Rain, Roadblocks, and a Coffee Creamer Crisis!
Another Adventure in the Weeble Universe
Friday morning rolled around, and we were ready for another adventure. We pulled and packed the pork shoulder, along with hamburgers, hot dogs, and enough other food to keep the Weeble crew well-fed for the weekend.
Everything was loaded, everyone was aboard, and it was time to hit the road.
I climbed into the driver’s seat of the Weeblemobile, threw it into reverse, and glanced at my watch.
10:30 a.m.
Well, technically, we were thirty minutes behind schedule. But before you start thinking the Weeble Universe had already struck, let me explain.
Normally, our first stop after leaving the driveway is to fill the Weeblemobile with diesel. However, we’d taken care of that on our way home from Tractor Supply earlier in the week.
So, if you subtract the time we would have spent getting fuel, we were actually right on schedule!
See? Weeble mathematics. It’s a wonderful thing.
The GPS showed an estimated arrival time of 5:30 p.m. That meant we’d arrive at Little Beaver State Park with plenty of daylight left to set up camp.
Everything was going according to plan.
Now, if you remember last week’s blog, I mentioned that everything appeared to be falling into place for this trip. I also pointed out that things rarely go according to plan in the Weeble Universe.
Apparently, I should have kept my mouth shut.
We were making excellent time until we reached Interstate 81 near Winchester, Virginia.
That’s where we encountered our first traffic backup.
Please notice I said FIRST.
We eventually made it through that mess, only to encounter another backup about sixty miles farther down the road.
Between the two, we lost approximately an hour.
Of course, there was one bright spot between those traffic jams.
Buc-ee’s!
Since it was lunchtime, we decided to stop, grab something to eat, and pick up a few things.
Naturally, Mrs. Weeble had to visit what are probably the cleanest restrooms in the country. I sometimes wonder whether Buc-ee’s is really a convenience store or just a gigantic restroom facility that happens to sell brisket.
We enjoyed our lunch in the Weeblemobile before getting back on the road.
Unfortunately, our little Buc-ee’s adventure added even more time to our arrival estimate.
And there was another problem developing.
Daylight was disappearing.
It’s amazing how much earlier the sun sets in October compared to August. As we got closer to Little Beaver State Park, the sun kept sinking lower and lower toward the horizon.
We finally pulled into the campground around 7:00 p.m.
And guess what?
It was dark.
Now, I’ve mentioned before that I don’t particularly enjoy setting up camp in the dark. There’s something about trying to connect hoses, electrical cables, and everything else while holding a flashlight that takes some of the fun out of camping.
Fortunately, I had my trusty headband flashlight.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature apparently decided we needed a little additional entertainment.
It started raining.
Wonderful.
I thought this would be an excellent time to put on my rain jacket.
There was just one small problem.
I didn’t have one.
We did have rain ponchos, but those are fine for walking around in the rain. They’re not particularly practical when you’re crawling around hooking up utilities.
So there I was, wearing my headband flashlight, connecting water and electricity in the dark, while getting a complimentary shower from Mother Nature.
Welcome to the Weeble Universe!
At least everything connected without a problem.
By the time I finished, it was well past the pups’ normal dinnertime.
To their credit, Sophie, Pennie, and Buster were remarkably patient. Nobody filed a formal complaint, although I’m pretty sure Buster was considering it.
That’s when we discovered Forgotten Item Number One.
The plastic lid for the dog food can.
Not a major catastrophe. We simply slipped the open can into a Ziploc bag and put it in the refrigerator.
After all, there’s nothing quite like opening the refrigerator for a snack and being greeted by the delightful aroma of dog food.
With the pups fed, it was finally time for Mrs. Weeble and me to have dinner.
And let me tell you, that pulled pork was delicious!
Not that I’m patting myself on the back or anything.
Okay, maybe just a little.
With everyone fed and settled in, we prepared for a rainy night.
And rain it did!
That’s also when we remembered Forgotten Item Number Two.
The invisible fence hockey puck.
For those unfamiliar with our arrangement, this little device helps keep Sophie from wandering into places we’d rather she didn’t go.
Without it, there was a distinct possibility that Mrs. Weeble would receive an early-morning wake-up call in the form of a cold, wet nose.
So we improvised, setting up the dogs’ cave bag to keep Sophie from making an unexpected morning visit.
Problem solved.
One thing I will say about camping in the rain is that there’s something incredibly relaxing about hearing raindrops hitting the roof of the Weeblemobile.
Everyone slept very well.
Well, almost.
Around 5:00 a.m., the rain was coming down so hard that it woke me up.
I listened for a few minutes, decided there wasn’t anything I could do about it, rolled over, and returned to dreamland.
Sometimes, that’s the best solution to a problem.
Saturday Morning: The Great Coffee Creamer Emergency
By morning, the rain had finally stopped.
The sun was beginning to peek through the clouds, although the temperature was noticeably cooler than the day before.
Mrs. Weeble headed into the kitchen to prepare her morning coffee.
Now, those of you who have followed our adventures know that Mrs. Weeble enjoys her morning coffee.
And I enjoy Mrs. Weeble enjoying her morning coffee.
Trust me. It’s better for everyone involved.
That’s when we discovered Forgotten Item Number Three.
COFFEE CREAMER!
Oh, the humanity!
Of all the things we could have forgotten, this one had the potential to become a major Weeble emergency.
Mrs. Weeble reluctantly drank her coffee black.
I suggested that we could simply run out and buy some creamer.
Crisis management at its finest.
Meanwhile, I prepared a gourmet breakfast consisting of microwave breakfast burritos.
Yes, I know. You’re probably wondering what happened to my Blackstone griddle.
Well, there’s a story behind that.
The Weeblemobile has a full-wall slide-out, which almost doubles our living space when we’re parked.
It’s a wonderful feature.
Except for one tiny detail.
The slide-out extends over the storage compartment where the Blackstone lives.
To retrieve the griddle with the slide extended, I’d have to crawl underneath the slide, pull the Blackstone out of the compartment, and somehow maneuver both myself and the griddle back out.
Essentially, I’d have to perform the limbo.
And let me assure you, my limboing days are LONG gone.
Besides, I wasn’t about to unload the Blackstone in the rain the night before.
So the microwave breakfast burritos would have to do.
Fortunately, Mrs. Weeble didn’t complain.
I suspect she was still thinking about her coffee creamer.
A Little Exploring
After breakfast, we decided to walk up to the campground store.
I needed some additional firewood, and Mrs. Weeble needed information on where we could obtain the world’s most important dairy product.
The attendant told us there was an IGA grocery store just down the road.
I could almost hear the angels singing.
Mrs. Weeble was happy.
Very happy.
While we were talking, the attendant asked if we were visiting for Bridge Day.
Now, if you read about our previous visit to Little Beaver State Park, you might remember that we visited the New River Gorge Bridge.
For those unfamiliar with it, the bridge towers approximately 876 feet above the New River.
Once a year, they hold an event called Bridge Day.
It’s a festival where people come from all over to participate in various activities, including BASE jumping.
Yes, you read that correctly.
People willingly jump off an 876-foot-high bridge wearing parachutes.
Personally, I think you have to be missing a few screws to do something like that.
But then again, some people might say the same thing about driving a motorhome through interstate traffic.
I looked at Mrs. Weeble with a half-smile.
“That might be interesting to watch.”
She gave me one of those looks.
You know the one that said, ” Hmm, that could be interesting.
I asked the attendant whether there was somewhere we could park the Weeblemobile.
She explained that RV parking might be available, but we’d have to arrive very early to have any chance of getting a space.
Well, that settled that.
There was no way I was going to maneuver the Weeblemobile into a crowded parking area just to watch people voluntarily fall off a perfectly good bridge.
We asked whether anything else interesting was happening nearby.
The attendant thought for a moment and mentioned a chili cook-off in Fayetteville.
She hadn’t attended it herself, but thought it might be worth checking out.
Well, why not?
We had to go out for coffee creamer anyway.
Might as well turn a dairy emergency into a sightseeing adventure.
We returned to our campsite, secured everything inside the Weeblemobile, and headed out.
Our first stop was the IGA.
And sure enough, it was right where the attendant said it would be.
I don’t believe Mrs. Weeble actually ran into the store, but she was certainly moving with a purpose.
I turned around to grab a shopping cart.
When I looked back, she was gone.
Vanished.
I headed toward the dairy department, figuring it was the most logical place to find her.
Sure enough, there she was.
Coffee creamer in hand.
I won’t say she was caressing the bottle, but it was close.
The Great Coffee Creamer Crisis of 2026 had officially ended.
With peace restored to the Weeble Universe, we headed toward Fayetteville in search of the chili cook-off.
Unfortunately, our directions weren’t exactly the greatest.
We drove around looking for the event but never found it.
Oh well.
We still enjoyed a pleasant ride through the West Virginia countryside, admiring the scenery and exploring roads we probably wouldn’t have traveled otherwise.
Sometimes, the best adventures are the ones you didn’t plan.
Even if they don’t include chili.
Captain Weeble Gets Discovered!
Now, for this next part of our adventure, I need to give you a little background.
As most of you know, I publish our weekly adventures on the Captain Weeble’s Travels website.
It’s where I share stories about our trips, our experiences, and the occasional disaster that seems to follow us wherever we go.
Okay, maybe more than occasional.
Having a website also means that search engines like Google can find your pages and share them with people looking for information about camping and RVing.
Of course, getting noticed isn’t always easy. A lot of websites compete for attention.
I also have a contact page where readers can send us a message.
One morning, while going through my email and deleting the usual junk, I noticed something interesting.
It was an email from someone named Zoe at PaintEasy.
The subject line was:
“Wet weather plan for a campsite.”
Well, that caught my attention.
Considering our history with rain and camping, I figured this might be worth reading.
So I opened it.
The message began:
Hi Captain Weeble,
I’ve enjoyed your campsite stories on Captain Weeble’s Travels — you write about camp life the way it actually feels, rain included.
Well, I’ll be darned.
Somebody actually found my blog!
And apparently, they enjoyed reading it!
Zoe explained that she founded PaintEasy, a company that produces paint-by-numbers kits.
These kits contain everything needed to create a painting, including a numbered canvas, paints, and brushes.
She mentioned that some of her customers take the kits camping and use them as their “wet weather plan.”
When the rain keeps everyone inside the RV, they pull out a painting kit and spend the afternoon creating something instead of staring out the window and waiting for the rain to stop.
I thought that was a pretty clever idea.
She went on to explain that she’d love to send us a kit to try, completely free, with no obligation to write about it.
If it inspired a camping story, that would be wonderful. If not, she hoped we’d simply enjoy it.
I sat there looking at the email.
Wow.
Somebody who wasn’t related to me, wasn’t a friend, and didn’t owe me money had actually found Captain Weeble’s Travels and liked it!
Who would have thought?
I wrote back and thanked Zoe for her kind comments.
I explained that while I thought her product was a great idea for camping, painting really wasn’t my cup of tea.
After all, my artistic abilities are somewhat limited.
If you handed me a paintbrush and told me to paint a tree, there’s a good chance it would end up looking like a telephone pole struck by lightning.
However, I thought this might be something Mrs. Weeble would enjoy.
So I asked her.
And sure enough, she thought it sounded like fun.
I wrote Zoe back and told her we’d be interested in trying one of her kits.
I also asked her something that had been bothering me.
How in the world did she find Captain Weeble’s Travels?
Her response was quite interesting.
She said she’d been searching for independent RV and camping blogs written by people who actually experience the ups and downs of camping.
Not just the picture-perfect sunsets and beautiful campsites, but the rainy days, unexpected problems, and everyday misadventures.
Apparently, Captain Weeble’s Travels kept appearing in her search results, and she enjoyed the stories enough to keep reading.
She even mentioned that the misadventures were what kept her coming back.
Well, imagine that!
All those years of things going sideways in the Weeble Universe were finally paying off!
Zoe told us Mrs. Weeble could choose any of the available painting kits and send it to us.
And that’s exactly what happened.
When the package arrived, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.
The kit contained everything Mrs. Weeble needed: paintbrushes, paints, and a heavy, canvas-like painting surface with the picture already outlined and numbered.
It was a very nice set.
Mrs. Weeble took the kit along on our Little Beaver adventure and started working on it while we were camping.
And let me tell you, the amount of detail in the picture is amazing.
This isn’t something you’re going to finish in fifteen minutes.
It takes patience, a steady hand, and probably better eyesight than I’ve got!
Mrs. Weeble has really been enjoying it.
In fact, the painting is currently sitting on our dining room table.
When I came home from work today, there she was, happily working away on it.
So apparently, Zoe was right.
It really is a nice activity for those rainy days when you’re stuck inside the RV.
And considering how often it rains when the Weebles go camping, we may have found ourselves a new tradition!
For anyone interested in checking out the painting kits, here’s the website:
Just to be clear, Zoe sent us the kit free of charge, with no obligation to write about it. We’re not being paid to promote it. I simply thought it was worth sharing because Mrs. Weeble has genuinely enjoyed working on it.
Besides, how could I pass up the opportunity to tell everyone that Captain Weeble’s Travels had been discovered?
I may have to start wearing sunglasses and signing autographs.
Although I suspect Mrs. Weeble will put a stop to that nonsense pretty quickly.
And the Adventure Continues…
Well, we’ve certainly had an interesting start to our Little Beaver adventure.
Between the interstate traffic jams, setting up camp in the dark and rain, forgetting a few important supplies, and the Great Coffee Creamer Crisis of 2026, the Weeble Universe has been operating pretty much as expected.
We didn’t get to watch people jump off a perfectly good bridge, and we never did find that chili cook-off.
But we enjoyed exploring the West Virginia countryside, Mrs. Weeble got her coffee creamer, and she even found herself a new rainy-day hobby.
I’d call that a pretty successful day!
Of course, we’re only getting started. We still have more of West Virginia to explore, and knowing how things usually go in the Weeble Universe, there’s no telling what might happen next.
But you’ll have to come back next week to find out!
In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you. What’s the one thing you’ve forgotten to pack for a camping trip? And have you ever discovered something interesting simply because your original plans didn’t work out?
Leave us a comment below. We always enjoy hearing about your adventures, too!
Until next week, keep the wheels turning, the coffee creamer stocked, and remember: In the Weeble Universe, the adventure is never over until we’re back in the driveway!
Hopefully get to see you both soon! I keep telling everyone how much I enjoy reading about your adventures. 😁