Kudos also to REI, the New River and the Virginia Creeper Trail

Did I mention that I like to kayak? Did I mention that the trailer was love at first sight? So blind a love that it never occurred to me to figure out first how I'd carry the boats before I made my commitment???

The trailer is a gooseneck and extends over the bed of the truck, way over when I make a sharp turn. No standard roof rack would do. I had seen a Thule canoe rack that extended completely over the truck bed to a T bar mounted on a rear trailer hitch and looked promising if I could use it over the hood. REI told me to call Thule. Thule said it was out of spec and wouldn't take responsibility since they hadn't tested this set up, but sent me a parts list. It's a long story, but the folks at REI were great. They installed it, let us put our heads together and get creative about how to use the parts, and came up with a system that puts the kayaks over the hood, away from the trailer, and if I load them from the bed of the truck, I don't have to lift the boats over my head. Me and my daughter or another grey-haired lady friend can load up just fine. And me and Jessie did.

So off we headed for the New River State Park. What a treat! Ben joined us from his job in Reidsville. Another Scamp owner, just learning to use her brand new 16' trailer, met us there for a weekend of bikes and kayaks.

We set up Thursday evening. Wicked storms that knocked power out at home passed us by. And early Friday morning we were barreling down the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 17 mile long (and ALL DOWNHILL) rails to trails project through deep woods and past lovely old train stations with snacks and bathrooms. We even found a nice cafe for lunch about 2/3 down. Ben found a Christmas tree he'd hugged the last time we rode the trail, about 5 years ago. He was as tall as the tree then but it had way surpassed him now. A good time was had by all.

But the fun didn't end there. The next morning we were being shuttled up the New River for a lovely trip back to the park. Mary had not done much river paddling and I am very proud of how my kids helped both of us navigate, portage, tie up for breaks and generally look after the previous generation.

 
The new power converter worked flawlessly. The dog behaved. Nobody found broken glass the hard way. And MOST of the odor is gone....

Ready for the next trip!