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The East River Mountain Tunnel
is a 5,412-foot vehicular tunnel that carries Interstate 77 (I-77) and
U.S. Route 52 (US 52) through East River Mountain between the communities
of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Rocky Gap, Virginia. Ground breaking
began on the tunnel on August 12, 1969, and after five years of labor
it was opened to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December
20, 1974. Its length is 5,412 feet long. The East River Mountain Tunnel
is one of only two land vehicular tunnels in the United States that
cross a state line, the other being the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, which
the two RV Gypsies have also driven through. |
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The Big Walker Mountain Tunnel
is a vehicular tunnel in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia
that carries Interstate 77 through/under Big Walker Mountain. It is
located a few miles south of the town of Bland in Bland County and a
segment of the Appalachian Trail, and about 20 miles south of its longer
cousin, the East River Mountain Tunnel. The 4,229-foot tunnel was first
opened in 1972 after five years of construction labor. |
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As Lee Duquette was putting diesel in the RV, Karen Duquette noticed
the semi shown below and walked over to it and took some photos. The
semi is beautifully painted in honor of The National League of POW/MIA
families. Their website is listed on the truck as www.pow-miafamilies.org.
Please check it out. As of July 15,2020, The number of Americans missing
and unaccounted for from the Vietnam war is 1,538. |
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Note: Just a short time ago, the two RV Gypsies saw a similar truck,
The Independence Fund
Truck, which is committed to empowering our nation’s catastrophically
wounded, injured, or ill Veterans to overcome physical, mental, and
emotional wounds incurred in the line of duty. Both trucks are worthy
of being mentioned on each other's page. Please check it out. There
will be link to bring you back here. |
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Then the two RV Gypsies drove to Fort Chiswell RV Park in Max Meadows, Virginia for a one-night stop before driving to The Carolinas. |
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Below: A very small swimming pool. |
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Below: The site for the two RV Gypsies at Fort Chiswell RV Park was a large drive-though site and had a partial cement pad to park on, as shown in the photo below. Roads in the campground were mostly dirt and gravel with a few paved areas. A lot of cable TV stations were listed in their brochure, but the stations came in lousy. Wi-Fi did not work very well either. Check-out time was noon. Most standard campground rules applied. The campground had a bathhouse, laundry, a propane station, and a few cabins on site. But as usual, the only thing the Two RV Gypsies use is their own site. For reservations call: '276.637.6868 (do not e-mail the Two RV Gypsies for reservations - this is for informational purposes only). There were hills all around the campground. |
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Below: The two RV Gypsies ate at
Cholula Mexican Restaurant
4760 E. Lee Highway
Max Meadows, VA 24360 |
It was a very small restaurant, but the food and the service was good and it was the closest restaurant to the campground. |
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Another RV trip that the two RV Gypsies took in 2020 was to 
