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.

"Now, look here, Opie"

Our original plans called for an overnight stop boondocking in a parking lot.  The heat wave that hit the southeast this week changed that.  We were fortunate to get a reservation at Barnyard RV Park in Lexington, SC. 

When we called on Tuesday, we were told there were two spaces remaining for Friday night.  We reserved one of them.  The sign on the door when we arrived said, “No Vacancy.”  We weren’t the only late arrivals on this Friday evening; one of the dozen highlighted maps taped to the office window showed us which site was ours.

We pulled through and parked.  In less than ten minutes we had air conditioning, water, sewer and cable hookups.  

This place is packed!  I’m not surprised.  We are near the South Carolina crossroads – Interstates 20, 26, 77.  Years ago, I made the mistake of traveling to Columbia on a summer weekend without a hotel reservation, thinking there would be plenty of available rooms along the interstate.  Boy, was I wrong.  My mother-in-law Sandra still says, “I told you so.”  She and I drove all the way to Florence that night with my two babies before we found a room.

Barnyard RV Park, despite the number of rigs parked here, is a quiet place.  After all, campers are typically respectful people.  This park is well-designed with easy pull-through sites and shade trees strategically planted. We couldn’t be happier with our choice for a quick overnight stop on our route.

Pull through, shady sites at Barnyard RV Park, Lexington, SC

 South Carolina interstates are in need of resurfacing.  The bouncing was so rough that I finally leaned my head onto the headrest, closed my eyes and imagined I was sitting in a massage chair at the nail salon.

Two lane interstates are inadequate for the volume of traffic these days.  Saturday traffic slowed and then halted numerous times.  Only once was there a fender-bender to warrant the backup.   On the upside, at least the rest area was clean and well-shaded. 

Four hours and several traffic delays after pulling out of Barnyard we arrived at our second destination, Mayberry Campground in Mount Airy, NC. 

From our campsite at Mayberry Campground, mountains are visible in the distance.

An antique car show in Mount Airy, NC June 20, 2015

Mayberry’s draw is definitely the Andy Griffith theme that carries through downtown Mount Airy.  The campground is sufficient for our needs, but it’s nothing to brag about.  There is a small pond with a minimal view of distant mountains.  No shade trees.  No landscaping.  Just gravel drive through or back-in sites with the usual hookups.  We do appreciate the wi-fi and cable tv included in our overnight fee. 

Galaxie

After a quick setup and some lunch, we headed to historic downtown Mount Airy.  A drive-in antique car show made the walk through town interesting.  Jamie even spotted an old Galaxie, black with red interior, just like the one he fell out of as a little tyke when his mama turned out of the driveway in Camilla.  And we thought his insistence on seat belts and child safety seats was because of his job.

We stopped by Floyd’s Barber Shop just in time to meet 91-year-old Russell Hiatt, Andy’s barber in Mt. Airy who was the inspiration for the fictional Floyd.  Yes, Jamie got a haircut there.  But not from Mr. Hiatt; he’s retired and just shows up for photo opportunities every day. The walls are plastered with tourist photos he has taken over the years. His son, who takes the pictures now and uploads them to Facebook, reported that there were five pages of names today, more than 300 photos. 

Jamie getting a haircut at Floyd's City Barber Shop in Mount Airy, NC.

Back at the campground, I snapped this picture of Engine 3; of course, the Chief had to inspect.

Old fire engine at the entrance to Mayberry Campground