A Trip to Oceanside

Zoe

Well I did do some traveling, but without the trailer.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my daughter and her family have moved to Gaborone, Botswana.  Brian is managing a project there for at least the next two years.  Last week he had a conference in DC, so the whole family packed up for a visit to the USA.  I decided it would be a great time to drive down to Oceanside to visit with them while they were visiting Brian's parents.  Everyone is doing fine, and I took lots of pictures.  If you are interested, check the Oceanside link at Lakeshore Images.
Had an interesting phone call while in Oceanside - Capitol One called to ask if I was making charges in China.  Since I wasn't, they suspended the card & mailed me a new one.  I have no idea how they got the card number but I have been using it for most of my purchases since it has a better rewards than my HSBC cards.  Oh well, I'm glad they caught it quickly.

They offered to send it to Oceanside, but since I was going home the next day, they sent it to Oswego. The new card was waiting for me when I got home; I activated it, however it was declined when I tried to use it the next day.  Another phone call to Capitol One & everything is back to normal.  I even had one of my own photos added to the card.

I'm still planning to "thaw" out the trailer in early April & head out for another spring & summer of travel.  Everything is a bit loose right now (well, all my travels could be described as "a bit loose") since I hate to plan too far ahead.  I do want to see Cedar Key in Florida, and plan a stop in The Woodlands, TX to see my sister in law, and I need to be at Bullard Beach State Park in Oregon for a fiberglass trailer rally July 11 - 14. I hope to see New Mexico, revisit some locations in Arizona & Utah, and drive the Mount Baker Scenic Highway in Washington.  If I'm still out west, I would also like to hit the 2nd Annual Rocky Mountain Egg rendezvous in Leadville, CO while visiting friends there.

I feel like I could leave today.  This has been one of the mildest & least snowy winters I can remember here in Oswego.  The biggest storm of the season (about 1') was while I was in Oceanside, and it melted before I got back.  We have had less than 2' of snow all winter - we would normally have well over 5' by now.

I have a few more projects to do on the trailer before I leave.  I did add a 1000w sine wave inverter (mostly so I can make a pot of coffee in the morning!) but I still want to add some lightweight shelves to the "closet", and install a 2' square mirror somewhere.

I also need to find a practical way to store a spare tire for the RAV4.  I gave up on the run flat tires.  I had to replace the second set at 40K miles, and since they ride hard, are useless on snow, and cost $275.00 each, I went with real snow tires for the winter.  I purchased another wheel, and will buy 5 real tires in the spring.  Still deciding whether to add a rack for the tire on the roof or just stick it in back behind the seats.  I'd love to find a 2010 RAV4, (preferably Barcelona Red) and an owner that wants to trade a rear door with, as my granddaughter says "a button" for my door without one, but I don't think that is all that likely.

Until Next time!

Home

Home
















Well, as usual, I put off my last post of the trip.  I arrived in Oswego around 3:30 after a 265 mile drive from the campground.  Since I was parking the trailer for the winter (boo) I spent a bit more time getting it in place.  I'm going to have to add some blacktop to the left side of the parking space - right now the trailer door opens on the lawn which turned to mud as I unloaded the trailer.

All in all, a good trip.  I do wish I started earlier, but I did get some good color in most places.  I drove around 1800 miles, almost all towing with an average of 14.9MPG.  I did discover that I can travel a little more than 57mph without a MPG drop, at least on interstates.  Since I avoid them most of the time, I found 57mph was good for secondary roads. For the trip home I stuck to I 81, and 60mph without a drop in MPG.

I have to admit winter is here.  I winterized the trailer yesterday since the prediction was for well below freezing temperatures overnight.  Even here next to Lake Ontario it was 30°F this morning. So, travel is probably out until the spring. I'm currently planning on another trip to the West.  I have already made a reservation for a fiberglass trailer gathering in Oregon in July, and I want to hit some of the areas I missed last summer as well as revisit some of the places I've been.

Until the next post!

Lickdake Campground, Jonestown, PA

Site 52, Lickdale Campground, Jonestown, PA

Not much interesting today (or probably tomorrow) - it is just a travel day. 200 miles north on I 81 heading back to Oswego with about 200 miles left to home.

Stopped for the night (actually, afternoon) at site 52, Lickdale Campground. A full service site for $33.25 including tax. I even have cable TV, although I don't use it. I'll warm up the left over Chinese from last night for tonight's dinner. All I have for photos is the campground picture.

Until Tomorrow!

Luray Caverns, VA

Luray Caverns, Luray, VA

I got an early start (well, early for me - out of the campground by 8:30) and headed up I81. Actually, it was an interesting drive to get to I 81. The road(s) between the Blue Ridge Parkway & I81 kept getting narrower & narrower. I was waiting for them to turn to dirt, but they didn't. Still, very narrow, lots of curves, hills, and no guard rail edges with long drops below!

It kept getting warmer & warmer as I drove north. By the time I hit Luray, it was 76F. I looked up a couple of area campgrounds and the Riverside seems to fit my style far better than Jellystone or the Luray Resort. It is right along the Shenandoah River and, as you can see from the campground photo, I'm parked on the edge. Only 20 amps, but I switched the water heater to gas & set the electric heater to low, and everything works.

After setting up the trailer I headed for Luray Caverns. Carol & I were here with the Guidos in 1996, but about all I remembered from that visit was the reflections on the underground lake, and the organ that played stalactites. So, I paid my $21.00 (a $2.00 discount for being over 62) and headed into the cavern.
The cave has many beautiful formations, but also has a "worn" look, probably because up until the 70's visitors were allowed to break off & take home stalactites & stalagmites. It doesn't have the "raw" look that Wind & Crystal caves in South Dakota, but is very much worth a visit on its own right.

By the way, if you are handicapped, it is possible to go on the cave tour in a power scooter. They have an elevator somewhere (I never saw it) to get you past the entryway stairs, and the entire tour is paved. We did have to help push the scooter up some of the steeper sections, but all in all, it worked.

I added a couple more photos of the cavern & campground on my Lakeshore Images page for today  - more photos at a page I put together just for the cave: Luray Caverns, VA.


I got out of the cavern around 4:30, & decided I didn't want to cook. Since it has been awhile since I have had Chinese, I punched food/Chinese into the GPS & picked up my favorite (Orange Chicken) at the China Wok in Luray. It was excellent, better that my favorite Chinese restaurant in Oswego. I'm glad I made that decision since it started to rain just as I got back to the campground.

So, I'm putting the page together. I'm not sure it will post - the Verizon data connection is very slow here although I have a good AT&T signal.

Until tomorrow!

Mabry Mill, Meadow of Dan, VA

Mabry Mill, Meadow of Dan, VA (Blue Ridge Parkway)

Since I was not able to post yesterday, you get two today!

Another sunny day! I left Babcock State Park & headed southeast, planning to stay in the Meadows of Dan Campground near the Mabry Mill. It was only a 3 hour drive & I got here by 2:00. I'm set up in Site 3, a full hookup site for $28.00 plus tax. They have a heated bathroom - I'll be able to take a shower without waiting until the warmest part of the day!

I made the short drive to the mill (about 2 miles from the campground) and it was even more crowded than the last time I was here. Of course it is a Sunday, and in the middle of the afternoon, so I guess that is to be expected. I took a couple of photographs, but plan to go back around sunset. Hopefully there will be better light and fewer people. I couldn't even get a parking spot during the afternoon visit - had to park in the bus & overfill parking.

I do wish I had a time machine to go back a week or two. The leaves at the mill are well past peak. Oh well, like Babcock State Park in WV, being late gives me an excuse to come back earlier next year.

When I took the indoor/outdoor thermometer out of the overhead storage cabinet the inside temperature looks OK, but the outdoor just showed the temperature when I left Babcock. Since I knew it was around 60°F, I went to get the outside transmitter out of the propane tanks housing to change the batteries. Only problem is the transmitter wasn't there! Somehow the drive to VA managed to bounce it off the top of one of the tanks & out the bottom. I managed to drive close to 20,000 miles without losing it but it was a bumpy ride in sections of the drive. I'll have to see if it is possible to purchase just the outside sensor since I like the model - an Acurite Model 1031.

I had a frozen pizza for dinner (well, actually it wasn't frozen when I ate it; the toaster oven took care of that. I did cook it outside the trailer - I try to avoid cooking anything that leaves a smell inside. I guess it looked a bit strange with a toaster oven going outside the trailer, but it worked.

I don't have AT&T cell coverage here at the campground or in the park, but there does seem to be a decent Verizon data connection available at 1.28Mbps. My mail downloaded and I can view my web page. Don't know about uploading today's page - I won't try that until after taking this evenings photos, and Verizon's data connections (like everyone else's) slows down in the evening.

I'll post this now and add the photos tonight (if I can).

Well, I went back & it was just as crowded and the leaves didn't jump back on the trees but I did take a few photos. There must have been a concert - I saw a number of musicians leaving with their instruments as I walked in from the overfill parking. There were also a bunck of antique cars. I got a photo of one as they were leaving, and added a photo of the campsite. To see them, check my Lakeshore Images page for today.

Not my best photos of the mill (please ignore the blurry car in the background as well as the "Your Speed is ___ MPH" sign on the side of the road) - I like last year's better, but I do have to get here a little earlier in the season.

Until tomorrow!