If I had to name a stressor today, I would give it to our departure from the campsite we were in last night. How they could deem these spaces suitable for any kind of trailer is beyond me. Thankfully for Tyler, he was able to maneuver us out of a seemingly impossible space. Tyler adds about .1 mile of driving each time we have to back in and that contribution saves us many arguments.
Knowing we had a long trek today, I told Tyler it was a must for us to leave earlier than we have been leaving. Since I am the first to rise, and quite early, I have been up for hours before we get going. Early in our travels, I am so sleepy. With that in mind, we were on the road earlier today. I wish I could say I felt more refreshed, but that was not the case and a 5-6 hour drive was looming over me!
We set our sites on West Virginia as our destination of the day. Since we didn’t have our accommodations booked in advance, we use the fly by the seat of our pants method. So far, it has worked for us. When one Harvest Host is full or closed, we move on to the next, and when that falls through we look for a state park. Within the first hour of our drive, Tyler found a Harvest Host located in Ripley, WV, a mere 402 miles away (not so mere)!
When Tyler said he wanted to get as far away from NYC as fast as possible, he wasn’t kidding! The drive today was beautiful. When we left Virginia and entered West Virginia we found so much scenic beauty. I do not think I have ever seen so many trees. Tyler and I joked that they were broccoli hills. We nearly passed through the entire state and there was never an open space without trees. Both of us vote this state as the most beautiful thus far.
After a very long day of driving and a few stops to stretch our legs, we made it to Ripley, WV where we are staying at Appalachian Distillery. We made quick work of setting up and getting a workout in. It is HOT and HUMID. The temperature was 89 degrees at almost 7 pm. We visited the distillery, but unfortunately due to COVID, we were unable to tour the establishment. As we were leaving, the employee told us he hoped the tracks wouldn’t keep us up too late. I forgot to mention, we are backed to the I77 Raceway Park and it just so happens racing is in full force tonight.
While some would say they fall asleep well to rain sounds, quiet music, or silence…NO ONE could sleep through the sound of these racing cars and revving engines. I feel like I am in a race car right now, even our trailer is vibrating! Tyler has also found the UFC fights on and our night has been relaxing.
Tomorrow we head for Kentucky and I am happy to report a campsite has already been secured so Tyler cannot bait and switch me on how long I will have to drive! We are slowly making our way back West, but are in no hurry to get home. There is still so much more to see!
The Church Hideout 