And Away We Go!

The clock marked 2:40 PM on this July Monday afternoon as the Solaire and her running mate turned left onto U.S. 19 headed north, seeking cooler air, lower humidity, a change of scenery, a bit of R&R, and a long-overdue adventure.  By the time we reached I-75, we realized we had already traveled further from home than we had been since COVID-19 unleashed its wrath on southwest Georgia.

We were in no hurry, so we moseyed through the woods to connect to I-20 on our journey northward, enjoying the views of luscious green woodland and healthy crops of the sparsely populated farming communities of east central Georgia.  With a sideways glance, our most observant lead driver noticed a shady gravel parking area belonging to the Harlem Baptist Church, just perfect for our picnic supper of homemade chicken salad.

Picnicking in Harlem

Under the shade a few pecan trees, we set out our lawn chairs, fixed our plates, stretched our legs, and chatted about our plans for the rest of the week.  Much to our dismay, the Chevy diesel did not want to start when we were ready to move on down the road.  YouTube to the rescue! And some ingenuity on Jamie's part to figure out the problem and get 'er running.  One would think that just having had a tune-up at the auto shop in preparation for this trip would have prevented such a disturbing occurrence.  Nope! May have caused it.

Near midnight we pulled into an empty Cracker Barrel parking lot in Mooresville, NC, opened the windows on the Solaire, turned on a battery-powered fan, and crawled into our bed for a good night's sleep.  At 7:00 A.M. we were one of two parties to be seated for breakfast.  This is social distancing restaurant-style.  My first dine-in experience since before mid-March!  

All's quiet at midnight at Cracker Barrel

Dining in at Cracker Barrel

And shortly thereafter, we were on the road again, with no particular plan, just a destination in mind. A fuel stop - truck stops only this trip, we've promised ourselves - at the Mt. Airy exit begged us to linger longer, so we found an empty public parking area next to the Post Office on Main Street that would accommodate the two rigs, thanks to an inquiring phone call to City Hall.  

A leisurely stroll along the Mayberry themed street brought happy memories of Andy, Barney, Opie and the rest.  We trekked in the opposite direction along Main Street to visit the Sheriff's office with jail cells and Wally's Service Station, where we took a few stand-and-pose photos of ourselves, declaring we would blog this trip, despite not having posted last year's adventure (yet!), and we purchased our traditional souvenirs: Christmas tree ornaments for Mary and Becky and a decal or magnet for Jamie to add to his outdoor refrigerator.

Stroll along Main Street - sporting some COVID barriers.

Antique trucks: the Darlins' and Wally's Wrecker

Jamie checking out Andy & Barney's radio equipment. Imagine that!

From Mt. Airy, we continued northward, passing through the Walker Mountain Tunnel, and eventually climbing to the top of a ridge overlooking Bluefield, West Virginia.  The air was cooler (than home) and breezy on this sunshiny day.  For nearly an hour, we & one additional car were the only visitors to the East River Mountain Scenic Overlook.  Again, perfect social distancing!  The covered picnic patio made an ideal spot for lunch.

Then the Chevy diesel decided to misbehave again.  Fortunately, Jamie knew just the trick to get 'er going again.  At the base of the ridge we lucked up: a bustling Chevrolet dealership.  I'm not being sassy - ten cars must have come in while we were there and the service bays were lined up; it was bustling. That's a good thing.  The mechanic on duty wasn't much more helpful than YouTube, but he did put Jamie's mind at ease about the problem.  Guess it's just one we'll have to deal with for the duration of this trip. We'll see!

By mid-afternoon we had found our destination for the day: Rifrafter's Campground in Fayetteville, West Virginia.  As I sit here typing out this first blog post of our week, I feel refreshed by the gentle breeze, the cooler temperature, and the shade of the forest we are in.  No sweat: not even during the backing in, leveling, setting up camp phase.  

We have plans to roam about the countryside over the next few days, but our most important plan is to enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation away from the stress of home and work.  (If only we could really get away for a few days; we've both been answering calls and emails today, and we both have scheduled work-related Zoom meetings this week. Hmmm.)  Nevertheless, we will enjoy every minute we have to travel, and be thankful for our jobs, too.

Perhaps I'll update the blog again tomorrow or the day after, or sometime after that. Maybe.