The chimes seep into my slumbering head. I reach over to the nightstand with intent to quiet the 5:30 alarm for just a few more minutes of rest, but the better of me decides to rise to the morning's task. I stealthily collect my clothing for the day's adventure, carefully slipping into warm apparel so as not to disturb my sleeping beauty knowing full well that she is already stirring. Overnight, the temperatures had slipped into the 50's. The gurgle of a single serve coffee maker dispenses my first cup of liquid pick-me-up. We have been in this place for how long, I don't quite remember. My mind has yet to receive its first jolt of caffeine laden blood. I sit quietly on the couch watching the night sky retreat to unveil the sapphire day. With each minute, the hue softens until the windows are full of soft blue. The hot coffee continues to warm my body. As I sip, the dog seeks a new position and the cat moves in to find a comfortable spot next to my thigh. The campground is still silent as I take another sip. We have witnessed a collection of sights while we have been stationary here. Some of them are interesting experiences, while others we just might soon forget. None the less, we have taken them in, photographed and catalogued them with the rest of our ventures. I move to the front of the rig and draw open the drapes to invite the creeping sunlight to pour in as it makes its way over the tree lined horizon. There is movement emanating from the bedroom. Another cup of coffee is brewed to solidify the start to my day and yet another cup to begin hers. No words are spoken. It is still early yet. Our eyes scan the interior for final items to secure before we head out. The last few dishes cleaned from the night before are put in their respective positions. Loose decor and plants find their way to safe locations for travel. A quiet "Good morning" is given as a "Morning" is reciprocated. More coffee is sipped. The animals flit about. They are becoming aware of the standard operating procedure of this particular day. The rugs are slid out of the way. The countertop appliances are strapped in. We slip into the bedroom, from where we just recently rose, and straighten the linens and comforter. As my dear lowers the antenna, I switch on the leveling panel and lower the coach off the jacks. She moves Gracie's box and checks the refrigerator for any eminent threats. I take one last swig of coffee and grab my trustee cowboy hat. It's a travel day kind of thing. I snatch up my gloves to venture outside. There is still much to do before we make miles over the road. The majority of our outdoor furnishings were put away the night before. The awning and water hoses were also rolled up last night to ease the load of some of the travel day preparations. I fall to the back of the bus to take up the last tethers that have secured us to our current location. Oh yes, it's been 2 weeks here in this part of the country. The electric umbilical is removed from its post and stowed away and now the sewer lines. It's not so bad. A quick empty of the black tank and flush the line with the grey water. My nose crinkles as I coil up and cap off the snake like hose. It's not so bad. The electric whir of the hydraulic motors fill the air around the campsite as my everything pulls the slide inward. I kneel down and reach under the rig to pull out the blocks. One block, two blocks, three blocks and I can see on the opposite side, that troublesome jack, still standing. To the front of the rig I go. One block, two blocks, three blocks and I pull the beefy pry bar from out of the side bay. Still kneeling, I breathe. Inhale, pierced lips exhale slowly. Inhale, the sun feels warm, exhale. Inhale, this was a beautiful campground, exhale. I pull my body up and head to the other side. One block, two blocks, three blocks and now to the pest. I take a few easy breathes, again, while I look over the campsite for any oversights. I settle next to the problem jack and work the pry bar underneath and lean into the bar. I pull the blocks and position for leverage. I lean, again, coaxing the jack back up into its metal sleeve. What would we do without that trusty pry bar? I stow the blocks and put away the bar. As I make my way back around, I put a knee into each bay door making sure it is latched. I scan the exterior of the bus to seek out any problem areas. We're almost ready. It's 7:30 and we are behind. As I head for the door, I catch a glimpse of my lovely checking her phone. I grab my phone and open our preflight check-list. Ahh! I forgot the propane tank. Close the propane valve and secure the bay door. "C'mon, dog! The morning's getting the better of us!" Chase and I take one last trip around the block to count the squirrels and take care of business. Tez walks the trash bag to the dumpster and we arrive back at the campsite with a spring in our step and a doody bag in our hand. As I give the preflight one last glance I ask, "We all ready to head out?" With a turn out the door, my girl has answered and heads to the truck. I fire up the diesel horses and air up the suspension. I open up the maps and gaze out the window at the campground which has come to life over the past two hours. We have had such a time here. Too bad we only got a couple good nights to have a campfire. It's been rainy and damp for so long. With our course plotted, I pull the parking brake and engage the engine. I follow the truck out of the campsite, slow and steady, as the brakes let out a dry, excited scream announcing our departure. This old girl, she's twenty-two years old and yells every time we take off for a new adventure. She just needs a few hundred yards to quiet down. We make our way to the front of the campground, into the staging area, where my everything has switched positions with me so that we can hook up the truck to the rear of Winne. "Stay! I'll be right back!", I command. My dear pulls into position and I yell out a yellow gloved, "Whoa! That's it." This is the most nerving part of the day. Two bars pinned? Check. Safety cables latched? Check. Electrical and breakaway cable connected? Check. Put the truck in neutral. Not low, not drive. Neutral. Check. All aboard? Okee-dokee, here we go. The rumble of our Cummins thrusts us into traffic only 30 minutes later than expected. That's not too bad. We follow the little blue lines onward to our next destination; our next home for a while. My baby by my side, the dog panting wildly and the cat.... somewhere, I'm thinking to myself, "Isn't this just crazy amazing? Here we are again, with our life packed up in our little rolling home, moving to another new adventure."
If you're lucky enough to be living your life on the road, you're lucky enough!
So now we set idle in Virginia, more specifically, Williamsburg, Virginia. Yes, we're in the heart of our nation's infancy, where the fight for independence from the tyranny of a power hungry government came to fruition. But before I stray off to another tangent, let me refocus on what we have been doing since our Florida departure. The Oaks in the southernmost tip of South Carolina was a short stay. We have frequented this campground in years past and, as I do recall, it has been over two years since we stayed in the park. Although I was hopeful of the improvements over the time that we were away, I think that hope slipped away and we were content with only staying for a week. We did make it out to Hilton Head Island and Harbortown to browse the shops and see the hoity-toity life. I do a great Thurston Howell III, as it happens.
The Outer Banks of North Carolina was our next stop. Our weather has been mild during our trek north. We were totally enjoying the warmth when all of a sudden.... family made their way down from New York to visit and bring us some of that gloomy weather we had been missing. Seriously though, it was quite coincidental that we wanted to show our guests a good time and Mother Nature said, "Nope, not gonna happen. You're done." We made the best of it and got to share in our exploration of Eastern North Carolina. Tez's mother and daughter, Courtney, got themselves a cabin right in the campground we were at and Tez took some much needed time off to be able to take advantage of the visit. We ventured to Raleigh for storage shopping at the Container Store and scrumptious Mac & Cheese at Poole's Diner. After some major storms had left the area, we made it to the Outer Banks with visits to Rodanthe and Cape Hatteras. These were the same storms that sucked a couple of beach homes out to sea in early May. We found another day to head down to Wilmington to do the river walk and visit the U.S.S. North Carolina and partake in some fun with food at the Melting Pot. All in all a good visit, however, the weather did make it somewhat challenging. I think we will return to Twin Lakes Campground. It was cute and quiet and full of other activities. Chase had a great time, too, at the local dog park where he made lots of friends who came back on a regular basis.
The weather has continued its trek north with us into Virginia. After a weekend of high 90 degree days, we've been pelted periodically with thunderstorms. This Memorial Day weekend is looking up for some serious historical exploration in Williamsburg and, of course, celebrating our veterans who have given up their time to defend our way of life. We will continue our trek northward, up the coast, into New Jersey, Massachusetts and finally Maine for the summer, hopefully. We'll let you all know how that works out.
Until then, let us know if you're in our neck of the woods and we'll look for a cabin for ya! See y’all over the road.
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