Pretty quick set up since there's no water or sewage and we weren't going to set up the dish. We got cleaned up and went into Wilmington (our hometown) to see Connie's Dad and his wife for dinner at Damon's. (I'm dieting so I had a salad. Hated smelling those ribs and that BBQ everywhere, but I found the strength.) Had a wonderful time with Marion and Betty.
On the way back to the campground about 0.3 miles from the entrance I double thumped a skunk. Here it is Wednesday morning and the truck still smells.
Overnight it rained hard. Carmen didn't get much sleep, so we didn't either. Waited out the morning rain and got on the road about 10:00a. About 5 miles from our destination (Renfro Valley, KY) we see a sign that says left land closed 5 miles ahead. Things started slowing down in about a mile to a crawl. There was a truck with a fifth wheel still attached that had broken down in the left hand lane. We're still crawling after we get by him. About a mile past him, there's a sign that the RIGHT lane is closed in 1 mile. Now, its a mess and as I look in the rear view mirror there's a storm coming. Long story short, it took us about an hour to go that last 5 miles and just as we got in the storm lets loose.
We took the 35 mile run over to Somerset and Burnside. We first started coming down here with Connie's parents when we were dating in the late 70's. Its where we both fell in love with boating and camping. From that first time till now the road in from I-75 has become marvelous. What once was a twisty, turning, up and down two lane road is now a great ride with 3 and four lanes gently going over the landscape.
If someone would have wanted to prospect on property since the 80's, Somerset, Kentucky would have been a great choice. We rode with amazement what used to be a two lane highway and is now a booming commerce center with 5 lanes. Nothing (except the 'floating Arby's' and Sonny's BBQ) was like we remembered it. It was amazing.
Dennis, Craig and Don will be sad to know that "the bus" gave way to corporate America and is now where a strip mall sits.
We crossed the bridge out of Somerset into Burnside and our hearts sank. That poor little town has almost completely dried up. As much as Somerset has prospered, Burnside has collapsed. The 7 Gables hotel and restaurant where we first stayed was closed down. The little grocery store sat vacant. Was kind of sad.
Connie's Mom and Dad prospected on a lot in Burnside back in the early 70's. They still own it. My friend Craig and I once went down and cleared it off. The whole development is still not developed. The lot is all grown over again, and probably fewer people live in the allotment now than before. Again, it was depressing.
General Burnside Island State Park was our boat ramp, our campground, our golf course. So many memories. Other than the pool shutting down, it was in great shape. The golf course was closed during the season of 2007 and completely renovated by the spring of 2008. It looked fantastic. The boat ramp that launched so many memorable trips had been renovated. That was great to see.
This morning we head to Chattanooga for a couple of days before we're on to Atlanta.
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