Date:         Fri, 26 Sep 2003 00:38:48 -0400
Reply-To:     Andrew Silliker <silliker@CYNICAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Silliker <silliker@CYNICAL.NET>
Subject:      Escape Isabel! - Trip Report #2
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Trip Report #2 Escape Isabel!: Arlington, VA to TN, return

Beck had a 3 day weekend, so we had planned to go for a little trip
somewhere. Now we had the Westy, so we went for her inaugural journey. The
plan was to head out for Fri, Sat, Sun, but things got turned on their ear
by Hurricane Isabel. With all of the closings for the storm, B had Thursday
off as well, so we hit the pavement for some fun and adventure. 

Things were starting to get breezy when we left Arlington, and the rain was
starting to pick up. The first night's stop was to be the Otter Creek
campground along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We headed up to the parkway from
Lynchburg, and headed to the campground. This was gremlin #1 for the
weekend. The campground was closed due to high winds and potential for heavy
flooding. Bummer. We headed off down the parkway, but didn't get too far.
After crossing the James River, we began to get into downed trees. First
there were a few small ones (4-6") that weren't completely blocking the
road. They were passable with a few maneuvers involving the grass shoulders.
A few miles further down the road was a massive tangle of 3 large trees that
had the parkway blocked from shoulder to shoulder. I climbed in it for a
bit, and realized that with my saw and tow strap I would eventually be able
to clear a lane, but what lay beyond was quite unknown. After some
deliberation, I decided to do the thing I hate most: retreat. To continue
our southbound progression we headed down off of the parkway to I-81. We
rolled down the Interstate past Roanoke, and on to Wytheville, VA, where we
headed off the Interstate towards a campground I like in the Mt Rogers NRA.
The road to Comers Rock was clear, although the fog was rather spooky. We
set up for the night and grabbed some zees after a longer than anticipated
slog through the rain. 

Friday was a beautiful day in SW VA. Sunny, warm, and inviting. We headed
towards Damascus to pick up a couple of bikes and a shuttle to do the
Virginia Creeper Trail. The ride from Whitetop Station to Damascus is a
breeze, and downhill or flat for the 17 miles. We took a few hours, mostly
coasting, stopping for lunch, butterflies and stream gazing along the way.
We were to spend the night at another great campground in Mt Rogers,
Beartree. As luck would have it, someone mentioned a bear sighting the night
before, and B decided that she didn't want to have to share her porridge
with anyone. So, another adventure in lodging begins, and we roll south into
TN. We ended up at a nice campground in Cherokee NF, Cardens Bluff. Cardens
Bluff is located on Watuga Lake. There are a few sites that are good for a
Westy, but the campground is geared towards tents. It is a great tent
campground, with some isolated sites, lakefront sites, and whatnot. 

Saturday was a repeat of Friday, weatherwise. No hurricanes here. We did a
day of scenic driving, with a break for some lunch and music. In the morning
we headed up over Roan Mountain and into NC, and rolled back to the Blue
Ridge Parkway at Little Switzerland. We made a stop in at the Orchard at
Altamont along the Parkway. We spent a couple of hours there, and would
highly recommend it as a weekend fall destination. We took in some old time
music, watched some fella's flat-footing it and charming the ladies on the
dance floor. We had a couple of great caramel apples, watched some
butterflies and bees, drank some sweet tea, and did some other stuff. After
our break we headed back onto the Parkway for some more cruising. The
Parkway was crawling with MG's, apparently they had an event in the area
this weekend. We rolled along the parkway until Roanoke, and bunked in at
the Roanoke Mountain campground. Another good parkway campground, with paved
pads that are fairly level. It was a great night, but the pop-top was pelted
with chestnuts falling on it all night. They gave me quite a start the first
few times they hit, but eventually I started ignoring them and hit the rack.


Sunday weather: see Saturday, Friday

The end of the weekend is often the worst part of the trip. We headed up
towards Arlington with a side trip into Charlottesville and a visit to the
Crutchfield store. Nice setup, and I picked up a new receiver and Sirius
setup for the rig. After the x-country trip, I am much more familiar with
the current New Country favorites than I would like to be. Hopefully the
addition of satellite radio will help avoid that occurrence in the future. 
My technology jones sated, we resumed our northward progession. The closer
we got to Arlington, the more downed trees we saw, and the higher the rivers
were running. At least now we are a no power? No problem family. We'll just
set up camp in the street if we have no power. However, our return home
showed that we were unscathed. Just a few branches and leaves down. The cats
were still alive, and everything was otherwise normal. 

With a few detours, a little sun, some Appalachian heritage, and a girl
named Isabel, the consensus is a good time was had by all. 

Next stop, Westies @ Watkins. I need to get that supercharger, bilstiens,
and lowering kit in before I hit the track! ;)
--
Andrew / 89 Westy Escape Wagen