On the road again — finally!

It has been quite a while since we headed out for an adventure.  What with moving to New Bern, buying a lot, building a house and moving -- well let's just say we have been busy.  The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of preparation.  The rig has been sitting for almost a year so there was lots of grit and grime to be cleaned away along with spider webs and other unwanted creepy crawlies.   Cleaning accomplished, we loaded up clothes, electronics, food and dog supplies in preparation for our long awaited trip.  Ultimately, we are heading to Colorado but between North Carolina and Colorado there is lots to see and do.

With the girls settled in the back seat, we hooked up and loaded up and headed for parts unknown.  It is funny how something you have done so many times, can suddenly seem foreign.  Certainly we have driven hundreds of miles, but at first it seemed as if it were the first time all over again.  Fortunately, once we each took a turn at the wheel, everything seemed familiar and we settled into the old routine.  The first leg of our journey carried us 300 miles from New Bern to Max Meadows, VA.  Jim drove the first portion and I drove the last.  We should have stopped two times along the way, however NC is not known for having lots of rest areas so we ended up only stopping once at a truck stop.  As soon as the truck stopped, Charlotte began to "shout" at us to let her out.  Both girls were wonderful.  Savannah is usually quite nervous but, this time she settled in and was calm as could be.  But after three hours, they were both anxious to stretch their legs and take care of business.  With the truck belly full of gas and our bellies full of hotdogs, we loaded up again and "eased on down the road".

We are camping at a lovely spot, Pioneer Village Campground.  It is nestled in a heavily wooded area with a creek flowing across one end of the property.  It is peaceful and just what the doctor ordered.  We will spend two nights here to give us time to unwind, relax and ease into the trip.  

After a great nights sleep, coffee outside was just what we needed.  The temperature was a cool 66 degrees, perfect. The weather report is calling for rain today, so we wanted to be outside as much as we could.  I set about doing a bit of cleaning to the window awnings.  After sitting for so long, there was dirt and mildew inside and outside the fabric.  I drug out a spray bottle with white vinegar in it and went to work.  There are three of them on the rig.  The easiest one to reach is on the front so I started there.  It looked so much better, I moved to the back side.  This window is a bit higher so I had to employ a small step stool.  Being careful not to fall, I began to spray the vinegar onto the fabric.  Note to self, DO NOT stand directly under where you spray!  A large drop of vinegar landed in my eye! Yikes that hurts!  I let out a holler and Jim came to the rescue.  He led me over to the water hydrant and began to splash water into my eye, my hair, on my clothes and generally all over me.  We ended up laughing at the comedy of the situation.  I wonder what our neighbors must have be thinking?  Oh well, no harm done.

There are lots of birds and rabbits about.  Savannah is particularly interested in the rabbits.  I am sure she remembers a day in AZ when Jim let her off leash and she charged off after a rabbit.  She trailed him across the grass, into the weeds and back to a pile of wood where she stood frustrated that she could not catch him.  Last evening as we walked, she spotted so many of the furry creatures, I could hardly hold her back.  They are mainly brown in color but there was a pretty white one with brown spots too.  I wonder if someone let a pet loose here?

There are birds all around and their songs varied.  We noticed a Robin going into and out of the tree near the rig.  It turned out that she was feeding her young baby.  We watched her for some time before I decided to get my camera and take some pictures.  Later, we saw another young one on the ground.  I guess he was just trying out his wings as he fluttered about trying to take off again.  It just doesn't get any better than this!  What a great way to begin our trip.