Clouds, Cub Scouts, and Captain Weeble’s Internet Excuse
We took a drive along Skyline Drive toward the southern end of Shenandoah National Park, partly for the scenery and partly because we wanted to check out the campsite we had booked for Mother’s Day weekend.
The plan was simple. We would stop at all the overlooks on the west side of the road on the way down, then hit all the overlooks on the east side on the way back.
At least, that was the plan.
We made it down to Loft Mountain Campground and found it closed, complete with a large “Do Not Enter” sign at the entrance. Under normal circumstances, there is a pretty good chance I would have continued up the road anyway, purely in the name of research.
But even the rebel in me paused.
It may also have had something to do with Mrs. Weeble reminding me that we might not want to ignore the large, official-looking sign. I do try to live by the old saying, “Happy wife, happy life.” It has served me well, mostly because I am still alive to say it.
So we turned around, stopped at the Wayside, and bought a couple of souvenirs. It seemed like the responsible thing to do after not trespassing.
On the way back, the weather began to change. We knew rain was supposed to move in that evening, but now we could actually see it coming toward the east side of the mountain. The east-side overlooks were quickly disappearing into clouds, while the west-side overlooks still gave us a clear view down into the valley. 
At first, the view was wide open. Then, one cloud after another, the clouds rolled over the mountain, covering more of the valley each time. I took some pictures and video of it happening, and I hope it shows up in what I posted. It was one of those moments where nature puts on a show, and all you can really do is stop and watch.
We got back to camp about the same time as the Cub Scouts.
I put out the awning and settled in, waiting for the rain.
And rain it did.
It came down pretty hard, and I watched as the Cub Scouts headed off to their tents. Naturally, I pulled up a chair to see what would happen. I mean, thirty Cub Scouts, their parents, tents, rain, and a campground? Something had to happen, right?
Apparently not.
The Cub Scouts were well-prepared, well-behaved, and disappointingly organized.
So while the rain continued to fall, I sat under the awning while Mrs. Weeble stayed inside the RV. I was enjoying myself, playing on my iPad with no cell service.
Now, you might think I am being sarcastic.
I am not.
I had been looking into getting a Starlink Mini system because I decided I really did want some kind of connectivity. One of my great joys in life is eating breakfast and reading my morning paper. Unfortunately, mountains have a funny way of saying, “Not today.”
There are two ways to power the Starlink Mini. One is powered by the RV. The second is with some type of battery. I have my Bluetti solar generator, which we use to power our CPAP machines at night. Both Mrs. Weeble and I use CPAPs, so that battery already has an important job.
To save some typing, from here on out, if you see “APU,” meaning auxiliary power unit, you will know I am talking about the Bluetti. It sounds more official that way.
I knew I did not want to use the APU outside just to power the Starlink. During my research, I found a battery from a company called PeakDo designed to work with the Starlink Mini. The battery slips right into the Starlink unit and is supposed to power it for about four hours.
So I plugged in the battery, set the Starlink on the ground, and fired it up. The unit has a built-in router, so I worked through the settings, and in no time at all, Mrs. Weeble and I had internet.
Now I know what you are thinking.
“You can’t survive one night without the internet?”
That is not the point.
I bought it so we would have a way to call for help in an emergency. With Wi-Fi calling on the iPhone, we would have a way to reach someone if we needed help.
That is my story, and I am sticking with it.
So, if you are ever in a campground and see the Wi-Fi signal “Captain Weebles Travels,” you will know we are nearby. Stop by and say hello. Depending on how friendly you are, you might even get the password.
Back under the awning, I pulled my chair into position and watched the rain. I kept one eye on the Cub Scouts, still waiting for something interesting to happen. They were all tucked under their own canopy, nice and dry.
Their Scoutmaster, however, was out in the rain cooking dinner.
That is dedication.
I had decided on hot dogs for us, which I cooked nice and dry under the awning on the Blackstone. As the evening went on, the temperature kept dropping. I eventually went inside and swapped my shorts for long pants. I also grabbed my fleece jacket. After that, I was quite comfortable sitting there, watching the rain come down.
Eventually, the Cub Scouts disappeared into their tents, and I headed into the RV.
That felt like the official end of the night.
The next morning, we woke up with our heads in the clouds.
Literally.
We got everything packed up and fired up the Weeblemobile. The fog was so thick that when we drove over to the Wayside for breakfast, I thought I had pulled up in front of the visitor center.
Mrs. Weeble got out to walk down to where we thought the Wayside was. Then the fog cleared just enough for me to realize she was walking toward the Wayside fuel station, not the Wayside itself.
Once she got turned around and found the actual Wayside, we discovered it did not open until 9 o’clock.
Of course, it was 8:15.
No coffee for Mrs. Weeble.
This was not ideal.
I have been in fog before, but I do not think I have ever been in fog banks quite like those. It was a slow 20 mph ride down the mountain with the flashers on, carefully easing our way through the clouds.
After-Action Report
The trip was a 99% success, even with the rain. We had a great time.
We also learned that sharing a campground with about 60 high school students and a group of Cub Scouts is not nearly as terrifying as it sounds. In fact, both groups were great. The high school students were polite, friendly, and fun to be around, especially when they gave Buster a little extra attention with the tennis ball. The Cub Scouts were also well-prepared and well-behaved, even in the rain, which slightly ruined my hopes for some harmless campground entertainment.
Sophie and Pennie were excellent travelers. Once we were rolling, they would just lie down and go to sleep. Buster, on the other hand, preferred to sit between the front seats, staring through the windshield and watching the world go by like he was helping navigate.
What did we learn?
First, organization is something we still need to improve. We are getting better, but there is still room for improvement. In other words, we packed everything we needed. We just did not always know where it was.
Second, the RV bed is a back-killer, and that is putting it mildly. A new mattress has been ordered, and not a moment too soon.
Third, the check valve is now on the tank, which means no more crawling around on the ground to hook up the stinky slinky. I say that with fingers crossed, knocking on wood, and making no bold promises to the RV gods.
So where do we go from here?
To be continued.