America IS beautiful.,,,did anyone else notice?

Monday evening, Stanton, VA

Yesterday, when it was time to leave Loogootee, IN, I got directions from my trucker friend. Then I thought about my route options and checked my phone's gps system for ideas. In the end I chose to take a route that though easterly, took me through rural towns instead of the quick highway route.  When I pulled into a typical gas station to use the restroom, I was surprised to find a meat market complete with steaks inside....according to the manager, there was a local meat market across the street for years.  When the economy got bad a few years ago, the owner couldn't afford to keep the shop open.  Locally famous for his wieners and sausages as well as his homegrown steaks, the locals were greatly disappointed to lose a part of their hometown heritage.  The gas station owner offered Wolf''s meat market a small refridgerated case inside the deli section of the store.  What a great story of support for his community. Of course, I bought something to share at my next stop (which by the way will be in Virginia) and put it on ice.

I spent last nite parked at a WalMart in West Virginia.  Sometimes, after I set up for the night, I will go inside and walk around more for excersize than for shopping. After visiting so many stores, I hardly need to buy anything.While walking around I heard a loud clap of thunder and then the sound of a terrential downpour....darn, I remembered that I had left both of my rear slider windows partly opened.  The rain must have blown in in one direction only because one window sill was bone dry while the other was dripping. No harm done. I finished up my Sunday blog and posted it and then relaxed.  I heard some noises during the night and assumed it was a generator for someone's RV....check out the setup these vacationing RVers used at a WalMart.  Incredible and creative.  I guess they really did have all the comforts of home.

We really do have a beautiful country here in the United States.  I've been driving through Kentucky and West Virginia today. I made a good decision to ask my GPS to take me around a toll today, not because of money, I was kind of bored with highway driving. The route the gps took me on was a beautiful one lane curvy road beside a river. 7 simple, simply gorgeous country miles after hours of highway driving. Good decision. 

I stopped at a rest area with beautiful picnic tables just inside Virginia. Given my severe and multiple food allergies, and my budget of course, I have been toying with the idea of going back to living as a raw foodist, I love raw food.  It helped me in so many ways. I'm working out my kinks of life and the wierdness of returning to the US. I am finding Lesa again...I don't know if she was really lost...just , well....part of this road trip is about tying up some loose ends.  Anyway, I still want hot food sometimes and the last time I worked on being healthier, I was too strict, so I have plain baked potates and hot coffee and steamed brocolli and sometimes, I even go out to dinner in a restraunt and try to have some safe for my allergies food.  While driving yesterday, I was craving a baked potato.  No Wendy's in the area, not wanting to go to a steak house,..anyway, today I bought a 12 volt lunch box cooker and I promptly washed up a sweet potato, put it into the little foil pan that came in the box. Plugged it in and drove for a bit more than an hour...lunch was great. I used the blue tooth headset and made a few phone calls while I ate.

I'm setting up at a truck stop tonight. I am a little early for my next stop. Now if I can just get enough signal to upload a few pictures.

It was too noisy at the truck stop so I left and headed toward Charlottesville and wouldn't you know it would start raining with lightening just when I am coming down Afton Mountain... I didn't have a panic attack.  Thats progress.  Its getting dark. I pulled in a rest area.  I have a cell signal.  Now i am calling it a nite.