There Ain't No Place I'd Rather Be

We visited Tennessee with our friends Candace and Steven at the end of April. Part of a pilgrimage to various Civil War battlefields over the next four years' sesquicentennial. Well, actually, that's MY effort. I had wanted to visit Shiloh since as long as I could remember. The wife and friends just wanted to see Tennessee, Memphis, Nashville, etc. The trip included a visit to Steven's Tennessee relatives, and it was also a bit of a food pilgrimage to places like Gus's Fried Chicken. but more on that later.

We rented an RV from Martin RV in Lititz, PA. Well, actually it's closer to Brickerville on the 28th Division Highway but they have a Lititz mailing address. Word to the wise, if you live within 50 miles and are looking to rent an RV, call them and get a quote when you shop around, because they were cordial, flexible and up to HALF the cost of other places that quoted us. And there no nickel and dime charges for everything. We picked up our 31 foot C Class on Good Friday afternoon, loaded it with essential marching rations (chips, beer and booze), and headed west on the PA turnpike, then south on 81 along the old Valley Turnpike through the Shenandoah.

There are a lot of ideas about the etymology of "Shenandoah," but my favorite is "Daughter of the Stars." Although there were no stars that first night, because it rained and rained all the way to Staunton, Virginia. That first night we slept in the parking lot of a Welcome Center. The idling diesel engines and the occasional shriek of air brakes did little to keep this weary traveller awake and considering it was free . . .