A free day at Lake Gunterson

 Got up at the usual time but it was later than usual due to the time change.  That was fine!  After a casual breakfast we went on a hike.  The park people said eagles were seen feeding off a trail to our north.  It was 2 miles out and took a few hours.  We saw one Bald Eagle.  Just heard a big splash in the lake and then saw the eagle fly up to a tree, empty talons, he didn’t get his lunch on that pass.  He just sat in that tree for a while before flying off.  Met a woman on our way back.  She was a local from an hour away.  Talked a LOT about her family and life here, and how this park was full of pine trees 10 years ago until a storm took them out.  

Relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.  Showers and all that routine stuff.

Headed for a little town in Mississippi tomorrow with a store that has been running since 1884.  Should be fun.  Another Harvest Host site.

A few more deer

Our Bald Eagle sighting for the day

A couple duck-type birds

Carlene doing a squeaker-ectomy on Skye's chicken.

Skye had opened up the chicken and was about to eat the sqeak.

 

To Lake Guntersville State Park, AL

 Woke up to a nice sunny morning in GA.  Chilly night in the 30s but the batteries had taken a good charge from the solar panels on a rare sunny day so we had plenty of heat al night.  Our neighbors in the winery parking lot had their dog out when we were getting ready to leave.  Skye and Lucy had a wonderful romp and run in the open grass.  Very secluded for them to be off leash.  Our new friends were Bob and Beth McDonald, we’re trying to remember for sure but we think they said Waynesboro VA.

Crossing Atlanta on a Saturday morning was slightly crowded but no congestion and we got through the city bypass just fine.  Out the west end, a stop for fuel, a stop for lunch at the Alabama Welcome Ctr. And a stop at a grocery store all took up the slack in a relatively short 200 mile day.  A time zone change somewhere along the way made up for some of that.

Coming up towards the park we made a turn onto one road with a sudden halt.  The power company was stringing new lines and had the road blocked by two cherry picker trucks taking up the whole road.  A guy came over to say it’d be 45 minutes.  Or I could back up and take another road a half mile farther up.  It was only a quarter mile of backing up, and all straight road, so I did it.

Once in the park we found ourselves on a road a bit better than Smuggler’s Notch.  The curves were easier but the grade seemed as steep.  Once down it we were again stopped by obstructions in the road.  But this time it was deer.  And a couple other cars gawking and feeding them.  It was good to stop, I had a bit of smoke coming from a front brake!  And I had been geared down and with the engine brake running so I hadn’t used all that much brake (or so I had thought).

Once in camp on the lake shore we went out for a short walk with Skye.  Found another deer down on the lake front and a gaggle of geese too.  All this followed by the best sunset yet on this trip.

Skye’s playtime this morning:

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Arriving at camp:

Everybody’s watching something

Day 4, to Boutier Winery, Danielsville, GA

 After that long day yesterday we took a much shorter day today.  Got in the road around 9 and stopped a few times for stretching.  Power did not come back on until 6:30 this morning.  During the walk around with Skye Carlene say two big trees had come down on two (luckily) vacant tent sites.  Crews were cleaning it up already.

Nice drive today with some sunny times, some cloudy times, and no rain.  

Here at the Boutier Winery we met the owner, Victor, when we arrived, very pleasant fellow from Netherlands.After setting up in the dooryard we went in for some wine sampling.  6 samples each and every one an excellent wine.  We bought a bottle of Hot Flash to take.  There is one other couple camping here tonight.  They have a young dog too.  They are from Virginia and heading hone after 2 months out.  

Tomorrow we have reservations for 2 nights at Lake Gunterson State Park in Alabama.  We are hitting a regional cool spell so expect 30 or so at night.  But even down in Birmingham it’s the same, so there is little means of getting away from it.  We are generally heading to Big Bend but will see what there is to do along the way.  We’ll hit the shores on the way back when it’s a bit warmer.

Yesterday’s photos:

Not much today on the road.  Here are some views of the winery.

In NJ

Day 3, Aldie to Lake Norman State Park NC

 Last night I said we were going to Marion VA.  We almost did.  Made it out a n hour east of Marion and then Carlene looked at an updated weather report.  They are expecting up to 3” of snow by morning!  !#@$#$ That!!!!  I didn’t come all this way for that stuff.  2 hours south near Charlotte NC it would be a lot warmer.  So here we are in Lake Norman State Park, Troutman NC.  It was maybe 1 1/2 hours extra.  It was also 62 degrees when we arrived!  I had a gin & tonic with the camper doors open.  I’d have been outside but it was raining lightly.  It’s still 53.  

Coming over the mountains from Va to NC we hit some really heavy fog  Even at 40 I was nervous about visibility   I was glad when I caught up with some traffic so I could see someone in front of me at a known distance.   

We did get some very heavy rain for a short while.  It came with plenty of wind and cut off the power.  We tried to get 2 nights here so we could do some hiking tomorrow.  But it’s a holiday weekend and we could only get Thursday night.  

That was 7 hours of drive time today and I’m tired.  Carlene too.  In fact, she took a bunch of photos in some nice Virginia countryside on our way.  She has taken those to bed with her (still in her camera) so you can’t see then now.  I’m up of practice taking pictures while I drive.  I used to take a lot of photos while driving when I was working.  A small real camera was easier to hold in one hand than a smart phone.

Saw this cool ruck at a rest area

Our campsite at Lake Norman SP

Day 2, Matamoras, PA to Aldie, VA

 I think we left at 8:45 this morning.  I checked the weather forecast and it was better than last night’s.  Cool but not hard frost again.  So I filled the water tank and got the water working inside the camper.  Oh Boy, running water!

Nice enough drive down to Virginia, even some slightly sunny time; meaning just enough for shadows and maybe sunglasses.  Carlene likes sunglasses, I just wear a ball cap and tip my head for eye shade as needed.  I still have the Rx sunglasses on the dash, just in case.  

Last night I set up the GPS to take us to the Quattro Goombas Winery here in Aldie.  Checked to be sure it would take us down US Rt 15 from Harrisburg.  All fine.  It recalculated this morning when I turned it on and apparently then decided to take us down I-81 and then back east on I-70, making an extra 30 or so miles.  Claiming it was quicker.  Bull.  That did take us by a fresh car crash scene.  Responders were not there yet but since it was on the opposite side of the interstate I did not stop.  With my big rig it would have caused a second highway blockage.  There were several bystanders there rendering some aid.

We’ll see if I have the energy to pull the dash cam footage a bit later tonight.

This winery is also a brewery.  I got a 4 pack of some nice dark beer.  The sample I got was quite tasty.I don’t know how much will make it back to cow camp this summer!  They also have a small kitchen on site.  We got a Sicilian Pizza with pepperoni for supper.  This is our first time at a Harvest Hosts place.  HH is a membership operation of places like this, winery, brewery, farm, museum or other such enterprise that has a little room for a camper or 3.  This place allows up to 3 campers on the far side of their spacious parking lot.  It’s always free camping (small fee for electricity if they have it) and you are expected to buy something.  So it feels like a free campsite with a normal priced meal.  Tomorrow we stay at a distillery in Marion VA.

Quattro Goombas.  We are the blue dot.  No other campers tonight.

Well,] it’s the only photo we took on the road all day.  

Hopefully we’ll have more interesting photos tomorrow.

Got the crash scene off my dash cam.  Then pulled a still from the video.

 We left about 8:45 this morning and arrived without incident at 3 PM.  There was a little snow on the ground at home this morning.  By the time we were passed the top of French Hill in Williston the travel lanes were clear.  By Burlington the ground was bare and that lasted the rest of the day.  We took 2 breaks on the drive down to stretch and let Skye get out too.  She was great, no fuss, just nap and come up between the seats to say hello occasionally.  She is tethered to the back of the rear seat so she can’t jump up front anyway.

Once here we had a nice little walk along the Delaware River.  This Tri-State RV Park is at the confluence of the two rivers that form the Delaware.  You look out to the Tri State monument (NY, NJ, PA) in the rocks in the middle of a point of land on the river

On to Aldie VA tomorrow.  The forecast shows temps in the 20s both nights.  We won’t be warm for a while yet.

Today’s travel

Taking a walk around the campground

The camp

My pard in the camper.  She sat there through supper too.  No fuss, just lay there.

 So here we go again!  All packed and 99% loaded for departure in the morning.  Should be an easy drive to Matamoras PA.  Second might be Fredrick MD.  Have to confirm the location.

Thought I'd get a start on the new trip blog.   

More tomorrow!