Drip, drip, drip...

Jonestown, PA -- That's the sound of the rain on the roof of our RV. It started our day, and now as we sit after our dinner, it's still playing the same tune. We are so fortunate that the wet weather hit us on a travel day, instead of a visiting day spent mostly outdoors!

It did have an impact, nevertheless. When we left the Charlottesville area, the mountain roads were slick in addition to all their ups, downs and curves, with dense forest on either side, no shoulders, and sometimes a canopy of branches over the road. We felt like everything finally opened up when we emerged near Interstate 64 and headed west on it to connect with the northbound I-81.

That open feeling lasted only a short while. In no time, we entered another mountainous area -- we were, after all, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian ranges -- and the trees were shrouded with wisps of fog. The further up we went, the denser the fog, till we could barely see 20 feet in front of us! The programmable roadside signs warned of foggy conditions and falling rocks (oh, GREAT) so we reduced our speed and hoped for the best. Good news: no rocks.

Although the bulk of our travel today was on a single highway -- I-81 -- we actually hit four states, starting in Virginia and then crossing two narrow strips, one of West Virginia and one of Maryland, before entering Pennsylvania where we now are. I'm not sure why the folks who mapped out the states set it up that way but it made our itinerary sound pretty impressive. In all, we covered some 260 miles.

Toward the end of that journey, more highway signs warned of heavy rain and possible standing water. Flying would be more like it. Every time a transport truck went by, we were engulfed in great plumes of water that our full-speed windshield wipers only just kept up with. Several times, the heavy traffic slowed almost to a halt as well, which we thought was unusual for a Sunday afternoon.

To break up the trip a little, we pulled off the interstate for a restaurant lunch at a Cracker Barrel. We'd forgotten that it was Sunday, till we stepped inside and saw the waiting crowds. Sunday brunch seems to be pretty popular in these parts. I didn't mind the 20-minute wait; it meant a good long browse in its well-stocked country store. And lunch was delicious!

Jonestown is just north of Harrisburg, PA and the KOA campground where we're parked tonight is a stone's throw from the interstate. It's quite lovely, too. Our site is right next to a picturesque stream where Tyler, the young staff member who led us to our site, says there's very good fishing. If we had a rod, we could cast off from the RV's doorstep! Let's just hope the stream stays its course; Tyler says this time last year it was six feet higher and flooded the whole campground. I got him to promise he'd knock on our door to warn us if that happens tonight.