It Is Not Cold In The South - Stone Mountain, GA

We left the Baltimore area on November 23rd.   It took us a little while to get out our site since the motor home would not start.  We had to jump it with the Jeep.  Then, the leveling jack was stuck again.  Dad had to push it to make it go up.  Lastly, the air brakes didn't want to stay aired up.  Mom wasn't too worried because we had a week to get to our Alabama destination.

Dad was on vacation last week, so we decided to have some fun.  We stopped at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. We didn't expect many people to be there since it was Thanksgiving week. We didn't actually make our reservations until Sunday night and we were lucky to get in.  The campground was packed.  When we pulled next to our site, Mom was nervous.  It looked like it was going to be tough backing the motor home into it.  There were trees all around.  Campers love to watch other campers back into their spots and this place was full of spectators.  There was a family of five sitting in their chairs watching.  The people across the street had their eyes glued on us too. There was no less than 10 people watching, hoping for a problem.  Mom got out and directed Dad in like a pro.  She used the BIG hand signals that she learned in boot camp and Dad made it in one try!  The lady across the street was definitely disappointed.  BOL!

Our site.

Stone Mountain has a nice Christmas camping package going on.  The package the folks chose included two 2-day unlimited passes to the activities.  The activities included shows, touring houses, riding the train, riding the tram to the top of the mountain and touring museums.  There is a village that is all decorated for Christmas and there is a parade held at night with Santa.  Rudolph and his friends are also there.  Mama really enjoyed the lights. We also received firewood and s'more making supplies with our package.

S'more making supplies. I am waiting for the marshmallows to be opened.

We enjoyed walking around the park and meeting people.  We met another greyhound named Zippy. He must have been a good racer because he was not adopted until he was five.  He is from Tampa.

The folks visited Stone Mountain twenty plus years ago. It has changed since that time.  They were told it is now owned by Dollywood and there is a lot more to do there now.

Mom wasn't really fond of going to the top of the mountain on their last visit, but Dad wanted to do it again.

This is what you ride to the top.

The carving as seen from the tram aka Summit Skyway.

Dad on the mountain.

Trees can grow anywhere, I guess.

View from the mountain.

Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis

 The folks visited a museum and also watched a film about the carving.  They found it very interesting.

View from the ground.

The park offers visitors a chance to place in the snow.  It is man-made snow.

Snow tubing

View from tram.

Ready to see the lights?

We highly recommend visiting Stone Mountain for the holidays.  We had a lot of fun!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Happy To Be Using The AC Again

Exciting As It Gets Here

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you know that when we arrived here we were given a book of rules.  One of the rules stated that dogs were not allowed to walk through the campground.  We were recently told that we could walk through, if we stayed on the road and immediately left the area if another dog decided to bark at us.  Saturday night we were on a walk.  We were outside the park and we saw Dad drive by heading home after work.  We wanted to go home, but Mom wanted us to do our business.  She is all about us doing our business at night because she doesn't want us to wake her up in the middle of the night.  We decided to walk through the park.  Scout found something good to eat. She started eating it before Mom realized it and then started coughing.  We moved along from the area.  I was walking along nicely and then Mom flashed the flashlight on me and saw that I had a big  t-bone steak bone sticking out of my mouth.  I normally do not argue with her when she tells me to release something, but it was a good bone.  Finally, I released it and we went on our way.  All of a sudden, we were surrounded by two ankle biters wearing sweaters!  Scout is really afraid of small dogs.  Mom says it is like seeing an elephant and a mouse.  Scout was trying to get away and I was also dancing.  Mom told the dogs to go home, but they didn't.  Mom then started yelling "YOUR DOGS ARE LOOSE!"  There was no response.  It was dark outside and these two little Yorkies were out on their own.  Mom yelled "YOUR DOGS ARE LOOSE, COME GET YOUR DOGS!" three more times.  No one ever showed up.  She had a heck of a time getting us away from them.  She finally did and we made it home.  Did we do our business?  NOPE!

We have seen the dogs since that night.  They bark at us from their motor home.  That is against the rules. 

Scout said she had a nice birthday.  She received a lot of birthday wishes yesterday.  Mom did give her a pedicure which Dad said wasn't right since it was her birthday, but she got half a hot dog as a reward.

We survived the cold weather.  Mom wouldn't let us walk our two miles until today.  We thought we should have done it yesterday, but she didn't think we should since it was below freezing.  We saw Beckett's Mom and said good-bye to her today.  Beckett had just completed his walk and was inside napping.  It was nice to have another greyhound close by.  We will miss seeing him.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Hopes Santa Brings Him A T-Bone Steak For Christmas

Nine Is Devine

Today is Scout's 9th birthday! 

This photo was taken in 2009 and is Mom's all-time favorite photo of Miss Scout.

How are we spending the day?  Well, we took an abbreviated walk this morning.  We only walked to the foot bridge because it is still below freezing.  The cold weather finally hit us yesterday and we have been below freezing since Sunday night. It will be in the 40's tomorrow.  Anyway, yesterday it was really cold with the wind blowing and we were only allowed to walk around the campground.  Today, we insisted on going further.  We came home and chewed bully sticks.  Mom said we can split a hot dog for lunch.  I am sure she will get a few extra treats later today and that means that I will too!

Joey,
The Greyhound Whose Sister Is Now Nine

Harpers Ferry, WV

Sunday, the folks set out to shop at Camping World.  The nearest one according to the website said it was 63 miles away.  WRONG!  It turned out to be 120 miles.  BOL!   They realized the mistake when they put the address into the GPS.  They decided to continue on their journey because Dad wanted to visit Harpers Ferry and it was on the way.  They also really wanted to buy a device that we can hook up to our motor home that allows us to use an external propane tank.  We have an internal one, but if we run out when Dad is not with us, we can't get it filled.  The place we are going to stay in Alabama doesn't have propane and Mom will have to go to town to get it.  She wanted to get this device last year because it will give her peace of mind.  So, their first stop was Camping World.  Mom said they probably spent an hour there shopping. Dad loves Camping World.  He is going to be jealous that we will be near one in Alabama. 

They had planned on eating lunch at one of the restaurants in Harpers Ferry, but since it took them about 3.5 hours to get there, they didn't have time.  They ate at McDonalds instead.

The admission to Harpers Ferry National Park was $10.  There is a shuttle bus that takes visitors to the town because there is limited parking. 

Harpers Ferry is a town full of history.  The following is taken from the History of the Town of Harpers Ferry: (http://historicharpersferry.com/more/history.php) 
- visited by George Washington on his very first surveying expedition at the age of 17.  
- was cited by Thomas Jefferson, after a visit, as such a beautiful spot that it was worth a trip across the Atlantic.
- was the starting place of the Lewis and Clarke expedition.
 - was the site of the first crossing of the Potomac by a railroad, on the first structural steel bridge in the world.   
- was the industrial town where using interchangeable parts in a manufacturing process was first invented and proven practical. - was the site of the John Brown raid which precipitated the Civil War.
- was the first command of Stonewall Jackson, who raised and trained his famed Brigade here.
- was the site of three Civil War battles, the major one involving over 30,000 troops on both sides which resulted in the largest surrender of US troops until Bataan in WWII.  
- was a bastion of elevating African Americans, with the first real academic college (Storer College) to educate freed slaves in all aspects of higher learning, rather than sewing and other trades.  
- was the site of the Founding in the US of the Niagara movement, which later evolved into the NAACP. - was a town which, despite unfortunate racism by some, way before its time encouraged African-American entrepreneurs, one of whom built and managed the fabled Hilltop House Hotel.
 - was a major retreat center in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century for many notables, including seven presidents, Mark Twain, and many others.  
- was cited by art history experts as the most "painted town" in America, because of its spectacular scenery.


The Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet in Harpers Ferry.  This has resulted in several major floods which has caused the city to rebuild numerous times. 

Buildings are set up so that visitors can tour them on their own.  Rangers are also located throughout the town and are happy to answer questions. The folks toured a boarding house, general store and several museums.  They only covered part of the town since they only had about two hours.  There are several restaurants and small shops also in the town.  Mom said it is really a nice town. She wishes they had more time to tour it.

Mom left her camera at home, so these are from her cell phone. 

A little to the left is where the rivers meet.

Hikers hop on the Appalachian Trail here.

Church is at the top of the hill.  Mom liked the rocks.

This area is so full of history.  The folks wish we had more time here, but it is time for us to move on. We will be here for a few more days and then we will head south where we hope we will have a warm winter.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Looking Forward To Sniffing More Of America

Rule Breakers?

We have started walking through the campground.  BOL!  Are we breaking the rules?  According to the rule book, we are.  The office ladies told us it was fine as long as we stayed on the street and did not walk on the sidewalk or through sites.  They told us if another dog barks at us that we should leave the area because there will be complaints.  The first time we walked with Dad, these dogs started barking their fool heads off at us.  Did their parents do anything about it?  Of course not!  We heard them say "Oh, they are barking at those dogs."  So, they were breaking the rules, too.  Nothing happened to us though.  The office ladies like us.

Here we are enjoying a warm day this week.

 The following photos are from parts of the park that we were not allowed to see until now.

Do I look different?  I am harness-free.  Mom found that I walk better for her without it.  I prefer to wear it because it gives me more control over Mom.

This is a wrecked boat that we see from our site.

The cold weather finally reached us last night.  They put heat tape on our faucet so that it wouldn't freeze and we have heat tape on our water hose.  We didn't get below freezing though, but we will tonight.  It was 36 when we took our walk this morning. Mom only let us walk a mile instead of our normal two.  We wanted to go for two.

I tried on Jack's jammies the other day. They are a little tight, so Mom says she will make an adjustment.  I didn't like the taking off process, so I screamed.  I haven't worn them since.

Mom said that Jack always smiled like this when he wore them.

Scout cleaning out the peanut butter jar.

Our dryer is broke!  It doesn't heat anymore.  :-(  The washer still works though.  Mom is now hanging clothes lines in the bedroom.  Dad hasn't had a chance to look at it.   It's always something.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Breaks The Rules