2022 - 2023 Trip to the Southwest

 November 2, 2022, Home, Oswego, NY- 274.8 Miles, 1408.7 Miles for the Trip

I left Jonestown around 9:30, and arrived in Oswego at 2:30. Not a bad drive even though it was longer than usual. The traffic was good with no stop & go even at the single lane sections. 

Home

My AT&T phone is back in action. Not sure what was wrong with it, although I hope it was a dead battery. It was on the wireless charger, but just to be sure I plugged it into a standard phone charger and an hour later it was able to do a reboot. I had already tried restarting it 15 times, so either I have an intermittent problem or the wireless charger didn't work. Since it usually works fine, and the phone has never died overnight sitting on it, who knows. In any case, it is good to have all my apps back.

When I arrived in Oswego, my brother Dave had just dragged the leaf grinder from the garden to the driveway. Since it hasn't been run in over 20 years, we tried, but failed to get the engine on the grinder to start.  Tomorrow we need to stop at Harbor Freight for a new engine.  We loaded it in the truck & unloaded the stuff that had to come out of the trailer.

After that it was off to Price Chopper for dinner & beer. Dave will be staying for a few days since he is temporarily being kicked out of the house he is staying in. He is in the middle of moving from Nantucket Island to the Catskills, living with a friend until the house he is purchasing closes.

Overall, an unsuccessful trip, at least to the Southwest. I did have a good time for the most part at the Hungry Mother, and, of course, after canceling all my reservations for the trip, feel better, but I still think I'll be more comfortable at home, at least until I get my stomach problems under control. So, it is time to make the adjustments for a winter in Oswego. I did that in 2020, and since it was one of the milder winters in recent times, I survived it. Let's hope that this winter is another comfortable one.

I don't have anything on the books until the Spring Fling in May, although if there is a mild spring I might be able to do a trip to the south before that.

Until The Next Trip -

2022 - 2023 Trip to the Southwest, Day 10

 November 1, 2022, Jonestown KOA, Jonestown, PA - 176.1 Miles, 1133.9 Miles for the Trip

It may well be a good thing that I'm canceling the trip. First my keyboard is dying, and this morning my AT&T iPhone 13 Pro was dead. It was on the charger so the battery was up. If I call it with my Verizon phone, my laptop answers, my trailer radio mutes, & my voice comes over both, but nothing on the phone. A few of my apps are duplicated on the Verizon phone, but only a few. So, if you want to contact me, you need to call my other phone, the 0182 number. Depending on what time it is when I hit Syracuse, I may stop at the Apple Store. Tomorrow is a longer haul than my usual at 275 miles, and I'm meeting my brother at my house in the afternoon.

As to the drive, it was all on I81. Heavy traffic at times, but no rain. I arrived at the Jonestown KOA at 1:45 & was guided to my site, #53, a gravel & gray mud (but a concrete pad) pull through, full hookup site for $58.50. 

Site 53, Jonestown KOA

After setting up I went for a walk around the campground. I stopped at the office and no food. Evidently, the campground has new owners. No license for food, lottery tickets or alcohol. Looks like I won't be having one of their pizzas, but something out of the freezer for dinner. 

Dinner was an El Monterey Chicken Enchilada meal.

Until Tomorrow -

2022 - 2023 Trip to the Southwest, Day 9

 October 31, 2022, Creekside Campground, Edinburg, VA - 241.4 Miles, 957.8 Miles for the Trip

Happy Halloween!

Site 29, Creekside Campground

A good night's sleep - I still decided that I'd head back to Oswego, particularly since I have already canceled many reservations. I took my time packing up & left the campground around 10:00. Light to medium heavy rain the entire trip. 

I arrived at Creekside a little after 2:00 and took the same site (29) that I had on the way down to the rally. Water & electric for $36.86. The rain was light while I hooked up, but too much to make a walk around the campground pleasant. I spent most of the afternoon sitting in the trailer reading both on line & my Kindle. If you see missing n's or s's, blame it on my keyboard. It appears to be having some problems that a blast of air hasn't solved. Spell checker catches most of the errors as well as a read through before posting, but is is amazing how much can be missed editing your own writing.

Dinner was a Saffron Road Chicken Biryani meal.

Until Tomorrow -

2022 - 2023 Trip to the Southwest, Day 8

 October 30, 2022, Burson Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 716.4 Miles for the Trip

A Stop at the Dump Station

Lots of folks heading out today. The hosts move in quickly as each RV leaves. They use a mower to blow most of the leaves off the site, then rake the gravel. They also check that the breakers are off. I took a photo of them at work as well as a few of the departing trailers:

I hate to disappoint those that were planning to follow a trip to the Southwest, but my plans have changed. I've been having worsening stomach pains over the week, and decided that I'd skip the trip to Arizona this winter. A tough decision, but after a long night without much sleep, I think it is for the best. Still, a big disappointment for me. I've made the trip for the last 7 years with the exception of a skipped 2020 Covid winter, and I really like to get away from the upstate NY cold & snow. Still, too many sleepless night isn't good for traveling, and some of the places I planned to stay are a long way from any medical help.

So, I spent much of the afternoon canceling reservations, and will head back to Oswego starting tomorrow.

Dinner was a Shrimp Chimichanga at Mi Puerto.

Until Tomorrow -

2022 - 2023 Trip to the Southwest, Day 7

 October 29, 2022, Burson Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 716.4 Miles for the Trip

A quiet Saturday. We spent most of it sitting around, although some of the group hit the Creeper Trail for a bike ride. A few trailers left, but most are heading out tomorrow. I did get a few photos, others can be found on today's LakeshoreImages page.

Dinner was Anne's Honey Garlic Chicken & Parmigiana Orzo.

Until Tomorrow -