6/7/13: Friday, June 7: And…We're Rolling Again! I had to give up on my baby-wipe baths briefly as I couldn't get the danged wipes out of the package. Then I discovered that most of the package had frozen solid. The temperature gradient from the front to the back of this tiny, 1.5 cu ft Dometic fridge is pretty steep! Cold wipes were great in sizzling Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee, but  in this chilly, rainy weather near the Blue Ridge, I might as well keep the wipes where they can't freeze at all.

   Funny thing: All of a sudden about a week ago, I lost my taste for coffee. The very thought of it made me queasy. I switched to black tea, and that first cup of tea, with cream and sweetener, was pure ambrosia. I'm still drinking tea! I wonder why that happened?

   LATER, 5:58 PM: It looks as if the weather, thanks to post-tropical storm Andrea, will continue rainy into Tuesday, dammit. Andrea, how could you do this to me?!

   The GPS unit led me uphill and down, around curve after curve, on wet two-lane highways often designated for 55 mph. The lanes were narrow -- looking like a pair of long, black shoelaces -- the shoulders frequently non-existent. I could only hope I was headed for I81, as I generally had no idea where I was, though it was quite green and pretty. But I kept my speed down to what Maybelline and I could handle, which meant checking the rear-view mirror often to see if there was someone else's windshield there, a windshield with a display of one to three angry faces. When I could, I pulled over to let them pass.

   Now, looking at the AAA state map, I see it took me on old U.S. Hwy. 221 through North Carolina's West Jefferson and Jefferson (apparently Thomas Jefferson's father, Peter Jefferson, was part of the party that surveyed the area around Boone) to Virginia's Independence. From there I continued (unwittingly) on U.S. 221 and 58 to State Route 94, and on 94 through Fries and Ivanhoe to I81 just west of Fort Chiswell. I followed 81 to a turnoff in Roanoke that was accompanied by a heavy shower and choked with traffic due to a 3-car accident, sad to say. And here I are!

   So I'm in a Super 8 motel in Roanoke, VA, tonight (no Motel 6s around this area). After having set up camp and then broken it down in the rain in Boone, I couldn't face that again, especially the mud. Mr. Su's leveling blocks work better than the plastic ones I bought, but his are wood, and now they're soggy and muddy. Maybe I'll be braver tomorrow -- I'll see.

   CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! According to their weather statistics, these places (the U.S. Far East) not only get a lot of rain, but per month, THEY GET MORE IN THE SUMMER THAN IN SPRING, FALL, AND WINTER. This is so upside-down!