Heading North in Florida - 2012

It's still only late November yet I feel like the year is past. I'm heading north again. With the new IRS tax preparer rules, I must take another two day tax course. Lucky I found one on my route. I needed to leave Lake Worth one day early and will arrive a day late for the Dixie LoW get together in Silver Springs. At least I get the required course in without to much hassle. The course is at the Caribe Royale in Orlando and I found a Passport America cg about 10 minutes away in Kissimmee. It's an older park with lots of permanent residents and I'm under a tree so no TV. Oh well, it's only two days (three nights) and I'm gone each day from 6am until late with planned dinner dates two night ;=)!!

The tax seminar had more information than I thought. With congress in a seeming stalemate I thought there would be a one page handout that said "all tax laws are to be determined" and the second day of class would review the handout (lol). With over 200 attendees I doubt that anyone understands all the tax laws, and we're the "professionals"!! Tax laws have become incredibly complex with all the various deductions and special situations only serving to give congress ways of providing various friends and lobbyists special favors. They should do away with all deductions, tax all income the same way, and dramatically lower the tax brackets. Something like anyone with income under $75,000 a year pays nothing and then taxing income above that starting at 10% and going up to around 75% for incomes greater than $500,000. Of course they'll never make it simple because it would take away their ability to have lobbyists lobby them. Anyhow, the seminar did have lots of information, my evenings were very pleasant, and the days went fast even without TV.

Several people told me the road into the Silver Springs cg was a really rough one. It was definitely a heavily pot holed dirt road but not as rough as it was made out to be. Just go slow, sort of a secret in life itself. German and her husband were very friendly and my site couldn't have been more perfect. A full hook up, perfectly level, pull through site, with a clear view for my sat. service. Several of the half dozen folks I already knew; Ron Henderson, Gail from Ontario, Jerry McKay, Calvin. A few of the Dixie LoW's were new to me; Don, Marie, Devon, and a new LoW'er Judy. Gail cooked a complete dinner for everyone, really good. The group had coffee and breakfast every morning and a pot luck Friday. Ron and I played BINGO with the other campers one night, I even won two games :=)  We went to what was to be a craft fair one day. It turned out to be a church flea market. Ron and I drove around a little trying to find some park hiking trails. We stopped and saw a pretty lake but no trails. A few other LoW'ers stopped by to visit including; Dennis, Trina, Helen, and several of the Dixie LoW regulars. Most everyone left on Sunday morning. Afterward, walking around the cg I met Ted and Jane from Michigan. We sat out, along with German and her husband, chatting for a few hours. I tried to find "stuff" to do in both Silver Springs and Ocala. It must still be off season or something 'cause I couldn't find a thing :=(!!

It is a very easy drive to Bradenton, that is until I got within a mile of the cg. My gps didn't like the cg address and sent me to a truck stop. I drove up and down the main road a few times. For those who maybe don't know, "U" turns pulling a fifth wheel are not fun! A fellow LoW'er, John from Texas, had tried to give me directions but I guess I'm just dumb 'cause they didn't help much other than to let me know he also got lost and I was close. The cg finally answered the phone and directed me in. Wow, what a great surprise!! This is a beautiful RV resort. The RV's and cute little permanents are neatly arranged around a lake which is about 1 1/4 miles around. My perfectly level, full hook up site backs up on the lake and is a short walk from the club house. The people are super friendly all over the park. I'm a little nervous with my RV door in the back and my rig literally hanging over the water. I'll need to look for any movement whenever I'm going in or out. The cg says they know of two gators, one a little three or four footer and the other a bit over five feet. A few minutes after setting up, my power went out and the rig switched to the inverter. I reset the park electric box but it happened again. I called the park office and they immediately sent an electrician over. Mike checked it out and said my surge protector had blown. We hooked the rig up directly, I was very nervous without the surge protector, but the power went out again anyway. The park had to replace the electric box. I mentioned my now blown surge protector and, without argument, they gave me a $150 credit. This is a very nice park.

One of two heated pools.

I did my usual walk around the park only this walk took a little longer than usual. I must have had a lost puppy look when I entered the club house. Peggy, a permanent in the park, sort of scooped me up with a big smile and showed me around the two story club house. There sure seems to be a lot to do at this cg. There's a large meeting room with a wrap around, screened in porch, a well stocked library, a kitchen, exercise room with lots of work out machines, a separate room with a few pool tables, a jacuzzi outside by a heated pool, both of which overlook the lake. This is a pretty park. I did a nice 25 minute workout, swam a little and got a back massage by the jacuzzi jets. This is great. Ron Henderson arrived early and joined me for two hours of line dancing lessons. At 91 he sure has a lot of energy. He's a happy guy :=)!! Four days of the joint Gulf and Mid-LoW gtg went very fast. Breakfast together each morning and happy hour each afternoon. A bunch of us went to a play called Plaids. It was the worst play I've ever seen. The six of us who went in my truck had drinks by the water before the show and another drink afterward. The five gals and I had a nice evening even with the play.

Pool looking onto the lake.

 



Four of us went to see the Gamble Plantation.The park ranger had so much information, he really made it a great tour. Big signs all over about not touching any of the artifacts. When the ranger heard that Ron was a WWII veteran he took the old gun down and we took pictures of Ron holding it.

Five of us went to see the Christmas boat parade. Parking was a little tough, driving around awhile. We finally found parking fairly close and watched a few boats come by all decked out in lights. The party, gift exchange, and games were lots of fun. I managed to keep my 25 minute exercise routine going plus biking around the park. Maybe I'll even lose a few pounds!

Ron & I with our party hats.

I've gotten into three regular park activities; water aerobics, wood carving, and line dancing. The water aerobics is an hour most days in the heated pool. It's not much exercise, but lots of socialization and fun. I'd thought about wood carving when I first took off in the RV and stumbled on the class here at the park. Russ and Bruce were very helpful getting me started on carving a little manatee. I may take this up or at least get busy making a sign for the Alaskan Signpost. Line dancing is two hours a week and lots of fun. I'm sort of getting the hang of it but still have two left feet. We do line dancing mostly to oldies which are my favorite music.

Wow, three great playhouse shows in the same week. Annie was almost at a Broadway show level. That little girl really belted out all those great songs. The Nutcracker Suite at the Sarasota Opera House was nice. If you get a chance, it's a pretty building. The play, A Christmas Carol, filled out my three-some of holiday inspired events. All very nice and really got me into the holiday mood.

Riding a Lippizan Stallion was like driving a sports car. The trail horses I've ridden almost need a knock on their head to get them to turn, go, or stop. The Lippizans are so well trained they seem to sense what you're thinking and just go. The slightest movement of the reins and they go just where I wanted. The hardest part was getting used to a saddle with no stirrups.

I'd stopped by the Ringling Estate last year but didn't take any photos. It was such a pretty day strolling around the 60 acre grounds. Everything is so pretty and serene. I love the banyan trees and peaceful settings around the ponds. It must have been fantastic living in a setting like this. The house, Ca' d'Zan (Venetian for "House of John" as in John Ringling), was all decorated for Christmas. So pretty...



I was a little disappointed with the cg Christmas Party. The music was okay but so loud I couldn't carry on a conversation with the people sitting right next to me. I was getting a headache and left after about 1 1/2 hours. While I was in the area I also toured the Mixons Fruit Orchard. They were very friendly and after tasting lots of fruit, fruitcake, and honey wine, I left with some grapefruits, tangerines, and kumquats. I also got my fill of Chinese food. There is a nice little take out place in the same strip mall as the nearest Publix. It made it easy to order Chinese, do my food shopping, and have my dinner ready when I checked out. The almost 3 1/2 weeks actually went pretty fast. I can see where I'd be very busy if I lived in an active park like this one.

Farthest South in 2012

Wow, that was an easy ride from Savannah to Jacksonville. Only one "nut" during the ride. I must be getting real accustomed to these little jaunts between campgrounds. The Pecan Park RV cg is just off I-95. It seems real new and very well kept. All large pull thru sites with full hook ups. It's hot and humid and no one seems to be out and about as I did my usual park walk. Most of the rigs as mega-monsters, big class A's. This is definitely not a "trailer-park". Took a little ride into downtown, toured the Science & History Museum and the Riverwalk area. Jacksonville is a much bigger city than I thought at near 1 million population and well over that when including the surrounding communities. I had a very nice evening with cousin Bobbie and her friend Marilyn. Fernandina Beach is a cute town with lots of nice restaurants, shops, and several really good ice cream stores. Our stroll around town after dinner was very pleasant.

I spent most of one morning on the phone with the IRS figuring out my registered tax preparer status, scheduling the required continuing education classes, and juggling my itinerary to get to the right location on the right dates. This wasn't fun! Oh well, at least it's done (I hope).

What a great day. I went for a hike at the Theodore Roosevelt Wildlife area within the Timucuan Ecological Preserve. Upon entering the little museum and welcome center I met Mary Hammond. She was the volunteer manning the center and a full time RV'er. We chatted for about 1 1/2 hours! . She provided me with info on volunteering for the National Park Service and I gave her info on Loners on Wheels. Our little chat would have been enough to make for a nice day, but it get better. As I began my hike I watched a guy get all suited up for his hike. He checked his boots, put on a belt with a canteen and pocket knife. Fixed his hat and grabbed a walking stick. I said hi and mentioned that he sure looked prepared. Bill introduced himself and we began hiking together. He's a former Army MP who apparently hikes this park frequently. We did about eight miles in about three hours, chatting the whole time. The hike seemed to go fast with the company. After the hike he invited me to an American Legion Hall where we chatted a bit more over a cold beer. He got me thinking about maybe joining the American Legion and the VFW. I seem to remember that both occasionally allow RV'ers to park overnight and both definitely provide camaraderie where ever I travel. Jacksonville Beach was a short drive from the Legion Post. I walked up and down the beach for about 1 1/2 hours taking in the roll of the waves, a light breeze, and lots of bikinis.

The Alhambra Theater in Jacksonville was beautiful. I'm continuing to enjoy these local playhouses. This time it was a dinner theater showing Phantom of the Opera. The food was incredible, the play was great, and the other patrons at my table were delightful. In fact, this playhouse was so enjoyable that I'll try to stay in this area on my way north just to attend another performance. When I got back to the RV the flea market right next door was still open. I felt an obligation to at least check it out since it seems to have a common owner with the RV park. The stalls were in the process of closing as I walked slowly through all three huge buildings. I guess I'm just not much of a consumer or collector but at least I got a little stroll in.

It looked a little like rain so I closed the awning and put the sewer connection in, something really not pleasant to do in the rain. It rained a little during the night and came down a bit harder in the morning. Absolutely no hurry today with only about 60 miles to drive to St. Augustine. The rain didn't ease up so I finished hooking up and got soaked doing it. As I drove south the rain get lighter and finally stopped and turned into a pretty day. I suddenly had this urge for Chinese food. I set up and headed for some Chinese take out. This seems like a pretty small RV park, I'm not sure where 25 rigs from LoW group are going to fit. The one scrawny tree by my rig blocked the sat. dish. I seemed to have room to move so I kept going up and back a foot or two until I finally got reception. The tourist brochures seem to show lots of things to do and see in the area. I'm sure when the LoW's get here we'll have lots of little day trips to take.

I took the trolley ride around the old historic St. Augustine and took notes on things I'd like to check out. First on my list was Anastasia State Park. I camped here over 30 years ago while travelling around the country on a motorcycle. I remember pitching my pup tent under some trees in full view of the beach. I remember a beautiful park, beach, and evening. I drove around the camping area but couldn't find the site I felt was the one I'd camped at. In the 30+ years, the park had probably undergone several changes. I walked along the beach for a few hours. Over the next few days while waiting for the LoW campers to arrive, I took a cruise around St. Augustine bay and walked the old historic part of the city. The old fort, Castillo del San Marcos, was very interesting. The fort was build in 1672 and is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. The masonry walls are actually made of local seashells which harden over time. Can you imagine ducking behind a pile of seashells to protect yourself from incoming cannon balls? Another day I climbed the historic lighthouse, went through their museum, and walked around the little boat launch and park. Strolled the Spanish section of St. Augustine. It seemed more touristy than the historic section with lots of shops and restaurants. The flea market adjacent to the RV park is pretty good sized. I'm always amazed at the junk that is someone else's treasure (lol). I did buy some fruits and vegetables and got a great price on a new set of sheets.


I met five couples at the RV park, all from TX and OK, and all here to help set up for a Good Sam Rally. They invited me to join them for dinner. We sat around chatting about everything from Good Sam to politics and religion. Nice evening. Another couple who were Camping World ambassadors, seemed to know some of the Good Samer's but were very stand-offish. They didn't join us for happy hour or pot luck and barely spoke. Very Strange! Several days later, when they left, they went off with their awning out and ripped it off on a telephone pole (:=(. I was on the phone with my son Zack when I noticed some people walking around my rig checking something out. I cut the call short and met Jacques & Therese, a couple from Quebec. Their water line was leaking and they were checking out how mine was hooked up. Cute couple who kept switching back and forth between French and English, occasionally getting mixed up and speaking French to me and English to each other (lol).

The LoW's arrived!!! I had joked with Jan in the campground office that the LoW group had coordinated their arrival so all 25 rigs would show up at the same time. I think most of them really did!! The SE-LoW's are a great group. I didn't realize how much I missed them. It was fantastic to see these people who felt like old friends even though we just met last year. The park seemed to run out of sites and put Ron Henderson off in never-never land. Ron is nearing 92 years old and has more energy than most any two or three others combined. He is incredible! A retired engineer who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII and has been full timing for well over 30 years. I enjoy hearing his many stories. I went with him to his assigned site to help and discovered there was no electric hook up and the site had a pile of dirt blocking it. I went to the office and got him another site which the campground tries not to use. After I got Ron set up at his new site and had gone back to my rig, Jan, from the office, and one of the maintenance workers, Mike, came knocking. Jan didn't realize that the pump house Ron was now camped at was scheduled to have major work done the next day. Mike quickly extended an electric line to the original site and they asked me to explain to Ron and get him moved yet again. Good thing Ron is such an easy going person. He took it all in stride and we had him settled in no time.

Happy hour, yippee! Bobbi is so organized. She had sign ups for over a half dozen side trips, everything from the trolley tours, a cruise, pirate ship, golf, and even a combination obstacle course and zip line. I'd already gone on the trolley tour but they need one more to get a discount for everyone so off I went. It was much more fun doing the tour with the SE-LoW's than on my own last week. We had a great lunch at a Cuban restaurant, the Columbia. Three of us shared a champagne sangria. I think Cheryl got a little tipsy (lol). Carolyn, Mary Kay, Nancy, and I went off golfing. The good news was a got very rare birdy. The bad news, a lost four balls in water and ended with a 105 (:-(.  A bunch of us went to the Lightner Museum. I had wanted to see this beautiful building and it's collection of collections. We had a lovely lunch at the Alcazar Bistro and then went walking on the beach. Our pot luck dinner was it's typical delicious meal. John Henry fried a turkey, Linda made some stuffing, and all the other fix'ins were great. Sitting out most evening listening to Dave Irons sing and play his guitar, life just doesn't get any better. Hurricane Sandy is heading up the Atlantic coast but was kind enough to stay mostly away from us. The high winds did cause the Pirate Ship cruise to get cancelled so about 20 of us went to dinner and a comedy club. The place looked a little dumpy but the food was excellent. I couldn't get over how efficient the waitress was. She handled our table with 20 individual checks plus another table of eight with ease. The comedy club was great. The Disgruntled Clown was really good. This 6'7", 350 lb clown had me in tears! Two hecklers up front, both women, tried to get under his skin. He was obviously annoyed by them but handled them fine.

Bobbi put together a last minute campground dinner that was fantastic. Everyone kicked in $3 and we had more fried chicken and fish than the group could eat plus lots of side dishes. It was a nice end to a great gtg.

I met my cousins Bobbie and Ellen for dinner Sunday evening. They choose a great restaurant in the old Spanish section. The Tasting Room had delicious tapas and a great wine. After, we walked around a little and had some ice cream. It was a lovely evening. We're planning to get together right after New Years when Bobbie returns from her vacation. First, a belated New Years party at her place and then the Johnny Cash play, Ring of Fire, at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre. I'm already looking forward to it.

I took my time in the morning and was on the road around 10am. A few hours later I was pulling in to Paradise Oaks in Bushnell. I felt like I was coming home. This is the first campground that I'm at a second time. It's where I met the SMART folks last year and had a moving experience at the Florida National Cemetery on Veterans Day. It's where a bunch of us sat in the hot tub enjoying several evenings. I feel like I'm heading home.

I had just backed in and not even set up when the team of Joan & Linda asked if I'd like to join them for a Chinese lunch. Absolutely! There are only a few of us LoW's here today and it was a little chilly. Still, we sat out for an hour or so and laughed at the many stories Joan has of her travels with Linda. I caught up with my wash and had a great nights sleep. The rigs left rear tire was very low on air. I set up my little compressor and the tire seemed to hold. I'll have to keep an eye on it. The next morning was also a little chilly but it warmed up fast. A bunch of us went out for a chicken lunch. By evening there were about 20 LoW rigs around. By the next day there were closer to 70 rigs. What a great rally! The catered breakfasts and dinners were "so so" but the activities seemed non-stop. I felt honored and got a little emotional to participate in the veteran ceremony run by Dave Irons. The karaoke Dave also organized was lots of fun. Mary Kay, Nancy, and I did sneak out one morning to join Carolyn who was staying at Flori LoW Oaks and play some golf. About 30 women teamed up in pairs, putting their names on slips of paper to be bid on, blind, by us guys, with the women then taking the winning bidder to lunch. The proceeds went to LoW activities and I couldn't let the bid go below $10 soooo, I wound up with two winning bids and a harem of four women. I got ribbed a little (lol). Sheila & Lulu (yes, her name is Lulu) took me to a Waffle House. Noreen & Nancy brought flowers and took me to a great deli called Too Jays at the Villages. The Villages is a fairly new and fast growing community of about 70,000. The community has lots of golf courses, several little town areas with shopping, and all kinds of residences from townhouses to up scale single family homes. Very pretty. Noreen, Nancy, and I met at Marvins, with Noreen driving us in Marvin's car and he tagging along. Rather than hold everyone up walking back and forth to my rig to leave the flowers, I left them in Marvin's rig. Later, Marvin brought the flowers to me with a photo taken of his handing them to me. Of course he signed the photo inside a heart (kind of funny, even with the ribbing I took). The husband and wife music entertainment team kept us dancing until about 10pm. I kept my word and danced with almost every woman in the place. I won a prize for the costume with the best hair. It was great fun.

The last evening we had the world famous Homer Noodleman for entertainment (if you've never seen him do a google, he's hilarious). Homer has a great comedy act, he plays several musical instruments, and has a really good singing voice. What amazes me most is the energy he puts into his act. We were in stitches! With the rally over and about a dozen of us staying on for the Escapee gtg, we continued our happy hour by Linda's rig. Tuesday evening the cg let us use their large grill and the clubhouse. We had an impromptu pot luck and listened to Dave sing and play guitar. Bobbi, Linda, and I hit the hot tub several evenings with Pat joining us on one occasion. This is a fabulous lifestyle!

As the rally broke up, my little Margie slipped me her phone number and suggested lunch. Before anyone reading this gets any wrong ideas, Margie is about 4'10", weighs 75lbs soaking wet, and just celebrated her 90th birthday! She does have more energy than most any three people combined. Margie grew up in Minnesota and has told me stories of her ice fishing days with her parents. She's a doll! She was in the mood for Mexican so off we went. She finished off almost a half pitcher of sangria. What a pleasant afternoon.

Dave took me to the Escapee luncheon where I met many of the folks I had first seen last year. I tried not to eat too much at the Golden Corral buffet but didn't quite succeed. Wow, was I stuffed. The Escapees began to arrive almost as the LoW folks were still leaving. Last year Sharon Hatch adopted me into Escapees. This year I adopted Charlie. I reminded him next time he saw Sharon to be sure to say "hi" to his new Grandma! (lol)  The SKP food was really good, from the road kill stew to the pot luck to the pizza. They had the same entertainment as last year and once again I danced with every female I could grab (lol). A bunch of us went on an air boat ride, I got to carry the flag in the veterans ceremony, and, as with last year, I got all choked up at the Veterans Day ceremony at the National Cemetery. We went to a local park from the cemetery and enjoyed each others company along with hot dogs, hamburgers, and lots of fixings. About a dozen of us LoW'ers went out for a great steak dinner. The prime rib was delicious! Bobbi, Linda, and I hung out in the hot tub. In the morning all but John Hubbard and I headed out. Another great rally.

I took my time in the morning, no hurry. As I packed up I saw the left rear tire was again flat. John had gone to a Goodyear tire store just down the road and had good things to say about them. He drove me over and they had the right tire in stock. I finished hooking up and drove slow with the compressor having brought the tire up to about 45psi. It was going to take about an hour so John and I went to a barbecue place for lunch. When we got back I had two new tires and was ready to go. John went back and got his rig and followed me. Slow, easy drive to the Atlantic coast. It went pretty well although I did pull off once at a wrong exit and John and I had to make a tight U-turn to get back on the FL Turnpike. We arrived about 2:30pm, checked in easy and found David Poole hanging out. Relaxing afternoon with some beer and watching some people fish. The next day the three of us did a little exploring. We went to the Warbird Museum which was pretty interesting we lots of planes and artifacts from WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam era. We had a nice lunch at Corky Bells and checked out the Cocoa Beach Pier. While enjoying some beer, we watched the surfers and lots of pelicans. They are big birds and one actually let a few people pet him. Next day Ron Henderson, Jerry McKay, June, & June's mom Becky arrived. It seems the Space LoW chapter will be closing and this may be the last gtg. They didn't even have any equipment for morning coffee. We had our own breakfast and enjoyed our coffee as a group. David and I played some pool. We were so evenly matched it was eerie, we are equally in need of some lessons (lol). We piled into two cars and went to Blue Springs State Park to spend the day watching manatees. When we returned, Dwight came by to visit with us and a new LoW'er, Barbara showed up. June got some pizza and we all hung out for the evening. John & David left in the morning. Barbara, Ron, and I went hiking at the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary. We did about 3 - 4 miles while asking Ron if he was okay. At 91 he has more energy than Barbara and I combined!!

In the evening we went out to dinner and in the morning everyone but Barbara and I headed out. I had gotten a ticket to see Driving Miss Daisy at the Titusville Playhouse and Barbara managed to get one of the last tickets and join me for the play and dinner. Yet again I am amazed at how wonderful these local playhouses are. The show was absolutely great. Barbara headed out the next morning and I finally got to take my longer hike at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It was a cold, wet day and so my hike was a short one. Cleaned up a little and pulled in the slides, just in case it rains overnight.

Took my time in the morning and left around 11am. Slow and very easy drive south on I-95. John Prince Park is pretty although my site is a bit tighter this year than last. Right after setting up I walked over and found Ira & Elaine. The couple I met last year recognized me immediately. They are such nice folks. It was very relaxing to sit out with Ira for a little while and chat a bit. Thanksgiving dinner at the Calienes was absolutely the best. These are great people who always make me feel welcome. I am so lucky to have such friends. It was such a lovely evening, we ate dinner outside. Armando, Madeline, her parents, his parents, their two sons, Madeline's sister, her husband, their two daughters, Armando's sister and her three daughters. These are all happy people and beautiful families. Ira, Elaine, and I sat out and chatted a bit more. We had lunch together one day. Armando, Madeline, and I went to the movies and dinner another evening. This was a great stop for me even if I didn't play golf as I did last year. It was definitely melancholy leaving. I enjoy the folks in this area but, onward I go, now turning North.

Heading South, again

The Country Music RV park was fun and now I'm heading south. It was a very short ride to the Army Corp of Engineer campground in Tioga, PA, less than 100 miles. The park is huge with several camping areas and lots of hiking trails, all along two big lakes. I'm camped in the trees so no sat. service and no TV. The cell service seems pretty good so I do have web access. The site is pretty short with a slope. The truck would stick out into the path if I parked it in front of the RV and it barely fits sideways while staying off the grassy area. It took all my plastic wedges to get the rig mostly level. The park seems well kept and I have a full hook up so I can catch up on my laundry and take  nice long showers.

The first morning I headed up to Corning, NY. In all my travels I've never been to the Corning Glass museum. It was worth the trip. I saw four shows and an incredible collection of glass art work. The shows included; a hot glass show where they made a beautiful cobalt blue vase, a flame working demo where they used different temperatures and created a little glass bear, glass breaking where they demonstrated both how fragile glass is and how bulletproof glass is made, an optical fiber show which explained how and why light follows the glass path. The art work was really beautiful. It seems that glass works are only limited by a persons creativity. The town of Corning was kind of cute, several little shops and restaurants. On my way out of town a saw a Home Depot. I bought an eight foot 2 by 6 and had it cut into eight one foot lengths. I was able to use these to almost level out the RV.

They call the deep valley that runs about 60 miles the "Grand Canyon of PA". It's beautiful. I parked at the bottom and began walking along a wide path. I hadn't walked even a mile when I met two guys also hiking. I asked them about the canyon and they told me a place I could drive where I'd be able to hike the rim and see the depth and breath of the valley. I ended up hiking a few hours along the rim. The "real" Grand Canyon is stark, desert and rock. I remember hiking into it and camping over night along the Colorado River. That was years ago and I doubt I'd be able to climb out at my age. I stayed along the top rim and didn't venture down the steeper side trails. These beautiful green hills are surely different than the Arizona canyon.

The campground has lots of hiking trails. I checked a few of them out, hiking a total of maybe 10 to 12 miles over several days. In the RV I can hear some road noise during the day from a highway about a mile away. Once in the woods, even 1/4 mile, all the noise disappears. Several people I met warned me about rattlesnakes in the area. I've seen snakes many times with all my hiking. I don't mind rattlesnakes. They warn you, unless you come up on them suddenly. If you're ever in the woods and you hear them rattle just freeze until you see where they are. Then make sure to give them lots of room. Down south is worse with the possibility of cottonmouths, sometimes called water moccasins. They've actually been know to chase people. For the most part I feel safer in the woods than driving on roads.

Yet another train ride. There was a Sunday brunch train ride thru the mountains. Very pretty. I was expecting breakfast in a bag. What a great surprise! They actually have a chef who cooks everything fresh right on board the train. The ham & egg casserole was really good. The table was set beautifully with linen, china, and glass. What a delightful ride.

The ride to Maryland is one of the longest I've taken at almost 6 hours. After about 2 hours, just when I was ready to take a short break, a Walmart appeared. It was like it was planned. A short stroll around the store and I was off again. About 2 hours later there suddenly appeared a road side rest area to once again take a short break. I got to the campground easy but was disappointed. Gambrill State Park is small, not well kept and there was no one around to check in. I drove the loop twice looking for a site or someone to ask. My truck and rig barely fit down the tight lanes with the trees brushing my top and sides. I finally back tracked about 8 miles to the Greenbrier State Park I had passed. This is a pretty park around a 42 acre lake. I took a site with no hook ups but it is a pull through. A park ranger came by as I was pulling in to let me know there was no electric at the site. I showed him my solar panels. He seemed amazed. A woman who identified herself as the cg host came by as I was almost set up to also share that there was no electric. She said they had a problem with a little pop up camper who thought there was electric and got upset when he found out there was none. I showed her the solar and we chatted awhile. After setting up I hiked around the lake. Several beaches, a few people out in row boats fishing. You can see the little dam on the far shore. Real pretty.

My first day was spent walking the Antietam Battlefield. This is huge. I walked for about 4 hours covering around 8 miles and more monuments than I could count. It is really incredible the stuff you don't learn in school. I never knew how close the south came to winning the Civil War. When you walk these battlefields you get more of an appreciation for what the combatants went through. It's ironic that much of this battle was fought around the Dunker Church. A church built by pacifists.

I seem to be checking out lots of caves. The Crystal Grotto Caves sounded interesting. A road crew digging out shale for a local roadbed stumbled upon these caves around 1922. The land has mostly been in the same family since then. They didn't want to conduct a tour for only one person so I hung around for about an hour waiting for someone else to show up. I got to chat with the current land owner. Strange guy! Finally a woman showed up from Indiana who had been visiting family nearby. She was funny in that she obviously didn't like the confined spaces of the cave yet went out of her way to take the tour. As far as caves go, this one was relatively small. They're still exploring and opening up new areas, after 90 years!

Back at the campground I chatted a little with some campers who seemed to have more kids than I could count. Turns out there are two families home schooling about 8 kids. One of the little girls, maybe 5 or 6 years old, saw a baby bear wandering around. The kids had me checking the woods every time they heard a twig crack. They were cute. Also met an interesting couple from North Carolina. The guy is part of a Civil War reenactment group up here for the 150 year anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. He sure looked the part of a Confederate soldier. We chatted for a few hours. Unfortunately, the reenactment is a few days after I leave.

I hiked around the lake each day and checked out two local towns, Boonesboro and Sharpesburg. Both towns had been very active during the Civil War. Boonesboro was reportedly founded by two cousins of the real Daniel Boone. Four days at a site with no services, no problem. On to Trap Lake State Park in Laurel, Delaware.

The drive was easy. One short stop for gas where the RV actually fit in fine. The area is very rural, lots of pretty farms. The campground signs were a little confusing. I went into the day park area and fortunately had an easy turn around. The site was to be a pull through for a 30' rig. There was no way to fit my rig in. I got out and paced the site. It was barely 30' which will never accommodate my RV plus another 20' of truck. I drove around, found another site, left the truck and RV at the new site, and walked to the registration cabin. The campground people quickly switched my reservation to the new location. The campground is packed with almost every site taken. As I walked back to my rig a big old class "A" burped it's way past me, obviously on its last legs. As it rounded the turn for the sites, black smoke began to billow from the engine and the rig died. A couple and their two teenage daughters ran out as someone walking nearby called the fire department. Apparently they've had the rig for about 20 years, definitely got their money's worth. The two teenage girls seemed relieved and stood around texting their friends. The family lives fairly close and had an undamaged car.

This park seems to surround a fair sized pond. There is a trail that runs around it. I'm told it takes between three and four hours to hike completely around. A short walk around the camp sites and an early night. Next day a few hours of driving to the main Delaware beach, Rehobeth, and the beach at Ocean City, Maryland. Rehobeth Beach seemed like a typical busy tourist beach. Lots of shops and restaurants. Very congested, especially for a Monday in mid-September. There are what seems like two races going on. One running and another on bikes. As I rode toward Ocean City I was amazed at the number of motorcycles. Turns out this is "bike week". There are easily 10,000 motorcycles, they're all over the place. Some very pretty ones! Another short walk around the site area when I returned in the evening. Saturday I decided to take the long hike. The trails are mostly wide and well marked. I froze and just stared at the two little fawns. Beautiful! Dozens of tree frogs. Two graceful blue herons. Woodpeckers, ducks, and even a loud hoot owl. About half-way around there was a small country church originally built in 1720. In my travels I've seen so many of these little white churches. They are the backbone of our country. As I entered back into the day area of the park I came upon a nature center with a small museum of sorts. This is a nice little park. Lots of cypress trees which I didn't know grew this far north. One pretty tree had apparently decided to become an island (lol).

The drive to North Carolina was pretty easy. Still, I don't like the long stretch of route #13 which runs through the spine of Delaware. The road always seems to go on forever. I've driven over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on a motorcycle and car. This was my first time over it with my rig. It's a very pretty drive. I stopped at the rest area/restaurant for lunch. Fried oysters, nice! I've driven the North Carolina Outer Banks in years past. They're very scenic, connected by several ferry's. This trip I'll explore the Inner Banks of NC. The cg is a little off the beaten path. When I checked in they gave specific warnings about black bear that have been roaming the cg and bobcat that have been spotted in the woods adjacent to the cg. Apparently, the bobcat are fair size and more than capable of carrying off pet cats and dogs. I guess I'll rest up and not take any hikes in these woods (lol).

Right after breakfast I headed out for a long day's drive and sight seeing. It seemed like a cool idea to completely circle the Albermarle Sound. First stop, Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers memorial. Last time I was along the Outer Banks was over 30 years ago. Wow, has it gotten built up! I don't remember any strip malls. It was a sleepy, pretty area with beach houses and large sand dunes. It still has some old beach houses but also lots of condos, strip malls, putt putt golf centers, and other touristy stuff. Now you can barely see the ocean and sand dunes. The Wright Brothers memorial was nice. Lots of walking around the field where they flew their flyer. It's amazing to think that in a mere 66 years we went from the first manned flight to walking on the moon (1903 to 1969). Where will flight be in 2035? What will the Earth be like in 2035?

As I continued my drive around the Albermarle Sound I came upon a little aquarium. It had the usual exhibits. A lady cutting and folding little pieces of paper caught my eye. The aquarium had a sandy area stocked with shark teeth where kids could sift them out. The lady made these cute little paper boxes which she gave to the kids to carry home their treasures. Only a few minutes from the aquarium was the site of the Lost Colony. Most folks learn in school that Plymouth Rock, where the Pilgrims landed in 1620, or Jamestown, were the sites of the first New World settlements. Actually, the Lost Colony was a settlement founded in 1585 with 116 men, women, and children under the authority of Sir Walter Raleigh. They ran out of supplies and sent their leader, Sir Richard Grenville, back to England for resupplies. When he returned three years later (no direct flights back then) the colony was gone with absolutely no sign left. For the last over 400 years archaeologists have tried to find evidence of what happened with no luck. Only the rough outline of a small fort remains. One of the many mystery's around our big, beautiful, country.



 

Continuing around the Albermarle Sound I drove over several long causeway's, at least a couple over a mile long. This is a very pretty area which has a strong link to fishing. Several small towns, lots of farms. I stopped for dinner at Frog Island Seafood. A fellow RV'er had recommended it and luckily warned me that it looked kind of dumpy on the outside. The crab cakes, rice pilaf, and fried okra were delicious. I bought some fresh crab and catfish to take back to my rig.

 

I'd heard about the Dismal Swamp National Refuge, an area that covers well over a 100,000 acres, part in Virginia and part in North Carolina. It's a protected coastal ecosystem with lots of wildlife, once estimated to be over 1,000,000 acres. The visitor center told of the areas history from native Indians, to escaped slave encampments. I admit to being a little nervous hiking in a swamp area with lots of protected bears, bobcats, and other wildlife. I was surprised at how few bugs there were in a swampy area. I did work up a light sweat after a few hours and about 7 miles of hiking. It was a nice afternoon.

 

 

The camp ground has a stocked pond and I've yet to use the fishing gear I took with me over a year ago. The old saying of "... you don't have to catch fish to say you went fishing", sure held true for me. Oh well, at least I finally went fishing. Rick told me about a nationwide internet group called meetup.com. They seem to have lots of different interest groups. I've looked for one in the last few places I camped with no luck. There is one meeting in Elizabeth City, about 20 minutes away, called the Freethinkers. Sounds like an evening of conversation and a few brews. Eight of us met in a local sports bar. Very little talk on the topic. Mostly just friendly conversation for a few hours. An enjoyable evening.

 

 

The ride to Wilson, NC was unexpectedly easy. On MapQuest it looked like many different back country roads going through lots of little towns. My GPS routed me mostly along three US roads with up to 70 mph speeds, very few lower speeds areas, and only a few lights during the entire 150 miles. As usual, a Walmart magically appeared at almost my exact half way point of 90 minutes. The campground is right on the main road, run by two sisters who bought it less than two years ago. My site is mostly open with one little tree. The one tree is enough to block the sat. dish so no TV for the next three days (lol). There's a tobacco plantation and museum a few miles down the road that sounds interesting. The older I get the less I can stand cigarette smoke but somehow the smell of tobacco leaves is sort of pleasant, a little sweet smell. The process of farming tobacco is very labor intensive, a lot of work. It's an amazing process. The museum included several out building showing farm life of about 100 years ago. It's strange to see so many things that I remember from my home as a kid. A washboard I'd help my mom do clothes on before we got a washing machine. A hand wringer I helped start the clothes drying process even after we got the washer. An ice box similar to one we had until the first refrigerator we got around 1960. Old school desks and chairs which were attached to each other with little ink wells always on the right side of the desk (we weren't allowed to be left handed, lol). Lots of old family medical remedies from chest rubs, gargles, liniments, and salves. Interesting exhibits.

 

Over the few days at this park I also checked out a walking tour of the town of Wilson, a local barbecue place and conversation with a Ford truck technician. My truck pulls with no problem. In fact, unless I check the mirror I don't even know the rig is back there. Going up a steep hill slows me down, but no problem pulling. It's going down on roads with 8% grades or more that doesn't seem to be working the way I'd like. This is the first automatic vehicle I've ever owned. When going down a steep hill I use the brake to slow a little. As soon as I touch the brake the truck downshifts. That's not a problem until I get to around 3rd gear and see the RPM's getting higher than I want. Now what do I do? I can't let the rig continue to build speed and I can't touch the brake. It's a conundrum! Here in the coastal area of North Carolina they don't have many hills and didn't have an answer.

 

Last year I'd stayed in a South Carolina SP (Little Pee Dee). I met some nice folks at the cg but the park didn't have much to offer. I had stopped by the Bass River cg to get a cap for my sewer outlet (the original had gotten loose and disappeared). The cg owners, Guy and Judy, were very friendly and I'd made a mental note to stay if ever in the area. The ride was real easy, straight down I-95. Guy was even more friendly than I'd remembered and his hosts were great also. A nice open full hook up site. Long showers, washing machine, and sat. dish. Life is good! There's not much in the area to do or see. I checked out a Radio Shack and a truck stop store, looking at CB radios. I'm getting ideas, seeing different features, but nothing a really like yet. I also strolled around the giant South of the Border complex. It was only a couple of years ago I stopped here when driving to FL with Alex and Zack. I think they were fascinated with the size and variety of the fireworks. Todd, a fellow camper and ex-marine got to chatting with me in the afternoons. He was cleaning his awning and his mom's on her camper. I couldn't let a marine outdo an army guy so I scrubbed my awning also.

 

I'd been looking forward to getting to Skidaway SP in Savannah. This is one of two southern cities I really like, the other being Charleston, SC. The cg is a pleasant surprise. While there aren't any sewer hookups they do have water and electric in pull through sites. My site even has sat. dish access. There are about 6 miles of hiking trails, a very nice interpretive center, lots of beautiful live oak trees, and we're within the Savannah city limits. The park even has a swimming pool (closed after Labor Day). Savannah is just as I remember it. Lots of pretty squares, a walking street with quaint shops, lots of restaurants and "junk" shops, all with interesting stuff of course. I took an cruise up and down the Savannah River on a paddle wheeler. The captain giving background and descriptions of the area. Did you know that Savannah is the 4th busiest port in the entire USA and the 2nd busiest container ship port? There were two immense ships in port. Both near a 1,000 feet long and 13 stories high. Incredible! The oceanographic institute on Skidaway Island was great.

Typical aquarium exhibits of inhabitants of this area but they also had a nice little hiking trail part way along a salt marsh and part along a woodland trail. The 300 year old live oak is magnificent! I spent a day in and around Tybee Island, one of the larger barrier islands along the coast of Georgia. Walking the beach, seeing the huge sand dunes was great.

 

If you're ever in this area don't miss the Oatland Island Wildlife Center. The center is actually run by the Savannah public schools. It includes over a mile of trails with wildlife exhibits spaced throughout your walk. The wildlife include; several varieties of owls, falcons, bald eagles, herons, cranes, gators, cougars, bobcat, bear, fox, deer, wolf, bison, armadillo, and even a pond to sit and ponder by. I couldn't believe how many turtles were in the pond, amazing! Savannah also has a train museum and a museum of the area. The train museums central feature is a roundhouse housing about 10 old cars in various stages of restoration. Visitors ride on an old passenger car as we're taken down several short rails and around the roundhouse while provided a description of rail travel in the Savannah area. The local museum has lots of exhibits from prehistoric times, to American Indian culture, to the Civil War, WWI, and WWII. Back at Skidaway State Park I hiked about 8 miles of their trails. I love the live oak canopies framed on one side by salt marsh. My last hike along the last park trail caused some excitement. I had strolled about 1 1/2 miles out of the park to pick up the Sunday papers. On my 1 1/2 mile stroll back, my son Zack thankfully called.  Holding the phone in one hand and the Sunday papers in the other, I was looking down a little more than my usual tree and sky observations. As my right foot was about to go down the copperhead moved slightly. I jumped back at what had to be the last moment. The three foot snake was already coiled and ready and exactly where my foot had been about to land. I magically became a lot more observant the rest of my walk back to my rig. Returning to Florida tomorrow and the peace of easier to spot gators (lol).

 

One year down...

The drive to the RV dealer was easy. I pulled into their lot, dropped the rig in front, and intended to go to dinner at the same steak house where I celebrated buying the RV. I wasn't that hungry and had some salad stuff to use up rather than leave it in the RV while the rig was being serviced. A nearby movie was playing the Bourne Legacy which I'd wanted to see. I actually stayed awake for the entire movie. No slides open or any hook ups. I'll sleep fine and be first in line for the service bay in the morning. Service opened at 8am and by about 8:15am I was on the road. A few quick errands stopping to pick up my mail, go to the bank, and fill up with gas. Picked up Alex & Zack about 11am and we were on our way to the Poconos. Alex has to be at Seton Hall University on Thursday so it'll be a quick get away of only a few days.

We all seemed to recognize the Split Rock Resort even though it had been six years since we were last here. They didn't have a waterpark back then. We had a light lunch while we waited for our room and spent the evening in the pool and jacuzzi. The next day we spent at the water park. Zack and I went on all the slides. Alex met some other kids and hung out in at the surfing. It was interesting the way they built an area with a very strong current that you could really surf. Zack and I took a few long walks to the lake area and even played a little tennis. After checking out we spent some more time in the jacuzzi. On our way back to NJ we stopped at the indoor shooting range we had gone to earlier in the year when we did paintball. Alex wanted to study so only Zack shot. I have such mixed feelings about the shooting. I resisted ever buying even toy guns for them when they were young. It took years of Alex' lobbying me before we did paintball the first time. I grew up with toy guns; water guns, cap guns, cork shooting rifles. As a teenager I would go to an indoor range with my friends. After Vietnam I've become very put off by all guns. Maybe it's to be expected. Maybe not! I don't know...

We had dinner at the same diner we'd gone to for years and then I dropped the kids off and went to a nearby hotel. In the morning I was still stuffed from dinner and only had some coffee with a newspaper. I hung around till time for the closing. The closing didn't go smooth. In fact it was touch and go as to if I would even sell these last few properties. However, we finally came to an agreement. I am so happy to be rid of these rentals. I feel truly free of most all ties and able to travel. After the closing I picked up Zack. He wanted to go for Chinese and then a movie. It was a very relaxing afternoon and evening. In the morning we went to another diner for brunch. This was the same diner that had cooked the cases of sausage for me to take to the Boy Scout breakfast last year. After brunch I took Zack back and headed off to the RV dealer. There were no problems found in my rig, just maintenance stuff and the bill was even a little less than expected. I have a long drive to Cortland, NY so I'll stay at the dealer tonight and leave early in the morning.

There was going to be a LoW rally but it was cancelled when the organizers couldn't find a caterer. I had already booked the campground. Between this, the closing, and Alex having to be at college this past Thursday, my travels got a little messed up. I would have preferred not to travel back north, especially for almost five hours. Such is life. The campground was very easy to get to, just about a mile off I-81. It's called the Country Music Park. They have two country music type opera houses, one indoors and one outside. Various bands play every Saturday night and Sunday afternoons.  It was almost 4pm when I arrived and I was tired from the drive and the closing. My neighbors at the next site asked if I was going to hear the band in a way that suggested everyone goes. By the time I setup, had dinner, and cleaned up it was time to go and I was really tired. I went anyway. The music was great and almost all of the 200 or so people were up dancing to the country music. I stayed for a couple of hours but then had to pack it in. Sunday morning it seemed most of the campers were off to church early. It's amazing how religious our country is. You don't get that feeling living in cities or suburbia, only in rural areas. I drove around the area a little, found a supermarket and explored Cortland, NY. The New York State Fair is on this week and about an hour's drive. There are also two plays; Cabaret in Auburn and The Mystery of Irma Vep right here in Cortland. I got matinee tickets to both plays.

It rained the day I had set aside for the fair so I just hung out at the campground. I didn't realize that The Mystery of Irma Vep was such a popular play. Apparently, it's one of the most produced plays of all time. I'd never heard of it. It was a fun, farce of sorts. Performed very well and quite enjoyable as most all country playhouse productions are. Cabaret was great, definitely performed at a Broadway level. It was very sad for me, with lots of old memories. I saw it on Broadway in 1969. I had just returned from Vietnam and my childhood best friend was due to return in a few months. His fiancee, Tina, had gotten word that he was missing in action. She and I spent the day together, including seeing Cabaret. We got word shortly after that he had been killed. After his funeral I spent the rest of the summer in Europe trying to get my self back into "life".

Two RV's pulled in next to me. The farther one was a couple from the Albany, NY area. The one next to me was Pat & Paul from Freemont, CA. I had mentioned the Cortland play to them and they went also. We had dinner together at a local seafood joint. From dinner we went to a wildlife refuge and hiked around a little. It was kind of funny as when I followed them to dinner we took a "scenic" route, when they followed me to the hike we took a "scenic" route, and we all got a little lost while hiking. It was fun. Paul, the other couple, and I went to the Country Music Opera house on Saturday night. Paul's wife Pat stayed in their rig, read and rested. It was much nicer than last week when I was alone. We shared a couple of pitchers of beer, enjoyed the music, and watched the people dancing for almost three hours. I was a little tired and called it quits about 10:45pm. Paul left also. After breakfast I said goodbye to the other couple as they were heading back to their home. Pat, Paul, and I went back to the wildlife refuge and hiked a few different trails. Yes, we got lost again. It's a fairly small area so we didn't get too lost. It was fun and a nice hike. We shared contact info and I hope we'll remain in touch.

It's supposed to rain on Monday so I cleaned and packed up on Sunday. It's a short drive to my next stop so I had a leisurely morning on Labor Day. Said "goodbye" to the half dozen people I'd met. Leaving here and heading south seems to end my second of ten roughly planned trips. When I took off last August, I'd planned to make a loop south to Florida and return to New Jersey in February/March for my tax season. After tax season I would make a loop into New England and return to New Jersey before the kids started school. These two trips are now behind me. I'm planning to repeat these a second time, a last time. I think 2013 will be my last tax season. It's been over 40 years since I started doing taxes. I don't think I ever liked playing with numbers but I enjoy seeing my "customers". Most are much more than customers, they're people I've known for many years and look forward to seeing. Still, who wants to be in New Jersey during February and March?? (lol) My third and fourth trips will be repeats of one and two. Trip five will again go south from New Jersey to Florida but end there around January of 2014. From there my sixth trip will take me across the southern USA and eventually head north to Great Falls, MT. The seventh trip will be to Alaska and return to Seattle. Trip eight will be a leisurely drive to Florida. For trip nine I'll find a place to leave the RV and fly the kids and I to Hawaii. Once in Hawaii renting an RV, it will be the 50th state I'd have camped in. The tenth and last trip I'm thinking about at the moment is Antarctica. I'm not planning to camp there, but it would make all seven continents that I'd set foot on. I think that would be cool! Who knows what will be. My mom's favorite saying was "que sa ra, sa ra (what will be, will be)"!

Back in New England

The ride to Sturbridge, MA was short and easy. The park ranger at Wells State Park said my site was a pull through. None of the MA State Parks have sites with services (i.e., water, electric, or sewer). I pulled up to the site and got out to walk through it since it sure didn't look like a pull through. As I got near the back of the wooded site, Don & Sherry on the adjacent site yelled to me that it wasn't a pull through for anything more than a bicycle. They apparently did the same thing I did when they arrived about an hour earlier. Don suggested I drive down the road a short distance to a turn around and back in from the opposite direction and he'd help guide me in. It sounded about right and I was very glad he had offered to help, it was greatly appreciated. With his help guiding me I got in, leveled the rig a little, although it still had a bit of a tilt, set up, opened the slides and then went over to Don and Sherry to thank them and chat awhile. I met their toy Pomeranian, Ginger. What a cute puppy! The three of us sat and chatted awhile, sipping beer. It was an enjoyable afternoon.

The next day I toured the Old Sturbridge Village. It's an interesting place, much larger than I thought. The day was pretty hot and only a few of the buildings had a/c (the gift shop, restaurant, and a candle store). I took a little boat ride that included lots of information about the village. It wasn't crowded and I had a chance to have a long conversation with the enacter in the period print shop. Among my first "real" jobs was working in print shops. I enjoyed that profession. It's a whole industry that no longer exists what with computers and copy machines. Having just finished reading the biography of John Adams, I almost felt I knew the village. It seemed like what our founding fathers would have lived and known. It made me wonder if what our cities are today is really progress. I spent the evening sitting with Don & Sherry again. Ginger is almost getting me to rethink travelling with a puppy. She took to me real quick. She would play if I played. If I slowly pet her she'd curl up on my lap and nap. Don & Sherry live in RI. Sherry works for a major lighting manufacturer and was studying for an LED certification she has to take. Don was out of work the day we met but got a call to start a job working with boat engines when he returns home. Another nice evening. The next day I went to Brimfield to see the antiques. I had heard of this place for many years but had never been before. The entire town is lined with tents and stands selling all kinds of treasures. It was a very hot day!. Lots of interesting things to see and lots of strange people. It sure is true that "one persons junk is another's treasure"! The evening was again spent hanging out with Don, Sherry, and Ginger. We hung out every afternoon. On the day before I was leaving I drove Don to do some shopping. He then cooked a delicious sausage, pepper, and onion dish he put into a hero sandwich. We sat eating and chatting. They invited me to camp with them when I get to RI next year. I think we'll remain friends for a long time.

The morning I was leaving I walked down the park path to throw out my garbage and a baby bear ran across the path about 15 feet in front of me. It was about two feet high and maybe three feet long. Some nutty guy was walking fast, following the bear. I suggested he may not want to do that. He said he just wanted to get a photo. I shared with him that where's there's a baby bear, mama's probably not too far behind. The garbage dump was near the park ranger station so I stopped by to let them know about the bear. They told me the mama and baby had been spotted around the park the past few days. They were going to check around and warn people about basic bear "courtesy" and safety.

My drive to Cold Brook, NY began real nice. It was a beautiful day and most of the planned 3 1/2 hour drive was on I-90. I got off the highway where the GPS said and before I knew it I was on a dirt and gravel road, real rough. About 10 miles down the road I come across a sign "Construction, road closed"!! I was not a happy camper! I had only one way to turn and it looked like a small farm road. After a few miles I came to a larger county road. The GPS was still directing me back to the closed road. Instead of following the GPS I headed on the larger road in the general direction where I thought the campground was. After another few miles the GPS finally recalculated a new set of roads. When I got within 1/2 mile of the campground I came upon yet more road work with a huge dump truck blocking the road which appeared closed. I asked the truck driver if I could get through and they moved the construction equipment to let me get by. I was exhausted when I pulled in after about an hour's more driving than I had anticipated. Anne, the campground owner, got me smiling and improved my mood immediately. My site was super easy to pull into, full services, and the sat. dish immediately picked up the Direct TV. Unfortunately, cell service is real weak in the area.

The cg seems to back up to the Adirondack park and has some spectacular views. There are a few nice trails, a golf driving range, and a swimming pool that even has some shade. Apparently Marge, another LoW member whom I met a few months ago camping in Shelbourne Falls, MA, knew I was on my way. She had been driving behind me on I-90 when I turned off at exit #29. She stayed on I-90 and came here a back way. I thought the LoW gtg was next weekend, but it was this weekend and several LoW members were already here. This gtg is a joint one between the Yankee LoW's (some of whom I'd already met a few months ago) and the UNI-LoW's (Upstate New Yorker's). In all there are about 20 rigs. The pot luck was incredible! Each and every dish was truly delicious. Anne ran a tractor pulling a hay wagon each evening. A bunch of us LoW's piled in, singing every old song anyone could think of at the top of our lungs all around the cg and for a mile of so around the farm community. It was great fun. Several of us also spent time cooling off in the pool. I learned some new card games and we had lots of conversation. All in all, a good time.

While in the area I got to explore a little of Rome, Utica, and Herkimer, NY, and the surrounding Mohawk Valley. I had a great afternoon at Fort Stanwix in Rome and yet again learned more in a short tour about specifics of the pre-revolution and revolutionary war in this part of the country than I ever learned in school. The tour of the Saranac Brewery was interesting and I got to see some of Utica. It was interesting to see the McSorley's Ale House private label beer that Saranac made. I spent a few years of my misguided youth drinking at McSorley's on 7th street in Manhattan. Lots of great memories. I took a train ride on the Adirondack Scenic Railway. It was a doo wop train with waitresses dressed in poodle skirts, playing 50's music, dancing with us, and playing with hula hoops. The ride was about 90 minutes through the Adirondacks. We stopped at a 50's themed restaurant for burgers and malts and they rode back with more 50's songs. It was a great day.

The drive to the Yankee LoW gtg in Andover, VT was easy. I pulled into an I-90 rest area to walk and stretch. When I walked back to my rig a couple had parked next to me in a Jayco Eagle 5th wheel. They were walking around my RV sort of checking it out. We chatted for about 1/2 hour before heading out. The VT cg is bigger than I imagined. I can't believe the fee is only $10 a night with full hook ups. They have some long standing deal with LoW's that they honor regardless of how long someone stays. My full three weeks for only $210, incredible! Several LoW's are already here, many of whom I know from either the Shelbourne Falls, MA gtg, the Cold Brook, NY gtg, or both. There are even three members who I met in FL last Fall. I have a full hook up site up a steep hill. The gtg is on the other side of the road and doesn't have sewer hook ups. The cg offered to give me a site near the gtg and then move me next week. I didn't like the sharp turns to get in and don't mind walking the 2/10's or 3/10's of a mile each way to the gtg. A few of us went out in Marge's car to get grocery's for our pot luck tomorrow. It rained every afternoon but the cg had a covered pavilion that we used for our breakfasts, pot lucks, and playing games. Other than hanging out we all went for dinner in Ludlow one night. I had five of us piled in my truck as I drove over a short cut, dirt & gravel mountain road. The daily rain washed out part of the road going into the gtg's side of the cg. My truck had no problem making it but several of those pulling cars quickly drove them to my side of the cg fearing they wouldn't be able to get them out. The cg quickly filled the wash out almost as soon as the rain stopped. Still, it was yet another reason I'm glad I stayed on my side of the road.

Some of the LoW campers wondered what I'd do in such a remote area for three weeks, especially with no cell service. For the two weeks remaining after the gtg ended I: went to a farmers market, toured the Calvin Coolidge homestead, saw Fiddler on the Roof at a local playhouse, took a Murder Mystery train ride, hiked a little at a park I'd hiked several times, many years ago, went to a Hops & Wings competition, toured the Long Trail Brewery, toured three cheese factories, a marble museum, and a maple syrup museum, toured Rutland and the Clinton Castle, and even took another horseback ride. I got lucky at the Calvin Coolidge homestead in stumbling across a celebration day with a chicken barbecue and lots of activities. In the Coolidge museum I got to talking with a woman who was fascinated by my full time RV'ing. She told me stories of when she and her husband took nine months to walk across the USA. The artisan cheese factory on the homestead site was founded by Coolidge's father and still operates. I enjoyed a wine and cheese tasting they had going on. Fiddler on the Roof was great. I really think local, country playhouse are way better than Broadway. You sit close with no long lines or parking issues. The settings are intimate and friendly. The Murder Mystery train was really great. There was a mother/daughter team playing the roles of a chief detective and her assistant. As they played out their parts they gave clues to the murderer. On our way back they gave out cards for us to record our guess. I actually won and received a hand painted bottle. It was fun! The scenery was beautiful riding thru the VT country side. Okemo Mountain resort was hosting their second annual Hops & Wings competition. It was a tough vote since all the wings were great. I liked the hard ciders better than the local beers. It's amazing how many local breweries there are. It was a little sad driving by an Inn I'd gone to many times from the early 1970's up to 1990. The Inn was in disrepair and for sale, and the general store about a 1/2 mile down the road had burned down several years ago. I enjoyed the Inn with it's tennis court, in door and out door pools, fantastic restaurant, adjacent to Gifford Woods State Park, and across the country road from a small lake with row boats and canoes. I would walk to the general store on Sunday mornings for a newspaper and then enjoy french toast from home made bread, each slice about two inches thick. There was a restaurant a few miles down the road where the waiters & waitresses would sing while serving great meals. It too burned down years ago. Sad, but life goes on.

The ride to Central Bridge, NY was real easy. I'd just been here this past March with my kids. We went to Howe Caverns and the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'm only staying a few days to break up my ride to the RV dealer in PA. I can't believe it's been a year already. Wow, did it go fast! No sat. service at the cg but at least I have cell and web access. I went to an Indian Museum which had lots of artifacts and gave a great history of the six tribes who inhabited this area. The Secret Caverns was interesting. They have a 100 foot waterfall underground. It comes from an underground river and eventually flows to a small stream in the valley. Fascinating! I had dinner one night in the same barbecue place the kids and I went to this past March. In the few days I spent in the area I also toured a museum complex in an old stone fort, went to a little country/general store and got some fresh farm fruits and vegetables, and enjoyed the cg's Halloween in August. I'll spend most of tomorrow (Sunday) driving to the RV dealer. Just a check up, no problems. The rig has a one year warranty so I may as well have all the systems checked out.

Maine

Lobster, lobster, and more lobster!! I do love those little red guys. At least one day I'm determined to have lobster all three meals; lobster omelet for breakfast, lobster roll for lunch, and a lobster for dinner, yum, yum!

The ride into Maine was easy and very pretty. This is the first time I've entered Maine from any point other than the coastal roads. The cg is really nice. You drive past a well kept 18 hole golf course and come to the cg check in. Brian, the owners son, couldn't find my reservation. He gave me a great site and said his dad would figure it out when he came in over the next couple of days. The sites were gravel with a well kept grass field all around. Very pretty! I felt like an idiot when I had so much trouble backing into what should have been an easy site. With all the rain over the past several days the grass was very slick. I got the RV backed in fine but the rear wheels of the truck kept hitting the grass and spinning. This is the first time in almost a year that I was wishing I had four wheel drive! Once I got the rig in all was fine but I sort of dug some ruts in the well kept grass. I spoke with Brian to ask about receiving my mail and apologize for the ruts I made. He said lots of folks do the same and the cg would fix it up with no problem.

The owner, Rick, stopped by later in the week. I won a quarter from him when he thought I was much younger than he is. I beat him by only a year. He and his father had a sheet metal company in southern NH for many years. Neither of his sons were interested in continuing the business. When his father retired, he decided to buy these 400 acres in ME. His one son, Brian, loves the outdoors, lives nearby with his wife and baby. Brian runs and repairs all the heavy equipment, back hoes, diggers, dump trucks, etc. Between them they created the golf course and camp ground. They work real hard keeping the place immaculate. It was raining light so I tried the indoor golf simulator. It was very interesting. I hit my own clubs and a real golf ball into a giant screen. On the screen the simulator had the 18 hole Pebble Beach golf course. There are several cameras which seem to measure the stroke and the screen senses the speed, spin, and trajectory of the ball. It took a little getting used to but was fun and I even worked up a little sweat. I didn't lose even one ball (lol).

Bangor is an okay little town. Not much to do but I'll try to go to at least one play and outdoor music event. I drove around the town, parked at the water front park and walked a little. I went to the Cole Transportation Museum which is incredible! The collection of transportation related artifacts and things related to Maine is more than can be viewed in a single trip. It is amazing the quantity of things the Cole family collected. The museum is well worth a few hours of time if you ever get to Bangor, Maine. Bangor has some outdoor concerts going on Tuesdays and a farmers market, craft fair and more outdoor music on Thursdays. I'll have to get to some of them.

The first of the two Good Sam chapters began arriving on Thursday. Ralph and Marge invited me to join them for dinner. Ralph retired from the Navy as a Chief Warrant officer. It was a pleasant evening. The chapter had about 15 rigs show up. I played nine holes of golf with two couples on Friday. I joined them in a soup pot luck Friday evening. I put together two different varieties of New England clam chowder and added some hot sauce. It must have been good since it disappeared pretty fast. Saturday morning Ralph and I played 18 holes then about 20 of us went out to lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing some shuffle board, a fun little dice game, and lots of conversation. I met Ray who retired as a Command Sgt Major, very impressive. He joined us at shuffle board and showed us the dice game. With 32 years of service, he had never been in combat and seemed very interested in my stories. The group headed out early on Sunday.

Monday I met my friends Stephen and Anne near Bar Harbor. I had my lobster omelet for breakfast, lobster bisque for lunch, and a whole red guy for dinner. The three of us walked around Cadillac Mountain, the town of Bar Harbor, and one of the Mount Desert Isle ponds. The weather was great. It was a perfect day! A few days later I drove to Bucksport to go up the bridge observatory and check out Fort Knox. It is an interesting, peaceful day. Another day I drove to Charleston, more of a rural area then a town and went horseback riding most of an afternoon through some wooded trails. Afterward I went into Bangor to hear one of the outdoor concerts. This one was on the lawn of the library with a full orchestra playing show tunes. A very enjoyable day. On another occasion I drove down the Maine shore from Belfast to Camden, Rockland, Owls Head, Spruce Head, and as far south as Wiscasset. I wanted to have breakfast in Belfast but it was early when I got there and nothing was open. I walked around the harbor and the town. There were lots of strange, interesting carved wooden benches around town. All different animal shapes; bear, moose, an elephant, even a surf board. Camden had me reminiscing about times past, many years ago. Neighbors I met when I first moved to NJ about 1973 would rent a cabin in Camden, ME to do antique shopping during the summer. They would then sell their finds during the rest of the year. I came up here several years in the early and mid-1970's and have lots of fond memories. I walked the town and harbor and had breakfast overlooking the lobster boats and windjammers. Another great lobster omelet! The Owls Head Transportation Museum was a real find. Not as much "stuff" as the Cole Museum in Bangor but an incredible collection of MG's. More reminiscing, this time about my 1978 British Green MGB. It was a cute little car I bought as a replacement for my 1978 white Triumph Spitefire. Both cars would probably fit in my truck, at the same time! I must have asked a half dozen people where an old book store was. I stopped in a combination general store and coffee shop and was asking the cashier when an older couple having breakfast said they knew where it was. We got to talking and they asked me to have breakfast with them. I joined them with a cup of coffee and we chatted for awhile. They used to full time RV but felt they were getting to old to handle the rig (they're in their mid-80's). We shared a few stories and exchanged emails. The Lobster Lane Book Store was exactly how I remembered it from near 40 years ago. It looked like it would fall down any minute when I strolled around it around 1973, yet it was still standing. What a great place if you love books. The rooms seem to go on and on piled high in what seems like total randomness. What a great place! After exploring the Owls Head lighthouse I continued driving south to Wiscasset. Several people told me about a lobster place called Reds, said to be one of the best in Maine. It was easy to find since it was the only one with a long line of people waiting to be served. I waited by the little shack for about an hour and a half for an absolutely incredible lobster roll. The roll had near a pound and a half of lobster on it. Sitting at a picnic table, looking at the bay, enjoying the lobster, seemed the definition of a sticker on my truck "Life is Good, Simple as That."!!!

It hit the mid-90's today and I'm playing 18 holes! I was dripping wet when I finished and jumped into the swimming pool. I think Webster has a picture of this pool under the definition of "delicious"! It was too hot to cook dinner so I went to Anglers Restaurant in Newport, all of five minutes down the road. What a great little local restaurant. I was facing another guy eating alone a few booths down. We got to talking, more like shouting so I joined him. Maurice is from the area, having lived here his whole life. He's gone through a few marriages. He grows raspberries and tends his garden. One of his sons had some drinking problems and disappeared about 20 years ago. His other son lives in the Seattle area but calls almost every day "checking on his dad". Maurice let slip that his 76th birthday is next week. I told the waitress and she brought him a cupcake with a candle. She and I sang "happy birthday". It looked like Maurice was going to cry. It was a great evening!

The first couple of the second Good Sam group arrived. Paul and Janet appear to be in their mid-80's. Paul retired after 20 years in the Air Force. He's having a tough time physically. He has a defibrillator and is on oxygen. Still, they try to get out and camp once or twice a week. I offered to drive them to Bangor for the Rock 'n Roll show this evening but they declined. Bangor had a combination Farmers Market / Craft Fair along with a five piece band. They had two electric guitars, a bass, keyboard, and a great drummer. The music was really nice. It was a great evening sitting and sipping a strange beer; Old Railroad Oil. I asked for a thick, dark brew in a pub that claimed to have 150 different beers. What a name, but it was pretty good.

The Good Sam group wasn't as inviting as the others. They seemed to know each other for many years and would talk on topics that myself and a new couple wanting to join couldn't participate. Ron & Snooky (yes, that's her name) were considering joining the group, unlike me who is just passing through. I doubt they'll join since they didn't even participate after a few trys. I hung in with the group and kept attempting conversation but it just wasn't working. I was actually glad when the rain came. When the group was leaving I asked a few of the guys to help me put the picnic tables back on the sites where they belonged. I finally got one guy to reluctantly help. The others said the campground would take care of it. In the afternoon, after the sun dried the canopy Rick had put up, I took it down and brought it back to the office. I guess it was okay to hear some of the other RV'ers stories. Some gtg's are more fun and more interesting than others.

Rick and his wife Linda took me out to dinner on Monday. I have taken a real liking to these people. They really want all campers to enjoy themselves. I've watched Rick go around almost every day to almost every camper and simply chat for a few minutes. Owning a campground is not easy. There is always more work to do. The Cayers are hard working, happy people. I will definitely return to this cg.

I wanted to go to Moosehead Lake on Tuesday when the SS Katadin began its cruises for the season. At first I was going to go even with the rain. Driving back to the cg after dinner last night, Rick gave me a little tour of the area. Linda pointed out a haze to the right which would be a lake without the mist. They then pointed out a haze on the left which would be a great view of the golf course with no mist. I realized that all I'd see on the cruise would be lots of haze. It's supposed to rain again on Wednesday so I guess I'll take the cruise on Thursday.

I've got to schedule more time in the Moosehead Lake area next year. It's beautiful here! The town of Greenville is small with only a few little shops, but it has three museums. All the museums were free only asking for donations. Lots of exhibits about the development of the area, including Indian and animal dig "stuff". There is a pretty extensive exhibit about Charles Lindbergh. The cruise was delightful. We sailed out about 90 minutes towards Mt. Kineo, then turned back. The pilot gave some tourist info about several specific houses on the lake, families and folk lore, and info about the four largest islands. There was a wedding on our cruise. An older couple who went all over the ship taking pictures. I drove up some logging roads to the site of a B-52 crash back in January of 1963. They think it was caused by some structural problem and the remains of the plane are scattered throughout the woods. In fact they just found some additional debris about a month ago. This was about the third time I'd wished I'd gotten four-wheel drive. These logging roads are not for the faint of heart. When construction trucks barrel down the road in the opposite direction they don't move, you need to. I almost ended up in a ditch a couple of times. Dinner was at the "Black Frog" overlooking the lake. I did my usual joking with the waitress, mainly about accent. She picked up on my New York accent and asked where I was from. My now standard response of ".. I'm from where ever I'm parked..", and the follow up of being a full time RV'er got a big smile and a great response. She dropped her order pad, sat down and put here legs up on a chair. Apparently she and her boyfriend had been talking about going RV'ing. We chatted for some time until her boss came by and asked her to get back to work. Before leaving the area I drove to all the moose hot spots and several miles down the logging roads but never saw a single moose.

Leaving the Palmyra Golf & RV Resort I felt a little sad. I'm going to miss my almost daily chats with Rick. I've stayed here longer than any other cg except for NJ. I'll definitely come back here next year.

The ride to Eliot, ME was pretty easy with almost the entire trip on I-95. I stopped at a Cabelas after about two hours of driving. It's a very hot day! I walked around the store, bought some heavy tent stakes to hold my awning down. Cooled off, had some water and a free hot dog they were giving to all customers. It was a good break. The cg road is very rough. I sure hope the Alaskan rodes are better than this. Gravel & dirt full of pot holes. Rick told me this was an older cg and not well kept, he's right. Diane and her husband Don are nice enough. I ended up with a full hook up site instead of the electric & water I thought I was getting and for only $19.26 a night. Camp ground fees are running way less than the $30 I had estimated. Cousin Rick wasn't going to get to ME from RI until around 8pm so I went to dinner alone. My mouth has been watering just thinking of Warren's Restaurant. First time I came here was on the recommendation of some neighbors around 1973. Warren's is a great family restaurant right on the water in Kittery, ME. Great lobster plus a soup, salad, and desert bar.

Rick came by a little before 8pm with his son Joseph and a friend of Joe's, Ian. We all got reacquainted walking around the cg. The kids were happy to sit in the RV and watch a movie. Rick and I drove out and picked up some pizza and stuff. It was a pleasant evening. Sunday morning I got acquainted with some of my RV neighbors. John, directly across from me, is a local real estate developer. We chatted about real estate projects a little. Greg stays in this park for the summer with his wife and two cute little girls about ages three and five. The girls were picking wild blueberry's by the side of my rig. The little one is going to sell a container full for $1 million!! At even a fraction of that I better start picking also (lol). Carlo is parked in front of me with his daughter, her husband, and their two girls ages about 5 and 7. Nice friendly people even if Carlo is a bit nutty. He's a copper believer! What's that you ask? He wears copper mesh inside his baseball cap and breaths through a home made mask he lined with copper. He believes in the healing and restorative properties of copper. Who knows, he's in pretty good shape for his 76 years! Rick came by around noon. We walked around the Kittery Trading post and a few other outlet stores and stopped for some ice cream. Around 6pm we picked up Joe and his friend Ian at another friends house, dropped Ian off at his house and met Joe's mom Nancy at Warrens, that's two days in a row for me and I love it!

Monday I drove to Dover, NH, a cute town about 10 minutes away. There were a few little shops but after about an hour of walking around I was dripping in the 90 degree heat. On my way back to the cg I spotted a turn off for Vaughan Woods State Park. It was a little over a mile off the road to the RV cg. I sat in a shady spot and read for about an hour or so. Tuesday I drove up the coast road almost to Kennebunkport. The little towns along the coast are quaint and I past some beautiful homes. Most of the road had a 25 mph speed limit and was jammed with tourists. I stopped in a few towns and walked around. Lots of little beach resort areas. The Nubble Lighthouse was cute and the park beside it made for a great walking break. I took country roads back and got to see some of the beautiful back areas of southern Maine.

Greg invited me to his fireworks show on Wednesday but I had already booked a fireworks cruise. I spent the early afternoon walking around Portsmouth, NH. I remembered a bit of a dilapidated town. I saw a quaint town with lots of shops, museums, parks, flower gardens everywhere, a really nice place. I stopped for dinner down the road from the cruise ship. An ice cold beer, some calamari, and lobster stew, yum! I sat on the beach across from the restaurant for about an hour and a half, reading, people watching, and listening to the waves. Life is good, simple as that! The cruise ship was a whole lot smaller than I thought it would be and they packed aboard around 100 people. I managed to get a great seat on the open top deck. Sitting next to me on one side was Phil and Carol. Phil is a few years older than me and was a marine from about 1962 to 1966. He served in VietNam but not in combat. He volunteers to assist two mentally handicapped people, Carol being one of them. On my other side was a family with four little kids. The youngest, a cute little 18 month old boy was a hand full for his mom. He made me nervous with all his jumping around. I thought he was going to end up in the water. The ship cruised out past the rocky islands known as the Shoals. We saw lots of cormorants diving into and under the water. We saw some seals swimming around our ship. The highlight was a hump back whale that seemed to be bigger than our ship. I'd never seem such a huge animal, incredible! The sky got dark real fast and the captain announced that the town fireworks were being moved up and hour due to the pending lightening storm. He put the ship in overdrive and we really moved back to the main land fast. The light show was great! From the water we could see the fireworks of about a dozen towns plus the lightening on the water.

Thursday morning I strolled around the cg a little. Chatting with Diane and Greg. I cleaned up a little, did a wash load, and started planning when to empty my tanks. Around 1pm I left for the Hackmatack Playhouse and their production of Oklahoma. I love these little country playhouses, they're all different, quaint, and always great performances. The Hack, as they call it, is a half barn with a cape cod house added on, parking in a grassy field across from a buffalo farm, on a little back country road. It was a perfect setting! I have vague memories of my parents taking me to see the show on Broadway about 1955. I got tears in my eyes watching and listening to the great Rogers & Hammerstein songs.

Friday is my last Maine trip for this year. LL Bean is having their 100 year celebration. Lots of events, demonstrations, music. It was a long drive, over an hour. Wow, has Freeport, ME changed. This is a shoppers paradise! All the major outlet stores are here but LL Bean dominates the town. The store was interesting to walk through but I didn't buy anything. The prices are crazy, especially for a supposed outlet store. The music must have been meant for teenagers, loud with unrecognizable lyrics. I went to the LL Bean restaurant for lunch. The food was good but the service was not, way to many tourists. All in all the trip was a bummer.

Saturday morning while I was cleaning and packing up a girl strolls up and asks where the office is. I pointed to it but couldn't resist chatting and walking her over. If I had to guess I would have said she was in her late twenties to early thirties. As we chatted she referred to her kids in her RV. Turns out she's in her mid forties, divorced, and home schooling seven kids!!! She and the four kids I met are all so calm and well behaved it was incredible. I was wishing she had come by a few days earlier or I was leaving a few days later. Oh well, such is life!