North Carolina Cold #81-01

December 29, 2007 (Sat)
Home to Winchester, VA, ST (292/292 miles)

We got off at 8:30 (50°). It always seems strange to turn "North" on the Garden State Parkway when our destination is south. It really isn't that much out of the way and the traffic and lack of congestion are worth the extra mile or so. The GSP actually goes Northwest from Red Bank and I-78 goes West - the direction we would have to go at some point anyway. A short way after crossing the state line into Pennsylvania (10:10am, 46°) we learned the answer to the long pondered question - what happens when a flatbed 18 wheeler with a load of heavy road building equipment not properly tied down takes an Interstate ramp too fast. Answer: The load slides off and gives the driver a bad day. It must have just happened because there was no one around except the driver standing there looking at it and scratching his head.

When Mark checked the tires at the Flying J in Carlisle, PA the gauge read 0 on the right rear inside tire, 0? but the tire seemed hard enough when "kick" tested. Rather than take a chance, we called our road service provider to let them check it out. After a half hour they called us back. "We wanted to let you know that can't find anyone available to help you within a 40 mile radius. We're continuing to try." "Never mind. The tire is probably alright. We'll get back on the road." To be sure, Mark connected our compressor to it and, while it was operating, it showed the proper pressure. The gauge quickly dropped to 0 when the compressor was turned off. But the tire remained hard. Even so, the kick test was administered off and on for the rest of the day.

We crossed Maryland state line at 2:51, the West Virginia state line at 2:59, the Virginia state line at 3:26, and pulled into the Winchester, VA Walmart parking lot at 3: 45. This is the third time we've stopped here and by far the most crowded. The cars slowly thinned and several more RVs pulled in to keep us company as the evening went on. It was a quiet night in spite of the generator running for a while nearby.

Q040026 Camp Walmart, Winchester, VA
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December 30, 2007 (Sun)
Winchester, VA to Mars Hill, NC (393/685 miles)

Although it was quiet, we didn't get much sleep due to first night adjustment, the security lights coming through the curtains, Joy struggling to fight off a pending cold, and being slightly chilly just before dawn. The temperature had climbed all the way up to 33° by the time we got off at 8:45 and struggled to make it to 40° as we drove South. I-81 follows the Shenandoah Valley west of the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge Mountains. It was misty and rainy most of the way into North Carolina - when it wasn't raining heavily - and the clouds and wisps of fog and mist filled the low areas of the mountains making for a beautiful, if somewhat dreary drive. We filled up with gas at a Flying J in NC - 2.83/gal.

Painted as as subtitle on the back of a Sheets gasoline tanker truck that passed us: "Driver does not carry sandwiches"

We dreaded turning East to cross over the Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee as last year we ran into snow through the passes. But I-26 was clear and even dry in areas as we topped the 3750 foot pass. And quite fittingly, NPR (National Public Radio) had a program featuring North Carolina mountain music (bluegrass) as we came down the mountain back into NC. It felt like being part of a movie or TV scene. And it was raining heavily again by then.

Bob & Pat saw us pull into their driveway and came out to greet us. It was great to see them again. After hugs, talk and dinner we all enjoyed a rousing game of dominoes - which Joy won!

Q040419 Bob & Pat's yard
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December 31, 2008 (Mon) Mars Hill, NC (2) - With a somewhat sleepless night on Saturday and the prospect of a late night (New Year's Eve) tonight, we took the opportunity to sleep in this morning. So by the time we'd eaten breakfast, showered and downloaded email, it was time to head for Asheville with Bob and Pat. While they visited a friend in the hospital (ICU) we wandered the "Hip" section of the city. Small and very interesting shops abound. Street musicians dressed - as were many of the wandering youth - as if from the 1960s, played folk songs and ballads in hopes of appreciation in the form of folding money in their guitar cases. Red Bank, which likes to think of itself as "Hip City" should take a lesson from Asheville, North Carolina.

We all had lunch in a Mexican restaurant where we'd been before and knew was good and came home to naps and catching up on the email that we'd picked up this morning.