Author Archives: Sparky
Good news?
The truck is allegedly fixed. The problem, as diagnosed by the GMC dealer, was a “collapsed air filter” – possibly the result of it getting wet when I drove through the deluge of Hurricane Henri. Would that explain the overheating and the poor fuel mileage? Seems unlikely, but I am no diesel mechanic so I … Continue reading
“Black Notice” by Patricia Cornwell
Copyright 1999 by Cornwell Enterprises, Inc. Published by G.P Putnam & Sons. There was a time, years ago, when I read a lot of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta books because Jett was a big fan. Then I ran into one – can’t remember the name now – that was a real stinker. One of the … Continue reading
The beginning of the end?
This morning I spent some time looking at the prices of 2-bedroom, 2-bath condos in southwest Florida. I am finding it very difficult to deal with the constant truck failures. Diesel engines are supposed to last forever and I have tried very hard to maintain the engine properly. But the truck is 17 years old, … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 6 – Croton-on-Hudson NY to Lowman NY
250 miles via NY 9, NY 301, NY 9D, NY 9W, I-84 and NY 17. Cumulative tow miles: 991. Truck miles: 443. Cumulative truck miles: 1568. This may have been my worst day of RV travel EVER. I got away on schedule, around 10:30am, but ran into a closed road (NY 9) a half hour … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 5 – Swanzey NH to Croton-on-Hudson NY
185 miles via NH 10/MA 10, I-91, I-84, I-684 (north of New York City), NY 35, NY 100, NY 118, NY 134, NY 129 and US 9A. Cumulative tow miles: 741. Truck miles: 302. Cumulative truck miles: 1125. The extra truck miles were due to a trip to MA for a medical appointment and some … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 4 – Poland ME to Swanzey NH
170 miles via ME 122, ME 26, US 202 (with a brief detour near Gorham ME and I-393 and I-89 to bypass Concord NH), NH 9 and NH 10. Cumulative tow miles: 556. Truck miles: 338. Cumulative truck miles: 823. The extra truck miles were due to a graveyard tour and a trip to the … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 3 – Hermon ME to Poland ME
107 miles via US 2, ME 23, ME 11, ME 135 and US 202. Cumulative tow miles: 386. Truck miles: 200. Cumulative truck miles: 485. The additional 93 truck miles were due to the trip to Ellsworth, a trip to refuel and shop and the return trip from the repair shop. This route was not … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 2 – Saco ME to Hermon ME
135 miles via US 1, I-295 (through Portland), I-95, ME 69 and US 2. Cumulative tow miles: 279. Truck miles: 141. Cumulative truck miles: 285. The extra truck miles were due to refueling. This was another (thankfully!) uneventful hop. The weather was nice and so were the roads. I arrived before 1pm and got set … Continue reading
“Redemption” by David Baldacci
Copyright 2019 by Columbus Rose, Ltd. Published by Grand Central Publishing, New York. This is #5 in Baldacci’s Memory Man series, but the first of the series that I have read. I always feel that I am missing something when I don’t start at the beginning and I am undoubtedly right. There are many references … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 1 – Orange MA to Saco ME
144 miles via MA 2, I-495 (northwest of Boston), I-95 and US 1. Cumulative tow miles: 144. Truck miles: 144. Cumulative truck miles: 144. Yes, the Seventh Trip South (TS7) has officially begun. This was a fairly short hop but I opted to avoid the NH tolls via US 1 so it was a bit … Continue reading