SPRING TOUR 2025

We are back from our first extended RV road trip. The month of May and the early part of June proved to be great for RV travel to the Mid-Atlantic region of our country. Finding a rhythm of the road led us to understand the 3-3-3 rule, even if we did not follow it. Many in the RV community suggest that you travel no more than 300 miles per day and that you arrive at the next destination by 3:00 pm. And if you have time, stay at least three days in one location. As it turned out, we traveled 4,500 miles in 37 days in 14 states as we visited national historical sites and several national parks. We are now fully committed to future travels to the various regions of our country and the national sites described in the Collector's Edition National Park Passport book. 

We had a great time at New River Gorge National Park celebrating Mother's Day weekend with our son. A great adventure and a great visit. We "Walked the Bridge" catwalk. It's a thing. Check it out online. Tours are available from a National Park vendor near the Visitors Center just north of the bridge from Fayetteville, West Virginia. As we walked under the road surface on the steel catwalk, the New River flowed 850 feet below us. Yikes! It was a bucket list experience! We recommend the Outpost at New River Gorge as a great place to RV or camp in cabins or tent-platforms. We were entertained by two Bluegrass Music groups on their lawn area as the beginning of the summer music program. The town of Fayetteville, WV is very nice with good places to eat including the Cathedral Cafe.

Beginning a new week, we visited the Shenandoah National Park and its surrounding wine country. This area will see more of us in the future with longer visits with our son and daughter-n-love. They were our hosts for several days away near Winchester, Virginia. After a relaxing time with day hikes, coffee with my son, and family dinner in town, we ventured north for a Loop around the Mid-Atlantic. With historical stops in Pennsylvania at Harpers Ferry NP, Gettysburg National Battlefield, and Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, we drove south along the Eastern seashore. Crossing the Delaware River from New Jersey, we crossed into Delaware and found a beautiful lighthouse and beach at Fenwick Island. Then into Maryland and Ocean City for lunch. The Atlantic Ocean was beautiful and the sky was adorned with high clouds. 

The Cape Charles area of the Eastern Shore of Virginia deserves a longer stay. Our one day there was not long enough. The Chesapeake Bay is magnificent both in its calm sunny state and in its stormy squall state. We were delayed from crossing the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel complex for nearly two hours due to high winds and heavy rain. Once cleared to cross, it was harrowing to say the least for these newbie RV enthusiasts. Our trip back across Virginia was rained soaked and so we missed stops at Colonial Willliamsburg and Richmond. We will have more opportunities to fill out our Collector's Book, but one stop we did make on this trip included Monticello. The home of Thomas Jefferson was brought to life by a wonderful tour guide and a very alive "Mr. Jefferson" portrayed by a gentlemen who told "his" story with great ease and remarkable accuracy.

We enjoyed parking the RV and being off the road for a few days in Afton, Virginia. We met our kids neighbors who hosted a very enjoyable dinner and gave us many tips for finding our way in the neighborhood. More drives through Shenandoah NP and drives both into and around Crozet and over the mountain to Waynesboro left us with a keen sense of belonging. We are very happy to call Virginia our home away from home.