Nov 13 - Raccoon Valley to York SC

Day broke bright and clear and cold... 36 degrees here a few mile north of Knoxville TN. Hopped out of bed, fired up the furnace, switched on the engine block heater to start warming the fifteen hundred pounds of cold Cummins steel, and started a pot of coffee before slipping back between the sheets. Total elapsed time of less than a minute.

After things warmed a bit we got serious about final preps for moving and had the bus-house on the road at 10:30am. Stopped for fuel just east of Knoxville (3.83 diesel) and continued on I-40 toward Asheville NC. Between Knoxville and Asheville the road follows a narrow gorge through the mountains cut by the Pigeon River. A 4 lane divided highway fits, but just barely, in the narrowest stretch that extends for maybe 30 or 40 miles. There are no high passes or steep grades, but plenty of twists and turns that keep the speed of trucks and fat old RVs like ours below 50 for much of that portion.

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Even though many, maybe even most, of the trees have dropped their leaves there was a surprising amount and variety of fall color that made for a very enjoyable drive.

At Asheville we dropped south on I-26 until crossing the border into South Carolina where we left the Interstate and followed state highways for the last 50 miles. About 4pm we arrived at the home of our good friends Tim and Chris.

This is the third time we've been here with the bus-house so we've got the process down. Their house is in a wooded area but there happens to be a clearing along the long driveway back to the house. Dubbed "the meadow', we found it's possible, with some effort and driving aplomb, to squeeze the bus-house into that clearing. By running a long extension cord or two, we even have enough power to keep the batteries charged and run a coffee pot. I mean... what else does one need?

We hope our guests will allow us to stay until after Thanksgiving next week. We'll be working on projects around their house, as well as a project or two on the bus-house. We'll have a great time regardless.