Saratoga Springs Trip: Flood Delay (Day 2, 6/28/2013)

We head out early from Cheerful Valley, passing an Erie Canal lock and the Erie Canal bike path. At around mile marker 118, East of Herkimer, traffic slows to a crawl, backed up by mud and debris washed over the road from last night’s downpour. All along the roadside we see streams and waterfalls gushing into the sluiceway beside the road.  State highway dump trucks and front-end loaders are digging out the blockages. For about an hour we crawl along.   

Despite the delay, we still make it in time to meet the prospective customer at 10:00am. Then, we make our way to the wedding location in Saratoga Springs. For the wedding, we stay in a hotel, but enjoy showing the RV to several curious people in the parking lot.

Saratoga Springs Trip: Cheerful Valley (Day 1, 6/27/2013)

Mike and I get on the road about 4:00pm, heading east on I-90 to visit a prospective Advanced RV client near Saratoga Springs, New York and then attend a wedding.

 

Tonight we camp at Cheerful Valley Campground in Phelps, New York. The hostess at the desk is, indeed, cheerful, welcoming us to the spacious, green, peaceful park on a river’s bend. The rain stops in time for us to set up (which takes only a few minutes) and go for a walk. Then, we have a simple supper of leftovers from home before turning in early for the night.

NC Trip: Cycling Up 4% Grade in Virginia (Day 3 - June 21, 2013)

We set out from Jefferson National Forest at 7:20, and take back roads to Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, slowly traversing ups-and-downs at base of the Appalachian Mountains. Cattle and Christmas trees cover the hills.

We stop at Whitetop on Route 58 about 9:15. After talking to the woman running the bike rental there, realize we don’t have time to pedal down the Virginia Creeper Trail, a rails-to-trails bikeway, and catch the shuttle back. Mike must make a phone call at 11:30 but the woman tells us that the only cell phone reception in the area is up at the nearby church. We drive to Green Cove Station and set out downhill, on a rough but beautiful path following a fast flowing brook. We bike for about a half hour before Mike says we must turn around to have enough time to pedal back up the 4% grade.

Back on the road after our bike ride, we set out for Damascus and back to Route 81. The winding, hilly roads make for slow going. Just in time for Mike’s call, we pick up cell phone coverage: four bars! After Mike’s phone call, we head down 77 to Mooresville, North Carolina, where we will stay with friends for the weekend.

NC Trip: Not for Vehicles Over Six Wheels (Day 2 - June 20, 2013)

We get on the road about 8:30, pass the West Virginia State Capitol building with its golden dome, and enjoy the green hills and winding roads of the surrounding countryside. Our mission this morning: find an interesting biking or hiking trail. We end up in Bluefield, WV—the historic center of the coalfields. At the Chamber of Commerce, we learn that Bluefield City Park has hiking trails and the best place for lunch is across the street at the Old City Hall building, built in 1924; it is now home to the Bluefield Area Arts Center. 

Marcia outside the Savory-Haven Cafe

At the Savory-Haven Café, we enjoy the daily special: chef’s salad and fresh raspberry crisp for $8.99. Since we have not had Wi-Fi or even steady cell coverage for the last 24 hours, we hang out at the café most of the afternoon, catching up, while the waitress keeps refilling our iced teas. Before we leave, we run up to the third floor to see Gary Boling’s House of Art. Gary tells us he is a Vietnam Vet and "dumpster diver" who gives back to his community by hosting art classes and performance nights in this amazing space, decorated with his found and reconstructed art.

At Bluefield City Park, next to baseball diamonds and tennis courts, we find the start of Sleeping Wolf Trail and hike a gorgeous, green and challenging 4 mile loop, ending up at the entrance to a kiddie park. What a resource for this community! 

GPS screen: hairpin turns on Route 623

From Bluefield, we go west to Tazewell and then head south on Route 623, a back road through Burke’s Garden, a high, fertile valley settled briefly by Burke after the Civil War until the remoteness and Native Americans scared him off. A sign warns, "Not recommended for vehicles with more than 6 wheels." We continue on. The road becomes crushed gravel, narrower, and more twisting. A Cooper Hawk swoops in front of the windshield and we pass the crossing of the Appalachian Trail. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, with Mike at the wheel, handles the hairpin turns better than I do. 

At dusk, we come back into civilization and see a parasail off a northern slope. The three-quarter moon illuminate grey barns. From information we picked up in Bluefield, we learn about the Battle of Walker Mountain: Union General Tolman marched from Tazewell to Wytheville, where he was killed before the Confederates retreated to Rural Retreat. 

We camp just north of Wytheville, Virginia at lush, green Jefferson National Forest. Mike asks the campground host about cycling in the area, and he connects us to a biking group across the way from our camp. They tell us to head southwest toward Mount Rogers.

NC Trip: Cartoon Tree (Day 1 - June 19, 2013)

We plan to leave Willoughby at 8:00am for an early afternoon meeting with a prospective motor home customer in Columbus before heading to North Carolina where we will stay with friends for the weekend. But, we end up getting an even earlier start so there’s time to pick up the power cord from the Advanced RV shop where it was left by mistake. We hurriedly pack bags of foods, clothes and supplies into the motor home. After we pick up the power cord, Mike does a final check of all systems and I finish stowing our belongings for the trip.

After the customer meeting in Columbus, we head south on I-77 into West Virginia. Our campsite tonight is Kanawha State Forest: a lush, wooded park deep in a "holler" Southeast of Charleston. We choose a campsite by a rambling brook and go for short hike in the early evening, spotting a deer along the way. Mike, pointing out one huge oak tree with gnarly bark and a high canopy, says it would make the perfect cartoon oak, waving its arms and talking to us.

B-10 Rally MI Trip: Home from Home on the Road

Mike and I decided to hit the road early.  We use the macerator for the first time and were happy to see how well it worked. John was up and ready to go, too.  We both pull out about 6:45am.  This time crossing the bridge, we were charged $10.00 as a “motor home” instead of the dual axle $4.00 we paid on the way in. Mike started to argue, but quickly realized it was not worth it.  At Indian River we stopped with John for breakfast at Paula’s Cafe, right off I-75.  The walls were lined with teapots, in every possible style. The owner is a collector and they are not for sale.  The waitress told us that they don’t even have a teapot to serve tea in if a customer asks.  It was a great breakfast with outstanding fruit pancakes. 

The nine hours home went by quickly.  We listened to Pandora radio and I read Mike an internet story our oldest son sent us about the Iditarod.  We reminisced about our interesting new friends from the rally and started planning our next trip. We made it back home to Cleveland by 5:00pm. 

B-10 Rally MI Trip: Social Day (Day 5, May 18)

Another beautiful day. After coffee and pastry, Mike, John and I went for a long walk.  At 10:30pm we enjoyed brunch of French toast, quiches, sausage and fruit – excellent.  At noon, we met people’s dogs on the “pet walk.”  At 3:00pm we gathered to discuss where to have the next Class B rally and how to keep connected. After this, Mike, John and I joined a campfire/cocktail hour with the three brothers and their wives from Ontario.  We had lots of laughs about travels and life.  At 5:00pm we gathered for a pig roast and all the fixings.  A local “one man band” played guitar and horn with a back-up recorded band. He was good at imitating voices from the 1950s through the 1970s.  After dinner, the tables were moved back and many of us danced to these familiar old tunes.  What a fun group. 

B-10 Rally MI Trip: Siberia of the U.S. (Day 4, May 17)

"Siberia of the U.S."

Mike and I are woke early and enjoyed coffee from our Keurig.  About 8:00am, we went over to the “clubhouse” for more coffee and pastry.  We chatted some with new and old friends.  It had warmed up and the wind had settled down, so we went for a walk and passed one of the five prisons surrounding the campground.  Mike said this area must be the Siberia of the U.S.

At 10:30am, we join the group for local “pasties.”  Each pastie is a crescent of pie pastry, about 6-inches in diameter, filled with sliced steak, potatoes, carrots and rutabagas, served with either gravy or ketchup. The story is that in this area, with its Scandinavian heritage, the miners’ wives would prepare these for their husband’s lunch.  At lunchtime, down in the mines, the miners would put these on their shovels and bake them over a fire.  Served with coleslaw, they were good.

Most of rest of the day, Mike, John and I spent either showing off our RVs and visiting with other campers. Mike was invited to look at several other RVs to discuss and measure for installation of screen doors. 

Cocktail hour started at 3:00pm!  Over BYOB beers and wine, we chatted about places we’ve been in our RVs and places we want to go.  At 4:30pm we took a group picture, and at 5:00pm we shared dinner from a local caterer (sausage and peppers on paninis).  We skipped the “Snatch-0-Bingo” to catch up on e-mails, and, again, enjoyed the retreat to our RV home.

B-10 Rally MI Trip: Over the Makinaw Bridge (Day 3, May 16)

Mackinaw Bridge. Photo by John Golden.

With only a few hours left to reach our destination, we got an early start and crossed the Mackinaw Bridge about 7:30am. There were high winds and the trucks were going about 20mph. We stopped in St. Ignace on the north side of the bridge and bought a few groceries, including the makings for a fresh salad for tonight's potluck.  We asked where to find a good bakery so we could get John, our friend driving another Advanced RV to the B-10 rally, something to bring to the potluck. We ere directed back across the bridge to Mackinaw City.  The $4.00 toll each way made for an expensive rhubarb pie!

About 10:00pm we arrived in Kincheloe, found the RV park, and met Bob, our host for the RV rally.  John pulled in right after us and Bob directed us to adjoining spots. There were about eight other RVs already there, including Dave and April from Utah, who had a cabinet and screen door installed in their new ERA at Advanced RV last week. Later, another Advanced RV customer arrived with a new wine cabinet and screen door installed on their Pleasure Way.  All weekend, both proudly showed their Advanced RV installations to the other Class Bers.

After layering on sweatshirts and jackets against the cold wind, we spent the afternoon visiting the other RVers and showing off our new Ocean One motor homes.  At 5:00pm we gather for a potluck, with lots of good food and camaraderie.  About 31 RVs were there, hailing from California, Utah, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ontario. They were traveling in every type of Class B:  conversion vans, pop-up campers and Sprinter RVs, new and old. Most had pods and bicycles on the back.  They were a crowd of fun, adventuresome people, many with clever do-it-yourself modifications to their vans.

Mike and I skipped the campfire gathering as the temperature dropped into the 40’s and enjoyed the embrace of our cozy, comfortable Ocean One.

B-10 Rallyl MI Trip: Higgins Lake Hike (Day 2, May 15)

It was quite windy at South Higgins Lake

After breakfast, we took a short hike around the Brighton Lake and came across a bank of lilacs in bloom--lovely! After stretching out legs, we got back on the road, headed north on Route 23, enjoying the trees in bud. We stopped at South Higgins State Park, near Roscommon, where four Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources staffers came out of the office to admire our RV.  They told us that Higgins Lake is “the sixth most beautiful lake in the world.”  The deep parts were a bright turquoise and the shallow areas formed a ring of slate blue. It was so windy, however, that the rangers suggested we go across the road to the more sheltered Marl Lake.  There, we watched a young couple fishing in hip waders while we ate sandwiches at a beachside picnic table.  We took a 3-mile hike on a lush loop trail.   

About 5:00pm, we arrived at Burt Lake State Park, about 30 miles south of Cheboygan--one of the early Michigan state parks built by the Civilian Conservation Core in the 1930’s. We enjoyed a quick walk, and then settled in the late afternoon sunshine at the picnic table, with our computers and a hot spot Wi-Fi connection. 

B-10 Rally MI Trip: Dinner Under a Crescent Moon (Day 1, May 14)

Dinner at sunset, Brighton Recreation Area

Today Mike and I got on the road for the tenth annual RV.net Class B Rally in Kincheloe, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We finished packing around 4:00pm and pulled out of the driveway, hoping to beat Cleveland rush hour traffic. The brand-new demonstration Advanced RV motor home we're traveling in, nicknamed "Candy," looks great and we immediately noticed it is the quietest RV we have ever driven.

At 8:00pm, we arrived at the Brighton Recreation Area, about 30 miles north of Ann Arbor. It's a beautiful State of Michigan park, situated on a lake bordering the city of Brighton. So early in the season, on a weeknight, we found the campground almost empty. We selected a site overlooking the lake. Sitting at the picnic table, under a crescent moon, we shared a salad topped with steak, leftover from Mother’s Day, and half a bottle of wine. This was the quietest and darkest park we had ever been in.  We slept well on the new bed with its fitted, custom-made sheet and a luxurious queen duvet over us for added warmth.