PPL Motor Homes

Archive for the ‘Chuck Unplugged’ Category

Last week we toured the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, NC. This is a 250 room ‘home’ completed in 1895. While we measure our homes in sq ft, this home has the equivalent of 4 acres under roof. It was a fabulous tour and we were surprised at how much of the house we were allowed to visit.

We stayed in a forest campground where the campers were outnumbered by the camp ‘hosts’. Very private. From there we moved to Cherokee, NC. and camped near a clear mountain trout stream.

From there we jeeped over the Smoky Mountains to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. Lots of windy mountain driving, but mostly along a neat river, and then many mountain vistas.

We’re told that the smoke viewed here is from cold air rising from caves in the mountain sides.

Driving to Chattanooga, Tn, was pretty hairy at times with narrow winding roads. Meeting big trucks coming around a bend with overhanging rocks on the right gave Mary Lou some really white knuckles (I was gripping the wheel pretty hard myself).

Chattanooga was another pivotal battle of the Civil War, the focus being Lookout Mountain which includes Rock City, a fantastic attraction. We also checked out Signal Mountain, which the Union army used to send messages over long distances to other signal points on distant mountains. Driving around the neighborhood on the mountain, we met a man (and toured his home) who had walked across the US from San Diego to Florida. Very interesting. In town we visited the famous Chattanooga Choo-Choo (old-timers will know about this).

Here is a view of Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain.

Hello all,
We waded in the Atlantic Ocean yesterday.

We left PPL last Saturday at 10:10 am and headed east.

I-10 east of Houston and through Louisiana is not our favorite stretch of highway and we were glad to have that behind us. Overnighting in Biloxi, Ms, we made it to our first destination, Auburn, Al., the next day. We spent Monday touring Auburn University (Mary Lou’s alma mater) and visiting with an old friend who still teaches there.

Moving on the next day, we were more relaxed because we realized that we didn’t have to be on any schedule, and that took a bit of getting used to. The last two hours of the trip to Savannah was in a driving rainstorm (pun intended). We took a tour of old Savannah, and yes Susie, we were able to get in and eat at Paula Deen’s ‘Lady and Sons’ restaurant. The food was basic southern home cooking dishes – good but not exceptional. It wouldn’t be worth standing in line for.

Product evaluation:

Autonet. This has been great. Having this available is really a convenience. Even in the aforementioned rainstorm it didn’t miss a beat. A couple of campers that live in their trailers were very interested, particularly when I took my computer to them (about 150 feet away) and showed them our website. This product is a must for serious RVer’s.

Tire Stat: This is also a great product to have aboard. It’s great to be able to check the pressure in all the tires while sitting in the driver’s seat. A couple of times after stopping, I got an alarm, but it was for a sudden 3psi drop for a particular tire. I guess it cooled quicker than the rest.

Moving today to visit Hilton Head. We’ve just parked at fairly small campground and were able to leave several catalogs and flyers in the office.

More Later,

Chuck