It has been quite a while since we took a long RV jaunt. After a great deal of planning, the day of departure finally arrived. Of course there were last minute things to do but finally we were loaded, the dogs in the truck nestled in their cozy travel beds and the house locked up — we were on our way. Our ultimate destination is Colorado but between NC and CO, we will be stopping to see the sites. It is our custom to only travel around five hours a day but our first day would take six hours including rest stops. Jim wanted to take the first leg of 2-3 hours and I would take the second leg of 2 hours and then he would finish. Being on the road in the RV is different from traveling in a car. For one thing, you cannot let your mind wander from your driving! At 55 feet long truck nose to fifth wheel tail and a possible 15,000 pounds, it is just not possible to stop on a dime! Our tires are rated for 65 miles per hour, so we adhere to that speed so our insurance would cover us in case of an accident — God forbid! Funny, being accustomed to driving 70 or so in the car, it feels like we are creeping along at 65. But it only takes a 100 miles or so for that speed to begin to feel fast! Crazy.
It was a perfect day to travel. North Carolina is a lovely state. Everything is so green after all the rain we have gotten in past weeks. We sailed along past the Raleigh area where the usual highway construction made driving more challenging. I am especially nervous when we have to go through those large concrete barriers on both sides of the lane. It feels like one small error and we would be in trouble. But, Jim is an excellent driver and handled all of it with ease. At the two hour mark, we started looking for a place to stop and rest and change drivers. North Carolina is not known for having many rest areas. Leaving New Bern, there is one but after that, nada. As soon as we crossed the state line, bingo there was a stop, and it was a good thing too. The girls were anxious to get out and so was I.
Our first destination for an overnight stay was Princeton Railroad Museum, Princeton, WV. Why a museum and not an rv park you might be asking yourself. Well, we belong to a group called Harvest Hosts. In a nut shell, they have places where you can stop for an overnight at no cost and with none or few amenities for the camper. So, the Railroad Museum has space in their parking area for two or three campers to stay overnight. We arrived at the same time as another couple who also would be overnighting. RVers are a friendly bunch and this couple was no exception. They hail from Flagstaff, AZ; a long way from home. Anyway, they decided to go for dinner first before settling in. We decided to go ahead and settle in and dine in the camper. After parking, we took the girls for a walk to work out the kinks from being in the truck. As we started to walk, I could see dark clouds moving across the sky but they seemed to be moving away so we kept walking. As we wandered around, I started feeling rain drops. Oh dear, we better hurry to the rig.
Now, we are not known for being the smartest at times and this was no exception. We had failed to double check that the stairs to the RV had room to comedown between the concrete barriers marking each parking space. Just as the rain let loose, we discovered that these barriers prevented us from using the stairs safely. We threw the girls inside and I crawled in but Jim was standing outside trying to figure out how the fix the issue. At the same time, since God has a great sense of humor, the rain poured out of the sky in buckets! So much rain, it also poured into the now open front door of the rig, oh dear me. Nothing for Jim to do but close the door as quickly as possible and run for cover under the front of the RV. The storm roared through in just a few minutes but left behind quite the mess for us. Ah but, what would traveling be without a bit of excitement? Jim moved us back a couple of feet so the stairs cleared and I cleared away the water and all was well.
I made us a salad with some leftover chicken on it and we dined. The temperature was cool, so once we had the windows opened the cool night air flowed in assuring us a comfortable night’s sleep. After taking the girls for a nice long walk, we settled for the night. Dawn came and I busied myself with making coffee; must have coffee. We headed out looking forward to our next stop in Ohio where our son lives. It would be a 4-5 hour drive but driving through the mountains of West Virginia could take longer. No matter, at the end of the day we would see Dan. And who knows what adventures await us along the way.
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