The Reward

Its done. Well at least for the most part. The past year and probably a few thousand man and woman hours spent thinking, designing and crafting, cursing when it breaks, and recrafting our adventure-mobile and its finally hit the road.

On April 19th, Liz, Ziggy and myself packed the Subaru Outback and said our goodbyes to our host Mark Fulton. The camper was already packed and ready for the road. We hesitate. Its been so long thinking about this final moment.

And then we left.

I had planned out a few spots to stop to get to our first campsite. First along the way was Great Falls National Park in McLean, Virginia. The historic location was a meeting grounds between native Americans and the colonists. It also hosted a canal used to bypass the rapids and falls that cascaded that section of the River. We pull up to the entrance and much to our surprise, the $10 admission was waved for this week for all National Parks including forests, monuments, coastal zones etc. SCORE!

The Subie and Camper get parked in the way back nose bleeds and we walk to the visitor center. Ziggy managed to keep his cool most of the time while other dogs walked by. The paved trail took us to numerous lookouts along the rapids and falls. Our favorite was lookout 3. Some visitors were nice enough to take some pictures.

Moving onward, the Roamin Gnome travelled south into Virginia which I am told is for lovers. The highway takes us to a local road. Then a nice winding road through George Washington NF and then to a dirt road. We have a quarter tank of gas and w just turned down a dirt road for our first night with the camper. Meanwhile its rounding 6:30pm. The Subaru handles the rocky road like and champ and the new axle provides a nice ride for the house on wheels and its contents. The road continues and a few miles and then we see it.  A sign pointing us in the right direction for the Little Fort Camp Ground. A short drive through the 8 site campground tells us which spot to park the gnome. Backed in and beautiful, we staked claim to the roomy and private site 6.

Our first time unpacking it all and we did fairly well. The sun was still setting and we had more than enough light to make camp including awning placement, hammocks and the cook station. Liz whipped up and amazing meal using the following canned items: Chicken from Costco, black beans, tomato sauce and BLANK. Cooked on the cast iron skillet and served with chips, sour cream and shredded cheese; the only thing that could make it better would be bacon. Eat, clean and rest. The tie dye bed is made and we turn in for the night.

The next morning, we awake to what sounds like a chainsaw right outside our camper. WTF! We sneak a look through the bed windows and its an official park employee trimming the bushes around the drop toilet. We at least he meant no harm. The guy does his job and then walked up the trail. As he approaches, he asked if I had a jumper. Apparently the office installs radios in their work trucks that continually drain the battery. Smart!

After the jump, he thanks me and introduces himself. Charlie has worked for the parks system for 15 years and loves it. Retired navy, he was the kindest guy who gave us the hot tip to a natural spring well nearby and the Firetower up the road. He also gave us two smokey the bear bandanas and gave Zig some doggie biscuits. Aside from Charlie and another woman camping, we had a very secluded and enjoyable day thus far. After a leisure stroll of the campground, we begin to forage for a snack. Our guide books i.d. dandelion root and violets are good grub. The violet heads can be plucked and eaten on the spot. The dandelion roots need to be cleaned and cooked before serving.

In the afternoon, another couple miles of dirt/gravel roads lined with campers and scary shacks led us to the fresh water spring. We fill our water jugs and the 5 gallon shower for later use. On the way back to our camp, we drove up the fire tower road and then followed a short trail to reach the base of the Woodstock fire tower. I was able to muster the confidence and beat my fear of heights to summit the 50 stairs to the top. The  view was fairly stellar and showed the valleys of the region along with a serpenting river.

Back at camp, we unpacked the water and fell victim to a leisure lul. For dinner we had mac and cheese with sauteed dandelions (which were really bitter)oh well. That night slept well.

In the AM, we broke camp and packed it all in to head for Shenandoah. We entered through the north gate waiving the $20 entrance fee and drove Skyline Drive for the 30 something miles till the Luray exit. Unfortunately, due to a massive wildfire in the southern portion of the park, a majority of the route was closed and the vistas were hazy due to smoke wafting. Hopefully the firefighters can get the blaze under control but its a pretty big one.

We exited Shenandoah through the Luray exit and drove Route 211 to 81 and then right through the center of Harrisonburg which is a tight circle in a busy area. Great for a pop-up to zip through. Our next campsite was once again in a length of George Washington NF at Hone Quarry. This one night stop by a stream was a great for the night with the small fee of 5$. During the night, we went frog hunting and came across this Fowler's Toad who was very photogenic.

In the AM we wasted no time packing up to head out before the rain came through. With camper and family packed in, we headed south once more to head for our next camp, Oronoco Campsite outside of Buena Vista VA. We plan to set up base here for the next few days (sans cell/wifi reception) before heading out to our first WWOOFing experience starting next Monday at Sylvanaqua Farms in Earlysville VA. We plan to spend a week with this endeavor before moving on to the next leg of our adventures. Stay tuned and thanks for reading.