Places to see!

[Tim Dailey]

Seems like I'm always keeping my eyes and ears open for neat places to visit.   A list of my current favorite places.

 

1. Elkhart Indiana

 

Obviously the RVMH Hall of fame is a MUST SEE!  You'll easily spend a full day in the museum going through all the old campers!  The National New York Central Railroad Museum is in down town Elkhart, not very far from the museum.  "The Museum's goal is to tell the story of the vast New York Central System, and its predecessors and successors into the modern era." 

 

2. Cass, by God West Virginia!

 

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, found out about this place at a Amish furniture store.  Seems the Amish like to pile into their Yoder vans to visit this place for vacation!   You'll have to take your rig over the river, through the woods, around a mountain, and um, around some more mountains.  But its worth every minute of the white knuckle driving experience.    Cass is a logging town, and to log the steep mountains, they used specially designed engines that were all wheel drive.   They look like no other steam engine, and if you pay enough, they'll take you to the second most highest point in WV.   There is a lot of history to be learned, and the local folk are really nice.   There are a few really nice campgrounds near by too.  Because of the lack of nearby civilization, this is a GREAT area for stargazing and dueling banjos.

 

3. Downtown Baltimore

 

Sounds obvious, but you can spend a whole day on the harbor.   You'll find everything from the National Aquarium, The last Civil War Vessel Afloat, the USS torsk and many more cool places to visit!  I highly recommend taking the duck ride, it was a very nice historic ride through downtown Baltimore and a nice ride in the harbor.   But don't throw quarters at the homeless and take their pictures, they don't take to kindly to it.  

 

4. Cumberland, Maryland

 

If you happen to be traveling on rt68, The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad is worth a stop.    They have a nice train ride that takes you up to a little town called Frostberg, where they put the engine on a turn table and spin the engine around.   Check their web site out for mystery theater.

 

5. Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge TN

 

This is another obvious tourist point, but worth mentioning.   If your looking for a place to camp thats in the middle of the action, look for the KOA in Pigeon Forge.    Its within walking distance to the Trolley Depot.   From there, you can travel just about anywhere fairly quickly for a small handful of change.  And if you happen to leak all of your transmission fluid into the parking lot of Dollywood, don't bother cleaning it up, the maintenance guys told me its ok for oil to leak into the ground, after all, thats where it comes form.   

 

A Quick traffic tip.  Sunday mornings Pigeon Forge is a complete nightmare to get out of town.   The golden tip, take Veterans Blvd (449) out towards Sevierville, you'll miss all the traffic. 

 

What are some of your favorite places to visit?

[Tim Dailey]

Pat, if I remember right, I think its called this because the New York Central Railroad purchased the track early 1900s.   

[John "T" Nordhoff]

Tim, sure my answer seems to easy and later I may add some of the lesser known fun visits, but in the short run IT HAS TO BE THE NATIONAL PARKS. We toured 8 a couple years ago and are taking in 6 more right as Im typing tHIS SUMMER.......

If you had to choose only one lake to visit, MAKE IT CRATER LAKE in Oregon
If you had to choose only one Natl Park, make it GLACIER

I actually like Bryce Canyon as much as the Grand Canyon,,,,,,,,Zion is close by a must see,,,,,,,Of course Yellowstone is no pushover,,,,,,,and right next to it The Grand Tetons

The Beartooth Highway to the North and East of Yellowstone IS A MUST DRIVE

BLM and National Forest Lands in Utah and Colorado, Valley of the Gods

Monument Valley Arizona in the Four Corners region where the old John Ford and John Wayne Western Movies were filmed

Were headed to Zion,,,,,,,,,Bryce Canyon,,,,,,,,Arches,,,,,,,Canyonlands,,,,,,,Natural Bridges,,,,,,,,,Rocky Mtn Sunday for another month, were in San Diego CA this morning..

Best wishes,,,,,,,,,SEE THE NATIONAL PARKS John T in Indiana