1951 – Grover & Jim’s Road Trip Pictures – Fridley Family Photo Archive

Prior to entering the service, Dad and his good friend, Jim Hershey, took a road trip from Ohio through Virginia and Tennessee to see the sights and enjoy hiking together. Along the way Dad mailed postcards back to his sister, Dorothy (Dot), keeping her up to date on their whereabouts. Based on what he wrote to Dot, and landmarks found in the pictures below, I believe this is the approximate route they took:

Columbus, Ohio (Departed around February 20th)
Natural Bridge State Park, Virginia
The Saddle Overlook, Virginia
Lovers Leap Scenic Overlook, Virginia
Mount Mitchell, North Carolina
Mabry Mill, Virginia
Laurel Falls Trail, Tennessee
Lookout Mountain
- Garrity’s Alabama Battery, Point Park Tennessee
- Rock City, Georgia
Columbus Ohio, (Returned around March 4th)

The last two stops, Nashville and Louisville, are my assumptions to close the loop of their route. If Dad shared his actual route with anyone, please add a comment to this post and I’ll update with the correct information. It also appears Dad and Jim were still figuring out all the settings on their camera based on the blurred images in some of the pictures… 😉

Columbus Ohio (Around February 20th)

Somewhere Along the Way

Not sure where these pictures were taken. If you know, please let me know and I’ll update this post.

Natural Bridge State Park, Virginia

The Saddle Overlook, Virginia

Lovers Leap Scenic Overlook, Virginia

Mount Mitchell, North Carolina

Mabry Mill, Virginia

Lookout Mountain

Garrity’s Alabama Battery, Point Park Tennessee

Rock City, Georgia

In the Lookout Mountain Area

Somewhere Along the Way

I was unable to determine where exactly this old homestead was along the route. Looking at where these pictures were in Dad’s album, it seems to be towards the end of their trip. If you know, let me know… 🙂