Back home safe and sound

 We had spent part of the evening Sunday packing up clothing from drawers and getting organized, and set out early Monday determined to reach home in enough time to unload then return the coach to its owner in West Palm Beach. I couldn’t help but think of the horse anxious to return to the barn, as I pushed the pedal and the speed limit a bit harder.  

I noticed a sign on the road for Georgia Peach World at two different exits, gauged  the gas situation, and figured I could manage to catch the second one at just the right time, and did! I left Clem to fill it up and check Loki’s needs, while I headed next door and bought peaches and peach fudge and peach tea, and pecans! Score one fun stop at least on our marathon trek for home! 

The rest of the trip was uneventful, save for one of those blinding downpours, and one gapers block for an overturned truck going in the  opposite direction. Thankfully we were not on that side, as the backup went for many miles , and those people were going nowhere soon. 

As we turned the corner into our neighborhood, noticing the lush green and familiar sights,  our friend Terri was just leaving and waved us down for a quick hello, and a promise to see each other when we got settled back in!   What are the odds of such timing?  We  pulled into our driveway  in the late afternoon, started unloading, and the afternoon Florida thunder storm moved in! At one point it was such a heavy downpour that Clem got stuck in the house and I was in the coach! I continued to put things at the door so we could more easily finish when it let up. 

The rain sheeting on the windows, coach parked in our driveway. It’s a bit wide! 

Just stack  it by the door and wait for rain to let up! 

I had packed all manner of pots and pans and spices, imagining I would cook like I did in our coach, but the space was not conducive, and now it seemed like such a waste to have taken it all!  That and far too many clothes. While that may be a pretty common occurrence for any trip, when your time is cut a week short and your itinerary slashed, I guess it exacerbates the situation. 

I thought about listing all the places we did not see on this trip, but I decided it was better to focus on all the good times we did have. And we did have a lot, despite it all!  If you are a first time follower, I’m sorry I didn’t have more funky attractions and historic places of interest as in our previous journeys!  Check out some of my older blogs for more of that if you’re interested. We have had some great trips and seen some amazing things. I’m thankful for each and every one of them, including this one.  Thanks for coming along on  the ride! 

Morning coffee back at home. 

   A Post Script for this trip.  This was our first time to go anywhere since the Covid Pandemic hit and we were locked down in March of 2020.  It was a long year for everyone, and while vaccinations became available and many of us scrambled to get them, many were hesitant or non believing, and as this trip progressed, so did the Delta Variant.  People are once again falling sick in record numbers, and mask mandates are being reinstated, just as we were all feeling free once again.  Sad to say, people are dying, requesting the vaccine, which it is obviously too late for.  But many are now finally lining up  to be vaccinated, and I leave this with the hopes that we can get it under control.  

The road to home

Our trip is often delayed with the amazing volume of traffic and of course the ever present summer construction on roadways, but the scenery is spectacular! I can’t help but think about the view from an airplane seat where it all looks like big squares.  Beautiful farmlands, fields of corn, rolling hills, and beautiful mountains, cows dotting the hillsides, pretty farm houses and miles and miles of white fences where horses roam, made for a lovely day of driving, despite the backups. It does kill me to pass all those brown signs pointing out historic sites, and the names of towns I had  planned to visit on this trip, But Clem is so determined to just be home at this point, he won’t even entertain the thought of a stop on the route to explore a point of interest. Though disappointed, I understand, and we push on, stopping for gas and to give our precious cargo a break and a chance to eat and drink, which he does not usually do when we are moving.

Spotted the obviously home made “Wily Moose” as we pulled into a rest area and had to walk back for a photo, which got even better when  its cowboy owner appeared. 

I’ll just sit up here so I can get a look around for a bit! 

Clem decided he would try to use our bathroom for a change,  and while he thought he could maybe get in, he wondered if he would get back out! With the slide in, it’s a real tight squeeze even for me. 

I keep a list of roadside attractions we have visited, and when we came upon these three huge crosses, I wondered if they were on it. I had my navigator snap a shot to document and will see, and submit if not!!

 Clem started looking for a campsite for the evening, and recognizing where we would be, I suggested one we had often stayed at, as it’s a good stopping point along the way, and quite pleasant. It’s a nice feeling returning to the same places, where you know it will be nice and there is a certain familiarity. We even have memories from this one, having seen a gorgeous coach with huge unique graphics of horses painted on the sides, and then seeing them again at a campsite in CT!  We had approached them there and told them we had seen them in Virginia, and they invited us to have a glass of wine.   They had a horse farm, were traveling with her 90 year old mother who joined us, and she was a hot ticket and we had a lovely visit! 

We normally pulled our big rig into the pull through sites out front, but they were full! Traveling in shoulder seasons, we rarely saw this volume, but again a lot could be post pandemic travelers. They had two sites and offered a ride on a golf cart to see them before deciding, which is a bit unusual. When I saw the first, I understood!  It’s a lovely site, but maneuvering in from the crest of a steep incline would be a challenge!  Since the other site was in a high traffic area, and we only had 24 feet to maneuver, I decided I was up to the challenge. We were  told that most people declined that site, even though it was nice and level and  afforded full hookups and a great view, and she offered a fifty percent discount! I think we were sold anyway, but appreciated the better rate on the more desirable site.  

Photo cannot do it justice, as you can see the Shenandoah mountains peeking over the trees. 

The mechanical problem we have can send mixed messages to the transmission, which it decided to do climbing the grade and hesitating, and I got a little nervous and decided to shift manually.  I got it up the steepest part of the incline and backed in, accompanied by a few butterflies in my belly, where we had a great view from the top of the hill. 

We broke out the wine after a long day on the road, and toasted our friends who we were NOT with, and sent them a selfie. 

The weather was beautiful and we sat outside and enjoyed our wine as the sun set. 

 I walked around the campground  getting some exercise and of course looking at all the different coaches. The variety is amazing, running the gamut from tiny tear drops with  just a place to sleep to 45 foot monstrosities with all the bells and whistles! The cabins were also large and quite nice, and sometimes fairly large groups were enjoying a BBQ at them.  

Nervous about the steep climb up to exit the next morning, having experienced the back in, I was also examining my options as I walked.   I had seen a golf cart loaded with people climb that last little bit, and the front wheels actually lifted off the ground! Sometimes roads are one way, but once assured I could get out in that direction, I opted for an exit going downhill, which turned out just fine with a slow wide turn,   with less rock and roll than I anticipated, and way less nerve wracking! 

Dash stocked with driving necessities, and we're ready to go! 

Yesterday was another travel day, with some really heavy rains at times causing limited visibility, but fewer traffic jams. 

A group apparently traveling together in these very cool cars, were lined up resting at the gas station. 

Clem spares no expense showing a girl a good time, and sprung  for lunch when we stopped for gas. Hot dog chips and a drink..$4! 

We stayed the night near Beaufort, SC, which had been on my list to see, but will have to wait. I was pleasantly surprised to pull into a lovely shaded campground with none other than a caboose at the entrance!  I snapped a photo while Clem registered us, but later realized while walking around that it’s equipped with beds and you can stay the night! There is a trolley at the back of the park similarly outfitted, and some really nice full size cabins. Another novelty of this park is the fresh baked pizza! Clem placed an order, and 20 minutes later picked up our dinner! 

Right in front of us checking in, the same coach we used to have, and even the same tow car! Clem is never shy about striking up a conversation, but I totally got this one! 

What a treat! A fresh pizza! Two meals “out” in one day!  We have had plenty of good food from the freezer and refrigerator, so no complaints, but the pizza was definitely fun. 

The not so good news is we have returned to heat and humidity. We left this morning from 66 comfortable degrees, and arrived to 95 humid ones in SC. How quickly one forgets. We walked around the campground and inspected the caboose and trolley, but soon returned to the comfort of the air conditioned  coach. 

Inside caboose has a bed and bunk beds. 

Another very unique feature of this campground!