June 25, 2004 - KOA Shenandoah, Staunton, Virginia

So it was starting to rain and we're flipping through the Woodall's campsite directory goin', "Where are we gonna land tonight?" We see the Shenandoah KOA campsite listing. It reads: "Riverside campground with mostly wooded sites." Now what comes to mind, dear reader? A WOODED site is the Sasquatch campsite back at Columbia, South Carolina. A river is something with trout jumping out of it. What did we get? Something that Therese's friend Bonnie calls "Tenement Camping"' Mobile, urban squalor located near a slow moving drainage ditch. ($30 a night.)

Eric loved this campsite SO much, he took the time to assemble a panoramic view!

I barely remember this place--after a while, most of the RV parks were all starting to melt together in my mind, unless they had some unique characteristic, like "Oh yeah--that was the one with the showers that had vise grips for faucets!"

However, I do remember the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. This was my second trip. As scenic as the view from the Drive is, it's even more beautiful down in the valley. Alas, the glow was slightly diminished when--heading down into the valley--our brakes--from riding them practically all the way, loaded down with the Bigfoot--started smoking. I smelled something, then pointed it out to Eric. Oh shit! We pulled over at this country store to check it out. It was indeed the brakes. An older couple pulled in behind us & spoke to Eric. I figured maybe they saw the smoke & wanted to tell us, but no--they just were curious about what the "thing" on the back of our truck was!

Anyway, Eric poured water on the brakes while I went into the little store, tried on some cowboy hats & bought a souvenir or two.

..and the fireworks. Your brother needed FIREWORKS. We didn't bother buying any up till now, figuring "we'll just get some on the border." How do you like that, nothing explodes in the state of Virginia. I'm lookin' at all the selections, goin: "This sucks, nothing blows up, what gives?" Apparently they can only sell stuff that will burn you horribly, but not take off a finger. Therese's brother (sorry..SCHNOOKIE's brother) is gonna be bummed.

In summary: our brakes started to smoke, then we bought something that causes even more smoke. Go figure.

Another Eric-o-Rama Shot

The best part of the whole Shenandoah experience was Luray Caverns. I love caves--beautiful, quiet, kind of spooky. Not that this one was quiet, of course--no chance of that with squabbling kids, fussy infants, frustrated parents and family types who stopped every 20 feet to take pictures of each other in front of the stalactites. Despite all that, I enjoyed the experience. What I'm really looking forward to is Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico!! Bring 'em on!