Day 1: Virginia to Kentucky

After a busy weekend of preparing and packing, we set off on our Alaska adventure this morning, Monday, June 16, at 9 am. The start of the trip followed a familiar route: I-64 west to Staunton,  then picked up I-81/I-64 to Lexington, then back to 64 into West Virginia.  The weather was sunny and hot, despite some possible thunderstorms in the forecast.  About 30 miles into Kentucky, we got off the highway and stopped at Carter Caves  State Park for the night.    The campground is nice, but if it were full (as it is in July and August according to the young man at the registration desk) it would feel a bit crowded. As it is, we have no close neighbors.

Ranger settled right into the usual routine, enjoying today's two rest area stops---lots of interesting things to sniff!  I suspect he was more than ready to go, after following on our heels all weekend, perhaps making sure that we didn't leave him behind.