Only about an hour outside of Chattanooga this evening... that's the good news! The bad is; that is after getting up early this morning and driving through the rain and the snow in the Blue Ridge Mountains and on down past the Smokies.

   Actually, it was really a pretty nice day all in all. Traffic wasn't horrible, and it never got wet or icy enough for me to be concerned about the road conditions. Still, it did slow me down a bit and it was a bit more tense than usual. I'm in a nice rest area between Knoxville and Chattanooga tonight and so far there aren't to many big rigs with their compressor's running near me. I'm learning where to park in these lots now if I don't want t be kept awake all night by their rumbling. Not that I'm not tired enough right now to sleep through most anything.

    The sun did actually come out late this afternoon and it was glorious. Not seeing the sun for a week was beginning to feel like I was back on the Oregon coast again.... but with out the ocean. Still cold tonight, but the temp had crept up to nearly 60 this afternoon before the sun went down. Will stay in Chattanooga for a couple of days at least, before heading on down to Atlanta early next week. Right now though I think it is time to read a couple of chapters and then go to bed.

    Woke up to the sound of light rain on the roof and only a little wind blowing by. I think all of the walnuts, hickory nuts and acorns must of been blown off the trees last night as there wasn't even the sound of them falling on the roof anymore. Cold this morning, only 36 degrees when I got up, but no snow on the ground thankfully.

   The power came on last night at 4:32 a.m. in the morning. I know this because I forgot the radio was one when it went off yesterday evening. The heater was back on though, so that was a nice feature.

   Spent most of the morning here at the trailer staying warm and dry. Needed to go into town though and get a new trailer spare tire put on the old rim if I wanted to leave tomorrow like I intended. Found and had a new tire put on, but kept the old one to return to the tire store once I get to a state that has a Discount Tire store in it.

   It was snowing pretty good on the trip back up and over the Blue Ridge Mountains. The temp is now sitting at 41 degrees, but it isn't raining at the moment so maybe this system has finally started to clear out. Will be up and on my way early in the morning if the weather is even half ways decent. Will be heading towards Chattanooga via Knoxville, but plan to take at least two days to get there. Probably won't be there for very long before heading on to Atlanta for a week or so down there. Really only need to be in Chattanooga long enough to get my hair cut and go to an RV store that is there.

   In the mean time; here are a few pictures from the afternoon spent over at Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello.

A front view of the home Thomas Jefferson designed. Built to look like there is only one story above ground, there are actually three in spots. The design shows a lot of Greek influence including the  columns and the dome on the back. There is a weather vane on top of the porch roof that has a rod and pointer than comes through the porch ceiling and shows the wind direction on a compass rose there. Jefferson could then look out a window and see which way the wind was blowing. Handy for the twice a day weather reports he logged for more than 42 years.

From the southwest you can see the back of the house and the first known dome ever put onto a personnel residence in the United States. On this end was the family dining area as well as a really cute little tea room. Under the columns and dome is the main parlor.

From the south east you can see Jefferson's personal library at the far right and his bedroom on the left.

Such a large household would take a lot of food to feed the lot. The main house kitchen was on the lower level away from the main house where the heat of cooking would not effect the inside temperatures in the summer. Nor would a fire burn the whole house down if the kitchen caught fire.

This is 'stew stove' and is that era's answer to being able to have adjustable burners on a stove. Instead of trying to add or take away fuel to adjust the heat, they had multiple burners that they would stoke with different amounts of charcoal fuel. Jefferson evidently fell in love with the 'French' method of cooking while he was our 'ambassador' over there. A lot of what he liked was cooked in saute pans over varying heat so this method helped cook the eggs and sauces he loved.

Love this simple kitchen prep table that was designed by Jefferson and built by one of the slaves on the plantation.

In front of the fire is an automatic rotisserie that was run by the mechanism hanging on the wall. Working on weights similar to a grandfather clock it was wound up and would turn the spit until the weights had unwound. In front of the spit is a reflector roasting oven that also had a turning spit.

Near to the kitchen was another room dedicated to salting and smoking meats. Different cuts of meat, usually pork, was covered in salt and placed in the wooden trough and barrels shown. After between 10 months and 2 years, it was removed from the salt and hung up and cold smoked with hickory smoke for another 6 months to 4 years. This room, along with many other store rooms and  buildings, had it's own lock and key to help prevent theft.

Jefferson was very interested in gardens and the vegetables and fruits that he could grow on his land. With more than 200 free men and slaves on his plantation at any one time, it was important to have large gardens and crops to feed everyone. Even though it is late October there were still many edible veggies still growing.

Egg Plant.

These plants are artichokes. Jefferson tried over 6,000 different fruits and veggies over the years and kept very precise records on what was planted and how well it grew.

Runner beans on a trellis.

One of several orchards on the 5,000 acres Jefferson owned.

Jefferson tried to grow wine and table grapes for many years on his plantation. He never found a good grape to grow for wine and his table grapes were only so-so.

I've seen this plant, and flower before, but can't remember what it is. They were planted in the vegetable garden, but I'm not sure if it is a veggie or not.

Nasturtiums... both pretty and edible.

He also like flowers and had many different gardens around the house including one that had this, one of my favorites, the blue morning glory.

Another nice flower... just not sure what it is.

Looking east over the garden and into the forest beyond. This was the afternoon before Hurricane Sandy came ashore. Three days later I would imagine that most of these leaves are now gone.

Jefferson also designed a few pieces of simple furniture and then had a some of his slaves build them for sale.

Another slightly different kitchen table made out of simple boards attached with hand wrought nails. This room was used as the house laundry with two large copper kettles on either side of the fireplace.

Along one of the terraces that extend out from the main house was several stalls for horses and carriages used by the members of the household as well as guests. I was just enamored by the layout and the look of the stalls.

Looking down the center aisle between two sets of stalls.

Just down the hill and to the south of the main house is the family cemeterey, at least the one for those that happen to be white anyway. I think the gate and fence surrounding the plot was beautiful

Another view of the family cemetery, it is still being used by the family to this day. Jefferson is buried under that big phallic looking monument in the upper left hand corner of this photo. His slaves had their own burial plot. It is down the hill about 1/4 mile in what is now a parking lot. It was many years before it was even discovered as there were no permanant markers such as these on any of the graves.  

    The power went out about 2 hours ago.... just poof and you suddenly find your self back in the dark ages, or at least sort of. It is at times like this that it may actually pay to live in a travel trailer. I still have lights for a couple of days, there is still a furnace and fully functioning stove, even the fridge is still working. The only thing lost so far is running water, but I filled up a couple of jugs this morning so I'm good for at least a couple of days if I need to be. I even made and cooked a couple meals earlier this evening, so I don't even have to resort to eating chili right out of the can.... unless I want to of course. ;-)

    It's been raining here since yesterday afternoon, but really didn't get going until earlier this evening. What has been worse is the wind blowing. Sounds like lots of tree branch's falling down out there, but nothing big on the trailer roof yet. With any luck all of the hickory and acorn nuts will have already blown down now so I won't wake up every time I hear one of them hit the roof tonight. I'm lucky in that there is a cabin to the north of me that is blocking most of the wind as well as another trailer to the south that blocks it when it comes from that direction, and it does seem to be coming from every which way at times.

   It is definitely getting colder as the night progresses, down to 41 degrees already outside and only 60 inside. It will get a lot colder in here before morning I'm afraid, but lucky for me I still have a couple of sleeping bags and blankets yet, so I should be cozy enough for the night. May have to go drag my sweat pants out of the dirty clothes basket though, so I can have something warmer to wear around the place. Something tells me that I'm going to need to put on something other than my shorts and a t-shirt for the next couple of days. Am really hoping that I don't wake up to two feet of snow in the morning. Some of the last weather reports I saw had the 'Smokies' getting up to 4 feet in spots. I'm only a couple of miles from the 'Blue Ridge Parkway' so it could do just about anything up here.

   One last worry is that there is a stream at the base of the hill where I'm camped. For several days now you could pretty much jump across it with out to much effort. This afternoon when I got back from doing some grocery shopping it was already several feet deeper. I hope it doesn't wash the little bridge we cross out before I get out of here.

    It may sound a little bleak here at the moment, but I know that I am in much better shape than some people who are out there in the storm tonight. I hope everyone will take care of themselves and each other while this passes through our lives.

    I am so tired right now. Slept in a bit this morning and then spent a leisurely morning doing breakfast and reading the comics. The last afternoon dance of the weekend didn't start until 1:00 this afternoon, but I got there a little early in order to listen to at least part of the Sycopaths concert. Even though I've heard them several times before, they still do some interesting stuff that you don't normally hear during a dance.

    Another fun last afternoon dance. Not sure why these last few hours of a weekend always seem to be some of the best of the weekend, but they often are. Might be that people know each other a little bit better, or that we are all more tired or because the two or three bands often join forces for at least the last couple of dances. In this case it may have been all of those reasons and then maybe a few more besides. What ever it is we were all having just a blast together.

   But it always has to end at some point unfortunately, and this weekend was no different in that respect. What was a bit different is that the regular Sunday night dance up in a little town called Greenwood was going to be going on tonight and the band there was going to be.... The Syncopaths!!! Yeah!

    The dance was going to start at 6:30 and go until 9:30-10:00, so I had enough time to go get a bite to eat, pick up a clean, and dry, shirt and shorts, relax a little bit and then make it up there in time to dance most of the evening. The really nice part was that the dance hall was only 3-4 miles away from where the trailer is, so it was really nice to be back home after the dance in less than 10 mins.

    Lots of the same people that had danced the weekend dances were there of course, but actually quite a few new ones also. Got a final chance to say goodbye to some new friends I met over the weekend. I am sure that there will be another chance to dance with most of them at some point. For now though... I'm tired, and my feet hurt and I need some ibuprofen..... ;-)

   Had a really nice day today. Got up a bit late and spent a nice morning doing breakfast and reading the comics. Decided it would be a good day to go and visit Thomas Jefferson's plantation, Monticello, today rather than wait until Monday or Tuesday. There are rumours out there that a hurricane is making it's way up the east coast and may touch land somewhere between South Carolina and Maine sometime at the start of the week. So there may be a whole lot of rain and wind starting tomorrow, so it was good to get a few things out of the way today.

    Spent several hours over there this afternoon and took in the movie and the regular house tour. Really an interesting place with lots of cool stuff to look at. Jefferson must of been a very smart and interesting man for his time and I can't help but think it would be enjoyable to have had dinner with him sometime. He is also still a real enigma to me, as I think he is to a lot of folks. It just seems beyond me to understand how you can write down, and most likely believe, that "all men were created equal" and then end up 'owning' more than 600 of them. I just think that it must of been the times he lived in that allowed him to do what he did, but it diminishes him a lot in my eyes because of it.... but it also makes me wonder if I would of done anything different.

    Spent some time wandering the grounds, looking at the gardens, checking out the family cemetery as well as the place where they buried the slaves that died. It was interesting to me that he built his home on top of a hill like he did. Certainly there were some good reasons to do it, cool breezes, a great view, fewer bugs etc...., but it certainly made getting water for 'everything' much more difficult. In deed, it seems that it was a problem well up until modern times.

    Did a quick dinner out after finishing up there and then went on over to the dance. It was the Syncopaths playing tonight with Seth Tepher doing the calling. Wonderful, energetic dance tonight. So much fun that the 4 hours of dancing seemed to go by before you knew it. I danced every dance this evening, even the squares, which I don't often do. A lot of very nice friends to dance with and the music was just driving.... my feet really hurt tonight. To much walking and to much dancing. But a couple ibuprofen and a little sleep and I'll be ready to do it all over again tomorrow. One more dance tomorrow at noon. It's been a really fun dance and it is certainly one that I could come to again in the future. Just depends on who's playing and who's calling. For right now though it's time to go get some sleep.
'

    Up early this morning for some reason. It always surprises me when I go to sleep at 2 or 3 in the morning and then get up 4-5 hours later. Didn't really hit me until late this afternoon when I finally fell asleep on the couch for an hour.

   Prior to that though I did manage to get the truck over to a Wally World and have the oil changed again. Hard to believe that I have driven nearly 6,000 miles already since I left Colorado in early September. It is a long way from Denver to Bangor and then down the east coast to Virginia. So far so good.

    Did dishes and got a nice shower this afternoon before sitting down and watching the start of a new DVD set on the Civil War. Lots of good information about the start of it, but had to back up and watch a bit of it over when I started to nod off.

   Headed into the dance this evening at 7:00, so I arrived there a bit early. Nice to sit for a while and talk to a couple of people I know. The 'Avant Gardners' played this evening with Mary Jo Sayler (sp) calling. First time I had heard her and she did pretty well. A good dance over all, but just couldn't get to that high point some dances reach where the music, caller and dancers just seem to find some group high. It got close tonight, but just couldn't seem to make that last step. I think it is hard to do on a Friday night with a lot of the people coming out after a long week of work and maybe a long drive to the dance. The dances on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon are often the best dances of the weekend.

   Probably won't do many of the daytime sessions tomorrow I think it may be a good time to go over and see Monticello instead. There is a hurricane coming north up the coast and once it gets here on Monday or Tuesday I doubt there will be a lot of outdoor time. Of course it may start raining even before that, so I'll have to just play everything by ear. As it is I may be baling out of this area early anyway if it starts to get to bad.

   I couple final things of note.... got an email this evening saying that my application to the Snowball in Florida was accepted. I had signed up with a friend of mine from Nashville and we had talked about it this afternoon, before either of knew. Will have to call her up again later and make sure she got the news also. For now though it is time to go to bed.

   Just a really beautiful day here in the state of Virginia. Had a nice night of sleep last night, cool temps just right for sleeping. The only thing to disturb my rest was all the hickory nuts and acorns that fell on top of the trailer all night long. Some of them are big enough that you really need a hard hat on when you go outside.

   Drove into Charlottesville late this morning to run a few errands. Wanted to pick up a USB splitter for the computer because this computer doesn't have enough ports for all the gadgets that I have to hook up to it. Also needed to find a new water hose washer with a built in strainer on it for my hook up hose. The one I have now is starting to leak a little bit around the connection because the rubber washer has been compressed so many times. A new one should help that out and even though it is only a little problem, it still feels better to get it fixed.

    Also drove around town long enough to find the school where the dance will be held tomorrow night. Surprise; it wasn't where they said it is. Close, but still around the corner on a different street. Better to find it today in the light rather than tomorrow after dark. Drove around a little bit and explored the town a some. Didn't get into the old town section yet, so there is still plenty of things to do. Still want to do Thomas Jefferson's 'Montecello' yet, perhaps Saturday, or maybe even Monday if it isn't raining to hard.... or snowing. Heard today that a hurricane is working it's way up the coast and could really strike anywhere between Florida and Maine, I am hoping it goes a bit farther north before coming ashore. Otherwise I may be packing up early and making a run for it. I hear Kentucky and Tennessee are nice this time of year.

     Below are some pictures from my trip over to Harper's Ferry the other day. I really enjoyed that trip and learned a lot of things I had not known before. I wish more of it would stick for longer, but I guess it is what it is. I hope some of you all will like them.

Located at the junction between the Potomac and the Shenandoah Rivers, Harper's Ferry has been known as a good route into and through the Blue Ridge Mountains and on into the Shenandoah and Ohio river valleys. This is a view of St Peters Catholic church on the hill overlooking the town.

Pres. George Washington was the one who convinced Congress that the new country needed it's own armory and arsenal to build and supply weapons for its army. He thought Harper's Ferry would be a good place to build it. Away from the coast where it could be captured, but still close to good transportation and a river or two to supply power for any factories or mills that were needed. In this picture the machine on the right, a Blanchard Lathe, it was capable of copying the butt end of a rifle stock in only a few minutes vrs. nearly 6 hours for a trained wood worker. It would also be exactly like every other stock and would only need a minimum of fine shaping and sanding before finishing. The machine on the left cut the lands and grooves, 'rifling', on the inside of pistol barrels. These would induce a spin to the bullet as it was fired creating much greater accuracy. 

One of the original workers at the armory was a man named John H. Hall. He invented and patented many of the machines that would be used to manufacture firearms for the military. His machines made it possible for the first time to have interchangeable parts to each gun because the milling tolerances could be so much tighter. This process allowed manufacturing to become more machine based and less reliant on craftsmen based production.

The milling machine at the forefront in this picture could mill small pieces in either wood or metal. On the right was another machine that would rough out the forestock of a rifle and route out the groove for the barrel to fit into. In the back is a lathe used to turn exact duplicates of rifle barrels and bore the interior.

Note all the leather belts that run from each machine to an overhead pulley system.  A water wheel would supply power to the horizontal axle and each pulley would have it's own lever that could be moved to engage or dis-engage the belt when power was needed.  

Some of the original town buildings, this one a hotel. Very few buildings on this level are original because of all of the floods that occurred over the years.

Maybe the most famous episode in Harper's Ferry History is the night John Brown, an abolitionist, 3 of his sons and several freed slaves took over the armory and arsenal with the idea of using the more than 100,000 rifles there to arm an army to do away with slavery. It did not take long for the locals to realize what was going on and corner most of them in this building, originally the fire house, and located in a different location. The militia, along with a band of federal troops under the command of Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee, finally captured them all and threw them in jail. John Brown was of course tried for treason and conspiring with slaves and was later on and hung for his treasonous acts. His daring however may have been one of many things that helped precipatate the start of the Civil War. This building is now known as John Browns Fort.

The back side of the Fort.



A view of some of the town from Arsenal Square.

A view looking east, downriver, from the 'Point' where the two rivers come together.

Harper's Ferry is also a story about transportation, from the original native trails to the actual ferry built by, presumably, Mr Harper, to canals, railroads and then modern roads. Two railroads, the Winchester and Potomac, along with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company were in direct competition with the Baltimore and Ohio in seeing who could make it into the interior Shenandoah and Ohio Valleys first. The B & O were the ones to do it and their trains still run along the old right-of-way today. 

One of the old Winchester and Potomac RR bridge abutments over the Potomac River.

The newer bridges.

The original train station, though it has been moved twice to get it up above most flood waters. It still functions as a real station too.

A view down High Street.

Looking down on some of the town from what is known as the Harper House, a small mansion on the hill over looking the town.

Another view of St Peters.

 

More of the original town. I really like all of the old slate shingles on the roofs.

Some old ruins of the Methodist Church on the hill above town.

Another view.

Looking down river from Jefferson's rock, a view point Thomas Jefferson had once stood on to enjoy the view.

During the Civil War Harper's Ferry changed hands six times, including one battle that the Confederates won in which they captured more than 12,500 Union soldiers in. The town itself was nearly indefensible as it was surrounded by high hills on nearly all sides. All an enemy needed to do was place cannons on those hills and pound the defenders until they gave up. This is looking south at what is known as Blue Ridge.

Just an old house I thought was neat. I wonder what happened to the other addition to it. Was it maybe wood and burnt down leaving only the foundation and outline of it on the other part?

Part of the old canal and lock system that would lift canal boats around the rapids on the Shenandoah River. The same steep rocky area that made for difficult navigation also proved ideal as a place to build water powered mills of all kinds.

One of the many bridges that spanned the canal from the mainland side to the island side where all of the mills were located.  

What can I say.... it just seemed like a lovely scene.

Once the railroads were built there was no longer a need for the canals and locks along the river. Much later on one mill owner decided that he would build his mill right over the channel and install 10 electric turbines to supply power to run his mill. It worked well until a spring flood took the whole mill away except for what you can see here.

Some of the beautiful trees around the town and the park. The oaks and maples seem to be at their peak in some places. In others they are still all green and others yet are already done and nearly bare.

One last view of some of the gorgeous trees.