Our Wander Years

STS Hop 6: Petersburg VA to Stony Creek VA

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Sparky

STS Hop 6

27 miles via I-85 and I-95.

Well, you guys obviously did not wish hard enough. We made it just over 10 miles into our planned 300-mile trip before the “check engine” light reappeared. We limped (which turns out to be exactly the right word – more on that later) to a truck stop just north of Stony Creek VA. I phoned Good Sam Roadside Assistance and they were almost no help at all. What I needed was a diesel mechanic and all they could offer was a tow.

We quickly concluded that we were going to be stuck in rural Virginia for the weekend unless we could find a mechanic. So we decided to check into the nearby Hampton Inn and use that as a base of operations. We parked the RV in the corner of the parking lot, checked in for 2 nights and set about finding help for the truck. We quickly determined that the nearest GMC dealer was about 15 miles away and arranged an appointment for Monday morning. Then I started calling around, hoping to find a local mechanic who could at least diagnose the problem. I figured if I arrived at the dealer with a diagnosis in hand it would speed things along.

The truck at Carter’s

I found a tow/repair company about 6 miles away that claimed to offer 24/7 roadside assistance. A call to that number wasn’t answered but I thought it might be worth a trip to the address to see if I could scare up some help (driving the truck without the RV was no problem at all – the truck ran fine when not stressed). I had a bit of difficulty locating the company and in fact stopped first at a place across the street. There was a mechanic there working on a diesel truck – a good sign – but he said he dropped his diagnostic computer and would be unable to determine my engine code. He sent me to Johnny’s Tow Service across the street. Which was closed. But a call to the number on the tow truck there yielded a referral to Chester, down in Stony Creek. I called Chester and he told me to come down and he would take a look.

Chester Carter is the proprietor of Carter’s 1 Stop towing service and truck repair emporium in Stony Creek, Virginia which was a town of 202 souls in 2000. And it looks like it may have gone downhill since then. The tiny town is littered with vacant and crumbling buildings. It had a creepy feel, to be honest. With Halloween approaching and the truck very unwell, I began to wonder if there was any escape. Even the Hampton Inn was empty. Would Jack Nicholson appear?

Abandoned grain storage near Carter’s

Chester was a man of few words. And when he spoke it was in a quiet, mumbled Southern drawl which my Northern ears had to strain to understand. He went straight to work and pretty quickly diagnosed the engine code: P1295 which suggested that one of the fuel injectors had lost electrical connectivity. He poked around the engine for an hour, cleaned some connections and, after interrupting work on my truck to change a tire on an RV – which I didn’t mind since he was helping a fellow RVer in need – we took the truck on a 30-mile test drive during which the “check engine” light stayed off.

I paid him about $250, which I thought was fair, and went on my way. I had spent nearly 4 hours watching Chester work (and learning quite a bit about my diesel engine). Chester said that Chevy/GMC diesels were prone to loose connections on certain fuel injectors – especially injectors 2 and 7 (my problem injector). The clip holding the electrical connection to the injector could corrode and work loose, causing the kind of problem I was seeing. Specifically, as soon as the computer detects a problem it puts the engine into “limp mode” which somehow protects it from severe damage, but severely diminishes the power, which lets the truck “limp” to a place to be repaired. He said he had tightened the clip on #7. All of which sounded plausible, but I had very little confidence that he had actually fixed the problem. But I figured that the diagnosis alone was worth the price.

The plan is to do a test drive with the RV in tow Sunday morning and, if successful, head to Myrtle Beach. If unsuccessful, we will move to a campground, deliver the truck to the GMC dealership Monday morning and then cool our heels until they are done with it. In the latter case we could be stuck in Stony Creek for days.

Maybe until Halloween.

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STS Hop 5: Lorton VA to Petersburg VA

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Sparky

STS Hop 5

128 miles, mostly via I-95.

This was not the hop that was planned. We had to abort about 100 miles short of our intended destination (Wilson NC) when the “check engine” light came on just north of Petersburg VA. Accompanying the light was an alarming loss of power: I had difficulty maintaining 45 mph going uphill.

As I had experienced similar symptoms just prior to the start of the STS, I was pretty sure it was an emissions control problem. I was also pretty sure that I could continue for a short distance. I was also totally sure that I had to get the problem diagnosed immediately. As the time was 2pm on a Friday, I knew I didn’t have much time to make that happen.

So, a quick rerouting. We found a campground about 14 miles away, called them to make sure they had a spot for us and gently, gingerly, made our way there. The 15-minute rest did the engine some good and we made it about halfway before the symptoms reappeared. Another 10-minute rest fixed the problem again and we made it without further difficulty.

We checked in, quickly unhitched, got a recommendation from the office for a local shop that could take a look and ran the truck over. Unfortunately, the shop did not have diesel experience. But in the short (less than a quarter mile) trip to the shop, the “check engine” light turned itself off. The shop gave me the number of the local GMC dealer and I called them but they said they couldn’t diagnose anything if the check engine light was not on.

So I returned to the RV park with good news/bad news for Jett: the “check engine” light was off and no one knows why. She insisted that I take a test drive and stress the engine (as much as it can be stressed when not hauling). I drove 25 miles and the truck performed flawlessly.

So Hop 6 is now 300 miles, with a truck of dubious health. Should be an “interesting” day.

When we first had the problem, I read the manual and it suggested that I check the fuel cap. Apparently a not-tight-enough fuel cap can cause emissions control problems. So I tightened the cap and it is just barely possible that that caused the light to turn off. Wishful thinking? Probably.

Anyway, wish us luck.

Picture Lake Campground

Our site at Picture Lake

Picture Lake Campground was an emergency destination, but it has high ratings from Good Sam. From our limited experience, it is overrated. The sites are bare dirt and not level and the facilities (playground, volleyball court, restrooms) are ordinary at best. It does have a somewhat picturesque lake (which looked even better in the sunset – see below), but the ambiance is marred by the presence of the Virginia Motorsports Park on the opposite shore. If there were loons in the area, their calls were completely lost amid the roar of the drag racing engines. Apparently the speedway has racing only on weekends. But it was Friday.

Lucky us.

Picture Lake at sunset

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Gunshots, acorns and drag racers

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Sparky

Answer: gunshots, acorns and drag racers.

Question: what noises have kept us awake in the last 3 campsites?

Explanation: I told you about the shooting range near us at Pinch Pond. That was followed by 7 nights of staccato acorn explosions (at least they sounded like explosions) on the roof of the RV at Pohick. Now we are at Picture Lake Campground in Petersburg VA (more on that later) and we are adjacent to a drag racing speedway.

They say the racing will be over by midnight.

Good, because I need some sleep.

Categories: Adventures, Places, QTS, RV Living, RV Parks, VA | 1 Comment

Manassas

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Sparky

The turning point

In case you didn’t know, I am a bit of a Civil War buff. I think Ken Burn’s Civil War series is the best documentary I have ever seen. I have visited about a dozen Civil War battlefields and think Gettysburg is one of the 5 most interesting places in the US.

So it is a little surprising, given the dozens of times I have visited northern Virginia, that I had never visited the battlefield(s) at Manassas. Or, if you prefer, Bull Run. But Wednesday was picture-perfect and I took the opportunity to knock that item off of my bucket list.

View to the north

Manassas/Bull Run was the site of two battles: First Manassas, which had the distinction of being the first major battle of the war (and the one which gave “Stonewall” Jackson his moniker) and Second Manassas, about a year later, which was a major Confederate victory and is considered to be the “high point” of the Confederacy. Both were important Civil War battles, but I think First Manassas is the more interesting, from a tactical perspective. And the battlefield is a little more compact and can be explored on foot. Which was what I did on Wednesday.

One of the fascinating things about First Manassas is that it was a spectator battle. Dozens of DC citizens made the 25-mile trip to witness what they expected to be a quick Union victory. When it turned into a day-long battle and, eventually, a rout of the Union army, the spectators found themselves running for their lives, amid the troops doing the same, back to DC. I wanted very much to see the battlefield, to get a sense of what they witnessed that summer day in 1861.

What the Confederates saw was the Union army approaching from the north – the view in the photo here. I assume the spectators were also to the north, probably arrayed along what is now US 29, which runs east/west in this photo. The road rises to the east and much of the battle could probably be seen from that vantage point.

Farmhouse

The battle was initially an artillery battle. Each side had about a dozen cannon, positioned only about 300 yards apart. The Union army held the higher ground for much of the day, but the Confederates had the advantage of being shielded by trees. At the right side of the Union line (left side of the Confederate line), the forces were less than 150 yards apart.

Another distinction of First Manassas is that it had the first civilian casualty. An elderly bedridden woman was killed when the Union army shelled her farmhouse, thinking it housed rebel troops. The house (see right) is still standing.

For reasons that are not obvious, the Union deployed two cannon at that side of the line and positioned them to fire at the Confederate artillery, completely ignoring the Confederate infantry less than 200 yards away. The Confederates at that location were wearing blue uniforms, probably because the army had not yet fully standardized on gray as the color for Confederate uniforms. In any case, the Union batteries, when then saw them approaching, assumed they were friendly. They realized their mistake too late and the two cannon were captured. There was additional fighting back-and-forth, but this capture of the federal cannon is widely regarded as the key turning point in the battle.

If the Union army had won this battle it is possible that the Civil War would have been shorter – and much less bloody – than it proved to be. To think that such momentous things hinge on the accidental color of some uniforms… fascinating.

The photo below is a view of Henry House Hill, which was “ground zero” in this battle. And a very nice place to stroll when the sun is out and no cannon balls are exploding.

Henry House Hill

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An introduction to the pumpkin patch lifestyle

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Sparky

Zachary and dad

Tractor train ride

When I was a kid Halloween was a one-evening event. You dressed up in some wacko costume, grabbed a large shopping bag and went out – without adults – and extorted as much candy booty from your neighbors as time and upper body strength would allow. Followed by a week of sugar overdosing.

But now Halloween appears to be a month-long event, with all sorts of decorating activities (I previously described the contest here at the campground), Halloween greeting cards and pumpkin patch experiences. Even the public schools get involved. My grandson, Zachary, had a field trip last week to a pumpkin patch extravaganza. Apparently it had a variety of fall-themed carnival-style activities and opportunities to purchase hot cider and pumpkin-flavored treats.

So schools that have banned birthday cupcakes now put kids on a bus to buy pumpkin cupcakes. Make sense to you? Not to me.

But I digress. What I wanted to describe was my own, personal, introduction to the pumpkin patch lifestyle. I accompanied Zachary (who apparently had not overdosed on pumpkins on his field trip) and his dad to a small pumpkin patch event in Woodbridge VA. It wasn’t much as festivals go, but it was a cold day and we didn’t want to stay long anyway. It did offer a bouncy house, a tractor-pulled train ride and a hayride. It also had a really cheesy maze which took about 2 minutes to navigate.

We also got to warm inside the concessions trailer which was owned and operated by Uncle J, a friend of Zachary’s dad.

So, yes, it was fun. But I still don’t quite see the need for expanding the Halloween experience. That one night was plenty for kids of my generation.

Cheesy maze

Warming up with Uncle J

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Boo to you, too

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Sparky

Zombieville

The Pohick Bay Regional Park Campground is really into Halloween. Besides having a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt this past weekend, they also sponsored a campsite decorating content. Which our neighbors won, hands down. They put a lot of effort into building a little Zombie town on their site, populated by 4 animated zombies, a very scary animated clown and a supporting cast of moving spiders, crocodiles and snarling dogs.

Our grandson, Zachary, loved it. And, to the best of our knowledge, didn’t have any nightmares.

Brain-eating zombie

Contortionist zombie

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STS Hop 4: Manheim PA to Lorton VA

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Sparky

STS Hop 4

161 miles via I-76, US 15, I-270, I-495 (MD and VA) and I-95.

This was, for the most part, a familiar trip on familiar roads. We have done it before, most notably on our GTW way back in 2012. US 15 in MD is memorable as the site of our very first (and very traumatic) blowout.

No blowouts this trip, thank goodness. We encountered the usual heavy traffic in and around DC, which is never fun. But, all in all, a pretty uneventful hop.

Except for getting out of Pinch Pond. Apparently the expected exit route from our pull-thru site was down the hill, through the woods and up the other side. But both Jett and I had walked that route and it was narrow, with rutted dirt roads and overhanging trees. We opted instead to try to make a tight right turn. We made it, but not before the campground authorities had rolled up to us in a gold cart and chided me for doing it wrong. I told them that I had no interest in the roundabout exit route and they reluctantly let me proceed.

They were probably saying “good riddance.” Same as us.

Getting into our spot at Pohick Bay Regional Park was also more difficult than I expected. It was tight and had a few trees that got in the way. But with the help of the neighboring campers we made it.

Now if we can just get out next Friday…

Categories: PA, Places, Routes, STS, VA | Leave a comment

Manheim PA and Pinch Pond Family Campground

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Sparky

Our site at Pinch Pond

We stayed at the Pinch Pond Family Campground in Manheim PA for 5 nights. The original plan was to use the campground as a base for exploring the area – Hershey, Harrisburg, Lebanon, Lancaster and the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside. However, the time was mostly spent recuperating from our nasty colds. Only on the last day did we venture out for some sightseeing.

Manheim PA area

Manheim PA, is a small (about 5,000 residents) town on the fringe of the Pennsylvania Dutch region. I drove into the town one evening early in the stay searching for food and beer. I didn’t find either, despite a fairly extensive search. The downtown area is occupied almost exclusively by Civil War-era housing and a few small shops and restaurants, most of which were closed by the time I got there (around 7pm). I settled for some ice cream (not bad) and hot pocket sandwiches (disgusting) from the only convenience store I could find.

Between this failed shopping trip and the rather nasty approach to the RV Park (which was more remote than I expected – Jett called in “Deliverance country”), my initial impressions of Manheim were less than favorable.

After Googling for supermarkets (2) and using GasBuddy to find service stations selling diesel (2), I set off the next day on another shopping trip. This one was more successful as I found a nice shopping plaza with a Weis market, a CVS pharmacy, a liquor store and a Chinese restaurant. I got some Chinese food from China One (pretty good) and staples (yes, fried chicken is a staple with us) from Weis and tried to get beer from the liquor store. But apparently liquor stores in PA sell only liquor and wine. I asked the owner who sold beer in Manheim. He gave me a tired look, reached over and grabbed a printed sheet which he handed to me. It gave directions to the one-and-only beer distributor in Manheim.

H-D, Iron Valley

I guess he had been asked that question before.

Yesterday we sallied forth with the intention of going to the Camping World in Harrisburg to see about repairing/replacing our GPS. But I am trying very hard to get my Medicare fully arranged before my medical benefits run out and had some questions about Part B. I noticed that there was a Social Security office in Lebanon, which was pretty much on the way to Harrisburg. So we stopped there first (after a quick stop at the local Harley-Davidson dealership to get a gift for Jett’s son and Burger King to try their chicken fries – which did not impress us).

I love small-town federal offices. Not only did I get to speak with a representative within 30 seconds of my arrival, she had me signed up for Part B within 5 minutes. Sure beats working my way through the cattle pen at the Boston office. Or even the SSA website.

Because the GPS was working flawlessly, we changed our plans and decided to spend a couple of hours wandering through the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside. It was a beautiful fall day and the farms were picture-perfect, as always. We stopped for a few minutes in Shaefferstown PA, which has the distinction of being the first town in the US to have a public, gravitational water system. It also has some very nice old houses and churches.

Shaefferstown church

Shaefferstown house

Village Farm Market

The highlight of the day was a stop at the Village Farm Market in Ephrata PA. This would appear, from the outside, to be a typical side-of-the-road farmer market. But it is much more than that. It has, among many other things, a wide variety of caramel corn (I chose the chocolate and peanut butter variety), homemade pies (we got half of a shoo-fly pie), a deli with local meats and cheeses (we got some turkey breast), a cooler filled with homemade soups (chicken rice and cream of potato) and salads (7-layer dip), alongside fresh fruits and vegetables. Most unexpectedly, it had a freezer filled with homemade single-serving and family-style meats (roast beef and chicken pot pie) and vegetables. I also got a bag of the local kettle-style potato chips.

The prices were surprising. In a good way. Everything was more than reasonable. The turkey breast was $6.99/lb. The 2 pounds of roast beef was $14.95. The potato chips were $1.59.

And everything we have tried so far has been superb. Recommended!

Village Farm Market

Buggy parking in Manheim

We gassed up on the way back to Manheim, in preparation for our trip to VA today. We also stopped at Weis again where I noticed the buggy parking sign. Proof that Manheim is, in fact, in Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Pinch Pond Family Campground

The campground site was suitable for our purpose, which was, primarily, recuperating. The office and common areas were very nice. The laundromat was clean with new machines. There were lots of trees and a scenic pond. However…

We had a few issues with the park and its rules. When we initially set up we were shocked to discover that the site was so uneven that the “auto level” feature had to completely lift the wheels on the left side to do its job. Worse, the sewer was located so far to the rear that I had to use three hoses to reach it. And the sewer pipe was so elevated that the drop from the RV was less than a foot – not enough to properly drain our tanks. We parked the truck at the rear as there was more open space there than in front. And more room to park the truck.

The lifted left tires

The next day we got a knock on the door. An employee requested that we move the truck. Parking in the rear of the site is not allowed, he said, because the road there is “only an access road.” I failed to see the logic, especially since the truck was completely off the road. Moreover, there was absolutely no visual difference between the front and rear roads – both were gravel. I didn’t argue, but it did solidify my decision to move the RV further back on the site, to get a better draw (and a shorter connection) to the sewer.

Another problem is the noise. Much of the park borders I-76 and the road noise there is constant. That was not a problem at our site; we had the other problem: the adjacent sportsman’s club and the constant gunshots. It drove the dogs nuts. Both were, much of the time, shaking with fear. This was not a fun 5 days for the dogs.

The park does have a scenic pond (which, unfortunately, is next to I-76) and there is a campfire always burning near the office. But, overall, I would rate this as one of the less enjoyable places we have stayed.

Office and closed pool

The constant campfire

The pond

Categories: PA, Places, RV Parks, STS | Leave a comment

STS Hop 3: North Scituate RI to Manheim PA

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Sparky

STS Hop 3

341 miles via I-395 (CT), I-95, I-287 (NY and NJ), I-80 and several PA routes, with a refueling stop in northern NJ.

This hop was much longer than originally planned and way beyond our usual daily limit of 240 miles (which is our towing range on a single tank of gas). But we were forced into this by the delay last week with the truck repairs. Faced with a long day of travel or the ordeal of rescheduling the rest of the trip, we opted for the long day.

Tappan Zee backup

And a long day it was. Google estimated the travel time to be under 6 hours, but with traffic, a lunch stop and a refueling stop, it was just over 8 hours.

Fortunately, it was a fine fall day. The sun was bright and the colors were coming out, particularly in CT. But getting past New York is always an ordeal, no matter which route is taken. We chose the Tappan Zee this time because it was the shortest route and we had no reason to think that the delays there would be any longer than at the GW. We were delayed maybe 30 minutes with traffic approaching the bridge. Which completely dissipated halfway across. The bridge is being replaced and the ongoing construction, with more than a dozen massive cranes, is a sight to behold. And, apparently, drivers were beholding because the traffic sped up as soon as we passed the largest crane.

Huge crane

The refueling stop was more of an adventure than it should have been. I selected the US-17 exit off of I-287 as a refueling stop because there were several large service stations there. Getting off and getting refueled was easy, but getting back on was difficult, primarily because I got confused between US 17 North and South and did a tight left turn onto South which was (1) a mistake and (2) resulted in me running over a curb. I feared blowing a tire, but did no apparent damage. But then I had to find my way back onto US 17 North, to get to I-287 North so I could get to I-287 South. Confused? So was I.

The second adventure was the loss of the GPS. It just froze on us as we were approaching our exit off of I-80 in PA. Our destination was still 20 miles away and the printed Google directions suggested that we would be traveling on some fairly small roads. I had checked the route for low clearances in Google, but liked having the GPS (which issues warnings for any bridge of less than 13′ 6″). But the GPS just flat out froze. We couldn’t even turn it off. So we unplugged it and hope that it would run down the battery quickly.

It didn’t. We had to navigate the last 20 miles from the map alone. It wasn’t as difficult as I feared, but Jett was a nervous wreck (and still sick with her cold) by the time we got to our site at Pinch Pond Family Campground. After setting up – and unjumbling everything (there were some nasty bumps on I-80) – she went straight to bed.

Holiday Acres Family Campground, North Scituate RI

Holiday Acres pond

We spent two nights at Holiday Acres Family Campground in North Scituate RI. The days were not pleasant, primarily because we both had colds, so Jett pretty much spent two days in the RV. I was out for much of the day on Saturday to play softball (we lost 2 of 3, unfortunately) but had dog walking responsibilities, so I got to look around the campground a bit.

This campground reminded me a bit of the Circle Cg Farm Campground in Bellingham MA which is not a flattering comparison. We dislike Circle Cg in part because the sites are unpaved (and some are just plain dirt), the roads are somewhat narrow and many of the sites are occupied by old, decrepit trailers. Holiday Acres had a large number of long-term residents (some sites had picket fences and hardwood decks) and a smattering of decrepit trailers. But it also had better facilities and a more pleasant pond than Circle Cg, so I rank it a bit above. But it still isn’t a place that I would recommend highly.

Restrooms/laundry

Campsites on open field

But it did provide a place to rest up for the trip. And, most importantly, got us a 31st state on our map.

17 more to go…

Categories: Places, RI, Routes, RV Parks, STS | Leave a comment

STS Hop 2: Berkley MA to North Scituate RI

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Sparky

STS Hop 2

51 miles via MA 24, I-495, I-95, I-295 and US 44.

Hitching up at CW

This was a very short hop, but a crucial one. It was our first test of hauling with our repaired truck using the adjusted hitch setting (raised for a more level ride). Fortunately, all went well.

We picked up the RV at 4pm on Friday and had it safely on the site at Holiday Acres Family Campground by 5:30pm. In a steady rain. More misery. I coughed my way through the setup, then collapsed in front of the television – which had no reception, so we watched a movie. The lack of television reception was a surprise as the campground is less than 50 miles from the major Boston channels and is only a few miles from Providence. Even when we were in the desert and the mountains we managed to pull in a dozen or more channels. But that was with the old rig. This doesn’t bode well for using the antenna in the new rig.

Verizon service was marginal as well. Uploading the photos for this post took over 10 minutes.

But the bottom line is: we have a functioning rig, we are out of the hotel and we are on our way to Florida.

Where maybe we will shake these colds.

I don’t think I mentioned that I got the truck painted before we left MA. I could have painted just the red quarter panel that needed it for $800 or the entire truck – in a color of my choosing – for $1500. I opted for the full paint job and chose GMC’s “Champagne Blush” for the color, to more closely match the BigHorn’s color scheme. It turned out to be slightly lighter than I expected, but I am pretty pleased with it overall. What do YOU think?

Rainy setup at Holiday Acres, featuring the newly-painted truck

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