Eclipse-9-12

Day 9 & 10 - 8/24-26/17

There's a minor screw-up in the dating sequence of my recent blogs. Apparently, I'm obsessive enough to try and straighten it out. Yes, this is worthy of the chuckles my OC friends are having as they read this...AND, they know who they are. I'm sure the rest of my readers won't lose any sleep over it. Days 7 & 8 were spent in Travelers Rest, SC, Days 9 & 10 were spent in Mayberry Campground, NC, and now, Days 11 & 12, are here in Harrisonburg, VA.

On a more interesting note,  Back at the Mayberry Campground, the total number of flies that wound up in my sacrificed glass of Chardonnay was seventeen. All in the name of science and worth the trouble to rid the pesky, annoying critters. Now, if granddaughters, Sara and Beca, were once again pre-teens and were with Poppa for their Science Days, this would have made for a terrific experiment. We would have set out seven small, plastic cups, each containing a small, measured amount of white wine, red wine, gin, rye, beer, Gatorade and water (because that's what I travel with). At the end of a period of time, which liquid would have attracted and trapped the most insects? I think this would be a neat contest with readers submitting their guess. The person with the winning guess and I will enjoy a glass of that beverage... insect-free, of course.  There's a prerequisite, however. I'll need at least ten readers submitting an answer for me to waste such precious fluids on insects.  

Meanwhile, here at Harrisonburg, this critter flew in for a visit but, alas, met the Bug Zapper.

It was sufficiently stunned for me to re-introduce it to the outdoors.

And, finally, before leaving Mayberry Campground, I took myself on a tour around the rest of the campground.

A view from the opposite end. My site would be behind the tree
to the left.

Days 11 & 12 8/26-28/17

Note proximity of Mayberry Campground to the Virginia border.

"Good bye North Carolina, hello Virginia." With all the driving that I've done in the past two months, I can still admit that I enjoy every minute of it.  Today, the four hour trip included a stop for fuel and lunch and I can say once again, it was all about the journey. What a beautiful country we have. There were a lot of "Wow's" as I soaked in the surrounding landscape traveling the short distance from North Carolina to the Virginia border and then most of the day in Virginia. The most outstanding and noteworthy feature of NC's highways was the attention the State gives to maintaining and landscaping the medians. Beautifully kept, they plant the most colorful wildflowers in manicured plots. Every so many miles the driver is treated to a vast swath of yellow wildflowers; a few miles further another swath of reds, the next, a patch of purple or orange. What a pleasure it was to anticipate the next section when yet another eye-pleasing sight appears. Solid blocks of color. There are even patches of sunflowers all proudly standing at attention in full bloom as I drove by. These were not just small areas, they would go on for a quarter of a mile filling the median between opposing lanes of traffic. Very impressive. I tried to photograph but at my speed they were all blurred. It's just another "you had to be there."  

Once into Virginia the wildflowers were replaced by rolling hills. Once across the state border the long, not so steep inclines followed by equally long descents that took you along the curvy ribbon of I-81 went on for at least twenty miles. For distractions, at the peaks, there were terrific views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and its valleys which ran parallel to I-81. With the late morning overcast conditions, photos would not have done the scenic wonder justice. 

The photos that follow were taken along Mauzy Athlone Road leading to the KOA; the final 3.5 miles of a 230 mile journey off I-81 and down a narrow back road past farms with beautiful 360° views. I searched Google and could find nothing about the origin, meaning or history of the name, Mauzy Athlone.

Campground is located just on the edge of the Shenandoah National Forest

I believe the Sky Line Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway is along
the distant ridge atop the Blue Ridge Mountains

After enjoying a two-day relaxing visit at this KOA, I'm headed tomorrow for my final stop before Croton Point Park. The Appalachian Campground in Shartlesville, PA, 3½ hours and 220 miles northeast. This was to be my first overnight stop when I started south for the eclipse. God laughed. Hope to see you there.