Getting Ready

March 10, 2023

After mostly staying in place in Ann Arbor for almost three months in the dead of winter, I found myself itching to get back on the road in my camper. In Michigan, spring likes to flirt with us, playing hard to get. In mid-February we had temperatures in the 70’s for a couple of days. This was enough to fool our usually-more-rational brains into thinking spring was just around the corner. Many people inexplicably found themselves outside in their yards raking leaves, picking up sticks, and preparing for the spring flowers that had been fooled into popping their pointy green spikes up out of the earth. In reality, the spring weather doesn’t begin to sustain itself longer than a day or two until many weeks have passed after the official first day of spring. When the snow and cold temperatures inevitably returned with a vengeance, all my neighbors reluctantly retreated back into our cozy lairs, waiting more and more impatiently for the next spate of warm, sunny days to beckon us back outside once again.

After the weather tease in February I got tired of waiting around. Instead, I used the rest of February and early March to plan a trip to areas of the country I know for certain are already warmer and in full bloom. Fortunately, I have a brother who lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and this gave me an easy destination to begin my quest to experience the early pleasures of spring. Having spent six years living in Charlotte in the late 1980’s, I always pine for the warm spring weather and colorful blossoms that arrive there reliably beginning in late February. This year I’m going back to see it for myself!

I have planned some stops along the way, but am keeping options open so that I can pivot if I decide to spend more time in one area. I should be back in Michigan by the end of the month, just in time to make plans for the eclipse, which will be passing near enough that in just an hour or so I should be able to get 100% coverage.

Camper Surprises? Not this year!

Unlike last year, when I had all kinds of trouble after retrieving Nelly Bly from her winter parking spot (you can read about my woes a year ago here), this year the pick-up and preparation went like clockwork. Because I took the time last December to have my Drifter Van friends blow out all my water lines to prevent any freeze-ups, all went well when I filled the tanks and ran the faucet. Water bubbled out just like it was supposed to! Yay!!! And because I made sure to check the battery level on a regular 3-4 week basis over the course of the winter, I had plenty of power waiting for me when I drove the camper home from storage. The operational bonus was turning on the heater to test it out and confirming that it is still working like a charm. Nothing to panic about and all systems are “go!” Woohoo!!

Applying everything I learned during all the 2023 camping excursions, I methodically packed my bins and bags with only the items I think I will truly use, thus conserving valuable space. I have organized these bins and supplies differently than I did a year ago, providing easier access to some things, and stowing others more deeply into my “garage” knowing I won’t need them often.

Anticipating the weather is always a bit difficult during the “in-between” of winter and summer. Nights will likely be cooler and require jackets and blankets and I’m thinking that days won’t be blistering hot yet, although time will tell. So I’m packing (as usual) way more clothing and shoes than I will probably need or use, but I still haven’t quite figured out how to go minimal with clothing. Especially when I don’t know how often I’ll be able to take full showers or do laundry.

Quick service stop at the dealer to check fluid levels, rotate tires, and change the oil. Everything ready!!

Hitting the Road

March 11, 2023

For this trip I included a couple of special, sentimental places I wanted to visit while on the road, which also gave me ideas for a couple of blog articles I could write while travelling. These blog ideas didn’t come to me until the night before I left (actually during the night when I was trying to sleep), and when I got up the next morning I realized I would need some artifacts (photos, documents) with me on the trip to help me develop the thoughts and stories that I want to tell. These items are not digitized, so on the morning of my departure I was scrambling around my house and in my attic, knowing what I was looking for but not finding them. What to do?

I wanted to stay on schedule for the day’s drive and arrive at my destination in West Virginia before dark, so I abandoned the search and got myself going.

As it happened, the route to my first destination passed right through Columbus near where my brother Sam lives. Eureka! I knew that Sam most likely also had copies of the items I sought, probably in a box in his basement, and I thought that there was a pretty strong chance that he would be able to put his hands on them with not too much effort. If not, I was no worse off than I was already. But if I was right and could catch him at home on a Monday morning, I might be able to persuade him to drop everything he was doing to look for the items in time for me to drop by and pick them up as I was passing through.

Perfect plan, right?

By the time I thought all this through I was two hours into the trip and about an hour outside of Columbus. Still plenty of time to execute and deliver. I dialed his cell phone. No answer.

I left a detailed and very garbled message. Even I couldn’t make sense of it. I hung up and called back. Still no answer. I left a slightly more coherent message and hoped for the best.

By this time I was only thirty minutes outside of Columbus, so to give Sam more time to call me back, still hoping to put my plan into action, I stopped off at the Delaware State Park which is right on my route. Sadie had a nice romp in the mostly empty park on the Delaware Lake just north of Columbus and after about a half hour we continued on our way.

No callback.

I entered the Columbus metropolitan area, got on the outerbelt that goes very near Sam’s house, and slowly made my way around the city.

No callback.

I approached the exit I would normally take to get to his house, silently willing him to call, thinking that even if I drove a couple of exits too far there was still time for me to easily circle back.

Nothing.

So I kept driving, circled the rest of the way around Columbus, then got off the outerbelt and onto the road that would take me further into southern Ohio towards West Virginia. About an hour and a half south of Columbus (and Sam’s house), I decided it would be a good time to stop at one of the many parks in the area and give Sadie another chance to stretch and run. I turned off the main road and headed towards a hiking trail in the Clear Creek Metropark. I opened the door to get Sadie out of the van.

The phone rang. (Finally, I thought to myself!!!)

Sam and I had a nice chat, and I apologized for the garbled messages and short notice of my request. Of course he has his own life to live and can’t be waiting around for his siblings to call him every Monday morning. Indeed, he was out and about that morning and in no position to help me even if he had answered the phone. After we had a good chuckle over my impulsive behavior and poor planning, the good news was that he understood exactly what I was looking for and promised to poke around in some boxes as time permitted over the next few days. Feeling very grateful, I hung up and continued on my way. (within 48 hours he had found, scanned and uploaded to an online file exactly what I needed. Thanks, Sam!!!)

I crossed the Ohio River and drove into the coal mining mountainous country that is West Virginia.

March 12, 2024

Tuesday morning found me just a few short hours from my destination of Chapel Hill. I decided I would take advantage of the sunny blue skies and meander off the highway for a large chunk of the day. I couldn’t really do this until I made it through the West Virginia mountains into the Virginia foothills. This is because there is really only one way to traverse West Virginia from north to south if you hope to get through the state in any reasonable amount of time, and that is Interstate 77. Any alternative to the highway involves travelling on small, curvy roads through valleys and up into the “hollers” where houses are built into the mountainsides and retail establishments and gas stations are few and far between. Route 77 is curvy but was cut right through the mountains in a way that travelers can maintain highway speeds and not be forced to slow down on the small, narrow roads that crisscross under and around the big highway, adding hours to an already long trip.

West Virginia is a beautiful state, but also one of the most poverty stricken areas of the country. While the scenery of this mountainous region is beautiful from a distance, the scenery up close evokes a very different response. There is a feeling of economic desperation everywhere one looks. When I got off the exit to find the distillery where I stayed the night, there were fast food and truck stop franchises at the foot of the exit ramp, but on the two mile stretch up the hill to the distillery, I passed mobile home parks, sprawling junk car lots, a livestock market, and houses tucked away and situated almost vertically against the side of the mountain, with dirt roads and driveways connecting them.

As with other places I’ve visited, the people I met in West Virginia were proud, friendly, and welcoming. For example, Taylor works at the distillery and couldn’t have been more pleasant when I wandered in and announced that I was her Harvest Host parking lot guest. She patiently provided samples of their different moonshine flavors while I decided what I wanted to purchase.

Highlights of my driving day

Once I got through West Virginia, I got off the interstate and found my way to the Blue Ridge Parkway, a beautiful iconic roadway that traverses the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains that run through Virginia and North Carolina. I was only on it for a short time, and got excited when I saw signs for the Blue Ridge Music Center. Assuming this was a blue grass superstore, I made a beeline for it, thinking that surely there would be things worth shopping for (who knows, new banjo? maybe a mandolin?) To get there I had to go in the opposite direction of Chapel Hill, but it was early in the day and I knew it would be worth the extra time.

Turns out that I was a mere stone’s throw away from Mount Airy, the town that Mayberry was based on in the old Andy Griffith TV show. We made our way down the mountain and into town, where Sadie and I walked the streets and peered into windows before continuing on.

Even though I had traveled in the wrong direction to find the music store that didn’t exist, I decided that I would, nevertheless, stay off the highways for a bit longer, but this time head directly toward Chapel Hill. This reasonable plan turned into a vain attempt when, without warning after a perfectly fine tour of rural North Carolina, I came upon a ROAD CLOSED sign and was forced to head north instead of south, way the heck out of my way. By the time I circled back down, I had little appreciation left for the beautiful day and rural pastoral scenes. It was late afternoon and I just wanted to get to Chapel Hill, so I hopped on the next available highway near Greensboro and squeezed my van into the eight lane rush hour traffic that runs between Greensboro and Chapel Hill. For the last hour of the driving day I was but one among hundreds of thousands of vehicles in motion on Interstate 40. Ugh!!

Finally Arrived!

Sadie had been a trooper all day, but she was also done with all the driving by the time we got to Chapel Hill. She has been here a few times before and when I turned into my brother Daniel’s neighborhood, she somehow knew where we were. She sat up, perked up her ears, and put her nose to the window that was open a crack and started snuffling. When I got to Dan’s street and neared the driveway she was clearly agitated in an excited kind of way. When I slid the van door open she hopped right out without waiting (as she has been trained to do) and ran straight to their front door, tail wagging and nose pushing at the door. Happy reunion! She excitedly greeted Dan and Simona and their dog Holly and then immediately made herself at home.

March 13, 2024

Not much to report for Wednesday. Just chilling and catching up. Daniel is very recently retired, so he and I hung out while Simona, who works from home, closed herself off in her office for the bulk of the day.

Highlight of this day was learning about Dan’s passion for woodworking, and trying my hand at making a bowl.

Next Steps

The next few days will be a blur of activities, spending time with family, and finishing my wooden bowl. My next article will hopefully be coming from Carolina Beach or somewhere in South Carolina. Stay tuned!