Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont. 55

 9 March 2026

Hersheypark Campground

Hershey, PA

Campground welcome center.

The Welcome center includes a store where many of the Hershey chocolate factory products are available for purchase (there is also always a free sample).

Marc-  Our travel day today was about 7 hours including a stop at a wonderful quilt shop called Wilson's, Your Favorite Quilt Shop in Hagerstown, Maryland.  We got to the campground just as the campground staff were leaving.  We went to our site and discovered that the water had not been turned on (it has been freezing around here not so long ago).  Sue called security and we were reassigned a site with water (some pipes are heated). 

Our journey was marked by seeing lots of farmland and increasingly green fields and cattle herds grazing.  There were few signs of winter except for a small accumulation of snow near a parking lot and then a ski area's snow covered trails off in the distant mountains of Maryland.  When we got to PA we encountered one massive warehouse after another.  They went on for miles.

Morning fog on Interstate 81.

Spring has arrived in Western Virginia.

Once in Maryland we saw far off ski mountain trails.

We were welcomed by very nice Mennonite ladies running this shop.

Doing embroidery quilting.

Strawberries

Detailed embroidery quilting.

A excellent example of an embroidered quilt.

Incredible detailed flowers.

My favorite.

                                                                        Dresden Plate

The owls were embroidered onto this pieced quilt.

Sue - We haven't gotten tired of visiting quilt stores yet.  "Wilson's Your Favorite Quilt Shop" was gorgeous.  They had so many quilts hanging, and typically had the line of fabrics below, along with selections of fat quarters from the line, and sometimes a pattern.  All of the quilts were heavily custom quilted with an embroidery machine.  One of the ladies gave us an introduction as to how it is done.  I was blown away.  Maybe when I get better at piecing I can look into getting one of these machines.  It would be awesome to do custom quilting.

Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont. 54

8 March 2026

Claytor Lake State Park 

Dublin, Virginia   

Sue crossing the New River on the New River Trail.  

Marc- The New River State Park is linear.  It is 57 miles long encompassing the old railroad right of way and incorporating several structurally sound railroad bridges, several tunnels through solid rock, and new bridges where needed.  It also has campgrounds, parking areas, cabins and playgrounds.

We had to wait for a park ranger driving across the above bridge in a pick up truck with about 1 inch to spare on either side.  A local university cross country team waited beside us to cross.  The wait was well worth it.  This is a nice trail that passes at a slight grade where the surrounding terrain is quite hilly.  We know this since we first travelled on a portion of the Northern trail before taking the truck down to the Southern terminus of the trail to ride there.  The hilly terrain is a series of tight rolling hills requiring sharp curves in the roadways and rapid changes in elevation.  The rail trail follows the gradual descent of the New River.  We needed this exercise since we will be driving the next two days.

Former Allisonia General Store.  Now a guest house.

Former Allisonia train station.  Now an Inn.

The Rail Trail leaves the New River to follow Chestnut Creek to the Manufacturing City of Galax.

The end of the Trail in Galax.

We even found a quilt shop but it was not open today (Sunday).

Mindy Donnelly gave us this book for Christmas and it has been very helpful.

Speaking of books, check out this Little Free Library at Clayton Lake State Park.

 

Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont. 53

7 March 2026

Claytor Lake State Park 

Dublin, Virginia   

Yes we are still here.

Marc-  Fuel prices have greatly increased this week.  We have also looked at a weather window for safely returning home to Vermont between snow storms.  It looks like we will head up to Hershey, PA on Monday and back to Vergennes, VT on Tuesday during a heat wave.

This morning we headed out to visit quilt shops and revisit Mt. Airy, NC (aka Mayberry) birthplace of Andy Griffith.  

Note the temperature at 2000 feet in elevation at 09:00.  It is warmer than usual here for the time of year.

The former Floyd Elementary School is now a large quilt and sewing shop.  Also a bridal shop, upholstery and upholstery supplies, and many other crafts.

This quilt design is called "Cathedral Window"

On our way to Fancy Gap via the Blue Ridge Mountain Highway we encountered very dense for with only 20 feet of disability at times. Our second stop was the Fancy Gap Pottery and Fabric Outlet (a discount outlet type place on the Blue Ridge).

Although we did see some snow along the sides of the Blue Ridge Highway, Spring appears to have arrived in this part of Virginia.

We returned to North Carolina for lunch and a visit to Mt. Airy.

Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) and Opie Taylor (Ron Howard) going fishing.

Main Street where we found lunch at the Leon Diner.

The town has made the most of its connection to the fictitious Mayberry in the Andy Griffith Show.

Nearly all of the shops in town remain open despite the closure of nearly all of the manufacturing industry in the town.  Even the granite quarry closed after it was bought by an out of state company.

Some of the Andy Griffith Show cast.

Andy Griffith's childhood home.

Sue found the Courthouse and Police Station.

Apparently I was unruly and had to sentence myself to time in jail.

Sue spoke with the Police Department who took us both out for a ride about the town.

1963 Ford Galaxy 500 Police cruiser.

We left town and headed over the state line to Wytheville, VA and our last quilt shop of the day.

Batiks Etc & Sew What Fabrics Quilt Shop.

A tiny bit of a truly incredible assortment of beautiful fabrics on three floors.  Definitely a place we would like to visit again.

Sue - The fellow who drove us around in the squad car was a Mt. Airy native.  The town has reinvented itself with the re-creation of Mayberry.  He explained that Andy Griffith didn't like to use made up names.  He wanted to be Sheriff Taylor, but the higher ups said no, so he used his grandmother's last name, which was Taylor.  In the show they talk about going to the big city of "Mt. Pilot," and there is a Pilot Mountain near by.  Andy had a close friend by the name of Emmett from Mt. Airy, and he had a friend named Emmett in the show.  There was someone named Otis in town, and someone with the last name of Campbell, and the town drunk in the show was named Otis Campbell.  The show ran from 1960-1968.

In addition to the granite quarry that was mined way back when, there was a lot of furniture making in Mt. Airy.  Andy felt he was destined for the furniture factory, but didn't want that.  He bought a used trombone and was mentored in music and in life by the pastor of the local Moravian Church.  This church is a popular denomination of Protestantism in this area.  In fact, according to AI, the Moravian Church is one of the oldest Protestant denominations, founded in 1457 in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic) following the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who predated Luther by 60 years.  It emphasizes a personal relationship with Jesus, community life, and the motto:  "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love."  With about 1 million members globally, the church is known for its liturgical, music-filled worship, and trombone choirs.

Andy went to UNC on a scholarship.  He visited Mt. Airy all his life.  He moved his parents out to LA when they were in their 70s (he was an only child).  He lived in Roanoke, NC at the end of his life and is buried there.  He died at age 86.