The Navigator and I are currently encamped in the north Georgia woods at Fort Mountain State Park for the Memorial Day Weekend. This is our first trip in close to two years. There are a number of firsts on this trip.
One of the more notable firsts is that we are on our first camping trip without …
As I begin this post, I must admit that I’m not sure where it is going or where it will end. I do feel compelled to share my experiences with Russ Roca and Laura Crawford of The Path Less Pedaled fame over the past weekend as they graciously flew across the country to participate in the 3rd Annual Blue Ridge Breakaway.
(Photo by Roca: Outside TTR Bikes as time to depart was upon us.)
There are probably a number of levels upon which to consider the weekend…
Check out the new page added to Great Smokies Zeke’s 2-Wheeled Adventures! We’ve definitely gone beyond the Great Smoky Mountains for this coverage. Our friend Stan Rathbone, nicknamed by me as Cross Country Stan due to his proclivity to ride across countries, is now headed east from Banff National Park. he is following up last year’s successful ride across the southern route from San Diego to St. Augustine. Cross Country will be dropping some images on me from time to time for reposting for his friends to follow his adventure this year! You can find the link at the top of this page!
Happy Memorial Day to all!
- Zeke
Some final thoughts on our recent sojourn around West Virginia and Virginia seem to be in order. The trip that started out headed to California was significantly shortened. What would have been about a 4600 mile trip in 16 days ended up being 960 miles over 11 days. A few final observations and I’ll move on…
On to other items:
Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic: We’re down to 18 days until the kick off on this important tour being undertaken by our good friend Jim Artis and Florida teacher Rafael Giraldo. This tour will depart from Bar Harbor, Maine at the crack of dawn on June 14th and make its way along the 13 original colonies that formed America. 2670 miles later, it will end in Key West, Florida. If you haven’t been following the trip preparation, check it out at Cycling Experiences. You can also see detailed information at Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic.
2010 Ride the Divide is approaching quickly. The race, which runs along the spine of the Rockies from Canada to Mexico, will begin in Banff, AB on June 10th. Our friend, Kent “the Mountain Turtle” Peterson, will be partaking of this adventure again. 
The use of electronic technologies plays important roles in both of these races. SPOT will be present in both adventures enabling us, the viewing public, to share virtually in the trip. Jim Artis has put together quite the travelling power shop to manage his various charging needs. He has multiple posts on the evolution of the Power Box.
Our best to both of these intrepid adventurers!
Finally, my home community will be sponsoring the first annual Blue Ridge Breakaway on August 21st. This ride will have century, metric century, 40 miles and 24 mile routes. Cyclists interested in climbing will be particularly pleased with the opportunities to climb Soco Mountain, Water Rock Knob, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then descend back to the starting point. Registration is now open!
Until later,
- Zeke
Day 10 (Tuesday) – What can I say? Just another day in the paradise that is Hungry Mother State Park. I should report that we were up early, that I completed a 30 mile ride in and around the park climbing every mountain I could find and that we then polished off the day with a 10 mile hike.
If I reported any of that, it would be a lie… Tuesday was apparently intended for being laid back. We did muster up the energy to enjoy a fine campfire breakfast of biscuits, scrambled eggs, and sausage preceded by coffee by the stream. Uh, I think I recall taking a nap. But wait, the Navigator and I pooled our energy and managed to leave the campground long enough to drive into nearby Marion, VA to explore the town. We also needed ice in order to keep our cool libations cool.
The town of Marion is quaint and, as seems typical of our mountain towns, has the central downtown area (always referred to as historic) and the strip malls where you can find the big box stores. For a small town, Marion sure has a lot of banks! Unfortunately, none of them are the one we use.
The most exciting moment of the ride came when I made a bad call on a left hand turn and we ended up on I-81 going south and out of town. 7 miles later we found a turnaround and proceeded back to pick up that ice and a little something for supper.
Next, we were forced to take a nap…
(Relevant cycling note for this post: Marion has a bike shop. Sorry, I didn’t stop and go in or check it out. I just know that it exists and it is named Dean’s Bikes and Locksmith. I did note a Fuji sign in the window.)
It became apparent along about dusk that doing nothing is pretty energy exhausting and I realized that I had not moved myself from creek side long enough to eat a power bar. I became concerned about reaching my lactate thresholds through muscular inactivity. Before I could crash and burn from not doing enough, we took a short stroll along the lakeside and watched a young bride getting her picture made for her upcoming nuptials.
I was reminded of the “circle of life” on this little foray along the paths of Hungry Mother. On the edge of the woods, was this young bride to be with so much of her life and expectations in front of her and walking, not 75’ away, was an elderly woman, who was obviously cognitively and physically impaired being led slow step by slow step along the path by her care-giver. Who knows what life this elder woman has led and if it met expectations held by her when she was the young bride to be’s age.
Following a supper of rubbed and grilled pork chops, grilled fresh asparagus, and rice, I think we took another nap followed by getting up and going to bed…
Day 11 (Wednesday) – The day started early when a friend called to make a camper inquiry. Actually, the day had started much earlier when I kept hearing a car driving around the area at 3:30 a.m. Knowing that this shouldn’t be happening, my curious brain wouldn’t let me sleep so I climbed from the comfort and warmth of the bed to glance outside. Sure enough, a car pulled in beside us with its parking lights on and I could see a flashlight making its way through the trees to the next campsite. If something untoward was going on, I couldn’t discover what it was so I turned back in with hopes of getting back to sleep.
During our early morning stroll we discovered that the young mother of the group near us had become sick during the night and the car beside us was being used to transport her to get some relief. Fortunately, it was nothing serious we were told by her husband.
Being somewhat disgusted with our lack of activity yesterday, the Navigator determined that we would be more proactive in meeting the day today. So, breakfast behind us, we headed out for a hike and to pay for our final night’s stay in Hungry Mother.
We chose the Lake Shore Trail as our beginning point and began moving. This trail is 5.7 miles long and is very aptly named. The first 40% of the trail, as we took it, is relatively flat and runs alongside the lake. After crossing below the dam, we headed into the woods and began climbing above the lake. The Navigator took lots of photos of differing plants that we observed along the trail. We enjoyed seeing how many we could name.
The trail is wide and mostly packed. It is used by hikers, runners, and cyclists although we saw only 2 runners and 1 mountain biker on our circle around the lake. We heard but did not see a Pileated Woodpecker drumming in the woods. Several Canadian Geese and Mallards were out feeding and sunning as we traversed the trail.
The trail makes several turns away from the lake and back into typical Appalachian wooded coves. The Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron are still in bloom and made for some pretty sights. We also noted a least 4 different types of ferns including a Bear Claw fern.
After 2 hours of hiking, we returned to our campsite to find that two more of our neighbors have moved on. As I write, there are only 3 sets of campers in this campground although this is likely to change as the end of day comes upon us. It will certainly change tomorrow as the Memorial Day weekend crowd gets an early start.
6:00 p.m. EDT update:
The weekend crowd is arriving early. Young families with pre-school children are finding their way into the park getting ready for the weekend. The sites alongside us and the creek are now filled.
After lunch and some recovery time from the morning hike, I headed out on the Fuji to get in a few more miles before we pack it in for this trip. My warm-up consisted of a short ride up the valley beyond the park as described in yesterday’s post.
The Camp Host had encouraged me to climb the hill to Campground C saying it was pretty steep. So, I checked it out and, in fact, it was steep but short. For the effort, I did get to view the tent campground. All of the sites in this campground are up in the air on pedestals.
(Campground C lets campers experience the highs of camping!)
(High water camping just outside of the campground. Notes blocks under wheels!)
My main interest in riding today was to go beyond the Park boundaries up the mountain. I did so for approximately 3 miles at an average grade around 11%. Throughout the climb, road signs warned truckers to turn around! I did so at, according to the sign, the last possible turnaround. I hate to think what was beyond that next curve!
A quick descent down the mountain brought me back to the Park offices and beyond. I extended my ride an additional 3 miles out into a country road I had spotted earlier. This turned out to be a connector to the road going up the next valley.
My return trip to the Park was punctuated with the most traffic I’ve seen this week. I stopped just above the spillway to grab a couple of images of the lake from that perspective.
(My trusty Fuji CCR3 overlooking the spillway)
(Sun setting on the spillway)
My final ride in Hungry Mother was pleasant and about the right length given the hike this morning. We’ve been blessed with good weather while here and, as is hopefully clear in my posts, this is an excellent place to visit and rest. We have a final campfire in us and a few more moments of quiet by the creek side before this part of the trip is over.
We’ve heard the calling of home the last two days. Actually, we’ve missed our dogs and cats more than having a great desire to return home. It’s time to make the short journey south to home. This will give us some time to ease back into the normal routine before having to return to work next week.
While this wasn’t the trip we planned, it has turned out to be enjoyable and relaxing, which is something both of us needed. The Navigator and I continue to enjoy each other’s company more than that of other situations and living together full time in a 26’ x 8’ camper can either highlight your strengths or highlight your weaknesses. Fortunately, after 27.5 years, we’re still working with the strengths!
So, tomorrow’s daybreak will have us packing and doing those things necessary to load up and head home. In all likelihood, there will be no post tomorrow as we travel home and resettle. For those of you that have read this “travelogue” of our adventure, I thank you and hope that you’ve found it interesting! Your visits are deeply appreciated!
Until later,
Zeke
Monday arrived right on schedule and our second week of travel began amidst the tall trees and rhododendron covered banks of Hungry Mother State Park. After enjoying a restful night of sleep, we enjoyed our morning coffee while sitting alongside the banks of Hungry Mother Creek. A small stream that moves at a slow pace, the creek is nevertheless chock full of life. Birds of numerous persuasions are constantly in and out of the water bathing themselves and seemingly enjoying a frolic in the water.
As we finished our morning breakfast of yogurt, banana, and coffee, the sun topped the mountain ridge and bathed the campsite in light bringing greater clarity to the clear waters of the creek. Our companion pair of Mallards made their morning visit and then moved on down the creek to the lake proper.
I had to telecommute to work for a couple of hours as I had done last week. This time, however, the Verizon 3G network was readily available at our campsite and I was able to connect to the company servers and do my duties while sitting by the creek. Let’s talk about a great view out of the office window!
Following completion of my work requirements, it was time to pay for an additional night’s stay and this was my opportunity to get in a ride. I headed down to the campground office and made it official that we would be staying at least another night. After some wrangling with the computer, we were checked in again and I headed out on my morning ride.
I pedaled out of the park back toward Marion, VA. and the bike lanes that we had encountered upon our arrival. The park itself doesn’t include that many miles of roads so leaving the park was the best alternative to get in some miles. The first couple of miles were along the shore of the lake and was an easy warm-up.
After exiting the park boundary, I came upon my first climb of the day. It turned out to be approximately 1 mile in length with a peak grade of 11%. The bike lane was much appreciated as this turned out to be a fairly busy state road. The drivers passing me by were courteous and gave me some additional space even though I was in the bike lane. I rode for 4 miles out to the local hospital before turning around and heading back to the campsite.
Once back in the park, I planned to explore some of the park’s roads but my keen navigation sense only ended up retracing my steps to our campsite. I did however keep going beyond the campground and found that I could ride to the end of the state maintained portion of the road for approximately 1.5 more miles. The road here is alongside banks full of ferns and rhododendron on the eastern side with open fields and meadows to the west. Some private housing exists here and it varied from relatively poverty appearing to high-dollar homes.
While I was riding…
The Navigator had stayed behind at the campsite in order to read. She thought she heard me returning from my ride but was quite surprised when a warm snout appeared on her left arm. She was warmly greeted by A.J., a Golden Retriever.
As it turns out, AJ is a well-known, not always appreciated, visitor to the campground. His home is up the road from the campground and he has been making his visits to Campground B for years according to one of our fellow campers. AJ enjoyed a good nap, a snack, and another nap with the Navigator before moving downstream to some more campers. He made a return visit later in the evening but was spotted under our picnic table by the camp hosts and shooed home. They reported that AJ has been known to spend a day or so at a given campsite if not sent packing. While his presence with us was in no way an irritant, the hosts indicated that other campers often feel less than accommodating to AJ and register their complaints about him frequently. It’s hard to imagine anyone complaining about this laid back dog…
A nice hike was in order…
Hiking trails and mountain biking trails are plentiful in this park. The Navigator and I headed out for a short trip along Lakeshore Trail with a return to the camp office and store along the way. The trail is well maintained and quite wide so there appears to be ample room for both hikers and cyclists. Horses are not allowed on these trails. Tire tracks in the low lying wet parts of the trail attested to the recent presence of mountain bikers. The broken bits and pieces of shale covering the trail would not work well with my skinny tired Fuji.
Hungry Mother has a very nice beach area. Most of the park’s amenities don’t seem to be open yet as their season is not officially here as yet. However, we did get a feel for what is available and this clearly would be a destination park rather than a stop-over location.
While at the campground offices, we were treated to a former employee getting to tear down his former offices! The old check-in and camp offices have been replaced by a newer much larger facility so the old one had to go…
I proffered my help to the dozer operator but he just grinned at me and kept going! It was a similar rejection as the one that I received in Douthat State Park by the employee, who was grooming the sand at the beach area of Watoga Lake with his Ford tractor. Some guys get all the great jobs!
Just prior to a supper of baked potato, salad, and steak grilled by the campfire, I tried to do my best Jim Artis impression and put “finger to keyboard” in order to get a blog posted. Jim is very dedicated to his readers and, while staying with us recently, made sure to keep fresh material available. So, here’s to you Jim!
Our night ended after some roasted marshmallows, watching a young small mouth bass in the creek feed, enjoying the drumming of a Pileated Woodpecker, and enjoying the sounds of other birds as night fell. I believe that we have found our premier campsite on this trip.
Until later,
- Zeke
Following our mid-trip stop for clean laundry in Stuart, VA, we located the local Super Wal-Mart and stocked up on supplies for our next day or so. We’ve been trying to shop in smaller amounts and more frequently than we usually would for a camping trip. Moving from place to place every 3 days has let us enjoy seeing folks from different places – noticing the differences and the similarities. The Navigator and I have both been struck with the friendliness of the people we’ve met in each of our stops. This goes beyond the various park staff and extends to the casual bump of a grocery cart in an isle or stopping at a local hardware store to ask for directions. We’ve yet to run into anyone out and out rude.
As we returned to Fairy Stone State Park for our last evening, the rain ceased and the skies began to clear. Even though we were under heavy tree cover, the rays of the setting sun were very much welcome. Our site was on a sort of promontory and we enjoyed just sitting and watching the various squirrels and birds as they went about their day. We took a short hike and walked right upon a doe before seeing her. She glanced at us for a moment and then bounded off into the underbrush.
Our second day here was much more enjoyable than our first as it was much quieter following the departure of our previous night’s neighbors. The camp host informed us that the party of 15 or so had been part of a larger church group that was supposed to be down in the group shelter but the shelter’s accommodation limit had been reached. The Camp Ranger made the executive decision to move the remaining group members to the campground where they behaved as if, well, they were a group. Ah well, the irritation of the night only served to help me appreciate the relative solitude of the following day.
DAY 8 Begins With A Move…
Feeling that we had pretty much gained our maximum enjoyment of the Fairy Stone Park, we loaded up first thing this morning, our 8th day on the road, and headed toward Hungry Mother State Park in southwestern Virginia. Hungry Mother is routinely listed as one of the top campgrounds in America and we didn’t know whether they could accept “walk-ins” or not. We decided to risk it knowing that most families with school age children would be departing today and also knowing that next weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) will be the first really big camping weekend of the year.
Our route took us across The Crooked Highway beginning with Jeb Stuart Highway just outside of Stuart, VA. This two lane road crosses over some serious mountain roads. We had one long stretch of highway that I would easily estimate at 4 miles and I’ll bet it had an average gradient of 9%. Our F150 was down to 30 mph as we reached the summit. It would be one heck of a training climb for the Wood-Man!
Reaching the summit brings you to Lovers Leap. An incredible vista of Virginia land is spread out for you to see. I made sure to get an image but the skies were still so grey that much of the magnificence of the view is lost in the image.
Our arrival at Hungry Mother SP occurred mid-afternoon. We were greeted in Marion Virginia, the entrance to Hungry Mother, with bike lanes leading into the park. We were fortunate in that we guessed correctly that sites would be available and were able to secure a site in what the Ranger told me was the prettiest campground of the 3 in the park.
| The Legend of Hungry Mother Legend has it that when the Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders’ base north of the park. They eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed, and her child wandered down a creek until the child found help. The only words the child could utter were "Hungry Mother." The search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly collapsed to find the child's mother dead. Today that mountain is Molly’s Knob, and the stream is Hungry Mother Creek. (Courtesy of Virginia State Parks literature: 2010) |
We found our way to the cleverly named Campground B and secured a site alongside a bucolic creek. We’ve again been welcomed by a committee of Mallard ducks. This particular pair seem to be habituated to people and came right on up into the campsite. We were treated to a welcoming bath by the female of the pair as she spent a good 30 minutes cleaning all of her feathers and doing a pretty impressive “water dance.” The male of the pair stood by stoically keeping an eye on his lady love. (I’ve been told that Mallards mate for life. I wasn’t able to confirm this before posting today.)
(Glad you’re here! Did you bring supper?)
(The Navigator enjoys our latest campsite in Hungry Mother SP)
Tomorrow, after working for a few hours, I hope to get in some bike time as this campground appears to have lots of good ride-worthy roads. I’ve seen more cyclists today than I have in the entire time we’ve been on the road. The sun is shining as I post this at 6:00 p.m. EDT. It may be time to start a fire or maybe even take a nap. Whew, life is tough…
Until later,
- Zeke
HE was upon us again. Our peaceful slumber came to a quick and resolute halt as the piercing call of the Sleep Destroying Night Intruder arrived on schedule at 5:00 a.m. Yes, the Nefarious Neutralizer of Sweet Travel Dreams was making his presence known again. I felt the Navigator vibrating beside me as she tried to crawl further under the covers to escape the ear shattering call of our dreaded early morning visitor. (Turns out she was just laughing at the ongoing visit of our “friend”) Was he on the table outside my window? Surely, he had not infiltrated the confines of the Hobbi itself. Lord knows it seemed like it. Fortunately, after some 15 minutes of revelry, he must have felt satisfied and went in search of other sleeping campers, perhaps some late sleepers down by the lake.
After managing a few more winks of sleep, we arose to enjoy the morning coffee. I had a quick conversation with Neighbor Ken, who remarked “Man, that is a persistent Whip-poor-will!” Ken, too, was impressed by our early morning visitor’s amazing consistency at showing up at 5:00 a.m.
Packing up and heading out…
Post coffee, the ritual of packing up and getting things ready for travel commenced. The Navigator and I have become pretty efficient at this as we both gravitate to our separate duties. She handles more of the inside and I handle more of the outside activities. The day was pretty again and we hated to leave but there was no more room in the Park.
Our travel plans took us to yet another Virginia State Park – Fairy Stone near Ferrum, VA. After a brief stop in Clifton Forge, we headed down US 220 through Iron Gate, VA, which must own some kind of record for number of churches in a straight line. We counted 7 separate churches within a 2 mile length of highway. Numerous denominations were present, some of which I didn’t recognize (Church of the Bretheren?).
Our route took us through yet more beautiful Virginia and the city of Roanoke. We arrived in Fairy Stone around 3:30 p.m. and quickly discovered that this park campground is a series of back-ins that have been carved into the mountainside. We did locate an isolated pull through with water and power. No other campers were in sight. We thought we had landed in a great place for peace and quiet.
We enjoyed a nice hike around the Lake Shore Trail and got a quick peek at the lake that exists within this park. We were greeted by the welcoming committee near the cabin section.
The Family that travels together…
…makes life miserable for those around them. I should know by now that when in search of peace and quiet, state parks are not generally good choices on weekends. This lesson was relearned when a family of 500 (actually 15) and 3 yapping dogs moved in beside us as dusk fell. Suffice it to say that it was a long night spent inside the Hobbi. Even the camp host had no luck quieting this group down.
Fortunately, this morning’s rain (Day 7), sent them packing. I guess being inside a wet tent with 20 of your closest family members isn’t as much fun as it might first appear. I did note that the yapping Poodle wasn’t welcomed into the family’s waiting arms…
So, on this mid-trip day, I sit in a laundromat in Stuart, VA writing this entry and somewhat helping the Navigator with washing and drying clothes. I’m contemplating how to fix our electric jack, where to head to next, and rejoicing in 3G speed!
Until later,
- Zeke
Day 5 of Zeke and the Navigator’s multi-state camping tour pleasantly arrived under bright blue skies. After 4 straight days of rain and dreary skies, we thoroughly enjoyed our morning coffee, bagel with cream cheese, and a banana as we prepped for the day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as we surveyed what little bit of the sky we could see above the narrow mountain valley of Beaverdam Campground.
Our first order of business was to decide to stay or to go. We’ve been committing to only one night at a time so that we would have the maximum flexibility in our trip planning. We already had the information that the campground was booked solid beginning Friday so the decision was really whether to risk staying and having to travel to another campground and hope for a site on Friday or hit the road today and be more certain of finding a place to stay for the weekend.
We very much wanted to enjoy some sunshine so we opted to stay at Douthat State Park one more night and take our chances on finding an open spot elsewhere on Friday. After our morning intake of caffeine, we hurried down to the camp office to secure our spot for the night and to also try to get a cell signal to check in with the Navigator’s father. Reception was very poor for some reason and this prompted us to head down to Clifton Forge where we knew from yesterday’s visit that strong Verizon signal existed.
Given the beauty of the day and lack of riding that I’ve been doing, the Navigator suggested that I ride my Fuji CCR3 to Clifton Forge and meet her at the Krogers where we needed to shop and turn in some DVDs. She also offered to grab a couple of images on the way as proof that I really did ride at least once on this trip!
The ride to Krogers encompassed 10 miles. Shortly after leaving the Park’s boundary, we came upon a paving project that had reduced the road down to one lane of travel and you had to follow the “pilot car” in order to get to where you were going. I tried to keep up with traffic once we began moving but only managed to stay on the bumper ahead of me for a couple of miles. Fortunately, there was no one behind me so I wasn’t impeding traffic. The paving materials appears to be some kind of thin concrete and stone slurry. It was definitely not the inches of asphalt that I’m used to seeing at home.
After leaving Douthat State Park Road, you immediately go under I-64 and into the town of Clifton Forge. The road at this point is dual lane in both directions with businesses on each side. There is one short climb up to the Krogers store.
It was warm and I had definitely worked up a good sweat on the run to Krogers. The Navigator was waiting on me and properly documented my unnoticed arrival at Krogers. There were no balloons and festive crowds awaiting me and, even better, Floyd Landis had made no assertions that I was a doper. At least, I’m guessing that’s why there were no assembled national press members at Krogers waiting on me to smoothly unclip.
After cooling down and posting my blog report and checking email, we did our grocery shopping for the next few days and rented our final DVD from Krogers. To our list of watched movies, we’ll now add Old Dogs. I’m not yet sure where it falls on my movie critic’s list. Definitely above Nine but well below Brothers. I’d say it is solidly in the middle of the pack.
Back to the Park we go…
After loading up with supplies to get us to Sunday, we returned to our peaceful campsite to find that the neighbors beside us were greeting the attendant members of their family reunion this weekend. The noise level had definitely increased given that there are 8 grandchildren in this reunion between the ages of 18 months and 5 years. I had enjoyed my conversation with Ken, the patriarch of the family, yesterday. He and his wife were the first campers to arrive. Ken had unloaded bicycle after bicycle from his camper getting ready for the kids to appear. He also had his own 2 bikes purchased at Kitty Hawk Bikes in Kitty Hawk, NC.
The Navigator and I enjoyed our final campfire at Douthat State Park with a meal of grilled hamburgers and slaw. Just prior to the meal, we hiked down to Douthat Lake and experience a nice change in the available light as dusk began to fall.
Folks had settled in for the night as I made my last walk around the campground. Very tired children were no where to be seen as they had run out of energy slightly earlier while adults, moving at a much slower pace, were sitting around their campfires enjoying each other’s company and low volume conversations.
The Navigator and I climbed into our bed with good books to read. It wasn’t long until dreaming had replaced reading. The quiet sounds of the forest critters and the smell of smoldering campfires made for a great backdrop for sleep – truly restful sleep.
…Until HE arrived…
More later,
- Zeke
Zeke and Navigator Kathy’s second day of vacation began much as Day 1 ended – it was raining. Overnight we were treated to the pretty much constant sounds of rain falling upon the Hobbi. It made for some great sleeping weather.
We were hoping for clearing skies on Monday but it was not to be. In fact, when we checked in with our camp hostesses to pay for an additional night at Watoga State Park, they graciously told us the truth and said that heavy rains were predicted for the rest of the week.
Monday was to be a wash anyway as a vacation day to some extent due to my work responsibilities. Part of the deal in my getting 2 weeks off was that I would work part of Mondays to get the company billing reports extracted and filed. This would necessitate a connection to the internet. Thus far, we’d had no TV reception and no cellular signal reception where we were staying along the increasingly wider Greenbrier River.
I had been told previously, when making an information seeking call to the Watoga State Park office, that WiFi services were available at no charge at a coffee cafe in nearby Marlinton. Our on-site hostesses confirmed this and provided directions to the hoped for site of internet connectivity. After a 30 minute drive, we arrived in downtown Marlinton, West Va. and sure enough located the Dirt Bean Cafe and Bike Shop. Hey, a cafe and a bike shop – the day is looking up!
The Dirt Bean is housed in what I would take as being one of the older buildings in Marlinton’s downtown section. It is about 2 blocks off of the Greenbrier River as is almost all of the Marlinton we saw. The Greenbrier Trail was about 1 more block away from the river. We entered the Dirty Bean and queued up to the ordering station.
It was at this point that I determined that the Proprietress of this fine institution was NOT having a good Monday. She curtly stated we could still get breakfast and, if the WiFi was working, which she didn’t think it was, I could try to use it. We placed our order and I went about trying to connect to the wider world electronically while Navigator Kathy explored the shop.
I quickly discovered that the Proprietress’s assessment of her Wifi signal was correct – it didn’t work. So, making lemonade out of the lemons we’d been served, the Navigator and I enjoyed an excellent breakfast of Blueberry Waffle and a loaded Breakfast Bagel. The Dirty Bean bike offerings included Kona bikes and numerous Gary Fisher MB’s. There were also a couple of comfort rides for rental.
The Proprietress, perhaps dealing with whatever was making her Monday unpleasant, had changed clothes and left the shop quickly. Her employee, a pleasant sort, confirmed that the WiFi was down and out and that all of their phones were out as well. This young lady was quite helpful and suggested that we try the local public library to see if they had internet service. Hitting myself upside the head, I thought “What a great idea!” Of course, I haven’t been in a library of any sort since my days as a graduate student. I offer this morsel of information only as a small attempt to assuage my guilt for not thinking of this myself.
So, out the door and, yes, into the rain we went to traverse the sidewalks of Marlinton two blocks to the public library. We were greeted courteously and professionally by the librarian, who assured me that I was welcome to use their WiFi service. She printed me out a small ticket with my new username and password and gave me 2 hours even though I had assured her I only needed one hour to do my work and get back to vacation.
Turns out she was prescient! I couldn’t get that sucker to work for nothing! No, not the computer and not the internet – my preset report back home on the company server. Finally, at 1 hour and 38 minutes, it properly extracted the data and I ONLY needed 1 more hour of internet service to do my duty to my company. (Something about being in West Virginia keeps reminding me of the catchy phrase “I owe my soul to the company store…” )
Thankfully, my remaining work was finished quickly and I even had a chance to scope out the weather forecast and post my blog entry before exiting the premises of the McClintic Library.
(Zeke leaving the library behind.)
(McClintic Library, Marlinton, West Va.)
Back to Watoga We Go!
Now that most of my vacation day was spent getting ready to work and then actually working, the Navigator and I headed back to camp. Along the way, we passed numerous High Water signs and local DOT crews out cutting fallen trees or removing mud from slides. This area has really been hammered by rain recently. They have been under almost constant flash flood warnings it seems. It appeared water was running from every embankment possible. Some of the images were quite beautiful if you could divorce yourself from the possible damage that could happen when all this water comes together downstream.
On our return trip to Watoga, we spotted the lone element of wildlife that we’ve seen thus far. A wild turkey flew across the road in front of us. Otherwise, we’ve seen no other wildlife. The informational brochure for Watoga State Park says it is “the rare visitor who doesn’t see white tailed deer while visiting in the Park.” Yep, that’s me and the Navigator – rare visitors!
Upon our return to our fine campsite in the wetlands of Watoga, I did open up the truck and looking longingly at my so far unused Fuji CCR3. Maybe tomorrow big guy…
Day 2 came to a close with us enjoying each other’s company and doing some fine reading. The new book I’ve started begins with two travelers in a RV being murdered. Of course, if that were to happen to us on this trip, I’d never hear ‘em coming because of the never ending rain pelting the roof!
Until later,
-Zeke
After a day of planned delay, my “best half” and I headed out on what has the potential for being the longest vacation we’ve had in 8 years. Various responsibilities that need not be addressed here have kept our sojourns away from home and work to no more than 7 calendar days and most often only 4 to 5 days.
While our initial travel plans underwent some significant change, our revised plans kept us closer to home geographically and slowed the pace of travel considerably. Our original trip called for a cross country loop in 16 days. The revised plans keep us within about a 400 mile radius of home with today most likely being our longest travel day of the period.
The past week has been hectic taking care of all the regular job chores plus prepping for being away from work for 2 work weeks. In addition, it was planting time and the fertilizer that I threw out on several yards really kicked into gear resulting in a need for frequent mowing. Thanks to Capt’n Nick, staff photog of the recent “Jim Artis Experience”, our yards won’t be knee high to a giraffe when we return. Capt’n Nick is going on tour with Big Red and keeping our yards under control during our absence.
The prep for the trip also required taking the camper, a 2007 Keystone Hobbi, out of storage and getting it ready for travel. This included a pull down to Walker Service to have the wheel bearings and axels checked for safety and the tires evaluated. In doing so, a repeating nagging problem with the electric jack was found to still be an issue despite having had it fixed in November just before going into hibernation.
Originally, we planned to leave home on Saturday, May 15th but realized an extra day of prep was needed. Given that we no longer needed to be on the West Coast on the 20th, we took much needed advantage of the shortened trip in order to finalize getting the dogs to the kennel, planting, mowing, and packing.
This will be the longest we’ve been away from our favorite 4 legged “buds” in their lifetimes. I already miss having Zeke and Orla along on this trip as they are campers supreme!
The Trip Begins…
(Zeke “locked and loaded” for travel)
I sent out the final email at approximately 10:15 a.m. announcing that trip control was being handed over to the Blackberry Storm and SPOT was on-line. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures, Navigator Kathy and I hit the road and headed northeast to Tennessee along I-26 W, which oddly really runs north and south. The ride up I-26 from Asheville to Johnson City was gorgeous as we climbed the mountain and crossed over Sam’s Gap.
As we had not stopped to eat this morning nor had any of the required coffee that I usually need to get going, we pulled into a Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Johnson City to calm our grumbling stomachs. We followed the signs to the RV/Bus parking but could not locate it as we circumnavigated the building. Finally, I spotted the lanes reserved for RVs and busses. They were packed with cars parked tail to head and there was no “room in the Barrel” for us. That was o.k. because a Waffle House was within shouting distance and they had the welcome mat out. I heard a blueberry-pecan waffle calling my name…
Good Travel Weather Bids Adieu…
We had about 100 miles of continued good weather on our run north on I-81. Once you get past Bristol, Tn, I-81 could almost qualify as a scenic highway. We traversed some very pretty country along the Virginia corridor.
“Milli”, our Garmin Nuvi 260 as we’ve name her, eventually directed us up I-77 toward Bluefield, West Virginia. The end of our good traveling weather was upon us. As we climbed a serious grade of highway, light rain began to fall and the road turned wet quickly. We came to the first tunnel that cuts directly through the mountain in Jefferson National Park. As we approached the northern exit of the tunnel, we could tell that the weather was changed dramatically and for the worse.
Heavy rains were on the other side of the mountain. Between the road spray, fog, and torrential rain, seeing the lane of travel was difficult. We enjoyed a shorter tunnel experience as we crossed out of Virginia and into West Virginia. The heavy rains continued unabated.
I Went To Princeton…
That would NOT be Princeton University but rather Princeton, West Virginia. “Milli” was calling for us to continue another 38 miles on I-77 and then to backtrack approximately 45 miles on I-64 to get to our eventual cutoff at Lewisberg, West VA. Navigator Kathy correctly pointed out that we were taking 2 sides of the triangle and could simply get on highway 219 at Princeton. We decided to get off the interstate, look it over, and make a decision. With Princeton being our first exit, we pulled off and discovered the West Virginia Visitors Center immediately on our right. Being the seasoned travelers that we are, we decided to get an opinion from the locals!
After connecting with “Bob” (not her real name), we were advised that on a sunny day 219 was a lovely ride but that in this terrible weather, it would be basically “nuts” to take it. “Bob” assured us the drive time would be similar even if we appeared to be going out of our way.
So, we took “Bob’s” advice and headed back to I-77 where we promptly saw what looked to be a very bad automobile wreck. The first responders were just appearing on the scene. The car was upside down and looking pretty well crushed. It appeared to be a one car accident so I’m not sure exactly what happened. I’m certain the weather played some part in the event.
I couldn’t believe it was possible but it began raining harder! Cars were pulled off on both sides of the interstate waiting out the heavy weather cell. There were numerous motorcycles under bridges and other places where some meager shelter gave a modicum of comfort. We kept plugging along at a sedate 55 mph and staying in the slow lane with the big trucks.
I’ll Bet It Is Beautiful Country…
On any other non-rain day, I’ll be this would be a gorgeous ride. We went over bridges that appeared to span valleys a thousand feet below us. The mountains held the highway in tight embrace in other places and I was reminded of the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky in yet other segments of this trip. This area, known as the “Middle Appalachians”, appeared to be every bit as pretty as my home area in the “Southern Appalachians”. I’ll hope for better weather when we depart this section of America so that we can enjoy the vistas more.
Lewisberg At Last…
Our time on the interstate finally ended at Lewisberg, West Va. as did gas prices below $2.90 a gallon. While stopping to fill up at a local convenience store, we asked for a suggestion of a good grocery store nearby. We were greeted by just about everyone in line giving us different options and directions. One fellow even opined, “Well,the whole town’s only 5 miles long so just drive in the direction your going and you’ll see one (grocery store).” We took him at his word and sure enough found a very nice Krogers where we laid in supplies for the next few days.
Returning to Highway 219, “Milli” informed us we were within 34 miles of our destination and that it would only take another 56 minutes. Uh? That works out to about 30 mph for speed. Turns out “Milli” was right. Highway 219 is one seriously narrow 2 lane mountain road with grades of 7% and 9% for 3.5 miles at a whack. Going up was slow as my F150 pulled our 26’ Hobbi up the ascents and going down was slow as I kept it geared down to keep the camper from fishtailing around us in the many, many hairpin turns that we encountered.
Friendly Folk Abound…
We passed through small unincorporated communities (Droop, West Va. for one) and were pleased to see folks throwing up their hands in greeting as they stood on their porches. One particularly energetic greeting was at the Copper Penny Cafe. We may have to make a stop there in the next day or so. We passed by the birthplace of Pearl Buck, which now looks to be a museum.
Finally, Day 1 Travel Ends…
After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived at our destination of Watoga State Park. Dusk was rapidly departing and night time setting in when we located a likeable campsite along the Greenbrier River. We had long since passed out of Verizon cell service. Of course, it was still raining when it came time to setup the camper. We decided to wait until the light of day and hope for better weather in which to get level and stationary.
Day 2’s Agenda…
Unfortunately, work calls in the morning so we must depart Watoga for nearby Marlinton, West Va. where I can get a WiFi signal so that I can do my duty. The good news is that will also give us the opportunity to stop at a local outfitter we spotted upon our arrival and can check into the rental of a couple of fat tire bikes. The riding begins tomorrow! We are sitting on the Greenbrier Rails-to-Trails path and we intend to make the most of it while here. The path runs 76 miles from end to end and has a 1% grade! I’ve also perused the map of the park itself and it appears I can get in many miles of road bike riding within the border of this 10,000 acre State Park.
The rain has stopped now and the chirping of the night bugs and croaking of the frogs can clearly be discerned amongst the occasional drop of rain from the overhanging trees. I think I hear a peaceful night’s sleep calling…
Until later,
-Zeke
To make a tax deductible donation to support Appalachian State University Cycling, follow this link:
http://www.give.appstate.edu/.
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