#10 2 Months, 7 States and Covid-19

It’s been over 200 days. Everything has run smoothly, we have met wonderful people along the way and have seen many fantastic places. All has gone according to our loose plan, that is until the Corona crisis threw a spanner in the works. We shouldn’t complain though because it has all worked out well for us and we have found many blessings in disguise. More about that later…

It was mid March when we began to realise how serious the pandemic was. Things started to change. Campgrounds were closing, restaurants and tourist attractions too, and our Swiss friends who were due to meet us at the beginning of April could no longer follow through with their trip. We began to reflect on how it would affect us. Because we were fortunate to have been granted a year’s visa back in October (instead of the six-month one they usually issue), going back home did not cross our minds. We were in Atlanta at the time, still failing to grasp how crazy things were about to become. Whilst most of Downtown was shutting down, World of Coca-Cola wasn’t, and we thought we’d take advantage of that. Who would have thought that two months on, that would still be our last tourist attraction to visit. It was great by the way.

But let’s start where we left off last time, driving up the Atlantic coast to Savannah in Georgia. We were very impressed by this small historic city. We spent two nights urban wild camping and were pleasantly surprised by the free parking the city centre had to offer on weekends. We enjoyed our stroll along the River Street, the vibe was laid back and live music was playing in the squares. Lunch was had at the famous ‘Chef’s Table’ restaurant, ‘The Grey’, and our visit there did not disappoint! An absolute must-eat and a great highlight to our Savannah trip. We would love to return.

We stayed at Boondockers Welcome hosts both along the way and in Atlanta, greetings to Ken and Anne, and Jim 🙂 With a stop of course to Georgia’s most famous landmark, ‘Stone Mountain’. The iconic rock is a giant granite monzonite boulder, the size of Ayers Rock (please don’t quote us on that…you get the idea) and we hiked all the way up to the tippy top, declining the temptation of riding the Swiss-made cable car. It was fun!

Zoe turned one on March 13th and being crazy about animals, we wanted to spoil her with a special trip to a farm; ‘Pettit Creek Farm’ in Cartersville, Georgia. We had booked a private tour and Zoe’s dreams came true as she confidently fed the camels, zebras and the Giraffe. Needless to say, she had a great time and to top it all off, she indulged in ice-cream cake….mmm!

To conclude our time in Georgia, another gem (or rather gold nugget) was to be found: Meet Tad and Glenda. This wonderful couple let us stay on their property with their extended family, giving us a fun time and introducing us to Dahlonega, where the second Gold Rush of the US took place, back in 1829. In fact, their house was built on a former gold mine. Thanks again guys. We are sure glad Georgia was on our mind.

After Georgia, heading into South Carolina, things got a little rocky! Not only was the pandemic worsening but we found out that our fresh water holding tank was leaking and needed replacing. In addition to this, the BBQ trail that we hoped to explore was no longer an option (because restaurants were closing down for dining), and all campgrounds were shut. Luckily our free camping spot along the Chatooga River (where the classic Bert Reynolds movie ‘Deliverance’ was filmed) was a hit. We even received fresh trout from the fishermen camping near by.

We drove through North Carolina into East Tennessee and found another hidden gem; South Holston Lake. We spent an entire week, sheltering in place, camping primative style, filtering water taken from the lake and showering there too, thank goodness we hit a warm spell! Richie was able to take out the broken water tank and draw a blueprint for a new and bigger one. It was during this time, that we arranged for a replacement to be custom made by a friend of our good buddy Roland in Phoenix, thank you so much Victor and Roland! Luckily we had planned to visit our friend, Kaitlin in Virginia the following week and therefore had an address for the tank to be shipped to. We made use of this opportunity, also ordering a box to be mounted to the camper and many other bits and bobs. It wasn’t all work though. Zoe had fun observing hundreds of mating toads in an array of colours, we enjoyed a campfire each night (including a bread making session), and Richie did a spot of fishing too!

Even though the local ‘Hilbillies’ didn’t seem too phased by the Corona crisis, we were a little worried about our upcoming five hour drive to Nellysford, Virginia, since the ‘Stay at Home orders’ were in effect. Getting around, however, was never an issue and our journey was beautiful! It appeared that in Virginia, Spring had sprung! The hills were a lush bright green and everything was in bloom.

Our time with Kaitlin amongst the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains was wonderful. We took daily hikes, shared great meals and were able to go for a sightseeing drive to check out the area. Zoe enjoyed moving around a house again and playing with new toys. Our new water tank arrived and all the amazon orders too! Yay! Thanks Kaitlin for having us. Virginia is very charming and ‘for lovers’ of course! Next time, we must tour all the breweries, cideries, wineries and distilleries. 🙂

Our initial plan was to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway along the Appalachian mountains entering New York, New England and eventually Canada. However, due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in New York City, everything being closed, and the border to Canada being shut, this was no longer possible. Just a reason to come back another time. So…we decided to head out West…Wild West again. Luckily the US is huge and has so much to offer. How about Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado and Utah for the summer?

We pretty much made a beeline to Ohio, where we had friends, on both east and west of Columbus, that had kindly invited us to stay with them. On our way there we crossed West Virginia. As we only spent one night there (by another river…hooray for dispersed camping), we didn’t get to know West Virginia too well, other than the fact that it was pure rural ground. Hill after hill, farm after farm, forest after forest and the odd ‘Family Dollar’ here and there.

We arrived at our first Ohio destination, in Somerset, at Brian and Alicia’s. Spring for us seemed to have been put on hold and the rain made its appearance! The nights went below freezing once again. It was nice to have another warm, cosy house to hide out in and of course spend more time with good friends. As luck would have it, Brian works with metal. During our stay, we were able to put his skilled and dexterous hands to work. What a great craftsman he is. Together, Richie and Brian got the new water tank installed within a day! We had access to water again, even more water and are now fully functional. Goodbye bottles! Although the weather was stormy and cold, we shared warm hearty meals together, enjoyed some good jamming sessions and some girlie movie nights (Abigail and Alicia). It appears that we also sprinkled some travelling magic dust on our friends, for just before we left, they purchased a caravan! Wahoo! We are so looking forward to meeting up with them somewhere out West.

In the following two weeks, we were able to park our rig at Ruby and Mike’s 90 acre farm in New Carlisle. Dinner was ready upon arrival and our first task that evening was to assemble the cowboy fire place, we called the ‘Fire-Square’. We felt at home immediately.

Days were spent helping out on the farm, making good use of the big kitchen, with many bake-offs to be had, and Zoe letting loose in several barns and rooms. The play area was like entering a toy museum from the eighties. Our little munchkin was very excited. Richie got a lot done too. He serviced the truck, conducting an oil change, and washing it by hand. He worked on the camper, modifying Zoe’s bedroom area; making a set of shelves (thanks again Bob for the wood), mounting the Max-Tracks (sand boards to the recently bolted down box on the rear of the camper), and attached a plexi glass to our screen door to make it more secure for Zoe. All is now in mint condition and ready for the next few months of exploring.

There was lots of time for some play too. Richie and the boys did some Clay Pigeon Shooting and went quad-biking, and whilst the kids played with one another, the girls got stuck into some pampering…with Abigail even getting a hair cut (thanks again Caryn)! Most days ended with a long, relaxing soak in the hot tub, it was bliss. Meals were shared together daily and we felt very much part of the family. As you can imagine, it was very difficult to leave. We’ve left with wonderful memories, lots of new clothes and toys for Zoe and even a travel playpen. Thank you so much Bonham family. We will meet again.

We were back on the road again and upon Ruby and Mike’s recommendation, we backtracked a little and drove to Amish country north of Columbus, where the worldwide biggest Amish and Mennonite communities live. We spent two days observing from a far, the comings and goings of these calm, reverential folk. As the Amish originally came from Switzerland and southern Germany (during the 18th century due to religious persecution in Europe), it was of no surprise to hear a German dialect being spoken. In fact there were so many similarities between this area and our home country. As we drove around their farms, Richie felt like he was delivering again for OHS, the only difference being the horses and ploughs instead of tractors and combine harvesters. It could have easily been the 1700’s, after-all the Amish refuse to use modern technology (although, E-bikes seem to be the latest hit).

We passed places with names like Fryburg and streets called Zürcherstrasse, and houses with names like Heini’s Cheese Chalet. Speaking of cheese, we helped ourselves to some delicious smoked Guggisberg Swiss cheese at Walnut Creek. Zoe’s highlight was the world’s biggest cuckoo clock in Sugar Creek, otherwise known as ‘The Little Switzerland of Ohio’.

Ironically, the last two months have been rather social for us. We live on the road and depend on campgrounds, parks and public places to be open. It is here where we restock on water, dump our grey and black tanks and legally spend our nights. With these options becoming scarce, we were very pleased to accept the invitation to shelter in the homes of others. Unlike some parts of the world, America has still given us a significant amount of freedom; the roads have remained open and shops such as ‘Camping World’ and ‘Home Depot’ too.

Our hearts go out to people who are suffering or are deeply affected by the corona outbreak and of course to other travellers that are stuck right now. Other than a few shortages in supermarkets (unfortunately the meat aisle being one of them), and a few changes to our route, we have been very fortunate during these testing times. Things are already beginning to reopen, state by state. We hope that things will get back to normal soon and this Corona virus will be behind us! It is freedom that we value the most, that’s why we seek such a lifestyle after all. Travel while you can, you never know when borders may suddenly close down.

Meat you out West, thanks for reading!