This is Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle. Have you ever had to change your plans? Like when unexpected company shows up and you have to rearrange your schedule? Well, that is what has happened to us this week. Someone named Florence decided that she was going to blow everyone’s plans out of the water, including ours, to finish the Blue Ridge Parkway right now.
You know, I am all one for roadblocks and getting past them. I am law enforcement. I am used to that. But when someone is as determined as Florence, and when someone is as strong as Florence decides that she wants to come ashore? Well, you move along.
When you run…you get tired. We moved campsites on Monday. We packed up everything and left and headed back to the Blue Ridge Parkway to trek more miles, but our directions quit on our phone, and well, we missed it all together. Digby did not care.
After hours of driving, we headed to our campsite, but when we got there, we found out the path of the storm was going to come right thru there and that they were going to close our campground, and we had no cell service. So we packed it all up again Tuesday, even though we were supposed to be there for a week. We were afraid they were going to close the Blue Ridge Parkway too, and we had missed all of those miles the day before. When Digby did not care. So we had to head back and travel up to Mile Marker 296. We had no electricity at the campground we found, but a little cell service so that I could write this blog for you, and we rested. In the dark. We were fortunate that they had a space, and we met some deer and waked to a lake and nothing was so bad. The persons had to find the showers which were a long, long, long ways away and after making it back an hour later, well, it was time for dinner. But what was for dinner?
Since we are running from Florence, the persons had made sure Deputy Digby and I were stocked up on our food…but…the persons? They must love canned beans, because they are eating a lot of them. And let’s not mention their clothes selection. Girl Person is down to a bathing suit for her underwear and I don’t do laundry, even if we had time to stop, find a laundromat and do that. Thanks again, Florence. Thanks again.
Now, in all of this commotion, right now, we are going to head south and then west. Stay tuned. Because if Florence changes direction, we have to as well. We are going to have to come back and finish this Blue Ridge Parkway. And I was just starting to really love it.
Even in the midst of all the commotion, we found time to stop and hike a little bit. We went to a waterfall and a creek, and the persons said it reminded them of the vacations that they use to take in this area when they were kids.
Florence may be trying to rain on our Blue Ridge Parkway parade, but we are going to make the best of it. You see, many people are in the path of Florence. Many animals and people will need help. And that is what is important here. Not our trip. So as we make our way to a safer area, let’s hope that Florence changes direction and goes back home. We can only hope.
-Sheriff Peanut Butter Brickle
Dear PB Brickle, please tell your persons that paper maps never need a signal or run out of power 😉 they are very handy and much easier to navigate when there’s a driver AND a co-pilot 🙂
Every welcome center at the first rest area in a state has maps. Don’t need cell service to read one. Been trucking for thirty years and put a million miles on before cell phones and GPS hit the scene. Stay safe. Tell girl person the next time she showers to leave her underwear on. Then she can wash, rinse, and just wring out and hang up to dry. Problem solved.