On the Road Again

Journal Entry #44

March 9, 2023

We’ve been on the road again for about a week now, stepping into familiar rhythms and routines. Honestly, I was surprised at how easy the transition was. I anticipated more growing pains after 6 months in Ithaca but like riding a bike it felt natural, very quickly, to be back in the van. At one point, as I mapped our gas stop and we scouted a shaded pull off for lunch I found myself smiling broadly. I turned to Tom, about to share how the van felt like home and before I started my sentence, Tom (also grinning ear to ear) exclaimed “feels like home, doesn’t it?” Home. Yes.

Even our van grocery runs were comforting; quick and laser focused due to pantry and fridge size limitations. I have to admit that I found returning to grocery shopping for “stationary life” somewhat overwhelming — so much choice and variety and so much room in a normal sized refrigerator and cupboards to fill. It felt like more of a thankless effort; moving up and down aisles, the multitude of bags, the loading the car, the unpacking and organizing. Don’t get me wrong, I am a total foodie. I love food and cooking. In fact, ‘normal’ grocery outings didn’t bother me much before van life- I enjoyed them. Yet, after a year of being creative with less, the return to normal grocery runs in Ithaca had a different effect than I imagined. Instead of being delighted by so much choice, I found myself dreading the magnitude of it and the time suck that it was. So, the return to the single hand basket, van life approach to grocery shopping was a pleasure. Yes, we do have to shop more often. But it feels like 20 minute exercise in quick and creative provisioning versus a 90 minute ordeal.

The first two weeks of our ten week adventure are fairly fast and furious in terms of the mileage we are covering. Normally we aren’t much for filling our days with driving. We prefer shorter legs and more leisurely exploring. But our agenda for this leg of the trip is aggressive. The plan:

• Visit Tom’s mom, B. in Folly Beach for a few days on the way out,

• Head west to New Orleans to celebrate Tom’s 55th birthday on March 10 and,

• by March 12, land in Austin where we will happily stay put for a week and enjoy the circus that is SXSW.

What that means is making our way across 13 states in about 12 days. OOOF.

Our route south and west

We left Ithaca when we did because there was a short pause between two winter weather systems. We wanted to avoid driving in the nasty weather coming our way. We looked at the snow/sleet line moving through the northeastern states and determined that if we could make it from Ithaca to about Hagerstown, MD on our first day we would be solidly in the rain belt (vs. other not so nice stuff). The next leg would get us across the Virginia border into North Carolina and the last leg of our “fast flee south” would get us to the beach in South Carolina.

Ithaca weather!

Have I mentioned the wonder and glory that is Harvest Host membership and the HH app? It’s worth every penny. We joined this service for our year on the road and it quickly became one of our favorite ways to find places for one night van layovers when on the move, especially east of the Mississippi, where public lands/free camping is limited. Typically, Harvest Hosts are van/RV friendly establishments (breweries, wineries, restaurants, farms, museums, etc.) that will provide you a place to park and stay overnight in exchange for your patronage of their business to the tune of at least $20.  This is an easy ask and we are happy to have a few pints of beer and a meal or taste wines and by a bottle or two, or buy farm fresh eggs/veggies/meat as we travel. We can support the local economy and more often than not it means we can have a drink and not have to worry about driving afterward. We also typically meet the owners/makers and learn about them and their businesses. Another bonus is when we meet other travelers and talking shop- where are you coming from, going to and sharing travel tips and stories.

We stayed at two Harvest Hosts on our way down to SC. the first was the Thick and Thin Brewery, a new craft brewery tucked away in a fairly nondescript strip mall outside of Hagerstown, Maryland. We parked and set up camp in the lot on the side of the brick building. The beer was tasty, Marcus, the brewery manager, was outgoing and friendly. We ordered take out Mexican from a nearby restaurant and relaxed before crashing. I would say that on the spectrum of picturesque overnights this location was more utilitarian and basic, but it was just off of Interstate 81 and, aside from bit of noise from the garbage pick up truck swinging through at 6am (ouch!) it served us really well.

Thick and Thin Brewery, Hagerstown, MD

The next day we continued south following Rte. 81 and the edge of the Blue Ridge mountains, traveling just west of places we know well like Charlottesville and UVA, our alma mater. If we didn’t have a tight travel schedule we would have lingered more and visited family and friends in this area. We made a promise to ourselves to plan a trip, perhaps in late fall, to make a to catch the fall foliage there.

We hit rain most of our way south and as we crossed the border from VA into NC and made our way over rising foothills, we hit a long stretch of thick, moody fog. We noticed that there were permanent “fog likely- drive carefully” signs on the highway and the speed limit signs were illuminated. I imagined the landscape was probably beautiful, if you could see it.

Fog in NW North Carolina

Our night at Grassy Creek Vineyards another Harvest Host, was a study in contrast from our “urban brewery” night in Hagerstown. We were the only campers that night and our spot, behind a beautifully restored barn, was pastoral. We looked out on a wooded area behind the farm with a hiking trail in the distance. After a tasting and chat with the owners J. and C., we enjoyed listening to the rain and heard our very first thunderstorm of spring. A small star magnolia was blooming. The next morning it was crystal clear and 70 degrees.

Grassy Creek Vineyards, State Road, NC

The head spinning change —- going from 30 degrees and sleet in Ithaca to a balmy morning with flowering trees in western NC in just 48 hours — is something we have come to relish about van life. When we set off for the first time a year ago, we found the pace of daily change disorienting. Now, we are realizing that we actually miss it. It’s like this fun daily location/weather/culture/people lottery — what will the next stop bring us? What will we see? Who will we meet? What will be special, strange, funny? What will be interesting? What will challenge our assumptions? We find that it forces us to be more attentive to our surroundings, to the moment, to all the small things. The pace of change and daily lottery of van life sparks a kind of discovery and wonder which helps us both “see more.”

When we arrived in Folly Beach after three straight days of driving we were ready to take a breather. We were welcomed by B, Tom’s mom, deep blue skies, abundant sunshine, flowering pink azaleas and 75 degree temperatures. Tom worked on some projects around the house and we spent afternoons taking long walks on the wide flat beaches. The sun and sand was a welcome tonic after gray days “up north.” It was also good to put several miles on our legs and feet each day (more aggressive hiking is awaiting us soon!) We spent our evenings in wide ranging chats with B. over good meals, including a trip into Charleston for a special dinner at Husk.

View from B’s house, Folly Beach, SC

Not a bad start, really. We can’t complain. Although… our long covered limbs are dotted with bites from the ubiquitous “no-see-um” gnats that grace the south at this time of year and my shoulders are a bit pink and tender. Note to ourselves: it’s still winter in Ithaca but it’s on the verge of summer in the south. Remember to apply insect repellent and sunscreen.

Starfish, Folly Beach, SC

Of course, this two month outing would be impossible without help. We are grateful that in the few short months we have spent in Ithaca we have neighbors who have become friends. Our across-the-street neighbor, T (who is, incidentally, a fellow potter) is watching the house, watering the plants and grabbing the mail. On our second day out on the road, snow was threatening in Ithaca. No less than three neighbors on our block texted to ask if we needed help with shoveling. Incidentally, one of these neighbors introduced us to her folks who live in Santa Fe and suggested they might to be able to offer their driveway to us when we are out there. How cool is that?

And I can’t leave out our angel “cat whisperer” L and her husband C. who live just outside of Princeton, NJ. These two folks were the people that took Apollo in for… yes you heard it— a YEAR — last time and, amazingly, happily welcomed him back again for another 10 week stay (even knowing his quirks!) C. calls Apollo his “son” and takes him for leashed walks. L. sees him as their friendly exchange student returning for a visit to his “girlfriend” Betty, the other cat. It is a huge comfort to know that he is well loved and happy at his little NJ resort away from home.

We are thankful and grateful.

Apollo relaxing in NJ

I am writing this entry as we sit in the van, outside of a little winery in the town of Sparks, GA., a very tiny dot on the map just off of I-75, listening to whine of a distant freight train. We took a short wander, then sat and watched the sky turn golden then purple. It feels good to be back on ‘van-time.’

Sparks, GA.