Galax - Week 2

Will the rain ever stop? We started Monday with showers and with only a few exceptions, the rain has continued all week. But we, and our hardy work crews, have soldiered on! The landscaping project was delayed until Rojas returned on Wednesday from his holidays, and Jamie and his crew were delayed by the rain from changing the window in the cassita and building the outside bar. However, a couple of cloudy but rainless days changed all that and progress was made.

First the landscaping. As I write, we have finished all the excavation for the footings for the "Great Wall of Deer Creek," and have begun installing the stones. The whole process is arduous to say the least. First you have to excavate (and there is lots of rock in the mountains of Virginia)! Then, you have to install the french drains, with their heavy gravel base and cover, to ensure proper drainage. Then you have load light gravel on top to allow the stones to be set properly. Then you establish the level lines to ensure that the walls are even and consistent.

Then you set the stones - one-by-one in what seems to be a never ending process. The next step is to cover the back of the wall with filter cloth and back-fill with the heavy native soil. Finally you add the top soil and begin the process of locating all the plants. We are now at the stone laying stage and clearly have a lot of work to do between now and when we head to Red Bay next Saturday!

Early in the week, Suz and I took advantage of the rain to tour the area, but mostly made what seems to be endless trips to Lowe's and WallMart for landscaping and other materials. We also headed down to Mt. Airy to Acme Stone to pick out the granite for the counter top for our outside bar. The evenings were mostly spent at the coach, although we did hit Macado's a couple of times (our cell phones work in Galax, but not always at Deer Creek - thank you Verizon), and on Thursday we headed over to Sparta with 9 neighbors to bowl and have dinner in a local cafe. Bowling and dinner has become a regular Thursday event and we had a great time, although the bowling was pretty bad I must admit. We are really enjoying the neighbors, they are a great group of people, always helpful and a lot of fun to be around.

While it looks and feels like the work we have cut out for ourselves will never end (nor will the mounting expenses), there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel and we hope to have most work done before we leave (assuming the rain lets up!) What doesn't get done will still be there when we return in late May. I'll let you know how we did in the post next weekend. Until then, Cheers!

John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog

Galax - week one

We left Clarksboro, NJ in the rain on Friday morning at 0800. The trip followed I295 onto I95 and then cross country to I81 and down the Shenandoah Valley to Lexington, VA. As we proceeded South, the weather got better and better. When we stopped for the night at the Lee Hi Campground, where we had stayed before, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Lee Hi is a large truck stop just off I81. Last year, the campground was in pretty rough shape. This year, many improvements had been made and it was much nicer. We signed in and fueled up - diesel at a low $3.699! - then got hooked up for the night.

We had happy hour at the coach followed by dinner. During all this we watched a group set up an obstacle course in the huge truck parking lot below the campground. It turned out that this weekend was the 35th annual two day truckers rally. Truckers come from all up and down the east coast to compete in the rally, going through the obstacle course in the shortest period of time and hitting the fewest cones in the process. All the proceeds go to the "Make-a-Wish Foundation."

Saturday morning we watched a bit of the competition, then hit the road on the way to Galax, VA, site of our new Summer home, some 150 miles down I81 and I77. We were hoping that Appalachian Electric Power had switched on our power. We stopped in Galax at the WalMart Superstore for supplies and received a call from the Appalachian Electric installer who was at the gate to Deer Creek. We gave him the code, and were assured that the power would be on by the time we arrived - and sure enough it was!

We arrived and got ourselves situated on our site - moving back and forth until we were in the perfect position relative to our "cassita" and the utilities. This will now be the permanent location for the coach when we are here. The site looks a bit rough at the moment, but there are great plans for the landscaping and the finishing of the cassita! During the day, as we got settled in, most of our neighbors came by to say hello and offer their assistance should we need anything. They are really a great bunch of people. That evening, we headed into Galax to Macados for happy hour and a light dinner. Unbeknownst to us, there was a party going on at the clubhouse that we could have attended (more on this below).

Sunday, I began the task of measuring the site - again - to make sure how many "stones" we would need to build our retaining walls, and about how much added fill would be required to build our beds. the same thing went on for most of the week along with discussion with the developer, Barry Poole and numerous workers who would be helping us with the heavy work.

By Thursday, and with the advice of our landscaper, we had decided to forego building a waterfall in one corner of the lot - too much trouble when we are not going to be here for more than a few months a year. Instead, we will rely on a small fountain to provided the sound of running water. We had also ordered 950 stones for the walls and acquired drain tile and other necessary materials.

Thursday was also the day I began the digging involved in putting in the french drains and and the footings for the retaining walls. Of course, my foot slipped off the shovel and I twisted my left knee again - the same one I twisted when fly fishing in Cherokee, NC. In the meantime, Rojas, one of our workers delivered a huge load of gravel from the quarry down the road before leaving for a few days holiday. Undaunted by the knee, I continued on digging and by Friday, had finished the site prep for the utilities area. However, I have decided that old men and heavy shovels do not mix. I am now resigned to playing more of a support role to Rojas and his workers when it comes to shovel work!! Later, we headed West to Sparta to see what this town had to offer - not much. Like so many of the towns in the mountains, it is a one street wonder so to speak.

On Saturday, it rained and my knee was still sore so we took a wider tour of area, heading Northwest to Galax, then East to Hillsville, then South to Fancy Gap where our landscaper's businesses are located. Charles Bernhardt and his wife Margaret are amazing people. They run a business called Treasure Potts in Fancy Gap (www.TreasurePotts.com), just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. They have an antique shop, that is filled with great treasures, a deli and a garden shop. Charles, who is no spring chicken, is a whirling dervish when it comes to work. I don't know how he does it. He has given us some great advice so far and I look forward to seeing the final results at our site.

Returning to Deer Creek down a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway (which passes within a few hundred yards of the the Resort), we found that (another) "spontaneous" wine and cheese party had been announced. This time, Barry (the developer) and his wife laura provided the wine and cheese and everyone else provided snacks - some quite elaborate. We have learned that these parties erupt on a regular basis whenever someone decides to announce one. There is even a formal sign that is put up next to the clubhouse near to gate on such occasions. Most of the couples in residence attended, and Suz and I had a ball.

After much food and drink, we all retired to the outside fireplace and continued conversations. The party broke up are around 8:30 or so with Suz and I having gotten to know many of our neighbors much better. We headed back to the coach even more firmly convinced of the wisdom of our purchase decision. And Dixie feels the same way as you can see!

Sunday, I headed into Galax to Lowe's and WalMart to get supplies and to take a really close look at the shops along Main Street. There are many that we had overlooked and, thanks to our neighbors, now have a better feel for the variety Galax has to offer. We will be exploring the area more in the coming days and weeks. Until the next posting, Cheers!

John, Suz and Dixie the (contented) Wonderdog

New Jersey/Philadelphia and on to Galax

We left Bellingham, MA at 7:00 am - that's right, 7:00 am - in a steady rain. We traveled North on 495, then West on I90 until we hit I84 and finally I684 as we approached New York. The rain was relentless. Our GPS told us to take the the Hutchinson River Parkway, then the Cross County Parkway, the Sawmill Parkway and the Mosholu Parkway to I87 and finally across the George Washington Bridge and on to I95.

Unfortunately, it didn't tell us that all the parkways into New York City are for "passenger cars only"! So here we are, in the rain, continuing on I684 feeling more and more anxious. Luckily, I had driven this before and knew that we could continue on I87/I287 and cross the Tappen Zee bridge then connect with the Garden City Parkway (motorhomes OK!) and head South to I95 then to I295 and reach our destination in Clarksboro, NJ.

With the rain still pelting down and the windshield wipers leaving gobs of rubber at each end of their sweep, we headed down the Garden City Parkway, and wouldn't you know it, had our right mirror clipped at one of the overly narrow toll booths. the damage was mostly cosmetic - two gashes in the chrome - but probably can't be repaired and will mean the replacement of the mirror assembly. Moving on down I95 to I295, we hit some stop-and-go traffic but finally arrived at Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro with over 350 miles under our belt.

This particular site was selected since it is the closest campground to Philadelphia, and we wanted to visit the historic sites in the city. We were assigned a nice campsite and got settled in with too much trouble. Everything worked fine and we happily headed off - in the rain - to a local Italian restaurant for drinks and dinner. The food was good and we headed back to the coach - in the rain.

It rained all night and when I awoke, I found that the carpet under the driver's side slide was wet from side-to-side. I am not sure whether it got wet from the heavy rain, from the fact that I put the slide in at the campground the morning before with lots of water on the slide topper, or whether there was a leak from the wheel well that allowed water to infiltrate during our long drive. Whatever, another item on the growing list of things to be corrected at Red Bay in October!

To our relief, the rain stopped for most of Wednesday and we were able to head into Philadelphia - a mere 12 miles - and visit Independence Square, a very impressive center where the Liberty Bell and drafts of our national historic documents - Declaration of Independence and Constitution, are housed. The Square is also home to the Independence Hall and the other buildings where all the documents were drafted, debated and signed, and where the first three presidents presided over the new nation. I had never seen these things before and was quite moved by the experience. With great difficulty, thanks to the traffic, I was able to get a picture of the statue of George Washington in front of Independence Hall, which is undergoing extensive renovation.

Suz and I then had lunch at a little Philly deli - very good I might add - and then headed back to the coach before the rian began again. Later in the day, we found a nice spot to relax for happy hour and then settled in for the night. About 2:00 am, a major thunderstorm hit the campground and of course Dixie went nuts - no more sleep. The rain continued until morning, then proceeded off and on for most of the day. Glad we toured Philadelphia on Wednesday!

Given the iffy weather, we decided to forego our trip to Charleston, SC and head straight to our lot in Galax, VA. The pad is finished, as is the small cabin and I can spend the next couple of weeks getting started on the landscaping. It will be nice to get back to doing some work around the yard! Our trip to Galax will take two days and cover about 485 miles. We plan to stop in Lexington, VA tomorrow night, then be in Galax on Saturday morning. Looking forward to it. Until the next posting, Cheers!

John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog

Our last days in Maine and on to Mass.

Thursday, Suz and I got a call from Bob Leach, telling us about the Sail, Power and Steam Museum in Rockland. We had heard of it, but had not planned on going to see it. Bob insisted that it not be missed. We grabbed lunch and met Bob at the museum, was he ever right. It is a small museum, created and funded by Capt. Jim Sharp, long-time schooner captain in the Penobscot Sound area, and the current owner of four schooners.

The museum has limited hours due to the lack of qualified volunteers, but we were lucky enough to be there when Capt. Sharp himself was giving guided tours. He is a fascinating man of 76 who has sailed the Maine waters for nearly 50 years. He has gathered a broad array of maritime memorabilia that has great historic significance to the Penobscot Bay area, and has rescued numerous sailing and power vessels from the scrap yard. If you happen to be in the area, this museum is a must see.To learn more about Capt. Sharp and his life, go to www.sharpspointsouth.com and click on the link for the Sail, Power and Steam Museum. Even better, get a copy of his book With Reckless Abandon, by Captain Jim Sharp, published by Down East. After visiting the museum, Suz and I dropped by Bob and Sheila's for happy hour and to say our goodbyes. Both of us were leaving on Saturday and this would be the last visit before our return to Palm City in October.

Saturday, we left Saltwater Farm around 9:45 and headed down US1 to Portland, ME. The trip was relatively slow, but scenic as we passed through numerous small towns and villages along the way. From Portland, we got on I95 and headed through New Hampshire and into Mass. The we picked up I495 and headed South. We exited I495 at Bellingham, MA. and found our way to Circle CG Farm Campground, not the nicest spot we've been, and only 30 amp, but we had lots of space and the people were nice. We got set up and then headed up the road to the local Outback Steakhouse for dinner.

On Sunday, we relaxed and I read a large chunk of Captain Jim Sharp's book - fascinating and very entertaining. Around 3, we headed off down I495 to US44 East and into Plymouth, MA. to meet Rock and Mercine Adinolfi for dinner. I had researched the restaurants in Plymouth and chose The Cabby Shack. It is a casual spot with two decks overlooking the harbor. We had a few drinks and a wonderful dinner of stuffed Haddock. It was good to see Rock and Mercine one more time before Florida, and the setting and weather were great. After dinner, we said our goodbyes and headed back up to the campground - a 50 minute drive.

This morning, I was walking Dixie and noticed that the campground was having a country breakfast. So with Dixie back at the coach, I wandered over and for $8 got a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, coffee and juice - all you can eat! What a great breakfast, and I got to meet some of the other guest at the campground at the same time.

this afternoon, I plan to finish Captain Jim's book and then we will find a place to have dinner. Later I will get the coach set for the trip tomorrow to Timber Lane Campground in Clarksboro, NJ. The trip will be a little over 300 miles through some of the worst traffic we will experience during the trip. Not looking forward to it at all. Take it slow and be patient I guess. Until the next post, Cheers!

John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog