As we waited for the Roamer to be fixed we continued our exploration of the nearby Virginia area. We went back to the Blue Ridge Parkway to hike around Otter Lake. The dam was constructed out of huge fitted rocks that lets the water cascade over.

We saw an otter, a muscrat and a harmless black snake hidden near the path that made Pam jump very high. On the other side of the James River are the old locks that were used for the cargo boats coming down Battle Creek.

We even saw a turtle making its way to a dead log in the James River to get a little sun and rest before setting off for the far bank.

We hoped that the Roamer would be finished on Friday, but no such luck. Pam and I spent the holiday weekend with her Uncle at his place on Smith Mountain Lake, along with his son’s family. They have a nine year-old girl, Leigh, so we became experts at the card game Sleeping Queens. Uncle Bill has a nice 21-foot runabout so we spent much of the time in and on the water.

One of the marinas on the lake had huge school of carp that would eat anything. Kids put peanut butter on their toes and let the fish suck it off, a “hillbilly pedicure”. There was a great fireworks show on the weekend which we enjoyed from the boat while floating out in the middle of the lake.

We got the Roamer back Monday evening just before they closed for the July 4th holiday. The destroyed axle was there to see, burnt oil and metal shavings draining out.

We filled up and headed north knowing we had about 26 hours of driving to do in two days. Due to our late start, the first night we spent in a truck stop on the West Virginia – Pennsylvania border. Our DEF sensor told us we had 800 miles to refill the reservoir or the truck won’t run – of course. We hit a Walmart on the way to pick some up because the next day was the 4th and we were not sure what would be open. After seeing the late night crowd in Walmart we figured the truck stop was a much better option.

The next day we blew through a lot of states. It’s great driving in the East because you feel like you’re really covering a lot of ground, passing through state after state every hour or so. We started in West Virginia, up through Pennsylvania, into New York, then Vermont and stopping in New Hampshire – wow. I guess you need to live out west to understand how different that is – to cross so many states in a single day.

We did stop for lunch and a break at my old school (RPI) in Troy, NY. It was the first time I had been back on campus since I graduated 34 years ago. I gave Pam a quick walking tour of the place. Some things are new, but much has not changed. Pam’s grandfather also attended RPI in the 20’s.

The second night was not going to be another truck stop, mostly because there are no east-west interstates in Vermont and New Hampshire – lol. We stopped the night at Pillsbury State Park in southern New Hampshire.

Our campsite was right on a lake with loons. It was a nice end to a long day of driving.

The next day we were up early and off again north. Maine doesn’t look that big until you drive it from south to north. We hit the border, declared everything we had to avoid a tear-down inspection delay. We ended up paying duty and taxes for the extra wine we had stored away, and would have consumed on the way up at our originally planned more leisurely pace. We made it to the Nova Scotia border in the early evening and the campground near my Mom’s place right around midnight.

We made it for my Mom’s birthday gathering with a couple of days to spare, and only a couple of days later than we had originally planned after spending 10 unplanned, but fun days in Lynchburg.