The Boomer Chronicles

Did you know there was a diesel shortage down here in the South? No, we didn’t either. We’ve pulled our rig into a few gas stations to fill up and have found that the diesel pumps are emblazoned with signs that read “No Gas.” Also, on the subject of gas, we topped off our propane supply today. An employee at the RV park filled us up this morning. We need propane to cook and to run one of our heaters and the fridge. By the way, I took a shower in the RV and ran out of hot water halfway through. One day, I’ll figure it out.

We drove a few miles to that famous Monument to Excess, the Biltmore Estate, home of the Vanderbilt family from 1895 to 1957. It is the largest home in America, with 250 rooms. A small percentage are open to the public. The grounds were gorgeous and we darted through the palatial rooms in record time. (Click on the pic above for a view from one of the balconies.) Did you know news reporter Anderson Cooper is a Vanderbilt?

We also visited the winery and enjoyed a nice Cabernet Sauvignon before lunch. We went to the barnyard and met some baby goats and pigs and a blacksmith who comes from a family of seven generations of blacksmiths. We also heard a bluegrass duo (one half of the duo is in the photo below). In the parking lot, we met a Biltmore Estate employee who drives a shuttle bus there. She was admiring our Roadtrek RV, so we invited her in. She loved it and hopes to get one like it when she retires in a few years.

We drove straight down Route 40 East, found a truck stop that had diesel for us and stopped for the night in the little town of Mocksville, North Carolina, at an RV community that is filled with RVs that are essentially homes. There were front porches on these trailers, and Halloween decorations all over the place, and the trailers actually had mailboxes. I made a pasta and string beans dinner in the RV and we ate at the picnic table. Then we strolled around and chatted with some of the regulars in the park.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 8:00 pm and is filed under RV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.