Man In The Maze

by Rich Luhr, Editor of Airstream Life magazine

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You are here: Home / Airstream / From the Moon to Winchester

Sep 23 2010

From the Moon to Winchester

We had intended our courtesy parking stop in Columbia MD to be a very relaxing time.  An old friend and co-worker let us block most of her driveway with the Airstream, so we had a nice spot in a suburban neighborhood with an electric cord running into the garage for three nights.

But it wasn’t very relaxing after the first night, when Eleanor made dinner for everyone.  The next day things got away from me (work-wise) and I ended up running back and forth to the local Fedex Kinko’s and worrying about mail that was supposed to have arrived but didn’t.  The next day we had a series of frustrations, culminating in a really terrible haircut for me (I now look as if I’ve recently had chemotherapy), my glasses spontaneously breaking, and Emma losing her beloved Kindle.  So most of our visit was not particularly relaxing, but at least we were in a place where we could deal with it.  Time will fix the bad hair, and large quantities of money will eventually fix the glasses and Kindle.  We’ll live.  Our hosts had their own hassles too, so there was plenty of commiserating going on.

columbia-md-ee-moon-fest.jpg

On our last night Eleanor and Emma did their usual Moon Festival stuff, which includes making “moon water” and putting a tray of round things out under the full moon.  Note the very bright planet of Jupiter shining just below the Harvest Moon, visible even near major urban lights.

On the short 95-mile trip from Columbia to Winchester, we paused at Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park just to check out the situation.  We knew we didn’t have time for a proper visit, and once we got to the Visitor Center we realized that even a cursory visit would take hours.  The park is gigantic, spread across nearby lands and towns.  You take a shuttle bus from the Visitor Center to various locales, each of which takes anywhere from one to six hours to explore.  This looks like a really great park for a fall visit some year, and I am sure we will eventually be back, but this just wasn’t our chance.  Not only was the heat and humidity reaching oppressive levels (this late in September!) but we have — alas — a schedule to keep.  At least our visit gave us the chance to replace our expired “America The Beautiful” Inter-agency Pass (good for national parks, forests, and other public lands).

There’s not a lot of camping in the area, except for the super-deluxe KOA that is conveniently next door. It’s not cheap but it does look very good.  We dropped in to use the dump station ($5) and refill our water, then pressed on to Winchester VA, where we will spend the next three days attending the Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s “StarFest 2010”.  It’s sort of like the WBCCI International Rally, but for Mercedes enthusiasts.

winchester-va-airstream-parked.jpgOf course, not having rolling homes with them, the Mercedes crowd books into a hotel.  After pondering our options for a while, we have decided to join them for a change.  So the Airstream is parked in the back of the hotel where we can see it from our room, taking up six parking spaces.  We have converted the hotel room into a sort of quasi-Airstream by requesting a microwave and hauling in food, clothes, computers, etc. — in other words, we’re trying to make a hotel room as comfortable as our Airstream.  It’s a tall order. There’s really nothing as convenient as having your home behind you, your own food in the fridge, complete cooking & bathing facilities, no need to pack and unpack, etc., but you knew that already.

Written by RichLuhr · Categorized: Airstream, Current Events, National Parks

Comments

  1. Lou says

    September 23, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Too bad they won’t just let you plug in somewhere in the parking lot and eliminate the hassle of moving in and out. We had heard that there are a few motels/hotels that will do that for a fee. Sorry to hear that you were hassled.

  2. Mike Young says

    September 23, 2010 at 3:15 pm

    Have you ever stopped at the various Civil War battlefield sites. You just passed two of the most famous: Gettysburg, where the tide of war turned, and Antietam, where the war might have ended years earlier?

    Harper’s Ferry is the industrial history of the U.S. in one place. Quite amazing that so much happened that mattered to much in so small a place. One of the more under-appreciated places in U.S. history I suppose.

  3. jane says

    September 23, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    well at least eleanor figured out the fine art of breaking into houses so i didn’t have to spend hours in 95 degree heat today. it was great having you and your airstream (and of course E&E) stay with us. had some more of Eleanors great cooking leftovers tonight. Tomorrow will be the leftover Indian. Keep us posted on how the rest of your trip goes. We will always have a driveway for you.

  4. Nancy says

    September 23, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    FYI you are only 15 miles from the National Sheepdog Finals. The semi finals and the double lift finals are Sunday. The best in North America will be seen. Can you believe the dogs are running in this 90 plus heat! You are in luck, it’s supposed to break Friday night.

  5. Martha-Sofie says

    September 25, 2010 at 1:56 pm

    You are living the dream I’ve had for many years, and will make happen as soon as I am able.

    I live a few miles from Gettysburg, and am sorry to have missed a chance to visit with you in Maryland. Didn’t discover your blog until today.

    Best wishes to you and family on this great adventure you’ve undertaken.

  6. Rich Charpentier says

    September 26, 2010 at 9:20 pm

    Remember the haircut I got in Salem, OR back in 06′? Yeah, fits the description of the one you got. 🙂

    Be safe all!

  7. dave.gt says

    September 30, 2010 at 6:11 am

    Rich,

    Just wondering if you solved the spare tire issue yet…the good folks at Starfest should have been able to come up with suitable solution…

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