Dave and Judy Moss

Our last stop on our current trip was the Great Smokey Mountains which is located in Tennessee and parts of North Carolina and Virginia. We stayed for two weeks at a KOA in Cosby, Tennessee which was probably one of the nicest KOA’s we have stayed at. The Great Smokey Mountains was beautiful and the weather did cooperate for most of our stay. We did quite a few drives in the park and we were able to see bears, wild turkeys and elk. This is the first time we watched a bear in the trees going from tree-to-tree about 20 feet off the ground; I’m glad we had our telephoto lenses with us. We even saw a bear walk past the window we were sitting next too when we were having dinner at a steak restaurant.

Though some of their research and their bike shop was located in Dayton, OH. The Wright Brothers flew their experimental plane in Kill Devil Hills, NC. They made four flights the shortest being approximately 120 feet and the final test flight at approximately 820 feet. The actual runway and flight path are marked by small rock markers showing the four flights.

Monument on a hill overlooking the runway and work buildings of the Wright Brothers

The large stone marker on the left is where the engine was started and the flights began. To the right, you can see the markers for the first-three flights.

This marker indicates the fourth flight approximately 820 feet from the start.

We visited four lighthouses on the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras on the shore of North Carolina. Dave was able to climb the Currituck Beach Lighthouse; 220 steps. We had to take an hour ferryboat ride to see the Ocracoke Lighthouse. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is currently undergoing renovations. It is the tallest lighthouse in North America.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

We were lucky in our timing to see the Air Space Museum. It had been closed for renovations for the past four years and only half reopened September 2023, the other half is set to reopen next year. It was dark inside and no flash is allowed so it was difficult to get good pictures.

New London is a coastal city in Connecticut. We visited New London for a several hour water tour to see light houses and the old fort. We also passed General Dynamics Electric Boat Works where submarines are built. Unfortunately, we went to the U.S. Navel base to see the submarine museum but is was closed due to a power outage.

Mystic began as a seaport in Connecticut in 1784. Over 600 ships were built there. Today, there is an aquarium and the Seaport Museum which has been modeled after Colonial Williamsburg. Aside from a boat museum and an Indian history museum, shops have been setup to create, repair and manufacture supplies and parts for the C. W. Morgan whaling ship. The shops create everything by hand, including metal works, ropes, wooden parts and even an original printing press.

This was our last stop with Rachel. The gardens were beautiful. There were sculptures around the gardens by Alfred Glover. We also visited the art museum in the park with oils and water colors depicting the various seasons of Cape Cod. The park also had a small museum of antique cars that have been restored.

We visited Cape Cod with hope of seeing the light houses and the sea shore. Unfortunately, due to so many visitors, we were unable to find parking. We were able to visit Tesla’s first wireless transmitting station in the United States built in 1901. Driving along the seashore was beautiful and we are planning to return and staying on the Cape in the future.

The three of us visited and walked the Freedom Trail in Boston, MA. It was hot out which really limited our speed , but we did walk nearly three miles. The trail showcases many of the buildings and history of the founding fathers of our country including the cemetery where many of our historical people are interned such as Franklin, Adams and Revere.

Acadia National Park in Maine is a 47,000 acre park. It has both seashores and mountainous areas to observe. Rachel joined us at the park and we were able to get reservations for Cadillac Mountain; we visited the mountain marshes and the sea shore including the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, said to be the most photographed lighthouse in the United States.