“Dining al fresco in the glory of autumn.”

Now that I have left the last campground, I can tell you about it. Some of my friends who have camped there guessed where I was. Revelle’s Family Campground is just up the road from Elkins, WV in a little burg called Bowden. There’s a fish hatchery there…and lots of cabins and campgrounds. I’ve driven past Revelle’s since I was a teenager. They actually opened when I was sixteen and the just celebrated their 50th Anniversary.

“The color crimson is startling in the woods of WV.”

I tell people all the time…”Self care is NOT selfish!” This weekend I took a little time for some self care and it felt wonderful. First was the old time music and folk dancing Saturday. Then yesterday, I took off early and drove over to see family in Grant and Pendleton Counties. The aunt that I cared for when I first moved back here from Colorado has been living with her brother, my Uncle Bud, for the last three years. She is suffering from dementia now and I am not at all sure she knew who I was. Which is probably a good thing because she doesn’t necessarily like me much. She was quite personable during our visit, which was nice.

“The house I wanted for a B&B in Elkins…it always makes me wonder…what if?”

I’m not kidding when I say I spent just about every moment of the forty years I lived in Colorado waiting for the day I could move back home. Oh, there was a stretch of time when I was young and cocky and I thought I knew better than those “old fogeys” back home who were SO out of touch. Little did I know I would give my right arm to return to my roots one day.

“Oh….be still my heart! Autumn’s splendor in the highlands of West Virginia!”

I slept so soundly Thursday night. Maybe it’s sleeping by moving water that makes me drift off quickly and sleep all night…a welcome treat. It was pretty darned nippy yesterday morning and it will be even colder tonight. I got chilled when I first arrived at the campground. I went through a couple of mud puddles and the camper had been splashed from the tires. I got a pail of warm water and washed it down, but I was chilled to the bone. It was’t long after dark that I got in my warm, flannel jammies and hopped in bed under the electric blanket. I still didn’t warm up till after 10:00.

“One day sunny and warm, the next day blustery and cold. Still…a day camping is better than anything else!”

When I arrived at Stonewall Jackson Resort Campground on Wednesday, it was a lovely, warm day. This campground is decidedly different from Cedar Creek. Where Cedar Creek was more rustic and filled with nature, trees, deer, squirrels, and all manner of birds, Stonewall Jackson is quite “resorty”. There were a lot of really big rigs…the huge, expensive Class A motorhomes that are just passing through. There are a lot of resort amenities here, too. A golf course, a huge lodge, a grand lake with a big boat that tours around in the evenings…weather permitting. It just has an altogether different feel and I honestly think I prefer the far end of a campground that might be visited by bears over this…even though it really is quite nice.

“The r-pod 196 nestled in the trees at Cedar Creek State Park near Glenville, WV”

I moved to the next campground easily enough yesterday morning. Mr. FixIt met me at the McDonald’s in Glenville for breakfast so I could get my travel coordinates before we parted company for another couple of weeks. We had the BEST weekend! It was our first wedding anniversary, which I had told you about. When he arrived at the campground Saturday night, he greeted me with a dozen roses and a sweet card. I greeted him with a warm supper and a big hug. We hiked, biked, and chatted with folks he knew in the campground. (Have I told you he knows EVERYONE?!) We rested and watched movies and took naps. And we just flat out enjoyed not having cell service or TV to distract us from enjoying each other’s company. It was wonderful!

“Early morning fog on the lake. Almost Heaven…West Virginia”

So, I know I told you I wouldn’t be running to town every whipstitch, however…I really do need to write some things for a deadline I’m facing…AND, I needed to get some reservations for this trip. I ended up heading into town to use the WiFi at McDonald’s. I wasn’t finished when I saw my battery was almost gone on my iPad so I packed it up and headed back to the campsite and plugged in. 

“There’s something special about moseying out country roads instead of roaring through on an interstate.”

There is something special about driving on a two-lane blacktop in the fall. First, you’re forced to slow down…especially in West Virginia. There are a lot of 15 to 20 to 25mph turns in these parts. Beyond safety issues is the sheer beauty around every curve. 

I love how the leaves fall in a shower of gold and red light in the sun. I love how the car in front of you stirs them up into a whirlwind that splashes on your windshield as you drive through them. I love how the the denuded trees cast lines on the roadway making it seem to glitter and shimmer as the miles fly under your wheels.

“Autumn Glow Lights up the R-Pod”

I camped the last two nights at a park hardly anyone knows about and I’d almost like to keep it that way. Except…it’s so uber cool, I just have to share. I’ve written about Calhoun County Park before. Mr. FixIt and I took a drive out here once and took pictures of the Heritage Village…a collection of buildings that were transported here and restored. There’s an old general store, a school house, a church, and a post office among others. The post office was from Freed…not too far from Grandma’s farm. Grandma introduced me to some of the Freed family.

“How many times have you seen this come on…right in front of the dealership?!?!”

I was heading through Marietta, Ohio yesterday afternoon on my way from one campground to the next. My preferred Ford dealer is there and as I was driving by, I got “the nudge”. The thought went through my mind…“Check your engine light!” Literally…I was right in front of the dealership when I looked down and…