Places
TS4-1 Hop 7: Keeling VA to Swannanoa NC
218 miles via US 29, I-40 and US 70. Cumulative tow miles: 1055. Truck miles: 230. Cumulative truck miles: 1905. The extra truck miles were due to one trip to refuel and get take-out dinner. This was an uneventful trip. Almost. The first 200 miles were level, smooth and relaxing. The last 18 miles, though, … Continue reading
TS4-1 Hop 6: Dumfries VA to Keeling VA
215 miles via VA 234, I-95, I-195 (west of Richmond), VA 76, VA 288, US 360, VA 360 and CR 726. Cumulative tow miles: 837. Truck miles: 334. Cumulative truck miles: 1675. The extra truck miles reflected the trips we made up to Alexandria and various errands. This was one of those hops where the … Continue reading
Disaster recovery, phase 3: the RV
The truck and brake controller have both been functioning well since our Binghamton disaster. The last phase of the recovery was to repair the damage to the RV: the leaking gray water tank and the bent spare tire flange. And, since we were planning on doing some long-deferred repairs to the #2 black water valve … Continue reading
TS4-1 Hop 5: Herndon VA to Dumfries VA
28 miles via VA 28, VA 294 and VA 234. Cumulative tow miles: 622. Truck miles: 149. Cumulative truck miles: 1341. This was a short hop from ACE RV to the Prince William Forest Campground. It marked the end of our disaster recovery. Or the start of the next disaster recovery. Or both. I will … Continue reading
Col William Burgess Sr, 1622-1686
I had an afternoon free this week, so I decided to travel an hour to visit the All Hallows Cemetery in Harwood MD (formerly Birdsville). I was looking for the grave of an 8th great-grandfather, Col. William Burgess Sr. I thought he was my only direct ancestor buried there, but was surprised to discover, buried … Continue reading
TS4-1 Hop 4: Tremont PA to Herndon VA
158 mi via I-81, I-83, US 15, VA 267, VA 28 and local roads. Cumulative tow miles: 594. Truck miles: 410. Cumulative truck miles: 1192. The extra truck miles – nearly 250 – were incurred in making the innumerable trips into Binghamton and surrounding communities trying to get the brake controller fixed. This hop was … Continue reading
TS4-1 Hop 3: Chenango Forks NY to Tremont PA
154 miles via NY 12, I-81 and local roads. Cumulative tow miles: 436. Truck miles: 310. Cumulative truck miles: 782. This was the hop that extracted us from our 8-day nightmare. As expected, the most difficult part of the trip was the 200 yards to exit the Chenango Shores Campground. There were three distinct challenges: … Continue reading
Disaster recovery, phase 2: the brake controller
For those of you who never tow anything, I will enlighten you on what a brake controller is: it is a device that controls the brakes on whatever you are towing. When you press the brakes on the truck it sends a signal to the trailer to activate its brakes too. The truck and the … Continue reading
Disaster recovery, phase 1: the truck
Of the four known problems with our rig, two were truck-related and two were RV-related. Clearly, nothing could be done with the RV problems until the truck problems were solved. Unfortunately, one of the two GMC dealers in Binghamton NY would not book an appointment until Thursday and the other would only offer a Friday … Continue reading
TS4-1 Hop 2: Schenectady NY to Chenango Forks NY
130 miles via I-90, I-88, NY 206 and NY 12, Cumulative tow miles: 282. Truck miles: 302. Cumulative truck miles: 472. The extra 172 truck miles were incurred in Schenectady and along the Hudson River on the several excursions we took while there, as documented in the TS4-1 Hop 1 post. This was not the … Continue reading