her sister, who we were visiting in Tennessee, runs a campsite business with her husband (more about that later) out in the boonies. The cabins have electricity, but no water, so Mom found a portable potty for my aunt to scare future campers with. Then we went where any other person just over the state line would go to extend the trip- Kentucky Fried Chicken! And our trip was complete.

Cleveland, OH: Last Day

One of the spots my wonderful hosts got me excited for was the West Side Market. The Market opened to shoppers on November 2, 1912, and is Cleveland’s oldest continuously operating municipally owned market. It was built to replace the Pearl Street Market, located on the opposite corner since 1840, and was one of three public markets in Cleveland (the other two were Broadway Market and Central Market). All three served Cleveland’s growing immigrant population in the early 20th century and only the West Side Market remains. The parking there is an event in itself, but once inside there is everything you could want. The best part for this fat kid was the free samples everyone hands out. I picked up produce, pasta, and meats, and only spent $30! Once all was put away in my camper and I cooked some lunch, it was really starting to look like I actually live in the Drag Queen. Feeling like home & I love it.

My time in Cleveland is drawing to an end so I decided that I needed to get some Honey Hut as a souvenir. The line was significantly longer this time around, but it is so so worth it. They give you a brown bag to bring the ice cream home, but they call it Karry Kool.. this entertained me. The drive back to the house is mainly through residential areas and on one street I saw a deer. This deer was just chilling in someone’s front yard, no worries to be had. It reminded me of a conversation Kelly and I had one night when she told me that deer will occasionally stroll down the middle of the street. And I got to witness it!

 

My last day with Dave and Kelly started off with a group trip to Edgewater Dog Park. Three humans, three pups, and lots of beach to wander. Beasts are off leash, Davinci and Neville run around sniffing who knows what, and Frank heads for the water. Dave throws Frank’s toy and he is after it, treading water, taking the waves, he gets it and is ready for more. Neville is not much of a water dog- the only time he has been swimming was when he was a puppy and my niece and I took him in my mom's pool. He swam, but only because he had to, not to enjoy. Imagine my surprise when he went into the water after Frank! Not all the way in, of course, but his feet were wet. He retreated when the waves started coming, but hey, progress! There are rocks and sticks mixed in with the sand on this beach and full bodied dead fish, too. Cute. Davinci goes and hangs with his family and I throw a stick for Neville. He eventually settles down in the sand and chews on his favorite snack, getting up every now and then to dig it a little hole. A small dog and her owner walk down the beach and Neville takes off! I keep telling him he needs to work on his approach because he comes on pretty strong; he still doesn't get it. Thankfully, this dog takes it in stride and the two of them chase each other around for a few minutes. After a while the pups are good and tired, Frank is exhausted, and we walk up the beach. On the drive out there is a beautiful view of the city with the beach in the foreground.

Photo Credit: Kelly

Photo Credit: Kelly

Photo credit: Kelly

Photo credit: Kelly

Neville and I drove downtown- well, I drove and he laid in the back seat- and walked around. We walked through Playhouse Square and up 6th Avenue. There were a whole bunch of teenagers lined up around the block for something. According to the guy working in the store CLE, it was for a local band. Good for that band! The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is downtown; it is a 125' column topped with a statue of the Goddess of Freedom, defended by the Shield of Liberty, commemorating the American Civil War. The base is surrounded by a Memorial Room and four bronze groupings depicting, in battle scenes, the Navy, Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry. The interior of this old Monument was built in 1894 and was recently rehabilitated. Colossal Cupcakes was the sign that caught my eye next, walking around in this heat and all. The interior is decorated in different pink hues and the bakery serves cupcakes, vanilla ice cream, and cake shakes. I was curious about a cake shake so the girl cut me off a piece of the maple bacon something cupcake to try and whipped the rest of it with some ice cream for a shake. Pretty good.

 

Back at the house I wasn’t able to open one of the windows in my camper, I just couldn’t figure it out. I showed it to Dave and he saw the confusion I was talking about. He fiddled with it for all of 4 seconds and figured out all you have to do is push up. It is ridiculously simple. Window 3, Dave 1, Rebecca 0. My last night here, I relaxed with Neville, enjoying my newly opened window, and heard a dad yelling at his kid across the street. They have no clue I am in the Drag Queen and can hear them. This could be fun! But no, it was short lived and pretty uneventful. On my walk with the dog that night, I noticed that the houses have a lot of variety and character on most streets, but the houses on a few streets weren’t too different from each other. It reminded me of the theme song from Weeds.

Wifi again won't let me post the YouTube video, so you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/u4KfJztaJ5I

I am so grateful to have met Dave 10 years ago and thankful that he and Kelly opened their driveway and their home up to me. I had such a good time reconnecting and exploring with them and the pups. There were many laughs, new sites, delicious food, and a rising level of excitement about the future. Can’t wait to come back for a visit and return the favor to you guys. Best of luck to you when you head out on your own adventure!

Cleveland, OH: Landmarks

One day, just before one of me and Neville’s routine morning walks, where I look like a scrub and he keeps an eye out for squirrels and rabbits, we met a neighbor. The pup and I weren’t even one house down when a dog ran up to us, obviously attempting to be a friendly neighbor and introduce himself; sniffing Neville’s rear end, then my own. The man behind the dog chased him down and apologized, but all parties involved were friendly and got along fine. After our walk I get things ready to head into town and do a little site seeing. I was excited to see the buzz around town since this was at the time of the big basketball game the Cavaliers were playing in. 

Cleveland, OH: Trails

Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Over 125 miles of hiking trails are available for your hiking pleasure. These trails range from nearly level to challenging, and pass through various habitats including woodlands, wetlands, and old fields. Some trails require you to cross streams with stepping stones or log bridges, while others are nearly level and are accessible to all visitors. 

In the morning, Dave, the pups, and I piled into his truck and set off toward CVNP again. We started off at the Plateau Trail and did some mix of that and Oak Hill. Steep inclines are not for me. Thankfully, there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of them, because I don’t know if I would make it. I do love these trails though, full of towering trees and a canopy of leaves. There used to be some kind of lake along the way, but as we passed it there was some kind of bulldozers and other big machinery out there. Booooo. Our beasts are lead the way, venturing off the trail every now and then to chase some scent or creature, but they always come back. The weather is perfect, the dogs are happy, and I am too. 

Cleveland, OH: Getting Aquainted

The scenery from West Virginia crossing into Ohio changed quickly. There were still hills and trees, but not to the same extent. Ohio also didn’t have a welcome center, only one sign a few exits in, but West Virginia has a last stop rest area to say goodbye. Strange. Also, on the sides of the highway in Ohio, many signs warning about drugs were posted. All throughout the state- ‘Don’t drive impaired’ and ‘report suspicious behavior’ and ‘suspect something illegal’ signs littered the road. I’ve never seen that before and assume that Ohio must really like to party. I don’t really know what to expect from Cleveland; basically, I’ve heard mixed reviews and I know it’s a big sports town (that I don’t follow). When Mom was still with me we were talking with one of my sisters (hi Jennine!) about visiting Ohio and she asked us something about the sports going on now. I’m like, ‘yeah it’s baseball’, Mom’s like ‘no it’s football’, and Jenny is like ‘really? it’s basketball’. Yeah, that one. 

Fayetteville, West Virginia: Stopover

About 10 years ago I met a guy named Dave through a mutual friend and we got along famously. Dancing, baseball, tie dye, drinks, and lots of laughs that weekend. We’ve kept in touch since then and when I was planning out my route for this trip, I wanted to visit some new states, like Ohio. That’s where Dave is from so I reached out to him to see if he would be around this summer when I come through. He tells me that it depends on the dates, because he and his wife bought an RV and are driving out west. Are you serious?! What are the chances! That’s my plan! We nerded out so hard the next few days about length, weight, route, cars, plans, family, life, etc. It’s refreshing having a connection to this lifestyle with a friend that won’t get sick of hearing you talk about it. As I narrowed the dates down, Dave confirmed that they will be in town when I come through. Yay! Off to Cleveland I go, but that’s a long drive from Asheville, so I plan to stop over in Fayettville, West Virginia.

Asheville, NC: Solo

The last few days in North Carolina were an adjustment since it was my first time by myself. And while it is always nice to have alone time, I missed having Mom’s company. I started the day off with some yoga and went on to feed the chickens with the help of one of the kids staying at the farm. He was quite the conversationalist, telling me about wildlife encounters and what he thinks about camping in a tent on this land with his sister. I told him about the last time I officially went camping with friends in Cape Hatteras and how the adventure went from a fun and lighthearted experience, bombing our neighbors with waterballoons and having a blast, to waking up in what now looked like Lake Hatteras, with a collapsed tent and personal items floating away. And then Jen jumped in Jenn's pee puddle. What a trip! But I digress.

GA/NC: Mom's Post

I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit to being afraid for my baby to embark on the adventure you've read about. What about all those crazies out there? And what will happen if she breaks down, etc.?  So when I was invited to join her on the first leg of the trip I was happy to say yes. Now, I have no more experience pulling a camper or planting organic foods than she, but at least I could be another pair of eyes and ears for car trouble or any other kind. I could also babysit  my grandson, Neville, if so needed. 

Asheville, NC: Explore

As I’ve mentioned before about the WWOOFing experience, the past few days weren’t all work, there was plenty of time for play. The mornings consisted of breakfast, feeding chickens & pigs, shower, and play. 

 

The pigs are so excited that they stand underneath the food and don’t move out of the way when it’s poured, so they end up wearing it on top of their head. They have no manners and completely dive in, with their heart and soul, if they have one. Makes total sense when someone says “So and so eats like a pig.” Yuck. The chickens seem scared of the feed until its done raining down through the coop. Then they come over and start pecking and I keep thinking of Zac Brown Band's song Sic Em on a Chicken. I would post the video, but this wifi just isn't cutting it.

Asheville, NC: Farmhands

One of the things that I was curious about before WWOOFing was Neville’s reaction to chickens, since many places have them. I parked right next to the chicken coop and let the beast free. He was curious, ran around them and sniffed a few times, then basically ignored them from there on out. Good! Mom and I started off learning what the chickens ate and helped feed the pigs. They get excited like dogs do and sound about the same around feeding time. I loved it.