We found a good looking spot on the banks of the South Branch of the Potomac River called Big Bend campground. A hotspot for swimming, kayaking, and fishing; it looked like a great spot for our Memorial Day Weekend 2010.
Since we have the rig at home now, it was easy to pack up and take care of last minute maintenance like getting the tires filled. An interesting note here, it was much more difficult than I thought it would be to fill the tires with air. The rear wheels are dual-ies and require some sort of valve extender in order to be able to fill the outboard tires. Our rig did not have these so it became a chore to find some and then get air into the tires.
Anyway, with that all done we finally got on the road. We almost got more than we bargained for right off the bat. About halfway there it started pouring rain, a good old fashioned thunder boomer. We of course turned the wipers on and wouldn't you know it, we had our first bona fide mechanical breakdown. After a couple of swipes, the passenger side wiper blade came loose from the wiper arm and started scraping across the windshield. Normally and easy fix, just pull over and pop it back in. Trouble was we were on a country road in the middle of nowhere West Virginia with five or six motorists behind us already angry with us for driving too slow over the hills. Now we had to slow down just so we could see far enough down the road to get to the next place to pull over. We finally managed to fix it and got going again, both Janelle and I thoroughly soaked. Then, about five minutes down the road the darn thing does it again! After about two more rounds with the wiper we finally beat it into submission and it stayed put the rest of the trip.
We finally pulled into camp, still in the pouring rain, un-hooked the dinghy and cooked dinner. It sure was nice to not have to go outside to set up a tent or cook on the fire/stove. Plus, we could go potty right there without having to get wet either! Life is good.
The next day dawned bright and clear, as soon as the lovely fog and mist rolled out of the canyon. The campground is at the end of Smoke Hole Canyon and true to its name it was quite lovely in the morning with cool temps and a mist hanging over the hillsides like smoke. We made a quick breakfast and took the dog for her first hike in the woods. Boy was she excited! She actually got away from us when we opened the door to the RV, but she only ran about ten feet before she realized she had no idea where she was and came scurrying back inside. She loved exploring as much as the girls though and the river was great fun. It was pretty muddy the first morning but by evening it was clearing up enough to fish pretty well. John caught a smallmouth bass and Lily caught her first fish as well. Alas, poor Cate. She was determined to fish all night long if that is what it took, but the fish got the better of her this day. I think she would not have been so upset by that if her sister hadn't caught anything.
The next day was even more beautiful and we spent the whole day lounging by one of the calmer spots in the river and swimming. Some nice campers in the site near us even let Cate use one of their inner tubes. Almost made up for the lack of fish.
Monday finally arrived and we packed up our things and headed home. A successful shakedown all around. Be sure to check out this slideshow for some pics of the trip!
See you on the road!
