First weekend in Williamsburg - Day 1233 (Year 4, Day 138)

Williamsburg, VA

Sorry if this posting is a few days late....

We arrived at the campground approx. 12:30 pm on Friday. This place is actually like 2 separate campgrounds, about 1/2 mile apart from each other.  There's the main area where most of the activities are, and the "quiet" area, which is mostly used as an overflow area and a place for long-termers.  We are in that section.  We were in our spot (pull thru) and set up by 1:30 pm.  I didn't have much work but did need to prepare for Shabbat.  I knew I wouldn't have time to bake challah so we bought some rolls in WV.  After set up, however, I did put up the soup.

My impressions about this place: it's very rustic and set in the woods.  Across the road is a lovely pond (which actually looks like a lake).  We arrived here at the tail end of fall folliage (which we missed on our drive over), so we were able to capture a bit of nature's beauty for a few days, especially the colorful trees reflecting in the pond.  Awesome view.  I didn't have a camera, but the effect was very similar to this:




Otherwise, not much going on in the campground right now, at least not in this section.  Very quiet with nowhere for me to walk to (too far to get to the main section, although there is a 3/4 mile hiking trail which is mostly uphill thru the woods to get there).  So, as always, I'm completely isolated when Mitch is at work.  Today, I did meet my next door neighbors, Carolanne and Chuck, who seem very nice.  Perhaps I'll be able to develop a relationship with them.

We decided to spend the Sabbath davening at home. We're not quite ready to explore a Reconstructionist place yet (which is in the area) and weren't ready to travel the 25 miles to the Orthodox synagogue in Newport News (the rabbi only comes about once a month, when their services and attendance are greater; next time is 11/17), so we stayed home.

On Sunday, the plan was not to go out to explore yet but for Mitch to reorganize the basement.  Needless to say, he didn't do that and I hadn't really done any research as to what, where and when for things to do.  We landed up driving to Colonial Williamsburg Visitor's Center, which is pretty much where everything begins.  I thought we'd just jump in to pick up a few brochures (like what we see at most interstate visitor/welcome centers).  This place was nothing like that!   It was more of a combination of shops and a small museum.  There were 2 short movies: one giving an overview of what to see and do in Colonial Williamsburg and the other was a fictional story, "A Patriot's Story," about one of the first patriots in the early days of the rebellion against Britain.  We landed up spending about 2 1/2 hours there.  There will be so many things to visit in the area, and I will not be able to do all that walking due to the arthritis and bursitis in my hip, so we hope to take 1 day to spend at 1 or 2 sites throughout our time here (will need to purchase the annual pass).  There's also a lot of history I want to explore in Jamestown and Yorktown nearby.  (someday, I also hope to spend time up in Boston where it really all began).

Mitch met his new boss on Monday.  He thought that in order to be certified in this area, he would just be shadowed for 2 weeks.  Turns out he needs to be tested, so he spent much of Monday studying.  There needs to be 48 hours between the study session and proctored tests, so he will be back tomorrow (Thursday) to take the exam.  This means he was home yesterday and today.  We were going to go out to our first site (Governor's Palace) yesterday, but the weather was lousy and I was feeling extremely fatigued (I actually made an appt to see the doctor and was lucky to get an appointment today -- I'm leaving in about an hour.  I want to have another blood workup as I think the almost constant exhaustion could be my iron or vitamin levels very low again).  Today is also very lousy weather-wise, so no plans to do anything after the doctor.

Arrived in Williamsburg - Day 1228 (Year 4, Day 133)

Williamsburg, VA

Again, thank God, we made it here safely and without incident, although we did have a big scare:

We stopped at a rest area about 50 miles from the campground (550 miles from our previous location).  Note that Mitch generally has 2 bosses: one that manages the national travelers and the other who is local to the area he works in.  He got a call from main boss that there was some kind of problem and that we were NOT to proceed to Williamsburg (again, after traveling 550 miles and being 50 miles from there).  Apparently, (1) they, despite numerous status updates from Mitch, local boss assumed we were traveling the 600 miles on 10/27 and would arrive on 10/28 (plan was to leave on 10/31 and arrive 11/2, although due to truck breakdown, we were delayed by one day) and (2) they said the assignment was ending at the end of November (we thought it was March) so due to these 2 factors, they didn't need us.  So instructions, 50 miles from destination, was don't go there!  Boss said he'd check into where else to send us.

He called us back 10 minutes later, and thankfully, explained that there was a big misunderstanding.  For one, the local boss thought that it was US who needed to leave by the end of November, which is not the case.  So... proceed as planned. Thank God!

I'll have more details to share about the campground and setting up after I prepare for the Sabbath.....

Next to last stop - Day 1227 (Year 4, Day 132)

Crozet, VA

Last night we parked at Walmart.  Since we arrived in the afternoon, space was very limited in the back of the lot.  We managed to take up a row of spots but were were at an awkward angle and would have a lot of trouble exiting in the morning, especially if there were cars around.  So we set an alarm for 2:30 am and got up at that wee hour so that we could pull the slides in and move to a better location when the parking lot was mostly empty.  It really did save us a lot of aggravation in the morning as we were turned around and in a position to just pull out of the lot without any turns.

We left at 8:15 am and drove 125 miles through the WV and western VA mountains.  Such beautiful scenery!  I just hope some day I can get over my anxiety of driving (or riding) on the steep grades. We are now in Crozet, VA, a little mountain town about 30 miles from the border.  It's another gem of a campground (although the roads around it are a bit tight).  The location is about 12 miles from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, 14 miles from Charlottesville, 4 miles from the Grand Caverns and 5 miles from Shenandoah Nat'l Park.  There are tons of wineries in the area as well.  A lovely area with a lot to do, but sadly, no time to do it.

Please God, we will arrive at our final destination of Williamsburg, VA before noon tomorrow, where we will be staying probably through the winter (except for a weekend excursion to Raleigh for Thanksgiving).

UPDATE - little tidbit about this adventure here -- I have never in my life seen a SWARM of ladybugs until today.  There were literally thousands of them, almost completely covering my rig!  Many of them found their way inside so I suspect we'll be fighting them for many weeks to come.  No, they are not cute, especially in those numbers!  Just when we finished with the stink bugs.  Gotta love nature...!

Wallydocking - Day 1226 (Year 4, Day 131)

Lewisburg, WV

Thank God, we made it safely to our next destination, which is a Walmart parking lot in Lewisburg, West Virginia, not too far from the VA border. 

We left the campground at 9:30 am and arrived here about 12:30 pm.  There was a lot of mountain driving, including a 7% grade downhill which was somewhat scary as we had to keep at or below 45 mph, and when you have 20K lbs behind you, pushing you, it can be difficult to maintain that speed.  Plus, you're not supposed to ride your brakes as they can overheat.  Our tow haul feature on the truck plus just pumping them helped, but it was still white knuckle.  Going uphill on mountain grades is also stressful as we can't get over 45-50mph.  Have I mentioned how much I hate driving in the mountains?  Not sure how we'll ever get over the Rockies!  Although I have to admit, the scenery was beautiful and I couldn't help but imagine how beyond amazing it must have been 1-2 week ago when fall foliage was at its peak.

We have about 250ish miles to go at this point.  On one hand, we could try to push it, but we put a non-refundable deposit down on a campground (Misty Mountain in Greenwood, VA) which we don't want to lose.  So we will do about 120 miles tomorrow and another 130 on Friday.  Please God no more obstacles!

2nd update - Day 1225 (Year 4, Day 130)

Argillite, KY

Well, thank God, we made it safely here, albeit a day late.  The part arrived about 2:30 pm and the truck was ready at 5:30.  By the time we packed up and hitched, it was 6:00, and we made it to the campground at 8:00 pm (in the dark; it gets dark about 7pm). 

I recall the last time we stayed here, I really loved the place and felt terrible that we couldn't spend more time.  The place is nearly empty right now and I'm feeling the same way -- really wish we could spend a few more days in this lovely place.

Tomorrow's ride brings us into the mountains of West Virginia, and hopefully with our new turbo charger, the truck will handle it well.  The closest campground, where we have reservations for the day after tomorrow, is about 300 miles away.  The plan was for tomorrow to stay either at the rest area 129 miles or Walmart 175 miles.  After that, it's another 122 to the campground.  We really don't like to drive more than 150-200 miles a day, but since we're a day behind schedule, we'll just play it by ear and see how we're feeling.

Update on repair - Day 1225 (Year 4, Day 130)

Lexington, KY

The 6.0L engine on the Ford trucks has a history of being cursed (there was actually a recall about 2 years before we bought it; too late to do anything about it now).  We always learn from experience and hindsight; we would not have bought this truck if we knew about the engine problems.

The problem this time was the turbo charger which went bad.  Dealer needs to order the part but promised he would get it today and we should be back on the road this afternoon.  I guess it's great that we broken down where and when we did.  The turbo provides the power to the engine, and the next leg of our journey will take us through the WV mountains, where we need as much power as possible.  It would have been horrible if we lost this while in the mountains!

Unfortunately, we're told this is not the end yet.  The head gasket, another major engine part, is also known to go bad in this engine, and it's just a matter of time when that happens (we're told it generally happens around 120K miles; we currently have 90K).  Besides the great expense, it also takes 3-4 days to install.  We don't want to wait until it breaks, so we will try to find a non-Ford dealer (regular, reputable diesel mechanic) and have the part replaced on our own time.  Hopefully there's a good place in Williamsburg.

Bubbles, again bubbles... Day 1224 (Year 4, Day 129)

Lexington, KY

We are once again parked at "Camp Ford" - yes, the bubbles in our plans popped, as the truck, yet again, broke down.  We drove about 90 miles and were 45 miles away from our destination of the day (Argillite, KY, near the WV border).  We heard a clunking sound, and then it was vibrating and felt like we had a flat tire (although the tire monitor system didn't detect anything).  Then we saw heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust, which usually indicates an engine problem.  We pulled over to the shoulder, waited a little while to see if it would stop, and when it didn't, called for roadside assistance.  Turns out the closest qualified repair shop was in Lexington, which was 65 miles west - back in the direction we came from!  Tow truck (which tows semis since we had the rig with us) showed up at 3:30 pm (we called for help about 12:30) and we arrived at the Ford dealer at 4:30.  So assuming they can fix the problem tomorrow, our schedule is off by a day.  I'm hoping it's a blown gasket, but who knows?  This is getting very tired. Cursed truck.  Just really hope they find the problem and have the parts to fix it and we can leave here tomorrow, especially since we don't have enough propane or fresh water to dry camp more than 1 night (we planned to dry camp on Wednesday and refresh the supplies today at the Argillite campground).

I'd say "never a dull moment," but sitting in the truck waiting for the tow for 3 hours is extremely dull!