TTS Hop 2
232 miles via MA 122, MA 31, MA 49, US 20, I-84 and US 209. Cumulative tow miles: 458.
A frosty truck
We are getting out of New England just in time: the temperature in Oakham dropped to 32 the night before we left and also dropped to 32 in East Stroudsburg, PA, the night we arrived. Frost on the pumpkin, indeed.
The day was partly cloudy, so it wasn’t as bright and beautiful as the day we left VT, but it was striking how much the colors had faded in just 6 days. The reds and yellows have mostly given way to shades of brown. It was still colorful, but not vibrant.
The route was almost identical (in reverse) to the route we took last spring to get to Oakham. But the GPS took us in a somewhat surprising (and 3 miles longer) route getting out of Oakham. It wasn’t a bad route, but the extra miles were a concern. The planned route of 229 miles took us pretty close to our cruising range.
The bulk of this route is on I-84, which is on our short list of the Worst Roads in America. It is always busy, is always dotted with construction and, despite the constant construction, is always a bumpy, knock-the-cans-off-the-shelf ride. We were stuck in about a 5-mile backup near Newburgh, NY, and had several other traffic slowdowns. We made two stops: a lunch stop and an “emergency” refueling stop which consisted of us stopping at a rest area and me pouring the 4 gallons from my reserve gas can into the tank. We always carry a few gallons of extra fuel, but this is the first time that I have used it. I was concerned because we were approaching “E” when we still had 50 miles to go. I knew that the last 30 miles were on US 209, which is very narrow with no shoulders – not the place where I would want to run out of gas. It turns out that we would have made it as I filled the 30-gallon tank with 27.8 gallons of diesel fuel, but using the reserve was the prudent thing to do.
The 6 days in MA were… eventful. Besides taking the dogs in for checkups (both doing fine, including Grace, who is feeble at 15), a dental cleaning and an aborted attempt to get an interview for workamping jobs next summer in Foxboro, MA, we had to deal with a flood. Yes, a flood. Worcester, MA, was the recipient of 5 inches of rain in about a 2-hour period Friday night. Our rental property – a 3-family in Worcester – is prone to flooding. The basement has flooded 3 times in 7 years, the worst being 3 feet of water about 3 years ago. This one topped them all: 4 feet of water in the basement. The furnace and all 3 water heaters were submerged. The water even got high enough to trip the outlet that the sump pump was connected to, which made matters worse. So Saturday, Sunday, Monday and even Tuesday morning involved work to recover from the flood. Jett’s brother Ray did the work on Saturday, which involved renting a pump and pumping out the water. Sunday was mostly a matter of drying out the water heaters and the furnace (we did get one water heater restarted Sunday night). Monday was when we tried to restart the rest but succeeded only in getting one more water heater restarted. We called in a furnace repair guy on Monday who diagnosed the problem and promised to return Tuesday morning. On Tuesday the furnace guy identified another problem and recommended that the entire furnace – at least all of the internal components – be replaced, which I agreed to. A plumber was schedule to arrive to look at the balky water heater, which may also have to be replaced.
Estimated flood damage: about $3,000. It may or may not be mostly covered by insurance. I need to chat with my agent.
The ironic thing about the flood is that Worcester – like most of New England – is in a severe “Stage 3” drought. The reservoirs are nearly empty. The 5 inches of rain probably exceeds the total for the entire summer. They need the rain, but does it have to end up in my basement?
Pine Acres Family Camping Resort continues to impress us. The sites are large, wooded and consistently attractive. The lake is wonderful and both the dog park and the dog beach are first-rate. We dropped off our workamper applications; we would not mind spending a few months here next summer. We have seen the campground only in off-season when most of the amenities are shuttered and few campers are there. I can imagine that the place really hops in peak season. I hope we can experience that.
Frosty morning at the KOA
Our first workamping gig
Me, in my uniform, at the marina
“Workamping” was coined to describe those full-time RVers who earn a living while traveling by working at the campground at which they are staying. It is kind of like the Old West where itinerant laborers would work around the ranch for room and board. I don’t know how many people do it, but there are several websites devoted to ads for campgrounds seeking workers (e.g., WorkampingJobs.com). These are generally low-pay jobs that are worthwhile only because the campsite is provided either free or at a huge discount.
Our summer at the Apple Island Resort in South Hero VT was our first workamping gig. It our case the campsite was not free, but was so inexpensive that it seemed like it was free. And electricity and cable TV were included. We also had free laundry. So our summer living expenses were very low. That part of the experience was entirely satisfactory.
I had a job at the marina. I had almost no experience in boating so I learned a lot. I even got my VT Boating Safety Certificate, which is basically a boating license which will make it easier for me to rent a boat anywhere in the US. Not that I intend to rent a lot of boats, but it is one of those good-to-have cards to carry around in my wallet, like my scuba certificate.
Jett had a job in the office. She was trained in one particular type of campground management software. That experience will be helpful in any campground office. She also got to brush up on her (already extensive) customer service skills.
So the positives from this first experience were:
But it wasn’t all positive. Jett’s health problems this summer really cut into whatever fun we might have had. She also intensely disliked her supervisor, to the point where she quit her job just a month into it. Her health problems would have prevented her from working much anyway, but that was moot as she had already quit by the time she got sick. She was all in favor of me quitting my job as well and just leaving VT, but I felt a commitment to finish the work assignment that I had signed up for. Besides, we had no place to go. I am sure we could have found someplace, but leaving would have left a taste of failure in my mouth.
So we stayed. We endured. We survived. And we were damn happy to leave.
Besides Jett’s dislike of her boss, there were many other things that we disliked about this summer, only some of which were work-related. The work-related dislikes:
There were also some significant negatives that were not work-related:
If I had to grade the overall experience it would be in the C- or D+ range. Jett would give it an F, for sure. The lessons we learned, should we apply for another workamping position (and we will):