Shenandoah Pictures

Our next stop is Shenandoah National Park.  But before leaving after we hook up I want to grease the other three bearings that haven’t blown up yet. We had picked up some grease and a grease gun at a Walmart after our bridge walk and now put them to work. I have some hubcaps over the bearings so we had to take each tire off to get at the bearings.  I figured it was a couple hour job but there was only a hour till checkout when I got started. Good thing I had a pit crew and everyone pitched in, we got it done in a hour and a half and didn’t get harassed about pulling out late at all. We were actually worried, the kid running the campground took his job really seriously.

It’s a fairly short four hour drive to the next site in Virginia but through a winding West Virginia road until we get to the interstate.  The whole way I’m going mostly way under the speed limit and holding up traffic on the highway.  We round a corner and there’s a town, a 35 mph sign, and cop. I’m going about 45 and slowing down when he turns his lights on and yep it’s for me.  I pull over and get a speeding ticket.  A speeding ticket pulling the camper. We’ll that’s something I never saw coming.  He got me going 43 in a 35.  I went from 10 under the speed limit most of the last 40 miles to 8 over for a few seconds.  First time getting pulled over hauling the camper, it’s pretty impressive really. The rest of the drive is uneventful. 

We pull into our next campsite at the Shenandoah KOA.  It’s a really nice KOA pretty woodsy and rustic. We got some fire wood and made everyone come out and sit by the fire.  Forced Fun Family Fire we called it. I’ve been having most fires alone lately and it’s ending now! So I said we all had to bring at least one funny story or antidote to share.  It was fun and devolved from stores to some theater games that Lucas had brought up.  He was in theater 2 this year, so he taught  us some improv type games and we had a good laugh.  Becky was really really into it.  I guess she always wanted to be a theatre kid.  Who knew?

We only had one full day here so the plan was to do skyline drive and a couple of short hikes.  We started the drive and pulled over at some pull outs, hit the visitor center, and ate lunch we packed in the car.  We hoped to do some hikes after lunch but that’s when the weather had other plans.  It opened up and started raining and raining harder and getting foggy.  No one wanted to hike in the rain so after driving more of the road we called it and got off skyline and headed back to camp, it wasn’t meant to be.  We spent the rest of the day in the camper reading and watching moves.

Here are some pictures.  Not a whole lot, all the views from pull outs on the skyline drive pretty much look the same.

We were up with the clouds

Cool dead tree

Old man on the mountain. He’s there laying back, bit of a stretch but he’s there, zoom in maybe.

Rebecca by some clouds

Sam and Luke getting pictures of the clouds

Rare shot of me

Our shoe situation which gets worse every year. Kids feet are all adult size now. We got the rack last year on the road but even with the three levels it’s overflowing.

Lucas, hanging out in the camper.

Blurry shot of our Forced Fun Family Fire/Night at the improv