2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 5

Day 5, Thursday, October 22 - Burton Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA, Day 2, 0 Miles for the Day, 721.4 Miles for the Trip

34°F this morning and 38°F when I went for my walk.

Around 10:00 Guido announced that it was warm enough to site in the clam and read. I checked, and my outside thermometer said 48°F - I stayed inside, rubbed the ribs & wrapped them in foil.

We made a trip to the store for pie materials & other shopping, then back to the trailers. At 2:30 I started the ribs. Ribs was one of the main reasons I bought a Napoleon Grill. It is about the same size as a Weber Q series grill, but has two burners (and weighs twice the Weber). 

When cooking ribs I can turn off the side the ribs are on & adjust the flame on the empty side to keep it between 275 - 350°F. 3 hours & a coating of barbecue sauce finishes them off. Other than reading while the ribs cooked that was about it for the day. By the way it did warm up to the mid 60's so it was a nice day to sit outside. As soon as the sun went down it quickly cooled. At 8:00PM is is 54°F.

Dinner was ribs, beets & a salad with fruit cocktail for anyone still hungry. 

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 4

Day 4, Wednesday, October 21 - Burton Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA - 239 Miles for the Day, 721.4 Miles for the Trip

38°F by morning, but in the 40's when we packed up. Getting out of Creekside is interesting. In one direction is a 10 ton bridge with no sides or rails and a tight turn through town. The other direction (the one recommended by the campground) is a sharp turn out of the site and up a steep hill on what is essentially a one way curved road. If a large vehicle is coming down, we have a problem! To our good fortune, no one was coming down the hill. 

Breakfast today was a microwaved egg sausage cheese thing on a brisket. I mentionded this because I forgot to mention Monday's breakfast which was at a shiny diner that served typical diner breakfasts near the entrance to I 81. Next time I'll try something else - the home fries & eggs were pretty bad.

The drive down I 81 didn't have any stop & go sections, but some slow downs and very heavy traffic. We stopped twice for gas, $4.199 at a Pilot that once again would not take my phone number. I thought I had solved the problem with a phone call to them, and I think it worked once, but it now insisted that there are more than one account linked to my phone number. I picked up a loyalty card and will try to get it to work. The second stop was at a Loves, which gave me the $.10 discount as usual - $3.899 per gallon.

A big surprise at the entrance to Burson Campground. They had a packet for the Guidos, but none for me. We drove to the park office and they did have both reservations, just forgot to make up a packet for me. I really don't mind - Hungry Mother has the most paperwork of any state park I've ever visited. A packet 1/2" thick.

I'm in site 37 & the Guidos in site 38. Both are water & electric on gravel with a picnic table, fire ring & hanging pole. I needed 1" side to side & a 2" drop on the tongue to level the trailer. We are here for 5 nights, leaving Monday. $46.28 per night.

Me in Site 37

The Guidos in Site 38

For dinner we decided to hit the Mexican restaurant, Mi Puerto. All three of us had shrimp Chimichanga.

By the time we got back to the park it was 7:00 and cooled down to 60°F so we called it a night and headed for the trailers.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 3

Day 3, Tuesday, October 20th, Creekside Campground, Edinburg, VA - 190.6 Miles for the Day, 482.4 Miles for the Trip

Down to 41.3°F by morning, with a high of 73°F, and 72.6°F when we arrived at Creekside. We stopped for gas at the Loves in Jonestown, the next stop on I 81. $4.18.9 per gallon with a $.10 discount using my phone number. A couple of slowdowns & one stop & go for a truck accident on I 81. 

W arrived at Creekside around 3:00. I'm in site 30 and the Guidos are in 29. Both are water & electric sites on grass with little definition of where the site starts & stops. I think I'm on 30, but the utilities are on the wrong side. I still managed to hook up although I needed a 2" rise on the driver's side & a 3/4" lift on the tongue. Managed to stay hooked up to the truck. A picnic table & fire pit and a small creek behind the trailer. $42.12 with tax for the night.

Me Almost in 30

The Guidos in Site 29

After setting up we sat outside by the creek & read. Guido & Anne kept moving to find the shade (neither can be in the sun) and I kept looking for sunshine. It finally reached the point where the only sun was in the road so I put on my vest. It was still 65°F but with enough wind to feel cold.

We did eat outside on a picnic table. Anne made a honey chicken over rice dish that was good, along with a salad.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 2

Day 2, Monday, October 19th, Twin Grove RV Resort & Cottages, Pine Grove, PA- 160.2 Miles for the Day, 291.8 Miles for the Trip

38°F this morning in Binghamton. I set the furnace at 61°F and the batteries by morning were down to 91%, using around 29 amp hours.

We hit the road around 11:30, arriving at Twin Grove about 3:00. One stop & go section on I 81 in PA, which seems to be the usual. The Guidos are in site 8 & I'm in site 10. Full hook up on a mix of gravel & grass. I didn't need to unhook - level side to side & needed to raise the tongue 3". While there is a rather unlevel picnic table, at $72.50 for the night I think it getting to be a bit excessive. There are two family bathrooms across from our site, neither has showers or heat.

Me in Site 10

The Guidos in Site 8

I did a speed test on AT&T at the campground: 58.91Mbps down & 33.25Mbps up. 

We sat around in the comfortable 67°F for the rest of the afternoon. We usually eat between 5:00 & 6:00, and today is was towards the 5:00 hour. It is cooling off fast, 57°F by 6:00. We decided (well, mostly Anne) to eat inside the trailer. Since I have the largest table, we ate in the Escape. Have to admit, my fingers were getting cold sitting outside reading. Current book is #5 (I Know Your Name) in a 25 book series by Dan Padavona. Not the greatest writer in the world, but his novels take place in the upstate NY area so lots of places near where I live. I will do as many as I can take.

Dinner was out traditional first night Brats & Beans.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 1

 Day 1, The Guidos, Binghamton, NY - 131.6 Miles for the Day, 131.6 Miles for the Trip

Well I didn't manage to do a post this morning, but now at I'm at the Guidos, so here are the day's results. I finished packing the trailer & hit the road around 12:00. The truck was at 105,947.5 miles and the trailer at 75,748.9. Stopped at the nearest CAT scale & weighed the trailer: 4980 total weight and a little over 500 pounds on the tongue.

I arrived at the Guidos around 3:00 and started this update.

The Trailer at the Guidos

Dinner was pizza slices & a salad at Grande's Pizza.

Until Tomorrow -