Crossing the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains

We stopped at the rest area before our campground to have a bit of lunch and there was another HitchHiker Champagne already parked with Oklahoma plates.  Ted approached the man to see if it was someone he may know on the NuWa owner's forum but it wasn't.  However we started talking to him and his wife and the couple traveling with them in a Dutch Star motorhome.

Turns out they had left Heartland Resort in Greenfield IN, the same park Jay and Stella had been at before meeting up with us.  And they were heading to Wolfie's, same as us.  The bad part is we were both going to Site 42.  A phone call to the park straightened it out and all was OK.

Wolfie's is a lovely park ... once you get to it.  Thank goodness for campground books with directions and the GPS.  Our new DISH locked right on and we were both glad about that.  We took a walk around the park and played a game of corn hole after dinner.  Our new "friends" were parked next to us and asked if we knew anything about the Amish.  Ted used to call in this area when he worked for Abitibi and we attended an irv2 rally in 2009 so we wrote down some directions to towns that we know are all part of the large Amish community and made a few suggestions.  They were on their way to Niagara Falls so we suggested the I-77, circle around Cleveland to the northeast and  I-90 to Buffalo.  The Dutch Star needed an oil leak looked at so when we departed at 8:07 the next morning the motorhome was gone but the HitchHiker was still there.

We knew it was going to be an intense day of driving; no cruising along but a need to pay attention to the hills and curves as we wound our way through the mountains and valleys of Shenandoah.  It was a beautiful drive and must be fantastic in the fall.  Robert Byrd certainly brought home the bacon for his state because the roads were some of the best we have traveled and not crowded.

 We kept receiving calls from Eileen and Tom about how to get to the KOA where we were meeting them.  They had missed the park, had to undo their car, turn the motorhome around, rehook the car and travel back.  They are new at this and were trying to insure we didn't make the same mistake.  I listened to them and then used my books and the GPS to go right to it.  

We got set up, toured their new Fleetwood Discovery which is very, very nice then got dinner ready.  Ted grilled a pork tenderloin.  Eileen gave me fresh green beans and cucumbers someone had given her that she didn't know what to do with.  I sat and snapped them while we talked then told her to cover them with water to cook.  Tom added some ham to the beans and they were good and he also made a salad.  In the meantime I sliced the cucumbers, and my thumb along with them, and made a sugar, water vinegar dressing.  I added some applesauce and Stove Top and dinner was ready.

The fellows made a fuel run and we watched The Bachelorette.  This season has been weird.  I have little hope anything permanent will come from this.  Odds are always against it anyway but this time it seems inevitable.

We are waiting until later to head out today.  We have just 150 miles to go and if we arrive before checkout time we could find our site still occupied.  Also, Ted needs to sleep in after two days of driving.

Next stop Williamsburg, Virginia.

Shenandoah, the morning revealed your splendor,

as the sun touched your dreams with light.

Awakened by Morning glories, on broken down fences

Black berries hidden from sight.

Shenandoah, I hear your song of childhood

. . . On a hill far away

Where the whippoorwills sing,

of a brighter day.

Shenandoah, where cows graze on hillsides

A valley of peaceful sleep

Children in their innocence

And willows softly weep

Home of my heart, Shenandoah

Winding streams and little girl dreams

Still linger in my mind

Always patiently waiting, the beauty I left behind ~ Deana