Sprinty goes home
Monday, 30 September
After being away from "home" for over five months, Sprinty started the journey back home. Kris and Darrell spent the last 10 days or so preparing for the move, getting things arranged for our planned lengthy absence from Deep Creek Lake, doing some chores, playing golf with our friend Melanie, and saying goodbyes.
The first intermediate stop was the Xfinity store in Morgantown to stop the TV and internet service at our place in Maryland and turn in the cable equipment. No golf was planned as the forecast called for rain for most of the day.
The bulk of the rain we experienced was on the way to Morgantown, where the skies opened up a couple of times. Once we turned south, the rain became less, then became intermittent. As the sun came out, it warmed up into the low 90s.
We broke up the day by only driving about an hour-and-a-half between stops to stretch, get gas/diesel, etc. Especially as Darrell hurt his back during the Docks Out evolution on Saturday. Driving did not seem to make it hurt more, just got more stiff. He definitely walks a lot more gingerly than he was a few days ago.
Our original plan was to overnight at Hungry Mother State Park near Marion, VA, a park we have stayed at before. At the rest area just before Wytheville, VA, we revisited the travel plan and decided to go to Plan B which was Sugar Hollow City Park Campground near Bristol, VA. There was a Plan C to stay in Tennessee if we wanted to drive even more. We enjoy being able to adjust our plans as the day unfolds, as we take into account the weather, our energy, the stress (or lack thereof) of traffic, etc.
By Marion, VA, Darrell decided Bristol was going to be just fine for where to stop. The city campground had good reviews on the AllStays app, and offered an electric site with WiFi for $20. They also did not take reservations - it is a first-come/first-served campground. And it is cash only, no credit cards.
When we arrived just after 4pm, the Park Ranger said they had plenty of places for the night. They have 71 campsites, and as of our arrival, only four campers. We picked a slightly sloped site near the Comfort Station that was long enough for Sprinty and the Toyota.
One of the improvements for the trip home was a new set of Cobra Walkie Talkies. The Motorola walkie talkie radios we have been using are over 20 years old, and the speakers made the transmissions sound garbled. This trip we are using new FRS radios which are working much better. And they charge off USB like so many other Sprinty gadgets, making recharging much simpler than the old Motorolas.
The campground WiFi was pretty good - good enough that we could stream YouTube video. So we got to learn about eBikes, a recent meetup in the Grand Tetons, appreciate that we don't travel with a 40 foot Fifth Wheel RV, virtually visit Montana, and virtually explore Dawson City, Yukon. All while tucked into the campground from the comfort of Sprinty's couch.
Tuesday, 1 October
The forecast was for a hot day. We elected to play golf at Graysburg Hills Golf Course near Chuckey, TN, located about an hour from the campground and only a few miles from I-81. When we called to make a tee time yesterday, the earliest they offered us was 9:54am.
We decided to arrive a little earlier than normal and left the campground by 7:40. When we arrived, the tee sheet looked full until after 11am. After we both bit a small bucket of balls on the range, they said we could go off early.
Kris started off with a nice drive in the middle of the fairway, while Darrell's drive was on the edge. Kris made par on the first hole to gain a stroke. The four-some in front of us let us play through on the second hole, and we both hit better drives than any of them. Kris made par again to be up by two strokes after two holes. Darrell kept wondering why his shots did not go as far as usual - it took him several holes to realize his sore back was impacting his golf shots.
For the rest of the front nine, we played stroke for stroke, and Kris' birdie on the eighth hole looked like she might seal the day. Darrell picked up two strokes on the next hole, and made the turn only one stroke back.
On the back nine, we both played well, with Darrell chipping away at Kris lead. After sixteen holes, we were tied up. Darrell managed to par the last two holes to take honors on the day.
Maybe because it was forecast to get hot, but the back nine had almost no one playing it, and we finished in under three hours. After golf, Sprinty laid in a course to a Starbucks along the planned route for the day.
While at Starbucks, we assessed we were 3-1/2 hours from home and could get home by dinner time if we wanted. And we could do it while driving the back roads instead of the interstate, thereby avoiding rush hour traffic in Knoxville and Chattanooga. We decided to go for it - temperatures were already in the upper 90s, so driving in the air conditioned vehicles was more pleasant than spending the afternoon in a hot campground.
We arrived home just before dinner time. We came home to a comfortable temperature in the house thanks to the WiFi thermostat we installed a few years ago. Darrell adjusted the thermostat last night just in case we decided to take it all the way in.
After being away from "home" for over five months, Sprinty started the journey back home. Kris and Darrell spent the last 10 days or so preparing for the move, getting things arranged for our planned lengthy absence from Deep Creek Lake, doing some chores, playing golf with our friend Melanie, and saying goodbyes.
The first intermediate stop was the Xfinity store in Morgantown to stop the TV and internet service at our place in Maryland and turn in the cable equipment. No golf was planned as the forecast called for rain for most of the day.
The bulk of the rain we experienced was on the way to Morgantown, where the skies opened up a couple of times. Once we turned south, the rain became less, then became intermittent. As the sun came out, it warmed up into the low 90s.
We broke up the day by only driving about an hour-and-a-half between stops to stretch, get gas/diesel, etc. Especially as Darrell hurt his back during the Docks Out evolution on Saturday. Driving did not seem to make it hurt more, just got more stiff. He definitely walks a lot more gingerly than he was a few days ago.
Our original plan was to overnight at Hungry Mother State Park near Marion, VA, a park we have stayed at before. At the rest area just before Wytheville, VA, we revisited the travel plan and decided to go to Plan B which was Sugar Hollow City Park Campground near Bristol, VA. There was a Plan C to stay in Tennessee if we wanted to drive even more. We enjoy being able to adjust our plans as the day unfolds, as we take into account the weather, our energy, the stress (or lack thereof) of traffic, etc.
By Marion, VA, Darrell decided Bristol was going to be just fine for where to stop. The city campground had good reviews on the AllStays app, and offered an electric site with WiFi for $20. They also did not take reservations - it is a first-come/first-served campground. And it is cash only, no credit cards.
When we arrived just after 4pm, the Park Ranger said they had plenty of places for the night. They have 71 campsites, and as of our arrival, only four campers. We picked a slightly sloped site near the Comfort Station that was long enough for Sprinty and the Toyota.
One of the improvements for the trip home was a new set of Cobra Walkie Talkies. The Motorola walkie talkie radios we have been using are over 20 years old, and the speakers made the transmissions sound garbled. This trip we are using new FRS radios which are working much better. And they charge off USB like so many other Sprinty gadgets, making recharging much simpler than the old Motorolas.
The campground WiFi was pretty good - good enough that we could stream YouTube video. So we got to learn about eBikes, a recent meetup in the Grand Tetons, appreciate that we don't travel with a 40 foot Fifth Wheel RV, virtually visit Montana, and virtually explore Dawson City, Yukon. All while tucked into the campground from the comfort of Sprinty's couch.
Tuesday, 1 October
The forecast was for a hot day. We elected to play golf at Graysburg Hills Golf Course near Chuckey, TN, located about an hour from the campground and only a few miles from I-81. When we called to make a tee time yesterday, the earliest they offered us was 9:54am.
We decided to arrive a little earlier than normal and left the campground by 7:40. When we arrived, the tee sheet looked full until after 11am. After we both bit a small bucket of balls on the range, they said we could go off early.
Kris started off with a nice drive in the middle of the fairway, while Darrell's drive was on the edge. Kris made par on the first hole to gain a stroke. The four-some in front of us let us play through on the second hole, and we both hit better drives than any of them. Kris made par again to be up by two strokes after two holes. Darrell kept wondering why his shots did not go as far as usual - it took him several holes to realize his sore back was impacting his golf shots.
For the rest of the front nine, we played stroke for stroke, and Kris' birdie on the eighth hole looked like she might seal the day. Darrell picked up two strokes on the next hole, and made the turn only one stroke back.
On the back nine, we both played well, with Darrell chipping away at Kris lead. After sixteen holes, we were tied up. Darrell managed to par the last two holes to take honors on the day.
Maybe because it was forecast to get hot, but the back nine had almost no one playing it, and we finished in under three hours. After golf, Sprinty laid in a course to a Starbucks along the planned route for the day.
While at Starbucks, we assessed we were 3-1/2 hours from home and could get home by dinner time if we wanted. And we could do it while driving the back roads instead of the interstate, thereby avoiding rush hour traffic in Knoxville and Chattanooga. We decided to go for it - temperatures were already in the upper 90s, so driving in the air conditioned vehicles was more pleasant than spending the afternoon in a hot campground.
We arrived home just before dinner time. We came home to a comfortable temperature in the house thanks to the WiFi thermostat we installed a few years ago. Darrell adjusted the thermostat last night just in case we decided to take it all the way in.
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