I made it to Virginia with a bit of fun along the way. Before leaving NC, I visited another Harvest Host location in Weldon – Weldon Mills Distillery (I really should limit my stays at Distilleries, Breweries and Wineries. They let me stay for free, but I feel I should at least SAMPLE the goods!)

Side note: On the highway to Weldon, I saw a mileage sign that showed Barstow, CA 2,554 miles – WTH?

Anyway, this is where I stayed

Pretty area right along a river (Roanoke?). Here is where the two choices come in – did I make a smart decision? I seriously was going to order one drink and sit in the corner reading my book, but I was talked into sitting at the bar between two men. Shannon on my right and Brandon on my left. Choice one from Shannon – “Hey, I have access to all the hidden places here. You should come check out the dungeon.” Choice two from Brandon – “You’re heading to northern Virginia? I’m from there! You really should drive through Shenandoah National Park and do some hiking.” Which choice do you think I took advantage of? No, I don’t know what the dungeon looks like – do you think I’m crazy! LOL

I sat in the bar and waited out a hurricane warning – the wind was blowing everything sideways and of course my windows were open. Hey, there was no rain predicted – this storm came up out of nowhere and it was pouring in 30 seconds! The locals didn’t bat an eyelash, and I was happy my little camper didn’t fly away.

I left early and took the long way to Reston, VA via Shenandoah NP in the Blue Ridge Mountains…….. I couldn’t get John Denver out of my head.

Even though it made for a long day, I really enjoyed the drive and strongly suggest anyone take that route if they are in the area. I felt like I was driving through the Emerald City because everything was so green, and the hiking was fantastic! The entire park runs along the Appalachian Trail and it wasn’t crowded – all I could hear was birds and the wind in the trees.

Fortunately, they had reasonably priced gas in the middle of the park since I almost ran out. Unfortunately, I forgot to spray myself before hiking and found a tick on my hand when I got back to the car! He hadn’t dug in yet, thank goodness, but I ran into the closest bathroom to do a through body check…….. Brad Paisley, I now understand that song of yours!

I made it to Reston and played golf with an old friend.

It was so great to see Tim again! We talked for hours! I stayed at Lake Fairfax Park – decent CG with nice shower rooms. Busy with families and scout troops on the weekend and people who commute to DC during the week.

Look Elaine – I CAN write a short blog! I wanted to catch up because the results of my poll have me heading into DC tomorrow, so the next post will probably be a picture dump.

Thank you everyone! Love you all! I can’t believe how many of you actually read this silly thing! I’ve been going strong for almost 8 months now, and I feel I’m in good company.

Tip of the day: Don’t let this happen

Put your bread away unless you WANT the squirrels to have a feast.