We're off to Vermont. But first we needed to go to Williamsburg. We can't go to Vermont looking shaggy, and our barber is in Williamsburg (don't ask). So off we go on a 200 mile side trip.
The forecast was for scattered showers and we ran through several, three of which were real gully-washers. But we made it to Williamsburg safely and got our haircuts. Then we went to Martin's and did some grocery shopping. The weather was HOT and we went down to the Parkway and sat on an overlook at the river, opened the windows and enjoyed a nice breeze off the James.
Finally, we went back in to town and had supper at Cracker Barrel. After enjoying the food and air conditioning, we went back out to the motorhome and spent a very hot night. We did manage to get some sleep, but we decided that if the next night was hot we would find a campground where we could plug in and run the air.
Wednesday, 29 July
Off to an early start, finally heading toward Vermont. We prefer country roads wherever possible. Thus we stopped for a late breakfast at the Country Cafe in downtown Bowling Green. We were soon back on the familiar path toward Winchester. Instead of switching to I-66 as usual, we kept straight on Route 17. It turned out to be Business 17, which doesn't return to the main stem but peters out in farming country. We were soon lost.
In the process of wandering around trying to reconnect with 17 at Paris, we stumbled into serious horse country. Normal farms gave way to huge spreads with big houses and bigger stables. There were miles and miles of black fences and miles and miles of low, stone walls. The whole countryside from horizon to horizon looked manicured. There were even a few horses.
Eventually we came to a small town with interesting old buildings; and a little later we connected with 17 at Paris. The scenery reverted to standard Virginia countryside, pretty but not spectacular. The magic ride was over.
At Winchester we merged onto I-81 and the prospect of a couple of days of traffic and lots of big trucks --- broken occasionally by big cities with even heavier traffic. About 3:00pm we stopped in a small town across the Pennsylvania border and had lunch at an Arbys. Temperatures were in the 90's.
Shortly after we check in at a KOA. Once set up and the a/c turned on, we strolled back to the camp store and relaxed with some ice cream. Back at the rig, which was now nice and cool, we did a comparison test of Cuba Libres made with two different grades of rum (both Mount Gay). Gene liked the expensive version while Jean preferred the usual (cheaper) one.
Thursday 30 July
Bought a cheap (but good) breakfast at the camp store and on our way.
In and out of rain again, some of them frog-chokers. Hope we run out of rain before I run out of cliches. By the early afternoon, we drove across a mountain and into bright sunshine (and lots of heat).
We stopped to make some sandwiches and discovered that the cap had leaked on a bottle of Gatorade in the fridge and we had a major clean-up on our hands. After that, peasant driving in sunshine with big cumulus all around However, much of the road in New York was rough, making it difficult for Jean to text.
She found us a good campground in NY near Glens Falls so we were in a good position for the next day's situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment