We stayed at KOA in Charlottesville rather than climb the mountain road and park the coach for just a few days. Although I am not a KOA fan, this place is excellent. The site was level, roomy and when I determined that the 50 amp outlet was not working they had a tech on the site within 30 minutes, on Sunday afternoon! who installed a new breaker and got us going. 

The primary reason for stopping in C’ville was that our grandson Alexander was graduating from Piedmont Valley Community College to go on as a Junior at University of Virginia next year. We got to see him “walk” and had a fine dinner and gathering with the family including Malena’s Mom, for which Carol and I were both grateful. Here are two pictures taken from way off with my phone of an almost recognizable blur taking his walk.

The next day we set out for Rochester with a planned stop at Shangri-La by the Creek in Milton PA, just over half way. This is a familiar stop for us as it is just the right distance for an easy break. As I was solo driver, the break was more important than usual. Fair weather a pleasant surroundings led us to extend for a second night so we could transfer most of the stuff we needed into the car before getting to Rochester. 

Another uneventful drive brought us to the storage spot I had rented in Victor NY. We completed the transfers and secured Geewhiz for longer term storage and got in the car as an impending rain storm finally broke over our heads. We left that storm behind as we crossed the ridge into the Rochester area and pulled into the parking lot only to find that the one elevator was stuck. I carried the frozen and refrigerator items up the steps to the 4th floor and stashed them in the appropriate places in the refrigerator then sat with Carol and others waiting for the maintenance team to get the elevator working. We were assured that in recent months there had not been any problem with the new system, it quit just as we arrived. An hours wait saw the elevator restored to service and we unloaded the car into the apartment and a day later we are still sorting and storing. 

Carol has been recovering from her broken hip on a steady pace. She won’t be climbing any mountains in the near future, but she is getting around better each day. It is hard for her to see the improvements, but they are visible to me and I keep encouraging her. We are off to Brown Reunion on Thursday and will partake in whatever activities we can. For some reason I booked through Monday so I am not sure when we will return to Rochester as the last events of the weekend are on Sunday. 

Yes I can count by tens. 

As planned, Dan arrived Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning we picked Carol up at Highlands and returned to the coach at El Paso Roadrunner RV Park to begin the journey East. Our destination was open as we rolled out on I 10. We could either drive to Rochester as planned taking about 6 days or head to Charlottesville for grandson Alexander’s graduation from Community College with an associates degree. In either event we needed to take I 20 from its beginning on I 10. We stopped that first night in Monahans Sand Hills State Park, a park Carol and I have visited several times. We arrived after 7 PM and made dinner and took a short walk on the dunes. Up early and heading East on I 20. 

We entered Dallas at rush hour with me driving. Actually between Fort Worth and Dallas we turned on to I 30 bound for Texarkana. Actually we stopped in Greenville TX and Elks Lodge 703. The promised site with hookups was really at Cash RV Park 6 miles south of the lodge. It was not terrible and it was cheap. Leaving Greenville in the rear view mirror we finally left Texas for Arkansas. In Little Rock we exchanged I 30 for I 40 which brought us into Tennessee, just barely. For kicks we stayed the night at Graceland RV Park at the end of Lonely Street. Again we saw nothing other than that they tore down the Heart Break hotel at the corner of Lonely Street to build a parking lot.  Someplace in there we settled on Charlottesville as the destination.

We crossed Tennessee in a day stopping the night at Raccoon Valley  SKP Park just outside Knoxville. We have stopped at this park a few times in the past. Sunday morning we got up determined to make Charlottesville. We finally left behind I 40 and ran I 81 to I 64 to end in Charlottesville 1,892.6 miles later. Dan drove about half of those miles starting with never having driven the coach. It was a pleasure and a relief to have him as a wonderful co-driver. I doubt that Carol and I could have gotten cross country without his help. All that remains is two days from Charlottesville to Rochester leaving on Friday.