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Highland haven airstream park9/12/2023 ![]() ![]() Driving through Cherokee, NC I stopped to fill up the gas tank – well the diesel tank in my case. When I turned onto 441, I flashed my lights to thank them.Ĥ41 is called “The Smoky Mountain Parkway”. When they pulled into a rest area, I did too. They were obviously working together, and they knew these roads, so I continued to follow. In front of him was another truck pulling a trailer with a front end loader on it. When I could barely see the road, I ended up behind a pickup pulling a large water tank on a trailer. I’ve been in the mountains all day, and the rain wasn’t helping. I’m still not sure what I was supposed to do. In Asheville, I missed a turn and had to go into a Home Depot to turn around and get new directions. I turned onto 220 south with the rains still coming. At a rest stop, I laid down for a 1-hour nap. When I am in heavy rains like this, I follow a truck, and when I stop following, I flash my headlights or tap my brake lights to thank them for their help. It’s like a running back getting behind a 6’6. Whenever I am driving through a city, I follow a truck. They put up with poor car drivers entering the highway at too slow a speed, or changing lanes right in front of them. They deliver to every store, merchant, gas station and post office. I have the greatest respect for truck drivers. It took me forever to learn how they made those brake lights flash, but without slowing down. Actually, they put on their flashers for a second or two. If you let them into your lane, they flash their brake lights to thank you. They blink their lights to let you into their lane. They move into the left lane when passing a disabled truck on the shoulder. If you pull a trailer, you appreciate their professionalism, their knowledge of the roads and their ability to drive in all kinds of weather. If you are a car driver, you curse the trucks that are slow uphill and fast downhill. My strategy is to get behind a tractor trailer and follow at a distance that allows stopping, but where I can see his lights. Sometimes the rains were so heavy, traffic slowed to 45mph. Still, it winds through the mountains to Statesville, where I turned onto I40 west, and into the storm I went. Still, I could see the majority of the big storm was to my west. One hand seemed to be constantly changing the windshield wiper speed. ![]() The rains became harder and would continue the entire drive, sometimes hard, sometimes light. Surely it would be more fun to drive when I have more time and it isn’t raining. ![]() I have never driven 221, but it’s beautiful country with lovely, mountain farmland and quaint, little towns. It’s a beautiful spot with wonderful views looking west. When someone is not there, you can rent a site for the very reasonable fee of $35 with full hookups. I thought about Virginia Highland Haven Campground, which is an Airstream only campground that is owned by its campers. 221 south through the cute little town of Floyd, famous for its country music. I got up at 4:00, read for a while until daylight, then hooked up, filled the water tank and got on the road at 8:00. I drank a half bottle of wine listening to music of Andrew Loyd Webber turned up loud while making a salad. This campground is known for its spectacular sunsets, but I wasn’t going to see it tonight. It is not an easy drive to Highland Haven, especially in the rain, but I arrived and met campground hostess, Nancy, and pulled into site 26. I went down 29, which is pleasant enough. ![]() It’s a 7-8-hour drive to the Smokies from Charlottesville, depending on how you go and where you are going, but Martha wanted me to break it up, so I booked a night in Highland Haven Campground outside Roanoke. ![]()
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