Our Wander Years

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

Categories: Places, RI, Routes | Leave a comment

Three days of misery

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Sparky

The STS has gotten off to a rocky start, to say the least. We canceled one NY reservation because I didn’t like the reviews – with the loss of a $50 deposit – and had to cancel the second NY reservation when the truck failed on us and delayed the trip – at a loss of $167 (all 3 nights because it was a “holiday weekend”). Then we had to hire a hauler to get the RV down to Berkley, MA, for repairs ($260) and spend 3 nights in a hotel ($265). And, to complete our misery, we both came down with nasty head colds.

Grace at the Comfort Inn

There is nothing good to say about spending 3 days in a hotel, with dogs, sniffling and sneezing, except, perhaps, that the dogs seemed very comfortable on the bed.

We had originally planned on spending a day visiting the mansions in Newport, but the colds killed that. We did rally enough to take a day trip into Providence, the highlight being the search for the Johnson & Wales bookstore (Jett’s son had attended J&W), which was surprisingly difficult to find. Our GPS deposited us a mile from the actual location. I had to use my smartphone GPS to ferret it out. But we did get to see more of the city than we had expected. And, as cities go, it was very pleasant with some interesting buildings. We also found a downtown urban park that we liked.

Providence park

Colonial building

We got the truck back on Thursday (almost $1,200). So, before the STS started in earnest, we had spent almost $2,000.

J&W bookstore

Categories: RI, STS | Leave a comment

STS Hop 1: Littleton MA to Berkley MA

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Sparky

STS Hop 1

72 miles, primarily via I-495

Comfort Inn, Seekonk, MA

The STS has, belatedly, begun. But not exactly as planned. The first hop – to deliver the RV to Camping World for a second round of repairs – was accomplished by a paid hauler because the truck is still in the shop for repairs.

So we are now in a cheap hotel – the Comfort Inn in Seekonk, MA – just biding our time until we have a rig again. We have some confidence that the RV will be ready on Friday but the truck… at this point I am just not sure. I thought it would be a simple replacement of an emissions valve, but at last word they were planning on replacing 3 emissions-related components, at a cost just north of $1,600.

So, between the cost of the hauler and the price of the truck repairs, the STS has cost us about $2,000 before we started.

Ouch.

We had some plans to tour Providence and Newport while we were here, but we have both come down with colds. I don’t know how much interest we will have in anything. I may spend the day re-routing around the Carolina flood zone.

Anyway, here is the last photo of the RV in Littleton and a photo of Jett in the vacated site.

Site 67, Littleton

Jett in vacated site

The STS is off to a very rocky start. We have to hope that it gets better.

Categories: MA, Places, STS | 1 Comment

Flooding

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Sparky

We haven’t yet departed on the STS – the truck is still in the shop, with no promises yet on when we will get it back. So I will have to hire an RV hauling service to deliver it to Camping World, to get the repairs underway. Then we will have both the truck and the RV undergoing repairs simultaneously. Good times.

Meanwhile, two of the primary destinations of the STS – Charleston, SC, and Myrtle Beach, SC – are suffering through a “1,000-year flood.” At this point I can’t be sure we can get to either place. Or, if we can get there, whether the campgrounds will be operational.

This is a hell of a way to start a trip.

Categories: Commentary, Places, SC, STS | 1 Comment

The best laid plans…

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Sparky

The plan for the Second Trip South (STS) was to leave for Rhode Island tomorrow (Sunday) morning. But it ain’t gonna happen.

Over the past week, I had noticed hesitation when I pressed the accelerator on the truck. It had happened just a few times. But yesterday, on the way back from Worcester, the “check engine” light came on. That had happened earlier in the summer as well and it was diagnosed as an “engine misfire” and extensive testing found nothing wrong. I chalked it up to bad fuel that time and thought it might be the same this time.

But I certainly did not feel comfortable embarking on a 2,000-mile journey towing a 15,000-pound fifth wheel with a “check engine” warning light illuminated. So, this morning at 8am, I drove 30 miles to the dealership where I had bought the truck – with only one slight acceleration hiccup along the way – and had them run some quick diagnostics. I can’t recall exactly what the computer codes (there were 2) were, but neither was “engine misfire.” The diesel guy had a theory that it involved a faulty emissions control valve and had given the valve a few taps with a hammer to see if that might loosen a possibly sticky valve. He said that it helped one “underflow” (whatever that is) measure a bit, but it remained very low. He recommended valve replacement, but was unable to do it today as I did not have an appointment and they were operating with a Saturday skeleton crew. He did say that it was highly unlikely that I would break down on the first leg of the trip, which was just 120 miles. So I made an appointment to return the truck on Tuesday (while the RV was in the shop for its scheduled repairs) and started home.

But I only got 2 miles. The valve tapping had converted the “intermittent” acceleration problem into a constant and severe acceleration problem that was accompanied by a cloud of black exhaust. It was immediately obvious that the truck would be incapable of hauling our fifth wheel 120 miles. I was uncertain that it could even haul its own smoking carcass back home. So I returned the truck to the dealership, rescheduled the repairs for Monday, called Jett to pick me up and went home to change our STS plans.

There will be no overnight stop in Rhode Island, the repairs on the RV will be pushed back to Tuesday and we will probably lose one night in NY as well.

And we had to extend our stay at Minuteman by two days, which was easier said than done. Another RV had been booked into our site for Sunday, so the owners had to juggle several reservations to allow us to stay.

But they didn’t have a lot of choice – I have no truck to move the RV.

Not a good start to the STS.

Categories: Adventures, MA, Places, STS | 2 Comments

Second Trip South (STS) plan

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Sparky

STS planned route

In 5 days we will embark on our second trip south, to Florida. This will be the first long-distance journey we have taken since getting off the road to sell our house in the fall of 2014. And our first trip in our new Big Horn. I am looking forward to it. Jett, as always, is apprehensive.

The trip will be just over 2,000 miles and will feature long (5 days or more) stays in Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina and northern Florida. There will be other shorter stops along the way for a total of 41 days, including 12 travel days.

The trip will begin with a one-night stop in Rhode Island, just to add that state to our map – the only state we will add on this trip. Then 3 days in a hotel while Camping World tries to finish the repairs that they didn’t get to earlier in the summer. I can’t say I am looking forward to that – 3 days in a hotel room with dogs, especially since it now appears that those will be three rainy days.

We then spend a few days in upstate New York where we will visit Watervliet – one of Jett’s childhood stomping grounds – and, perhaps, the site of the Woodstock Festival. Then down to Pennsylvania Amish country for 5 days, a week in Virginia visiting Jett’s sons, a few days in Myrtle Beach (right on the beach!), a full week in Charleston, a few days in Greensboro, GA, visiting some old friends, and a full week at the Escapees Sumter Oaks RV Park in Bushnell, FL, where we will establish Florida residency.

Then on to North Ft Myers for 5 wonderful, warm winter months. After the brutal winter we suffered through last year, that will be a welcome change.

I will blog as we go. Stay tuned.

Categories: Routes, RV Living, STS | 3 Comments

A farewell to Cambridge

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Sparky

My breakfast spot

If you are familiar with the Boston area, you know that Boston and Cambridge, though physically adjacent (separated only by the Charles River), are miles apart in atmosphere and attitude. Often called the “People’s Republic”, Cambridge is a left-wing paradise while Boston is more blue-collar. Hence I will bid a separate farewell to each.

Though I spent very little time in Harvard Square as a student, I thoroughly enjoy the place now. After dropping Jett off at Mt Auburn Hospital for a minor medical procedure, I walked the mile to Harvard Square to have breakfast and enjoy yet another beautiful September day. I got a coffee and a chocolate croissant at the Au Bon Pain at the Holyoke Center, just across Massachusetts Avenue from the main entrance to Harvard Yard, and spent a very pleasant hour reading, accompanied by a very friendly sparrow.

Breakfast

My breakfast buddy

After breakfast I took a stroll through Harvard Yard, then through the Divinity School area and Lesley College before heading back to Mt Auburn Hospital by way of Mt Auburn Street. I snapped some shots of the striking buildings and bucolic parks in the area.

A perfect day. A very nice stroll through the People’s Republic.

Harvard Yard

Harvard dorm

Divinity School

Lesley College

Boathouse on the Charles

Categories: Commentary, MA, Places | Leave a comment

A farewell to Boston

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Sparky

Fenway, of course

We will soon be leaving the Boston area, which I have called home for 48 years, and don’t know when we will be back again. Boston’s farewell present to us has been spectacularly beautiful September weather, so when I went into Boston for a dental appointment yesterday I took the opportunity to wander around and take some photos. I have also included some photos from the family gathering in August during which – what does this mean? – I took almost no pictures of family but quite a few of Boston. The August gathering featured a trip to Fenway for a game between the Red Sox and the Mariners (won by Boston, 22-10), a lunch at Jacob Wirth and a walk through downtown Boston, Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the North End.

The walk through Boston included stops at the site of the Boston Massacre, a few moments watching break dancing near Faneuil Hall, free cannoli and champagne in the North End and a beer at a cafe near the TD Garden to cap it off. A very fine day, indeed.

Granary Burial Ground

Entering the North End

Kinsale Pub

I may as well include September 2, the day I got laid off. I celebrated my “misfortune” with a fish sandwich and beer lunch at the Kinsale Pub, near Boston’s City Hall. Another fine day in all respects.

Layoff lunch

Yesterday, before and after my dental appointment, I wandered through the Back Bay and South End neighborhoods. It was a picture-perfect day for photos and I captured some of the more dramatic buildings in Boston.

Thanks for the memories, Boston. And the nice weather.