Wet Travelers

This morning we got up early to get ready to leave, but not early enough, as it turned out, to avoid having to break camp in a real gully washer! We wore our good raincoats, but still ended up soaked from our heads to our feet.

The water was at least two or three inches deep all around the truck and trailer, and the way out of the campground was up a steep rutted road. We wondered if we’d be mired in the mud. As it was, we thanked our lucky stars and our great truck that we got out safely. We stopped at a Shell station for fuel. The rain had lessened a bit, and we dried off and changed clothes, putting our soggy shoes and clothes in the shower. Then we were on the road.

Our route took us along US 70 to the Raleigh area, where we picked up I-40. We ended up taking a little side trip through Clayton on Business Route 70 to find a place to stop and switch drivers. It was after 4:00 p.m. when we pulled up at the Cracker Barrell in Statesville where we planned to spend the night.

This was our first stay at a Cracker Barrel. We had called the Walmart and been told they did not allow overnight parking. Cracker Barrel was very welcoming. However, the RV and bus spaces were narrow, too short for us, and unlevel, so we picked a nearby space in the large parking lot and set up.

After dinner we went over to the Cracker Barrel for dessert. My cousin Hazel had said she really liked their apple dumpling, so we decided to share one. It came conveniently with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top, just right for sharing. The topping included lots of pecans. It was very sweet and spicy and warm.

We talked today about how lucky we had been. Our trusty truck is evidently just fine after the rough treatment it got last night, we didn't get a ticket, help came quickly, and we didn't get mired in mud this morning.

Today is Uncle Jesse's 81st birthday--according to his official birth certificate. He was actually born on August 21, but his birth didn't get recorded then. When it did get recorded, he was listed with "no name." Well, whichever day he wants to celebrate, we hope Uncle Jesse has a great birthday!

The shopping center where the Cracker Barrel was located had a Dollar Tree and a Big Lots, so I did some bargain hunting. By bedtime, I was really tired and sleepy.