November 1, 2017....On the Road Again

     Cool weather was in the forecast, and the leaves were down.  So we marked our calendar with a departure date of 11/1/17, and started packing up and closing up.  Big Red was pretty much ready.  We had serviced everything in the spring.  Our plan was to pack her cupboards, give her 1/2 a tank or so of fresh water if the weather permitted us, and head south. But first, on the morning of 10/31, we were greeted with a little gift from Mother Nature across the driveway.  I think she wanted to remind us that she was still in the game.
     After 3-4 full days of packing and picking up, we went to bed in Big Red on 10/31, knowing that we still had a few hours of work left on the camp to get her closed up.  Debbie was up bright and early and finished her chores.  A quick job of filling the pipes with RV anti freeze, and we were on the road right around noon time.  But where were we going?
     Our original plan called for our first night to be in Pa, but with the late start, that wasn't going to happen.  A phone call to our standby campground, Belden Hill, suggested we stop at the Cracker-Barrel Restaurant in Binghampton.  We arrived there around 4:30, and found another RV from Quebec all set up for the night.  We pulled around the restaurant twice so I could get properly lined up on my parking spot, and afterward we wandered into the restaurant to check with the manager about boondocking in his parking lot.  After getting the OK, we settled down for a nice evening dinner in the restaurant.  Seemed like the thing to do for the free parking.  We slept in till 8:30 AM, and all our fellow campers were up and gone!  After a nice hearty breakfast, again in the restaurant, we were on our way southbound.  So when we figured it all out, our night of free camping only cost us about $45!!
     Day 2 was a beautiful drive, and the further south we traveled, the warmer it became.  Just like we had planned.  Smooth sailing down Interstate 81 through Pa, Md, West Virginia, and into Virginia.  Our long sleeve shirts were becoming a little too warm, and soon the A/C was humming.  Debbie had been busy working the computer and looking for a KOA close to Lynchburg, VA.  First on our agenda was a 1 day bluegrass festival that included beer, barbecue, and music.  At about 3:00 in the afternoon, traffic came to a halt on I-81 due to a traffic accident, and we were only about 1 mile from an exit we could use to get to our KOA.

     We plugged along at a snail's pace for a while as we inched closer to our exit, which ended up being a LEFT HAND exit!  But traffic let us shift over and we were soon zipping along a windy mountain road that we probably should not have been on.  I seem to recall traffic signs warning tract trailers to avoid this road we were traveling.  Big Red handled the mountain road perfectly and we soon pulled into the Lynchburg NW/Blue Ridge Parkway KOA.  Before long we had cocktails going and Debbie and I were enjoying her Bonfire in a Can!

      We've been down through many miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway over the years, but this particular section was new to us.  The following day we had quite a treat enjoying mile after mile of fantastic vistas featuring some awesome fall colors!   What totally amazed us was the infestation of lady bugs that swarmed us at every stop.  We had never experienced that before, although we had a similar phenomenon occurring this fall on Chateaugay Lake.

 But it was a welcome change to see the sunshine and feel its warmth pushing the cold from our bones.
      We had a wonderful lunch along the parkway at the Peaks of Otter Lodge at milepost 86.5 on the Parkway.  Debbie seemed to really enjoy a nice Rainbow Trout.  The lack of crowds certainly is an advantage to traveling this time of year.

     We managed to spy a few deer as we traveled along enjoying the fall colors and blue sky.  But we've yet to see a bear, even though there seems to be plenty of warnings about them.

     The following day we awoke to much cooler temperatures and rain. We headed over to the Red Hill / Patrick Henry National Memorial located near the Town of Brookneal, Va, for the 7th Annual Bluegrass, Barbecue, and Brew Festival.  Can't seem to go wrong with beer, barbecue and bluegrass, so Debbie and I were in!  And one of our favorite bluegrass bands would be performing, Nothin' Fancy.

       There was lots of beer and wine to choose from, and I seemed to take a liking to a pecan flavored lager.  Actually there were just too many samples to try, so I picked the pecan one and stuck with it.  The day was pretty cool with an occasional rain, but we stuck it out till the end.  Nothin' Fancy performed 2 sets, and did a really good job keeping the fans entertained.  We hated to hear that they would not be coming north next spring to the Jenny Brook Festival in Vermont.

      Tomorrow we're heading over to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore for a few days, and see what that area has to offer.  The crowds should be minimal, so we should have little trouble moving around.  The weather looks like it may not be the greatest, but we'll see what happens.  It's fun being back on the road, but cool weather is north of us, and we may have to dip a little further south.

We are currently in Cape Hatteras, and I'm working to get caught up.  I'm almost there!