Horseshoe Point in Henry, VA

May 20-25, 2021

This campground was very quiet & peaceful. I listened to music, really listened to the sounds of the forest & caught up with some reading. Oh and I also started cooking here! Yes! Me! Cooking!!! πŸ˜‚ The threat of bears was considered to be low in this area, so I felt more comfortable testing out my campfire cooking skills. Either there were no hungry bears in the campground or my gourmet cooking didn’t entice any!
This was my first experience staying at a USACE project. I’m grateful to the US Army Corps of Engineers for their work. The campsites are LARGE & generally well designed.
Here’s a link to learn more. https://www.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/News-Release-Article-View/Article/2245576/national-recreation-and-parks-month-usace-chicago-district-highlights-its-three/
I could almost hear Maddie thinking that the world was coming to an end…
Mom’s cooking???
I enjoyed a mid afternoon snack of jasmine rice & corn, while listening to the weather. This is a combination AM/FM radio with weather channels. It was a thoughtful gift, given to me by a good friend wanting to keep me safe. I’ve used it often and it’s very much appreciated!
I drink the same instant coffee at home, but it tastes so much better after a cool night of sleeping in the forest! I heat up the water over tealights in my Stanley cook pot for about 20 minutes, add the coffee, cinnamon & voila! I’m a Happy Camper! I’m so lucky & always appreciative of the wonderful support system of friends & family I have at home & especially now while I’m out here on this journey.
The tealights & the very special candle below were given to me by a good friend at work.
At Shenandoah, I had taught myself how to make solar coffee! For all of you coffee aficionados, stop reading now! πŸ˜‰
I’ve been happily drinking Trader Joe’s instant coffee for years. For $1.99/10packets, the coffee is pre-sweetened, with creamer included. I’m sure nothing about this is healthy, but I love it!
β˜•
This was my last full day at this campground and I decided to glamp it up for breakfast that day. I made pancakes on my campfire griddle & added honey & cinnamon. It was delicious! I drank my coffee from a sentimental bone China cup & saucer that I bought in PEI, Canada many years ago. I also burned the candle given to me by my “tealight” friend. It says “Fearless”. I’m definitely not fearless, but I’m living my life WAY OUTSIDE of my comfort zone & I’m loving it! Thank you, S, for lighting my way with candles & inspiration!
This was a quick & easy meal, but it was very tasty. I don’t have any source of refrigeration with me, other than occasionally splurging for a bag of ice for my little cooler. As I get into more of a system, I’m going to add fresh fruits & vegetables. I’m eating a lot of canned fruits & vegetables, but I’d always prefer fresh produce.
I wanted to finish off the wood I’d bought for the campfire, so I made S’mores after supper. As far as I know, this was Maddie’s first toasted marshmallow. The photo’s blurry because I was trying to keep the phone still for the photo, while also trying to keep all 5 fingers intact! πŸ˜†
I hadn’t moved my car for a few days & the pine pitch & pollen had smothered it! 😬 I planned to get up extra early the next morning to scrub it clean, but torrential downpours that night washed it all away! I woke up to a bright & shiny car! Thank you Mother Nature!
This innocent looking tent almost became a crime scene that last night! The thunderstorm was ferocious & a little unnerving because I was the only camper left in my whole area! My imagination ran wild about falling trees, etc. I almost didn’t hear the scratching noise on the tent screen behind my head, but it became really annoying. I hit the mesh, hoping to make it stop. Soon afterwards, it started up again. I turned on my flashlight to check it out & came face to face with a BLACK WIDOW SPIDER!!! I wasn’t positive about it’s identity & I’d had no reception for days, so I couldn’t Google it. I have a very clear photo of it, which I won’t share here! Needless to say, even after I knocked it off for the second time, I didn’t get much sleep… πŸ•·
Ok, it wasn’t IN the tent, but it was definitely way too close! It wasn’t exactly an eensy, weensy spider, either. 😳
The next morning, the sun was shining, the birds were singing & hopefully my spider friend was sleeping somewhere other than my tent! As I started packing up the soggy tent, a beautiful blue butterfly landed near me. It would have been my Mom’s birthday that day & we shared a special love of butterflies. I knew she’d sent it to me to let me know that all was well. Thank you, Mom! πŸ’•πŸ¦‹πŸ’•
As I walked past this tree, I saw this gorgeous box turtle tucked in at the base. I very quickly took these few photos & put it back down. Box turtles spend their entire lives within a range of about 2 acres. I was visiting in his/her home & I respected & appreciated the hospitality.

Next stop:

Little Oak Campground

Bristol, TN

Hugs from South Carolina πŸ€—

Wendy & Maddie πŸ’•

Published by Where's Wendy? Livin' in the Edge!

On May 2, 2021, I departed from Massachusetts in my 2017 Ford Edge (Breezy Blue) with my 13.5 year young pup, Maddie, to fulfill a lifelong dream of a road trip across America. Our departure was delayed by a month, but we're making up for lost time now! My goal is to be out and about for a year.

2 thoughts on “Horseshoe Point in Henry, VA

    1. Hi Sissy, Nan & all! πŸ’• It was wonderful to speak with you today! I’ve thought of you often, but never at the right time to call. I’m so glad today worked out!
      Make sure you start at the bottom of the blog & move up. The most recent update is always listed first. I hope you enjoy following along on my journey.
      Hugs to all! Take care & stay cool! πŸ€—
      Love, Wendy & Maddie 🐾❣🐾

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