We're in Georgia

Terry and I left NYS on Tuesday morning and followed I-81 south through PA, MD and WVA in to VA where we pulled off at the very picturesque Candy Hill Campground in Winchester.

We had had rain from the time we left the Bolt Hole until we got to southern PA. This was not associated with Katrina but was from a separate system that was sliding across the country from the southeast. From around the time we crossed I-80 all the way to Winchester the sky was filled with broken clouds but there was no rain. We were able to relax and walk around the campground a little before we punked out and went to sleep around 9. The rains from Katrina reached our area about 10 minutes later and fell through much of the night.

When we awoke on Wednesday the rain had stopped and the sun was attempting to shine through the clouds. It didn't succeed until late in the day. I-81 parallels the Blue Ridge through the Shenandoah Valley. We had driven the Blue Ridge Parkway, which wends its way among the peaks of the mountains, and we had driven I-81 south before but at night so this was a different perspective. Eventually, we turned onto I-77 the head more south than southwest and crossed into North Carolina. For the last 10 miles or so of I-77 in Virgina you're heading downhill and the view to the east is incredible. You're looking east of the Blue Ridge into farmland and isolated hills that seem to just pop up out of the flats. Our drive through the Tarheel State was uneventful except for the convoy of power company trucks from New Hampshire. There must have been 20 of them heading, I'm sure to the area hit hard by Katrina. Just as the workers form down south head for New England when there is an ice storm or blizzard, the power companies act to help one another out in times of need.

Around Charlotte, NC we headed more to the southwest again on I-85 and stopped just across the border at the Pinecone Campground in Gaffney, SC. This was not as nice a campground as the Trailer Life guide made it out to be. They had already closed the pool for the season. (It looked like they had done any maintenance for a few weeks.) Terry said the ladies bathroom/Shower room wasn't very clean and lacked some necessities--like TP. But, hey, we were only going to be there for the night.

Gas prices have risen steadily over the three days we've been on the road. We started out paying $2.63/gal. in Poland, NY but have paid $2.99 the last two days. And, if I can find a station with any gas this evening, I expect to pay around $3.15. The three stations I tried to get gas at this afternoon had no regular or no gas at all.

Well, it's time for us to hit a restaurant for dinner. I'll leave a not later.