Day 40 – (06/11) Columbus, OH (home again)

Weather – It was mostly sunny, temperatures in the mid-80s.

We had a relaxing morning and left the campground at 10am.

Site #56 at Natural Bridge KOA
(very rustic, lots of leveling was needed)

The day was pleasant; the road was good and the hilly (mountainous?) scenery was interesting.  We decided to head for home with intentions of stopping overnight along the way.

Our 372 mile route from Natural Bridge went north on I-81 to I-64, west on I-64 to I-77 at Beckley WV, north on I-77 to US 33 at Ravenswood WV and north on US 33 to Columbus.  We stopped in Beckley to see Tamarack (the WV center for arts and crafts) and have lunch. The products there are beautifully made and worthy of a look even if you don’t buy.

Entering Ohio at Ravenswood

Bridge over Ohio River
(from Ravenswood WV to Pomeroy OH)

Nice greeting!

We were slowed by highway construction at Nelsonville.  Two lanes of US 33 were merged into one and the resulting backed-up traffic crawled through the center of town.

Best laid plans and all that stuff … we arrived at our RV storage lot at 6:45pm.  The "smell of the hay" simply won out over the thought of another night on the road.

Reflections

This trip had a different “feel” than our three previous.  It was earlier in the year (May-Jun vs. Sep-Nov), in more populous areas, and involved more stops to visit friends and relatives.  We got to see places we’ve only heard about and met many nice people.

We’ve now been to the NW-most, SW-most and southern-most points in the continental US.  The NE point must be next.

Summary
6,198 miles driven (13.9 mpg)
4,869 miles towing the trailer
17 states

Preparations - pretty simple
Trailblazer - oil change and filter
Trailer - wash
Trailer - check and lube wheel bearings

Things Fixed – pretty simple
Trailer - replaced a few internal rivets

Day 39 – (06/10) Natural Bridge, VA

Weather – Temperatures ranged from the high-80s in the valley to mid-70s in the mountains. It was mostly sunny until late afternoon when storm clouds passed overhead and dropped a few sprinkles.

Today was packed with scenic, fun, exciting, curious and surprising events.  There are probably too many to describe, but here goes.

Before Leaving Staunton KOA

We met a young family who had the same size and model Airstream as ours.  It’s a year newer. We congratulated them on the wisdom of their selection and swapped travel stories.  We were impressed that they are full-timers at such a young age … with an 11 month old baby and a dog to boot.

A bunch (6 to be exact) of ducks decided we needed help connecting the trailer.  They marched up to the open door and started quacking instructions.

Blue Ridge Parkway

We drove 90 miles on the parkway from Waynesboro to Bearwallow Gap.  It was very scenic and quite different from Skyline Drive … poorer road surface; more curves; steeper grades; fewer guard rails; and more historical/educational signs. 

Greenstone Overlook - 3,000 ft

Rock Point Overlook - 3,115 ft

Fork Mountain View - 3,250 ft

We saw no other RVs (motor homes, 5^th wheels, pop-up campers or trailers) on the entire drive.  It’s curious … did we miss a memo?

Parkway view: tree-lined and pastoral

Parkway view: includes a tunnel, too 

Carol saw more deer and a brown bear.

Carol became excited to see Peaks of Otter when she noticed it on the route.  She visited there with her family many years ago.  The area was not as she remembered it.  Here are views of the lake outside the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Restaurant.

We left the parkway by going west on VA 43.  This was a fast and very exciting way to get to I-81.  The warning sign at the entrance to the route said not recommended for semi-trucks, RVs or trailers.  It was 4 miles of switch-backs, steep descent and sharp turns.  A number of semis have tried it and have paid $7,000 to get towed out of trouble.  We saved 30 miles of driving, but wouldn’t try it again with a longer trailer.

Campground

Storm clouds were building when we got to the Natural Bridge KOA.  We decided to check-in and get set-up before exploring the area.  It’s a nice campground just off I-81.  It’s hilly and has lots of trees.

Natural Bridge

We toured the Natural Bridge, the Toy Museum, the Butterfly Exhibit, and the Monacan Indian Village.

Carol begins the 137 steps down to the Natural Bridge

This Arbor Vitae was 1600 years old when it died  in 1980.  
It was the oldest and largest in the world.  It is 56 inches in diameter.

We drove over the Natural Bridge while driving to see it.

Natural Bridge

Women's work area

Monacan lodge (called an Ati) - exterior

Monacan lodge (called an Ati) - interior

We had a fun, tasty dinner at the Pink Cadillac Diner (a 50s-style, family restaurant).

We travelled 129 miles in 8 hours today.  It wasn't fast, but it was very full.  

Day 38 – (06/09) Staunton, VA

Weather – well, it really depended where we were.  It was in the mid-90s in the valley and the high-70s along Skyline Drive.

We tried to avoid some of the heat by getting connected early.  We were on the road by 9am. 

Today’s drive of 132 miles was mostly in the Shenandoah National Park on Skyline Drive along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  We started at the Front Royal (N) entrance and exited at the Rockfish Gap (S) entrance.  Turnouts, photo-ops, and a 35mph speed limit combined to make this a 5+ hour drive.   Unfortunately, many of the views were muted by haze.

The Road is in excellent condition and offers frequent turnouts for overlooks. 

There are many tree-lined stretches

This wild turkey (and babies) enjoyed the road , too
(we saw turkeys, deer and rabbits)

Valley Views

Shenandoah Valley Overlook

Gooney Manor Overlook

Jenkins Gap Overlook 

Ridge Views

How many ridges can you see through the haze?

Marys Rock Tunnel

Some have questioned whether the tunnel was needed, or just added for tourist appeal.

Entering the tunnel

Looking back

Mountain Laurel

Carol was impressed by the mountain laurel in bloom along the highway.

A little history

Campground

We ended the day in a very nice, large campground.   Walnut Hills KOA Campground & RV Park is in Staunton, VA.

Site #75 - Staunton KOA

They have a lake, many cabins and tenting sites
(Kerplonken Lake is for fishing only)

Day 37 – (06/08) Bentonville, VA

Weather – Sunny, really hot (high 90s) and very humid

The stay at Capitol KOA has been delightful.  It’s perfectly located for visits to Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington.  Remember this one for future trips.

The plan

This was the day we literally “ran for the hills”.  We originally planned to tour D.C.  However, the weather report forecast temperatures near 100° and high humidity … not a good day to wander around the capitol grounds.  So, we headed west to the Shenandoah Mountains. 

The trip

The 122 mile trip sounded pretty simple, but it was far from it.  You have to meet Babe to understand what happened.  Our new GPS has a female voice and we talk to it/her as we attempt to follow the directions.  We’ve come to call it Babe.  OK, so we have a Babe in the car and we’re trying to learn when to trust her.  Today we agreed to follow the GPS no matter what.  We expected to be routed around Washington to I-66 west toward Front Royal, VA via the Beltway.  Unfortunately, Babe took us through downtown Washington at noon.  We got to see the Capitol, The Kennedy Center, Watergate, etc. as they passed by against our wishes.   The cabbies were merciless and our knuckles were white.  We made it with no damage and now claim to be the dumbest GPS owners in Columbus.

The drive west on I-66 (past Fairfax) was quite pleasant.  We prefer wilderness to asphalt.  The forests, hills, mountains and uncluttered highways were a welcome sight.

The campground

We’re camped at Shenandoah River Raymond R. “Andy” Guest, Jr. State Park off VA route 340, south of Front Royal.  The RV campground part of the park is exceptional.  It's 1 year old and very well designed.  We have water and electric service at the site.  There’s no Verizon cell phone coverage.

Site #8 - Shenandoah River S.P.

View from our side window

Example sites and cabins

The Shenandoah River runs beside the campground

Shenandoah River from Cullers Overlook
(we're still within the park) 

It was nice to have no TV and Internet coverage for a change.  We played Banana and Dick won.

Day 36 – (06/07) Millersville, MD (Day 2)

Weather – Mostly sunny, high 80s, increasing humidity

This was a day to see some of Baltimore.  We drove to Alisha’s, walked to the bus line, rode to the Visitor Center at the Inner Harbor, took a water taxi to Fells Point, had lunch, took a water taxi to Ft. McHenry and back to the Inner Harbor.  Alisha picked us up at the harbor and had us experience two of her favorite dining places.

Alisha’s home is located in the Federal Hill district.   There are many row houses here and parking is very limited.  The buildings are well maintained.  Alisha has nearly finished a complete renovation of the interior. 

There are lots of nice surprises inside.

The new kitchen

The new living room (from dining room)

New dining room

New home office

Vanya (Alisha's cat) really rules the roost

Federal Hill - here are a few sights from our walk to the bus stop.

 

Inner Harbor

Baltimore has a beautiful and lively waterfront.  Here are some of the sights.

This was our ride to Fells Point and to Ft. McHenry
($10 gets you a ride for the whole day)

The Lightship Chesapeake

Aquarium with USS Torsk in the foreground

There are some dandy places to live in the harbor

A sweet place to visit
(this 1950s-vintage neon sign costs $100,000 a year to power and maintain )
(it's the size of a basketball court)

USS Constellation

Fells Point is the oldest deep-water seaport on the harbor.  It has become a tourist target ... the main streets are lined with bars, restaurants and shops.  The water taxi transfer to/from Ft. McHenry occurs here.

Arriving at Fells Point's Broadway Pier

We had a great lunch here.

Businesses line Thames St.

Ft. McHenry is where the Americans turned back the attack of the British during the War of 1812.  It’s the home of The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key.

The flag is still there

These cannons represent the largest guns that defended the fort  during the War of 1812
(they fired 18 and 36 pound iron balls almost 1½ miles)

Dinner

Alisha took us to Baba’s Mediterranean Restaurant for a delightful dinner of chicken kabobs on a bed of rice with hummus and a side salad.  This little restaurant is new (2 years old) and very popular in the area.  We were greeted by the chef when we ordered at the counter.  The meal was excellent and the staff was very friendly … we met the owner.

Dinner at Baba's

We ended the evening with gourmet desserts on the patio at The Wine Market.