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 - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 177

Day 177, Monday, April 13, 2026 - Lakewood Park Campground, Barnesville, PA - 156 Miles, 7,436.2 Miles for the Trip.

54°F overnight, 58°F for my morning walk, 66°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 74°F.

Another reason for doing some of your hook up the evening before - it might be raining when it is time to go. A light rain started around 10:00 this morning and continued for the first quarter of the drive to Lakewood Park. A stalled truck in the right lane created a 15 minute stop & go on I 81. Saw a Escape 19 heading south around mile marker 34 in PA.

I arrived at Lakewood Park Campground around 1:30. A bit confusing since there is also a State Park with the same name 4 miles away but the coordinates from Trip Wizard got me to the right place. They have a camp cafe that has sandwiches & snacks.

Site 12 & the Bathrooms & Laundry

I'm in site 12, a full hookup site on a concrete pad level side to side with a picnic table and combined grill/fire ring. I had to drop the tongue 1". Close to the bathroom & showers (individual rooms) and the laundry. After setting up I started two loads. $2.75 to wash in large front loaders (an additional $.50 for heavy loads) and $1.75 to dry.

While the clothes were in the dryers, I headed for a shower. There are 3 bathrooms in the building, one without a shower, and 2 with showers, one disabled. I used the non disabled room. A sink, toilet & shower. 2 double hooks and a bench near the shower. A large shower with a shelf & a shower head hanging basket. A medium flow 3" shower head with adjustable water. While the floor is flat between the shower & drying area, a cloth shower curtain & good slope keeps the drying area floor dry. The only fault I could find was it was a bit too cold in the room. A solid A.

I checked Verizon & AT&T - Verizon shows 319.38Mbps down & 10.93Mbps up. AT&T shows 123.49Mbps down & 15.06Mbps up.

Yesterday I finished Nick Jones's The Quantum Chain and started The Whisper of Stars. It is Nick Jones first book, and it shows. My favorite oops is where the main character of the book gets bullet holes & gas leaks in the gas tank of her electric motorcycle. Still, an interesting story line.

A little before 5:00 I headed to the Cafe for a Yuengling battered Haddock sandwich on a Ciabatta bun. Alas, it wasn't to be. Seems the cafe is only a cafe Thursday through Sunday. They do have a few snacks available, but nothing that would make a dinner. To top it off, on the walk back to the trailer it started to pour. As soon as I got into the trailer it stopped, but it did start again 10 minutes later. So, it will be a damp microwaved dinner. Well, the dinner wasn't damp, just me.

Dinner was a Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 176

Day 176, Sunday, April 12, 2026 - Greenbriar State Park, Boonsboro, MD, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 7,280.2 Miles for the Trip.

47°F overnight, 50°F for my morning walk, 59°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 70°F.

Other than some dogs on the other end of the loop, a quiet night & morning. Since there doesn't seem to be any heat in the bathroom, I'll be putting off a shower until tomorrow. 

Still cool at noon so I'm sitting inside. I probably should walk over to the ALiner in the next site and let her know I'm alive. Yesterday I got back from a walk and the campground hosts & a neighbor were standing outside my trailer. She had not seen me outside the trailer all morning and decided I must have died inside. Maybe folks in ALiners spend more time outside, but yesterday was cool enough that I spent most of the morning inside reading and listening to bluegrass music on WNCW on internet radio. In any case, we had a good laugh, and talked about camping in Arizona.

It did warm up enough by 2:00 to sit outside. I finished The Observer Effect and started the last in the series, The Quantum Chain. Around 4:00 I hooked up the trailer to save a little time in the morning. Not a long drive at 155 miles, but I won't have to rush. After hooking up I trimmed my beard, then headed in for dinner.

Dinner was a Scott & Jon's Shrimp Alfredo bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 175

Day 175, Saturday, April 11, 2026 - Greenbriar State Park, Boonsboro, MD, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 7,280.2 Miles for the Trip.

52°F overnight, 54°F for my morning walk, 57°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 63°F.

Walking the campground loop is one mile, half of it uphill. I never found any dumpsters, at least in the loop. 

Back at the trailer I checked internet speeds - AT&T 285.34Mbps down & 21.68 Mbps up. Verizon was 69.20Mbps down & 22.18Mbps up.

It is not quite nice enough to sit outside so I'm in the trailer reading.

Eventually it warmed up enough to sit outside. 

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 174

Day 174, Friday, April 10, 2026 - Greenbriar State Park, Boonsboro, MD - 68 Miles, 7,280.2 Miles for the Trip.

44°F overnight, 54°F for my morning walk, 60°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 71°F.

I waited as long as possible since I only had 68 miles to drive to Greenbriar State Park. I left the site at 11:00, and stopped at the air station next to the cabins. Set all the tires at 51PSI although they went up to 56PSI or so on the drive. I arrived at the park around 12:30, checked in and headed to my site. I'm in site 69, an electric only back in site on fine gravel. I needed 1 1/2" side to side & 1" drop on the tongue to level. $31.25 per night for 3 nights. The bathroom is a long walk if you follow the road, but there is a path that makes a shortcut starting from a few sites up the road.

Site 69

After setting up I headed to the nearest grocery store, a Weis about 7 miles from the campground. Fairly narrow 30 & 25 MPH roads for most of the trip. I got gas at Weis for $3.89 per gallon.

Back at the trailer i started today's journal, then sat outside enjoying the warmer weather. I finished he Shadows of London by Nick Jones and started #3 in the series, The Observer Effect.

Dinner was an Amy's Chile Relleno Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 173

Day 173, Thursday, April 9, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

34°F overnight, 39°F for my morning walk, 49°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 57°F.

Another cool morning for my walk, but the skies cleared so even though it is only 57°F on my outside thermometer, it feels warm. Karin came over and we chatted for the morning, then she headed out to pick up Asher from school. I did some reading after that - current book is The Shadows of London by Nick Jones, # 2 in the Joseph Bridgeman series. Libby notified me that a long awaited audio book Black House by Stephen King & Peter Straub was available, so I will start that on my drive to Greenbriar State Park tomorrow.

Here is a photo of us taken at the park after our miniature golf game:

Brian, Noah, Me & Karin

Around 2:00 I headed to Karin's. Hardly any traffic on the way. We worked on a jigsaw puzzle for much of the afternoon, then had dinner from a Salvadoran restaurant. I had shrimp tacos. They were OK, but quite a bit different from the Mexican or American ones I've had.

After that Noah opened the card & birthday presents I sent; Noah's birthday is actually Saturday but I'll be gone by then.

Asher & Noah

Karin Checking out the 2000 Piece Puzzle

After that I headed back to the trailer. Much busier at 6:00 than it was at 2:00. We even came to a stop a couple of times on 495.

Dinner was the shrimp tacos at Karin's.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 172

Day 172, Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

33°F overnight, 38°F for my morning walk, 49°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 60°F.

Another cool night. After breakfast I called Karin & we will wait until around noon for a trip to Brookside Park, hoping it warms up a bit. It did and while we were still wearing jackets, walking around the gardens was nice. I took lots of photos:

More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

We left around 2:00 & they dropped me off at Cherry Hill. Karin had meetings & a doctor appointment so I'm back at the trailer for the day. On the way back from Visitor's parking I stopped in the office and made my reservations for next spring's visit.

By the way, Cherry Hill Park does meet my definition of a Resort. Here is a photo outside the office:

I tried sitting outside, but the sun was too bright to make reading on the iPhone possible, so I moved back inside. 

Around 3:30 I headed Building #3 for a shower. 5 shower stalls, one disabled. Fair sized drying area & shower. A bench & 5 hooks in the drying area, a shelf in the shower & a small shelf in between the shower & drying area. A 4" lip between the shower & drying area, a medium flow shower head with plenty of adjustable hot water. Overall, an A. Minor complaint - the lights went off while I was drying. If it had been night, I'd need a flashlight to find my shampoo & soap dish, etc because it shut off all the lights in the men's side of the building. They came on when I exited the drying area, but waving my hand over the door didn't work. 

Since I had ham left over from Easter, rather than my usual grilled cheese & peanut butter sandwich (an old Vermilye favorite) dinner was a grilled ham & cheese sandwich & creamed spinach.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 171

Day 171, Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

44°F overnight, 47°F for my morning walk, 55°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 61°F.

While one of the nice things about Cherry Hill Park is it is only 4 1/2 miles from Karin's (a 25 minute drive on a good day) it has a lot of traffic noise from near by interstates & loops. It dies down late at night, but in some sites is loud enough during the day that talking outside is difficult. Site 1401 is about as far as you can get from the noise and is reasonably close to one of the bathroom buildings (#3) but a long walk to the Cafe. 

I finished listening to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and started The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell. I'm reading And Then She Vanished by Nick Jones using the Libby app on my phone; it isn't available as a Kindle book. I booked a couple of campgrounds for my trip next winter. Only 2 more to go. So far I've been able to get the dates & sites I wanted. I was a little worried about the Florida State Park I wanted (3 Rivers) because Florida residents can book two months before non residents. Today was the first day I could book & most of the park was empty.

A little cool to sit outside - it is 50°F at 11:00AM. 

Around 11:00 Karin stopped by. A friend and former Oswego Technical Director Ken stopped by a little after 1:00. We sat in the trailer and chatted until 3:00 or so, then I drove to Karin's house. Typical busy roads, but traffic didn't come to a stop until I got close to the turn off for Carroll Ave

I left a little before 5:00 and headed back to the trailer. Again heavy traffic, but not as bad as it was on the way. 

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Pineapple Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 170

Day 170, Monday, April 6, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD - 216.2 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

34°F overnight, 45°F for my morning walk, 5t4°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 66°F.

An interesting start to the trip to Cherry Hill. First, it was hand numbing cold hooking up the chains, etc. When I finally hit the road at 10:00 I noticed that there was a Loves & a Pilot at the entrance to I 81. Since I prefer Loves, I drove by Pilot Drive, then, following my GPS for directions to Loves went on a 20 mile drive through some of the narrowest paved roads of the trip. Lots of cows, farms and, thankfully, little traffic. At the end I discovered that Loves is on Pilot Drive. Anyhow, I got gas for $3.69 per gallon.

Traffic was good until I hit the DC area where it was its usual stop & go, although better than many of my visits; we never stopped for more than a couple of seconds. I made it to the park around 2:30. I'm in sit 1401, a full hook up back in site on fine gravel with a fire ring & picnic table. I needed 1" side to side & the tongue was level although I unhooked anyway since I expect to use the truck over the next 4 days. $103.00 per night. The most expensive of the trip, but close to Brain & Karin and the grandkids. 

Site 1401

Karin, Brian & Noah came over & we played a round of miniature golf, then went to the cafe for dinner. I had a grilled chicken sandwich.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 169

Day 169, Sunday, April 5, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

66°F overnight, 60°F for my morning walk, 58°F at noon, and the high for the day was 65°F.

Happy Easter!

A warm night that got cooler as the day went on. A light rain started around 6:00AM and continued throughout the morning that stopped around 2:00. I read sitting in the trailer. I finished William G. Tapply's Bradly Coyne #3 Follow the Sharks, and started #4 in the series, The Marine Corpse. I'm currently listening to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho during my walks, and on the drive tomorrow.

Around 2:00 I made my usual Sunday phone calls.

At 3:00 I headed for a shower. One stall with a small drying area and a larger shower. The shower floor was 3"higher than the drying area floor with just a shower curtain between them, but the slope of the shower area was steep enough that the drying area floor stayed dry. A medium flow shower head with 3 different spray settings. Adjustable hot water. No shelf in the shower, and a bench & shelf in the drying area; no hooks. A oil filled electric heater kept the room warm. Overall, and A.

Dinner was ham, cauliflower & cheese, and a pasta & rice side.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 168

Day 168, Saturday, April 4, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

56°F overnight, 67°F for my morning walk, 77°F at noon, and the high for the day was 79°F.

I took a break during my morning walk to do breakfast at the cafe. OK, but not as good as the dinner meals. The "home fries" were cubes of potatoes deep fried. While plentiful, not as good as real home fires or hash browns. And, the coffee was via Keurig. I've never had a good cup of coffee from a Keurig machine. I suspect that they put a mix of instant coffee & real ground coffee in the cups, but even if it is all real coffee it always seems to be watery even if you push the strong button.

After that I finished my walk, made a mug of real coffee & sat outside enjoying the comfortable morning reading. Current book is William G. Tapply's The Dutch Blue Error, book 2 in the Brady Coyne series. By late afternoon I finished The Dutch Blue Error, and started Bradly Coyne #3 Follow the Sharks.

I was hoping to get through the day with just the MAXX fan, but around 3:30 the med's thermometer hit 79°F so I fired up the AC. Lots of early spring flowers around the site:

Violet

Dandelion

Dinner was a personal vegetarian pizza.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 167

Day 167, Friday, April 3, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

53°F overnight, 61°F for my morning walk, 73°F at noon, and the high for the day was 82°F.

I walked around a couple of loops on my morning walk, and I really don't know where the term "resort" comes from with this campground. It is large with almost 400 sites, but almost all are mixed dirt & grass with a little gravel thrown down. The roads are either gravel or deteriorated asphalt. Not that it is all that different from most of the places I've stayed (although the bathrooms are pretty small with one each sink, toilet & shower, and scattered far between). I guess I'm more bothered by the term Resort when compared to a place like Cherry Hill. Anyhow, it is fine for a couple of nights and they do have a restaurant.

After breakfast I sat outside and read.

Around 2:00 I headed to the Food Lion 15 minutes away. It actually was more than that because my GPS took me past it and into a housing development. I found it on the way back. By the time I got back to the trailer it was 79°F outside & 81°F in the trailer so I shut off the MAXX fan, closed the windows and fired up the AC.

I got a grilled chicken salad at the campground cafe. Excellent! Maybe the resort name refers to the food. So far it has been limited in choice, but very good.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 166

Day 166, Thursday, April 2, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA - 138 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

52°F overnight, 54°F for my morning walk, 79°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 81°F.

The rain started back up after I posted yesterday's journal. Off & on, even brief bursts of sun until dark. My weather app shows bursts of heavy rain off & on until 9:00. At least two RVs arrived during the rain. Glad I'm set up & don't need to take down until tomorrow morning; I hate working in the rain. It stopped around 10:00.

I woke up to heavy fog this morning. I couldn't see the row behind me, let alone the cows on the hill. It started to clear around 9:30. 

Most of the drive was on I 81 with a couple of traffic slow downs, but no stop & go. 

I'm at the Stoney Creek Resort Campground in site 74, a pull through on mostly dirt & some gravel with water & electric for $55.49 per night for 4 nights. Needed 5 1/2" side to side (could only get 4 1/2" with the levelers) and 1" drop on the tongue. A fire ring & picnic table (on a steep slant). Hard to call this place a resort other than the prices (although I have to admit that many other parks, both private & state run are getting close to their price). The bath house is a medium walk away with 1 shower stall. There is a laundry with $!.00 dry & $1.50 wash with lots of machines. It is next to a large club house & a campground store. In any case I'm here. 15 minutes to the nearest grocery store (a Food Lion) or 25 minutes to a Krogers.

Site 74

I checked internet speeds. AT&T shows 57Mbps down & 6.72Mbps up while Verizon clocks in at 334.23Mbps down & 4.85Mbps up. Since I'm starting a new cycle on Verizon, even though it is faster, I'll go with AT&T unless it stalls a lot.

After setting up I sat outside reading. Current book is Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorn #2, The Sentence is Death. During the afternoon I finished The Sentence is Death and started #3 in the series, A Line to Kill.

There is a cafe at the campground store that opened April 1st so I went there for dinner. I had a fried cod basket, 2 large pieces of fish, excellent French fries & coleslaw as well as pretty good tartar sauce for $12.00.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 165

Day 165, Wednesday, April 1, 2026 - Fort Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 6,858 Miles for the Trip.

48°F overnight, 65°F for my morning walk, 72°F at noon, and the high for the day was 77°F.

I need to remember that the Goya Chiles Relleno have some definite heat. It didn't upset my stomach, but my nose & eyes were watering!

Lots of new arrivals over the evening. While the park is still less than half full, it is a big park and the sites that are left don't look like they are often used. 

After breakfast I sat outside and read. After lunch I hooked up the thank drain and dumped the tanks. 

More sitting outside and reading, and watching the carpenter bees buzzing around:

4:45 a couple of thunder claps and, for a short time, rain. It, for the most part, stopped by 5:00.

Dinner was a Yellowstone Chicken & Dumplings bowl.

Until Next Time -