OCTOBER 2018 - MARYLAND TO TEXAS

MARYLAND TO TEXAS

Preamble

Summer 2018 was spent largely in Westbrook, Connecticut, with a 4-week trip back to the UK in July/August.

The Airstream was parked in its usual spot in the North Yard of Pilots Point Marina while I was "in residence" in my office there but moved into storage at the small but convenient local RV store while I was away.

Following the Newport Boat Show in mid-September, preparations were made to get back on the road (via the Annapolis Sailboat Show, as in the past couple of years), driving down to Annapolis on Wednesday, October 3, generously accommodated for the 5 days of the show in the driveway of a friend's house.

The boat show finished on Monday, October 9, so my fall 2018 RV meandering south continues from then.

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Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - Annapolis, MD, to Pohick Bay Regional Park, VA

Wheels rolling again at the start of what is now my 5th year of RV touring around the US.

A fairly non-eventful day - stop for groceries, sending out a boat show follow-up Newsletter while enjoying my late morning Starbucks coffee and WiFi - with only an hour's drive from Annapolis, south around Washington DC to a campground in a regional park in Virginia.

Tucked up with the Airstream in a quiet, wooded spot in a sparsely-populated campground with only a few distant neighbors.

Quite a relief to have the stress, workload and exhausting heat and humidity of the 5-day boat show behind me. And only now, the boat show done, can I concentrate on making some more concrete plans for the weeks ahead.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - Pohick Bay Regional Park, VA, to Bull Run Regional Park, VA

A little early morning work, phone call back to the UK courtesy of the park office WiFi, out of the campground around 9:30am, driving a few miles down the road to a grocery store to complete yesterday's provisioning.

Then half an hour's drive to Fountainhead Regional Park for a mountain bike (MTB) ride, 9 miles of green and blue loop trails, the start of black diamond trail half-way round looking rather too much like grindingly hard work and rather risky riding - on my own, and a little weary from the midday heat.

Rode the green loop a second time to get my mileage up and take in the three or four fun jumps near the start. Finished tired and very sweaty, but able to take a shower right on the spot in the Airstream.

Had a quick bite of lunch before driving on down rather twisty and hilly residential back roads to Bull Run Regional Park, where I had booked two nights in the campground, the forecast for tomorrow being wet so a day sitting out weather in prospect.

Having set up at the campsite, decided to head on to the Manassas National Battlefield a few miles away, stopping on the way to the Visitor Center at a couple of battlefield spots, including the strategically important Stone Bridge.

Walked the mile long Henry Hill Loop Trail from the Visitor Center around some of the key areas of the battlefield.

Getting late and rather overcast by this time, so drove back to the campground for a quiet evening recuperating from the day's exertions.

Thursday, October 11, 2018 - Bull Run Regional Park, VA

A quiet day, catching up on administration, grabbing some fresh groceries while out for coffee, and a load of laundry done while staying the day at the campground to sit out weather.

Rain began pretty much as forecast mid-afternoon, accompanied by some impressive rumbles of thunder, and was torrential by early evening, easing towards midnight as stiff winds blew in behind the passing of the combined cold front and Hurricane Michael remnants.

Friday, October 12, 2018 - Bull Run Regional Park, VA, to Loft Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, VA

A fresh and breezy morning, roads in the park already dried out by the time I headed out for a run at 7:00am, the sun just climbing over the tree-tops on my return leg to the campground and the Airstream.

Headed out around 9:30am, stopping at Stone House (a tavern used as a field hospital during the Civil War) on the way out through the Manassas Battlefield.

I had planned to stop in Front Royal for coffee and breakfast sandwich before heading onto Skyline Drive but saw a sign for Starbucks shortly after joining I-66, so pulled off early and got in an hour's work via Starbucks' WiFi.

Then drove directly to the start of Skyline Drive, buying a lifetime National Parks pass on the way in for the very modest sum of $80 - which had been the cost of my annual National Parks of previous years but now, as a 62 year-old "senior", I'm eligible for a lifetime pass for the same amount.

Made a few stops along the drive for photos, but disappointingly not a red, russet, yellow or gold leaf in sight. Must check on fall foliage progression, as it seems a little late this year.

No room at the popular Lewis Mountain campground, where I had hoped to stay overnight, so drove on 15 miles to Loft Mountain where there seemed to be a fair amount of room, though not the easiest task to drive around the convoluted one-way campground to find a free spot.

But I'm happily tucked into a campsite that's elevated and off to the side of the main entrance road, placing the Airstream in a spot of late afternoon sunlight to warm up a little.

Just before beer time, I took a stroll from the campsite down to the Appalachian Trail - which runs along the crest of the mountain chain and, in this case, right beside the campground - to catch the sunset over the mountains before settling in for the evening.

Saturday, October 13, 2018 - Loft Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, VA, to Natural Chimneys Park, Verona, VA

Tough contemplating stepping out into the coolness of the Airstream interior from the rather toasty warmth of my bed, so not actually up until 8:00am, with very swift morning ablutions as it wasn't worth trying to heat up the Airstream before heading out to find a coffee shop with WiFi.

Only 42 degrees outside, the heated steering wheel and heated seat in the truck most welcome.

A 45-minute drive down into the Shenandoah Valley, with a few stops to admire the views, to the small town of Elkton and the Blue Elk, an independent coffee shop with - for once - decent coffee, though I was rather surprised to be greeted by the sight and sound of three guys sitting in the corner of the café playing country music.

Only caught their last couple of songs before they packed up and headed out, leaving me to sip my cappuccino and plan the next couple of days in peace.

Drove on from Elkton around the southern edge of Harrisonburg to get to Natural Chimneys Park and Campground, where I signed up for a couple of nights and got set up on slightly soft ground at my campsite, digging several trenches with one wheel in an effort to level the Airstream, but at least the spot was in broad sunlight to help heat up the interior.

Had lunch then rode over to the rock "chimneys" after which the park is named.

I also checked out the "jousting track" in the campground, which seemed to be a rather nondescript cinder track although a jousting tournament held here annually lays claim to being the oldest continuously held sporting event in the nation, first held in 1821.

My suspicion is that horses are not involved...

Then headed out towards Harrisonburg and Hallandale Park, which offered a small mountain biking area, the trails snaking around to make the most of the limited space available and with a few tough technical rock areas on the black trails - especially with the conditions being muddy and slippery - and also with a short trail under powerlines that had been built up into small jumps and berms.

An hour's riding, nothing too strenuous - a more significant ride planned for tomorrow - then back to the Airstream and the warmth of my efficient 110v heater.

Sunday, October 14, 2018 - Natural Chimneys Park, Verona, VA

The plan for the day - mountain biking on the Massanutten Western Slope - was de-railed early on when rain came through, heading directly over where I had planned to ride.

So... a couple of hours of admin in the morning, Sunday morning political news analysis running in the background on TV, then off into Harrisonburg for a late coffee, a call home and a couple of hours of WiFi time trying to find out what the story was with the fall foliage - basically 10-14 days late, and will be a sudden and brief change when it does happen - and to try to construct a plan to take this into account.

A little more admin late afternoon before cracking a beer and settling in for a quiet evening - unfortunately, no cable or OTA TV reception in the campground to allow me to watch the Sunday NFL games.

Monday, October 15, 2018 - Natural Chimneys Park to Broadway, VA

A little more rain overnight, adding to the softness of the campground field, and requiring a careful exit from the campsite to avoid spinning the rear wheels of the truck and plastering the front of the Airstream.

On the road a little after 9:00am with an hour's drive along scenic country roads of the Shenandoah Valley to the morning's destination of the Massanutten Western Slope MTB trails.

First ride clockwise around the Gold Loop, climbing the more technical sections - and there sure was a lot of climbing, pretty much solidly for the first three miles before heading across the mountain for a couple of miles and then back down along more flowing singletrack.

Paused for personal fuel back at the Airstream - coffee and muffin - before setting off on a second ride, which was supposed to have been easier but which in the end was about the same in terms of elevation climbed and distance ridden, though slightly less technical, discovering towards the end that I had missed a turning on the first Gold Loop, so took it this time, adding some climbing.

Washed the bike in a convenient stream close to the trailhead, got showered up, had lunch and then set off for the KOA campground 30 minutes away.

Wet and muddy biking gear into the campground laundry as a priority.

Felt weary all evening, unsurprisingly... but took advantage of the campground WiFi to do some forward planning.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018 - Broadway, VA, to Pocahontas State Park, VA

Although yesterday was physically pretty demanding and tomorrow likely to be also (more MTB), I decided I needed to get a run into my routine so set off at 8:30am after rising late.

My poor memory had suggested that the final couple of miles I had driven to the campground yesterday afternoon were reasonably flat.

Wrong... So rather a hilly run, with a good deal of walking up the steeper hill sections. Fortunately more uphill on the way out than back, hence mile times of: 10:18, 9:57, 9:00; 8:06.

Late morning coffee before dumping tanks and heading out, pulling over in Harrisonburg for groceries then taking the long scenic route along the final section of Skyline Drive that I had missed when diverting a few days ago.

Got slightly caught up in late afternoon commuter traffic, arriving at the Pocahontas State Park campground just before 6:00pm.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - Pocahontas State Park, VA

Quiet overnight, other than rain pattering on the roof of the Airstream. I seem to be encountering more rain this year than previously, though mostly overnight.

A little concerned that the rain might have made the mountain biking trails muddy and slick, and that the trees would still be dripping, I headed to Starbucks first thing for a little work before having a light lunch back at the Airstream, putting on MTB gear and heading out to find the Morgan Mountain trails.

Took the easy (green) trail loop around the trail system, then headed onto the black (advanced) and blue (intermediate) trails.

Rather too many trees down over the trails - at least half a dozen - with smaller limbs scattered around and fairly deep leaf cover over trails that clearly aren't often ridden, certainly judging by the spider webs my face collected!

Nothing overly technical and nothing too steep either up or down, though plenty of logs to get over on the black trails.

Not likely to rank among the best rides ever, but still a reasonable workout over the 12 miles and 1500ft of climbing - probably more than I was really looking for given that tomorrow I'm planning to ride what should be longer, better and tougher trails.

Back at the Airstream a little after 4:00pm, got cleaned up, took a nap...!

Thursday, October 18, 2018 - Pocahontas State Park, VA

After my slightly disappointing MTB ride yesterday I was hoping that the sequence of three connected loop trails adjacent to the campground would be more fun and challenging.

In the event, less tedious in terms of trees down across the trail (only one), the first loop very clearly ridden a lot, the second and third less so. None of them particularly challenging, the longest climb only 125 ft in elevation change and nothing really technical.

Met a guy out on the trails with a chainsaw doing some clear-up work, but otherwise fairly modest and uneventful ride, though pleasant to be out in the woods on a sunny morning.

Late coffee, got cleaned up, light lunch, then into nearby Chesterfield for some WiFi time, gas fill-up and grocery top-up, back in plenty of time for another quiet evening with an NFL Thursday night game for entertainment.

Friday, October 19, 2018 - Pocahontas State Park, VA

Delayed heading out on a MTB ride as it had been chilly overnight, though by 9:00am the early morning sun was beginning to warm the day a little.

A final area of trails near the park to explore this morning, furthest away from the campground but still only a mile or so of riding to get to the first of them, scooting over a couple of bridges on the way up to the trailhead.

The map at the trailhead showed very few of the trails on my "Trailforks" phone app, so I trusted the app and within 100 yards was heading down Blue Jay Way, a fun intermediate run, fast, flowy, firmly packed sandy soil, berms, jumps, table-tops... like a mini version of a notable trail I had ridden over the summer at Burke Mountain, VT, though not nearly so long, or with such steep or sizable features.

But a hoot. So much so that I decided I would head back for another ride in the afternoon, having to be back at the campground late morning in order to switch campsites.

Made coffee back at the Airstream, switched campsites, had a light lunch and then set out on the MTB trails again even though my legs were feeling pretty much shot from the cumulative effects of the week's riding.

Absolutely worth the return ride, though, the fast and flowy trails proving so seductive I just kept on riding. A couple of black trails were, in reality, only black in parts so pretty much all that I rode was open, well-groomed and fairly fast.

Finally back at the Airstream late afternoon after riding a total of 30 miles for the day - a record distance for me by some considerable margin.

Pleasantly pooped, as I settled in with a beer for the evening.

Saturday, October 20, 2018 - Pocahontas State Park, VA, to Moldavia, VA

Light rain periodically overnight, and some showers still to blow through according to the weather radar, but I took a chance on getting a run in even though my legs weren't really up to the task - but I feel I have to keep on with the aerobic workouts, as MTB doesn't drive my heart rate up nearly as high as running.

Got my 4 miles in without getting too wet, usual post-run ab routine, got cleaned up and then started a load of laundry, the campground laundromat conveniently only 50 yards away, allowing me to scoot back and forth from the Airstream to brew coffee and catch up on this log while the laundry was being done.

Departed the campground at 1:00pm, tanks dumped on the way out.

Weather still rather damp, so decided to head to a cinema near my planned overnight spot to catch an afternoon movie - The Old Man And The Gun, Robert Redford's final movie. Not entirely as good as my usually-reliable review source had suggested, and preceded by what seemed like an endless series of previews.

Coffee and WiFi after the movie, a grocery top-up, then a ½ mile drive to Cracker Barrel.

Sunday, October 21, 2018 - Moldavia, VA, to Monroe, VA

A rather disturbed night, between traffic noise in the middle distance, a rain shower and then stiffening winds causing tree branches to scrape on the Airstream roof - to the point where I had to get up and moved to a different RV parking slot.

Up shortly after sunrise, not bothering to put on the furnace as I headed straight into Cracker Barrel for my "Old Timer's" breakfast.

Then a quick stop at Kroger on the way to Starbucks for a call back to the UK and an early coffee to prepare for the 2-hour drive to Lynchburg and some MTB.

Balancing out the hugely enjoyable MTB riding a couple of days ago, this was perhaps the least fun ride I've had - made the mistake of taking a disused trail, negotiating several downed trees and then finally stopped by some major construction work completely closing the trail.

Rode back to the starting point and then down a couple of more active trails, one rather bland, the other simply uncomfortable, with jarring tree roots everywhere. 7 rather unhappy miles ridden.

Had a quick lunch before heading off to a KOA campground 40 minutes' drive away, close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, arriving and setting up in time to catch the end of the Formula 1 Grand Prix from Houston and the second half of the New England Patriots game at Chicago, in which they came from behind to win.

More NFL games in the background for the rest of the day as I got into some route planning for the week ahead.

Monday, October 22, 2018 - Monroe, VA, to Roanoke, VA

Chilly overnight, with a neighboring RV's furnace kicking on and off rather noisily. But warm in the Airstream with the electric heater on low.

A couple of hours use of the (slow) campground WiFi to continue planning and to get a work project completed, then out of the campground around 10:30am, driving just a few miles to get onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.

And only a short drive to get to Otter Lake for a walk around the lake in the gradually warming day.

Late morning coffee before driving to the next stop, via a few overlooks, at the Peaks Of Otter Lodge for another stroll around a lake.

All of which would have been a good deal more photographically interesting if the leaves had advanced a little in turning.

A quick bite of lunch before driving on down the Parkway to Roanoke and the Camping World store on the north side of town where I've stayed previously and where I was able to squeeze in once again to their customer RV hand-over area and connect to shorepower for heat.

The MTB trails I've stopped here to ride are only a few miles away, so I'll be out on them early tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018 - Roanoke, VA, to Rocky Knob Campground, Blue Ridge Parkway, VA

Comfortably warm in the Airstream first thing, with the electric heater keeping temperatures up.

Awake early, lying in bed wondering whether I really do want to go through with the sale of my house in the UK... and what a PITA it's going to be to find a new place and get moved...

Pulled myself together and headed out little after 8:30am to Carvin's Cove for an MTB ride, a little chill with the sun only just peeking over the mountain and a good deal of the riding on the west-facing slope of the mountain. The extended climb up Hotel Trail required quite an effort, more in my lungs than my legs it would seem, so quite a few rest stops to catch my breath.

Finally, at the top of a fire road climb I connected to the next trail, a double black called Gauntlet, though I had actually been looking for the parallel jump trail, which I finally discovered at the bottom of the run, so headed back up (mostly walking) for this steep, fast, rough, stony and loose trail.

Hard to maintain control on the run back down but with a few fun jumps mixed in I labored back up to ride it one more time and then head back down Hi De Ho Trail to the parking lot.

2 hours in the saddle, 10 miles riding, about 2500ft climbing.

Brewed coffee in the Airstream while waiting for the propane water heater to do its thing, took a shower, drove south through the outskirts of Roanoke, stopping for gas and a second coffee with a breakfast sandwich and WiFi.

Then on south to join the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping to take pictures at the log cabin at the Smart View overlook...

...then heading on to Mabry Mill where, not for the first time, my timing is off with regard to foliage colors - too late, it would seem, to catch the full glory of the red leaves on the trees beside the mill.

On this occasion, it looked as if they had mostly turned already and in addition many had been blown off in a recent wind event. And those still on trees beyond the mill didn't seem to have turned yet.

All a little frustrating , photographically, versus what I had been hoping to find.

Had an ice-cream as my MTB ride reward then drove back north to Rocky Knob Campground for the night - no hook-ups, but only $10 with my National Parks Pass.

Headed out of the campground around 6:15pm on the mountain bike to check out sunset at an overlook a mile away.

An uphill ride all the way there but rewarded with a pleasant sunset view (not shown here)...

...and, immediately after sunset, a full moon rising over the mountain ridges in the east as the sun in the west dipped behind Buffalo Mountain, fortunately still providing enough residual illumination over my shoulder to light up a conveniently-situated leaf-bare tree.

A fast, but chilly, ride back downhill to the campground for a quiet night.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 - Rocky Knob to Crabtree Meadows Campground, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

Decided I would ride back to the overlook for sunrise if I woke in time... which I just did, scrambling to get dressed and pounding back uphill on the bike just in time to see the sun rising above the distant mountain line (and behind the same leaf-bare tree that the moon rose behind last night...).

Walked up a nearby trail (pushing the bike with me) and found a log cabin looking out over the valley, the sun pouring in through the east-facing opening.

Rode the bike back down to the campground in a building and very chilly breeze, had breakfast and then headed out, stopping again at Mabry Mill to try and catch the magic of the building and the location, though the perfect view still hampered by lack of vibrant foliage.

Pulled over at the Northwest Trading Post for coffee and hoping for WiFi, which my journal from last year noted was available - but not this year it seems.

So I used my iPhone connection to pull down some e-mails and send off a couple of replies, then drove on to the Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor Center, parking in the sun to heat up the Airstream while I hiked the trail back to the beginning of the viaduct to my favorite photo spot.

Although sunny, the foliage colors were pretty uninspiring (and growth of a couple of small trees was intruding into the bottom right corner of the frame). Very inconsiderate...!

Lunch in the Airstream then the final drive of the day to my overnight spot at Crabtree Meadows Campground, another $10 bargain.

Decided to just take a short late-afternoon stroll around the campground but the sign to the Crabtree Falls was too much of a temptation, even though from hiking there last time here I knew it was a long hike down and a longer hike back up.

So I headed off down the 1¼ mile trail, took some photos of the photogenic 60ft falls, and then climbed the 1,000ft or more back up to the campground. A pretty vigorous end to the day.

Thursday, October 25, 2018 - Crabtree Meadows to Lake Powhatan Campground, Asheville, NC

It took quite an effort to force myself out of bed in the morning chill of the Airstream and then head out into the even colder morning air - around 38 degrees - for a run.

16 loops of the campground for my four miles... rather suspicious of the running watch, however, as last year the same run only took 15 laps. My first recorded mile this time seemed about right, a couple of hundred yards short of 4 laps but the following miles seemed to require a full 4 laps... And my mile times this year (versus last) were recorded as: 9:01 (8:36), 9:08 (8:33), 9:06 (8:15), 8:57 (8:11).

Weary after yesterday's late-day climbing, and we're up at 4,000ft, and I'm running more slowly these days, but still... 9-minute miles would be a record low point.

Chilly ab workout back in the Airstream while the water was heating for my shower, then promptly out of the campground making rather too many photo stops on the drive to Asheville and an in-store Starbucks for late coffee and breakfast sandwich... and NO WiFi, goddamit, either at the Starbucks concession or in the "free WiFi" section of the Ingles grocery store.

And with cell reception also useless, I just finished up my coffee and took a cart around the store for a few items.

Back on Plan C (or maybe D) for the day, I drove to the campground I had booked for the weekend and managed to get a spot close to the site I had reserved for the following three nights.

Got set up and headed out for a MTB ride - unplanned, especially after my morning run, but the weather forecast for tomorrow was for pretty solid rain, so one day of my MTB riding in the famed Pisgah Forest would be lost.

Fun ride for the first couple of miles then an extended climb along a gravel track (3 miles, maybe 1,000ft) before a rocky black run back down, rather steep in parts and with one or two out of control moments. Then a mile or two of access road back to the campground. A workout, a little fun, but not a trail combination I would choose as it's too much work for too little reward.

Quiet evening, few TV channel options, forecast overnight rain starting early around 9:00pm.

Friday, October 26, 2018 - Lake Powhatan Campground, Asheville, NC

Hard rain in the early hours, made worse - in terms of noise on the roof of the Airstream - by the large drops falling from the tree canopy above the campsite.

And those drops landing on the skylight in the roof near the bed were like hitting a drum skin. To the point where I was woken abruptly at 4:00am believing I had heard a "rap, rap" knock on the door. Hard to get back to sleep after that so read for a while before finally sleeping fitfully until late - the darkness of the sky and the tree canopy making it hard to judge the time.

A little admin during the morning, waiting for my reserved campsite to vacate. When they hadn't shown signs of leaving by the noon checkout, I walked over (in the rain) and knocked on their door to chivvy them out.

Finally moved and set up in my weekend site by 1:00pm, brewing a delayed and late coffee.

A couple of hours of desk work, late lunch, then drove 15 minutes to the closest Starbucks for WiFi time (the cell connection via my phone in the campground pretty much useless) to complete the day's admin.

Back to the campground a little after beer o'clock for a quiet, and warm (now plugged in) evening,

Saturday, October 27, 2018 - Lake Powhatan Campground, Asheville, NC

Another weather-interrupted night, much more gentle rain this time but still a distracting pattering on the roof of the Airstream.

And another relatively dark morning, sleeping late as a result.

Rather too much prevarication concerning the day's ride, late coffee, more debate with myself, more prevarication, a bite of lunch and then at last some action, heading off to the Mill River area to ride.

Parked up, got into my riding gear and headed on up the long climb to the top of the trails. Took a couple of wrong turnings and as a result ended up connecting with a group of guys riding the trails I was searching for and tagged along with them.

Not quite so much uphill work - or, at least, not quite so steep for the most part on a fire road - the final part of the ride back down much more challenging on a singletrack trail. And an enjoyable final run back down on two different trails, mostly keeping up with my new-found riding buddies.

Stopped at an in-store Starbucks concession on the return drive, where the WiFi was most frustratingly worse than useless, and finally back at the campground around 6:15pm for a quiet Saturday evening.

Sunday, October 28, 2018 - Lake Powhatan Campground, Asheville, NC

A little sun filtering through the tree canopy this morning as I had breakfast and got together my riding gear for a trip back to yesterday's MTB trails.

Parked in a better trailhead location this time, avoiding the first two miles of fire road climbing, and enjoyed the same series of trails, though my climbing legs didn't quite seem to be as strong as they were yesterday.

Still a hoot, though, and a good mix of blue and black trails, mostly singletrack, some rooty sections, some rocky sections with jumps and drops, stream crossings, flowy and smooth trails through rhododendron bushes... all in the cool fall sunlight filtering through the trees.

Stopped at Starbucks on the way back to the campground for late coffee and breakfast sandwich, as well as WiFi time figuring out my options for the days ahead.

Caught the second half of the Mexico F1 Grand Prix on TV back in the Airstream, then took the bike for a wash down, dry off and chain lube, all of which brought me to beer time.

Unfortunately, with only ABC coming through as a mainstream OTA channel, no NFL games to be enjoyed today. So PBS was my only evening distraction (in preference to kick-boxing...).

Monday, October 29, 2018 - Lake Powhatan, Asheville, NC, to Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains,TN

Woke from a strange dream in the early hours, which somehow led me into pondering the potential itinerary for the days ahead, and thinking that maybe I should head to Cades Cove while the weather was sunny (the next couple of days) and then circle back for a little more mountain bike riding at Pisgah.

Not enthralled at the thought of doubling back over my tracks, but it would make the most of the weather and give my legs a break for the next riding workout.

After sleeping the rest of the night on it, this plan still seemed to make sense.

Made a grocery and coffee and WiFi stop mid-morning on the way out of town, then settled in to the drive around the eastern foothills of the Smoky Mountains and on up to Cades Cove, avoiding touristy Gatlinburg but passing through Pigeon Forge with its Dollywood "attractions".

By contrast, the final portion of the drive was very scenic, snaking alongside mountain streams with dappled sunlight shimmering through the tree tops.

Got set up in a campsite at Cades Cove, had a bite of lunch and then set off to ride the 11-mile Cades Cove loop, though rather doubtful whether the health benefits of riding might not have been negated by all the car exhaust I had to breath on the loop.

Stopped at all the "usual" spots on the loop drive for photos - the various churches being the most photogenic.

Back at the campground just before sunset, the colors of most of the trees around the cove not quite living up to the fall brilliance I had hoped to find.

So a slight sense of disappointment... which so often seems to be the risk on a "do over" of places previously visited and enjoyed, the memory of which is probably unduly enhanced by the passage of time.

An example of which is likely to occur tomorrow morning when I plan to set out early in order to get to Clingman's Dome for sunrise...

Until then, a quiet evening in store with an early turn-in.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, TN, to Pisgah Forest, NC

A rather disturbed night, not sleeping very deeply and waking several times... as often seems to happen when I've set an early alarm.

Up at 5:00am, quick bite of breakfast, stowed everything for travel, and crept quietly out of the campground at 5:30am for the drive to Clingman's Dome. Not such a long drive - 45 miles - but the dark, excessively twisty and hilly roads only allowed an average speed of around 30mph so arrived at the dome parking area just after 7:00am with the sky showing orange above the mountains to the east.

Walked vigorously up the steep half-mile access road to the observation tower, trying to generate some body warmth in the freezing temperatures, waited patiently for an unremarkable sunrise and then for the few other people who had gathered there to leave so that I could get a few photos...

But somehow sunrise this time around not quite as enchanting as on my first visit here two years ago.

Walked back down to the parking area, snapped a few shots of the morning mist in the valleys and brewed a coffee, answering a couple of e-mails (via an intermittent single bar on the cell phone) while enjoying my refreshments.

Back down from Clingman's Dome to Newfound Gap, then south on Route 441, the smooth but winding road that crosses the center of the Smoky Mountains.

Several thousand feet lower I made a stop at the photogenic Mingus Mill - which would have been even more attractive when the sun finally reached the building a couple of hours later in the morning.

Stopped at the nearby Visitor Center for a quick lunch and to use their WiFi to check the weather forecast and my return driving route to the Pisgah Forest area, most of which was on the slow but scenic Blue Ridge Parkway - passing over the highest point on the road at 6,000ft...

...and at last finding my fall foliage...!

Secured a campsite at the Davidson River Campground for the next couple of nights. No hook-ups, but only $11 a night (with my senior discount!) and right where I'll be riding tomorrow.

After dropping off the Airstream in the campsite, I drove back up the road for a few miles to Looking Glass Falls, where I would have stopped earlier as I was driving past but there was no parking space to accommodate the 40ft long truck and Airstream combination.

And then on to The Hub, a bike store and bar, where I couldn't resist buying a couple of MTB clothing items as my more frequent riding means more changes of outfits... and I don't have the benefit of immediate access to a washing machine!

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - Pisgah Forest, NC

Indulged myself by running the propane heater for 30 minutes before getting out of bed, using the time to try to figure out an itinerary for the next day or two, and week or two - though coming to few firm conclusions.

Set out for some mountain biking in Dupont State Forest and yet another series of trails in the general Pisgah region, only about 20 minutes' drive from the campground to the first trailhead parking lot at Lake Imaging.

Headed off on a made-up loop on mostly blue trails, though starting with a very challenging rock climb - which I attempted several times and eventually rode all of it, though not all in a single stretch...!

Not too much in the way of fire roads on the loop, and no lung-busting long climbs. Two really fun, flowy trails in Hooker Creek and Ridgeline (which had been recommended by a couple of different people) and a tough but less interesting trail in Hickory Mountain Loop.

So much fun that I made the loop again, though missing out the less enjoyable Hickory Mountain Loop on the second go around. 13 miles total, and 2,100ft climbed.

Paused after the second loop for late morning coffee (brewed earlier and taken along in my insulated traveling mug) and rather tasty Cranberry Orange muffin.

Suitably refreshed, I then drove a few miles further into Dupont State Forest to the Corn Mill parking lot and hit some trails there - tougher riding, black trails predominantly, quite a lot of slick-rock, some steep climbs, but great views from the top. 7 miles, 1,300ft climbed.

Pretty tired at this point - and not a little sweaty, the day having warmed considerably in the sunshine - so headed back to the campground for a late lunch and a much-needed shower.

Then drove back to The Hub bike shop - tempting to sit at the bar, sip a beer and watch bikes being worked on, but I contented myself with just changing a pair of riding shorts I had bought yesterday.

...though I couldn't also resist buying a new riding helmet, my current one not the most comfortable on my rather lumpy head. Let's hope the new one is a better fit in practice, as it's so hard to tell just trying on in the store.

A late Starbucks coffee and WiFi stop, booking a commercial campground not too far away for the next couple of nights - which should allow me to ride tomorrow morning, then scoot to the campground before the rain sets in for the day and a half to follow.

Ran the genset for an hour back at the campground, though it was running rather roughly until a switchover to a new propane tank, where the better gas pressure seemed to cure the problem immediately.

Thursday, November 1, 2018 - Pisgah Forest, NC, to Travelers Rest, SC

Set the alarm to make sure I didn't sleep late - easily done with silence of the campground and darkness under the canopy of the trees on a cloudy morning - but allowed myself 20 minutes in bed while the propane heater took the chill off the interior of the Airstream.

Breakfasted, prepared the Airstream for prompt departure after the MTB ride, hooked up the truck, got into my gear and headed out under pedal power for the first MTB ride of the day at 9:00am on the mountain opposite the campground, riding up a fairly challenging trail - classed as green but maybe should have been blue - for 2 miles before descending rather more rapidly down a black trail.

Rode back to the campground for the second ride, a 2½ mile loop climbing 1,000ft on the mountain beside the campground, several spots on the way up requiring the bike to be walked. Fun section of trail on the way back down.

A short ride from the end of the loop trail got me back to the Airstream, where I loaded the bike into the truck and brewed coffee before heading out of the campground and back to Dupont State Forest to repeat the fun ride from yesterday morning - in fact, it was so much fun again that I had to ride it a second time, despite my tired legs.

Finished riding just after 1:00pm, cleaned the bike as well as I could, loaded it into the truck, had a bite of lunch in the Airstream, got showered up and headed off on the drive to the campground just north of Greenville, SC.

The forecast afternoon rain seemed to be holding off, so after getting set up in the campsite I gave the bike a proper wash down, cleaned out the truck, swept out the Airstream and treated myself to an ice-cream from the campground store.

After the day's exertions, a short nap was in order before settling in for the evening, with the prospect of the Thursday Night Football game, courtesy of the campground WiFi.

PS: New MTB helmet is a success...

Friday, November 2, 2018 - Travelers Rest, SC

A rather dull morning... a little rain overnight and more forecast for late morning.

Though things did liven up a little as the hot water feed to the shower (a faulty installation by the factory, repaired - mostly successfully - by me) let go under the pressure of the campground water feed... which "fortunately" happened just as I stepped out of the shower, though I still had to grab my towel and wrap it around my naked body to sprint out barefoot to the campground water hookup and turn it off to stop the flooding...

Having been through this before, repairing the plumbing didn't take long, though mopping up the large pool of water on the floor (and under my soaked entrance mats) was a bit of a drag.

Then on with my chores, putting on a couple of loads of laundry, answering some e-mails, late morning coffee, researching the options for working my itinerary around mountain biking in Georgia and Alabama as I head west.

Tricky working between alternate sources for descriptions and ratings of trails and trying to also take account of the weather forecast...

...and then trying to match campgrounds, or other overnight options, to the possible riding locations, finding quite a number of camping options not available as end-October seems to be shut-down time quite widely.

All a little challenging... as much as I enjoy MTB I don't want it to totally dominate my RVing.

Finally arrived at a solution - at least for the next few days - and got a campground booked for tomorrow, an overnight stop planned for the night after and another campground lined up for the night after that.

Ended the day with a little more keyboard time... then eased into my evening beer.

Saturday, November 3, 2018 - Travelers Rest, SC, to Bolding Mill Campground, Gainesville, GA

A chilly morning outside, though around 60 degrees inside the Airstream with the electric heater running on low overnight.

Usual pre-run routine - banana, hydration, stretching, warm-up. Paused mid-routine for a call back to the UK before the campground WiFi became too overloaded to be useful, then out for a run based on time (40 minutes) rather than distance, my Fitbit watch refusing to pick up a GPS signal and therefore suggesting mile times that were way too long, even for my recently slow pace.

Post-run ab workout, showered, dumped tanks, drove out of the campground at 11:00am, making a detour into Greenville for coffee and breakfast sandwich.

Then on to Falls Park on the Reedy River, a creatively and attractively rehabilitated industrial area near the historic part of town, featuring a curved pedestrian suspension bridge overlooking the falls.

Treated myself to an ice-cream on the walk back from the park to the Airstream, then headed out of town to Bolding Mill, one of several Core Of Engineers (COE) campgrounds beside Lake Sidney Lanier.

Well-spaced campsites on a pleasantly wooded peninsular, sunset over the lake just a few steps away from my spot.

Sunday, November 4, 2018 - Bolding Mill Campground, Gainesville, GA, to McKinney Campground, Allatoona Lake, GA

Clocks were set back last night, so the "extra" hour in the morning encouraged me to be a little tardy in getting up and getting going, though my revised plan for the day meant riding in nearby Chicopee and then driving an hour or more to a second riding spot and campground NW of Atlanta.

So by the time I had had breakfast, prepped the Airstream for the road, dressed for MTB riding, and driven to the Chicopee Woods Bike Trails in Gainesville, it was close to 10:30am before my bike wheels were rolling.

A fairly pleasant but largely unchallenging series of trails, even the theoretically "advanced" Copperhead Trail.

The ride taking longer than I wanted, I skipped a trail to get back to the Airstream for a late coffee. Ironically, the final trail, new and unmarked on the Trailforks app I use, turned out to be the most fun - fast, flowy downhill with a few modest jumps.

Had to back my way 100 yards out of the parking lot with the truck and trailer, then drove along a series of Interstates past Atlanta, with quite astonishing amounts of traffic filling the 5, 6 and 7-lane highways.

Reached the campground at Allatoona Lake late afternoon and - having endured an appallingly slow check-in, which I had to repeat as the first site was unworkable - I finally parked up in a quiet campsite beside the lake.

After a quick bite of lunch I headed off for a second round of MTB at Blankets Creek - a little more challenging, but still nothing too severe. And as on the morning's ride, the most fun trail found at the end, a double black diamond jump track which I rode 3 times, though not really getting enough speed to clear the table tops properly.

22 miles for the day, and 4,200ft climbing.

Close to sunset before I got back to the parking lot, and dark by the time I was back in the campground for a very quiet evening, missing my New England Patriots NFL game on TV as only a couple of channels were being picked up in the campground.

Monday, November 5, 2018 - Allatoona Lake, GA, to Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham, AL

Not the best night's sleep, despite being tired, as I seemed to dream a great deal - maybe brought on in part by the noisy intrusions of intermittent rain overnight.

Having decided there was no rush to execute the day's plan (essentially a 175 mile drive west on several Interstate highways) I dozed until around 8:00am. Some final route checking after breakfast, a couple of e-mails sent out, then hooked up the Airstream and headed out of the campground.

Stopped for groceries, coffee and gas and then found myself slipping a little behind my schedule, saved by the late realization that I would be passing into the Central Time Zone and therefore gaining an hour, and in the event arrived in good time - around 3:30pm - at the Oak Mountain State Park.

Some rough weather forecast for overnight, though likely to be more severe in the NW corner of Alabama. Hopefully only a rain event where I'm settled in, south of Birmingham.

Tuesday, November 6, 2018 - Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham, AL

Forecast rain duly passed through overnight, but a brief event and certainly not severe - at least where I was, though places further north and west saw tornadoes (Nashville and Tupelo, both places where was heading on one of my meandering plans, and Nacogdoches, which I might pass through as I head west).

A slow morning, somewhat frustrated by only intermittent and weak cell connections. After an early coffee, off for the first of my MTB rides from the south parking lot in the park.

Nothing super-special about the ride, some benign trails and a few slightly tougher ones.

Had lunch back at the car, loading up on carbs with some Greek pasta salad, and tried to get hydrated - the day not overly warm and the climbing not overly exerting, but still enough to get a little sweating and puffing going.

Then drove to the north parking lot for the second ride. Did my Good Samaritan deed for the day giving a lift in the back of the truck to the north parking lot for a young guy who had punctured his rear tire.

Long slog up a doubletrack trail, maybe 3 miles, before reaching more interesting trails - including Boulder Ridge trail, which had been described in unflattering terms and which was indeed demanding, and accurately named, with many sections of boulders to navigate, a handful of which I chose to walk.

Then a couple of downhill runs, the second - Lightning - being the most entertaining run of the day and including a significant drop, where I caught up with a couple of guys on the trail, one already past the drop, the second debating it and then riding it successfully.

After which, I felt I probably should go for it... got up some speed and attacked the drop (as one should) and made a good solid landing. Phew!

No desire to tempt fate by riding back up and doing it again, though...

Finished the trail on more flowy sections, though still rough in parts as most of the trails had been, then meandered back to the parking lot along rather uncomfortable rooty trails.

Tired... 20 miles for the day, 4,200ft climbing.

Got back to the Airstream a little after 4:00pm for a much-needed shower, followed by an evening of mid-term election speculation on all the news channels.

Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham, AL, to Foscue Creek Campground, Demopolis, AL

With the risk of early rain apparently receding, a morning run around the campground was my birthday present to myself - though it was quite a struggle getting my legs to give of their best, weary as they were from yesterday's mountain biking.

And with the campground being a little hilly, I will admit to stopping and walking for 20-second intervals on more than one occasion... the end result being 9-minute miles, which compare rather unfavorably with the 8-minute miles I ran on this day four years ago.

But hey, I ran. And also pushed myself through my post-run ab routine.

After getting cleaned up, prepped the Airstream for travel, filled the fresh water tank, dumped the grey and black tanks and headed out of the park.

On the outskirts of Birmingham, I made an early coffee/breakfast sandwich/WiFi stop and a couple of calls back to the UK, being greeted at the end of my 90 minutes in Starbucks by a veritable downpour and with heavy rain lashing the windshield and drenching the roads, I decided on a second coffee stop just half a mile down the road to let the storm pass through.

Traffic on I-20 still slow and throwing up plenty of spray as I finally left Birmingham early afternoon but the roads gradually dried up as I headed southwest to my overnight destination of Demopolis.

Demopolis a seemingly sleepy place with small version of a classic American town square, civic buildings in the center and period buildings on the surrounding streets.

Overnight at the Core of Engineers (COE) campground outside town at the very reasonable price of $14, in preference to a free Walmart parking lot that I would have frequently used in my earlier RV travels but which I'm inclined to choose much less now.

Foscue Creek is a series of small inlets from the Tombigbee River, the facility built on several small peninsulas that result in a very attractive campground.

And being a COE facility, the infrastructure is very solid, the concrete pad of the campsite on which the Airstream is parked being perfectly level.

Not much in the way of TV reception - though a PBS station did allow me to hear a reasonably unbiased reporting on the political news of the day, the mid-term election results and Trump's firing of his Attorney General.

Thursday, November 8, 2018 - Foscue Creek Campground, Demopolis, AL, to Okatibbee Lake, Collinsville, MS

Very quiet night, with only the distant horn and rumble of a freight train.

No rush to head anywhere with only an hour or so driving ahead today, so spent some time on the necessary admin that fills our lives, even when off RV-meandering, and then researched various options for riding and campgrounds in the days ahead, taking account of the less than stellar weather forecast.

Mid-morning coffee, then headed out of the campground for the drive to Meridian, debating on the way whether to do a little MTB before heading to the COE campground north of town or head there first, drop off the Airstream and return to Meridian - which is what I finally decided.

Double-guessed the GPS directions to the campground, requiring a long loop back onto the right road. Then managed to drive right past the campground entrance as I got into the park, requiring another loop back once I got to the dead end of the road. And then, just to add more time to a day that was starting to run rather late, the guy doing the campground check-in seemed almost to be doing it for the first time... unbelievably slow.

So by the time I had found the campsite and dropped off the Airstream (in a spot right on the lake that would be perfect if it weren't so dull and overcast) it was touch and go whether a drive back into Meridian for a likely unexciting MTB ride was worth it in the limited time before it was too dark to ride.

But I went... for a what was indeed a fairly modest ride, rather damp and slippery from morning rain, and visibility became poor before too long, but 50 minutes of fresh air and exercise is better than nothing.

Back at the campground about 5:40pm, and an evening's entertainment in store with Thursday Night Football.

Friday, November 9, 2018 - Okatibbee Lake, Collinsville, MS, to Lake Lincoln State Park, Wesson, MS

Small debate with myself about running first thing but having booked a 10,000 mile service for late morning at a Ford dealership about 2 hours drive along my route, and with rain imminent, I decided on a more sensibly conservative morning.

A wet drive westward to the Ford dealership at Brandon, where I was able to drop the Airstream in a parking lot opposite the dealership before checking the truck in for service.

Made good use of the time waiting for the service sitting in the customer lounge and getting a project completed for the Sound Yachting business, fueled by mediocre dealership coffee and semi-stale vending machine chocolate chip cookies.

After the truck service, a quick grocery stop, then a final hour's drive south to Lake Lincoln State Park for a convenient (and quiet, with no cell service) overnight spot - a short drive from some MTB trails I plan to hit tomorrow...

...though I don't plan to use the Laundry Mat (sic) they advertise here.

Saturday, November 10, 2018 - Lake Lincoln State Park, Wesson, MS, to Mt Zion Bike Trails, Brookhaven, MS

A little photo clean-up between breakfast and an early coffee, pulling out of the campground around 11:00am, the day chilly but bright.

A short 30-minute drive along small and rough roads brought me to the location of Mt Zion Bike Trails, where I was greeted by a rather steep entrance ramp off the highway. With no other obvious entry option, and nowhere I could see to park on the roadside, I gingerly drove up the ramp, dragging the tail of the Airstream as I had feared I might - the first time I recall this happening since I had a lift kit installed 18 months ago to prevent this.

On inspection, however, only one of the protective "fins" at the rear of the chassis made contact with the road.

Beside the parking area for the MTB trails was a house with a slightly less steep driveway, only a grass bank between the parking area and its drive, and as I saw someone coming out of the house I went over to ask if I might be allowed to exit with the Airstream that way, not wanting a repeat tail dragging experience.

It turns out that the guy was one of the group who maintains the bike trails and trailhead infrastructure (small open-air pavilion, seating, trail signage) and he gave me a very warm welcome, showed me the trail map, talked a little about the place, and also pointed out a couple of full hook-up RV sites there.

After chatting and getting kitted out, finally hit the trails at noon, managing to ride most of the main 6-mile loop in the "wrong" direction before riding it the direction intended after completing a newer northern section of trails.

Neat trails making the most of the terrain and natural features and packing a lot of riding into a compact area.

Good signage where needed for the various optional loops. Nice rhythm of climbing then running downhill, good flow in most parts, some sections more twisty and technical, lots of wooden features, bridges, ramps, berms, a few fun jumps. Entertaining trailside signage and artifacts on this "Biggest Little Trail In Mississippi" as they describe themselves.

The trails run by enthusiastic, friendly and helpful guys, several more of whom I met on my return - 15 miles and 2½ hours later - working on building changing rooms/bathrooms to replace the porta-potties on site.

Had a late lunch while the water was heating for my shower and, as the day was now drawing on somewhat, I decided to take advantage of the offered RV hook-up and spend the night here, riding again tomorrow morning before heading on.

Good TV reception even allowed me to watch a couple of college football games for my evening entertainment.

Sunday, November 11, 2018 - Mt Zion Bike Trails, Brookhaven, MS, to Paragon Casino RV Park, Marksville, LA

Out on the Mt Zion MTB trail at 9:00am, almost literally stepping out of the Airstream onto the bike and straight onto the trail.

Followed the 10-mile race course loop, the right way this time, with a slight diversion onto a short black diamond section. A little chilly - cold feet and hands even by the end of the ride - but the sun came out unexpectedly half-way through the ride, brightening the trail through the woods.

Good fun ride, some of the sections now a little more familiar, though a couple of jumps that I still wasn't hitting fast enough, resulting in rather a heavy, front wheel first, landing.

Back in the Airstream at 10:20am, hot water heating up while I had my morning coffee, and finally moving out just before noon, creeping gingerly back onto the highway to avoid dragging the tail of the Airstream.

Took the southern loop route (and theoretically scenic byway) to reach Marksville, with the Mighty Mississippi on my left and vast areas of agriculture on the flat flood plains to my right.

Rain fell, heavily at times, and the roads were very poor in places, so a slow drive, arriving at the Casino RV Park in Marksville at 3:34pm.

I had missed the Patriots NFL game while driving but they had been soundly beaten by the Tennessee Titans 10 - 34, so probably a game I wouldn't have entirely enjoyed watching.

Plenty of remaining football on TV for my evening's entertainment, however.

Monday, November 12, 2018 - Paragon Casino RV Park, Marksville, LA, to Lake Livingston State Park, Livingston, TX

Intermittent rain and thunderstorms overnight, early morning and continuing into mid-morning.

No huge rush to get on the road, as all I had ahead for the day was a 4-hour drive to Livingston, TX. So I did a little cleaning in the Airstream, some desk work and made a call back to the UK while I had WiFi at the campground, brewed mid-morning coffee and then suddenly it was 11:30am and time to head out.

A gray, damp day, rain off and on, very poor roads in Louisiana magically transforming to smooth blacktop once over the state line into Texas.

The day ran late, as I probably should have figured, so I didn't arrive at Lake Livingston State Park until 5:20pm. By which time it was almost dark - as well as raining - but as I had a campsite reserved and had been to the campground a couple of times before finding the site and getting set up was straightforward.

All sources of heating cranked up inside the Airstream to take the chill off my traveling tin can.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018 - Lake Livingston State Park, Livingston, TX, to Navasota, TX

Slightly disconcerting to hear gusting winds overnight and the occasional "swoosh" of waves on the shoreline of the lake, only 50ft from my site, as I had planned to run first thing.

Nor were the outside temperatures too inviting when I got up either - 37 degrees and feeling like 26 degrees with the wind chill, or 35 and feeling like 27, depending on the information source.

All kitted up, stretched and warmed up, gloves on, and about to step outside at 7:45am when I heard the pattering of raindrops on the roof of the Airstream... not in the forecast I had checked last night, and which in fact turned out to be a brief sleet shower...!

Having run in worse weather and knowing there were going to be below-freezing temperatures for the next couple of mornings, I waited for the shower to blow through and headed out at 8:00am. A couple more light sleet showers during my run but it actually wasn't too bad and afforded me a warm virtuous glow once it was all over and I was back inside the shelter of the Airstream.

Coffee at 11:00am before filling the freshwater tank, dumping the holding tanks, and heading out for the 90-minute drive to Navasota, via a car wash in Coldspring - aptly named today, where it was 36 degrees and windy, making the truck and Airstream washdown uncomfortably numbing in my extremities.

After leaving Coldspring, a little over an hour's driving before turning into the familiar and welcoming gates of Black Jack Springs...

...where I now have the honor of parking the Airstream in the vacant spot under the tall "shed" as Les will be collecting his 40ft motorhome from some service work tomorrow and parking it beside the house.

Great to be back here, six months after leaving in early May.

The day rounded off with a delicious dinner, good wine, good friends.

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