Friday, May 8, 2020

Topsy Turvy Times


My vertigo was getting worse and I finally had to give in and go to the urgent care. the physician walked in without a mask which made my heart rate increase.
I will use a telemed doctor if I need to see doctor in the future to avoid thinking about the mask situation. The doctor felt the high pollen count was affecting my inner ear causing the spinning and isn't going to improve for several weeks. He recommended that we leave Greenville because once I finish the medication the vertigo would probably return. I am not crazy about staggering around and hate that whirling feeling and there are also more tornados in the forecast for this area. There seems to be a spinning theme here.

We took the doctor's advice, pulled up the jacks and headed west. It felt good to be on the move. The rest stops were closed in North Carolina. To take a break, we
found an empty strip mall parking lot. I am not sure what truckers do for a break. Tennessee's rest stops were quite nice and open. We made it to Crossville, Tennessee with enough
time to set up before the rain hit. Driving through the middle of the country in the springtime is not for the faint of heart, especially driving into the winds
coming out of the west.

During this pandemic, having our home on wheels is working out pretty well. We can move about the country while staying "home". Campgrounds have done a good job
of remaining socially distant but open. Our reservations are in the overnight box with instructions when we arrive.

We stopped in Crossville, Tennessee because it met our 250 mile criteria. After driving in the wind the previous day, we needed a break and took a 4 mile walk in the nearby Cumberland Mountain State Park.

This bridge was another CCC project.
Cumberland Mountain State Park began as part of the greater Cumberland Homesteads Project, a New Deal-era initiative by the Resettlement Administration that helped relocate
poverty-stricken families on the Cumberland Plateau to small farms centered on what is now the Cumberland Homestead community.
During the Civil War, Tennessee's families and neighbors were divided between joining the Union or Confederacy leaving many split forever. The eastern part state
remained with the Union and western towards the Confederacy. The war also destroyed so much farmland and families. People seem to be as divided today in our political
environment.
The bridge was built over Byrd Creek as an Eagle Scout project.

The rhododendrons were starting to bloom.
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We were the only people on the Byrd Creek Trail, maybe because we get up so darn early and it was cold.


We had visited the southern section of the Natchez Trace a couple of years ago and heard the northern section was even prettier.
The campground was right across the road from an entrance making a bike ride easy for us.
 My vertigo was getting much better.



We could picture the Chickasaw, trappers, outlaws and travelers feet creating the 440 mile Old Trace path.
Fall Hollow Campground is in a dead zone. No TV and very slow internet is making staying sane easier. I was listening to the news and people's
opinions more than necessary before leaving South Carolina.


We drove in the early mornings to dodge the afternoon storms and 70 mile per hour wind gusts to get through Missouri and Kansas as quickly as possible, avoiding Dorothy, Toto and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Our summer plans have been constantly evolving. We cancelled our Quebec plans and our volunteering positions. Now, we are back in our old stomping grounds of Colorado and will need a little time to reacclimate to the altitude. Oh yeah, snow is in the forecast! Do you think Mother Nature is trying to tell us something?










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