SWISS FESTIVAL NATIONAL RALLY SEPT. 2012

THE SILVER DOLLAH IS OFF TO ANOTHER EXCITING ADVENTURE!!  Come along with us.!

Resting Silver Dollah-----Friday 3/30/2012

We're Home!!!! Looking forward to our next adventure of sightseeing the USA--See ya down the road.

Broken Wheel RV Park W.Virginia 3/28

Hi Y'All, sometimes the best plans,turn out not sooo great! That was the case today.We figured taking a slight detour(extra miles) would show us some beautiful vista's and also visit Loretta Lynn's homestead located in Butcha Hollah just off the Rte 23 ,called the Country Music Road,which were birth places of other country music stars including Ricky Skaggs. When we arrived at the turnoff the road wasn't fit for an RV,so we moved on. Wed. 3/27, we traveled across southeast KY and finally south on Rte 421 which took us to 3300' with many switch backs and hairpin turns, narrow road and meeting many 5 axle - tractor, trailer dumps, carrying coal. Finally made it to our campsite in Harlan - hour later than planned - Carl having forgot about leaving Central Time and going back to Eastern time . Thursday 3/28 , we drove Rte 119, that on the map looked like a straight line, but didn't show the ups and downs !!! Another hair raising ride to 2700 " , with hairpin turns that had to be taken at less than 15 mph or you would add more damage to the already torn & broken guard rails . Coming down the grades were 10 to 8 %, and we came down in 1st with the engine whining - Ursula did an excellent job pulling us up and bring us back down - you can see the expression on Rachel's face as we reached the top as she was eating the "ginger snaps ". Came across many coal mines, coal trains, coal trucks, and coal piles alongside the road. Some of the road cuts thru the mountains had many benches when originally blasted out - some good planning and many pounds of explosives ! There were lots of pictures we wanted to take but no places to stop-no shoulders.One
interesting observation is the cemeteries.Because of the steep hillsides the headstones are not vertical but look like there set back into the earth. How in the world do they carry the caskets up these hills? On route 23 we came across a neighborhood that had been recently wiped out by tornado,a lot of destruction.

Cave City RV Park -Cave City Kentucky 3/25

Coming from Nashville,stopped at Kentucky Welcoming Center we were encouraged to stop at the Mammoth Cave National Park. That afternoon after setting up camp we drove to National Park and were able purchase tickets for the Historic Tour. The Caves were discovered over 10,000 yrs ago by Paleo Indians . From 4000 to 2000 years ago Early Wood Land Indians explored and mined minerals from Mammoth Caves.Cave exploration ceased,and not resumed until the cave was rediscovered in 1798 by European -American settlers. The cave served as a mine for Salt Peter,key to manufacture of gun powder. This was a 2 mile-2 hour tour entering through the natural opening entrance.The elevation change of 300feet,440 stairs including 155 at Mammoth dome which was the way out. People were asked to be vigilant about their personal health issues,for once inside the caves rescue would be greatly delayed.Some of the area's visited included-Rotunda(Nitrate Mine Works) Bottomless Pit,Giant Coffin,Batman's misery,"The Tower",Mammoth Dome to name only a few. If your ever in the area,highly recommended to stop in. We wished we had more time. We should also say the temp in Caves is 55 year round,the habitat living in Caves are eyeless ,with no coloring pigments -having adapted to complete darkness. Campground very well laid out.

Mammoth Caves National Park-3/26

Looking down from entrance way.





Monday 3/26 at 9;00 am we tried to get tickets for the Snowball tour,3 hours ,2 miles and limited to 38 persons,but were sold out. We purchased tickets for New Entrance Tour-2 hours 3/4 miles into cave ,with group totaling 60 people including small children. This included 500 stairs,280 of this on the initial descent. Elevation change = 250 feet.Tour included frozen Niagara section and a portion of the Grand avenue-included dramatic series of domes,and pits,typical large trunk passage ways and a short journey trip stone formations.As in all the cave tours,walk ways and stairs,and handrails are all stainless steel having replaced the wooden ones of the early 1900's.

More pictures of Mammoth Cave National Park 3/26

Silver Dollah sez--Please don't bury us Here!!

Frozen Niagara Falls


The Drape





Tourist Don't Touch-Park put up stainless steel fences

Cooter's Place--Nashville Tennessee 3/23/2012

Hey you guys- Remember the Dukes of Hazzard TV show??? In the same shopping mall as Willy Nelson's General Store is "Cooter's" Museum and of course we just had to stop in. Carl looking for Daisy Mae ,but only found her short short shorts! The "good ole boys' were off being chased on foot by the sheriff Rosco , leaving their car behind for Rachel . This is a great town, but you need more than a couple of days, and long nights if going into downtown Nashville - we move on .