Photo by The Joneses From Charleston, S.C. to Indiana, via the Great Smoky Mountains. What a beautiful ride. SLIDE SHOW: Off to Indiana — — — View Larger Map
ARCHIVES: You wouldn't believe how beautiful Canada is! Wouldn't change a thing Who knew there was so much to see in South Dakota? Time is flying by — but at least we're having fun! I (heart) Hart Ranch, South Dakota Rallyin' in Goshen, Indiana A special day From friends to work to warmer temps, we're still having fun in Florida Traveling to Texas Finally, we're in Alaska! On the way to Canada Boise sure has changed a lot Escapees Rally in Wyoming Bittersweet trip through the southeast From Boy Scouts to ‘Stars on Ice’ Michigan is full of treasures Arriving in Florida Earning our ears Celebrating Christmas and New Year's in Florida and the Disney Parks Down in the Lowcountry Making our way through Minn., Wisc. and Ill. The holidays in Florida Our time in Lakeland has come to an end Couldn't have had a better time in Omaha! Arriving in Charleston A day with friends from Frederick 'Life is good' in Lakeland, Fla. Leaving Florida, and heading north Our final days in Kentucky Into the Keys Out of Charleston and off to Indiana Dreams come true in Vermont You never know what you'll see or who you'll meet in Alaska Leaving Indiana, but not before taking some of the state's best sites Idaho is full of natural treasures — and moon-like craters, too It's all about the theme parks From prairie country to beautiful views to grand 'ol Yellowstone Thunderstorms, flooding, tornados and a visit with the 'Duke' And so it begins ... Moving days for Greg and his family The gang's all here! Happy to be in Florida again Strawberries, and more strawberries 'The RV Capital of the World' From the beautiful Maine coastline down to southern Connecticut Training for our jobs at Disney World Chillin' out at 'Camp Monaco' Under the weather Back in Florida At long last, back in the area Lots to see in the 'Show Me' state With family and spectacular sights in Hailey, Idaho Look back, look ahead Back in the Lower 48 The cold weather is hitting Florida From Dallas to devastation Back on the road again Leaving Idaho and heading east Beautiful Alaska A memorable visit to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula Watch out for flying dinner rolls

On Thursday evening we took a carriage ride through the old part of Charleston. Our guide was a history student and she knew all kinds of interesting information as well as what some these beautiful houses cost. We saw one house that was on the market for 4.4 million — dollars that is. Most of these homes are very narrow and long. The reason is that in the "olden days" the houses were taxed by the street frontage. So, they built them narrow on the street side and very long to the back, pretty smart, huh?

On Friday we went to Folly Beach, which is another one of Charleston’s beach areas. It was a sunny day, but a cool wind was blowing, perfect for Clara and me to work on our tans. It was wonderful to just lay there in the warm (but not too hot) sun and listen to the sound of the ocean. However, we sunbathed a little too long and I ended up with a nice sunburn in my face and looking like a lobster. I am still pealing today — not the smartest thing I have done — but it will be some time till I get a chance to be on a beach again. There aren’t any beaches in Wyoming or Idaho.

On Saturday Ralph and I visited the site where the "Hunley" is being restored. The H.L. Hunley (named after Horace Lawson Hunley, the builder) was built during the Civil War and is the first successful combat submarine — she sank the USS Housatonic in February 1864 just outside the Charleston Harbor. After the mission was completed she sank and was not discovered until 1995 and revealed to the public in 2000.

We could not tour the Hunley because she is immersed in a 90,000-gallon conservation tank where archeologists, conservators and historians work to totally restore and conserve her. They also want to solve the mystery of her sinking. We were told that the Hunley has to be kept under water because if she was exposed to air she would rust in no time at all.

When the scientists work on her they empty the tank but use water hoses to continuously keep her wet. The tours are only on the weekends when nobody works there. It was very interesting and we spent several hours reading the history of the H.L. Hunley, the crew, and the two submarines built before the Hunley — both unsuccessful.

By the way they were able to identify the crew members due to their skeletons being well preserved — imagine that after 137 years. They were buried in 2004 — I vaguely remember seeing something about that on TV. In the exhibits was the life size model that was used in the movie "The Hunley."

Ralph and I sat on the benches where the crew sat and moved this large crank to power the boat — no diesel or nuclear power in those days. It was very tight and cramped and we were told one of the crewmembers was six feet tall; amazing.

Sunday, after a farewell breakfast with Clara and Ray, we started our trip to Indiana.

The first day our route was to Columbia, S.C., via Asheville, N.C. to Knoxville, Tenn. In Tennessee we drove through the northeastern part of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

The ‘Smokeys’ are a majestic mountain range and the top part always looks hazy, therefore the name Smokey Mountains. These were the steepest inclines on mountain roads so far that we drove with our motor home and Ralph was able to maintain the speed all the way up the hill. Now, she (the engine in the motor home) needed more ‘food’ for that. I could almost hear her slurping up the diesel, but the downhills were easy.

It was a beautiful ride, though, and made us both realize how lucky we are to be able to see all the beautiful and amazing parts of this great country.