Let the Games Begin...Maiden Voyage to WV!

[obxgal]

Well....our '75 Excella 500 has left Virginia and will be wintering for a while in West Virginia...not deep in WV, but the "panhandle" over Virginia that has Harper's Ferry. Steel erection and engineering work is non-existant in central VA, so Rick is having to work up in Martinsburg on a humongous project at a cement factory (those of you travelling by on I81 may have seen the 10 cranes and several towers..) He's already been up there since April, and, while certainly not a perfect lifestyle, you do what you have to do in a recession...the cats and I will hold the fort.

We bought the Excella in July but had to refurbish a few things and make sure she was ready for winter use. The unit itself seems in pretty good shape (who knows what lurks under the floors, right?) but after a thorough cleaning, a new furnace, re-working countless switches, blowing out the plumbing lines, a new shower head, epoxy-filling cracks in the shower, and a lot I can't even remember....she is now up "yonder". I got him up at 2:30 last night so he could travel north without traffic in the pounding rain of a huge weather front over the mid-Atlantic. He pulled it with his company 'dually' (Ford biggie) so it rode well. He said the huge gusts of air in the Shenandoah Valley were a bit entertaining...he has a flair for understatement!

A few of the engineers found a "campground"...basically a dude who rents out lots w/ electricity on a stocked stream very reasonably...so the guys are all bringing their RV's, the barbeque, a multitude of grills and circling their ponies. Sounds like fun to me...sure beats the heck out of staying in a stanky motel and listening to the drunks come in late every night! He works 12 days straight (12-hour days) so I'll be going up every other weekend. So I guess I'll get a true taste of "winter living" in an Airstream!

If any of you are in the Haggerstown/Martinsburg area give a shout...I've been up three times and getting to know the area a bit..it is a beautiful part of the country. I teach and will get off 5 days for Thanksgiving, so I may just go up there to break in the kitchen of the AS!

So I guess I'll really be able to attest to whether or not it really IS "almost heaven"????
Susan, sometimes in VA and sometimes in WV

[obxgal]

With new power hitch and new red (is it red enuf??) Coleman grill during setup...
http://www.airforums.com/photos/showimage.php?i=24610 img

http://www.airforums.com/photos/showimage.php?i=24611

[Airslide]

Susan and Rick in Virginia..

Looks like your in for an adventure! Love to hear the rain hit the roof of an airstream. I suppose you will get plenty of that. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Be safe up there on all those cranes and towers..

Vin

[Bowmans]

Rick and Susan,
We are "sometimes" in your neck of the woods. I grew up in Nelson and now live in Powhatan, VA. Good to hear there is work somewhere even if it is a drive but the camping after work every night sounds like the way to go! Great looking photos and definately beats a motel any day.

[Lily&Me]

You are in a beautiful part of the country. Maggie lived in Philippi for 3 years.

Enjoy your great adventure!

[obxgal]

Tadd,
You're the first "local" we've heard from! You're only 75 miles straight down Rt 60!

A bit of trivia....there's a good chance the high school where I teach will be facing off against Powhatan next Sat Dec 12 for the state AA football championship! Depends on who wins this Saturday in the semi-finals (and, get this...the state championship will be down at Va Tech's stadium...the boys are really psyched about it!

That's some shiney turd ya got there! Do you have to re-touch it with the buffer very often? Y'all haven't brought it down to Lake Nelson yet?

The Airstream is actually benefiting from Rick's sojourn up there, as he is so bored in the evenings that he is working on it every night, putting in new lights and fixing this and that....I'm gonna keep him up there as long as this goes on! ;=)
Susan

[Bowmans]

Wow. Small world. My wife teaches in Powhatan... On the shiny, we got our AS back in March and it took almost the entire summer to get the shine (and do all the refurb on the outside). It is starting to dull slightly or it may just be getting dirty. I haven't washed it since we finished the shine in August or so. I also won't take the buffer back out until the inside is done. Hopefully that will be this spring.

On Lake Nelson... Been there many, many times growing up. My parents live about 5 minutes from Trailer Buff on rt. 6 (between rt. 29 and rt. 250). We have a family reunion at Lake Nelson every other year or so although I haven't been to one in a while. Our AS hasn't been anywhere except our driveway so far. A month or so after it was parked in the driveway, the inside was gutted.

Great to hear your AS is getting the love up in WV!