Day One: Muskegon, Michigan to Norwalk, Ohio (October 1, 2020)
We had to finish packing up what we were leaving and loading
what we were taking. It was 2:15 before we finally called it quits and hit the
road. I am not proud of the way we left the house for Lucas and Michael. Things
were in major disarray and I realized after we were on the road that I forgot
to pack up a few things. Karen and I had reached the end of our collective
rope, physically and emotionally. Had we worked one minute longer I fear we
would have fallen into the pit of despair. So we left.
It had been raining off and on all day. God was good and
gave me a short dry period to load the truck and hook the trailer; then it
poured again. Our only major traffic slowdown was on US 31 right in Muskegon. Once
we hit I-96 we sailed at top speed (trailer puller top speed: 65) all the way to
our first stop in Lansing for fuel and potty break. Then we motored to Ottawa
Lake, Michigan without even slowing for Ann Arbor (at 5:00!) and took on fuel
and grabbed snacks from the trailer.
Ohio slid by with no trouble and we were blessed to arrive
at the Sandy Ridge Winery and Mercantile just before they stopped serving in
their restaurant. We started with a glass of wine; they had a passable Chablis
and a good cabernet each with their own label. No vines were visible, so we
assume they ship juice in from elsewhere and do their vintner magic. We shared
a delicious plate of pork tenderloin slices bronzed in a mango barbeque served
with fried plantains. There was a corn and bean slaw on the plate as well, but
we found it too peppery to enjoy. We topped it off with a sea-salt crusted
sugar cookie. Num!
We slept soundly through a quiet night on the edge of Sandy
Ridge’s parking lot alongside a field of ready-to-pick soybeans. Our
over-packed trailer and truck weathered the first day well. Nothing terrible
happened in the stacks of stuff in the trailer, and I was pleasantly surprised
to get 9.7 mpg in spite of all the extra weight. I think we had a tailwind most
of the way; in any case, it was a good first day once we abandoned the drudgery
of packing up the house. As I type this, my muscles ache from the last-minute
race to finish the storage job, but all-in-all I am happy and looking forward
to day two.
Day Two: Norwalk, Ohio to Cumberland, Maryland
We had a quiet night’s sleep next to the soybeans. We pulled
out around 9:00 and started south, looking for a place to eat breakfast. Karen
spotted a local eatery called Cattleman’s in Savannah, Ohio which turned out to
be perfect. Delicious omlette and good coffee (and no mask required). It’s
always fun to try the Mom and Pop places along the way. After breakfast we
wandered down US 250 to the Interstate system. 70 to 79 to 68 and we were in
Cumberland by 5:15.
Our spot on the Harvest Host list for this night was 1812
Brewery out in the hills by Cumberland. Apparently it is quite popular as a
music venue. They had a blue grass band for Friday and a Nashville
country-western singer and dobro player for Saturday. They bring in a food truck for the concerts,
so we had a plate of “crabby fries” that turned out to be a meal. The crab
sauce and cheese was delightful, but unfortunately they peppered the fries too
heavily for our tastes.
There were two of us camping and a large crowd showed up for
the music. Luckily the band only played until 10, because we could hear it
quite well in the trailer even though we were down the hill a ways. I had a
great night and I am ready to head to Virginia. There are lots of mountains
ahead, but we have already tested the little Dodge somewhat. We had some pretty
substantial climbs yesterday in West Virginia and Maryland, but I was able to
keep it up to no less than 50 mph. Our best tank yet was the one going across
Ohio at 9.7 mpg. God has been blessing us with a tailwind so far. Couldn’t be
happier.
Day Three: Cumberland, Maryland to Toano, Virginia
If I thought yesterday’s hills were a tough climb, today
woke me up. Ms. Google directed us cross-country through the backside of
Maryland and West Virginia. A couple of the hills were so steep that we were at
10 mph and about 3,000 rpm. We were on roads that were so narrow, I had to
sweat every time someone approached from the other way. After a couple hours of
climb and turn, climb and turn we reached a state highway that even had painted
center lines. It took us smoothly into Winchester, Virginia where we finally
found an IHOP for breakfast.
After breakfast we travelled about four hours of Interstate
and we arrived at the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center, our “home” for the
next three weeks or so. We were fortunate to get a campsite as there was a
large group from Beth Messiah mostly in tents nearly filling the small RV area.
Saturday afternoon and evening was NOISY with young campers running and
screaming all over the place. By evening, we were blessed to hear the shofar
announce a Sabbath end service (didn’t know there was such a thing) which they
held in the pavilion near our campsite. What a joy to hear Yeshua in place of
the name Jesus in our favorite worship songs. The “rabbi” preached a short
message about how Yeshua tabernacled (tented) with us – fitting in a setting
where they were tenting for the weekend.
Day Four: Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center
Today was a day of rest – much needed rest. We were treated
to another short devotional and singing by the Jewish Christian group in the
morning before they packed up and went home. The rest of the day was filled
with silence and getting more settled in the camper. We left the house in Muskegon
with so much extra stuff that it is a challenge to find a place for everything.
Karen assures me that once we eat away at the extra foodstuffs, we will be back
to a more reasonable load.
Our extra clothing isn’t going to go away though. Although
we are in balmy 70’s here and look forward to more of the same for most of the
winter, we will be visiting Salt Lake City a few times to see our daughter and
her family. It can be snowy and cold there as we learned two years ago when we
wintered there. That means we have to have at least a small wardrobe of cold
weather clothes. The bed of the pickup is going to be our storage shed for most
of this trip I think. I’m so glad I purchased the Softopper truck capper; it
doubles the usable square footage of the small bed.
Tomorrow we begin our work-camp experience here at the
Center. I’m not sure yet what all we will be doing, but they have assured us we
will be kept as busy as we want to be. The understanding is that we will work
about twenty hours per week for which we are given the campsite and our
utilities for the week. Last time we were here I did everything from logging to
pool maintenance to utility vehicle repair while Karen helped out in the
kitchen as they prepared meals for the program participants. COVID may reduce
the number of people who will use the facility, but as yesterday proved, it
won’t be vacant. Whatever they have for us, I know we won’t be bored.
Day Five: WCRC
Met with Bob Briscoe this morning and set up a meeting with
the maintenance head, Andrew. When we met in the afternoon, we decided I could
work six hours a day for four days and earn my keep. Lots to do: trees to cut
down, firewood to split, the pool needs to be cleaned for winter (they leave it
full as it seldom freezes hard).
After the meeting, Karen and I went into Williamsburg to my
old favorite, Home Depot, for some things I needed to complete a few projects.
We are gradually finishing the transformation from a summer vacation trailer to
a live-aboard home. By the time we finish, there won’t be a wall, a cupboard, a
shelf or anyplace that is not re-purposed as storage of some sort. I am
reminded of the pictures I have seen of hoarders’ dwellings: stuff everywhere.
Oh well; if it gets too bad, we may just buy a bigger rig.
Day Six: WCRC
Began the “work” part of work-camp today. The Center goes
through lots of firewood, so splitting and hauling the wood to the various
distribution points throughout the grounds is a big job. I worked with another
volunteer for several hours today, and between us we hauled seven wagon loads
of firewood. Here I am lumberjacking again. Whew! Karen will have kitchen duty
Saturday, so I am only going to work three days. The plan is to give the Center
four days of five to six hours to earn our keep. If I end up hauling wood all
three days, I will be ready for a long weekend!
The campground itself is a beautiful, quiet forest setting.
Quiet except for the other campers’ dogs. We have one on either side of us that
gets left in the camper alone for hours each day, barking and whining almost
constantly. I don’t understand people who say they love their dogs yet abandon
them in a tiny space to loneliness and fear all day. The absent owners don’t
have to listen to their pets’ desperate cries for help hour after hour.
Supper by a campfire and a movie tonight (there goes some of
that firewood I split). After my hard day’s work, I was off to bed at 9:30;
7:00 wake-up comes soon enough. Tomorrow will mark our first week in this
adventure. I can’t access the Internet with my computer here at the campground,
so I will find a place to connect and post the weekly journal as soon as I can.
Day Seven: WCRC (10/7/20)
We have been on the road for one week. I can’t tell whether
that is a surprise because it seems longer than that or shorter. One moment it
feels like we have been living in the trailer for weeks, and the next moment it
feels like we left Muskegon yesterday. Either way, I think we are settling in
well. There’s still too much stuff everywhere, so we have to continue to pare
down. There aren’t many more options for adding shelving or hangers for the
detritus that clutters every horizontal surface. We are already using the bed
of the truck as a “closet” for our winter clothes and a cupboard for food we
brought from home that won’t fit in the trailer. I think we need to rediscover
the freedom of knowing how much we can live without that we had on the
fifth-wheel.
Today I played fireman, or rather fire watchman. We started
burning a pile of brush which I monitored while splitting another wagonload of
firewood. Once it burned down to a smolder, I deposited the wood and spent an
hour helping a fellow-camper with a project. Then after lunch I was off to
another burn pile and spent a couple smoky hours watching that before heading back
to the trailer. Let’s just say I wasn’t keen for a campfire at home.
Week Two in Review (10/8-15/20)
Nothing too dramatic to report unless you count three days
of almost continuous rain. On Sunday afternoon we visited a winery that has
totally embraced the tasting-as-tourism idea. While the winery is only about 35
years old, it was built to resemble the 1619 era when the area was first
settled. At the entrance to the tasting area, a sign proclaimed, “When it
rains, we pour,” so the gray skies didn’t faze us. Wine tasting is served in a
two-story, covered “picnic” shelter that overlooks some of the 300 acres of
vineyard. Comfortable chairs, couches and coffee tables are arranged in a
social distance manner around the two floors. The servers bring a flight of
wine to taste or you can order a glass and a charcutier board to enjoy.
During the rain days I polished off an entire Robin Cook
novel. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent prepping and painting two shower rooms
in one of the cottages. We did have some unwanted excitement on Wednesday when
I got a splinter of something in my eye and it caused a subconjunctival
hemorrhage. I checked my eye late in the afternoon and was horrified to see the
wide streak of red in my eye. We went to the Williamsburg Regional Medical
Center emergency room where a promised 20-30-minute wait became 90. After waiting
in the examining room again, in about five minutes with the medic I was
pronounced safe and sound. I was finally discharged 3 hours after we arrived.
The rain was ushered in by a cold front which made it
necessary to run the furnace at night to fend off the temperatures in the 40’s.
Daytime highs are back in the high 60’s, so it’s not bad. We finally have the
sun back too. We are hoping to do some sightseeing this weekend – maybe
Jamestown and a couple museums that look interesting. More on that in next
week’s recap.
Week Three (10/16-22)
For our Friday night date we went to Kephi’s Greek Kitchen
and had one of the best Greek meals I have ever had. We discovered Greek
cuisine back in Lansing years ago. Since then we try to sample it when we find
it; it’s not as popular as some other ethnic offerings apparently. Kephi’s is a
jewel. Beautifully decorated, well served and delicious.
We spent a day at the historic Jamestown settlement. It was
interesting, but not as much as Yorktown. There was a school group that created
some crowding, and we skipped the tour of the replica boats that brought the
original Europeans due to a long line. The three boats looked very authentic
and completely detailed from our vantage point on the shore. The visitor center
and movie were very informative; they have a large display area with several
rooms depicting the stages of Jamestown’s settlement by Europeans and,
surprisingly, Africans.
My work this week was supposed to be cleaning the pool, but
there were electrical problems, so the pump won’t run consistently. The
maintenance super, Andrew, and I repainted the lines on one of the tennis
courts and I split some more wood from a tree we took down. Before we knew it,
Friday came and we packed up to leave Williamsburg.
Week Four (10/23-30)
Friday and Saturday nights were spent at Whippoorwill Farms,
a small organic farming operation that is part of the Harvest Host outfit. We
spent $20/night for water and electricity. I wanted to run the air because it
was in the 80’s in the daytime and only in the high 60’s at night. The hosts
were gracious and helpful when we arrived, but the accommodations were very
rustic. We tried arrived late Friday and did little more than hook up and eat
supper before we hit the sack. On Saturday we went into Savannah for a tour.
What an interesting place! We rode a hop-on-hop-off trolley with an
entertaining and informative driver who gave us a full picture of the history of
the city. They have the largest historical district anywhere in the US,
according to our driver. It is extensive; our tour lasted over 90 minutes after
which we walked the riverfront and ate lunch on a second-floor patio
overlooking the street and river traffic. Fabulous people-watching and some
delicious scallops.
On Sunday we left the farm and travelled to Theodore,
Alabama and our next stop at All About Relaxing RV Park. Cute name and
wonderful park and people. We stayed a couple days here last spring and knew we
wanted to come back. Unfortunately, hurricane Zeta is headed right for us, so
we have to make a decision whether to stay the week as planned.
We decided to flee the hurricane because it promised three
days of rain and up to 50+ mph winds… not exactly relaxing. We covered four
states (AL, MS, LA, TX) and stopped at another Harvest Host location, Franscone
Winery in Anahuac, Texas. We tasted some interesting local wines and had
alligator egg rolls for our supper. It seems Anahuac is the gator capital of
Texas; the creatures can be found along the side of the road or in your yard if
you are “lucky.” The wife of the winery owner, Suong, is from Vietnam. She used
to make pork and chicken eggrolls, but one time the organizers of the annual
Gator Festival told her she couldn’t serve anything that didn’t have alligator
in it – thus began the tradition of gator eggrolls; delicious.
Because from Alabama to Texas we probably bridged bayou,
delta and river with a thousand alligators, it is only fitting that we ended the
day with an alligator meal. This is not what Karen probably envisioned for her
birthday dinner (10/27), but it certainly was unique. Even though we are on the
edge of Galveston Bay, and a walk along the pier is tempting, we intend to move
on because of high percentage chance of rain throughout the day tomorrow.
It took four days and three nights to cross Texas on I-10.
Whew! The two major cities we went through were Houston and El Paso; both were
smog covered and stinky. The hill country of West Texas was pretty, but with
the added struggle of a strong headwind, fuel mileage was awful averaging
around the low sevens. The highlight of the whole Texas trip (after Anahuac)
was a detour off I-10 through New Braunfels to visit a place called Water 2
Wine. I know it would offend some people to think of a Christian winery, but if
Jesus could make wine in Cana, why not believers in Texas?
The Travle Adventure Ends (10/30-31)
It is interesting to note how often the topography changes
at a state border. Once we crossed the Rio Grande just inside New Mexico, the
hills of West Texas became the flat desert of New Mexico. After two days of
struggling with the hills and wind, our little rig sailed a across the flat
land at top speed (my top is just over 65) and still got a record 10.2 mpg. The
country started to roll again right at the Arizona border, but there were still
plenty of long, flat downhills.
We stopped at a beautiful campground in Benson, Arizona
called Butterfield RV resort. We considered spending an extra night to do some
sightseeing, but the lure of our final destination only 357 miles away was too
strong. The campground has a private observatory, and the dark sky makes for a
great show on every clear night. One day we will have to come back for that and
to check out the Chiracahua National Monument. Boulders stacked precariously on
boulders the size of busses make for some interesting vistas. We had a sample
of the amazing feature in Texas Canyon when we passed through on the way to
Benson.
Saturday will find us at Tradewinds RV Park in Golden
Valley, Arizona, our winter home (we think). They are holding a spot for us
through April on a month-by-month basis. If we decide not to stay there through
until spring, we have only to give them ten days’ notice that we are leaving.
The park charges $235/month plus electric (probably $25-30 until A/C season), so
I can’t imagine staying anywhere for less. It will be a long haul around the
Grand Canyon and up I-15 to see Elissa and family in Salt Lake City, but there
was nothing closer available that didn’t cost twice as much and still keep us
from freezing.
If spring comes early, we may head north to Draper, Utah
where we stayed two years ago. We could spend the month of April and do some
weekend camping with Elissa, Nick and the kids. From there we can run the
northern route home along the Canadian border into Michigan’s upper peninsula and
then drop down below the bridge to our summer spot in Montague. If we do that,
we will have driven a circle around most of the outer states of the lower forty-eight
from fall ’20 to spring ’21.
It has been quite an adventure so far. Our 23-foot home is too small by almost any measure, but when we set up the 8x14 screen room under the awning, it is almost livable. After we circle back to Michigan next spring, we will have to decide whether to continue in tiny house mode or look for something bigger (again). Our spot in Montague at Trailways Campground won’t allow anything bigger, so our decision will either have to wait until fall, or else we will have to find another spot to park. Either way, unless something drastic changes between now and then, I think we will be living the nomad life for a while. It’s still too much fun!
