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Whitewater Falls
Whitewater Falls
Next on my water fall list was Whitewater Falls. So once I’d managed to make my way up the hill from Silver Run Falls I collapsed in my car to catch my breath and review the directions. Even though my knees were hurting I really wanted to double up. I hate wasting precious time. I drove back and forth in the area the falls were supposed to be without success until I tried a large park turn off. It didn’t have any sign for the falls on the road which is why I kept missing it. I finally tried the turn off just to see where it would take me. I expected a camp ground or something like that. Instead it was the parking area for the falls.
There was nothing “wild” about the parking area. It was a large manicured area with paved parking and paved paths. They even have restrooms and picnic tables. There were dispensers for parking passes. Fees are reasonable, $3 for vehicles with seven passengers or less; $1 per person for more than seven people traveling together in a vehicle.
I started across the large lawn but every step was like a knife up my leg. This was not going to work.
Disappointment
As I realized that my old body was letting me down once again I felt the disappointment and frustration wash over me. I promised myself that I would come back again and make this my 1st stop of the day next time. I really wanted to see this falls. This falls was just featured in an episode of Expedition X where Phil Torres ( A Main Character) climbed the falls. They talked about the stairs to the bottom of the falls where his co star waited and watched. The falls were beautiful in that program.
Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies. The falls plunge an amazing 411 feet. For an excellent view of Whitewater Falls, follow the paved walkway to the upper overlook. The walkway begins at the end of the parking lot and is accessible to wheelchairs. Unfortunately I didn’t have a wheelchair, just my gimpy knees. A lower overlook is located at the bottom of 154 wooden steps
We’ve Played this Game Before
We’ve Played this Game Before
Have you ever seen those games of lists on Facebook. You know the ones. They ask you things like how many of the following list of books you’ve read or how many classic films you’ve seen. There’s even a list of foods you hate! Well I was trying to visit all 50 states but I kind of got off track. So let’s play another version of the game called How Many states have you visited?
Rules of the Game
For a state to count you must have spent time there. You can’t count changing planes even if you do have a long layover. No you need to spend at least one full day there. Even better is a weekend or a vacation. For example, I had changed planes in Washington DC many times but I couldn’t cross Washington DC off the list until I spent a long weekend exploring the National Mall and looking at frozen cherry blossoms. If I truly want to experience the Cherry Blossoms I’ll need to go back but I can put a check by Washington DC.
The List of States
- Alabama – No
- Alaska – Yes- Breathtaking and majestic. Loved the glaciers
- Arizona – Yes- Sedona and Red Rock Country. I took my first helicopter ride in Arizona.
- Arkansas – No
- California – Yes but not for vacation (I spent 3 days in San Diego at a business convention)
- Colorado- No
- Connecticut – Yes (I spent a weekend in Old Saybrook but I don’t remember why)
- Delaware – No
- Florida – Yes- Love Florida, too bad it’s going to be underwater because of Global Warming. I go often to enjoy it while I can.
- Georgia – Yes The Georgia Aquarium is huge and don’t forget to go to the World of Coca Cola
- Hawaii – Yes Oahu, Big Island and Maui. Still need to go to Kauai. Best time is February when the whales put on quite a show. I also snorkeled with Manta Rays and watched Kilauea prepare to blow her top.
- Idaho – No
- Illinois- Yes But I need to go again. It was a business trip to Chicago, one of the first times I’d ever been on an airplane (a long time ago) I don’t remember much.
- Indiana – No
- Iowa – No
- Kansas – No
- Kentucky – No
- Louisiana – Yes, New Orleans. Great food!
- Maine – Yes Saw my first wild Moose there
- Maryland – Yes Went to the Navel Academy in Annapolis when my brother was a midshipman.
- Massachusetts – Yes I guess I can say Yes. I live in Massachusetts
- Michigan – No
- Minnesota – No
- Mississippi – No
- Missouri – No
- Montana- No
- Nebraska – No
- Nevada- Yes – Vegas Baby! Great Shows Great Food Fun Times
- New Hampshire – Yes I explored the White Mountains
- New Jersey – No
- New Mexico – No
- New York – Yes My childhood home plus I have visited Niagara Falls several times
- North Carolina – No
- North Dakota – No
- Ohio -No
- Oklahoma – No
- Oregon – No
- Pennsylvania- No
- Rhode Island – Yes- Walked the cliff walk and visited the Mansions. Even went to a black tie ball in one
- South Carolina- Yes My brother’s wedding
- South Dakota – Yes That was an awesome vacation- So much to do there!
- Tennessee – Yes – Stayed in Gatlinburg and visited Pigeon Forge. Skipped Dollywood
- Texas – Yes – San Antonio. Stayed right on the River Walk
- Utah – No
- Vermont – Yes Maple Syrup anyone?
- Virginia – Yes Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Garden Christmas Town
- Washington State- Yes Spent a week on a business trip in Seattle. Took pictures from the top of the space needle and visited Chihuly Gardens
- West Virginia – No
- Wisconsin – Yes Say Cheese. Actually My brother’s retirement party from the Navy was held in Kenosha
- Wyoming – Yes One of my favorite places. Jackson Hole (Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone)
- Washington DC – Yes, On a frozen , icy weekend (as mentioned above)
Now Its Your Turn
What does your list look like? How Many states have you visited? Which of my “No” States should I visit next?
Resolutions Anyone?
Resolutions or no?
Are you big on making New Years Resolutions or do you just say no? Personally I don’t think I pay much attention to an annual To Do List that I’m probably going to blow off in the first 2 weeks anyway. Doesn’t everyone plan to lose weight? How many times is that going to be on your list? But I do think taking stock of your life and where its going is a good idea. Seems to me quarterly would be better than annually but maybe I just need to do it more often to stay on track. Here’s a few of the things I am working on for 2020. I’m not sure of they are resolutions , goals or just wishful thinking.
Work Resolutions
Work is a big part of my life so I’m starting there. Work has been pretty scary in 2019 so I am anxious to take more control. There have been a lot of changes and more to come in the near future. Like I said, scary. Will my boss be the same? Will I need to change roles or apply for another position? Will I end up working for someone I don’t respect or trust? With all the reorganization anything is possible. So to combat my feelings about all this upheaval I want to be better organized. I want to be pro-active. If I am aware of a problem then I want to take steps to correct it. I want to develop a training program, not just wing it. I want to standardize procedure so everyone knows what to do. I want to lead a strong and united team.
Health Resolutions
My hip replacement was a 100% success. My doctor has given me 2 thumbs up but now I need to worry about my knee. X-rays show that the pain I have going up and down stairs is real, not a figment of my imagination. It shows degeneration to the point of bone on bone. You guessed it, I need a complete knee replacement. Pretty soon I’ll be the bionic woman. My doctor says we may be able to delay the surgery with cortisone shots and exercise. He suggested PT again. But tops on his list before he’ll do the surgery is weight loss. I’m trying. I’ve been working diligently on that since July but it’s 2 lbs off 1.5 lbs back on. Not much progress. I guess I’ll have to make more of an effort in 2020.
Fun & Hobby Resolutions
I haven’t been a very fun person in 2019. I got quite lazy during my hip recovery. I put travel on the back burner and did absolutely no weekend adventures. As a result I didn’t take many pictures and didn’t have much to say here. So aroundustyroads suffered and so did my companion blogs, dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com and dustyroadsphotos.com . I will try to make a better effort in 2020. More adventures= more posts.
Friends & Family Resolutions
As any member of my family and many of my friends will tell you, I’m not a warm fuzzy sort. I forget birthdays and anniversaries. I didn’t send my Christmas cards last year or this year. I don’t go visit anyone. I’m always busy, busy , busy. But I hope they know that I love them all and worry behind the scenes about the trials they face. I should show them more often that I do care what’s going on in their life and if I can help at all I want to. There have been so many losses both in my family and in my friend’s that we …I….need to cherish those that are still with with us. Life is too short not to.
So What about you?
So now that I’ve shared my thoughts, fears and aspirations for 2020 what about you? Will you take time for any self reflection?
Over Hill and Dale
The Hills of Busch Gardens
Last time we got together I told you we were warned about the steep hills at Busch Gardens. Well it was no understatement. A tram takes visitors from the parking area to the entrance. Its a very similar set up to Disney World. The Tram operator was very nice about muscling the scooter onto the train. He returned to help us take it off as well. So far so good.
Christmas Town
Once we went through security we headed down Main St in Christmas town. It was just beginning to get dark but even if the lights weren’t fully on display there were other lovely decorations. One of my favorite decorations was the clock tower. I loved the way that was decked out.It was simple but elegant!
The Hills are Real
Leaving Main Street behind we began to wander the rest of the park. It wasn’t long before we came to the first hill. And it was a hill. Unlike the gradual slope one might expect in an amusement park where everyone is walking this little hill was quite steep. I pointed my scooter at the hill and started up.
About half way to the top the scooter began to lose power. Then it quit entirely. If that was all it would have been no problem. We could have just hopped off and pushed it the rest of the way but that’s not what happened. No! That scooter started rolling backward down the hill gaining speed as it went. It almost tipped over before I managed to get off and stop it. Other visitors all came running to give me a hand. I was so embarrassed. I thought I’d done something wrong!
Let’s try this again
We pushed the scooter to the top of the hill, turned it back on and went on our way. We wound our way past Pompeii’s wall of lights and through the polar bears. This was all pretty flat but then it was time to tackle another hill. Even being prepared did not stop it from happening again. By now I was getting very skittish. Joe said he would drive it up the next hill so we continued on. This was certainly putting a damper on our adventure…at least for me.
