Home!

We left Mebane yesterday morning pretty early (for us) and even though we faced an 8 hour drive, we were pretty confident we could make it home that evening.  We pushed through and stopped only when necessary, eating lunch in the RV in the parking lot of a Pilot travel station.  I realized last night that we have only eaten out on this trip four times: once at Pork Bellies in Damascus, the cafe at Monticello, Shorty's Diner in Williamsburg, and the Outer Banks Brewery Company in Kill Devil Hills (The best being either Shorty's or Outer Banks Brewery.). In the between those, we did not buy any food from a convenience store or fast food restaurant. We did go to the grocery store a few times to buy a few items like ice cream and coffee, but otherwise, we brought everything with us and I cooked most things in advance, like chili and taco meat.  We all agreed that we ate very well and found it much more convenient (and healthful) to make a sandwich for lunch or heat up a bowl of chili for dinner when we arrived at the campground and were all tired from traveling. Nothing worse than having to jump in the car and take two tired kids to a restaurant where we would overpay for a meal that might not even be that good anyway.  The meals that we had were enjoyable and appreciated all the more because we didn't go frequently. I was happy not to have to cook a meal on those days and we still were able to sample the local joints a few times. Win win.

Anyway, despite our usual delays with towing trailers and traveling with kids, we were able to make the 8 hour drive in 9 hours, which may be a record. We arrived without incident and were so happy to be home, even though we had a great time and are really looking forward to our next RV adventure.  Our first time out was certainly a success and we learned a great deal about RV camping. Here are some of our favorites from the trip (Edited to add, I stole these questions from Jan Holmes, my RV idol):

Favorite Meal
Shelby--Tacos (homemade).
NK--chicken nuggets (frozen, from Costco).
Glenn--chili cheeseburger from Outer Banks Brewery.
Rachel--Oyster poboy from Outer Banks Brewery.
Cindy (mom)--Spaghetti (homemade).

Funniest Moment
Shelby--when Dada got knocked over by a wave and lost his shorts.
NK--same.
Glenn--same.
Rachel--same.
Cindy --same.

Favorite Sayings
Shelby--Moo.
NK--My eye!
Glenn--I like this truck. Maybe I'll get one like it. (talking about Mom's truck that he sold her).
Rachel--Ha ta ta ta ta (G's Chinese voice).
Cindy--When NK said as we wiped her face, "How'd that get there?"

Something New That I Learned About RVing
Shelby--It's good to break up long drives into pieces.
NK--Be careful not to get your fingers smushed in the door.
Glenn--Sometimes there is a secret sewer hookup like the one at the Creeper Trail Campground we discovered as we were leaving.
Rachel--Build in rest days to avoid family mutiny.
Cindy-That I can do it.

Best Thing Overall
Shelby--Virginia Creeper Trail.
NK--Meeting Charlotte (friend she made at the Creeper Trail Campground).
Glenn--Relaxing with the fam.
Rachel--Virginia Creeper Trail.
C--Family (specifically having the indispensable Glenn on the trip).

What Did You Miss Most?
Shelby--Junebug and the kitties.
NK--Junebug and the kitties.
Glenn--Sitting on the porch.
Rachel--Running with my friends.
Cindy--Private toilet and not having to empty mine when I did use it.

Favorite City
Shelby--Williamsburg.
NK--Charlottesville.
Glenn--Rodanthe, NC (where our campground was on the Outer Banks).
Rachel--Damascus, VA.
Cindy--Charlottesville.

Coolest Thing You Saw
Shelby--Monticello and Colonial Williamsburg.
NK--Beach.
Glenn--RV park on the beach.
Rachel--Bridges on the Creeper Trail.
Cindy--Whitetop, VA.

Biggest Disappointment
Shelby--Couldn't go in the lighthouse.
NK--Not going in the lighthouse.
Glenn--Truck breaking down.
Rachel--Not going into downtown Charlottesville.
Cindy--That it was so hot at the beach.

Overall Takeaway
Shelby--There is a lot of history in one place.
NK--Didn't you already ask me this?  Oh, that the tours are long.
Glenn--Maybe I need a Ford.
Rachel--NC and VA are very beautiful and I don't think I could ever get tired of them.
Cindy--Staying two nights in one campground is a lot easier than moving every night.