Finding our way around Greenville

Doing some social media distancing

We are happy to be settled in here in South Carolina for a while. Like many people, I wanted to run away but there is no where escape this virus thing. It is easy for my mind get carried away, thinking I can fix this. We even spent an afternoon considering buying a house somewhere. I opened the blog to look back at our travels and the house idea went away.  Getting away from the internet and news with a bike ride or movie does wonders for us.

RVers are getting caught out in the cold trying to find a place to park their homes. Short stays in many state, federal and private campgrounds are not allowed. We thought something like this could happen and booked this campground in Greenville, SC to see how things would shake out. Some states parks are allowing volunteer camphosts to stay and work in the closed parks. Other states and COE campgrounds sent the hosts on their way to figure it out for themselves. Boondocking (dry camping) on federal land often used by rvers is not being allowed . This leaves many people paying expensive nightly rates if they can even find an open place.

While doing physical social distancing, I have also chosen to do some distancing on social media.  We have enough negative energy right now. I don't need to have politics preached to me. Do people really think I am going to change my thinking by being told that I am bad or stupid?

During our walk in the rain, I noticed these arrows on the road that looked like bike routes. Score! Further down the road we found the cycle club's parking lot. The green arrow is 35 miles and yellow is 23.

With three different colored arrows to choose from, we set out on a Sunday morning which took us down some beautiful rolling country roads with more cyclists than cars. 

It is good to slow down and just enjoy each day cooking, reading or taking a walk. No need to plan what to see or do next. Everything is closed.

Caesar Head State Park

Getting to the park is quite a drive up a steep and winding road. But the climb also gives some amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Caesar Head State Park's name comes from the thought that some have claimed the rock bears a resemblance to the famous Roman general.

When the trail reaches Devils Kitchen, a set of stairs descends deep down into the rocky gap, which is just wide enough for a person to pass through. The formation was created thousands of years ago, as water on the mountain froze and expanded, causing the rock to crack open from the pressure. 

It was either a blurred picture or none. Dang.

A myth dating back to the days when the area was settled by Scottish and Irish immigrants who enjoyed brewing their own alcohol. According to the story, the Devil himself made a particularly hot brew here, and spilled a drop of it on the rock, splitting the rock open on the spot.

 One of the most popular trails at Caesars Head is the four-mile, round trip Raven Cliff Falls Trail. This hiking trail leads to the scenic overlook, where you can view the 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls.

I am lazy when it comes to anything to do with tech. Plus, we are officially "old" people according to government standards. Buying a new phone is torture because of the learning curve. Once I am through the curve it is great. We've now ordered food for pickup, scheduled and paid for our new tires online but paying to wash clothes from my smart phone was a pain. 

I had my laundry basket and quarters in my old Kodak 35 mm film container ready but had to run home to get the laundry room code. After cleaning the door handle and washer and dryer, I found there was no place to put the quarters. I marched home to get my phone and glasses to read the instructions on the wall. I then made another trip home to get a credit card and Mike to read the sign which was placed high enough for a 8 foot tall person to read. We are not tall people which messes up my bifocals.

We downloaded the app but needed an authentication code from my email. Mike got his phone so I didn't have to close the app. I know it was probably ok to go to the email but I didn't want to take a chance and have to start over. He read code and the credit card number as I entered them.  In the process of starting the machine, he asked if I had put the detergent in. We got it open and soap in just in time before the machine locked. 

Shew... I thought I should lie down until the 30 minute alarm went off,

telling me to get my sh*t out of the washer. 

We don't have anything to complain about with all of this craziness. Our families are healthy and so are we. Our incomes haven't been interrupted. Instacart and grubhub deliver our food once we figured that out.  And most of all we weren't trapped on a cruise ship.

No wonder we are sneezing so much.

If we hadn't been force to stop for a while, I am afraid we would have missed cycling on these fabulous country roads with my best friend.

The perfect way to spend birthday #62!

Decisions, decisions. Which way to go?

It seems like people are a little nicer to each other lately.

 Maybe, it is the social media distancing. I am  not sure, but I like it.

Silver Falls State Park

Trail of Ten Falls

It was a short drive from Eugene to Silver Falls that took a while on the slow and winding roads. Several years ago, we had a day trip to Silver Falls while staying in Portland and knew we would return someday. This time we found a campground reservation for three nights and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of space nestled in the trees that our be ours for a few days.

 

The Trail of 10 Falls connects the waterfalls and consists of Canyon Trail and Rim Trail, for a 7.2 mile loop with a 1000 foot elevation variation.  The decent into the canyon begins within the canopy of Douglas Firs, down to the undergrowth of ferns into the canyon and winding creek.

 South Falls 177 feet

 There are four water falls to walk behind.

 North Falls

 The park offers more than 35 miles of backcountry trails for mountain biking, hiking or horseback riding.  Bears and cougars live in the more remote park areas.

Winter Falls

 

We managed to log 8 miles on our hiking boots our first full day out. Whether we were walking along the creek or in the forest, it was quite enjoyable and kept us moving along. The next day turned into 5 miles and our feet were starting to complain a little. OK, more than a little.

Winter Falls 134 Feet

Drake Falls

You can see the small first fall of Double Falls high and to the right.

Wild flowers

Love the moss on the rocks.

The Great Depression struck in 1929, and timber, Oregon’s most important industry, tanked. The whole state, and Silver Falls along with it, was devastated. One program, the Civilian Conservation Corps, put young unemployed men to work constructing buildings, trails, bridges, retaining walls, and other park infrastructure - most of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the buildings are still standing and in use. They even had WIFI at the Lodge Café just a mile walk from our campsite.

 

South Falls from the bridge

Lower South Falls

The peaceful sound of Silver Falls was a treat. Every morning just before sunrise, which is quite early this time of year, the birds would sing and chatter for a half hour. There was plenty of time to read while sitting under the trees without TV or internet at our campsite to distract us. A campfire in the evenings was a good end to a darn good day.

 

Heading to Wine Country in McMinnville, OR.

The Finger Lakes

New York's Finger Lakes

It was good to be back on our road bikes in the Finger Lakes of upper New York. Riding on the backroads between the farms and vineyards was lovely. Our campground is in a small town of Ovid between Lake Cayuga and Seneca Lake. Very little traffic other than the Amish carriages and a few tractors were on the roads.

By the second day of riding, we set our alarm clock for 6:30 since the heat and humidity were increasing.

 

Finger Lakes, NY

The Finger Lakes consist of 11 lakes with over 100 wineries. Many of the wineries have music in the afternoons.

We found several U pick berry places and Juneberry had some great looking blackberries with our names on them. Many of the roadside stands have serve yourself boxes with a place to drop our money. We did get some tasty tomatoes.

Artichokes

A mile from the end of our ride was a winery with copper pizza ovens.

Winery overlooking Lake Cayuga

The apple cider was refreshing.

The sangria was ok. It looked prettier than it tasted. Cranberry wine just doesn't do it for me.

Watkins Glen, NY

Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks. Within  a two mile walk,  the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge. We climbed the 840 steps which were fortunately shaded to keep us cooler.



The spray from the falls was refreshing.

We walked down the Spiral Tunnel to walk behind one of the falls.

I was surprised how long it took me to get over the pneumonia I got while in Maine. Our hikes and bike rides are getting longer each day. I ride a slow 15-20 miles before Mike drops me off and finishes his ride. It is good to know that someone has your back when things get tough.

Getting knocked down can be humbling.