A Tullyroan Travelogue

After a wet night, we awoke to sun peeking through the grey clouds and a beautiful view of the Western Virginia mountains. Having sampled the warm weather over the last few days, we were keen to descend again from altitude and its chillier climes so we departed our penultimate state in the morning and arrived in Lexington, Virginia via the steep inclines and descents of I-64.

I emerged mid-morning from ‘up back’ (see glossary) to find that the boys had granted me a opportunity to peruse the local antiques at the ‘Antique Mall’. It may have had something to do with its proximity to the Tractor Supply Company…

…or Applebys, our lunch destination. Either way,my suitcase and I were unprepared for the vast warehouse of vintage-wares and antiques on offer. Row upon row of dealer booths with shelves stacked high with storage tins, etched and coloured glassware, vintage pyrex, patchwork quilts, antique furniture, all at reasonable prices. I mused at the fact that the vintage revival in America must have quite a momentum given the strong sense of identity in America during that period, leaving a wealth of artefacts and wares from that era. I came away with a cake storage tin for a mere $6.

After an enormous lunch, we waited for many hours until Ryan eventually emerged from the Tractor shop with various trinkets to continue his careful nurturing of the rig, although we are only one day from ‘home’. I suspect the separation could be an emotional one.

We had toyed with the idea of finishing the journey via “the Skyline Drive” in Virginia, a 105-mile route along the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. The possibility of a encountering a very low tunnel en route gave cause for conern, in particular being so close to destination without scratch or tarnish on the rig thus far. We opted instead for a scenic campground outside Charlottesville, ahead of our final stretch up the US-29 to O’Bannon Road tomorrow.

We celebrated our arrival in Virginia state in the customary fashion of the trip – drinks, snacks, a good meal and a camp fire. Perhaps a little heady with the sense of accomplishment, we stoked up the fire with a huge tree trunk scavenged from the wood which unfortunately fell out of the fire pit later during the night. Luckily Ryan’s 6th sense activated itself and he was out in the legendary PJ outfit staving off a forest fire at 3am.

It seems we are on schedule for our initial prediction of arrival at Chetwood at 5pm Friday eve, and look forward to catching up with family and sharing tales from the road.

Technically Day 11 began were Ryan left off in his last post as three hours of it were spent by Ryan and myself around the campfire in Kentucky.  The Bourbon Barrel ale was going down well, the fire was burning beautifully and the occasionally star would pop out of the clouds.  We’d try to work out which constellation each new star belonged to (admittedly with the help of star-finding apps) and we put the world to rights as we sipped our beer till the early hours.

A stunning camp fire in Kentucky

The morning didn’t begin too early, as you can imagine, and a slow breakfast was enjoyed in the wide open space of our camp site.  They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this has certainly been true of this trip.  Lunch tends to be a quick pitstop along the road but breakfasts have been feasts to be savoured and none more so than this morning with a sumptuous three-course affair…all washed down with a hot pot of coffee!

First course – fruit salad, sunflower seeds, greek yoghurt and maple syrup

Second course – boiled egg and fried asparagus wrapped in streaky bacon

Third course – cinnamon rolls

Having done so much driving in the previous few days we now have some freedom to take it slower.  A slow morning in Kentucky in the warm sunshine was very welcome but we were on the road again before lunchtime after a quick stop and the dump station.  Ryan also took the opportunity to climb on top of the rig for some new perspective.

Lord of the Rigs

Despite the fact that we no longer needed to drive long distances each day we were in the rhythm of doing so and once on the road we kept motoring along steadily throughout the afternoon.  We shared the miles fairly equally – around 80 miles each – as we’ve found a rhythm of doing so over the last few days.  One will drive, one will navigate and one will lie back in the bed relaxing.  In my case the relax time has involved episodes of Arrested Development (I’m a latecomer to this but it’s very funny) and The Wire (also very good).  Ryan has tended to sleep and Lucy to read or work on her photos.  The rest of the trip has involved so much activity (setting and packing up the rig, cooking, navigating and driving) that we’ve all appreciate this time on the road to relax in the bed, feel the gently bump of the drive and watch the American countryside roll past.

Today has brought us into a completely new landscape – the deciduous forests and rolling hills of the Appalachians.  It is in stunning contrast to everything we’ve seen on the road so far, particularly the plains and pancake flat mid-west.  Part of the I-64 which we drove today, the only toll road we’ve come across, was the most expensive road in the states at $8 million per mile and it’s no surprise given the terrain we’ve come through – thick forest and steep inclines.

We rolled into Dawson, West Virginia at 7pm and were welcomed by Russ, the manager of the site who also lives there (in his RV) for half the year.  Despite being very close to the east coast now and to our final destination in Virginia this felt like the most remote campsite we had stayed in.  Dawson basically included a gas station, a cafe (in the gas station) and a motel.  Our sense of being in the sticks was confirmed when we went to the gas station to buy a bottle of wine and the teller asked his friend, “shall I run this through as beer?” to which his friend replied “naw, that’s wine dude”.

I tried to understand why someone like Russ would live in such a remote place for 6 months of the year.  I was reminded of the migratory tendencies of many Americans as a flock of geese flew overhead heading north for the summer.

As the rain came down we knew this was going to be a night in with a good meal and a movie.  The meal was excellent but we waiting a long time for it.  It was in Missoula, Montana that Lucy added an Aubergine to her shopping list, it wasn’t until Sioux City, Iowa that the Aubergine was found and now it was Dawson, West Virginia that the Aubergine was being cooked and eaten.  I said that Lucy’s Aubergine Parmigiana was worth waiting for but there was a hesitation from Ryan….a mistake a husband would never make, but a brother…

 Lucy’s Aubergine Parmigiana

We finished the day by watching The Darjeeling Limited, an off the wall comedy about three brothers who go on a journey across India in an attempt to bond.  An apt film indeed.  With the brunt of the journey behind us it feels like we’re easing in to the finish reflecting back on everywhere we’ve been and the distance we’ve managed to cover with 20 tonnes on our backs.

We’re coming round the final bend….but we’re not there yet!

With good weather ahead and the wind at our tails, we departed promptly from Shelby RV park, and we certainly didn’t look back. We had become accustomed to warm welcomes and a can-do attitude from our park hosts, but Shelby unfortunately let the side down, with 2 very surly hosts, pitiful wi-fi and dingy showers. Such was Malkie’s vigour to leave that Ryan and I didn’t have time to ready ourselves for the road, with Ryan picking up some coffee to-go from the gas station clad in his special road-trip PJs. I took the opportunity to climb back into bed for a lie in, and watched Iowa sail by for a while before drifting off into that indulgent second sleep that truly marks a holiday.

After a pit-stop at McDonalds outside Des Moines (for the views, you understand, not the cuisine), we pressed on along US-80 to our next stop, an outlet mall. Whilst the boys spent hours shopping, I stayed behind to fix a whole raft of mechanical and electrical issues. The old RV was showing some signs of weariness today, and wasn’t firing up her tanks to produce any hot water until 2.30pm. (We have learned that most problems seem to either fix themselves mysteriously and independently, or Ryan finds a way). Although Ryan plumbed new depths of on-road pastime yesterday having taken as shower whilst travelling on I-90 east, I still felt that a shower in the parking lot of a mall was also breaking new ground.

My afternoon shift at the wheel involved a few hairy moments involving tricky mergers (the most difficult part of driving this 45ft outfit), heavier traffic then the western states and a pesky motorist cutting me up on a 4-lane intersection. If only he knew that my braking distance is about half a kilometre, and I could easily mow his insignificant little car down with my 20 ton vehicle.

The bleakness of the Great Plains has now given way to green, plush farmland in Iowa and Illinois. It was enjoyable to watch countless farms go by from the drivers seat, with traditional barns, neat rows of cattle enclosures, and enormous grain stores. I had to show great restraint whilst passing many signs for  local antiques – the prospect of manoeurving the rig in anything but a huge gas station put me right out of the notion of a detour.

After hundreds of miles, and the prospect of thunderstorms at our destination (a place called Edinburgh, in Indiana), we decided to call it a day, and pulled off instead at Crawfordsville, just north of Indianapolis. The fuel indicator hovering at empty for a while was giving some cause for concern, but we rationalised this risky behaviour as an essential part of any authentic road trip experience. With relief we found a lonely gas station in the village, but our relief was short lived when we realised the fuel indicator remained at empty following our fill-up. A great big hole in the tank? Blown fuse? (our current explanation for most things). In any case, it was 10.30pm, and still pre-dinner, so we filled up the spare canister for good measure and arrived shortly afterwards at our campground – a spacious wooded area but with a few tight turns to navigate before firing up the BBQ. Thankfully, the fuel gauge sprung into action eventually.

Over our burgers and improvised chips, we reflected on our sterling efforts of the day in driving, navigating and troubleshooting. We have a mere 600 miles to go before Friday so we plan to take a leisurely pace through Kentucky and West Virginia, and into the Appalachian mountains and Shenandoah National Park.

Roundup of today’s statistics:

‘Traditional’ american meals eaten: 3 (egg McMuffins, hot dogs, burgers)

Total driving distance: 540 miles

States traversed: 3

Number of minor RV issues: 3 (hot water failure, window wiper fell off, fuel indicator temperamental)

Hours on the road:  10

Disclaimer: Apologies that the photos are a little thin today. Driving took precedence.