Heading north before the snow, Pt. 1

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Right after Columbus Day, we left AL and headed north to see family and friends. Our first visit would be with friends Kurt and Annette in NC. We had last seen them this spring in FL and since then we both had endured problems with our RVs and had to have them repaired. Annette had undergone surgery for back issues and we really wanted to see how they were doing and visit them in northern North Carolina. So we followed our usual path through Chattanooga and Knoxville and north on I-40. But instead of continuing on I-81 to VA, we headed east on I-40 towards Asheville, NC. We'd been over that road a number of years ago, but apparently we were a) younger or b) had forgotten what is was like.

It's a lovely road, lots of gorgeous fall color in the mountains of the Smokies, and wonderful scenery. But we kept climbing...and climbing. The RV had undergone major transmission work and handled the mountains beautifully. Finally at the peak of the climb, we would start down. They had HUGE signs warning trucks of the 9 or 10 mile downgrade with 7% incline. Do not exceed 35 MPH! Trucks may pull to the berm to cool off brakes. There are three runaway truck ramps on the way down. And, there were two sharp curves where if you were doing more than 30 MPH, big lights started flashing. The biggest shock? Everyone went slow and the trucks kept to 35-40 MPH. It was stressful (Trish was driving) and beautiful. (Ah, both the scenery at the wheel and outside.) But I was so focused on helping Trish drive by watching traffic, looking far ahead (when possible) and sometimes closing my eyes, that I forgot to take pictures.

We finally got down and though we had planned to overnight at a WalMart, decided we were really tired and stressed and needed a restful night. So I called a campground we had stayed at before, near Hickory, NC, and they had a spot for us. We finally got off the interstate, navigated down some back roads and pulled into the campground at dusk. It was a lovely spot in a valley, away from the interstate and quiet and peaceful. Just what we needed! We had full hook-ups and picked up enough TV to watch news and weather. After a good night's sleep, we left to complete our trip to Kurt and Annette's.

Our route took us off the interstate and onto state and US highways. It was pleasant driving and we saw small towns and little villages. We got to our friends' house and were able to pull into their drive and hook up to electric. Both are doing well and we enjoyed eating, chatting, and the next day driving around the community and then sampling local barbecue at a small establishment. Kurt is right; there are as many good, different barbecues as there are places to eat--each is different. The recent hurricane had not caused any damage in their area, but we noted we might have to take back roads a bit before getting on I-95 because of some flooding issues. After only one full day, we all went out for breakfast then we battened down the RV, pulled out, and headed north.

The new GPS wanted us to follow back streets, alleys and odd streets, so we finally ignored it and used maps and good ol' dead reckoning to get to the interstate. Once on, we saw the southbound lane was closed and berms and bridges were being rapidly repaired and patched after damage from the storm. We headed north, went around Richmond (road STILL as rough as it was 8-9 years ago!) and finally to Fort AP Hill for a campsite. Once again, the post has a new process for getting in. Last year we had to register, show proof of citizenship, offer up 1st born, and wade through mounds of paperwork. This year, my retiree ID and Trish's driver's license were all they needed.

Campsite was a bit tight and they still haven't improved the water hookeups. (One pipe to be shared by two campers, so half the pipes are on the opposite side of the camper hookup.) But we got set up and then headed in to Fredericksburg to see Kim, Kris, and Jonathan. Kids had a full calendar of things to do: shop at Ikea, go to gym for water aerobics, visit state park for butterfly branding and release, hit up farmer's market. One new event got added while we were headed there--attend a memorial service for the husband of a woman Kim worked with in Shepherdstown, WV. Oh, and Kim had a list of about 8 home cooked meals (for 7 nights) she wanted to make PLUS go out to 2 or 3 places. Whew!! This was going to be a weight gaining visit.

The butterfly release at the state park was interesting. After learning about Monarch butterflies, the ranger showed a few butterflies he had caught and then put a teeny tiny tag on the wing. He wrote all the data of time, date, location and tag number on a log and then let one of the participants release the butterfly. Nets were passed out and folks went looking for more butterflies to capture, tag and release. Never knew you could "tag" a butterfly!

The memorial service was a bitter-sweet event. Kim saw many of the people she had worked with then she started at OPM, but friend Laurie, who's husband had passed away, was also a friend of them all. It was a very light memorial, outside on the patio of the Bavarian Inn, and overlooking the Potomac. We chatted with mutual friends and gave Kim a chance to reconnect and pay her respects.

Kim had taken the week off, so we had fun spending time with her and chatting, revisiting the neighborhood, going to the dog park with their chocolate lab, Sophia, and relaxing. We took the kids out to eat a couple of times, including to a new Japanese spot that had an awesome all-you-can-eat menu where we embarrassed the kids by eating more than any two of them. But WOW, what great food and variety. We worked off the food at their gym two days, doing water aerobics, including with Liz, the instructor we had worked with when we were going to a different gym 6 years ago; what a great surprise that was for all of us. Kim graciously put on a dinner one night for Joyce, Joe and Katie and that was fun; then the next night she prepared a different meal for Dave and Bonnie Lodge, just back from FL for brief visit and family obligations before returning to their new winter home in the Sarasota area. So we had a chance to eat, drink and be merry with old friends and to really enjoy the area for a bit.

Kim worked hard to prep some meals for her grandparents in Ohio and get them frozen. We had a cooler and with a lot of ice, we were going to take the meals to my folks where we were headed next. Finally, we prepped to leave VA and after hugging the kids one last time, headed back to the campground, ready to take off early Sunday morning to drive to Cleveland and my folks.

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Photos

Mother/Daughter at Farmer's Market
We used to go to the Farmer's Market in Spotsylvania when we lived there. Kim goes regularly for fresh fruit and veggies and we went early on Saturday AM. Lots of good things, including some pies and breads to take back to the RV!

Dog Park in Fredericksburg
Kim and Kris take Sophie to the dog park regularly. We went along to see how excited Sophie gets and watch her play with other dogs and greet people.

Camping at Fort AP Hill
We've been here many times. It's about 35 minutes to the kids, but is out in the woods, has great hook ups and wonderful bath house.

Mushrooms by the campsite
Must have had more moisture than we've had in Alabama.

Looking for fairies
So MANY mushrooms and so many different kinds.

Big and little mushrooms
We were captivated by the number and variety of mushrooms all around our campsite.