20030519

May 19, 2003

Start:   Home, Manassas, VA
End:     Ft Chiswell CG, Max Meadows, VA
Miles:   276
Hi Temp: not observed
Lo Temp: not observed

Hurray!! We're (finally) off!

Dolores retired formally on the 15th, but before and after that we've been doing all sorts of luncheons, parties and things related to her retirement.

As well, there's been a wedding (great!!) of one of Dolores' nephews and all the fun that goes with that.

But we're back on the road, and this is the first of the notes we'll send for this trip.

The route today was west on I-66, south on I-81 to the campground at exit 80.  We left Manassas late at 10:30 and arrived at the campground at 3:40.

The day started sunny and cool.  As we got further south, it turned back into the solid overcast we've seen for the last several weeks.  There was no rain, though.

Around Lexington, all the traffic queued up into the right lane to get past an accident. It turned out to be a smallish pickup with travel trailer smashed up against the median guardrail. It looked at though he lost control and went around and around.  We couldn't tell whether they were hurt, but the truck looked totaled and the trailer was not happy.

We stopped for lunch in the trailer at a rest stop.

I-81 was busy as usual - lots of trucks and quite a few cars, including the usual nuts that must do 80mph.

The truck ran fine, and we have only minor problems in the trailer.  The battery failed in the indoor-outdoor memory thermometer, for one.  It's been replaced.

We have about ten cable channels here. It's a little confusing watching the news; the ABC channel is out of Nashville, Tennessee, and the NBC channel is out of Roanoke.

Their weather-weasels agree, though, that tomorrow is likely to be cloudy with a good chance of rain as we run out of Virginia into Tennessee. It seems to me that I've heard that forecast before.

We took a small walk before dinner to visit the neighbors at the fence.  They're of the bovine persuasion, so conversation was difficult.  Dinner was lasagna and salad in the trailer. It will be an early-to-bed evening, I'm sure.