345 miles via I-86, I-90, OH 11, I-80, I-76 and OH 43 with a refueling stop midway, in Jamestown NY. Cumulative tow miles: 1335. Truck miles: 362. Cumulative truck miles: 1930. The extra truck miles were entirely due to the return from the GMC dealer where the starting problem was fixed.
Yes, I made it 345 miles without a truck problem. If you were betting that I was done traveling… well, it was a good bet, but you lose. The truck ran flawlessly for nearly 6 hours. There were 2 stop signs in the first 10 miles, 2 traffic signals in the last 5 miles, a stop to refuel and 3 stops along the interstate because Rusty had a bad bout of diarrhea (poor boy). Other than that, 330 miles without a stop or even a slowdown. The weather, after some brief showers early, was pleasant and the roads were flat and smooth. Just the way I like ’em.
The long trip was due to me dropping a stop in Pennsylvania, to compensate for the day I lost in Lowman (the TS7 is now reduced to 23 hops). I expected the trip to be grueling, but it was actually quite pleasant. I was tired when I arrived, but not exhausted.
I should note two things about the trip:
- My planned refueling stop was only 130 miles into the trip. However, by the time I arrived at that point, I estimated that I was getting only about 220 miles on the full tank of fuel. Refueling there would have made the trip to the destination too close to the tank limit – over 200 miles. I opted to refuel at the midpoint, 170 miles into the trip, at a much more expensive truck stop ($3.35 per gallon instead of $2.99). That cost me maybe $8 or so but bought some peace of mind. As it turned out, I saw my tank range increase to over 240 miles on the second half of the trip, which is what I have expected of it for years. I don’t know why my mileage was so low on the first half, but it fed the fears that I had been having since the “collapsed air filter” incident. But it appears that those fears were unfounded.
- The refrigerator once again did not stay on during this trip. I really do need to replace the RV battery in Ohio. The freezer was sitting at 31 degrees – just barely below freezing – when I reached my destination.
My three very sedate days (after the trauma of the truck failing upon arrival) in Lowman were spent at the Gardner Hill Campground. My initial impression – tainted by my truck failing – was that this would be a disastrous stay. The campground doesn’t give a good first impression – a lot of very old RVs. Obviously there are some very long-term residents here. But the campground has full hookups in good repair, pull-through sites and a pretty nice view down into the valley where Elmira is located.
But the best part of this campground is the owners – Andrew and Joanne – who are some of the nicest, most helpful people that I have encountered in 9 years of travel. Andrew mowed the grass as my site then arranged to get my truck towed into it. Joanne handled the checkin. For a small campground, they did things right. A list of rules was provided and Rusty’s rabies certificate was checked – something that is not done at about 95% of all campgrounds. And because I wasn’t sure how long I would be staying, they left the final payment open. All very convenient and friendly.
They also got me hooked up to the WiFi – rather vital because the T-Mobile service was spotty at best. I couldn’t have arranged for a AAA tow without the help of the WiFi.
When the truck was fixed in less than a day, Andrew drove me to the dealer so I could retrieve it. That was just a small diversion from the main purpose of the trip – releasing doves on a training flight – but it was generous nonetheless.
Yes, releasing doves. Andrew and Joanne, as a side business, raise doves for release at events (e.g. a wedding or funeral). The training is necessary to make sure that the doves return home. On this particular trip, 17 doves were released and they all made it back to the campground before I did.
I had the honor of releasing one of the doves – a first in my travels. A really unique experience.
I have had many breakdowns in 9 years of travel, but they are some of my most pleasant travel memories. My extended stay at Gardner Hill fits the pattern: some really bad moments when the breakdown occurred, followed by some really pleasant memories at Gardner Hill.
Thank you, Andrew and Joanne!
