Our Wander Years

RV water torture

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Sparky

An update on the water overflow problem. To synopsize… we started experiencing a steady drip from a spigot at the rear of the RV undercarriage way back in mid-April. We determined that the problem was, in essence, due to the fresh water tank overflowing when we were attached to city water. In that configuration no water should flow into the fresh water tank. We managed the problem by using the fresh water tank (and the rather noisy water pump) until the tank was empty, then switched to using the city water until the tank became full again.

That worked, but was a pain in the neck. It necessitated me switching the inflow valve several times a day – sometimes late at night in my pajamas. Plus we had to deal with the unpleasant noise and vibration of the water pump (think jackhammer next door). It was noisier inside the RV than outside, but Jett still didn’t want the pump to go on late at night, for fear of bothering our neighbors. So we often brushed our teeth at night using bottled water.

Inconvenient, to say the least.

Enter Peter, an RV repair guy. He correctly diagnosed the problem as a faulty inflow valve (we thought it might have been a faulty water pump, so the diagnosis was good news). He got a replacement cartridge for the valve, installed it and… no effect. The tank continued to overflow. So he got a brand new valve assembly and installed it. No effect. Or possibly worse. He was puzzled and so was I. To demonstrate the issue, he ran some tests with me watching and demonstrated that water was still leaking. He fiddled with the knob a few times and found a position in which the water did not leak. He left it in that position and said he would call the manufacturer to discuss the problem. The water did not leak for an entire day, so Peter suggested that I turn the knob a few times to find a position in which it leaked again and, perhaps, find a position in which it reliably did not leak at all.

So I fiddled. And fiddled. And was unable to make the leak reappear. I wish I could feel good about that, but I have an uncomfortable feeling that I still don’t understand the problem. And that it will show up again.

Peter and I continue to scratch our heads and look for root causes. So far the most likely one is: demon possession.

I don’t think this is the end of the problem. But in the meantime I will enjoy the “fix”.

Categories: RV Living | Leave a comment

Putting in the docks

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Sparky

The marina office

Launching the work boat

As previously mentioned, I am helping manage a marina this summer. That means, among other things, that I am learning how to tie nautical knots. It also means that I participated in the spring activity known as “putting in the docks.” As a seasonal marina on Lake Champlain, the Apple Island Marina must remove its floating docks every fall and reassemble them in the water every spring. Dock space / slip rental is a key income source at the marina, so it is necessary that they be in place by opening day – May 15.

Putting in the docks is a 4-man job: one to drive the front-end loader that lifts the dock segments and places them in the water, one to stand on the dock segments as they are assembled, one to stand in the water to wrangle the segments so that they can be bolted together and one to drive the work boat to tow the segments into place so that they can be anchored in place.

I was the in-water wrangler. I was dressed in hip-waders. They insulated me pretty well, but the 58-degree water was still chilly. I wish I had a picture of me in the waders, but I don’t. No one was thinking of taking photos during the 3 days it took to assemble the docks. It was intense, physical labor. I slept well each night.

The process was to assemble 4 to 6 dock segments, then tow them into place, bolt them to the previously-installed dock segments and then attach the anchors. I would stand in the water while the segments were connected, then hop aboard and ride the segment to their anchored location.

The launch/gas docks

This work was preceded by two days of “pulling up the anchors”. Each anchor consisted of a large block of concrete resting on the bottom of the lake, somewhere between 5 and 30 feet below the surface. Attached to each block was a long chain. The chains were left on the bottom over the winter and had to be pulled to the surface each spring. When the docks were removed in the fall, all of the anchor chains were connected by a small line that ended at a location on shore. The “pulling up the anchors” task involved taking the end of the line, getting aboard the work boat and carefully following the line to each sunken chain. We would pull the chain to the surface, attach a buoy, cut the line we had followed and then follow the line to the next chain.

This was dirty, cold, wet work that chafed the hands. I found some rubber-gripped gloves that helped, but it was still unpleasant. I was a mess at night – damp and stained with rust and kelp.

All of the work was made more difficult by the failure of the “new” work boat. A used but improved work boat had been purchased, but it failed its initial trials. It ran fine for about 10 minutes, but died when full power was applied. The vendor took it back and returned it two days later, supposedly fixed. But it failed again, this time a considerable distance from shore. We had to call the Coast Guard. We eventually got the engine started again and made it back to port under our own power, but were met by the local fire department when we arrived. The Coast Guard had notified them that we might need a water rescue.

Embarrassing.

But we got the job done. We did the launch/gas docks first, then the rental docks.

I almost feel like a sailor now.

Almost.

Docks half done

Categories: Places, VT, Work | Leave a comment

Workamping

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Sparky

Our site at Apple Island

“Workamping” is not in the dictionary, but it probably will be soon. It is a gerund that describes the work situation of a full-time RVer who is employed by the campground in which he/she is residing. The word describes what Jett and I are doing this summer at Apple Island Resort in South Hero, VT. Jett is working in the resort office and I, believe it or not, am working at the marina. I don’t know that there is much to say about the office work, but I will have plenty to say about the marina work. This is a totally new experience for me.

The weather, not surprisingly, has been very cold and mostly gloomy. It is, after all, early spring in northern Vermont. It is nothing extreme and nothing we haven’t experienced before, but it is a bit of a shock after leaving sunny, balmy Ft Myers just one month ago. We are using a lot of propane trying to keep warm. The water was shut off the night we arrived, to keep the pipes from freezing.

We are working nearly full-time. Because we are the low men on the totem pole, we get to work weekends. Our days off are Wednesday and Thursday. This is not a real burden for us as, being retired (on paper anyway), the days all look pretty much the same. Besides, we expect to be making frequent trips to Boston (nearly 4 hours away) and would rather travel on weekdays than weekends.

The jobs don’t pay a lot, but in addition to the pay we also get the campsite at a dramatically reduced rate. That boosts our effective pay rate up to a level that we don’t scoff at. Besides, doing something new is, at some level, an adventure. But a six-month commitment is a bit risky. We can only hope that we enjoy the work and, at the end of the summer, feel that our experience has been rewarding.

Time will tell.

Categories: Adventures, Places, VT, Work | Leave a comment

32 down, 16 to go

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Sparky

32 states

When we set off on our RV journeys, way back in September 2012, one of our goals was “48 states in 48 months.” We got off to a good start with the Great Trip West, but got bogged down last winter with our need to stay in Massachusetts and get our home ready to sell. As a result we haven’t yet had an opportunity to make that second big trip west. But with our arrival in Vermont, we have reached the two-thirds point: 32 states. We now have visited every state east and south of Ohio. Hopefully we will bag the Great Lakes states next summer and, perhaps, in the fall of 2017, get some of those elusive plains and western states.

Categories: RV Living | Leave a comment

STN Hop 8: Oakham MA to South Hero VT

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Sparky

230 miles on MA 122, MA 2, I-91, I-89 and US 2. Cumulative distance: 2,276 miles.

STN Hop 8

First stop, I-91

This hop was the most interesting of the 8 STN hops. Nearly all of the miles were on roads we have never traveled before. And, being mostly in Vermont, they were very scenic.

We stopped twice along the way, not so much because I needed a driving break but because Jett did. She was driving the Yaris, following the rig. This is the first time that we have done a hop in 2 vehicles. It went pretty well, partly because the route was scenic, partly because the traffic was light (it was Thursday midday), partly because the weather was gorgeous (if a bit cool) and partly because we made those two stops.

Second stop, I-89

My Master’s Skype

We made it to Apple Island Resort without incident. Because the resort was not yet open and the gate was locked we had to call someone to let us in. We got into our site relatively quickly, got set up and put our feet up for a few minute. During this time I left the laptop on the sofa and got a great photo of Rusty checking it out.

Apple Island will be our home for nearly six months, if things go according to plan. The first month will be tough as we are not used to the cold. The temperature dropped to 29 degrees the first night and the water in the park was shut off, so we had to crank up the heat and run off of our stored water. Not difficult, but a bit of a shock as we were basking in high-80s heat just 3 weeks ago.

I will give a full accounting of Apple Island after we get more familiar with it. It is a big place and we need to explore a bit.

This marks the end of a successful Second Trip North. Final stats:

Cumulative tow miles: 1,755
Cumulative truck miles: 2,276
Cumulative campground cost: $690.89

The cost does not include tolls (just $10 for the rig) and fuel, but we got just about 9 miles/gallon and diesel ran about $2.10/gallon, so figure it out. The cost also does not include the cost of transporting the Yaris. Tolls for the Yaris were about $30, fuel averaged about $2.00/gallon and we got about 35 miles/gallon. There was also one night of lodging at about $68 and a one-way airfare at about $200. The total cost of getting north was over $1,500.

This was probably the “smoothest” trip we have ever taken. Other than the minor problems with the truck radiator fluid and the RV fresh water overflow, the rig performed well. No accidents, no illnesses, no major delays. Just the way it should be.

Now we get to remember what it is like to work full-time. I hope we enjoy it.

Categories: Places, Routes, RV Parks, STN, VT | Leave a comment

“The wheels are falling off this family”

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Sparky

Our revised STN itinerary included a full week in Massachusetts to deal with a number of family issues. The main “attraction” was Jett’s brother, George, who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer less than 6 months ago and appeared to be close to death when we left Florida. He has undergone chemo and radiation therapy and he has pulled back from the brink, but no one is suggesting that he can be cured. It is, as they say, just a matter of time. His expected longevity is now measured in months rather than years.

There is also the issue of his “quality of life”. He has lost nearly half his weight and has experienced periods when he is disoriented. Fortunately, when we visited him on April 22 he was very lucid and in good spirits. We had a great visit. Jett visited him again, on her own, on April 24 and we both saw him a third time on April 27. He continued to be (relatively) healthy and happy during those visits. The best news is that he has very little pain or discomfort. We are cautiously optimistic that he will have a good summer.

But besides his illness, Jett’s family has experienced, in the 15 months, the deaths of two of her brothers-in-law: Christine’s husband John, in February 2015, and, just a few weeks ago, Sybil’s husband Jess. When we got together at her brother Ray’s place on April 24 for a family dinner, Ray said “it feels like the wheels are falling off this family.” No truer words were ever spoken because sister Sybil, who arrived complaining of numbness in her right hand – which she passed off as sleeping badly – ended the evening in the ER, diagnosed with a stroke. She was, we feel, lucky in that the stroke did not do major damage and she has since recovered full use of her hand. But, after surgery to repair a 90% blockage in her carotid artery, she remains in a rehab hospital, mostly to deal with confusion caused by medication and to strengthen her hand.

It has been a tough time for Jett and her siblings. We are keeping in close contact with both George and Sybil and Jett is ready to make the 3 or 4 hour trek to Boston at a moment’s notice if her assistance is required. That’s what you do when the wheels are falling off your family.

Categories: Family, MA, Places, STN | Leave a comment

STN Hop 7: East Stroudsburg PA to Oakham MA

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Sparky

229 miles on US 209, I-84, MA 49 and MA 31. Cumulative distance: 2,046 miles.

STN Hop 7

The cumulative distance includes all the driving we did during our week in Massachusetts. Busy week. More on this later.

The trip from PA to MA was mostly on I-84. The only good thing about I-84 is that it isn’t I-95, which is even worse. But it is bumpy and busy. Not fun.

The 25 miles on US 209 is mostly through federal forest bordering the Delaware River and it is scenic. Plus, with commercial traffic excluded, we didn’t have to compete for space with 18-wheelers, which made it even more pleasant. The 20 miles at the other end, on MA 49 and MA 31, were not quite as scenic, but were pleasant enough. But the 180 miles in the middle, mostly on I-84, were thoroughly unpleasant and we were delayed for 30 minutes due to construction in Hartford. But we did, despite the ugliness of I-84, make it to Massachusetts unscathed and with our nerves mostly unfrayed.

Our site

If you recall, we shortened our stays in both GA and DC to get more time in MA. The beneficiary of this change was the Pine Acres Family Camping Resort in Oakham, MA. We spent an entire week there. We had stayed there once, probably 14 years ago, in a tent on July 4th weekend. We recall the experience vividly because Grace, who was then just a pup, got so freaked out by the fireworks that she clawed her way through the wall of the tent.

We were obviously in a different area this time, being in an RV, but we barely recognized the place. A lot of money has been poured into the facility in the intervening years and it is beautiful. Another new entry on our Top 10 Campgrounds list. Outstanding vistas, very attractive cabins, great landscaping, a very nice mini-golf course and spacious dog park. It is, I think, the only campground we have seen with a “Dog Beach” – a beach on Lake Dean that is reserved for dogs. It was too chilly to use it, but we appreciated the gesture.

Because it was early in the season, many of the facilities, including the General Store, were not yet open. But because it was school vacation week when we arrived, we were surrounded by families with children. But after Sunday they all went home and we were virtually alone in this very large campground.

Overall, we were very impressed with Pine Acres. It is not convenient to Boston, being at least 90 minutes away – and more than 2 hours when there is traffic, which is most of the time – but it is less than 30 minutes from Jett’s brother Ray. We will definitely consider staying here again.

Dog park

Terraced lakeside sites

Canoe dock

Lakeview cabins

Categories: MA, Places, Routes, RV Living, RV Parks, STN | Leave a comment

STN Hop 6: College Park MD to East Stroudsburg PA

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Sparky

225 miles on I-95, I-695 (around Baltimore), I-83, US 30, US 222, PA 33 and US 209. Cumulative distance: 1,364 miles.

STN Hop 6

This was, in some respects, the most difficult hop on the STN. It started with I-95 between DC and Baltimore, then a stretch on the I-695 beltway around Baltimore – both of which were quite busy despite being midday. That was followed by 30 minutes on I-83, then 25 miles on US 30 through “Pennsylvania Dutch” county, about 40 miles on US 222, about 20 miles each on US 22 and PA 33, then short stretches on I-80 and US 209 and, finally, two very tight, curvy miles on a local road. Lots of turns, a fair amount of traffic. And, as we approached our I-80 exit, warnings about commercial traffic being prohibited on US 209 “north of Bushkill”. We were staying south of Bushkill but intended to take US 209 north. Would this be a problem? Something to worry about.

We also had competition between Google and the GPS for the best route from I-80 to the campground. Google wanted us to take exit 310 which was, arguably, a bit shorter, while the GPS opted for exit 309. The map directions seemed complicated (7 turns) so we trusted the GPS (which isn’t always a good idea). In this case we made the right choice as we found out later that the route from exit 310 was blocked by construction and we would have been routed back to 309 anyway. As we were pretty close to our range limit, this would have stressed us out even more.

Our hilltop premium site

Our home for the evening was the Delaware Water Gap/Pocono KOA. This was our first KOA stop since KOA confiscated our deposit when we had to alter out plans on the way to Florida, which ticked me off. But KOA campgrounds are generally pretty nice and this one was very conveniently located, so I swallowed my pride and booked it.

I am glad I did. Even though it was very early in the season and many of the facilities were not open, this clearly would be a very interesting and active campground in the summer. It has some wonderful recreational facilities, nice vistas and friendly, helpful staff (who reassured me that the US 209 restrictions would not be a problem for me). Close to the Delaware Water Gap recreational area, this would be a good place for outdoor-oriented families. This would also be a good spot for birdwatchers as the place was populated by woodpeckers and other fairly exotic species, including bluebirds. I don’t recall ever seeing a bluebird in the wild before.

Overlooking over the KOA campground

Our premium campsite (which was a free upgrade due to construction near the office) was on a hill which was a hard pull, but we got there. Our neighbor was a couple with another 2015 Bighorn 3875FB, but one which had been customized a bit (e.g., an outdoor TV and a select-a-number mattress). He was having an issue with his leveling system, so we spent some time talking about the problems we have each had. But we both agreed that, despite the problems, it is a great model for full-timers.

One of the facilities at the KOA was a “mining” operation, similar to the one we saw at Cherry Hill, but even more elaborate. I guess this feature was not as unique as I thought. However, the KOA did have a facility which is, in my travels, unique: a Ga-Ga arena. I learned that Ga-Ga is a variant of dodgeball, played in a small walled arena. It sounds interesting; I would like to see it played sometime and, perhaps, join in.

Our overflowing water tank problem continued. I have taken to shutting the water off at night and using only the (unintentionally full) fresh water tank. This has the downside of having the water pump activate every time we turn the water on – an annoyance – but has the advantage of shedding some of that water weight before we get on the road again. We will have to get this problem fixed at some point, but it can wait for VT.

We also continued to have a coolant leak on the truck. This is a bit more urgent than the fresh water RV problem, but has not yet resulted in overheating. I fill the radiator every morning and monitor the engine temperature as we travel. This might have to be looked at in MA.

There is always something that needs to be fixed on our rig. Just like having a house.

Mining facility

Ga-Ga arena

Categories: PA, Places, Routes, RV Living, RV Parks, STN | Leave a comment

STN Hop 5: Emporia VA to College Park MD

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Sparky

190 miles on I-95 and I-495 (around Washington). Cumulative distance: 1,134 miles.

STN Hop 5

If you want to take your RV rig out for a leisurely drive, I-95 near Washington – and I-495 (the “Beltway”) around Washington – is NOT the place to do it. These roads are always crowded and the drivers are always crazy. Just getting to any destination in the DC area is, in my book, a major accomplishment.

Our destination this time was Cherry Hill Park in College Park, MD. This was a major deviation from our original plan which had us staying 4 nights at Pohick Bay Regional Park, the park nearest Jett’s sons’ home in Alexandria and one of our favorite parks in the US. But there were two problems this time: (1) the park was unexpectedly heavily booked (a situation which we still find hard to believe as we have never seen the park more than 20% occupied in April), so we could get only a water-and-electric site and (2) we preferred to travel farther north, to avoid the need to refill the truck’s tank on Hop 6. Plus I had heard good things about Cherry Hill Park, so we decided to give it a try.

We are glad we did. I don’t know which park was #10 on our Ten Best Campgrounds list, but it just dropped off. Cherry Hill Park is reminiscent of Normandy Farms, in Foxboro, MA, in that it is spectacular. With a price to match. But for two nights we were very happy to pay the $65 rate. Jett did complain that I didn’t fork over the extra $10 that would have gotten us a “premium” pull-through which offers more private patio space – with wrought iron furniture – than the standard site with just a lowly picnic table. But I just didn’t see the need for lawn furniture. We didn’t even use the stinkin’ picnic table.

The inimitable Zachary

This was the only 2-night stay on our revised itinerary to MA. It was a welcome break after four straight one-night stands. Jett’s boys helped us out further by coming to visit us rather than having us come down to them – a saving of nearly 2 additional travel hours in the truck. And they brought Zachary, our seriously cute 5-year-old grandson, so we got some quality grandparent time.

He enjoyed his time with us as well. And why not? Not only are we fun grandparents but we were staying at an RV park that is a veritable playhouse for youngsters. The playground is large, with some interesting (unique?) pieces of equipment. There are two swimming pools – a heated one and an unheated one with a waterfall. A splash pool, a beautiful mini-golf course and – another unique (or so we thought) attraction – a goldminer’s panning stream. No, you don’t actually pan for gold but you can find gemstones and fossils in bags of sand sold at the café. Oh – the café has an arcade and ice cream, too. And a tractor-drawn cart that serves as a free shuttle around the park. And… just about anything your little upscale camping heart could desire.

Playground

Mini-golf

To top it all off, Cherry Hill has the absolute best laundry room that we have seen at any park, anywhere. Jett said, after seeing the laundry, “I don’t want to leave.” Funny what grabs her attention.

Splash pool

Campground shuttle

Air supply

The park also has free air – a place to inflate your tires – if needed. Not a big deal I suppose, but something that I have never seen at any other park. As for the dogs, there is no “dog park” but there are some very large, grassy areas designated for “dog run”. These were more than adequate for the dogs’ purposes. They also had a few cement turtles scattered around the park. I am not sure of their intended purpose, but Rusty saw them as fireplug substitutes.

Rusty using the turtle

Ready to go

Dripping water

We did encounter one… um… interesting problem during our stay at Cherry Hill Park: we had water dripping from a spigot located behind the left rear wheel. I had seen this once before, for just one day, about 6 months previously. But this drip was continuous, for two days, unless we turned the water supply off. This didn’t mean we were without water; it just meant we had to use the water from the fresh water tank. Not a real problem; just a bit annoying. But the presence of the drip indicated some kind of problem. The question, of course, was did it indicate a serious problem.

I subsequently learned that this spigot was the “fresh water overflow,” so the problem was that the fresh water tank was filling to overflowing. But I didn’t have the fresh water inflow valve on, so no water should be flowing in at all. I guess it is some kind of valve problem but not a particularly serious one. We will have to add it to the list of warranty items to be looked at. Which is, in itself, a problem. Our 1-year manufacturer’s warranty expires in a month, then our Camping World extended warranty kicks in. I can just see Camping World saying “You should have had this fixed under the manufacturer’s warranty.” Warranty wars. Oh, fun.

Anyway, despite the minor issues, we really enjoyed our two days at Cherry Hill Park. Highly recommended.

Jett by the waterfall pool

Categories: MD, Places, Routes, RV Parks, STN | Leave a comment

STN Hop 4: Hamer SC to Emporia VA

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Sparky

202 miles, almost entirely on I-95. Cumulative distance: 932 miles.

STN Hop 4

The trip itself is hardly worth noting – 200 solid miles of interstate travel. Uneventful. Boring. Efficient. We didn’t stop until we arrived at our destination: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Emporia, VA.

I had avoided Jellystone Parks in the past because… well, because it is called “Jellystone Park.” I felt that my maturity demanded something less juvenile. But I also avoided Carnival Cruise Lines for years because I had heard they were “party ships,” only to discover that I loved them. Maybe I am just a party guy. Maybe I would love Jellystone Park.

Jellystone derelicts and us

Nope. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it, either. This particular one seemed a bit worn around the (fur) collar. Some sites were being used to store old and possibly derelict trailers. In all, perhaps 10 of the 50 or so sites were occupied. Most of the “attractions” – such as the pool and the bouncy house – were closed. The playground was open, but it wasn’t much of a playground. If I had been traveling with a young ‘un I wouldn’t have seen any reason to pick Jellystone Park over any other (presumably better named) RV park.

And then there were the trains. Loud enough to wake me out of a sound sleep. I was reminded of the early morning train scenes from My Cousin Vinny. If you know the movie, you know what I am talking about. If you haven’t seen the movie, shame on you. Rent it!

Cable TV was an extra $2. But worth it. Turn up the TV to 110 decibels and you won’t hear the trains.

Categories: Places, Routes, RV Parks, STN, VA | Leave a comment