to Mt. Airy, NC (9/22/2015)

This morning we finally, and reluctantly, left Ken and Marilyn's house -- our campground for 6 days.  We had a great time here, and it is certainly possible that we will return some year.  But they really need to level out that driveway!  You can see that our back wheels aren't even touching the ground, and yesterday's rain let our auxiliary step sink into the yard a little more, making that first step pretty tough.

They all had a busy day today, so we said our goodbyes to them and they left for appointments, then we pulled out, about 9:20.  We decided to forego the Poplar Forest museum, the site of Thomas Jefferson's summer home, which was literally just down the street.  But we thought it would make us have such a late start that we will save that for our next visit.  Driving out of their subdivision, I finally got a picture of the sign they use for their slow-down bumps.

It was cloudy this morning, and once we got onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, we encountered a lot of fog, sometimes so thick it was very difficult to see the side of the road, much less any scenic views.  But when it cleared, we had some pretty scenery.  This scene looked like a picture postcard. 

 The leaves are just beginning to turn, but occasionally we would get to see a little color.

We also came upon a large pumpkin patch -- almost ready to pick.

We got on the Parkway about 10:25 a.m., at Mile Post 106, where we got off it last week.  Last week, we didn't see any wildlife.  But today we saw 5 turkeys and 20 deer, so that was a successful day!  We crossed the North Carolina state line about 2:00 p.m.  Joe remembered Paul Croxton telling us a couple years ago that North Carolina's fuel was expensive, so Joe found a gas station in Virginia, within sight of the Welcome to North Carolina state sign, and fueled the RV for $1.999.  Sure enough, North Carolina's gas was $2.11 and $2.09.

Joe mentioned Andy Griffith's Mayberry, and I said I thought it was in North Carolina, but I had no idea where.  So I did a voice search on my SmartPhone and found out it was at Mt. Airy, which was only about 20 miles up the road (about 6 miles off the Parkway).  We had stopped for lunch at Mabry Mill, right on the Parkway, about 12:30, and he said he wanted to drive about 3 more hours, but that all changed when we decided to stop in Mt. Airy.  There was even a Mayberry Campground that was Passport America (half price), so that all worked, and since I'm feeling pretty crummy with my cold, I certainly wasn't opposed to calling it an early day. This is actually a nice campground, very roomy, full hookups, nice grassy areas between camp sites.

 So we got off the road about 2:30, having driven 153 miles.  While Joe set up the RV, I laid down and finally took a short nap.  About 5:15, we decided to drive into town and see what we could see, knowing that the museum and most stores would have closed.  We passed a few tobacco fields, and a brushy area right by the interstate with beautiful red bushes.  I don't know what they are, or if they bloom all fall, but they were certainly pretty.

Our car (and RV) are both filthy after driving on the Parkway today, after yesterday's rain and in today's fog, so we pulled into a carwash and got the car cleaned up.  Unfortunately, the RV won't fit.  We found the Andy Griffith Museum, and caught sight of Barney's squad car in front of us.  We saw it parked on Main Street a little later.  We parked and walked up Main Street for a block, but everything was closed except Opie's Candy Shop.

Main Street, Mt. Airy (Mayberry)

We found a neat bear, a photo of Andy and Opie, but it wasn't a very good likeness.  At the end of the street, there was a neat little city park that seemed like a good fit for Main Street.

We decided this was worth another trip in tomorrow, so we hope to go in some of the shops, find the Old Jail,  Wally's Service Station, etc.  They offer Squad Car Tours, but we will probably skip that.  Then we will either spend another night here, or get back on the Parkway and continue on.  Joe thinks he's getting my cold, so we may just stay put and try to get to feeling better.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.