I am writing this post while sitting in the trailer, which is parked in Scout’s parent’s driveway.
Mid-day Mimosas
Last Friday night, we pushed our way through the cities and just kept driving until, as they say, we couldn’t drive no more…We barely stopped, but we did pull into a casino parking lot for a little while to let Bella run around. There was a horse in a trailer parked in the parking lot. It seemed curious to leave your horse outside while you went in to gamble, but whatever...the horse was friendly and gave me someone to talk to while Scout and Bella ran around.
We made it from just outside Memphis all the way into Northern Virginia, where we finally stopped in one last Walmart parking lot around 4 hours away from Scout’s hometown in Pennsylvania. I really wanted to stop in Memphis. There was even an RV park around the corner from Graceland, but we were eager to get to Pennsylvania so we didn't stop. The last part of the trip was one big blur...we were tired of driving and just wanted to get to Scout's parent's house, so we plowed through. It took nearly an entired day to drive through Tennessee - that is a long state! The last part of the trip also seemed to be through more 'civilization' - the highways were busier, there were more neightborhoods and stores, etc. So, it was less scenic and more perfunctory by that time. But we did get some quick pictures when we stopped a few times for breaks. The weather was beautiful, and the fall leaves made us excited to be heading toward the east coast.
I feel like the memories we have made since we got here are more exciting than the stories from the road on that last part of our journey, so I may just skip ahead, but I wanted to share a few things.
One very important thing is that we finally named the Airstream. I am an aficionado when it comes to giving good nicknames (which is why Scout is called Scout, and I am called Bear…Bear is not something anyone in “real life” calls me and I didn’t come up with it, but I think it makes for a pretty good Blog name.) Anyway, giving a nickname isn’t something you do lightly. It takes thought and careful observation so that you know when you give it, it will stick. Scout got her nickname because she reminds me of the girl, Scout, in To Kill a Mockingbird. She is fiercely loyal, resourceful, creative, mischievous and an all-around great person to have with you in good times and bad. So, this nickname fit her. Her real first name also starts with an S, so it was an easy transition. Naming a trailer should be a bit easier, but we wanted it to be a name that really fit the Airstream, would come to mind easily, and would be reminiscent of our adventure. We listened to country music from the beginning of Oklahoma well into Virginia, and as we were driving through Tennessee, we saw a big sign that said Loretta Lyn Welcomes Us! And thus, a nickname was born. Our Airstream is now named Loretta.
I also wanted to talk about gas prices. I always wondered why gas prices can fluctuate so dramatically depending upon where you are. I once heard that it had to do with how far the gas had to be shipped…California being so far across the US that naturally, the prices would be higher. That just isn’t true, however. The highest gas we paid on our trip was in California though – at $4.39 a gallon, and the lowest price was $3.11 a gallon, which we paid many times across the country. It seems like gas prices are pretty stable, at least along Route 40 and up into Route 81. Now that we are in Pennsylvania, gas is less than $3.50 a gallon, which seems pretty reasonable to me. I had hoped that we would hit a pump that was less than $3.00 a gallon, but that didn’t happen…anyway, if you have learned nothing from this paragraph, hopefully you have learned that I have a bit of an old man inside me, constantly commenting on gas prices and complaining at the pump. Oh, even more interesting is that approximately 27% of what you pay for gas goes towards marketing and advertising. Why in the world does a gas company need to market itself? Everyone needs gas, and I would venture to guess that most people are not loyal to a gas company, but rather look for the best price or whatever is available when the tank is dangerously near empty. (that’s me being the old man again…)
The other thing I wanted to mention is how safe I felt in the Walmart parking lots. Apparently, all Walmarts are supposed to let RVers stay overnight, but town legislature and other shopping areas place restrictions on it, and so some Walmarts have to turn folks away. The Walmarts we stopped at, however, were well lit, had video surveillance, and safety patrol that circled the parking lot throughout the night. I really appreciated that, and I’m thankful for it.
It’s been one week now since we arrived in Pennsylvania. We are making lots of memories here already that I also want to capture. I’m surprised how busy we have been, and it has kept me from being able to update the blog. I am going to post this and then get started working on the next post. Stay tuned for farms, deer spotting, and The Amish…
No comments:
Post a Comment