Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 1

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - Broken Wheel Campground, Petersburg, NY - 204.4 Miles for the day, 204.4 Miles for the trip

I carry a spare trailer hitch in one of my storage boxes just in case my regular one disappears for some reason. It has a longer shank, and I got to thinking (dangerous) that the longer shank would let me turn tighter when backing into a site before the truck taillight hits the trailer's front storage box, and expensive oops. Well it might have worked, but when I tried to attach the safety chains they were too short. So, back to the old hitch & if I'm going to carry a usable spare, I'd better get one with the same shank.

Other than that minor mishap, an uneventful trip. I did take the NY Thruway. Boring compared to the back roads and more expensive since it is a toll road, but the last time I took the backroads Matilda (my Garmin GPS) routed me through the center of Albany, NY's capital. And I do mean the center - I got to see all the buildings where my tax dollars are spent up close. It added over an hour to the trip so I decided to take the Thruway. Gas is running around $4.59 both on the Thruway & the various towns I drove through.

Not so uneventful for the Guidos. I got a text that their water pump broke & flooded the rear of the Scamp. They are drying things out & will be late arriving here.

I arrived at the Broken Wheel Campground around 4:00, and as usual, no one in the office or in charge of the place. We will mail them checks. I'm in site 26, a water & electric site on grass. Level side to side & I had to raise the tongue 1 1/2". $42.50 per night.

Site 26

I checked both AT&T & Verizon for data speed. AT&T shows 39.46Mbps down & 3.50Mbps up while Verizon shows 33.43Mbps down & .53Mbps up. As usual, I'll go with AT&T sine it is truly unlimited.

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada with rice & beans bowl.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 0

Monday, May 11, 2026 - Still in Oswego

Less work on the trailer then in previous Springs, not because it didn't need it, but because the weather has been cold & wet. The cherry tree is still in bloom, as well as the crab apple tree and some of the blueberries. In past years I would have been already picking some blueberries, and there would be green cherries & crab apples, but not this year. An old cherry tree in the back yard blew over. The only problem with cutting it up is it is covered with 1" thick poison ivy vines. I need to get rid of them before I hit it with the chain saw.

I did get the trailer brakes & bearings serviced, flushed the water system, and washed & waxed it, but I'll have to wait until I get back from the Spring Fling trip before a couple of projects.

As of this evening I have the trailer mostly packed. Some stuff needs to wait since I'll be using it tonight & tomorrow morning, plus we may get a freeze tonight. It is predicted for most of the county, but since I'm within 500' of Lake Ontario I suspect we will stay above freezing.

For anyone keeping track, I started the trip with a total trailer mileage of 71,761.9, and 1,591 nights in the trailer. 

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 180

Day 180, Thursday, April 16, 2026 - Home, Oswego, NY - 93.9 Miles, 7,676.8 Miles for the Trip.

58°F overnight, 71°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 73°F.

Since I only had 90 or so miles to go, I got a late start. I stopped on the way at the Syracuse Camping World it see if I could purchase a Ventline Roof Vent with light. They have hit me with ads for it on Facebook, but when I stopped in they couldn't find one. Typical for Camping World...

At home I unpacked the stuff that had to be unpacked. Since I'm heading to the Spring Fling on May 12th, I didn't unpack everything. I do plan to take the trailer in to get the brakes checked and the bearings repacked before the trip.

Some statistics for the trip:

180 days for the trip

Total miles driven - 8730.5
Total Towing Miles - 7676.8
Miles Per Gallon - 11.77 (12.39 according to the built in calculator)
Cheapest gas $2.34 at Circle K, , Holly Springs, MS
Most Expensive gas $4.10 at The Brown Bag, Barnsville, PA (Last stop)

Most expensive campground - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD $103.00 per night
Least expensive (a few free), least paid - $10.00 per night fat Sunny Flats, Portal, AZ
Campground average cost - $28.84

10.4 Gallons of propane for a total of $33.03

Total miles for the truck - 100707.6
Total miles for the trailer - 71,761.9
Total Nights in the Trailer - 1591 

As usual after a trip I headed to Rudy's, our lakeside fish & more restaurant for a Shrimp dinner to go. Made it home just before a heavy rain started.

Until the Next Trip - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 179

Day 179, Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - Country Hills Campground, Marathon, NY - 146.7 Miles, 7,582.9 Miles for the Trip.

54°F overnight, 63°F for my morning walk, 81°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 82°F.

More overnight rain with a short 10:00 burst. Bright sunshine for the morning.

I got a call from Anne that the Guidos were sick & I might want to skip a stop at their house. So, I looked for a campground in the area. Chenango State Park was full, so I booked a site at the Country Hills campground in Marathon, NY. While Trip Wizard says they are closed until May 5th, someone answered the phone (although she was in Florida) and as far as I know I'm booked for tonight. I could drive all the way to Oswego, but it is 250 miles, a bit more than I like to drive, particularly since I'll have to at least partially unload the trailer after I get home. Breaking it into 2 nights makes for a short drive tomorrow.

So, I dumped the tanks, packed up, then sat in the trailer until it was time to leave.

The traffic on I 81 wasn't too bad, at least on my side of the road. Those heading south had a 3 mile stopped traffic section; I didn't see the cause. We had some lane closures, but the traffic was light enough that they only caused slow downs. I arrived at Country Hills Campground around 2:00. 

I'm in site 23, a full hook up site needing 1 1/2" side to side & a 1" rise on the tongue. The site is on gravel, has a fire ring but no picnic table. I don't know if they tables when they are open since that won't be for another 3 weeks. $48.00 for one night., and it appears that so far I'm the only one in the place. They only have a few sites set aside for overnighters. There are bathrooms, but they are locked.

Site 23

I did a speed test for AT&T & Verizon. AT&T showed 22.78Mbps down & 1.14Mbps up. Verizon showed 55.71Mbps down & 5.57Mbps up. If you don't have either, this would be a good site for Starlink - very open with few trees.

After setting up I sat outside and read for a bit. I finished B. B. Griffith's Follow the Crow, and started the second book in the series, Beyond the Veil. While the first might be considered a bit of a Navajo cop story, the second is pretty much a SiFi book. OK, but not what I expected. 

Windy with 24MPH gusts. The shade kept blowing closed on my chair so I eventually moved inside even though I had to listen to the AC until the sun went down.

Dinner was a Chef Ramsay Chicken Marsala Pasta Bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 178

Day 178, Tuesday, April 14, 2026 - Lakewood Park Campground, Barnesville, PA , Day 2 - 0 Miles, 7,436.2 Miles for the Trip.

51°F overnight, 65°F for my morning walk, 75°F at noon, and the high for the day was 82°F.

It rained off & on (mostly off) throughout last night. Woke up to clear skies. I sat outside for a bit after my morning walk.

After breakfast I paid some bills, read some journals & forums, then did some reading on the Kindle. Current book is B. B. Griffith's Follow the Crow. This is the first in a Native American series "Vanished". I enjoy Native American stories, and this is the first of 7 in the series, all available for free with Kindle Unlimited. I don't think anyone can beat Tony Hillerman, but in addition to some of my favorites such as Kathleen O'Neal Gear; W. Michael Gear, Jean Auel & James Doss, I'm sure there are many others; I keep looking.

Around 2:00 the inside oft the trailer hit 80°F so i closed the windows, shut off the MAXX fan & fired up the AC. I sat outside in the shade of the trailer reading. B. B. Griffith's Follow the Crow is different from the James Doss & Tony Hillerman Navajo cop stories, but so far I've enjoyed it.

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada with Black Beans. Not the usual bowl - I picked up a double enchilada without the fixings by mistake.

Until Tomorrow -