After a two month delay the Northeast America 2021 Tour embarked. For the next two weeks, we are staying in the Mountain Falls RV Resort at Lake Toxaway in the Appalachian mountains 40 miles southwest of Asheville, NC. Pigsah National Forest is east of here, the Nantahala National Forest is to the west. The Great Smokey Mountains National Park and the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway is north of here. I selected this location to immediately escape the Florida heat before starting the long 2021 road trip. Lake Toxaway is 3,300 feet above sea level. The only way to escape the summer heat is to go up in elevation. Highs here are in the 70s, and lows are in the 50s.
After relaxing here for two weeks, we will drive across the continental divide and the Applacachain Range via I-40 on our way to Nashville, Tennessee. In Nashville, we will meet my friends Erica and Chris. After spending a few days in Nashville we will head north to Duck Lake where Chris’s Grandfather lives. We stayed here last July also. After a couple of weeks we will head east and north to Maine and Bar Harbor. The weather will be much cooler in Maine in July.
Traffic has been horrendous. Bumper to bumper traffic started in Tampa and never let up. Drivers are extremely aggressive and there are so many trucks. Hundreds of drivers cut me off. Maybe they don’t understand I am driving a 40,000 pound rig. By the time we made our way here I was exhausted. The drive was only 700 miles over four days. There was not one second to relax during the drive with all the traffic. Pulling in here and knowing we would be here for two weeks relieved me. After four days of driving settling into a site for two weeks felt wonderful. Unpacking while knowing you won’t have to pack everything up again the next morning is nice.
Paso Robles and Mountain Lioness adapted to the RV immediately. Usually, there are a few days of transition, with lots of meowing and hiding. This year they settled in as if they never left the RV. I am certain they detected their own scents right away in the RV. Robles sat in my lab during most of the driving. Mountain Lioness went back to her familiar spot under the reclining chair while the rig was in motion. The cats like to lay next to me while we stream NetFlix over the Verizon Mi-Fi Hotspot.
The tour was delayed this year and almost didn’t happen at all. In early March I fell ill with Covid-19. After a rough time at home, I ended up in the hospital. For the first time in my life, I stayed in a hospital. I am not going to go into much detail here except to say Covid-19 was the worst thing that ever happened to me. This was the sickest I have been in my life.
I want to mention that some special people checked in on me while I was sick. Due to the contagious nature of this affliction, I had to be isolated. Some good people regularly texted me to check in on me and make sure I was okay. I’m not sure how some of these folks even knew about the illness since I didn’t tell many people I had caught the Covid. They were all very supportive, asking me if I needed anything. And there were a couple of really special people, who didn’t even ask if I needed anything. They just showed up at my house and dropped off some much appreciated supplies. One good understanding that came out of this illness is that there are some very good, kind, and caring people in this world.
Fortunately, my heart and lungs are strong. All those years of running track and cross country when I was a kid provided an excellent foundation for a robust cardiovascular system. The 40,000 miles ridden on a bicycle over the last 25 years might have saved my life from this disease. The virus made me very weak for two months. I lost 15 pounds in 10 days. In late May and early June, I had follow-up x-rays and bloodwork. The x-rays showed my chest was clearing up. The blood work showed my red blood cells were returning to normal levels. The malformed red blood cells were no longer present. My health was heading in the right direction. I was improving. I feel considerably better. Those positive results gave me the go-ahead I needed for the trip. A few days later I departed on June 6th.
The trip this year did not have me that excited. Perhaps my lack of enthusiasm was due to the illness and not being sure if I was even going to be able to go. I think I also just grew comfortable in my rut. Staying home and living a simple life is very easy and comfortable. Getting ready to leave in the RV is stressful. The RV trip is not a vacation. The tour is moving your life onto the road.
There is a lot of work preparing for 4-5 months on the road. Adequate supplies of medicine, cat food, food, and clothes are required. I think I went over to the storage site nine straight days loading supplies before I left. I had several checklists to help me prepare. I have items on my checklists to make other checklists (items on the checklist to make a Publix checklist, Amazon checklist, house checklist, RV checklist, packing checklist.) Once you get going you are pretty sure everything is in the RV somewhere and you just have to find where the item is.
Now that I am on the road, I am good. As we get farther north, the temperature will hopefully be cooler. There is no guarantee of cooler temperatures. The weather can get hot where ever you go. Temperatures in Maine will be cooler. I feel better now that I am out on the road. We are settled in a nice place. I’m looking forward to the trip now. A couple of weeks are necessary to adjust to shifting your life onto the road.
My favorite part of RV travel is still going to sleep. I always seem to get a good night’s sleep in the RV. And just like all the bike tours, my least favorite part of the day is getting up in the morning.
So we are off for another adventure. Who knows what this trip will bring. All I know for sure is that the trip will not be what I expect. I am a hopeless wanderer. Here we go for the sixth year in a row. The best is yet to come.
The following link is to one of my favorite songs.
“But hold me fast, hold me fast
‘Cause I’m a hopeless wanderer
And hold me fast, hold me fast
‘Cause I’m a hopeless wanderer
I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I’m under
And I will learn, I will learn to love the skies I’m under
The skies I’m under” Mumford & Sons
Thanks, Rob. Enjoyed reading about your travels, as always. Sorry to hear about your bout with Covid-19.
Thanks Rollins. I am fine now, except my hair seems to be falling out. At least I have natural immunity now. I hesitated to even mention the illness, but it had such a big impact on the trip and trip planning this year.
Wow! Terrible news about the Covid…. Yep, all that running and cycling made your lungs strong!
Have a great adventure! Super jealous! I can’t wait to hit the road again myself…..
Thank you Judy. I am fine now. Hope you are back out on the road again soon.
I’m sorry to hear about your challenge with Covid, Rob, but grateful that you shared the news. Your share may give someone pause to take precautions and avoid a similar fate.
I totally understand the attraction of remaining in a rut. With the prices of good-quality Class B vans so high these days, I too have put off RV travel. But I’ve decided to fly to Alaska and rent a house and AWD car. There’s more than one way to see the continent. LOL. Happy and safe travels to you!
Have a great time in Alaska. I would like to rent a house or cabin, but no one will rent to you if you have cats.
Rob
So sorry you got Covid. And happy you have recovered and making your annual escape from the heat.
Thanks Amy, I am mostly fine now. 2021 was not quite what I was expecting so far. All is good now, I am in NC now, highs in the 70, lows in the 50s. I know I will encounter some more heat again, but it won’t be like what is in Florida for the next 4 months.
Always enjoy your posts Rob, and I know personally how tranquil that RV resort can be. I hope it is the perfect start to your summer and gives you the chance to escape Florida for a while. It may be the bridge to “post-COVID” life that everyone hopes for. Sure wish we were there….in South Dakota now where it is critically dry.
Debbie
Thanks Debbie. The key word about the resort is that it can be tranquil. Unfortunately there is so much construction going on the sites where people are building houses,outdoor kitchens etc, that there is an almost constant flow of diesel pickup trucks and trailers (plumbers, electricians, carpenters)driving by from the workers. Constand sound of hammering etc, very disappointing.The weekends are nicer.
Glad you’re finally on your way old buddy. Maybe a stopover at my place on the way up to Maine, or on the way back. Give me an approximate window and I’ll see how it fits my schedule (and yours). Take care and safe travels.
FRED
Hi Fred. Yea, its was a challenge to get on the road this year. Would be great to see you this summer. I believe we will be near Pittsburgh around the 3rd week of July. I’m not exactly sure yet, the other mule team driver is in charge of the route. I am meeting up with them tomorrow and get more details about the route.