Saratoga Springs Trip: Flood Delay (Day 2, 6/28/2013)

We head out early from Cheerful Valley, passing an Erie Canal lock and the Erie Canal bike path. At around mile marker 118, East of Herkimer, traffic slows to a crawl, backed up by mud and debris washed over the road from last night’s downpour. All along the roadside we see streams and waterfalls gushing into the sluiceway beside the road.  State highway dump trucks and front-end loaders are digging out the blockages. For about an hour we crawl along.   

Despite the delay, we still make it in time to meet the prospective customer at 10:00am. Then, we make our way to the wedding location in Saratoga Springs. For the wedding, we stay in a hotel, but enjoy showing the RV to several curious people in the parking lot.

Saratoga Springs Trip: Cheerful Valley (Day 1, 6/27/2013)

Mike and I get on the road about 4:00pm, heading east on I-90 to visit a prospective Advanced RV client near Saratoga Springs, New York and then attend a wedding.

 

Tonight we camp at Cheerful Valley Campground in Phelps, New York. The hostess at the desk is, indeed, cheerful, welcoming us to the spacious, green, peaceful park on a river’s bend. The rain stops in time for us to set up (which takes only a few minutes) and go for a walk. Then, we have a simple supper of leftovers from home before turning in early for the night.

NC Trip: Cycling Up 4% Grade in Virginia (Day 3 - June 21, 2013)

We set out from Jefferson National Forest at 7:20, and take back roads to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, slowly traversing ups-and-downs at base of the Appalachian Mountains. Cattle and Christmas trees cover the hills.

We stop at Whitetop on Route 58 about 9:15. After talking to the woman running the bike rental there, realize we don’t have time to pedal down the Virginia Creeper Trail, a rails-to-trails bikeway, and catch the shuttle back. Mike must make a phone call at 11:30 but the woman tells us that the only cell phone reception in the area is up at the nearby church. We drive to Green Cove Station and set out downhill, on a rough but beautiful path following a fast flowing brook. We bike for about a half hour before Mike says we must turn around to have enough time to pedal back up the 4% grade.

Back on the road after our bike ride, we set out for Damascus and back to Route 81. The winding, hilly roads make for slow going. Just in time for Mike’s call, we pick up cell phone coverage: four bars! After Mike’s phone call, we head down 77 to Mooresville, North Carolina, where we will stay with friends for the weekend.

NC Trip: Not for Vehicles Over Six Wheels (Day 2 - June 20, 2013)

We get on the road about 8:30, pass the West Virginia State Capitol building with its golden dome, and enjoy the green hills and winding roads of the surrounding countryside. Our mission this morning: find an interesting biking or hiking trail. We end up in Bluefield, WV—the historic center of the coalfields. At the Chamber of Commerce, we learn that Bluefield City Park has hiking trails and the best place for lunch is across the street at the Old City Hall building, built in 1924; it is now home to the Bluefield Area Arts Center. 

Marcia outside the Savory-Haven Cafe

At the Savory-Haven Café, we enjoy the daily special: chef’s salad and fresh raspberry crisp for $8.99. Since we have not had Wi-Fi or even steady cell coverage for the last 24 hours, we hang out at the café most of the afternoon, catching up, while the waitress keeps refilling our iced teas. Before we leave, we run up to the third floor to see Gary Boling’s House of Art. Gary tells us he is a Vietnam Vet and "dumpster diver" who gives back to his community by hosting art classes and performance nights in this amazing space, decorated with his found and reconstructed art.

At Bluefield City Park, next to baseball diamonds and tennis courts, we find the start of Sleeping Wolf Trail and hike a gorgeous, green and challenging 4 mile loop, ending up at the entrance to a kiddie park. What a resource for this community! 

GPS screen: hairpin turns on Route 623

From Bluefield, we go west to Tazewell and then head south on Route 623, a back road through Burke’s Garden, a high, fertile valley settled briefly by Burke after the Civil War until the remoteness and Native Americans scared him off. A sign warns, "Not recommended for vehicles with more than 6 wheels." We continue on. The road becomes crushed gravel, narrower, and more twisting. A Cooper Hawk swoops in front of the windshield and we pass the crossing of the Appalachian Trail. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, with Mike at the wheel, handles the hairpin turns better than I do. 

At dusk, we come back into civilization and see a parasail off a northern slope. The three-quarter moon illuminate grey barns. From information we picked up in Bluefield, we learn about the Battle of Walker Mountain: Union General Tolman marched from Tazewell to Wytheville, where he was killed before the Confederates retreated to Rural Retreat. 

We camp just north of Wytheville, Virginia at lush, green Jefferson National Forest. Mike asks the campground host about cycling in the area, and he connects us to a biking group across the way from our camp. They tell us to head southwest toward Mount Rogers.

NC Trip: Cartoon Tree (Day 1 - June 19, 2013)

We plan to leave Willoughby at 8:00am for an early afternoon meeting with a prospective motor home customer in Columbus before heading to North Carolina where we will stay with friends for the weekend. But, we end up getting an even earlier start so there’s time to pick up the power cord from the Advanced RV shop where it was left by mistake. We hurriedly pack bags of foods, clothes and supplies into the motor home. After we pick up the power cord, Mike does a final check of all systems and I finish stowing our belongings for the trip.

After the customer meeting in Columbus, we head south on I-77 into West Virginia. Our campsite tonight is Kanawha State Forest: a lush, wooded park deep in a "holler" Southeast of Charleston. We choose a campsite by a rambling brook and go for short hike in the early evening, spotting a deer along the way. Mike, pointing out one huge oak tree with gnarly bark and a high canopy, says it would make the perfect cartoon oak, waving its arms and talking to us.