Day 43 of walkabout

Hello Everyone....

Today is Saturday 10/28/06. I got up at 5:30 a.m. to go to a Hot Air Balloon Rally. I arrived in Statesville at 7:05 a.m.- (the rally was to open at 7 a.m. and balloons to launch at 8 a.m.) It was very foggy and there was still a light rain in area. We were told the Rally was postponed until 11:30 a.m. So now I had 4 hrs to wait- with nothing in area to do LOL!!!

The time finally passed and I went back to the airport where rally was being held. Got the car parked and took shuttle bus to rally location. After walking around for an hour trying find someone who had any information about the balloons, I found out that they canceled the launching of all balloons today!!! I was extremely bummed!! They said that the winds were too strong and that there were other problems stemming from an airplane crash the day before.

So folks I'm sorry about not having the pictures I thought I'd get.....I was very disappointed. But I know that somewhere along in my travels, I'll come upon another Balloon Rally, and I'll get some pictures then.

Today ended up being a gorgeous, sunny, windy, warm day. I was talking to David & my mom back home they said it was pouring and very windy up there....I told them that was the weather we had here in Charlotte yesterday.

Well I'm going to get along now. Take care of yourselves and I'll be back in touch soon. -Love Donna

Visiting family friends in Crossville, TN- Day 37- 10/22/06

Hi Everyone.....

The above pictures are of Crossville, TN. I left Lake James around 9:45 a.m. I arrived in Crossville around 3:00 p.m.- Or so I thought!!! David was quick to let me know I had crossed a time line. Even though all my clocks said 3 p.m.- it was actually 2 p.m. (Except for my cell phone - it had the correct time- still not sure how that happened!!!! LOL)

After David & Jane, and I visited for a bit they took me out to see the area. Here I thought they lived in the boonies (cause of the back way they had me come to their house). LOL Come to find out Crossville is not even a town it's a city!!!! There are 3 exits off route 127 for Crossville!!

After we drove around a bit- we went to Ryans for dinner.

We decided that due to me being tried and being up in mountains....that it would be best to stay over night and leave in the day time after getting rested up.

The next morning was overcast and starting to spit snow....when I was getting ready to leave. I took a few pictures of David & Jane's new house and of their little girl- Miss Hannah Claire!! LOL

I'm going to lay low now until this up coming Saturday, when I head to Statesville, NC to see the Hot Air Balloon Rally. So until then everyone take care....Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #31:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Saturday 10/21/06-day 36 of trip

Hello Everyone,

These pictures and notes are from Saturday 10/21/06.

Who's in the pictures....In #5 - Steve & Jeff, #6 - Scooter, #9 - Miranda and Steve, #10 - Johnnie (Steve's wife), #12 - T.K., Steve, Jackie (Jeff's wife), # 28 - Miranda, Johnnie, Steve, Jeff, # 29 - Front Row: Johnnie,Jeff,Chris (Jeff's son), Amanda, Steve ---Back Row: Jackie, Miranda,Christine (Chris's wife).

It had been a chilly night (low 30's) camping up there on the mountain. It was still quite chilly when I got up at 6:30 a.m. It was also very foggy. I went to take a shower to wake up, on my way back I couldn't find my tent it was so foggy!!! I was hoping to find the tent before I stepped off the side of the mountain !!! LOL ( I had put the tent up about 20' from the edge!) Well I finally found it...but it took being with in 10' of tent in order to see it!!!

I packed up and went down to the parking lot where I was to meet Steve and his family.

Steve arrived and introduced me to his wife- Johnnie, and his twin daughters Amanda & Miranda. I made the two girls get side by side so I could look at them. Then I had then each say their name. (I had learned way back in high school -we had 5 sets of twin in my class- that there was a way to tell identical twins apart) And I must say I did well...I managed to get their names correct for the rest of the time we were together!! At this point Miranda hopped into the car with me. Evidently Steve has a heavy gas foot!!! LOL They didn't want me to get lost, so Miranda was with me in case I lost sight of Steve's SUV.

We got to Marion, NC around 9:45 a.m. We stopped at a local flea market to stretch, shop, and get coffee. After we made our rounds in the flea market, we left for the lake.

When we arrive at Lake James, some of the gang was already there. (There are several families that have trailers here and they camp here yearly- and have for many years)

Jeff (another pogo friend) and his wife Jackie were already here and all setup. They are from South Carolina. We unloaded and got Steve's trailer opened up. They then took me around to meet some of the locals!

We had a real nice day. Went to a local store to get some needed supplies, then we sat around the fire, talking, laughing, eating (note: on weekends here only the men cook- the ladies get to sit back and relax), drinking, taking pictures and listening to good music.

I got my 1st taste of Tennessee "corn liquor" that day. I had already tried corn liquor from NC, SC,VA and MS.- So now I've added TN to the list. That brings my total to 5 different kinds!! It was real good too!!

I headed to bed around 9 p.m.- I know this is early for me- I think it had to do with all the walking I did the day before, the good fresh mountain air- and a bit of the "corn liquor" LOL

The next morning I was to head to TN to visit long time family friends, David & Jane W.

I'll be back later to write about that and put more pictures up. Right now Brenda & Barbara are after me to get dressed and to get out of the house. It's a beautiful fall day here in Charlotte. So until then- take care everyone......Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #30:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 35- on the road again.......

The above 47 pictures are of Lake Lure & Chimney Rock Park, located in Chimney Rock, NC, and Campfire Lodgings, located in Asheville, NC.

Hey Y'all....

Friday was day 35 of walkabout. I left Charlotte at 9 a.m. and headed out to Chimney Rock, NC. This area is in the western part of NC- in the Blue Ridge Mountains- near TN. I arrived in Chimney Rock Park around noon time. This is a privately owned park. The ride up there was beautiful!! The trees were really starting to show their Falls Colors.

Once I arrived at the park- I took an elevator- that had been carved out of the the mountain- up to the Chimney Rock out look. It was a sunny, windy, clear day. The view was spectacular! Up above where I was, there are a path to top of mountain- with 2,000 steps to get up there!!! Needless to say I chose not to go up there! LOL After taking some pictures, I made my way back down to parking level. I noticed there was a 1.5 round trip trail that led to a 404' waterfall. I decided to go to that location. To get to the trail I had to climb down 135 steps! LOL The trail to Hickory Nut Falls was rocky and had a steep incline. The path itself wasn't really wide either!! About 2/3's of the way to falls, I started having breathing problems. I used my inhaler and continued onto the falls. I rested again for a bit once I got there and took some pictures of the falls. There was a family from Knoxville,TN there at the same time. They kept an eye on me for a bit- to make sure I was going to be ok. As I started back down the path I once again had an asthma attack- this time it was real bad. That is when I noticed the black mold growing on the rocks- I'm very allergic to mold!! After many stops to rest and several puffs of my inhaler, I finally made it back to the 135 steps- I was so not looking forward to climbing back up them again!!! But up I went. Just about 1/2 way up I started getting blurry vision & dizziness ( both are side effects of meds). So, I sat down to rest. I was looking up to the remaining steps I had left, and noticed 3 Fire/Rescue personnel and a park employee heading down towards me. When they got to me they said "we are looking for a lady having an asthma attack". I smiled, raised my hand and said that would be me!!!! LOL

Evidently, they were in park helping a guy that had fallen at the top of the mountain. They got him off to hospital and started to leave, when a fellow hiker report me having breathing problems. So they came to check it out. They were all very nice. They checked my lungs & BP. The lungs were clearing up and BP was sky high (another side effect of meds). They asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I thought to myself if they had reached me 20 mins earlier- I would have said heck yes!!, but at this point I really was starting to feel better. (I don't mess around with my asthma)- I reassured them I was feeling better. I told them I may be stubborn, but I wasn't foolish. We all talked for a few minutes about the mold and my trip....then the fire/rescue people left. The park employee stayed with me until I was ready to make the trip the rest the way up the steps!! LOL

While she waited for me, we talked a bit. She was from GA originally, and had moved to Asheville, NC not to long ago. She then mentioned that she had been up in Boston this past August. She stated that she really liked the area and was thinking about moving up there. We talked about the places she visited while in Boston- Some times it's a small world folks !!! LOL

Finally I got myself back together and we walked up the rest of the stairs. She went on her way, and I made it back to my car.....and boy was I glad that I was finally there!!

I then headed to Asheville, NC to the Campfire Lodgings, where I was going to camp for the night. The road to Asheville was one Mean A** Road!!! It was the tightest, narrowest, winding road I've ever seen!!! LOL LOL There was not one bit of straightness until you got the very bottom of the 3,000' mountain!

I finally made it to the campgrounds around 4:30 p.m. I registered, set up camp,showered & changed by 5:45 p.m.

A pogo friend Steve, stopped by and took me out for some supper, then showed me around the area. After about 2 hrs we came back- sat and chatted, then he left and I headed to bed. ***I had made a change of my plans that night. Originally I was to stay at these campgrounds Friday & Saturday night. But Steve and his wife Johnnie invited me to come with them and their twin (19 y/o) daughters on Saturday. They had plans to go to their camp site/ trailer that next day, and they were staying there until Sunday. So I accepted their invitation! *** I was in bed by 11p.m.

Well folks it's getting late now and I'm beat from the weekend!! So tomorrow I'll write more and post more pictures from the weekend. So until then...Y'All take care of yourselves!!! LOL

Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #29:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

30 DAYS into walkabout

Hello everyone...

Well today marks 30 days into the walkabout. It's been a very exciting month. I've met a lot of nice people, and visited quite a few interesting places.

I've been resting up for my next series of adventures. This past week I did get to see what "Race Week" in Charlotte means. Big Ma lives about 15 mins from Lowes Speedway in Concord, NC. There was a race there this past Saturday, but I found out that the activities go way beyond just the day of the race. I drove up by the track on Thursday....already the vendors were all there and set up for business. The fans had also started to arrive. Some stay right on the grounds in tents & R.V.'s, others stay in local hotels. I saw plates as far away as Maine, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Florida, and many others. It was like seeing a small city being formed right before your eyes! LOL They estimate that 20,000-30,000 people come into town for the races.

Friday night I went uptown to visit the city at night. It was a nice cool evening. There were many activities going on. People were buzzing all around. At one intersection there was a local brass band playing, and on another corner there was a older man singing and trying to sell his CD's. There were a lot of limo's coming and going. The clubs were very busy too. I was surprised to see a lot of families out together enjoying the city, on this night.

Tomorrow I'm going back to SC for the day...not sure exactly where I'll end up, but you can be sure I'll have some pictures & tidbits to share with you when I get back!

Next week I'm heading to the Blue Ridge Mountain area of NC. I'll be out there for about 3 days, and then I'll come back here. I'll be awaiting the Hot Air Balloon Rally, that is going to be in Statesville, NC the last weekend of October. I'm trying to decide if I have enough courage to take a ride in a balloon!! LOL I'll let you know more about that later....

Well it's getting late now, and I want to get an early start tomorrow. So folks...until next time, take care of yourselves, and I'll be chatting with you again soon. Love Donna

One of my favorite subjects!!!!

Hey everyone... These pictures were sent to me by a friend. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

This is for? those that haven't seen the 16 baby pandas . .

SICHUAN, China -- One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.

The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom -- 16 pandas have been born since July, 2005. The brood includes five sets of twins. The cubs are weighed and measured every five days by a special panda nurse.

The heaviest tips the scale at just over 24 pounds, while the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. Once weaned, the panda cubs will attend panda kindergarten. In the meantime, more little ones are expected at the center, since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated.

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #28:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Pictures of Day 23- in Busch Gardens

Hey All....

Here are the pictures from day 23 at Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, VA.

I took a lot of pictures of the different roller coasters...for those who are my "Coaster Nuts" (Dave,Amy,Tim,Barb, and any others that I'm not aware of!!! LOL) I tried to catch the cars as they were zooming along the rails.

Busch Gardens is a quaint park with the theme of old Europe. You pay one price and ride all the rides as often as you like. There are little villages for each country. In these villages are small shops. There were various food shops too. It was interesting trying the food of different countries and seeing the goods they had for sale. They also had shows in each of the villages that had to do with each country. Barbara & I watched a show in Ireland, of folk singers who were accompanied by Irish musicians.

There is also a game section of the park where you can play carnival type games for stuffed toys.

There are some animals here to see too. There were Bald Eagles that had been injured at one time and cannot fly any more, parrots and other exotic birds, snakes, wolves, Budweiser Dalmations and Clydedales.

We had a nice day. The rain had finally stopped during the night. It was cloudy but in the 70's when we arrived at the park around 11am. By around 2pm the sun finally made it out, but the temps didn't go much higher. We left the park around 3:30pm to head back to Charlotte, NC.

I stopped at my 1st WAWA!! Such a strange name for a convience store/gas station. LOL We arrived back in Charlotte at 10:30pm. It was a long day, but a lot of fun.

Well I'm off for now- everyone take care and keep safe.......Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #27:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 22

Hello Everyone.....

Well today was a wash out!!! Barbara H. & I were suppose to go to Busch Gardens- Williamsburg, VA. Unfortunately a huge Nor'Easter came roaring through this area. We had over 9" of rain with lots of thunder & lightening!! They posted flash flood warnings for this area.

Tomorrow is suppose to be a better day----so we'll try again then! LOL

I am very glad that I wasn't camping in my tent this weekend ! LOL - It would have been very, very wet....I might have floated away!

Well take care everyone and I'll be back in touch soon- Love Donna

Day 21

Hey Everyone.....

It's day 21 of walkabout. Yesterday was sunny and 85 in Charlotte, today is rainy and in the low 60's. Barbara H.& I left Charlotte at 1:45pm today, and headed to Williamsburg, VA. It rained the whole time we were traveling. We arrived and settled into the motel by 9 pm.

We will be going to Busch Gardens tomorrow. The Busch Gardens here is the European one. So it's a bit like Epcot down in FLA. Each section of the park represents different European countries. So I'll be taking lots of pictures, make sure you check back soon !!! LOL

Well I'm going to run now to get some sleep for my big day tomorrow! Take care and I'll be back in touch soon. Love Donna

Day 18 of Walkabout

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday October 3, 2006 was day 18 of the walkabout. I traveled south to Tatum, S.Carolina. It is a small farm town near Bennetsville. The country side was very pretty with a variation of crops and live stock. There were mostly cotton fields in the area I went thru. The cotton plants grow to about knee high and have pods on them. At the end of the growth cycle the pods burst open exposing the raw puffs of cotton. A very beautiful sight! In the pictures above you'll see a picture of the soil down through out North & South Carolina. It's different shades of an orange/red color like bricks. I also took a picture of my 1st Piggly Wiggly food store!! LOL They really do exist!!

I also saw a wild looking cactus in a front yard. I had to stop and take a picture of it. I haven't seen such a big cactus since I was out in Arizona back in 2001.

I'm getting ready to go to Williamsburg, VA this up coming weekend. Barbara H. & I are going to Busch Gardens.

A side note for the folks back home....I was thinking of the Topsfield Fair today. The fair is running this week. For those who I didn't drag up there with me at one time or another (lol)...it is a wonderful Fall activity. It's a true country fair with many great sights, food, animals, rides, games, and entertainment acts.

Well folks, I think I'll be going now....Take Care and enjoy life!! Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #26:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880