Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Squealing...

We were camped out in Elizabethville, PA when we last spent time together in the blog. We ended up spending two nights there, mostly due to due to rain and wind. The Nomad, which is just over 10 feet tall, does not like really gusty winds. It can be like driving a barn on a skateboard. However, we are thrilled to

report that our first storm with the Nomad was a sailing success. We awoke Friday morning to moderate rain. About 10 minutes later, the wind sounded like a small train coming through - then came an incredible downpour. Luckily for us, we parked near the super Wal-mart building and it blocked most of the wind and a bit of the moisture. We were rocked hard enough twice to make our sailboat wind chimes twinkle somewhat loudly. Being the now-tourists that we are, we peered out our drapes to check out our weather event. Jill exclaimed, "...looks like the ocean out there!" The water was bouncing off the pavement and blowing much of it sideways. Note to selves - keep an eye on the weather as we go.

We departed from Elizabethville Saturday morning. Jill has been itching to take the drivers seat and got her first taste of driving the RV in the very large parking lot. First, starting up the Nomad - give it 3 good pumps of the accelerator. Cool - it starts. Let the engine rev at a somewhat high idle for about a minute or two, then hit the accelerator again twice and bring it down to a lower idle. Yes - this is "old school retro camping".

Second, release the emergency brake, press on the foot brake, then we can put it into drive. Jill struggled a little with the maneuver, as it requires some muscle and must be be gone through slowly. It didn't happen for Jill as easily as she thought it would after watching Dave do it. It looked like a piece of cake.

Third, putting the Nomad into motion requires a heavier foot than a regular passenger vehicle - something like standing on a block of wood. Remember: the Nomad is 36 years old. This is how they did in the "old days" as our grand-kids tell us. The RV began rolling. Jill smiled and turned her first corner - in more ways than one. She maneuvered the turns in the parking lot as if they were street corners - careful not to tip over, going slowly; until the last corner. She was well away from any other vehicles and was gaining confidence by the foot... until a few things went flying in the camper went flying behind us. At that point, it was time to park near a BK for some morning coffee and Dave returned to the Captains chair.

As we were leaving the parking lot, we couldn't help but observe row upon row of corn and soy fields, dotted by farms. There was even parking for the Amish & Mennonite for their traditional horse and buggy. Hey - you have to remember - this is new to us!

Having received directions from Sandy, Dave's sister, we motored on a much flatter route than we had experienced over the past three days. We were unsure who enjoyed it more - us or the Nomad! Speaking of our Nomad, Jill wondered where the RV had traveled before with its previous owners. The odometer had a tick under 71,000 miles when we purchased it. So Nomad - where have you been? Most ships have a log for their travels. The GPS coordinates as we write this are 38.352628 / -78.280591 for anyone who wants to pinpoint exactly where we are. As of this writing, we have logged over 1,200 miles with the Nomad and are past the halfway point to southern Georgia.

It didn't take us long to arrive at Sandy's house. The Nomad was definitely out of it's element - in a thickly settled suburban neighborhood! Sandy's husband Jerry & her oldest daughter Emilie were out picking up the families younger daughter Ellie from a local college for the weekend. Sandy was in the basement and didn't hear us pull up - which we feel was a good thing. After some maneuvering around street-parked cars, avoiding small trees, and a 5-point turn, we backed into their driveway "picture perfect" according to Dave.

After hellos and hugs with Sandy, she offered us both a chance to shower & freshen up before the rest of the troops arrived. What a blessing! By the time we both finished, we greeted Jerry and our nieces that we hadn't seen in over 18 years. We shared our adventures to date as they prepared a tasty salad for lunch. Afterwards, we stretched our legs as we walked their neighborhood and nearby park. We even saw one couple putting up outdoor Christmas decorations including multiple inflatable snowmen! Sandy says that it's a common phenomenon - and we thought our son-in-law Matt was into early Christmas decorating!

After our walk, Sandy mentioned that she had some errands to do, so we went with her as we had to pick up a few necessities. We also got our first guided tour of the small city of Carlisle. We saw the historical downtown, the Fairgrounds, and numerous different neighborhoods. We also saw the historical court house complete with its old pillars where canon balls had left Civil War battle scars as well as a church where George Washington had attended services. We headed home for dinner, conversation, laughter, and more catching up before retiring for the night in the Nomad.

Sunday dawned sunny and clear as we viewed it through a Japanese maple tree. Very striking to gaze upon as it is a fairly rare tree in the United States. We joined our humble hosts for breakfast and we attended a Methodist worship service where Emilie is the music director (she does an incredible job!). We were a little surprised to find that the service was quite similar to the services we attended back in Maine.

The topic of the service was inspired by the movie "Ghost" from the 90's, as the pastor is a true movie buff. He related his experience of the movie to All Souls Day. He had three questions for us:
 1). Can those whom have passed away help the living?
 2). Can they communicate with us?
 3). How does all this work?

Not to get too heavy, but we have both experienced times when a persons' spirit has helped us out. Jill can tell you of times when her father and grandmother have been felt nearby during major decision making times and Dave has quite a tale he can tell in regards to a wonderful woman named Mary, a former boss, who passed away very unexpectedly.

After the service, we had another tasty lunch and more visiting before we journeyed with Sandy to bring Ellie back to her college. The campus was not the largest we've seen, but was awesome. Even her dorm room was spacious (as far as those go - talk to our youngest daughter Cat about that one). Ellie showed us the buildings where she spends most of her time as well as the impressive greenhouse. We took some pictures and said our goodbyes. On the way back to Carlisle, Sandy was most hospitable with stopping in many places so we could take pictures - God bless her!

Although the years passed way to quickly, all the time apart seemed to melt as we reconnected. Even though the girls really didn't "know us", they accepted us, Nomads and all, with open arms, minds, and hearts. Life lesson - try not to let 20 years go by before reconnecting with loved ones. Tell them you love them, write and send letters and cards, as much as possible. Try to go the extra mile. Distance may be an issue at times, but all we we can do is love one another to the best of our abilities and forgiving ourselves for when we have failed to love. We must admit, saying goodbye, once again, was hard.

We journeyed through town, past Dickenson College, and gassing up before hitting Interstate 81 south out of Pennsylvania, through Maryland and West Virginia, and into Virginia via the Byway. We witnessed the beautiful Shenandoah Mountain range off in the distance, as well as large rivers, fall foliage, and more farms. We made good time and reached the Shenandoah Hills campground by mid-afternoon. We also made an appointment for tomorrow (Nov 5th) to have the Nomad checked and repaired. After that, depending on how the day progresses, we'll either spend another night in the area, or head to our next stop in Enfield, North Carolina.

P.S. As we write this, the mechanic, Tim, diagnosed the problem as a wearing out A/C clutch in the compressor. We will just cut the belt (it will be cheaper to purchase a new belt than to pay for the labor to take it off). We'll keep an eye on things, but according to our automotive experts, we should be fine. More details to come about the garage, the staff, Scott & Peggy. Stay tuned! We're very blessed as the fix was very affordable. And we're mobile... and QUIET!!

Until next time,
The Happy Campers,
Jill and Dave