What the Walrus said . . .

I fully intended to sit down in the tent last night and send out another blog, but it was the best laid plan! I climbed into the tent last evening, and after getting everything set from the previous night’s rain, thunder and lightning (some on the blankets touched the skin of the tent and wicked water so I had them drying in the sun on the hood of the car all day!) I was beat, crawled under the covers and dropped off.

Catch up is what I need to do now so here goes . . .

I finished my first Bucket List Item, that being driving the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, although I have now completed it backwards. Apparently, the parkway “starts” at the end of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, or at least all the Blue Ridge Parkway web sites feel that is where it begins. Yes . . .the window decal for the accomplishment is on the car window, along with a decal for Shenandoah National Park! (I had to go . . . it was between the end of the Parkway and Shenandoah River State Park.

The stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Roanoke, VA, to the end (beginning??)) is incredibly beautiful. In winds, drop, climbs and winds some more through rolling mountains of what appeared to be Birch, Maple and oak.

I was searching for places online, while I was planning this journey, that were close to the end of the Parkway, inexpensive, had electricity and water, and offered pull-through parking for RV’s. (I consider my car with a roof-top tent to be a kind of weird RV.) Where I found was Shenandoah River State Park, about 20 miles outside Luray, Virginia. It is a fairly small occupancy park, but it offers a full range of camping services. I made use of the showers and bathrooms, as well as the laundry room. I was very happy to see I could wash and dry a load of clothes for $1.50. At the previous RV site in North Carolina, the washer alone was $2.50.

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The only issue I had with the park was not within the Park’s control . . . but it got cold . . . bone chilling cold! I usually sleep with one arm out of the covers or extending out from under the pillow. I woke up in the dark with an arm that was virtually numb and aching to my shoulder. When I brought it back under the covers, it was like slipping a frozen ham against my core. It was too early to get up and start moving around, so I proceeded to roll myself up in my sleeping bags and covers, scrunch down and fold the top closed over my head . . . I was a human burrito . . . but a very warm human burrito! When I finally woke up and crawled out into the new day . . . it was still cold, with a layer of thick frost covering the rain fly on the tent, so I threw on clothes (cold . . . very cold . . . next time I sleep with my morning clothes to keep them warm!) (the secret is layers to trap warmth against the skin) and got the day started. Hot water becomes hot oatmeal and hot tea . . . which can heat the core and get the engines running.

On the morning that I left Shenandoah River State Park, I took a side adventure to visit Luray Caverns, the fourth largest cavern system in the United States that is open for the public to visit. I, however, did not take my camera into the caverns, I took my cell phone. Now I need to transfer all of those photos over to my computer so I can show them here. I better get started . . . so I will be back!