Day 21

Friday, May 22, 2026

It's Memorial Day weekend, so I can't miss this opportunity to thank my Dad and the other members of the Greatest Generation for their service during WWII. 

From right to left:  My Dad, Mom, and Uncle Bob.

Our night at Fairy Stone State Park was a wet one. The end of our Southern camping trips often is rain soaked, but you've got to be willing to go with flow.  (pun intended)

We were on the road by 8:00 AM, our destination was Gettysburg, 367 miles to the north.  We originally planned to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.  However, the rain and fog caused a change in plans.  

The above picture was taken on I-81, not my favorite road; way too many trucks.    We were near Winchester, Virginia at this point and got stuck in a 2 hour delay caused by a five vehicle accident that I think caused at least one fatality.  Thank goodness we have a portable toilet in our camper!  

We arrived in Gettysburg around 6 PM.  It was still pouring rain and we had not eaten anything since breakfast, so we did not tour the battlefield which we always enjoy, and instead headed straight to our dinner destination, the Dobbin House Tavern.

This tavern has a much more colonial feel to it and the menu reflects that era.  We have dined here before, and I'm sure we'll return whenever we revisit Gettysburg.

Hunter Chicken:  a breast with a sauce of fresh tomatoes and mushrooms

Lamb chops

We shared a delicious pecan pie for dessert, and we were back in the van around 7:30 pm, heading for our campsite at Pine Brook Furnace which is deep in the woods, about 30 miles north of Gettysburg..  The mid point of the Appalachian Trail is located in the middle of this park.  

It was still raining hard when we arrived at the park.  The campsites were sold out but there were a few empty sites, most likely vacationers who changed plans due to the weather.