Appalachian Campground 08/19 --> 08/25/2016

Returning to campground visited 8/9, my first night of travel.
253 miles from Verona, VA. This campsite is conveniently located and
will be my frequent future stops as I travel West or South. 

DAY ONE: Once again, the drive was uneventful. I stopped once for fuel at exactly the same Flyng J station I stopped on the way down after leaving this same campground. Steep hills and valleys with their speed restrictions were gone and replaced by acres and acres of young growing corn; such beautiful scenery. The Interstate used was I-81, then I-77. To the left and right of the Interstates were huge tracts of farmland dedicated to this staple. Of course it depends on when the crop was planted but I thought the corn of VA and WV was taller and greener. 

After I arrived, checked in, and drove to my site 307, I was disappointed. Not a tree in sight and I wondered if I'd fit between the two fifth wheelers already there on either side of me. It was close. We're so close that when I pulled into my spot, I was able to call out from my open passenger window, "Hi, neighbor," to the young couple and their son sitting at their picnic table eating. LOL. And so, I met my neighbors: Linda, Matthew, 16-year old Cory and later Linda's parents who have a pop-up in a different section of the campground. In the afternoon, as the sun floated into sunset beyond the western tree line, the 111° rapidly cooled down to 75°. It will be good sleeping tonight.  Tomorrow, I'll hike around the area, get some sun, shower, work on this blog and maybe get around to starting the novel I bought to read on this trip: John Grisham's Rogue Lawyer. Would you believe I've been on the road 3 weeks, 4 days as of this writing and I haven't had the time (or, I guess, the desire) to sit down and read a book.

DAY TWO & THREE:  Not much to write about unless you want to hear about weather...that's always the safe conversation when all else is mundane and boring--to others. Yesterday was spent indoors hoping my AC would bring the inside temps down below 85°. It did not; not until sundown. Today, Sunday, many RV's have packed up and left. Lots of PA plates probably here for just the weekend and now have to get back home and do that "W" thing Monday morning. The overcast skies and potential for thundershowers later this afternoon is keeping the outdoor temperature at 80° and comfortable. The reward for my "suffering" was making the time to start my latest novel, Rogue Lawyer. Yet another well-written novel by Grisham. He's written at least 30 novels of which I've enjoyed 5 so far:

THE BRETHREN
THE CHAMBER
A PAINTED HOUSE
THE RUN AWAY JURY
THE STREET LAWYER

Entertainment Weekly sums up his penchant of 'exposing' the legal system: "With every new book I appreciate John Grisham a little more, for his feisty critiques of the legal system, his compassion for the underdog, and his willingness to strike out in new directions." Because of a rainy Sunday afternoon, I settled in with a glass of wine and proceeded to finish the novel. I just couldn't put it down. I love novels like that. I remember both The Exorcist and Jurassic Park were read in one sitting. I began Jurassic Park one evening at 8:30pm and finished 3:30 am. If you love court room drama especially the way Grisham weaves multiple subplots into one continuous 4 part story, you will love Rogue Lawyer. I'm eager to begin another.

I did take a walk around the campground yesterday and took some photos:

In the heat of the day, the pool was well attended.

Winnie shares the sun with fifth-wheelers
Next visit, we'll know where not to choose our site.

Just off the pool, an expansive hall.

Many more shaded sites around the campground.

Beside the large ball field, the fellas are enjoying horseshoes.

A building that houses ceramic classes downstairs and ice cream
and bingo upstairs

Wooded sites

The view from the other side of the pool looking toward
Winnie. Can you see it?

It's Sunday evening, the storm that passed through did a wonderful job of cooling everything down. At 11 pm, the temperature is down to 68° and will be a comfortable night sleeping.

With my novel finished, I opened up the blog website and noticed my very first blog series is still listed. It contains about 25 posts that recount my travel adventures 8 years ago, pre-Winnie, first to California and then my first month long stay in Daytona Beach Shores, FL, something I did for six or seven years. If you're interested in checking it out you can click --> My very first blog 2008  The only problem I have with it is that, chronologically, you must begin at the bottom of the screen and read upward for day by day entries. The posts are placed newest first. I'll try to fix that.

I will publish this and conclude on Wednesday night when I leave for a temporary pause at home.