I visited Harpers Ferry in northern West Virginia once before, when I lived in the US, and decided to return on this trip for several reasons. The Shenandoah River valley is beautiful and peaceful, two things that I want to be a part of my journey. But the history of the area is the primary reason to come here. The fact that it’s at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers has made it of strategic importance in both colonization…
The last couple of days have mostly been driving days for me. My life in Australia was rather sedentary, in the last few years spent almost entirely in one city with only rare excursions to other places, and those mostly for work. So I was feeling the need to Just Drive, to put miles behind me and feel myself moving forward. Not even toward anything or any place specific, just forward! I spent my first night on the road camped…
This afternoon I visited the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln near Hodgenville, KY. I suppose that what I know about Lincoln is mainly what I learned as a student, just briefly that he was born in a log cabin, but more about his time as president and his role in the Civil War and Emancipation. But I’ve never heard the story of his family, and the early years he spent in Kentucky. His grandfather, also named Abraham, was a true pioneer, it…
For my first stop on this grand adventure, I drove about 2 hours north of Nashville to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Although I started out on interstates in rush hour, it became a lovely green scenic drive as I neared the park. Unfortunately, even on a Wednesday morning, the parking lot was absolutely full, and I had to circle for a bit before finally getting lucky and finding a spot. Also unfortunately, all the cave tours were booked…
And here it is… (drumroll please?…) the final fit out of the FJ Cruiser, all packed and ready to go! I had one last job to do in putting my bed together, because I could only get a memory foam mattress in standard sizes, which made it perfect in width, but about 10 inches too long. So I opened the fabric cover, cut off the excess, and then stitched the cover back together. I used to do a lot of…