2009-03-08 In Transit

Dateline, Dunbar, WV
Longitude: -81.7477
Latitude: 38.376

One of my favorites movies, The Return of the King is notable for having about nine separate endings. This trip has had nearly as many beginnings, and Frodo could have probably walked to Mordor in less time than it took me to pull out, but today we did.

On a gorgeous, sunny Sunday we headed out I-64 across the Western part of Virginia, taking a few snaps along the way. That first picture from today doesn't actually reflect how sunny and warm it was, but shows that the trees are still sleeping for the Winter.


Compare that with the second photo from the drive out I-64 in October, when the leaves were about to finish their colorful show and drop.

I carefully steered the rig out on the Interstate and within a little while started getting comfortable with its handling. The empty weight on the camper is 4400 pounds, and I probably have added a few hundred pounds to that, even with the tanks empty. So you notice it back there. Plus, it's 25 feet long which comes up again later in the blog. After passing Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson, we stopped in a rest area for a stretch.



Wandering over to the passenger car side, I spotted a service truck and guy talking to some citizens and waited until he was done with them before asking if had a compressor on board, to which he replied "yep". I asked if he might add some air to the rear tire on the Suburban, which I had neglected to do before pulling out. He said sure and pulled his rig around and alongside mine.


I asked if this was a free service and he politely told me yes it was. The markings on his truck didn't make it clear if it was State or not so I asked who he worked for. He explained that he was a actually part of a company that contracts with the Department of Homeland Security, but works closely with the State. I asked if business was good and he said yes but he mostly spent time involved in drug searches. He explained that the State Police are short-handed and bring him in on drug stops as backup. "Plus", he added as he pointed to his rig, "I have that big push blade". Interesting. It was a very big push blade and I didn't have the nerve to ask how that helped in drug searches.

He quickly brought my tire pressure up to 50psi on all four tires and I thanked him.

One thing I can say about Virginians is that they are uniformly polite. In almost all my dealings with them, they tend towards courtesy more often than adversity.

We had a brief rest, Shelby checked and left her P-mail, then headed on down the road.


I plan to provide much more back story on Shelby as time and energy permit, but I am hear to tell you she is just a great traveler. Always has been. Never once got carsick, always ready to go, always looking out the Window or hanging over the seat so she feels like she's up front with me.


With no particular destination in mind, I got it in my head that Charleston, WV would be a good goal for the day.

A Chevrolet Suburban holds 42 gallons of gas. Really. The 2500 model, which I have, has a towing package and 4 wheel drive. It can go places I would not even watch on TV, much less go to. On a good day, with the wind with me, and without the Thule carrier on top, it gets about 12mpg on the highway. Today, it got 7.5 on a pure highway test. I filled up twice today and the second time took 28 gallons for going 210 miles. Holy Jumpin' Jesus, that is embarrassing.

We also had our first little incident. Pulling off in Nitro, WV, where fittingly there was a Nuclear Reactor. I pulled into a Pilot station and carefully swung the rig into position so I could fuel and egress without backing up. While I was filling up I spotted moderately old and road-worn traveler going from driver to driver at the islands filling their cars asking them something then moving on. Being on the end, I was his last stop. And being the friendly guy I am, I listened as he asked if I was heading to Knoxville by any chance. Explaining I wasn't, he must have sensed something as he sort of started moving in on me, eventually putting his hand on the open window ledge as I started to pull out. I judged the front part of the turn correctly, but not the camper. As the rig pivoted, the tail end swung around and caught the concrete pillar protecting the gas pumps. I felt a good thump up front and quickly stopped, hoping I had not hit the hobo. I hadn't, but the left rear end of the camper was scraped about 18" and the bumper was tweckled a bit. My first ding. Great. It was already dark so I couldn't get a picture of it but will upload one.


I pulled out my Verizon cellphone which also has the terrific built-in GPS service and punched in campgrounds. Finding a KOA on the list, I let it guide me the final 16 miles to the Fox Fire (as I compose this in FireFox) campground where we are hunkered down for the night just in time for what sounds and feels like a big storm coming. The wind is already picking up pretty good, shaking the whole camper.

So overall it was a pretty good day, short of the minor ding on the camper, but all of it gets chalked up to experience and gratitude that no one was hurt.