From Moscow to Mickey – My Little Girl’s Journey to the Fort (DaveInTN and Family Spend Thanksgiving With The Fiends!)

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

I can't wait to read all about your trip and see more pictures of your beautiful family. What a blessing it has been for little Anna to become a part of your family...and I know you all feel blessed to have her.

[LONE-STAR 370]

Just saw your report. Your off to a great start and I am in.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Wetlanta

Ok, enough with all the tears and Kleenex. I didn’t mean to make this a tear jerker of a report, but I did want to lay out the history of why this trip was more important to us than past trips. And I know there are a lot of new Fiends that may not have heard the story of how Anna came to us. Hence, the trip in the Delorean. But now we are back to November 2011. And we have arrived at 1pm CT on the 15^th, as the DaveInTN church van fun bus is ready to leave for our drive to the Fort.

The kids are all settled in and ready for the long drive.

Originally my plan was to leave after the girls got home from school that day…around 4:00. We would then drive to somewhere between Chattanooga and Atlanta before stopping for the night. We don’t like to push it on our drives. Slow and steady wins the race for me. But then the weather forecast for the 15^th and 16^th called for heavy rain and wind. So I had two factors that weren’t making me happy. First, we needed to cross Monteagle. And if we left at 4:00 we would be crossing in the dark and in the rain. Not fun. And secondly, that would put us on schedule to drive through Atlanta during the morning rush on Wednesday, again in the rain. So we did what any reasonable person would do. We yanked the kids from school early and hit the road at 1:00!

Fortunately, we left home before the rain came, and we even made it over Monteagle on dry pavement in daylight.

Like all good mountains, there are two fun facets to crossing them. Going up. And coming down. Most people seem to worry about going up. That their vehicle won’t have enough power to get over the mountain. But if you blow something out while climbing a mountain, you at least should be able to stop easily. My main concern is always coming down. Wouldn’t want to lose your brakes coming down a mountain towing a heavy trailer, with your entire family strapped into an out of control church van fun bus. What would you do??

You’d take one of these, naturally.

There were even recent tire tracks in the sand on this ramp. Yikes! But fortunately, we did not need the escape ramp on this trip. And the drive off the mountain always affords a spectacular view of the valley below, even on a cloudy day.

It was about now that it started to rain a bit. After coming off the mountain, I was ready for a brief break. And at the bottom of Monteagle is the town of South Pittsburgh, TN…home of Lodge Cast Iron. So we stopped at their factory store.

I picked up a new 12” dutch oven. And I put that new dutch oven to use later in our trip. We’ll get to that later.

We got back on the highway, and it wasn’t too long before we passed through Chattanooga. I think a lot of people dread driving through Atlanta, but I’ve had more traffic difficulties in Chattanooga over the years than I have in Atlanta. With the merging highways winding along the river, the steep climb up the mountain heading out of the city, and the subsequent merger with I-75, traffic just never seems to flow very well here. But we navigated it, and soon were on I-75 heading south. And by now we were getting hungry. So we stopped in Dalton at a Cracker Barrel.

And we had a very good meal…but horrible service. I should have gotten a pic of our server, as I would have made her the poster child of Terrible Fiend Dining Service. She was atrocious, and dinner took way longer than it should have. But at least our tummies were full. And as I said before, we did enjoy our food.

Anna was in pretty good spirits considering she'd been strapped in the car for hours.

I had a roast beef dinner with grilled onions. It was quite tasty!

INC had a salad. She liked it.

I guess the mac n cheese was good?

After dinner, we gassed up and hit the road again. By now, it was pitch black and pouring rain. I knew that the Harvest Moon campground was just ahead in Adairsville, but that would still put us north of Atlanta and dealing with rush hour in the morning. So we pushed on in the rain, waved hello to Live4FW as we passed Kennesaw, and soon found ourselves in the belly of the beast…rainy, Wetlanta.

Traffic through Atlanta isn’t all that bad at 8:30pm, but with the very heavy rain and gusty winds, and also the narrower than normal (at least by my account) traffic lanes, the drive was still stressful. And there were an unusual number of tractor trailers that night, blowing by me at speeds much greater than my 60mph. We handled it all pretty well, but I could tell later by the cramping in my hands that I must have been gripping the steering wheel pretty tightly. INC was nervous as heck. Maybe she needed some of Pam’s wine. But all things considered we didn’t experience any real difficulties. And by 9:00 we were exiting the highway near McDonough to overnight at the Atlanta South RV Resort.

The first thing you notice when you pull in here is the very nice reception building. It was recently rebuilt, and they did a nice job of it. It makes you feel like you have arrived at a nice RV resort. Since it was dark when we arrived, I took these pics in the morning.

Unfortunately, the rest of the campground doesn’t give you that same feeling. This is a former KOA, and wouldn’t have been considered an exceptionally nice KOA even back in the day. The sites are lined up pretty close to one another. And there are a lot of permanent residents here.

Our site was decent enough, and fairly level. At least for an overnight.

And we had just about the smallest picnic table I've ever seen. It would be perfect if Anna and Stef ever decided to go camping together. :rofl2:

I checked out the bathhouse, but I wanted to get out of there so fast that I didn’t even take a pic. It was old, dirty, and to be honest a bit creepy. That’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Overall, for a quick overnight this wasn’t a terrible place. It was easy off and on the highway, and the price was reasonable. We had a pull though site, so I didn’t unhook. Just plugged in the electric and went to bed. So it worked for us. But if you require a shower in their facilities, I’d consider pressing further down the road.

Well, our first travel day went as well as could be expected with the weather and all. Anna rode like a champ, as did the other kids. The DVD player and headphones I installed helped immensely with DD5 and DD11. So we went to sleep tired but satisfied.

Coming up…GAG Me With A Fry!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I can't wait to read all about your trip and see more pictures of your beautiful family. What a blessing it has been for little Anna to become a part of your family...and I know you all feel blessed to have her.

You're right! She is such a blessing. Thanks for reading along, Holly!

Just saw your report. Your off to a great start and I am in.

Glad you are here, Michael. It was great meeting you guys last week.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Thanks for the wonderful beginning to this TR Dave. :heartsmiley:

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of sweet Anna's initiation into true Fiendom!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

1. That road does look scary.

2. I think everyone has stopped at a Cracker Barrell when driving in TN.

3. Do all men get cranking and stressed out when driving TT in the rain with big rigs pushing them around?

4. We have a roof bike rack too.. is yours really loud?

5. The DVD player is a parents best friend.

6. Stopping at any campground late at night, unless you've been there before, is a bit of a gamble.

7. I'm out of comments.. when does Gag me with a fry start?

[SCTigerCock 171]

Thanks for the wonderful beginning to this TR Dave. :heartsmiley:

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of sweet Anna's initiation into true Fiendom!

Yes Dave, thanks for your TR update.

Glad you guys got through ATL in one piece and look forward to the rest of your TR.

MO AKA, Ms. Slacker, where is your update?

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

I am lovin this trip report!!! What a beautiful family!

Looking forward to reading more!

Heidi

[stacktester 78]

I guarantee you Steph will think I put you up to the short joke. BTW, it was a good one lol.

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

Great start for this TR!

It was nice meeting you and your family. It seems we ran into you guys all over the Fort.

I agree about Chatty. It is not fun to tow through....nor is ATL.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Wow, Monteagle in the rain, blech. Thanks for the info on Atlanta South. I think I will continue to push on through to the Forsyth KOA for my overnight stop!! Their bath houses are really nice!!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

MO AKA, Ms. Slacker, where is your update?

Hey I can't read 'em and write 'em at the same time! :raspberry:

You shall have your update within the next 36 hours.

That's 2,160 minutes... 129,600 seconds...

start counting...

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Thanks for the wonderful beginning to this TR Dave. :heartsmiley:

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of sweet Anna's initiation into true Fiendom!

Thanks Monique. Anna had a lot of good Fiend encounters on this trip!

1. That road does look scary. It can be a bit intimidating, but you just have to take your time and get over it.

2. I think everyone has stopped at a Cracker Barrell when driving in TN. And GA too!

3. Do all men get cranking and stressed out when driving TT in the rain with big rigs pushing them around? Anyone that enjoys it should have their head examined.

4. We have a roof bike rack too.. is yours really loud? No, I actually never heard any noise from it. But my van isn't exactly aerodynamic anyways, so maybe I'm just used to wind noise.

5. The DVD player is a parents best friend. Amen.

6. Stopping at any campground late at night, unless you've been there before, is a bit of a gamble. Yeah. I read reviews online, and other than the bathhouse they were pretty accurate.

7. I'm out of comments.. when does Gag me with a fry start? Tomorrow night! I'm going to bed soon.

Yes Dave, thanks for your TR update.

Glad you guys got through ATL in one piece and look forward to the rest of your TR.

MO AKA, Ms. Slacker, where is your update?

Yeah Mo...where's the update??

I am lovin this trip report!!! What a beautiful family!

Looking forward to reading more!

Heidi

Thanks for reading, Heidi!

I guarantee you Steph will think I put you up to the short joke. BTW, it was a good one lol.

Thanks Donnie..LOL!

Great start for this TR!

It was nice meeting you and your family. It seems we ran into you guys all over the Fort.

I agree about Chatty. It is not fun to tow through....nor is ATL.

It was great meeting you and your family too. Don't worry, we weren't stalking you. :rofl3:

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

Ewwww.... in Pam's world, roads with those three unspeakable words ... runaway truck ramp... :dropjaw: posted beside them are to be avoided at all costs, :panic: especially in wet or foggy conditions... though honestly, it always seems to be wet or foggy on the mountains around here, sort of like an outdated thrill ride that you're not quite sure passed inspection when the carnival set up... :rollercoaster:

What those signs should say is "hand over a good dose of mighty special :wine: for the person not doing the driving b/c she's gonna need it and more". If I had to go home by that route, there's no doubt in my mind that the TT would live in FW's overflow lot year round...

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Wow, Monteagle in the rain, blech. Thanks for the info on Atlanta South. I think I will continue to push on through to the Forsyth KOA for my overnight stop!! Their bath houses are really nice!!

I purposely checked out the bath house knowing that would be an important factor for you. On to Forsyth!

Hey I can't read 'em and write 'em at the same time! :raspberry:

You shall have your update within the next 36 hours.

You know we are holding you to this?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Ewwww.... in Pam's world, roads with those three unspeakable words ... runaway truck ramp... :dropjaw: posted beside them are to be avoided at all costs, :panic: especially in wet or foggy conditions... though honestly, it always seems to be wet or foggy on the mountains around here, sort of like an outdated thrill ride that you're not quite sure passed inspection when the carnival set up... :rollercoaster:

What those signs should say is "hand over a good dose of mighty special :wine: for the person not doing the driving b/c she's gonna need it and more". If I had to go home by that route, there's no doubt in my mind that the TT would live in FW's overflow lot year round...

Just move into the Fort full time! That would solve your problems.

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

Just move into the Fort full time! That would solve your problems.

Obviously you spent far too much time talking to DH this trip... . :rofl2:

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

BradyBzLyn12...Monique, on 30 November 2011 - 09:45 PM, said:

Hey I can't read 'em and write 'em at the same time! :raspberry:

You shall have your update within the next 36 hours.

You know we are holding you to this?

Oh I fully expect some crazy Fiend to be knocking on my door in 36 hours and 2 minutes.

I'll likely get a face full of glitter when I open the door. :rofl2:

You shall have your update.

So it is written.

So shall it be done.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Oh I fully expect some crazy Fiend to be knocking on my door in 36 hours and 2 minutes.

I'll likely get a face full of glitter when I open the door. :rofl2:

You shall have your update.

So it is written.

So shall it be done.

I can honestly say no one has ever quoted the Ten Commandments in one of my trip reports before.

I like it!!!

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

Mo, you know I'd help you out there, but then they might realize I haven't started mine yet... :shh:

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Mo, you know I'd help you out there, but then they might realize I haven't started mine yet... :shh:

It's been noticed ... and you HAVE been warned in other threads! :dmmhu:

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

:panic:

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

HEY EVERYBODY, PAM HASN'T STARTED HER TRIP REPORT YET!!!

Hey - whatever it takes to get them off MY back.

Look Fiends... a shiny squirrel!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

I didn't know the Lodge Cast Iron store was in South Pittsburgh. DH keeps saying he wants to stop over in that town the next time we are heading over towards Chattanooga. He wants to find the haunted house that was shown on one of those ghost shows. I think the house use to be a hospital. Clearly I did not watch the show with him. So, as any good wife does I just smile and say sure. Now that I know the store is there....well maybe I'll have to be more encouraging about going to that town.

Loving all the pictures of your girls. You have travel trained them well.

[mrstnbob 39]

Dave, you really need to post Gwen's video she posted on facebook, I think everyone would get a kick out of it.