The Walmart in Staunton VA is very popular, it's close to a major snowbird migration route, Interstate 81.
The next morning I counted about 30 units in the lot. Reservations not accepted, come early.
Stopping at Cabela's is always a treat. They have the most amazing wildlife displays.
This one was in Hudson, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. We had expressly chosen this stop so we could dump our tanks in their RV dump station, a free service they offer to RV'ers, in addition to overnight parking. Well, it turns out their dump station had not been opened yet for the season. Hmmm... No problem we were on day 4 of a system that can usually carry us for 5+ days.
But I was saying that stopping at Cabela's is always a treat, so here is that story.
The morning after we arrived at the Cabela's with the closed dump station, around 8:30, nature calls. Not wanting to further stress the Unit's holding tanks, I decided to walk over to the store which had just opened for the day, and check out their sparkling restrooms.
I am greeted at the door by a gentleman dressed in full outdoor gear, Tilley type hat, khaki safari shirt complete with epaulettes, and cargo pants to match.
"What brings you into Cabela's this morning?" he exclaims.
Through a sheepish grin I answer "um...just looking around?"
And he launches into the well rehearsed speech.
"Have you heard of the Cabela's Club? ...you receive special offers...you get 10 % off purchases...there is no annual fee...."
By now my extraordinary 6th sense has determined that the "Cabela's Club" is actually a credit card.
I'm a Canadian, I interject, I can't get a US credit card.
"Doesn't matter" he says, "just for filling out the application , you will receive a Cabela's hat, a very cool multi-tool pocket knife and an equally nifty waterproof plastic ammo box".
"How long will this take?", I ask the obvious next question.
"Just a couple of minutes" he replies.
So, long story short, I filled out the application, I was immediately declined due to no US address, he handed over the swag, I asked him to hold on to it for a few minutes while I fulfilled a prior commitment, I leave the store with a bounce in my step and an arm load of free merchandise. As I am mounting the steps into the Unit, Darlene says, "What the hell did you buy now?"
True story, I'm not making this stuff up.
Here is a quick pictorial summary of our journey back to the north.
Sesquicentennial State Park, South Carolina. April 14.
Virginia, lots of green. April 16.
West Virginia, some green. April 17
Pennsylavnia, that's right, snow, and no green. April 18.
Cabela's parking lot, Massachusetts. More snow, this was April 19th.
Maine, the lakes are still frozen. April 19
Nova Scotia's Cobequid Pass, only 250 metres in elevation but can be treacherous in winter. April 21
And....Home at last!
This has been the adventure of a lifetime for us with many more to come, we hope. 8500 miles in a tube and ready to do it again.
Thanks to all of you who travelled along with us, thanks for your comments, and thanks to those of you who tried to leave comments, but for some unknown reason were unable to.
Cosmo and Tara were beside themselves when they realized we were home again, and although we believe they enjoyed seeing all the new places, they are creatures of habit and for them, there is no place like home.
And Darlene and I agree.
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