Stonewall Resort State Park, Roanoke, WV

Stonewall Resort State Park, Site 7

Sunday, May 6 -Roanoke, WV, Stonewall Resort State Park - 263.1 Miles, 790.0 For the Trip.

Another day, another couple of states. Nothing to add to my 2nd go round on my "States Visited Map" since I have allready hit all of today's on my fall trip last year. I have driven enough miles to be pretty sure I can determine how many MPG the addition of the tire on the roof & the Vero Mirrors have added - about .5. I do like having the mirrors. While the standard mirrors, combined with a large "blind spot" mirror on the driver's side & the back up camera on the trailer covered all that was behind or besides me, the Vero mirrors provide a better sized image a couple of 100' behind the trailer. At that distance the image in the back up camera is too small.

Anyway, I decided to stay in a state park to save a little over the cost of private campgrounds. It didn't work. AAA lists the Briar Point Campground as a state park, however it is part of Stonewall Resort State Park, and you know what "Resort" means - more money! I did get a senior discount so it was only $38.16 for the night. So much for saving money! It is a very pretty site - right on the lake, near by clean bathrooms, and unlike other resorts I've camped in, the utilities are in the right place & it has a picnic table:

The View From My Back Window

The Utilities Are In the Right Place!

I did get a chance to stop at a grocery store & pick up some of the stuff I hadn't brought with me because of the refrigerator problems (which don't seem to be a problem), although I still have not been able to regulate the temperature - either too warm or now, too cold. I'm ignoring it! Anyhow, dinner tonight will be left over rice, a "Bubba" Burger & salad. Right now (at 3:00) I'm sitting out under the awning in 75°F sunshine on the edge of a lake. Almost like home, but the lake is a bit smaller!

Until Next Time!

Stonewall Resort, Roanoke, WV, Site 7

Utilities in the Right Place!

The View From the Back Window

Bellefonte / State College PA KOA

Bellefonte / State College KOA, Site 34

Saturday, May 5 - Bellefonte, PA KOA - 291.6 Miles, 526.9 For the Trip.

I've finally managed to get out of NY. One difference - the price of gas. Although I never thought I'd be glad to pay $3.99 for a gallon of gas, that is what it is down to at my usual station in Oswego. Here in PA, the price was $3.83 just across the border, and as low as $3.64 along the way.The route today was I81 to NY17 to US220. Matilda (the lady of the GPS) decided I should take US6 for a number of miles before getting back on US220; not sure why, but I'm here so it worked.

Sure am glad to actually be "on the trip." While I'm counting the miles to Don & Anne's (and back), a visit with them is normal, not a trip. In any case I'm starting out at one of the campgrounds I like to call the McDonalds of camping. KOAs are more expensive than many others, but you almost always know exactly what you are going to get. I guess I could have looked for something less expensive, but after driving almost 300 miles I'm tired of the road.

They do have a fast WiFi internet connection, which is good because my cell phone connection is crawling.

Tonight is $33.30 (with the membership I purchased on the last trip). Nothing special, but a site with hookups which is nice if it gets cold tonight. Right now it is quite pleasant - 69°F, cloudy & looking a little like rain. 

Of course I do have a campground photo - I always start out saying I'm going to take one at every stop, but rarely make it through a trip without missing one or more. We'll see. Nothing much in the way of "Scenic" photos. While it is spring, I haven't seen much in the way of flowers or other springtime pictures. A couple of interesting barns, but no where to stop to take a photo. I'm sure more opportunities will come along.

I didn't bother to unhook the trailer so dinner will be something from the freezer. Probably a good idea - it is overstuffed since I didn't want to leave stuff at home that Kyle probably wouldn't eat. I do miss a larger freezer. I would have brought some of last season's blueberries for a pie (I did make a "secret ingredient" dry mix to make one on the road from fresh berries) but they are going to have to wait until I get back in the fall.

I did discover one "disaster" - I left my current book at home, so I'm not going to find out what happened to Randy Wayne White's Doc Ford & Crew in their latest adventure for 5 months unless I buy another copy on the trip. I'm glad I just started it - if I was at critical point I'd be going nuts! I've got plenty of replacement books, at least for awhile.

Until Next Time - 

Huh?

Tonight's Campground?

Well, this is certainly not where I expected to be tonight! I mentioned in the previous post the refrigerator was doing great in the freezer, but the main section wasn't cooling. I hoped it would settle down overnight, however by morning it was only down to 45°F. So, rather than fight with it for the entire trip I went back to Camping World in Syracuse. Got there around 9:30 - they felt sorry for me and put the trailer in the shop immediately. At least I didn't have to wait for half a week like last time.

They ran it on AC & gas & it worked. Opened the door until it hit 50°F, closed the door and 2 hours later (on AC or gas) it was down to 40°F. I was on a slight slant in Binghamton (half a bubble which has not caused problems in the past) and at Camping World it was a greater slant. About the only difference was they measured the temperature with a thermometer stuck in a glass of water. I can't do that with my digital thermometer (tried that last summer when it slid into the drip pan under the fins & it went "pouf".) According to Camping World, measuring in water is the Dometic approved method. Sure wish they had found something wrong, but it looks like I'm going to do my best to live with it.

So, since by the time we finished it was 3:00, rather than heading out I drove back to Oswego. My son is sure going to be surprised to see the trailer in the driveway when he gets home from work!

I don't quite trust the thing, particularly since the flame still blows out when driving over 50MPH,so I'm doing what I did last summer - keeping a piece of block ice in a tray on one of the upper shelves. That helped quite a bit on hot days and it is almost 80°F here.

By the way I left out something from yesterday's posting - I dropped off one of my Mom's paintings for Anne. She loves my mom's work (which sold quite well in the India Street Gallery on Nantucket) and I have another version of the same painting of the Brant Point Lighthouse (except mine has a couple of people in it & is covered with a "patine" of 20 years of my parent's cigarette smoke - I don't know if that is good or bad since they both died from smoking related causes, but I don't have the heart to get it cleaned). Anyway, this is the view you see leaving Nantucket on the ferry, and we have been visiting my family there for years, so I thought she would appreciate it - she did!

Some day I plan to photograph & build a web page of as many of Jocelyn's paintings as I can still locate.  She worked for many years before raising our family, and went back to painting between 1960 when she passed away in 1996.

Brant Point Lighthouse - Oil by Jocelyn Vermilye

Back to the trip - I really do plan to get going in the morning.

Till Tomorrow -

1st Night - Don & Anne's

Thursday, May 3 - Binghamton, NY - 114 Miles, 114 For the Trip.

Well, I'm off on another trip. Unfortunately, I'm getting started a few weeks later than planned. My refrigerator died - see the "Waiting for Parts" links at my Lakeshoreimages.com page. That's now water under the bridge & I'm actually underway.

This time I get to start out with the trailer rather than make a 3000 mile trip just to get to it. I've finished a bunch of trailer modifications, finished all my doctor, dentist, etc appointments, have the trailer & RAV4 packed, and am finally ready to go. Like all my trips the route, schedule, and just about everything is pretty flexible. I'm starting out heading south this time rather than directly across the country.

I want to see a couple of places in Florida, have a stop scheduled in Texas, and want to see some of New Mexico before I head back to Arizona & Utah. Eventually I do have to get to Oregon for a Fiberglass trailer meet in mid July, but that is the only firm date so far.

I made it to Binghamton; so far I don't think I forgot anything - in fact, I'm sure. I have probably overpacked, as usual. As to the refrigerator, the freezer is working fine - down to -7°F but the main section seems to have the same problem it had all last summer - it is too warm. 42°F at the moment. I'll have to keep an eye on it - it is possible it is still blowing out the flame while driving since is was down to 36°F when I left this morning.

Anyhow, I'm at Don & Anne's for the night . It will be a bit strange sleeping in a bed the first night out, but why not?

Until Tomorrow -

The Refrigerator is Getting Cold!

Spring Crocus

I arrived at Camping World at 7:50 this morning, and was the first one in the shop.  It took a bit longer than they thought but at 1:00 I was on my way home with a refrigerator that was cooling.  The main section is just starting to cool, but the freezer is down to 12°F and falling.  I know the main section doesn't start to cool until the freezer settles, so things are looking good.

I finished packing food, cameras, and everything but the stuff for the fridge (you know, I think I said that a couple of days ago, but there always seems to be last minute stuff). Time to cancel the newspaper, and make final decisions on where I'm going.  My first stop will be in Binghamton to visit with my often times traveling companions, Don & Anne.  After that I'm heading towards Mammoth Cave National Park, but will need to find a couple of stops along the way.

So, it looks like I'll start daily postings.  I don't expect too much in the way of daily photos for awhile, at least until I get to Mammoth Cave, but you never know!

Till next time -