Three days of sun and sand at the Outer Banks was an excellent experience. But Wednesday morning (4/27) Ollie and I said farewell to the coast (at least for a while) and the warm weather (maybe for good, but hopefully not) and made our way up through Virginia and to the Washington D.C. area. The drive was not too long, only about 230 miles, but there was a lot of construction, and traffic, and a good bit of city driving as well. I’ve not yet learned to enjoy any of those things when pulling a trailer.

We spent Wednesday night at Port City Brewing, which is in the middle of the city of Alexandria, VA. It was a Harvest Host location, and although the parking lot and site were pretty industrial, the employees and the patrons of the place were all very friendly to both me and Ollie. I spent a few hours on their patio sampling their beers and had food delivered from a local place that donates generously to stray animals. The Dead Dog Cafe has a noble mission albeit an unfortunate name.

Wednesday night was the typical crappy sleep that occurs when I’m not able to put the slide out on the trailer and I have to sleep on the converted dining room table. I did figure out how to arrange the cushions a bit better, so it was a definite improvement over the discomfort of the first night in Tennessee. The temperature had taken a marked turn downward in the one day and 200-odd miles northward we had come, and we were freezing in the 30’s overnight. Such is the life of a pioneer.

Yesterday we were on the road early for the short drive to Gettysburg, and then the 30 miles beyond it to Gifford Pinchot State Park, our campground. After camp was set we headed back to Gettysburg sans trailer and did a little driving tour of the area. We even managed to get in a short trail walk before turning in for the night. A delicious serving of microwaved Ramen noodles with sliced turkey was the evening fare.

Thanks to the space heater I brought along and being tired from a long day, I had the best sleep I’ve had in recent memory last night. Today was a kind of “off” day”: puttering around the campsite until almost noon, then a trip into Harrisburg for groceries and other supplies, then some time by the lake for hiking and Ollie recreation. On the way to Harrisburg, I came across the cutest little independent drive-in on a back road. It’s called Forry’s Drive In, and it serves the typical old-time drive-in stuff: Burgers, chicken strips, sandwiches, and soft-serve ice cream in a variety of flavors. It was awesome. I decided on an early dinner and had a burger, fries, and a shake and of course they were perfect.

Tomorrow I’m going to leave Ollie in the trailer for the first extended time on the trip and go into Gettysburg and really see it. I expect he’ll be alone for most of the day, but he should be okay. He doesn’t bark, and there’s really no trouble he can get into unless he breaks into my refrigerator and drinks my beer. Tonight we will just sit around the campfire and drink beer and wine in direct violation of Pennsylvania state laws. Don’t tell anyone.