As we are taking our first trip, I am so content. The trailer is working pretty much as we wanted it to, from the incredibly improved kitchen storage, to a bigger & easier to access shower, to our beautiful new bedroom, to improved outside storage. It is so amazingly satisfying to finally be reaping the benefits of all the hard work, frustration and planning that went on over the winter. It was also a treat to be able to finally use the many retirement gifts I received for our camper. It is lovely to have my friends and family “traveling along with us” in that way!
We travelled the first day to Mt. Airy, NC in our brand new truck and what a difference having the right tool makes! Hubby was so much more comfortable driving now that we have enough vehicle to pull our trailer and the truck rides so smoothly. No more being slung to the side by semis! What a relief. Our fuel mileage has also improved dramatically, but of course, diesel is more expensive than gas
, so not sure if we are saving any money overall. Told our campground neighbors last night that when you RV, you have to take the words “fuel mileage” out of your vocabulary. We chose to spend 2 nights, so we could poke around in Mt. Airy, and we sure enjoyed the pride which that little town has in being the birthplace and early home of Andy Griffith. The first night, we went to a jam session by some wonderful local musicians, who of course played old time bluegrass music. Folks wandered in and out as they wished to, and those who felt “moved by the spirit” got and clogged. What a lovely way to while away an evening!
On our second day, we went into town and explored Floyd’s Barber Shop and the Snappy Diner, among other local Mayberry-esque sites. Sadly, the old gentleman who owns Floyd's has had a stroke, so he is only in the shop when a relative can bring him there, but we were able to see in through the window. We also took a tour of Mt. Airy in a squad car like Andy’s. What a fun way to see the area. One interesting part of the tour included the world's largest open-faced granite quarry. That thing is HUGE and it was neat to see a number of buildings built using granite from there, as well as the history and explanation of how/why each was built the way it was.
We also toured the Andy Griffith Museum, which contains lots of memorabilia from his life and career. Out front is the fairly new statue of Andy and Opie going fishing. All in all, a good day.
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Day 3 found us heading north toward Pa., with an overnight stop in Morgantown, WV. Our campground is way up a mountain, and is beautifully wooded. It is very natural, with little landscaping. This morning was cool enough that I put on a sweatshirt. Nice change from the upper 90’s at home last week!
We had a nice visit with our neighbors from Nashville yesterday afternoon, who were completely amazed at the renovations we have done. They had been having a conversation all day (since it had been raining) about whether or not they could paint inside their 5th wheel camper. Rita, the wife, said she WILL be picking out paint as soon as they get back home! Another one who has been bitten by the reno bug! They shared with us that there was a lovely overlook site just on the other side of the interstate, so after we went back into town to refuel, we headed over to Cooper's Rock Overlook. This is one of my favorite parts of taking a trip where it is the trip, not the destination that is important. It allows us time to find hidden gems along the way, and this one certainly qualifies!
We had a nice visit with our neighbors from Nashville yesterday afternoon, who were completely amazed at the renovations we have done. They had been having a conversation all day (since it had been raining) about whether or not they could paint inside their 5th wheel camper. Rita, the wife, said she WILL be picking out paint as soon as they get back home! Another one who has been bitten by the reno bug! They shared with us that there was a lovely overlook site just on the other side of the interstate, so after we went back into town to refuel, we headed over to Cooper's Rock Overlook. This is one of my favorite parts of taking a trip where it is the trip, not the destination that is important. It allows us time to find hidden gems along the way, and this one certainly qualifies!