Out and about

Pedestrian/bicycle bridge in Damascus, Virginia

We have been out and about exploring the area.  The above pictures are of Damascus, Virginia, about a 30-minute drive from where we're camped.  Damascus is known as Bicycle Junction as several bike trails converge there.  We'll be headed back to Damascus in the near future to ride  the Virginia Creeper Trail.  A shuttle drives you to the summit of Whitetop Mountain where you are dropped off with a bicycle.  You then ride/coast down the mountain back into Damascus.  Sounds like my kind of ride... little to no self-exertion.

This photo is of the Watauga Lake Winery.  Consort and I paid them a visit earlier this week.  We shared two board flights of different wines.

Consort and I are not big wine drinkers, but we liked most everything we tried.  We ended up purchasing the Blue Bear Hill wine, which is made of blueberries, and the Bear-gria, a white sangria wine.

Both could be served over ice with a little seltzer and you would have the perfect adult Kool-Aid.

We have moved our trailer, within the campgrounds, to a new site.  This site was added after we moved in.  It is much more secluded than our previous site, very quiet, and has stunning views.

This is the view from our front door. There is plenty of room for the wee mangy mongrels to enjoy the out-of-doors and the creek.  As far as the dogs are concerned, this is the best campground they have visited so far.  There are ducks in the yard every morning who seem to be waiting for the pups to come outside for a chase.  The three mangy mongrels are willing to oblige.

This area of Tennessee offers much to see and do:  Hiking trails, caves, waterfalls, kayaking and canoeing, bike trails, ATV trails to the tops of mountains.  It is a bit overwhelming at times trying to determine what all we'd like to see and do.  What we have found that we are enjoying most is just relaxing.  We are surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever encountered and are happily taking it all in.  Add to that the excellent company of our friends who own the campground, and life is pretty good.

Moving to the new campsite boosted our wi-fi signal which improved cell phone reception, but we are still without any television at all.  When I was a kid, there was at least one summer when my parents decided we children should experience a television-free summer vacation.  It was a great idea and forced all of us kids out of the house to find alternative activities.  I followed the same plan with my two children:  No TV for the summer.  They say turnabout is fair play and that if you wait long enough, everything comes full circle.  I guess it's my turn, again, to go without television this summer.  It's been over a month since I've seen any news, but I seem to be surviving just fine.  Apparently there is life worth living outside of Washington, DC!