Category: States

Day 7: Driving through Farmland

Posted in Illinois, RV Parks, WildflowersTagged , , 2 Comments

Day 7: Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Kamp Komfort RV Park, Carlock, Illinois Site 14. 383 miles traveled. Crossed into Central Time Zone.

The scenery in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois was totally different from the mountains we saw yesterday and the roads were mostly straight instead of the curvy, mountain roads. The only time we weren’t surrounded by farmland was while we were on the bypass around Dayton and while it rained on us going around Indianapolis.  Many of the fields have been recently planted so we couldn’t tell what crops will be growing soon. In some places we could see then tiny sprouts jutting up through the rich, dark soil.

This old barn is located just down the road from the campground
We drove through Indiana
Entering Illinois
Kamp Komfort is located on this country road
Flag on a mailbox in Carlock, I
The campground is across the street from this field – notice the windmills in the distance
Our home for the night after a long day driving
Our view out the back window
These wildflowers formed hedges surrounding the campground

Day 6: Crossing the Appalachian Mountains

Posted in Ohio, RV Parks, SunsetTagged , , , 4 Comments

Day 6: Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Claytor Lake State Park to Chillicothe, 278 Miles traveled.

Our prayers go out to everyone in Moore, Oklahoma.

We woke up and it wasn’t raining! We left our campground a little after 9:00 am.

We traveled through the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia most of the day. We climbed many steep grades and passed through the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel. The mountains are covered in their brilliant green spring leaves.

Big Walker Mountain Tunnel on I-77
Coal Barge in West Virginia
Capitol of West Virginia in Charleston
We crossed the Ohio River to enter Ohio
We passed by Bob Evans Farms on US 35 in Ohio
Our home for the night at Sun Valley Campground
View out the back window at Sun Valley, Chillicothe, Ohio
Sunset in Chillicothe, OH

Traveling through the mountains means slow driving. To make it even slower there was construction all along the route. We had to stop three times to pay toll on the West Virginia Turnpike. The toll is $2 at each toll booth for a car, $2.50 for our truck and trailer.

We arrived at our campground around 3:30. Henry made a run to Walmart to fill the truck with diesel – $3.759 per gallon.

We relaxed outside in the sunny, warm weather before dinner and managed to catch the sunset before settling in for the night.

Days 2, 3, 4 and 5 – Rainy Days in Southwestern Virginia

Posted in Rainy Days, RVing, State Parks, VirginiaTagged , , , , , 11 Comments

Day 2, Friday May 17: We traveled 113 miles from Statesville, NC to Claytor Lake State Park in Dublin, VA. Claytor Lake is a great state park and an easy drive to our daughter’s house. Her family came to the park on Friday night for burgers, hot dogs and s’mores. We started having sprinkles in the afternoon but the weather cooperated and didn’t start raining until after dinner.

Welcome to Virginia!
Claytor Lake State Park, Dublin, VA Site D22
View out our back window at Claytor Lake State Park, Virginia
Slash pine at Claytor Lake State Park
Many trees displayed their springtime blooms at Claytor Lake State Park
Claytor Lake
Early morning at Claytor Lake

Day 3, Saturday, May 18: We watched the rain come down all day, hoping it would stop in time for our grandson’s soccer game. The game was canceled but they were still able to spend the night with us. I picked up a brick oven pizza from MK’s Gourmet Pizzeria – it was delicious! We watched DVD’s, ate pizza, and made s’mores in a drizzle. What a great night!

Day 4, Sunday, May 19: We woke up to more rain so we decided to take the kids to meet their parents in Floyd, VA. We were hoping to take a hike on the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway but again, the weather didn’t cooperate. As it turned out, I’m glad it rained. We really enjoyed the Sunday Jam Session at the Floyd Country Store.

Floyd Country Store in Floyd, VA
Sunday Jam Session at the Floyd Country Store
Enjoying the music at the Floyd Country Store
Jam Session at Floyd Country Store
These guys could really play!
I never saw a blonde fiddle before
Loved their music!

Listening to a jam session at the Floyd Country Store is a great way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon in Southwestern Virginia. You can read about our experience on our daughter’s blog entry Indoor Appalachian entertainment at the Floyd Country Store.

Day 5, Monday, May 20: A day of housekeeping, grocery shopping, and a final visit with family. We said our goodbyes after our granddaughter’s swim team practice. We’re going to miss them!

We didn’t let a little rain spoil our fun!

Day 1 – First Day on the Road to Alaska

Posted in North Carolina, RV Parks, RVing, WildflowersTagged 5 Comments
Leaving Lil Tybee
Hitched up and ready to go!

Our first day on the road started out great. We got everything packed up, hooked up the the RV and were on our way at 9:04 am. Our hopes for an easy, relaxing day were soon squashed.

Shortly after we turned east onto I-20 I tried to call the park where we wanted to spend the night. A guy named Steve answered the phone. No, this wasn’t the number for the park. I Googled the park on my phone and every web site listed the phone number that I had called. Very strange. We decided to go somewhere else.

We were getting ready to pull off the interstate for lunch when Henry saw that one of his sensors indicated there was water in the diesel. Luckily there was a GMC dealer at the exit and they were able to work on it. We unhitched the RV on the side of the road by the dealer and Henry drove the truck into the service department. After about an hour and a half and about $400 dollars we were on our way again.

Our unexpected stop at the dealer caused us to travel through Charlotte, NC right in the middle of rush hour. Most of you know how much we try to avoid going through cities when traffic is bad.

Wildflowers in the woods
Statesville KOA Site H10
Blondie was in heaven chasing her ball
View out our back window
Wildflowers
Our campground was surrounded by woods

All ended well. We arrived at the KOA in Statesville, NC around 5:00. We were able to relax for a little while before dinner. Blondie is happy – there is a fenced in doggie play area so she can run off leash!

Day 1: 278 miles traveled