“Does time heal all my wounds? Not in my time…but in God’s time.”

I’ve been struggling a little with re-entry. The rhythm of the road is different than that at home and I always have a bit of a hard time adjusting. It’s a little like the let down after the holidays…you know, when you have to get back to reality. Not that it’s a bad thing. It’s just always a little sad when the party is over. 

“My little office on the go in the R-Pod 196”

One thing I really was challenged by with I was touring West Virginia was internet accessibility. If it weren’t for the fact I’m a writer and I had deadlines to meet, I wouldn’t have really cared. But when you write every day, for yourself and for others, you have to be creative in how you stay connected.

There was a delicate balance I walked. On the one hand, I needed accessibility. On the other, I craved getting lost in the woods. I chose campsites based on the view first. I always looked at the campground maps when I made my reservations and chose the one off by itself. The one with the view….the quiet…the peace. My second criteria was electric. I didn’t really need water or sewer hookups. The r-pod has plenty of water tank capacity, both fresh and wastewater.

“Kitty has an appropriate Halloween name…Pumpkin!”

I hit the ground running yesterday. The first order of business was to haul the camper to the nearest dump station…a lovely fifty-four mile round trip drive out to and up the interstate and back. When I woke up at 8:00, it was a whopping 36 degrees. Two hours later, when I was finally hooked up and ready to go, it was all the way up to 37! Ohhhhh, I really wasn’t looking forward to that, but it had to be done. Last night’s overnight low was predicted to get down to 27 and stay there for four hours. That’s when you get freezing and possible damage to water lines in a camper.

“And, just like that…two became three.”

It was a very long day yesterday. I ended up pulling the camper myself with my truck and it did fine. Mr. FixIt is pretty sure the problem was a rock in the brakes. We’ll get it checked before we head anywhere with it. That was a big relief. 

The weather yesterday was terrible driving home. We came through some torrential rain and as soon as we got home, the weather channel gave a tornado warning from the same storm. There are thousands without power from the wind. It seems I got home just in time for some wintery weather. I’ll have to winterize the camper after all…something I was hoping to avoid by heading south. We’ll still get there, but there’s quite a lot of work that needs to be done here at the Ponderosa before we can leave. The cold weather just caught up with me, I’m afraid.

“Sitting on a red carpet of maple leaves, the 2020 R-Pod 196 is one of my favorite campers.”

You know the story of the toothache going away as soon as you get to the dentist? Well, Mr. FixIt is here (YAY!!!) and we took the truck for a long drive…all round the park, up and down hills, around and around curves and…..nothing. Not a sound. Except, when I very first pulled out of the campsite, the brakes squeaked. A long time ago, I was driving over a dirt road in the boonies of Colorado and suddenly the car started making this horrible grinding, screaming noise. When I stopped…the noise stopped. I had no idea what to do. Finally, a couple stopped and asked what was wrong. 

‘Visiting a Pioneer Farm is a step back in time.”

Yesterday was a strange day from the get go. I woke up at 3:30 in the morning knowing something wasn’t right. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. After determining I hadn’t eaten anything that would cause such a feeling, I got up, wrapped my camp jacket around me and stepped outside to look at the stars. The sky was crystal clear and the stars looked so close you could just reach up and touch them. I stood there for awhile in my bare feet letting the energy from the earth seep up through my body. When I was sufficiently chilled, literally and figuratively, I went back to bed. But I couldn’t get back to sleep until dawn.

“The camper is the kitchen, bath, and bedroom…the great outdoors is where I live!”

I got to my new campsite in the middle of the afternoon. The mountains I drove over yesterday weren’t anything like the ones last week but man, the road up into the campground here at the park is really, really steep! This truck did a great job pulling the r-pod in these West Virginia hills. When I arrived at my site, I was amazed to have this entire mountaintop to myself! I didn’t have any concerns about that, but I was pleased to see two more couples come into the campground with trailers. 

“Bluestone Lake is gorgeous this time of year.”

Today is moving day so that means I get to tell you where I have been the last few days. I arrived at Pipestem Resort State Park on Thursday. I’ve been here before, but never camping. There’s a tram that takes you down in the canyon to the lower lodge that sits on the Bluestone River. There is a restaurant, gift shop, and artisan center on the canyon rim at the top of the tram. There is an equestrian center, golf course, pool, recreation center, nature center and a main lodge with every amenity you could want.

“Sitting by the river is soothing to the soul.”

Being a writer is a wonderful thing. I can get lost in a blank page, creating worlds from my thoughts. It’s like magic…making something from nothing. I pray over my keyboard. I ask God to bring me words to say and people who need them. I am humbled when someone reaches out and tells me how my words have encouraged them or helped to ease the pain of their particular loss. I am quick to tell them…it is not me. I am merely the transcriptionist.

“Coffee and sunshine and a little nosh!”

As I explored the latest West Virginia State Park on my camping itinerary yesterday, I took a king sized jump back in time. The last time I was at this particular park was with Hubby #2. I can’t tell you the year, but my guess is it was the summer of 1979, although it could have been later. I remember bits and pieces of that trip. I remember feeling so extravagant to travel to such beautiful places. We stayed a night in this lodge I am sitting in as I write this post. Oh, my…so much water over the dam since then.