States – Page 29 – Wandering Dawgs

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Oklahoma

June 30, 2017July 6, 2017Posted in Oklahoma, RVing, State Parks, Wandering around AmericaTagged America the Beautiful, Boone Pickens Stadium, Georgia Bulldogs Football, Red Rock Canyon, Stillwater18 Comments

State 33:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

Oklahoma

Oklahoma became the 46th state on November 16, 1907. The capital is Oklahoma City.

On one of our cross country RV trips we wanted to experience something different in Oklahoma. Red Rock Canyon State Park was just the spot. The entrance to the park was a short distance from I-40 but getting to the campsite required going down a fairly steep grade with a couple of switch backs down into the canyon. Our site was peaceful and a great place to unwind for a couple of nights. We hiked on the Rough Horsetail Nature Trail in the park and explored a few shops on nearby historic Route 66.

20070610Red-Rock-Canyon-(1) — Red Rock Canyon State Park

20070610Red-Rock-Canyon-(9) — Red Rock Canyon State Park

20070610Red-Rock-Canyon — Red Rock Canyon State Park

I loved the dog walk area at this Oklahoma rest area.

20090906Springhill-COE — Blondie is definitely a country dog!

We love following the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team to away games. In 2009 we traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma for a game between the Bulldogs and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The game was on the day of the dedication for newly renovated Boone Pickens Stadium.

20090904OSU-(5) — Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State University

20090905UGA-vs-OSU-10-24 — We ran into a few other Georgia Fans who had made the trek from Georgia

20090905UGA-vs-OSU-10-24-(21) — Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State University

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Ohio

June 27, 2017July 9, 2017Posted in Ohio, RVing, Sunset, Wandering around AmericaTagged America the Beautiful, Chilicothe, Mt. Eaton8 Comments

State 32:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

Ohio

Ohio became the 17th state on March 1, 1803. The capital is Columbus.

Before our RV days, we made two trips to Ohio to attend family weddings. The first time was to Dayton in 1980. The next time was a St. Patrick’s Day weekend trip to Cleveland. We left home with the sun shining and azaleas blooming. In Cleveland, we were freezing as we gazed at the ice on Lake Erie.

Ice-on-Lake-Erie2 — Ice on Lake Erie in Cleveland

Our RV travels have taken us through Ohio a few times. We discovered Sun Valley RV Park in Chilicothe on one of those trips. This peaceful RV park is off the beaten path and a perfect overnight stop for weary travelers. We enjoyed it so much we returned a few years later when our route took us that way again.

20080606Pips-house-and-Ohio-(11) — Quiet and peaceful campground in Chilicothe

20080606Pips-house-and-Ohio-(14) — Blondie enjoyed the grassy campsite in Chilicothe

20130521Day-6Chillicothe-(20) — Sunset in Chillicothe

On one trip our journey took us through the Amish country around Mt. Eaton. We discovered Evergreen RV Park, another gem of a park perfect for an overnight stop. I had read reviews of this park which raved about the cleanest and nicest RV park bath house they had ever seen. How could we pass that up? Even better still, there was an indoor pool onsite so after a swim I tried out the bath house and the reviews were right on the money!

We did a little shopping in an Amish store near the RV park. I stocked up on Amish goodies and I was a happy camper!

20100525Evergreen-Park-Ohio-(2) — Beautiful indoor pool at Evergreen RV Park

20100525Evergreen-Park-Ohio-(5) — Evergreen RV Park in Mt. Eaton was surrounded by Amish country

20100525Evergreen-Park-Ohio-(7) — Pasture next to Evergreen RV Park in Mt. Eaton

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – North Dakota

June 24, 2017July 9, 2017Posted in North Dakota, Photography, RVing, Wandering around AmericaTagged America the Beautiful, Badlands of the Little Missouri, transient, Weekly Photo Challenge9 Comments

State 31:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

North Dakota

North Dakota became the 39th state on November 2, 1889. The capital is Bismark.

Our one and only visit to North Dakota was way too short. After traveling into North Dakota from Saskatchewan, Canada we were headed for South Dakota when we stopped for a night in Williston. It had been a long driving day and we just wanted a hot meal and a place to sleep for the night.

The next day as we continued driving south on Highway 85 we stopped for a panoramic view of the Badlands of the Little Missouri. We also passed close by one of the entrances to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There were bison far off in the distance. We would have loved to stop to explore a little more but time was against us on that trip.

20060829North-Dakota-(8) — Badlands of the Little Missouri

20060829North-Dakota-(6) — Badlands of the Little Missouri

20060829North-Dakota-(3) — Badlands of the Little Missouri

This is my contribution to this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Transient

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – North Carolina

June 20, 2017July 9, 2017Posted in Historic Sites, Lighthouse, North Carolina, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around America, Waterfalls, WildflowersTagged America the Beautiful, Biltmore Estate, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cataloochee, Great Smoky Mountains, Outer Banks, Scenic drives18 Comments

State 30:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

North Carolina

North Carolina became the 12th state on November 21, 1789. The capital is Raleigh.

From the Great Smokey Mountains to the Outer Banks, there is a lot to explore in North Carolina. Waterfalls and beaches, hikes and scenic drives, mountains and racetracks, wildlife and wildflowers – these are just a few of the things that make North Carolina memorable.

Back before our RVing days we wandered around the Outer Banks seeing the lighthouses and beaches, visiting the Wright Brothers Monument where they took their first flight, and taking the ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke. Another ferry took us from Ocracoke back to the mainland where we visited Bath where the pirate Blackbeard once lived.

Hatterras Light

Ocracoke Lighthouse, NC

Bodie Island Lighthouse, NC

Wright Brothers Memorial

Ocracoke Island Ferry

Hatterras Beach

If you love waterfalls, you won’t be disappointed in North Carolina.

Waterfall along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Dry Falls

Tom Branch Falls

Juney Whank Falls

It doesn’t get any better than a campsite with a beautiful view. Our campsite at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville was perfect for hanging out after hiking or touring the fabulous Biltmore Estate.

20090807-3Campfire-Lodging-(5) — Blondie taking a break at our campsite at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville

20090807-2Biltmore-Estate-(4) — Biltmore Estate in Asheville

20090806Sunset-(5) — Sunset at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville

I felt as if I had gone back in time to Mayberry as we wandered around Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy.

Andy Griffith Statue in Mount Airy, NC

Wally’s Service Station in Mount Airy, NC

Andy and Opie on the water tower in Mount Airy, NC

Downtown Mount Airy, NC

We ended our tour of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the winner’s circle.

20100514Charlotte-Motor-Speedway-(32) — In the Winner’s Circle at Charlotte Motor Speedway

One of the hikes we made was on Whiteside Mountain in the Nantahala National Forest.

20070817Whiteside-Mountain-Nantahala-Natl-Forest-(22) — Whiteside Mountain in Nantahala National Forest

Whether it’s the leaves showing their fall colors or the flowers showing their brilliant blooms, the vibrant colors of the North Carolina mountains change with the seasons.

20071006Blue-Ridge-(8) — Fall Colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Tiger Lilys at Mabry Mill

Rhododendrons along the Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina Wildflower

Swallowtail and Wildflowers

Jewel Weed

Rhododendrons

We explored Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mingus Mill in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park near Cherokee.

Mabry Mill, the most photographed spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mingus Mill in Great Smokey Mountains National Park

And if it’s wildlife you’re looking for, try visiting in the fall where you might see the bugling elk in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Bull Elk Bugling in Cataloochee Valley

Bull Elk in Cataloochee Valley

Two young male elk lock antlers in Cataloochee Valley

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – New York

June 15, 2017July 2, 2017Posted in Historic Sites, Lighthouse, New York, RVing, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around America, WaterfallsTagged Cave of the Winds, Golden Hill State Park, Lake Ontario, New York City, Niagara Falls, Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse9 Comments

State 29:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. We have never been to New Jersey so the next state in my series is

New York

New York became the 11th state on July 26, 1788. The capital is Albany.

A few years ago we camped in Niagara Falls, Canada. After exploring the Canadian falls we made a day trip into New York where we had close up views of the Bridal Veil Falls and got soaked as we walked along the decks on the Cave of the Winds Tour.

20080613Niagara-Falls-Canadian-Side-(45) — Bridal Veil Falls as seen from Canada

20080614Niagara-Falls-American-Side-(64) — Niagara Falls USA

You will get wet if you take the Cave of the Winds Tour!

20080614Niagara-Falls-American-Side-(39) — You can’t get much closer to the falls that this

20080614Niagara-Falls-American-Side-(24) — Up close to the falls on the Cave of the Winds Tour

Walked under the American Side of Niagara Falls in New York — That’s Henry waving from the Hurricane Deck

Our next stop in New York was Golden Hill State Park. Although the park is located about thirty miles by water from Niagara Falls the drive is a little bit longer. This peaceful state park was exactly what we needed after the excitement of Niagara Falls. Where else can you have a view of a lighthouse and one of the great lakes from your campsite? We enjoyed touring the Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse and Blondie enjoyed swimming in Lake Ontario. The highlight each day was watching a gorgeous sunset over the lake.

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse overlooking Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park

Blondie swimming in Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse, NY

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park

Sunset at Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park

I recently returned from a fantastic Mother-Daughter Weekend in New York City. We did all the things on our bucket list and much more. The best part of the weekend for me was seeing the city with my beautiful daughter.