Our Wander Years

TTS Hop 5: Natural Bridge VA to Asheville NC

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Sparky

TTS Hop 5

279 miles via I-81 and I-26. Cumulative tow miles: 1,171.

This was another “easy” hop in terms of navigation: down I-81, then down I-26 to Asheville. But it was a long trip, with a refueling stop, and a couple of problems arose. First, some rubber molding on the RV came loose several times, requiring uncomfortable emergency stops on I-81. After the third failure I had to dig out some Gorilla Tape to keep it in place. Second, I changed the refueling stop and made a mental note of its location: Exit 63 on I-81. But Mile 63 came and went and there was no Exit 63. So we kept our eyes open and picked a Petro Truck Stop at Exit 26. We got fuel and lunch at the Iron Skillet (a first – they make a pretty good grilled chicken sandwich) and got back on the road. Later, in Tennessee, we passed Exit 63. My memory had the right exit but the wrong state.

I had never traveled I-26 before and was surprised at how rugged the mountains were and at the steepness of the grades. For the first time since the Grand Canyon I kept my eyes on the engine temperature (it topped out at about 200 degrees – about 10 degrees below “hot”). I also had to watch the tach. Because I was in “towing mode” where the engine helped brake. On some of the downslopes the RPMs exceeded 3500, well above the 3000 RPM start of the “red zone.” In short, I-26 was very hard on the truck. But the repaired engine performed well and we arrived without incident.

Our one-night stay in Natural Bridge was at the KOA there. Like most KOAs, it was an older park, in decent but not great shape, with fairly tight sites. This one also had some pretty dramatic hills and dips, which made getting into the site interesting. And, for the second time on the TTS, I had to use multiple wood blocks to level the rig.

Jett still wasn’t feeling well, so we did takeout from a Wendy’s in Lexington, VA, about 10 miles north. I didn’t mind the extra driving as it gave me a chance to look around the area a bit. Lexington is a very pretty small town with some very narrow streets. The narrowness was an issue because I was there around 5pm on Halloween and there were oodles of youngsters trick-or-treating. I tried very hard to avoid running them over and mostly succeeded.

The extra 20 miles – after refueling – was the reason that I had to change the refueling stop. No big deal, but getting the state wrong added a bit of drama to the trip.

KOA office

Hilly terrain

Pool

Our site

Categories: NC, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TN, TTS, VA | Leave a comment

TTS Hop 4: College Park MD to Natural Bridge VA

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Sparky

TTS Hop 4

212 miles via I-495 (around DC), I-66 and I-81. Cumulative tow miles: 892.

Luxury cabin

I consider this a “low stress” hop because it was almost entirely on interstate highways. I was worried that the first 50 miles – on the I-495 DC Beltway and out I-66 – would have a lot of stop-and-go traffic, but there was almost none of that. Pretty smooth, traffic-wise, though I-81 is always heavy. There are also a lot of hills on I-81, so the gas mileage was pretty lousy – under 8 mpg. But diesel fuel is cheap enough (I filled up at the destination for $2.30/gal) that I didn’t really care.

All in all, a pretty easy hop. But not particularly interesting. I was surprised that the foliage was past prime this far south.

The I-81 south trip reminded me of our first month on the road, way back in 2012. I-81 was the road where we had to leave the RV in the breakdown lane to go into town in search of tires as we had two blowouts in the same day. Good times.

Cherry Hill Park was, once again, awesome. This time we took a “luxury cabin” for two nights so that Jett’s son and grandson could stay with us and avoid multiple 100-mile round trips. We were very impressed. Large, clean, nice furniture, lots of dishes, nice bedding, very comfortable bath. This is probably the nicest cabin we have ever seen. Another plus for Cherry Hill.

We laundered our clothes at their awesome laundry. We later discovered that the park has a second laundry which was even closer to our site.

We used our two days with Jett’s son and grandson to play minigolf, dine out, visit IKEA (a first for me) and have smores around the campfire. A good time was had by all, but was marred by Jett’s severe cold. She couldn’t even hug them goodbye, for fear of making them sick.

Cabin living area

Cabin bedroom

Cabin kitchen

Messing around at minigolf

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

Apple Island “Resort”

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Sparky

The featureless plain

Pitiful laundromat

Jett and I spent nearly 6 months this spring/summer/fall at the Apple Island Resort in South Hero, VT, about 20 miles north of Burlington, VT. I previously reported on our first workamping gig and won’t comment further on working there. This is just a review of the campground itself.

I have a problem with the “Resort” part of the name. When I think “resort” I think Normandy Farms, Gulf Waters RV Resort, Pine Acres Family Camping Resort or even the Seminole Campground (which doesn’t even claim “resort” status). These parks all have extensive amenities – all have a pool, game room, laundromat, playground and community center and some have pickle ball courts, tennis courts, golf (or Frisbee golf) course, card room, softball field, outdoor amphitheater, dog park and beaches – lots of activities and very attractive campsites/RV pads. Yes, Apple Island has a very nice community center with a room that could be used for cards (though I never saw anyone playing), pool and a 9-hole golf course, but not much else. It does have the marina, which is nice, but no beach, no tennis courts, no pickle ball courts, no softball field, no outdoor amphitheater, no dog park. The laundromat is, kindly put, minimal and unpleasant to use with no windows and no ventilation. The playground is pathetic – up a hill and consisting of little more than a slide and some plastic structures to climb on. The activities are also minimal. There are cookouts, Bingo and BBQs, but always at a price, and very few other activities. No FOB, no reading club, no genealogy, few community socials/pot lucks. There seems to be no sense of community.

Pitiful playground

And the campsites… let me tell you about the campsites. The “lower field” consists of a featureless (no trees, no bushes – see the photo at the top) plain where the RVs park on grass or thin strips of loose gravel. The whole area was designed with motorhomes in mind, with the unit facing forward (because the sites are aligned with the best view forward), so the utilities are on the left for the motorhomes, but are on the right (which is wrong) for all other RVs which would like to face backward because the best view for them is out the back of the unit. These sites have no sewer connections – they are water/electric only – because the park apparently built the sites without thinking about upgrading their ancient sewage processing plant. If you want a full-hookup site you must take one of the sites “up the hill” which vary greatly in quality but tend to be uneven and very cramped. Almost none of those sites have any view whatsoever; instead they are nestled amongst the park model trailers of the permanent and seasonal residents.

This mixing of transient RVs and permanent residents pleases no one. I think I am being charitable when I say that I think the park is “in transition.” They have a full-time sales manager whose job is to convert the transient sites into seasonal or permanent sites, so they clearly want more permanent/seasonal residents at the cost of reduced transient capacity. It would seem that the goal is to have all sites “up the hill” be permanent/seasonal sites and transient RVs all relegated to the “lower field.” Until this transition is complete – and it could take years – this awkward intermingling of transients and permanent/seasonal residents will continue.

I should also mention the tent sites. There are a grand total of 6 of them, all in a row in a strip of grass carved out of the woods above the field. Tenters are allowed to drive to the site to set up, but then must move their vehicle to the bottom of the hill. The restrooms and showers are also at the bottom of the hill, which is both a strenuous walk and, in the dark, quite difficult. For the privilege of using this inconvenient swatch of grass (with a fire ring and picnic table) the tenter pays $45. A much nicer site at the state park 2 miles away costs $21.

My first impression of the “resort” back in April was not very favorable. I kept thinking that I would learn to love it. I didn’t.

RVs amid the park models

Community Center

Library/card room

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

TTS Hop 3: East Stroudsburg PA to College Park MD

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Sparky

TTS Hop 3

222 miles via US 209, PA 33, US 22, US 222, US 30, I-83, I-695 (around Baltimore), I-95 and MD 212. Cumulative tow miles: 680.

This was almost a reverse of the hop last spring, with a few minor differences. The biggest difference is that we decided to travel US 30 to its connection with I-83 rather than taking the shortcut. We regretted the decision as it not only added about 5 miles to the trip but also got us stuck in about a mile-and-a-half of very heavy traffic. We will take the shortcut next time.

This hop, though the best of the options (the other routes all involve tolls and city traffic), is not fun. It lacks any rest stops (I ate lunch while driving). We did, finally, make a rest stop about 25 miles short of our destination, to relieve Jett’s bladder. But other than the lack of places to take a break, it was an uneventful trip over roads that are generally in pretty good shape. But there were a few rough patches – enough to knock the broiler oven off its shelf in the closet.

I don’t have anything more to say about the Delaware Water Gap / Pocono Mountain KOA. It is a very nice campground that is in the perfect location for us for an overnight stop between Boston and DC. I am sure there are many recreational activities (and bears) in the area, so it might be a good choice for someone who would like to stay and explore a bit.

Our destination for 5 nights is the Cherry Hill Park campground. We stayed here on our way north last spring and it now is firmly established in our “best ever” campground list. We love this place! It is expensive (over $70 per night for a premium site), but it has many amenities and is close to everything. Jett’s sons and grandson will be visiting, so we will have a chance to catch up with family. Should be a fun five days.

If Jett stays healthy. She has sniffles this morning.

Categories: MD, PA, Places, TTS | Leave a comment

Taking out the docks

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Sparky

Most of the center dock removed

The final task in my marina mini-career was taking out the docks. The floating docks had to be removed from the lake and stacked on shore, to keep them from being crushed by the winter ice. This is normally a simple task, taking maybe a day and a half. This year it took a bit longer, due to the near-historic low water on Lake Champlain: the level when we started removing the docks was about a foot below the 100-year median and less than 6″ above the all-time low water of 1941. About a quarter of the dock segments were sitting on the mud and had to be dragged and/or lifted out of the non-existent water.

The launch dock came out first. I had started that process a week earlier by detaching the four segments that were still floating and tying them to the gas dock. I then removed the pins that connected the other 8 segments and just left them sitting in the mud. When the front-end loader arrived, it was used to drag all 8 of those segments to shore where they could then be lifted and stacked. The 4 floating segments were then floated to near the shore where they were also lifted and stacked.

The main docks – the ones that are rented to seasonal customers – were removed next. All but 6 segments could be removed by dragging them free and floating them again. I rode on those docks to shore, like Huck Finn on the raft. The final 6 segments took some heroic – and dangerous – work with the front-end loader, driven by the resort’s facilities manager. It took over 4 hours to remove those 6 segments.

The last dock to be removed was the gas dock. That was pretty trivial as those segments were all still floating (they were in the region dredged last year for the new state boat ramp that was next door).

The final task was to remove the 24 mooring balls. The general process was to string a “leech line” from shore to each of the buoys, tying the line to the anchor chain, removing the buoy and then dropping the chain to the bottom. This took longer than usual because 4 of the moorings were so shallow that the work boat could not get to them. we had to get a rowboat out of storage and use it to get to the final 4 balls. Even then we got stuck a couple of times because the water was less than a foot deep.

My final act at the marina was to take a photo of the dock-less lake. You can see the extensive mud flats. It looks kind of forlorn. Note the anchor block in the foreground – it was under more than 3 feet of water in May.

A long winter lies ahead.

Hopefully one with LOTS of snow.

Lifting a launch dock segment

Riding the docks

Removing a stuck segment

Docks gone

Categories: Places, VT, Work | Leave a comment

TTS Hop 2: Oakham MA to East Stroudsburg PA

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Sparky

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

Categories: MA, NY, PA, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TTS | Leave a comment

Duck hunting

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Sparky

Floating duck blind

I have never lived near a duck hunting venue, so I was a bit startled earlier this month when I woke to sounds of gunshots nearby. Apparently Lake Champlain is a good place to bag some ducks on their way south. Ducks: take note.

I was also amused and amazed at the effort that duck hunters expend to fool the fowl. Some construct elaborate blinds near the shore. Others just camouflage their fishing boats. Some add so much greenery that their boats look like floating islands. Add a few flowers and they would be ready for the Rose Parade.

I suppose that I should have grabbed the opportunity to experience duck hunting at its finest. I didn’t. But I will add it to my bucket list.

At the bottom.

Categories: Places, VT | Leave a comment

Our first workamping gig

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Sparky

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:

reduced living expenses
additional income
acquisition of new skills
beefing up our resumes

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:

We disliked the campground. I will go into this in detail in a separate campground review. Suffice it to say for now that it is not a place that I would recommend to anyone. When our friends Roger and Nancy came to visit (see Burlington with friends) we directed them away from Apple Island and instead recommended that they stay at a nice state park just down the road.
We disliked the corporation that owns the campground. It is a family corporation which, I believe, is 51% owned by one man. He is a classic “trust baby” with more money than sense. He is autocratic with a “my way or the highway” attitude which makes my hackles rise. As I told my boss at the start of the summer, the owner is a classic example of a guy who says all the right things and does all the wrong things. Example: there is a policy that each workamper can have 5 and only 5 uniforms. Because they refused to get the uniforms to us before the start of the season and because we felt uncomfortable ordering sizes without trying on the uniforms, we ordered only two uniforms initially and they did not appear until almost two weeks into the season. We had to start the season with borrowed used uniforms! And then, due to a bookkeeping error, when we ordered the additional uniforms Jett’s order was refused. Rather than risking sending her one additional pair of pants, the entire order was refused and she had to resubmit it. She finally got her new uniforms about a month into the season – just in time for her to quit. There were other policies that we found distasteful and just a whole bunch of how-stupid-can-they-be things that we observed. But the owner was not open to suggestions. My way or the highway. We preferred the highway.
We didn’t feel very close to the other workampers. While we did make friends, we didn’t make many close friends. Jett and I mostly hung out by ourselves, which was fine. But closer friendships would have improved the experience.

There were also some significant negatives that were not work-related:

We were too far from Boston. We made several trips to Boston as a couple and Jett made a few more on her own. It was a grueling 4+ hour trip. Too far.
South Hero was not close to anything other than Lake Champlain. Every trip to get food or take out pizza was a 20-mile round trip. We would like to be closer to shops and services.

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):

Try to vet the place before applying. We need to research both the campground and the area to make sure that we will enjoy spending time there. Apply to campgrounds that we have stayed at and have enjoyed, if possible.
If working in New England, make sure we are within 2 hours of Boston.
Try to find a 3-month assignment. Six months is just too long if it turns out you don’t like the job.

Categories: Commentary, Places, RV Living, RV Parks, VT | Leave a comment

TTS Hop 1: South Hero VT to Oakham MA

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Sparky

TTS Hop 1

229 miles via I-89, I-91, MA 2 and MA 122.

This first hop of the TTS was a mirror image of the last hop of the STN, so there was no new scenery. We stopped twice: a lunch stop in Hartford, VT, and an emergency roadside stop just north of the MA border to reattach a strip of molding that came loose on the RV. There was a moment of excitement on I-91 where I was traveling along in the right lane with large trucks in front of me and to the left of me. Suddenly the truck in the left lane put on his turn signal and started edging over into my lane. I braked, to let him in, then saw that the truck in front of me was braking hard. I had to swerve into the breakdown lane to avoid both. The reason for all of this drama: a police accident investigation, protected only by a few traffic cones deployed a hundred yards from the accident site. This was a very dangerous situation (an SUV had already plowed through one of the cones) and I blame the troopers for not securing the site better. They should have posted a cruiser before the start of the lane reduction, to warn traffic to slow down.

But I made it through unscathed.

The best thing about the hop was the fall foliage. It was absolutely spectacular from start to finish and it was enhanced by the bright sun with just a few clouds for dramatic effect. I don’t have any photos taken during the trip because it is generally unwise to snap photographs while driving a 10-ton rig. But I do have one that I took this morning at the Pine Acres Family Resort Campground, just to give a small sample of what we were treated to for 229 miles.

I should also mention that the truck performed admirably. No problem at all.

Whew!

Color at Pine Acres

Lunch stop

Hartford VT rest area

The end of Hop 1

Categories: MA, Places, Routes, VT | Leave a comment

Third Trip South (TTS)

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Sparky

Third Trip South (TTS) plan

Today Jett and I leave South Hero, VT, and start our trek south, to Ft Myers Beach, FL. It will be a journey of just over 2,000 miles and will take 26 days. we will spend 6 nights in MA, catching up with family and friends, and 5 nights in the DC area, also catching up with family. That part of the trip – MA to DC – will be a simple reversal of our trip north. Nothing new there. But after that we will hit a few new places:

Natural Bridge, VA. It is just one night, but I have always been interested in this stop. Probably just the name – “natural bridge” – but it sounds interesting.
Asheville, NC. Seeing the Biltmore estate and the western NC region is on my bucket list. We have the time to take a pretty significant detour to make this happen. 3 nights.
Charleston, SC. We are looking forward to having 3 more days to explore one of our favorite cities. And we will be staying in one of our favorite RV parks, with the huge dog park. The dogs are looking forward to this stop, too.
Jacksonville, FL. Jacksonville may not be at the top of the list of Florida destinations, but I think there is enough there to keep us interested for 3 nights.
Titusville, FL. This is near Cape Canaveral, which I have never visited. And it is an area of the east coast of Florida that I have never explored. 3 nights.

Then on to our new Florida home for the winter – Gulf Waters RV Resort. We loved the Seminole Campground, but decided to try a new, more upscale, park this year. It is expensive, but, hopefully, will be worth the price.

Of course, this will all be done using our repaired truck. The first hop down to MA will be nerve-wracking. I will be listening intently for any unusual engine sounds and hoping against hope that the engine doesn’t blow up. It should be fine, but I won’t be comfortable until we complete that first hop unscathed.

Wish us luck.

Categories: Routes, TTS | Leave a comment