Some states know to to mark their highest point, and some don’t.  Unlike South Carolina, Tennessee knows how to make a visitor feel welcome.  On Tuesday, August 19, 2008 we successfully reached the highest point of Tennessee, know as Clingman’s Dome.  It was 6,643 feet high, and made even higher by a concrete observation platform.

The drive up to the peak was one of the better drives we have taken thus far.  The road was a fairly new road, with a smooth surface.  The usual winding back and forth for tens of miles made everyone very eager to get to the top.  When we finally arrived, it was a very, very popular tourist attraction.  There were more cars here than in North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell’s parking lot.  I would guess at least 30 cars were parked here, with people of all types there to make the summit.  

From the parking lot, there is a paved path up to the observation tower, which is about a half-mile in length.  It is a fairly steep grade, making those people who aren’t as physically fit out of breath.  They have several benches along the way, but we made it just fine.  I had to carry Daddy’s Little Girl for about five minutes, but otherwise everyone made it just fine.  I found it really funny to see people with hiking sticks, water bottles, backpacks, and hiking boots.  Then there were elderly people, people who were obviously overweight, and even a person in front of me wearing flip-flops.  It attracts all types.

When we finally reached the observation tower, it looked like a giant spiral sidewalk.  It rose about 50 feet into the air, and took only a couple of minutes to walk up.  The view from the top was fantastic.  My only complaint was that the view was obscured by clouds or smog.  One sign at the top told us the view was decreasing over time due to pollution from coal-fired power plants.  The sign at the bottom near the parking lot told us the view was obscured because of the heavy amount of water being carried into the air.  Either way, the view was magnificent, but could have been better if there were no clouds or smog.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a sign at the top for a photographic moment.  We looked around the base of the tower for a geological marker, but couldn’t find it.  We later found it on our way down to the parking lot, near the start of the trail by a large rock outcrop.

I was very impressed by the time and effort that Tennessee put into marking this place.  It was obvious that it attracted a lot of visitors each year, and people enjoyed being able to see the view.  If other states are like this, I will be very impressed.  South Carolina has a long way to go to match this high point.

This highpoint was supposed to be just an hour away from our hotel in Asheville, North Carolina.  When we left, we started down a road and quickly found a sign that said “Road Closed, 15 miles Ahead.”  Our only problem was that the GPS told us the highpoint was 26 miles down this road.  That would be a problem.

We found a park ranger in the Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Shop, who kindly told us the only way to the top was to go around the other side of Mt. Mitchell.  ”You don’t have a trailer, right?” Asked the park ranger.  No, we didn’t have a trailer.  ”Nobody gets car sick, right?” She asked again.  Nope.  ”Good, because the way up to the top of the mountain is very steep and curvy.  Little did we know she wasn’t exaggerating!

The small road we took for a detour eventually turned into a dirt road, one lane wide, and was the narrowest hair raising road of the trip thus far.  If we met another car, one of us was going to have to back up about a half mile to find enough room to pass each other.  We took this road rather fast, hoping we would get off of it before seeing another car.  We passed one car on the way up, and one car pulling a trailer on the way down.  It was a five mile long dirt road, one we never want to drive on again.

We eventually found the blacktop again, and made it to the summit of Mt. Mitchell.  Once we got there, it was apparent that North Carolina valued it’s highest point since there were school busses (who apparently took a different route to the top), and numerous cars.  This was a popular destination.

Our biggest letdown was when we tried to walk to the actual summit.  A park ranger politely informed us that the summit was under construction and nobody but construction workers were allowed at the peak.  We were crushed!  We met another couple who were also seeking the highpoint (it was their 27th state!) and they too were disappointed.  Although everyone was nice, North Carolina really blew it this time by not at least allowing a small walking path to the summit during construction.  I realize they were trying to keep people safe, but some people (like us) traveled very far to reach this point.  

We still considered this a successful highpoint since we were able to achieve the highest point were were legally able to reach in the state.  That and we were about 500 feet from the actual peak.  Close enough.

The drive back down really took a toll on our car’s brakes.  The dirt road left our car covered in white dirt.  The car rental company is going to love us.  We stopped and had lunch at a scenic overlook.  This highpoint was really beautiful, although some of the views were obscured by clouds that covered some of the nearby peaks.  In fact, the kids really enjoyed it when a cloud formation descended over the cars in the parking lot.  It was a spectacular sight to see.

Highpoint number two completed!

For some reason, Tennessee was the state that caused the most fighting.  Everyone seemed to want to write a state report about Tennessee.  Maybe it was because Tennessee is known for country music, Elvis Presley, and is the birthplace of Davy Crockett.  Maybe it’s just because the name has so many pairs of double letters.

In any event, we solved the problem by assigning this state’s report to my wife, let’s call her “the Loving Wife.”  Oddly enough, she had the hardest time finding time to complete her state report and was the last to finish.  Maybe it’s because she was playing referee between Older Son and Younger Son’s constant battles.  In any event, she finished her report and was very pleased at how it turned out.

This report was also created using Apple’s Pages software, which has a number of nice templates to use for reports and presentations.  The library books we found were full of information on each state, and compiling the information wasn’t very difficult.  Here is her state report on Tennessee.

Every once in a while a product comes along that really impresses you.  This is one of those products.  For a couple of hundred dollars (the product price plus a year subscription to the service), you get a way to call for emergency help in the remotest jungle on the planet.  

The SPOT satellite messenger is a GPS enabled device which uses satellites to relay information about you, and about any emergency conditions which you may encounter.  The device is simple, it has only four buttons.  One button turns it on and off, another sends an “I’m okay.” message, one sends a non-emergency “Help” message, and the final button sends an emergency distress call.

The device uses a couple of AA lithium batteries, which last an unbelievable amount of time, over a year of use.  It appears to be waterproof, but I wouldn’t use it in any application worse than a few raindrops.  The LEDs on the front of the device are nice and bright, and easy to see in sunlight.  My only complaint?  The plastic belt clip is a little cheap.  If they strengthened this, added a loop for a lanyard, then the device would be perfect.  The device also takes a little while to obtain a GPS signal, but nothing longer than some of the commercial GPS units on the market.  After a few minutes, it has a nice lock on the satellites.

One of the reasons I purchased this device is because it offers a way for our relatives to track our progress as we visit each state highpoint and travel on each expedition.  I ran a test today, and set the device into a mode where it relays your position on this planet to a remote server every 10 minutes.  In this test, I was driving from Duluth, Minnesota to the Twin Cities at 70 mph.  It even has a nice web site which shows a map of these tracks.  My test can be shown here.  

Finally, if anyone wants to track our progress, you can view our real time position in the U.S. at this site.  Please note that the site will only be updated if we have our SPOT messenger turned on, and are currently on an expedition.

After making a mistake and writing my first report on South Carolina, I finally found time to write my report on the correct state, North Carolina.  Obviously, to save time, I reused my old template.  When I presented my report to my family, they were impressed by the use of a template from my Pages software.  It was a lot easier than it looks.

Without further ado, I now present our third report on the state of: North Carolina

What I carefully failed to mention in my last post was that before Older Son completed his state report, I had asked him which state he wanted.  I planned to take the last state that wasn’t selected, giving our kids the first chance to write about a state they wanted.  Somehow our lines were crossed, and I ended up writing about the same state, South Carolina.  So in the interest of not wasting electrons, I’m posting my accidental state report on South Carolina.

My oldest son, now nine years old (let’s call him “Older Son”), completed his state report on South Carolina.  He made it very clear that he didn’t want to complete a state report.  It took more than the usual begging, pleading, and cajoling before we were able to convince him to participate with the family on this project.  I’m not sure why, I think it must have something to do with the way a nine year-old’s brain is wired.  

His first attempt was done in pencil on a piece of typing paper.  I tried about ten times, and it simply wouldn’t scan in dark enough to be readable.  After another round of forceful persuasion, we finally convinced him to trace it over with a pen.  He chose not to write it over on a new sheet of paper in order to save time.  I’m impressed what he could quickly put together about the state of South Carolina.  One again the PDF version of his report is included below.

Our second state report: South Carolina

My just-turned-eight year old son, lets call him “Younger Son,” completed his first state report on the state of Georgia.  I asked him to write a one page summary of some facts about the state.  The intent was two-fold.  First, we would learn something interesting about a state we were about to visit, and second, he would learn how to write a coherent report.  Something I’m still working on!

I promised to post his summary on this site, and I have attached it as a PDF link below.  After a few complaints about having to do a report, and after a trip the library to obtain books about various states, he finally took to the project and completed it.  All-in-all, four states were assigned (including one to me), and we sat down one evening and discussed the states we had selected.  I have to admit, it was pretty fun.  I think everyone was proud of their report, the adults included.

Our first state report: Georgia

In order to take our two year old daughter (let’s call her “Daddy’s Little Girl”) on many of these adventures, we needed a way to help her walk long distances or travel over rough terrain. Enter the Kelty FC 3.0 backpack. Well, it’s not so much of a backpack (although there is one pocket) but rather a child seat for your back.

The construction is top notch. The fabric is strong enough to stand up to a two year old, and cleans up easily. It fits comfortably on your back (for a male), but my wife says it feels like it hangs too low. We probably have a setting a little off on the pack, since everything can be adjusted.

My two year old hates riding in a bike seat on the back of my wife’s bike. Oddly enough, she really enjoys riding in this pack. I’m not sure why, but that makes hikes possible with a two-year old.

Everything considered, I’m glad we chose this backpack carrier. I just wish the price would have been a bit lower.