Day 3
Wed 27th June - 38281 Mid Virginia
Good Sam recommended a garage close by. Drove down impossibly steep hill in lowest gear to giant Truck Stop and threaded through giant parked rigs to the guy who explained we were too small a vehicle for truck services. Sent us to a small place down the road where they had lunch before dismantling the back end and thoroughly checking it out for $32. Suggested the hand brake may have unrusted itself. Smiles and life stories all round and onward with a lighter heart and a cooler wheel, bullied up the highway by SUVs before a difficult hairpin climb back onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. Head for Meadows of Dan because of the name. George gets lost a lot but country folk here stop to make sure we are ok when we U turn.
Continuing beautiful drive - fairly empty road which is good since we’re the slowest thing on it. Not getting very far - feeling this could take a long time. Countryside very similar (but beautiful of course).
Meadows of Dan is a small slow hick hamlet with an eclectic general store and cheap petrol.
More snowbirds at rv park living in a homemade box on the back of a truck. We admire their lack of friction. They appear to ignore eachother even whilst in conversation. I light a fire which attracts a zombie group of old people who exchange grandchildren stories with us. They are all perfectly coiffed. Got better at wheel levelling. Slept marginally better once I turned 180 degrees to put head higher than feet. Civilised tent sites here - they all have electricity. Lisa’s camera battery runs out - recharger back in MD. 15 mpg but petrol getting cheaper.