Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, Day 7

Monday, July 13, 2026,Day 7, Lauder Family Campground, Frenchville, PA - 207.3 Miles, 421.6 Miles For The Trip

Not as cool as last night, but nice enough for sleeping. We got a late start, and an even later arrival at the campground. Our Garmins (a combined 4 of them) all gave different routes. I think we picked the wrong one which, while mostly roads with dividing lines, took us all over the place. We arrived around 6:00. The sites are on coarse gravel, full hook up for $41.60. Individual bathrooms are next to the site. I did have to drop the trailer to get the tongue down 2", and add 3/4" side to side. Although far apart in the alphabet, the sites are next to each other.

Site G

Site A

Made a quick dinner of Bubba chicken burgers, beans & ttortoni salad. 

Until Next Time - 

Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, Day 6

Sunday, July 12, 2026 - Long Beach Conservation Area & Bolerama,Wellfleet, Ontario, Canada, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 214.3 Miles For The Trip

It cooled off nicely last night, going down to 57°F by morning & 62°F in the trailer. 

During my morning walk there were very few trailers packing up to leave. Still, some have left and more left throughout the day.

I spent the morning & early afternoon sitting under the Guido's awning and reading. Finished the 1619 Project & started Crook Manifesto: A Novel (The Harlem Trilogy Book 2) by Colson Whitehead. I'm listening to the second book in a series - The Butcher Game by Alaina Urquhart.

Around 12:30 I headed to the bathroom (washroom since I'm in Canada) for a shower. They have 3 showers that open to the outside & 2 inside the men's bathroom. I used one of the inside ones since they have standard showerheads rather than the high pressure low volume ones on the outside ones. The bad - the showerhead aims at the shower curtain and wets most of the drying area. Two hooks and a bench in the drying area. A push button for water. It was hot enough when I started, but someone was in the other inside shower and by the time I finished it was down to lukewarm water. The pushbutton lasted for at least a minute. Overall, a B-.

I took a few photos of folks leaving:

There was a pot luck with left overs from yesterday & lots of new stuff:

Until Next Time - 

Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, Day 5

Saturday, July 11, 2026 - Long Beach Conservation Area & Bolerama,Wellfleet, Ontario, Canada, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 214.3 Miles For The Trip

During my morning walk I took the camera and took a bunch of pictures. A few here, but many more on the Bolarama 26 page.

It was another quiet day. No rain and in the 80's. We sat outside and read, showed the trailers to a couple of folks. Around 4:30 I packed up the pies, the truck & the Guidos and drove over to the pavilion for the group dinner. Lots of food for all, and drawings for prizes afterwards.

Again, many more photos at the Bolarama page.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, Day 4

Friday, July 10, 2026 - Long Beach Conservation Area & Bolerama,Wellfleet, Ontario, Canada, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 214.3 Miles For The Trip

A little cooler last night going down to 61°F. Lots of trailers arrived today including an Escape 13 from the Escape factory. Boy is it small, but light enough to be pulled by almost anything.

After my walk & breakfast I made two blueberry pies. Not the prettiest I've ever made, but they should taste OK.

The Pies

We sat around reading most of the day. During the afternoon we walked over to the rally host trailer and signed in for the dinner tomorrow and pick up a sign for the trailer, a button, a tick remover, and tags for your shampoo & conditioner, A "S" & a "C" made on a on a 3D printer with a rubber band to attach them to your shampoo & conditioner so you can tell which is which in the dark. Since I only use shampoo they won't do much for me but the tick remover might come in handy.

Since my grill is up the creek, we cooked chicken Bubba burgers on Guido's pristine grill. Hated to get it dirty but we did want to eat.

Dinner was Chicken Bubba burgers & tortoni salad.

Until Tomorrow - 

Until Next Time - 

Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, Day 3

Thursday, July 9, 2026 - Long Beach Conservation Area & Bolerama,Wellfleet, Ontario, Canada, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 214.3 Miles For The Trip

A warm night. I shut of the AC and with the MAXX fan running and an outside temperature of 73°F down to 69°F by morning, the inside of the trailer stayed around 74°F. 

After my morning walk I had breakfast & read both on the internet & my Kindle. Current book is The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones. While it was still in the high 70's sitting outside, I turned on the AC around noon because the inside temperature was hitting 80°F, too warm for my meds.

I started a rack of baby back ribs around 1:30 and sat out in the shade of the Guido's awning for the afternoon.

The grill started acting weird - the flame adjustment wasn't working right. I thought the small tank might have been empty although it felt at least 1/2 full. I unhooked it to change to me spare 20 pounder & a gush of oil and propane spewed out. The 20 pound tank also didn't work right so I think the hose and maybe the grill is filled with oil. I didn't get much further since the food was done. We ate at 5:00 and by 5:30 it started to rain. As I was unhooking the 20 pound tank from the grill hose a cloud of propane spewed from the hose.  It is probably clogged with oil.  I hope the grill isn't. 

Dinner was ribs, a salad, applesauce and an ice cream cone.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, Day 2

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - Long Beach Conservation Area & Bolerama,Wellfleet, Ontario, Canada - 214.3 Miles, 214.3 Miles For The Trip

We had an interesting drive to the park. I suggested we take rt 38 to I 90, and a little before we got there a sign sent us on a detour. The detour eventually ended up at a closed bridge on rt 34. Eventually we wandered across the middle of the state until we found Rt 414 which actually made it far enough south to reach I90. After that the traffic wasn't too bad and we arrived at the campground around 2:00. So, over 200 miles driven for a 180 mile trip.

No problems crossing the border. A bit of a problem with the sites but is worked out & the Guidos are in 71 & I'm in 93. They are next to each other. The sites are 15 amp electric & water on grass. Mine was level, Guido's needed a bit of site to side leveling. $45.00 per night Canadian which works out to $31.80 US. No picnic table at either site, but Anne asked and within 20 minutes one arrived. Since we cook & eat together, only one was necessary. A little beat, but the seat didn't break when I sat down.

My Site (93)

The Guidos (Site 71)

Both Sites

Very hot. Although my app says it is only 78°F, the sensor in my ladder storage fence post says it hit 97°F. A light breeze off the lake that felt nice as long as you were in the shade. Unfortunately, neither of our sites have much shade but we sat under Guido's awning. 

Dinner was left over pizza, and fruit as well as cheese brats & Bush beans.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, Day 1

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 - Still Home, 0 Miles, 0 Miles For The Trip

I guess the heat last week spurred on the blueberries. Still lots of green berries, but the two earliest bushes are producing. I vacuum packed and froze 2 pie bags (5 1/2 cups) and will take one of them with me for the pies at Bolerama. I also picked a quart of Cascadia Sugar Snap peas and will take them on the trip for salads. Unfortunately, I suspect they will be done in by the time I get back. Kyle will water them, but 2 weeks in this weather is asking for a miracle. I hope the flowers in the front flower box hold up. Not all that much work to plant, but I've been doing them for years.

The Front Flower Box

he weather is a bit cooler, but is is still summery. It has been hitting the 80's during the day and only going down to the 70's at night. Since I have trouble sleeping with temperatures above 68°F (I prefer 63°F) I have the bedroom AC set at 68°F overnight. Can't wait to see National Grid's bill this month.

I have finished packing everything but the last minute items in the truck & trailer. I use a 4 page check list that goes by the cabinets, drawers & shelves in the trailer with a check box to mark when it is packed. I have found this useful to make sure I have everything I plan to take. I still usually discover something that I missed!

The truck is parked on the lawn so the Guidos can back their trailer into the driveway. It makes starting out a bit slow because they have to pull out to the road so I can get to my trailer to hook up. Luckily, we have little traffic on our road after a morning rush to deliver kids to Camp Hollis down the road.

Guidos arrived around 5:00.

The Vermilye Campground

We went to Rudy's, a local fish & Texas Hot stand on the lake around 2 miles from the house. I had their fried shrimp dinner.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to Bolerama & Takoma Park, MD

Saturday, July 4, 2026 - Home, 0 Miles, 0 Miles For The Trip

Happy 4th of July & 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Time to start getting ready for an annual trip to Bolerama in Ontario, Canada, and then on to Takoma Park, MD to see my daughter's family. As usual, the Guidos will travel with me. 

It has been hot! Oswego hit 99°F last week and has been in the 90's for a couple of days. While other parts of upstate NY do often hit the 90's, Oswego has Lake Ontario next door (across the street from me) and the lake has been a modifier of temperatures; warmer Falls and cooler Springs & Summers. 90's are (or used to be) rare. I didn't need air conditioning until a couple of years ago. Now I have a mini split in the living room and in the bedroom. It has finally cooled off, only 73°F at 2:00 today. 

I started packing the trailer in a light rain. I don't know if I'll get a chance to wash it before I leave on Wednesday, but it isn't too bad. I do have a small boo boo in the truck. I backed into a stake bed truck and put a dent/hole in the tailgate. Evidently it can't be repaired, but replaced. Over $2K.

While it was hot last week, the blueberries are running behind. By this time I would usually have done a first picking but the earliest bush is just starting to show some blue color. I'm afraid that they will all come in over the next 2 weeks that I'm gone. At least the birds will have a treat. I also had to pull the garlic a bit early.

I've finished of the radishes & asparagus and started on the snap peas. This is the second year I planted Sugar Snap peas that have inedible pods. Luckily, I also planted Cascadia Sugar Snap peas and they are great. So far one small tomato on the tomato plant. 

New Bathroom Light

Garlic

Blueberries

More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

As to trailer projects, not many. I did add a light to the top of the medicine cabinet. I was always unhappy with the standard bathroom light behind me when I was looking in the mirror. I found an LED strip with a switch that just fit above the cabinet. Now I have light on my face rather than a shadow.

That's about it for the day. I'll probably do another post when the Guidos get here on Tuesday.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 15

Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - Day 15, Home, Oswego, NY - 941.9 Miles for the day,819.4 Miles for the trip

I apologize for this being so late.  I did write the journal page when I got home, but for some reason, didn't post it.  Probably too tired from unpacking in the 84°F temperature.  In any case, better late than never...

We left Rideau Acres around 11:00. Turned in out blue gate buttons (much easier than trying to enter a string of numbers to get into the park) and got a Canadian $5.00 bill, so now I have some Canadian money just as I'm leaving Canada. 

The border crossing was the easiest I've made. No line and less than a minute at the booth. Very little traffic on I 81. I hit Oswego around 2:30 and started unloading the trailer. I did the food and other essentials, then took a break. It is 84°F outside and 72°F in the house. After 5-6 trips carrying stuff up the stairs to the house I quit, although I will probably have to make a trip or two later for the stuff I forgot.

The next scheduled trip is in early July to Bolerama & Takoma Park, MD.

Until then! 

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 14

Monday, May 25, 2026 - Day 14, Rideau Acres, Kingston, Ontario Canada, Day 7 - 0 Miles for the day,819.4 Miles for the trip

While there are a few of us left, most pulled out this morning. Light rain during the early morning, but the sun came out around 2:00. We are hoping to dry things out before we pack them for the trip home tomorrow. During my morning walk I saw the swans, but they were too far away for a photo.

I finished off the cornbread for lunch and spent most of the day reading. Current book is The Horror at Murden Cove by D. D. Black. It is the 4th book in the Austin series. Not the greatest detective series, but I'm enjoying them. As to audio books, I am finishing up Jenn Lyons' The Ruin of Kings & downloaded Apostle's Cove by William Kent Krueger for the trip home.

Dinner was cheese brats, more leftovers, & Bush beans.

Until Next Time

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 13

Sunday, May 24, 2026 - Day 13, Rideau Acres, Kingston, Ontario Canada, Day 6 - 0 Miles for the day,819.4 Miles for the trip

Many folks packed up in a light rain/mist this morning, but there are still plenty of trailers left in the campground. Back at the trailer I made a batch of cornbread. Guido & Anne stopped over to nibble. We will probably do in the rest of it for dinner. We will probably eat in the trailer since it is still misting out & only 54°F. 

Around 2:00 I headed to the shower. A little cool getting dry since I don't believe the heat in the place is on or it is set lower than 54°F. 

Dinner was left overs - beans from last night as well as tortellini salad & blueberry pie, pork loin from the other day & chicken Alfredo. 

The dates for next year's EggFest Ontario are May 28 - 30 here at Rideau Acres. See you then!

Until Next Time

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 11

Friday, May 22, 2026 - Day 11, Rideau Acres, Kingston, Ontario Canada, Day 4 - 0 Miles for the day,819.4 Miles for the trip Sorry this is out of order, I somehow didn'tt post it last night.

Another cool night going down to 37°F early this morning. It warmed up, hitting 60°F by noon. I took my camera during my morning walk hoping to catch the swans that are on the lake next to the campground. No swans, but I did see more trailers:

Around 10:30 Steve and his wife stopped by for a short visit. Steve & I have been trading favorite authors over email for a couple of years and have finally met in person. On the way back to the trailer I met the campground Guineau Fowl.

After they left I continued putting together a blueberry pie for the pot luck dinner tomorrow. A bit different from other pot lucks I've attended - we go by tables; the Guidos & I are at the Schitt's Creek or Sheets Creek table. Not sure if it is named after the TV show or the creek in NY unless I see the spelling of the name. In any case I'm bring my usual blueberry pie. 

Around 1:30 we walked to the office to pick up tickets for the breakfast tomorrow morning. 

Another walk around the campground:

Dinner was a pork loin & Bush Beans.

After dinner there was a group campfire (actually, 2 campfires in the same circle). I took photos in a couple of directions so I could get all that were there.

As usual, more images at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Until Next Time - 

Around 10:30 Steve and his wife stopped by for a short visit. Steve & I have been trading favorite authors over email for a couple of years and have finally met in person. On the way back to the trailer I met the campground Guineau Fowl,

After they left I continued putting together a blueberry pie for the pot luck dinner tomorrow. A bit different from other pot lucks I've attended - we go by tables; the Guidos & I are at the Schitt's Creek or Sheets Creek table. Not sure if it is named after the TV show or the creek in NY unless I see the spelling of the name. In any case I'm bring my usual blueberry pie. 

Around 1:30 we walked to the office to pick up tickets for the breakfast tomorrow morning. 

Another walk around the campground:

Dinner was a pork loin & Bush Beans.

After dinner there was a group campfire (actually, 2 campfires in the same circle). I took photos in a couple of directions so I could get all that were there.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 12

Saturday, May 23, 2026 - Day 12, Rideau Acres, Kingston, Ontario Canada, Day 5 - 0 Miles for the day,819.4 Miles for the trip Sorry this is out of order - Somehow I didn't post Friday's journal last night.

Saturday started off with a pancake breakfast put together by the Rotary Club. Well organized & good food!

After breakfast a trip around the campground including one of the workshops on polishing your trailer, making sushi & lithium batteries:

A light rain started around 2:00 but folks are still wandering around the campground to check out trailers as well as attend the workshops.

As usual, more photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Around 5:00 the rain went from light to medium. I think we will take the truck to get to the pot luck. It isn't all that long a walk, but in the rain everything will get wet. While that is somewhat OK for me, I can't have that happen to the pie!

It did start to rain a bit heavier so we took the truck. The "family style" dinner was quite different from a pot luck. First difference - no drinks brought in from the outside, including sealed water bottles. They did have free water along with a cash bar. Next - our table was Up Shits Creek, not Schitt's Creek or Sheets Creek. Sign to prove it. Next - we were the only ones at our table so the meal started out to be tortellini salad & blueberry pie. OK for veterinarians, but we would have liked more verify We found another pair of folks that were at a table with just two of them & invited them to join us which added a dessert for them & sausage & baked beans for us.

While the rain let up as we left the hall, it was windy. When we got back to the trailers we discovered how windy - the staked down Clam was half folded sitting behind my trailer. Not sure how it made it there, but we did find all the nails holding it down & replaced them with much larger ones.

So ends the day!

Until Next Time

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 10

Thursday, May 21, 2026 - Day 10, Rideau Acres, Kingston, Ontario Canada, Day 3 - 0 Miles for the day, 819.4 Miles for the trip

There a a couple of pairs of Canada geese in the park so you need to watch where you step. We also had a nice sunset last night:

It cooled down last night, hitting 47°F by morning. During my morning walk I made a trip to the dumpsters. There may be more, but it looks like there is only one group for the entire campground. Five of them next to the dump station.

I finished he Bones at No Point by D. D. Black, liked it and started the second in the series The Shadows of Pike Place. I called mt dentist in Oswego - last evening I broke a tooth. Seems like I do this once a year, and never when I'm home. It doesn't hurt so they will decide what to do when I go in for my cleaning & check up on May 27th.

I spent most of the morning reading. Trailers are starting to arrive. Another Escape ( a 19) so I won't feel out of place as a newer trailer as well as a Trillium, a Boler & a Ventura arrived around noon. More arrived throughout the day:

More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

I stopped over at Ron & Liz's Lil Snoozy to pay my $10.00 for the rally and picked up a pin & the schedule as well as a sign that my trailer was open to viewing.

I made a couple of rounds of the camping area taking more photos, then sat at the hummingbird feeder for a bit. There at least two of them since I watched them fight. This one looks to be a female.

Dinner was Ann's Chicken Alfredo & cherries for dessert.

Until Next Time -