Saturday - October 9, 2021
We slept in today even though it was a travel day because our destination was only 2 1/2 hours away. We left camp by 9:30 am and drove to Augusta/Gardiner KOA getting there shortly after 1:00 pm. On our way there we saw a red fox in a parking lot by the highway. Once we got camp set up we both took showers. It felt so good although the shower stalls were gross and dirty. Good thing we both had shower shoes. The leaves had finally gotten very pretty.
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| A view of our campsite |
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| A second view of the campsite - leaves had gotten pretty |
Sunday - October 10, 2021
We left camp at 9:00 am heading toward Vermont. It was a cloudy, cool day with pretty views of the trees. We ate lunch in the car while we were driving. We got to the Brattlesboro KOA in the middle of the afternoon. It is just okay. We had a back-in site with electric and water - no sewer.
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| Pretty trees as we drove into Vermont |
I fixed potato with cheese soup for dinner. We couldn't sit outside because the mosquitoes were so bad. After taking a short walk behind the campground we talked to Scott to wish him a happy birthday. We had an early night after a long day's drive.
Monday - October 11, 2021
I made a pot of coffee and we each fixed a cup to drink on our way to Dot's Restaurant in Wilmington. The main reason we stopped at this exact location was so we could have breakfast at Dot's. Three years ago when we were driving through on our way to Acadia we stopped for breakfast and really liked it. It is also a pretty area. We got to Dot's about 9:15 am and got seated right away. After we got seated there was a line with a wait time of 20 - 25 minutes. Perfect timing! We both had eggs, bacon and pancakes with local maple syrup. It was all very good. After breakfast we walked around Wilmington for a little bit before leaving town.
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| Stream in Wilmington across from Dot's |
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| Stream and pretty trees next to Dot's |
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| Dot's Restaurant |
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| Proof we were in Wilmington |
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| A pretty view in Wilmington |
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| A pretty tree in Wilmington |
We drove to the Black Mountain Natural Area on a very pretty drive through the mountains, even driving through a covered bridge. As we were driving we saw about 50 turkeys in a field by the highway. We hiked a short distance up the Black Mountain trail then hiked on the West River trail. The receptionist at the KOA had recommended the West River trail for us to hike. They were both good trails and we hiked a total of 3 1/2 miles.
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| Prettiest trees on the whole trip |
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| Another good shot of the trees |
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| About to drive on the covered bridge |
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| Mike at the beginning of the Black Mountain Natural Area |
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| Mary on the Black Mountain trail |
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| A view of the West River from the trail |
We both took showers after getting back to camp. These were the worst showers yet. The showers were dirty and the water either ran scalding hot or cold. It was hard to get the water just warm. This was a nice day, cloudy at times with pleasant temperatures.
Tuesday - October 12, 2021
We ate breakfast at Dot's again. We both got eggs, ham, and shared an order of pancakes. It was good once again.
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| A final shot of Dot's Restaurant |
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| Wilmington is a pretty town |
After breakfast we drove back to the Black Mountain Natural Area trailhead and hiked to the summit. It was a tough hike up the mountain, but was worth it for the views. The total distance was 3 1/2 miles.
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| Farm on the way to the hiking trail |
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| We drove on the covered bridge again |
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| Mike walking on one of the steep sections |
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| View from the top of Black Mountain |
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| Mike at the summit |
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| Mary at the summit |
After our hike we got back to camp by 2:30 pm. We washed dishes and took it easy the rest of the day. We really enjoyed our time in the Wilmington - Brattleboro area.
Wednesday - October 13, 2021
We broke camp at 8:30 am and drove across Vermont into New York. It was foggy and cloudy most of the day. The leaves in New York were pretty, but hard to see because of the weather. We got to the Unadilla/Oneota KOA by 12:30. It was an okay KOA, but the owner let her dogs be loose in the office and it was a little unnerving when I opened the door and they rushed toward me barking. Turns out they were friendly, but I didn't know that at first.
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| Some pretty trees in New York |
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| Another pretty view |
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| Pretty trees in the campground |
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| Our campsite |
After we ate lunch Mary washed clothes. This KOA had a decent laundromat, but the dogs were in there part of the time and it was hard to avoid them while I was doing the laundry. Also, the room smelled like dog. Yuck. The setting at this campground was very pretty.
Thursday - October 14, 2021
We broke camp at 8:30 am. This was the longest driving day on our way to Alexandria. It was very foggy at first with some pretty trees. We took I85 to I81 all the way to our next stop. There were three times that there was a slowdown in traffic due to accidents and construction. It should have been a 5 hour drive, but took 8 hours instead. We got to the the Hagerstown/Antietam KOA in the late afternoon. It is an okay KOA, but had the campsites very close together. At least the showers were clean, but a bit dated. The weather got warmer by the time we got to camp. There was a nice sunset this evening. We had a light dinner then turned in early.
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| Our campsite |
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| Pretty sunset |
Friday - October 15, 2021
We left camp by 8:00 am. It was very foggy and the car windows kept fogging up. After about 30 minutes it cleared up. We dropped the trailer at the Harrisonburg/Shenandoah KOA before going to Scott and Cristin's in Alexandria, Virginia. We added three more days to the storage time so that we could stay longer in Alexandria. We arrived at Scott and Cristin's house by 1:00 pm. Cristin, Aslynn, and Hunter were home. Scott had to go into work and Elli and Oscar were at school. Mike and I ate lunch then walked 1 1/2 blocks to the bus stop to meet Elli and Oscar after they got out of school.
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| Mike and Elli |
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| Elli, Hunter, Aslynn, and Mary |
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| Oscar and Mary |
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| The grandkids thought it was funny to make Poppa 'cool' |
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| Another "cool" shot |
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| Mary and Elli |
Scott got home from work around 6:30 pm and we ordered pizza for dinner. After everyone else went to bed, Scott and I sat out on the deck visiting until about 11:00 pm. This was a good start to our time in Alexandria.
Saturday - October 16, 2021
After breakfast Cristin and I took Aslynn and Elli shopping at the Springfield Town Center for their birthdays. I was able to get each of them an outfit and accessories. We ate lunch out then finished shopping before going back to the house. After we got back to the house we played video games before making chili for dinner. We sat outside and tried to build a fire in the fire pit, but had no luck because the wood was too wet. Even without success with the fire, this was a really fun day.
Sunday - October 17, 2021
I started the day making pancakes, bacon, and eggs with the kids. After breakfast Scott took Oscar to Beth's to spend the day and night. Sunday is the only weekend day she has off. After that we went to Scott's Run Natural Preserve to go hiking. We had a hard time finding a place to park so didn't get to hike on the trail we wanted to. We still had a good hike next to the stream.
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| Mike, Elli, Scott, Aslynn, Hunter, and Cristin on trail |
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| Elli and Mary |
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| Next to the stream |
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| At the end of the trail next to the Potomac |
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| The leaves were pretty |
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| A final view during the hike |
After the hike we returned home for lunch. We cooked hamburgers for dinner and had a fire in the fire pit. Another fun day.
Monday - October 18, 2021 through Friday - October 22, 2021
We mainly hung out around the house ton Monday. Mike, Scott, and I went shopping at Wegman's and picked up lunch there. The kids and Mary did a little bit of painting after they got out of school and we had chicken for dinner.
I was sick on Tuesday, the kids had school, and everyone just hung out. I ended up just staying in the basement to keep away from everyone. I even took an at home Covid test which was thankfully negative.
I still felt bad on Wednesday, but better than on Tuesday. While Elli and Oscar were in school everyone else went hiking at Scott's Run again. Since it was the middle of the week we were able to get a parking spot and hike the portion of the trail that we couldn't get to on Sunday. We hiked 3 1/2 miles to the falls by the Potomac River. It was a nice hike. Unfortunately, I forgot my phone so got no pictures.
Scott had to work on Thursday and Friday. Mike and I walked in the neighborhood and went to the Safeway to get stuff so we could fix tacos for dinner.
On Friday Mike and I walked in the neighborhood again while everyone else did school and work. We had leftovers for dinner before Aslynn and Hunter left to go to their dad's house for the weekend. Before they left Aslynn gave me a handmade cookbook for my birthday. I was very touched.
Saturday - October 23, 2021 Happy 68th Birthday to Me!
We slept in, had breakfast, then hiked at the Dora Kelly Nature Center area. We mainly just hung out by the stream rock hunting and having stick races. We did see a copperhead that Oscar almost jumped on.
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| Elli on a rock by the stream |
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| Mike and Scott rock hunting |
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| Oscar, Scott, and Mike |
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| Oscar and Elli |
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| Oscar is having fun! |
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| Mary and Elli |
After lunch Scott, Mike, and I took Elli and Oscar to Beth's for the week. It's always sad saying goodbye.Scott, Mike, and I watched the Razorback game before ordering Thai for dinner. It was a really good birthday dinner. We missed all the kids but it was nice to be able to sit up late having adult conversation on our last night here.
Sunday - October 24, 2021 Front Royal
Mike and I packed all of our stuff and everyone left Alexandria around 10:30 am headed to Front Royal to meet Cristin's sister and Mom and Dad. Scott and Mike went in our car and I rode with Cristin. It was nice meeting Cristin's family at her sister's new office. After visiting a while the four of us got sandwiches to go at a local restaurant. We took them to the parking lot for the Andrea Family Wellness Trail next to the hospital. After lunch we hiked to the overlook at the top of the trail and back, a total of 2 1/2 miles.
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| View from the overlook |
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| Mike, Mary, Scott, and Cristin |
After the hike we said our goodbyes and Mike and I went to Harrisonburg/Shenandoah KOA to pick up our trailer. We spent the night here since we got here so late. We really enjoyed our visit with Scott's family and were glad that we spent the extra three days there.
Monday - October 25, 2021 Watoga State Park, West Virginia
We left the KOA at 9:00 am. We stopped at a Wal-Mart Supercenter on our way to Watoga State Park in West Virginia to get supplies for the rest of the trip. The drive through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia was beautiful. The leaves had turned into reds, oranges, and yellows. We got to Watoga State Park by 1:30 pm. This was a very large, nice park. We had electric hookups but no water or sewer. It started to rain so we put out the awning so that we could sit outside. That worked until the wind started blowing so much that we were getting wet. We ended up sitting in the trailer the rest of the day.
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| Watoga State Park |
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| Our campsite |
I cooked chicken alfredo with canned chicken and green peas for dinner which we ate with steamed vegetables. This is my go to recipe when we are at the end of a camping trip. It is simple, but pretty tasty.
Tuesday - October 26, 2021
It was cool today not getting above 49 degrees. We hiked the Greenbrier River Trail which is on an old railroad bed. We hiked 1 1/2 miles out then back. It was good that we turned back when we did because it started to rain lightly. It was a really pretty hike.
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| The trees were really pretty in the park |
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| Greenbrier River - notice the kingfisher |
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| View from the trail |
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| Mike and Mary on the trail |
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| The trailhead |
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| Entrance into the park |
After the hike we drove 2 miles outside of the park to fill the car up with gas. We prefer to get gas when the trailer is not hooked up. On the way back we stopped at Jack Horner's Corner to get pizza for lunch followed by ice cream cones. It was a really tasty lunch. After we got back to camp we sat in the trailer the rest of the day because it was so cold outside. We want to come back to this state park some time when it is warmer.
Wednesday - October 27, 2021
We left camp by 7:00 am headed to the Louisville South KOA. The drive through West Virginia was very pretty.
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| Pearl S Buck birthplace and a nice sunrise |
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| Picture of the house at Pearl S Buck home |
It was a nice driving day with not much happening. We got to our campsite by late afternoon, had leftovers for dinner and called it a day.
Thursday - October 28, 2021
We left the Louisville South KOA by 8:00 am. We drove through the rest of Kentucky then into Missouri to Poplar Bluff. It was an okay driving day, but was windy and rained some. We stayed at the Drury Inn in Poplar Bluff. This was a good choice because we got free dinner with 3 included drinks in addition to the breakfast. This was double good since it was raining which kept us from having to walk in the rain to dinner.
Friday - October 29, 2021 Home
We got up at 6:00 am and left the hotel by 7:00. We had no problems driving and were home by 1:30 pm. This was a really good trip. We drove 4,400 miles and had no car or trailer problems. May be the last time we travel with this trailer since we are looking for a small motorhome.
