Back to the Rhododendrons

From Wine (berries) to Rhododendrons ….We left The Skyline drive with 700 miles to reach Montgomery.  Seeking a midpoint, we settled on The Mount Rodgers NRA and a chance to ride the Virginia Creeper trail again. On Monday we will avoid the crowds. 
The ride was the same on I-81 but there were some surprises on the back roads.  This bridge work was the same Recovery Act money that brought us the silky smooth new pavement on the Skyline Parkway; Thank you President Obama!  The tornado damage a few miles back is still being cleaned up.
The Drive up , way up, from Damascus VA to Beartree  campground is part of the Transamerica Bike Route (the 76),  a scenic byway and probably should be a national treasure. THE JEB STUART HIGHWAY (US 58) climbs and twists through mature timber,  the Straight Fork rippling alongside and blooming Rhodos in all directions.  We can’t wait to see the trail tomorrow.
Around camp you will notice  Our Lady of the Airstream appearing in the window.
 

Keen observers will  note the silver Coleman stove has been deployed and that can only mean BACON…
lovely BACON, bear attracting, fat dripping, extra crispy bacon for BLT’s with the last of the Jersey tomatoes.

We also note with sorrow yet another embarrassment for poor Lotti.
And for the Trailer curious who are hanging in here to find out about the Tire Troubles … We pulled the tire and found a roofing nail,  (remember all ten of those cars fixing flats as we drove past Philly last week?). Carl plugged it expertly (as well as handled all the heavy lifting for the old Airstream couple) and freely shared even more tips.