Stringband Festival at Clifftop WV, the famous Clifftop!

Spanning...the Stringband Festival
July 29 - August 2:  Babcock State Park
August 3-4: George Washington Carver State Preserve

Water wheel for the grist mill at Babcock State Park

We arrived in the area with the threat of rain and no clue as to the facilities or relationship between the music festival, Camp Washington-Carver (CWC), and Babcock State Park.  So we opted to camp in Babcock State Park, a short 1.4 mile walk from the festival grounds at CWC as Babcock provided easy access, high and dry camp sites, and relatively quiet.  

The next door neighbors introduced themselves and their dogs, a friendly couple with whom we shared hiking plans, camping ideas, and reviews of other parks.  

The next morning the sun peaked between the clouds and dried the ground from the evening showers so we headed out on a hike to CWC.  The trail is rocky, challenging, and scenic - yes an almost perfect trail.  Most trails in the park run along rivers or streams, climb and descend steep hills, and are frequented by deer and birds; thus you are not disappointed by the choices.

The plan was to move on Wednesday to the festival grounds as there was ample level and dry space in the 'generator' lot.  The GWC facility offers dry camping only and the prime camping spots are best for tenting.  With a 25 foot travel trailer the options are fewer which means we parked outside the main festival area...  the generator and overflow area.  This guaranteed exercise as we walked up and down the entrance road with banjos, chairs, and other stuff slung over our backs.  

Unfortunately there are no pictures of the Stringband Festival because I was too busy with the festival to bother with pictures.  It was grand catching up with friends, making new friends, jamming on the front porch, square dancing, and catching the master's concerts.  Will I go again?  Yes.

FYI:  Camp Washington-Carver and Babcock State Park are adjacent facilities both owned by the state.  CWC is mostly an educational center and used for retreats, camps, and special events.  Babcock is a standard state park with hiking, boating, camping, and related features.  The mailing addresses are different towns that are several miles apart and several miles from the actual facilities.  Lesson:  park offices are not always located on site.

Grayson Lake State Park, Kentucky

July 26-29

Exploring an area is wonderful as you meet the residents, learn the history, and experience the environment.  But it can be challenging to find a suitable 'home' for several days of exploring.  The new hitching post must be scenic, clean, safe, and have ready access to outdoor adventure space and the towns of interest.  We found a fantastic hitching post at Grayson Lake State Park.

 

The last available campsite at a busy park - still beautiful.

Yes, there are lakes at this park as a result of a 1964 Army Corp of Engineer dam built to improve the water quality and provide flood control.  The Little Sandy River retains it's beauty even after being controlled.

 

 

 

 

The park also offers several scenic and challenging hiking trails with views of the sandstone hills and beautiful forests.

 

 

As with most of the parks in the south east we encountered wary and beautiful deer.  It is good to see an increase in the deer population as they are graceful and lovely animals.  It is also good to know they respect humans and do not venture into the campgrounds for food which means humans respect their wild nature and do not attempt to domesticate them by making food available.

Ashland KY - A trip to Billy's place of origin

July 28, 2013
 

Mural on Port Wall

One reason to traverse Kentucky was to visit Billy's childhood town  of Ashland where he lived until the age of 6.  The town is lovely, well preserved, and appears to be thriving with an active downtown.  Our first stop was Central Park which was delightful on a bright sunny Sunday morning. 

 

Central Park Fountain

People were gathering after church for cook-outs, children's laughter filled the air, and couples strolled the grounds.  The park honored the past by preserving Native American mounds and a pioneer house.

 
 

 
The city is balancing progress and the convenience of strip malls and big-box stores with preservation of the downtown.  It appears the effort is worthwhile in this small but active city.

The old and new views of Ashland captivated my interest.  It is a city in transition but learning how to balance the two.

 

Ashland has an active downtown even on a hot Sunday afternoon.

 

We stopped for an fantastic lunch at the Lamp Post Café.  Smoked Meatloaf, green beans, and broccoli casserole for me!

 
 After lunch we strolled along the port and the rail line which have direct access to the Ohio River. 

 

 

The town was originally a shipping town which grew rapidly after the discovery of oil and coal in the area.

 

I was suitably impressed with the efforts to preserve the past while incorporating the future always striving to provide social support for the citizens and beauty for the eye. 

 

 

West Virginia State Parks – Almost Heaven

July 29th 2013

Yes it is true... West Virginia is Almost Heaven.  Our drive to Clifftop and West Virginia's oldest park was a predictor of scenes to come.  

Following I-64 from Kentucky was a scenic drive through roughly hewn mountains and rolling hills into the central western reaches of West Virginia.  A stop at the welcome station was helpful for selecting roads as the state is known for twisty, steep roadways through the mountainous coal mining regions of the US.

As usual, there was some item we needed from the store and today it was bread and milk.  Noticing a country corner market we stopped.  The market was at a cross-road and the top of a hill, it may have been Winona.  A short chat with the shop owner ended with her words, “Good luck.” I pondered her words as the road was quite curvy. 

Across the road was an old coal mine Company Store and stopped for a visit.  Reading the literature it was easy to understand how a miner soon “owed his soul to the company store”.  Time to journey towards Babcock State Park.

Indiana here we come!

July 22-27

From Tennessee we had a straight shot to southern Indiana.  The reason?  A visit with my cousins (Leopold, IN) and aunt (Cannelton, IN).   My cousin Gary suggested we park our 'home' at Tipsaw Lake, and as usual he was right on the money.  Tipsaw is a treat with moderate trails, deer, birds, a lake, and an assortmet of flowers.

The Tipsaw Lake Recreation Area is located on the shores of the 131-acre Tipsaw Lake which we easily circumnavigated in our canoe with a short walk on the dam and shoreline.

The flowers and butterflys were abundant so I will share a few photos.

Consider a stop at the Hoosier National Forest when next in southern Indiana.

Tims Ford State Park and visitors from Florida

July 15-21

Our lease had expired on the current campsite and it was time to move on down the road.  Next stop Tim's Ford State Park near Winchester TN.  My buddy Pam Linder wanted to go hiking near Suwanee TN and this was a convenient location.  

Tim's Ford Lake

Our first stop was the main facility at Tim's Ford which has several hiking trails, a fantastic bicycle path, and several 'resort' facilities.  

Arriving Monday mid-afternoon we set-up as usual; however, the cat spooked and ran into the woods.  Of course we made several unsuccessful attempts to lure her back.  Going to bed exhausted we left the screen door ajar and around mid-night she returned.  It must have been a bad experience because she would not leave the trailer for the next 48 hours!

Tuesday we explored the park, drove around the area and managed to visit a grist mill for freshly ground white grits.  

One of the park's amenities is a pontoon boat tour of the lake every Tuesday evening and well worth the $8 charge.  The lake is huge and the tour an excellent way to learn about the history and size.

Thursday we moved to the annex campground which is directly on the lake.  The site is beautiful but needs a face-lift as some sites are low and the hook-ups outdated.  Canoe in the water we took a short ride and awaited our guests arrival.  

Late afternoon Pam and Ron arrived and set-up their tent on our huge site.  We visited over dinner, played a few tunes and called it a day as Friday was a hiking day.  

There are many beautiful locations in Tennessee and the Fiery Gizzard Trail in Suwanee is one of the finest.  

It is not an easy trail due to the rocky footing and continuous boulders to be crossed.  But the rustic and rough scenery is worth the trip.

Sunday we ended our tour of the area with a hike to Bridal Veil Falls again in Suwanee

 followed by lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant in Cowan, this thrilled Ron as he is of Mexican descent.  Ron commented "Just like my grandmother used to make."  On the drive back we walked at the bottom of Tim's Ford Dam and then drove to the top for another walk.  

Our final destination was Lynchburg for a tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery. Unfortunately much of the day was in the rain, perhaps we should have paid attention to the multiple text messages about storms in the vicinity.

After a full day we returned to a soggy campsite and learned how quickly the Fairview Devil's Step campground floods in downpours.

Competing at the 36th Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival

As mentioned earlier, the 36^th annual Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival was held in Murfreesboro TN.  One reason to attend a festival is to jam with like minded players.  

The buildings, exhibits, people, booths and main stage were interesting and filled several hours of our time; however, most of the jammers were bluegrass style where my style of banjo, clawhammer and 2-finger, are a poor fit.  Noticing there was a Acoustic and Blues Singing competition with only a few participants I signed up.  

Competing Friday

Two tunes were needed for the Acoustic and Blues Singing and I had two, “Going to German” from Gus Cannon and “Bear Creek Blues” from Blind Lemon Johnson by way of  Lesley Riddle and AP Carter.  Both fit the pre-1930s rules and using the banjo would be authentic even if I don’t have the popular blues sound.  

By the 7:30 PM start there were 16 participants, probably 10 excellent blues players and singers, luckily I was #3.  Restricted to one tune I selected “German” and used a 2-finger style, quite authentic.  Billy skillfully accompanied me on guitar.  It was a good performance: there were no errors; I was relaxed as I played and sang.  We were at top from as we looked down on an audience of 500.  As we finished the crowd applauded approvingly.  

Glad I went early as there were many great performers who followed me.

Competing Saturday

A new day a new experience at Uncle Dave Macon DaysFestival.  Having scoped out the area on Friday we came prepared and expecting to find old-time jammers.  The folks from the Nashville jam were there but practicing for their performance.  It was the same story for the other Old-Time groups.  Thus I decided to take the stage again in the Old-Time Banjo contest.  Now I am not national level but have become a fair banjo player.  Selecting my best tunes and re-tuning the banjo to “A” I stood behind the stage waiting my turn #5 this time.  Contestant #3 played my tune which was unfortunate because I can nail that tune and have more life than he did.  OK, re-tune the banjo to “G” and go with tune #2 which is not a flashy.  

Again, the stage felt comfortable the audience of 800+ did not scare me, we sat down, I announced the tune “Shoes and Stockings”, played it without error in nice rhythm at a dance-able pace.  The audience gave me a robust applause and I felt good. 

Was I going to win a contest? 

No way but it was a personal best and I won simply because both performances were flawless, I was never nervous, and it was a trip to sit in front of 800+ people knowing there may be several thousand within speaker range.  

My wish is everyone could have that sense of accomplishment.