Farewell to the Familiar
I set off in my Jeep with the intention of leaving the familiar behind. However, like a child learning to swim, I was in the pool, but I was reluctant to let go of the wall. First, I spent the week in Thomas, West Virginia, which I’ve frequented for years. Then, instead of letting go of the wall and heading into the unknown, I opted to go south, to Bedford, Virginia.
“One more stop at someplace familiar,” I thought, “to visit friends, and to enjoy some warmer weather, before swimming into the deep end.”
Bedford and Blue Ridge Overland Gear
Bedford is a vibrant small town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There, my friend Matt, owns Blue Ridge Overland Gear, a company that manufactures soft storage solutions for four-wheel drive and overland travel enthusiasts. Blue Ridge Overland Gear recently moved into the historic building that used to be the hardware store in the center of town, which Matt kindly allowed me to do work at during my stay.
Furthermore, Matt and his family own a small livestock farm, and he offered his pasture as an overland basecamp while I was in town. Matt, his wife Liz, his family, Dave, a resident vagrant, and his employees, Matthew, Allison, Mike, Jen, and Cameron, were extraordinarily welcoming and hospitable.
Over the course of the week, we shared campfires, workspace, pizza, and lots of laughter. Everyone is family at Blue Ridge Overland Gear, and I immediately felt like a part of that family during my visit. This speaks volumes about the kind of people they are.
A Warm Welcome
Winter ended the moment I entered Virginia. The snow and cold air immediately gave way to sun and 60 degree temperatures. As soon as I arrived in Bedford, I transitioned out of my snow
boots and into my flip-flops. It felt heavenly given the arctic weather I had just endured only days before in West Virginia.
Points of Interest
Aside from Blue Ridge Overland Gear, there are a few other establishments in Bedford that I enjoyed and recommend to you!
First is Happy Coffee. On the outside, it’s an unremarkable storefront in downtown Bedford, but on the inside it’s a cozy and hip cafe offering coffee, edibles, music, and Internet access. Second is Liberty Station, which occupies a restored train station adjacent to an active track, and offers delicious American fare for lunch and dinner. Finally, there is Azul, a small, stylish restaurant offering fresh Mexican food. I had a burrito there, and it was absolutely exquisite!
Nearby, if you’re a motoring enthusiast, you’ll find the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a paved scenic highway that wanders along the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. This route is lined with lakes, parks, and countless overlooks, and is perhaps one of the best places in America to enjoy a Sunday-drive.
A short, 20 minute drive to the south, you’ll encounter Smith Mountain Lake, which is a sprawling lake that offers hundreds of miles of shoreline for fishing, boating, and countless water sports. On the weekend, Matt, Dave, and I seized the opportunity to take the kayaks there and go paddling for a few hours. It was a relaxing, and much-needed change of pace!
Putting the Equipment to Use
Since I was camped in the comfort and privacy of the farm all week, this gave me my first chance to fully deploy my camping gear and settle in. I usually do this if I stay someplace for a couple of nights or more, if discretion is not a concern.
Otherwise, I just go with a partial deployment, which involves popping the camper for a good night’s sleep, but leaving the rest of my gear packed up for a quick and easy exit.
This time, in addition to popping the camper, I extended my ARB 2500 Awning, set up my camp table and chair, erected my Kelty Blockhouse shelter in close proximity to the Jeep, readied my portable toilet, my NEMO Helio shower, and to add a little warmth to the setting, adorned the awning with a length of USB powered string lights that I purchased on Amazon for $12.
This is what I love about overland adventure - setting up and settling in. It can be on a farm, or in the middle of the wilderness. Any obscure dot on the map, no matter how remote, can be home.
Into the Unknown
It was time to face my biggest challenge so far: letting go of the wall and swimming into the center of the pool.
Throughout the week in Bedford, I studied online maps, determined how far I wanted to drive, and in which direction. I scanned forum threads in search of possible destinations. Dave, a serial-adventurer himself, introduced me to freecampsites.net, which looks like it’ll be an invaluable source of information.
Finding a place to camp is only half of the challenge. To sustain myself financially, I work on my computer on a daily basis, so it has to be near public wifi, which is often in a coffee shop. So my strategy thus far is to first find a desirable camping location, ideally around a national forest, and then I search on Google Maps for “coffee” within that general vicinity.
With any luck, this method of trip planning will serve me well!
It looks like I’m going to Kentucky
