We finished packing Thursday morning and hit the road. The previous week we had Stargazer tuned up and the oil changed. Within 30 minutes of leaving Jackson, the oil light started blinking. After manual research and checking in with RV Guru, Jay Kelly, we discovered we had too much oil. We made an appointment with Miller’s Truck Service in RI and brought Stargazer in first thing Friday morning. MTS was great and we discovered we had two quarts of extra oil, which would have been a big problem if not resolved.

While in RI we staid with my mom, Jane, and for St. Patrick’s Day we had corn beef and cabbage. After dinner we watched the movie, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. Great movie that everyone should watch. Starting off a Stargazer Trip from RI and visiting with Jane is always a great way to get rolling.

We got to DC without many problems. We decided that taking the Garden State Parkway to the NJ Turnpike is the fastest way and there is much less stress. For the first full day on the road, Stargazer performed like a champ.

Staying with Kim, Cory and Ralph in DC was a blast. On Saturday we visited the Backwater Bookstore (run by friends of Cory and Kim), went to a brew pub for Saturday lunch, gathered with Cory and Kim’s friends Nate and Anna (and family) for dinner, and had plenty of Ralph time.

Sunday, I met up with Bruce Levine, an old college buddy, and we went out to brunch on H Street. Lots of fun catching up and sharing wishes and hopes for the future. Hopefully I can get Bruce and Sharon to travel to Jackson to enjoy the great north woods. For dinner, Lauren Greenberger, another college buddy, joined us. She had helped Cory and Kim design and develop their front yard. Lauren has a magic touch.

After a well deserved rest tonight, we head out a 5 am and will be exploring the Shenandoah National Park.