Moving On

Today feels very strange.  I arrived here in the West Virginia KOA early afternoon.  I had decided no more long drives, but this one was just too short.  Weirdly, I had to check in at the Days Inn motel to register.  It’s not like any other KOA I’ve been to; it’s so empty of people and KOA staff.  And the fact that it’s well above 80 degrees makes me feel like I’ve definitely left the East coast and am wrapping up my ancestry journey.  It’s leaving me kind of sad.

I know I arrive in Indiana tomorrow and will be visiting the James Murray house soon, but I pretty much know everything about James Murray, the building of his house in the early 1800s and his oldest son, Arnold, my Great Grandfather who fought in the Civil War.  Don and I had done this sleuthing on our first trip.  That said, I think I’ll get the enthusiasm jolt when I pick up Craig from the airport and we both get to tour the James Murray house.  It will be nice to have company again for a few days.

My biggest fear in doing this trip was that I’d experience bouts of loneliness, but that hasn’t been the case at all.  Perhaps it’s because I’ve had a chance to get to know Anthony Murray much better and now see him as a person that fits nicely into our family tree. I just wish his spirit would share his origins.

I’ve now booked everything for the journey home.  I look forward to visiting my nephew’s son, Dan, in Dallas followed by a couple of days at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  My last stop will be in Arizona at a KOA where I’ll have full hookups – aka, a dump station right at my campsite!  Yippee, I can clean out my black tank before parking the beast on my Long Beach driveway!

10/22/2024