We love camping at Sherando, but it’s not always easy to get a site. There are two “loops” with electricity: C-loop is a reserve-in-advance section, and the other, B-loop (our favorite), is a first-come-first-served loop. We didn’t reserve ahead of time, but we knew there were possibly 3 sites opening in B on Wednesday. Gambling that he’d be able to get one, Wayne drove over that morning and was able to reserve a site. He then drove back home (a 50-mile round trip!) so we could finish packing the car and trailer.
Our tow vehicle (a 2016 Kia Sorento, rated to tow 5000 pounds) did okay pulling the trailer up and over Afton Mountain on I-64, and this was good news, indeed. We were concerned about how it would do after its miserable performance towing on Rt. 250 West, which is much, much steeper. Once we were over the mountain, the car handled the trailer beautifully, and it didn’t take us too long to get set up at Sherando in site # B-4.
Like most of the sites in B loop, our site was perfectly level and wonderfully woodsy!
In retrospect, we should have headed straight for the lake, but after the rush to get a site and get set up, it felt good to simply kick back and relax. Wayne dozed in a chair under the awning, and I stretched out on the bed and took a nap.
That evening we fixed a simple summer dinner of corn on the cob and watermelon, and when we cleaned up, I used a special dish towel that one of my cousins gave me. 🙂
We started a fire as the long June day slowly turned to night….
(Editing to add that as we were sitting by the fire, I heard something walking towards us through the woods. Yikes! With all the warnings about bears, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I turned the flashlight on and pointed it towards the sound! Thankfully, no bear, but one of the biggest raccoons I’ve ever seen in my life!! It boldly ran between our site and the one next to us. Later, we heard first one and then a full chorus of coyotes howling. It sounded like they were somewhere around the upper lake.)
We slept late Thursday morning and then spent a leisurely morning at the campground before trekking into town to get some supplies. We planned to go to the lake when we got back, but the weather had different ideas. Since the storm looked pretty severe on radar–and the wind was picking up–we folded up the awning and went inside. I stretched out on the bed and listened to the rain pattering on the roof of the trailer, very thankful that we weren’t in a tent!
It stormed on and off for a couple of hours, and when the sun finally came out, it was time to start dinner. Again keeping it simple, we had eggs scrambled with onions, potatoes, and cheddar cheese.
Delicious!
After dinner, my cousin, Mary, and her husband joined us for do-it-yourself dessert. 🙂
I’m so glad that Mary and David could visit for a bit! We always enjoy seeing them (and it was a good excuse to make S’mores!) 🙂
Yeah. We’re happy campers. 🙂
After they left–the gates to the park close at 10 pm–Wayne got out his guitar and picked for a while until the fire burned down and the night turned surprisingly cool. It actually felt good to crawl into bed under a sheet and a blanket!
We were up early Thursday morning, wishing we could stay another day! It was so, so pretty, but we needed to start for home.
The Kia got us back across the mountain with pretty good power and speed (it’s less steep crossing Afton Mt. from west to east than east to west), and we came home to temperatures in the mid-90s–ugh–and then another storm.
I’m so glad we were able to do a 2-night camping trip to Sherando–even if we never got a chance to go to the lake!–and we’re already looking at maps and talking about where we want to go next! 🙂
love your pictures.. and loved spending some time with you and Wayne last night..
We enjoyed seeing you and David, too! So glad you were able to come up for a while!
Looks so wonderful and beautiful. Good to “see” you and Wayne, and Mary and David. <3
We really enjoyed this little get-away! Hope to go somewhere again in a week or so!
Looks like fun. Glad Mary and David could visit.
Definitely a nice mini-vacation. 🙂