My Stay in Florida - Homeward Bound - Enfield/Rocky Mount NC KOA 2020

Thursday's 6 hour drive was almost entirely in the rain and more caution than usual was necessary. Fortunately traffic was light; three stops extended the expected drive. One stop was to grab a bite to eat and the other two were to fuel up. It happened again. I've written about this before. I pulled into a station for diesel and paid $2.849. Back on the road again, perhaps an exit or two further north, I saw that the price was $2.539 at another station; $.31/gal cheaper. That computed to me paying $5.36 more for that tank of diesel (curse...curse). My next fuel stop, 250 miles further north, now into North Carolina, the price was $2.289/gal.

The Enfield/Rocky Mt. KOA is a small, perfect overnight stop with an easy on and off approach to I-95. The lady behind me registering was an overnighter as well and noted I too was from New York. She was on her way south to Florida. That was my only interaction with another human. While in South Carolina, I heard my first songbird, a wonderful reminder of spring. Some blossoms were beginning to emerge. Driving north, beautiful white flowering trees were spotted here and there; my guess would be Flowering Pear. Temps tonight, however, will dip down into the low 40's with rain forecast during the overnight hours thus bursting my spring bubble. Tomorrow, at Harpers Ferry, WV, (and in Peekskill) it will be pretty much the same but without the rain for my expected 4½ hour drive.

My Stay in Florida - Homeward Bound - Harpers Ferry/Civil War Battlefields KOA, WV KOA 2020

Friday, was a pleasant surprise in terms of weather and travel. I was greeted with sunshine when I left North Carolina with the temperatures creeping up into the 60's as I drove north. Not until I approached my destination in Harpers Ferry, WV, did it become overcast with a threat of rain. The campground is just 14 miles inside their border off state route 340. I stopped here for an overnight a month ago on my way down to Florida. 

The more pleasant surprise was the route I took to get here. I used Waze on my iPhone for traffic as well as the onboard Rand McNally GPS and my Garmin GPS. At first they let me know there were three ways to get to Harpers Ferry, WV. I decided to listen to Rand McNally. A good move on my part. As a result, I departed I-95 around Fredericksburg, VA just over the Rappahannock River and chose to go SR17 which was "the scenic route." Boy was that a beautiful ride. Farmland cleared and ready for planting on both sides of the road, horse farms with areas fenced off into squares for them to roam. There were jumping fences and equipment in their barnyard areas for competition. I wish I had a co-pilot to capture the video of about a dozen young ones galloping around free range no doubt sporting their stuff. Lots of curvy roads gently rising and falling before me through the rolling hills of the Virginian countryside. It was so picturesque. Speeds slowed to 35 mph as I passed through small towns and villages and with that, a glimpse of the life that these folks enjoy and we metropolitan folks imagine. There were the classic southern homes and buildings with cobblestone foundations, their land surrounded by old but still sturdy knee high stone walls. It was truly a relaxing and nostalgic 4½ drive.

A tree rat enjoying a nut

And the ol' "harbinger of spring" pecking
for food as usual. My first of the season.

And so, my faithful readers... 

Tomorrow, Saturday, the last leg of my journey comes to an end. 5½ hours and it's home sweet home..not that I missed it. But lots to do and catch up with. Appointments, visits and probably a little self-quarantining will be the order of the day as we watch how the Covid-19 situation plays out. As of this writing, there are 44 cases in New York State, the most recent Westchester cases are a 12-year-old girl; three boys aged 7, 14 and 17; and men aged 45, 51, 55 and 82. I'm sure everyone is up on their facts about how to prepare. 

If you've clicked and read my Summer Itinerary from the link off to the right, you'll see the Memorial Weekend I'm off once again with the Hudson Islanders and with that, my next blog. See you then. And note that you will be part of over 6,000 views of my blogs. Thank you. Take care, stay well and be careful.