OK, So I really AM justified....

So I just sat down and dumped some more photos out of the phone and into my laptop, in order to upload them here to share with you, Dear Reader(s).  (I'm HOPING there's more than one of you!!)

I am just getting settled down from our harrowing ride over here (Chesapeake Campground, Chesapeake, VA) but I did want to share our fun Harvest Host experience from yesterday.  But, what do I hear in the background?  The TV news is on, and they mention something about an 8 vehicle accident and a 3 hour backup.  In the Hampton Roads tunnel!!  Definitely an attention getter.

You all know how much I love bridges and tunnels, right?  OK, so if you're new to Ten Wheels, maybe you don't know.  I HATE THEM!  and the higher and longer they are, the more I hate them!  So you can imagine how I felt when my Google map didn't agree with the RV GPS map.  MY map told me to get off at exit 296, and just go down Hwy 17, about 4 miles to the campground.  Easy peasy, right???  So, why did the RV GPS insist we continue on, go over the Elizabeth River drawbridge (yes, high, long, and a drawbridge grid to boot) to exit 292 (which I couldn't even see!), THEN get off, going down the toll road to Hwy 17??  Toll road?  Ummmmm, we usually don't take toll roads because we're too big, too long or too many axles.  In the words of the Driver, "well, there must be a reason, maybe we're too heavy for a local bridge."  Argh.  Ok, if we MUST.  So, must we did.  Yes, Allen, I was crying on the approach and couldn't get a picture.  Sorry, not sorry.  😱 Allen knows how much I love bridges.

Well, not only is the bridge over the river, high, long and a drawbridge, but I can see on my map, it is WAAAAY past the campground, and if we go over it, we will have to come around and come right.back.over the same river.  ??????  Oh.my.GAWD.  So we followed Sally's (that's the RV GPS's name) directions and back we came, back over the same river, back to the campground.  Thankfully, it was a slightly lower bridge, no shorter, but also no drawbridge grate/grid.  So now you know how we got in here, know that our *planned* route out was the Hampton Roads tunnel.  No, that's not the same as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, but it's plenty bad enough, being a bridge and tunnel combined.  I never cared for traversing it in a car, much less an RV!  We have pulled the 5th wheel through it before, and we even took the Holiday Rambler bucket o'bolts (35 footer) through it, but, THIS BIG BOY??  Oh, I am sooooo not looking forward to it.  And then we hear about the tanker truck that jacknifed and the box truck that stuck in the wall and the other 6 vehicles involved?  I shudder to think about it!  So, yeah, I'm rattled.  And I so wanted to share the peace and tranquility of last night!!  Oh, wait, there's more to today's harrowing!  Yes, yes, there's always more to the story when you're with us!

Typically, when we get to a campground, Driver goes in to register and I walk the pup.  Today was no different.  I go off to walk the pup, and when I see Driver come back to the rig, I know it's time to hightail it back and get in and buckled up.  Ummm, but first, I was told they weren't sure we would fit.  Whaaaaa?  I had specifically reserved a long pull through, 50 amps, when I asked for the reservation.  And don't forget, we have a holiday weekend in the middle here....I even called again and confirmed that we had a loooong, 50 amp pull through, for two weeks.  So to hear that they weren't sure we would fit, and they changed our site upon seeing us, was a bit disconcerting, to say the least.  We looked at the map and traveled down to the site area, weaving among the low hanging tree branches.  No problem, no one was coming out, so the one lane bridge posed no problem, nor did the hairpin turn.  But then, we got to the new site, and, boy did we have a problem.  See, the site is 92 feet long.  Ok, that's good, right?  No, because it's a CURVED site.  We do not bend in the middle, and we can't make that turn into the site or between the trees.  Driver even got out and walked the site to make sure.  And all I can think is, we have no backup plan (the bases were full; I'd already checked!), and there's a holiday weekend in the middle of our stay! So Driver thinks maybe we can make it, but we'll have to disconnect the car and tow dolly, and we may even jut out a bit into the street in the front.  Well, even more bothersome than all of that was the fact that this was a 30 amp site.  We take 50 amps.  ???? What the heck were these people trying to do to us?  I wouldn't be comfortable leaving pup alone on 30 amps, so what were we going to do? 

I'll tell you what *I* was going to do...I called back to the office to tell them they were trying to put us in a curved site, and we wouldn't fit, but the clerk cut me off and said they could put us in site II instead, and Driver knew where that was.  Well, sure, yeah, but we still have a problem, as that new site was still only 30 amps.  Once I reminded her that we were a 50 amp unit, she asked me my name again.  Nooooo, I was not Mr. Jeffries, and noooo, I don't know him!  Whoops, it seems there was a mixup!  We had site M assigned, and it was a long, 50 amp pull through, plenty long enough to accommodate us!  So now we're all set up, laundry is going, dinner is thawing, let's go back to last night's campsite, shall we?  It's peaceful and has a lovely view!

Hinnant Family Farms and Vineyards

You can click on this panorama to enlarge it some.

We even got to park on the gravel, where it was a lot more level than the grassy area they had originally set aside for us.

Here are their award winning wines inside the tasting room.

The grapes are just beginning to form on the vines

This is one of the Harvest Host locations, where you get to spend the night for free (no hookups, usually), and all they ask is that you patronize their store.  Who wouldn't want to stay here, and sip some wine??  It was a lovely store, and we did a tasting.  We did not know ahead of time that we would be charged 10 bucks for the tasting, but, hey, at least we got to keep our glasses.  I guess that's how they keep out the riff-raff.  We bought a bottle of sangria (yes, Gail, we're going to share it with you at Pride!) and a bottle of pomegranate, that we'll mix with a bit of Sprite for a light refresher if it ever warms up along the way!  There was a margarita slushie too, and it went well with our taco salads, let's just leave it at that.  😊

Let me just share one more photo with you....it's sure to bring a smile:

Yup, that's Driver, at the campground check in desk.  We had to go back up there to pay for our stay once we got settled, and the poor man just couldn't resist! Moose Tracks, one of his very favorite flavors.  He said it was pretty good, too.  

So, there you have it, our most recent adventures.  I still want to share some of our Myrtle Beach experience, but that will have to wait till next time!