Our Wander Years

TS6 Hop 6: Cove City NC to Myrtle Beach SC

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Sparky

188 miles via US 17, NC 55, I-140 (north of Carolina Beach) and SC 31 with two brief rest area stops. 214 truck miles. 1081 cumulative tow miles. 1416 cumulative truck miles. The extra truck miles were entirely due to a refueling trip into New Bern NC where I got diesel for $1.88 per gallon (I love NC fuel prices!) and some groceries.

The first rest area stop was just a few miles into the trip when I took an unplanned detour to avoid a bridge with a 6-ton weight limit (it turns out that it was a 6-ton-per-axle limit so the detour was unnecessary), saw the rest area and decided to double-check that the TV antenna was down (it was). The second was at the SC Welcome Center on US 17 where I adjusted Jett’s pillows and blankets. She has made this trip in the back seat of the truck, which is more tolerable to her frail body. Rusty doesn’t mind riding up front with me.

This stretch of US 17 was not fun. It had a lot of traffic and a lot of stoplights. The “future I-87” is truly a distant dream here. To make matters worse, the GPS seemed to be unaware that some sections of US 17 had been rebuilt and rerouted. It took me several miles down the old route before connecting me with the new route. Worse, it told me to take a left where none was allowed and forced me into a 3-mile loop to get that corrected. The same thing happened when we reached I-140 – it told me to continue on US 17 even though both the signage and my knowledge of the route (from studying the map before we started the hop) suggested that I-140 was the better route. For about 5 miles on I-140 the GPS had no clue where I was. Not a proud day for the GPS.

The one night in NC was spent at the Turkey Quarter Campground and RV Park. This campground has only a Facebook page, not a complete website. You should take a look at their page to get a sense of just how unusual this place is. For starters, when I called the number to book a site I talked to a man who simply answered “Hello” – no campground greeting. He informed me that he takes messages for James, the campground owner and gave me James’ number. I called James who was at the garage getting his truck fixed. He told me that, yes, he had a space for me – number 3 – full hookup, pull-thru, then launched into a long, incomprehensible series of directions and informed me that it was cash or check only – no credit cards. I got off the phone unconvinced that this was a real business or that we could even get there. But Google knew of the place and an aerial view showed that there was, indeed, a small campground at that location. I could even make out where site 3 was located.

Later, having second thoughts about this weird place, I noticed that there was a KOA not far away. However, the KOA was charging $80 per night versus Turkey Quarter’s $35 cash. Ever frugal, I couldn’t see spending an extra $45 for a night of sleep in my own RV. So I crossed my fingers and hoped that the place would not be a mess.

It was not a mess. Far from it. The entrance, rather than a scene from “Deliverance” was more like the opening shot of an episode of “Dallas” – sprawling exurbian plots with nice homes along a winding gravel drive. The site we were given was a long, level, shaded pull-thru, very clean with – and this is a first in our 8 years of travel – a firering with free firewood. We didn’t use it but I had to note it because it was truly remarkable.

Cheese biscuit, country sausage and molasses

Also remarkable was James, the owner, a salty backwoods guy with the appropriate North Carolina drawl. He made sure I got into the site and didn’t need any other assistance. Then he told me he would be by in the morning with breakfast. I thought he was kidding, but he was very serious. Around 10am he came by with a pan of cheese biscuits, country sausage and molasses. The cheese biscuits were good but the country sausage with molasses was outstanding. Free. Delivered to the site. Another first.

All for $35. Amazing.

I have to comment on the landscaping too. Someone put some serious money into this place to prep the sites, construct the fishing pond and add all the little designer details, like the artistic display of old farm implements. Imaginative and highly unusual.

I have to say that this campground is nicer than all but a few I have seen. And one of the cheapest. Good and cheap – a great combination.

Categories: NC, Places, Routes, RV Parks, SC, TS6 | 4 Comments

TS6 Hop 5: Chesapeake VA to Cove City NC

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Sparky

149 miles, almost entirely on US 17, but on NC 43 and NC 55 near the destination. 224 truck miles. 893 cumulative tow miles. 1202 cumulative truck miles.

Again, no truck problems and we are now more than halfway to our destination.

US 17 (or, as we were reminded by signs all along the route, “The Future I-87”) is 4-lane divided highway along most of this route and goes through no towns, so it is not much different than an interstate. It even has a rest area, which we used (and which accounts for the extra mile on the route) because Jett said she was hungry. When Jett says she is hungry, I find food. A snack of cheese crackers isn’t much, but every little bit helps.

The three nights in Chesapeake were at the Chesapeake Campground. This is a moderate-size campground on a huge plot of land, with lots of open space and a massive RV storage operation (possibly over 1000 stored RVs – I think it is possible that RV storage is their main revenue generator). There is also, oddly, a horse stable on the premises.

The facilities are rather rustic, but sufficient. I used the laundromat (2 washers, 2 dryers – pretty small for a campground where most RVers were long-term residents) and saw the tiny church, the shed of a gym, the pool (8 feet deep at the deep end – unusual for campgrounds now) and the public restrooms, but didn’t use any of them. The one facility I did use, besides the laundromat, was the dump station because the sewer at our site was sealed shut. Don’t know why as every other site on the row had full hookups. But I think I was warned when I booked the stay and in any case it wasn’t a huge problem as I don’t dump my tanks until the morning of departure, so it just meant one short extra stop on our way out of the park.

The most memorable feature of the park, though, was the mud. They clearly had had a lot of rain in the days before our arrival and we suffered through a deluge on the first full day there. Because the roads and blacktop pads were very narrow, it was impossible to drive anywhere without getting some of my tires in the muck. And it was impossible to enter or leave the RV without getting mud on my shoes. Not really the campground’s fault (except for the narrow roads and pads) but not pleasant at all.

I did some experimentation with my phone camera on a dog walk one night. I wanted to check out the “Nightscape” setting so I took a photo of the RV under the nearly full moon. Pretty impressive, I think. I didn’t expect to get this kind of definition of both the sky and the RV at night.

My hope, for the stay in Chesapeake, was to do some genealogical research on my colonial relatives. I didn’t really expect to find any headstones, but I did want to visit Jamestown and other nearby areas where they lived. My secondary goal was to visit the battlefield at Yorktown, where Washington put an end to the British restistance to the American revolution. But Yorktown was an hour away, Jamestown was 30 minutes beyond Yorktown, it rained heavily and much of the second day there was spent dealing with some medical issues for Jett – uncomfortable infections. So a visit to an urgent care facility replaced Yorktown in my travel plans.

If we visit again I will try to find a campground closer to Jamestown and Yorktown. I underestimated the size of the region.

Categories: NC, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS6, VA | Leave a comment

TS6 Hop 4: College Park MD to Chesapeake VA

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Sparky

226 miles via I-495 (east of Washington DC), I-95, I-295 (east of Richmond), I-64, I-664 (west of Norfolk) and US 17. 412 truck miles. 774 cumulative tow miles. 979 cumulative truck mile. Most of the extra truck miles were due to two trips from College Park to Alexandria, to attend family events.

Again (and, again, knock on wood), no truck problem. It was the longest hop so far – just over 4 hours. The last hop will be a similar length.

This route was almost entirely on interstate highway. There were two interruption to what would otherwise have been a non-stop trip: (1) we had to take a brief detour in Alexandria to drop off the swimming gear that the grandson left in our RV on Sunday and (2) a stop before the tunnel on I-664 to confirm that our propane tanks were turned off (a first in our travels).

The weather during our 4 days at Cherry Hill Park was far from perfect, but it was certainly warm. Jett’s sons and grandson came up Thursday night to visit us and we returned the favor on Saturday to attend a family dinner (great Chinese food!). On Sunday I traveled to Woodbridge to watch the grandson play a double-header (one win, one tie) and then the sons and grandson came to MD again, to let the kid take a dip in the pool and to say goodbye. They could have saved the goodbyes as we had to drop the swimming gear off on Monday, which gave them yet another chance to say goodbye.

Friday was a day of rest.

I have reviewed Cherry Hill Park before and it is the same as always (though with facilities limited due to COVID-19): beautiful, efficient and expensive. It certainly still hold a place in our Top 10 Campgrounds list.

Categories: Family, MD, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS6, VA | 1 Comment

TS6 Hop 3: Kutztown PA to College Park MD

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Sparky

173 miles via Old US 22, I-78, I-81, I-83, I-695 (west of Baltimore), I-95 and MD 212. 178 truck miles. 518 cumulative tow miles. 567 cumulative truck miles.

This hop was almost entirely on interstate highways. That was a last-minute change as I had originally opted for a shorter route using US 202. But I was unsure, so I let the GPS decide.

There was a lot of construction but, fortunately, no real delays. It was an uneventful trip where the truck once again ran with high oil pressure (though not quite so high as on the first two hops – mostly running around 90 psi).

The roads were also *very* busy which I found a bit surprising for a Wednesday early afternoon in a pandemic.

Our one night in PA was at the Pine Hill RV Park in Kutztown. This is a good transient park with mostly pull-through sites. It is close by I-78, so there is a bit of road noise but we barely noticed it with the windows closed (it was a cool night). It is in a rural setting and the only time I left was to refuel, so I don’t have any opinion about the surrounding area.

Categories: MD, PA, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS6 | Leave a comment

TS6 Hop 2: Saugerties NY to Kutztown PA

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Sparky

187 miles via NY 212, I-87, I-287 (west of New York), I-78 and old US 22. 192 truck miles. 345 cumulative tow miles. 385 cumulative truck miles.

This was an easy hop to navigate as it was almost entirely on interstate highways. But it was a challenge for the truck as NY and PA both have a lot of up-and-down. And traffic was heavy, which surprised me.

The truck performed well, though the oil pressure remained high. I also had some worries about the fuel lines when, early on, it appeared that the gas gauge was dropping too fast. But it was just my paranoia as there was no fuel leak.

Because the I-87 portion was a toll road (and a toll bridge on I-78), I decided to do the right thing and ask the attendant how to deal with me towing a trailer. The attendant (where I entered I-87) told me to use the Cash lane when I got off, but when I did that the attendant just waved me through. Thank you!

The bridge attendant was not so generous. I got charged the full $16 rate there.

All-in-all, not a bad hop.

Our home in Saugerties was the Rip Van Winkle Campground, about 5 miles west of the village. I would rate the campground as “pretty nice.” We had a wooded pull-through near the Plattekill Creek, a little stream that looked close to dry. As the walls of the creek were about 10 feet high, I can imagine that there are times when this becomes a torrent. But not in the dry summer/fall of 2020.

The biggest problem I had with the campground is the roads. Most are very narrow with some tight bends that are tough to navigate with a 42-foot trailer. There are some roads that I am sure would trap me if I tried them. Not a great place for big rigs.

The campground has very good, free WiFi. And a good thing, too, because T-Mobile regards the entire area as “roaming” territory. On the evening of the first day I received a message from T-Mobile saying I had used my entire roaming data allotment. The message said that they would continue to provide minimal 2G service at no extra charge. 2G is useless for internet browsing, so thanks for nothing, T-Mobile. Another ding in my opinion of T-Mobile.

The park has quite a few long-term sites, but few were occupied. Some looked like they were prepared for winter even though the park is not open year-round. I wonder if this is the kind of place that lets long-term renters access their sites via snowmobile when they are “closed.” Doesn’t matter – I sure wouldn’t want to be here in the winter. Brrrrr.

Saugerties itself was a disappointment. I was hoping to get some photos of the Hudson River, but I completely struck out. First I tried going to the Coast Guard lighthouse, which I knew was closed but I didn’t expect the entire area to be fenced and locked. Strike one. Then there was a municipal park on the banks of the river. I couldn’t even find the entrance. Strike two. Finally I headed for a public beach north of the village. Again, I couldn’t even find the entrance. Strike three. Three tries and I didn’t get so much as a glimpse of the river.

I also tried to get some headstone photos at the Blue Mountain Cemetery, just a few miles from the campground. It was too large and too windy. I didn’t get a single grave photo. But the dead have a lovely view.

So I have to say that I am not very enamoured of the Hudson River valley. Between my failed attempt in the spring to get photos near West Point and my Saugerties failures, the whole stretch of the river between Newburgh and Albany has been a bust.

Categories: NY, PA, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS6 | Leave a comment

TS6 Hop 1: Phillipston MA to Saugerties NY

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Sparky

158 miles via US 202, MA 21, I-90, I-87 and NY 212. Truck miles: 169. Cumulative tow miles: 158. Cumulative truck miles: 169.

After all the truck problems this spring and summer, there is no such thing as an angst-free hop anymore. That said, about the only problem encountered on this hop was a strange oil pressure reading: very high. For 8 years and over 100,000 miles I have never seen the oil pressure venture out of the 40 to 80 psi range. For this hop the range was 60 to 110 psi. I don’t know what to make of that. The truck seemed to not care and performed well. All I can think is that the oil used in the last oil change – which is different than what I have used in the past, at the recommendation of the “expert” at Greg’s Garage – might account for the difference. But it is a big difference. And any gauge running at close to the limit (120 psi for oil pressure) alarms me.

In all of the previous trips to/from Massachusetts I have avoided using US 202 because it has some steep hills. This time I decided to take it, to challenge the truck in the first 20 miles of the hop. No problem.

Anyway, we made it to Saugerties. I have a non-travel today and may try to get some photos of the Hudson River valley.

1 hop down and 8 to go (I changed the refueling stop in NC into an overnight, which added one hop to the itinerary).

I should say a few words about Lamb City Campground, our home for the summer of 2020. But I described it pretty thoroughly after our 2018 stay. And with the pandemic, most of the activities were either canceled or subdued. It continues to be a family weekend campground which is virtually empty during the week – maybe 10% of the sites are occupied then. Largely due to this it is not a great campground for us. On the other hand, it meant that neither of our immediate neighbors were there much, which gave us a lot of privacy and solitude.

The biggest negative of the campground – and not something they can control – is the very poor cell phone reception. We typically had “one bar” for Verizon, which was one of the major reasons why I decided to switch to T-Mobile this year. Well, the T-Mobile service there is just as bad. Arguably a bit worse. But it is a very localized problem: about 50 feet to our south, where the road reaches the pond, the service is three bars. Halfway up the hill the service is twice as good. In the bulk of the campground the service is more than acceptable. It is just our one street, along the pond.

If we return we will ask for a site up the hill. We have no need to be close to the pond. But we do need to be able to make phone calls.

Categories: MA, NY, Places, Routes, RV Parks, TS6 | Leave a comment

Yup. Again.

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Sparky

We were supposed to be in Saugerties NY today, on our way to Florida. Instead we are still in Phillipston MA, our planned trip delayed. Yup. Again.

Why? More truck problems. Yup. Again.

What kind of problem? A broken fuel line. Yup. Again.

This time the problem appeared Monday as we were on our way to UMASS Memorial Hospital in Worcester to get an MRI of Jett’s head. We were stopped at a light just two blocks from the hospital when we were hit with a very strong diesel fuel odor. There were a couple of trucks nearby and I couldn’t see anything leaking or smoking from my driver’s seat so we continued on, into the parking garage, hoping against hope that it was those trucks. When I shut the engine off and got out… fuel spewing from the engine. I dropped to my knees, cursing a blue streak. Any observer probably thought I was Job. I certainly felt like Job.

But no time to wail – had to get Jett to the MRI. So I got her to her appointment and then called a GMC dealer some 23 miles away to see if (1) they could undertake repairs quickly and (2) had a rental or loaner that I could have while they had my truck. They said “yes” to both. Then I called AAA. They told me that they could not transport the truck until the fire department said it was safe to do so. So, realizing the both the fire department and the tow truck would have great difficulty dealing with a truck parked on the top level of a parking garage, I decided I had to move it. I walked along the backside of the hospital, near the exit from the garage, and spotted a legal parking spot that would be perfect. Back to the hospital to pay the parking charge, then to the truck. Started it up and, as fast as possible, got out of the garage to the on-street parking space. The fuel continued to spew.

Then back into the hospital to collect Jett. Moved her to the sidewalk outside the hospital, to sit in the sun (a sunny day in the mid-70s). Then I called the fire department. A fire truck with 5 firemen arrived, lights flashing (but no siren, thankfully), about 10 minutes later. They opined that it was a minor leak and the truck could safely be transported. I called AAA and put the fireman in charge on the phone, to assure AAA that they could send a truck.

Back to Jett to check on her. She was doing fine. A call to the GMC dealer to tell them the truck was en route, than a call to sister-in-law Kim to see if she could give us a ride to the GMC dealer (the AAA driver was not allowed to take us due to the pandemic). She agreed to do so and was even pleased that the dealer was right on the way to the cabin in New Salem which is where she was headed after work.

Back to the truck, getting there just as the tow truck arrived. My truck was expeditiously winched onto the flatbed and was off to the GMC dealer after I paid $80 for the portion of the tow not covered by my AAA membership.

Back to Jett, just as Kim arrived. She drove us to the dealer where the tow driver was just unloading the truck. Signed the papers for the repairs and the loaner (a 2008 Cadillac with 132K miles – my first and last Cadillac ever). With a stop at KFC to pick up some comfort food, we were back at the RV by 5:30.

4.5 hours of pure misery.

You might ask why I didn’t take the truck back to Greg’s Garage as it is a reasonable assumption that their fuel line repair had failed for a second time. Two reasons: (1) they had already had 2 bites of this particularly bitter apple and I was not about to offer a third and (2) I needed alternate transportation and I didn’t think they could provide it. In addition to the MRI on Monday, Jett had an immunotherapy infusion on Tuesday and a CT scan on Wednesday. I needed a car. Going carless was not an option.

I got the truck back Wednesday after the CT scan. The description of the problem – both orally and in writing – was interesting. I asked the mechanic whether the fuel line that had failed was new (trying to see if it could be pinned on either Greg’s Garage or the GMC deal in Ft Myers who did the original extensive fuel line work in April). He said he wasn’t sure but didn’t think so because the line was “brittle.” I wasn’t sure what he meant, but it became clearer on the written summary of the work: “Found fuel leaking from broken fuel injector return hose at L/H injectors. Was able to extract broken pieces from injectors. Replaced fuel return hose.”

Broken pieces? Doesn’t sound like the “clip let loose” problem that Greg’s Garage found. Could there be two separate catastrophic fuel line failures two weeks apart? Seems unlikely, but anything is possible with this truck.

Maybe all fuel line components are programmed to fail at 16 years or 180,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Anyway, I am now $700 poorer but again ready(?) to go. We could have gotten underway with just one day lost, but decided to postpone the trip for 5 days to give us a full weekend with the kids in VA.

FYI, the MRI revealed that Jett’s brain lesions had shrunk even further. Very good news, especially as counterpoint to the truck problems. We don’t have CT scan results yet but the doctor says it would be rare for treatment to be successful in one area of the body and not in another.

I wish I had gotten a photo of the fire truck. But I only got the tow truck.

Categories: Adventures, MA, Places, TS6 | Leave a comment

6th trip south (TS6) plan

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Sparky

I am not sure why I bother to announce a trip “plan” because if recent history is a guide the actual trip will bear little resemblance. But I am either a creature of habit or an optimistic fool – or some combination thereof.

This will be our 6th trip from New England to Florida, hence the “Sixth Trip South” designation. I won’t be dawdling much because (1) Jett’s health is rather delicate and I think a longer-than-necessary trip will be considered torture by some, including her, and (2) I want to arrive in Ft Myers a month before the election so that I can participate. I have already signed up to be a poll worker in Lee County, Florida.

That said, this won’t be a straight shot down I-95. For one, we have to avoid New York City and Philadelphia, as always. I also want to get to the Virginia Beach area to do a little genealogical research. So, yeah, a little diversion. But otherwise pretty straight.

My plan has us traveling 1,685 miles in 8 hops over 17 days. The itinerary:

2 nights in Saugerties NY. I hope to spend a few hours exploring this area of the Hudson River Valley.
1 night in Kutztown PA. This is just an overnight but is close enough to Pennsylvania Dutch country that maybe we can get a good country meal.
4 nights in College Park MD. This is the “visit the kids” stop, but in Maryland rather than Virginia. We have stayed at Cherry Hill Park before and love it, though I doubt we will love it as much in the pandemic.
3 nights near Virginia Beach. I hope to find a few graves of my colonial ancestors and maybe get a glimpse of the Yorktown battlefield too.
3 nights in Myrtle Beach SC. This should be an R&R stop, weather permitting. The hop from Virginia Beach to Myrtle Beach is the longest of the trip and will require a refueling stop.
2 nights near Savannah GA. I don’t have any specific plans for the day here, but there are some interesting cemeteries nearby and maybe I can get some fried green tomatoes for Jett.
1 night at Salt Springs FL. This is just an overnight but is part of my attempt to avoid I-4 on this trip.

The plan has us departing on Wed Sep 16 and arriving Fri Oct 2. This is cutting it close for Jett’s medical appointments. As you know, she did not get the CT scan and MRI that were originally scheduled for last week. Her infusion is scheduled for Sep 15 and the MRI has been rescheduled for Sep 14. The results of the MRI should be available when we meet with the doctor on the 15th. The CT scan, however, has been rescheduled for Sep 16 at noon. So the plan is to button up the RV before we head to the CT scan, then immediately hitch up and depart when we get back. The results of the CT scan will have to be transmitted to Florida to be evaluated there.

All of this depends, of course, on the health of both Jett and the truck.

Keeping my fingers crossed on both.

Categories: Preparation/Planning, TS6 | 2 Comments

“Betrayed” by Lisa Scottoline

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Sparky

You all know about “chick flicks.” This is a “chick mystery.” Yes, it is a whodunit but it is also about feelings and relationships. You know – chick stuff. This is a book with very little testosterone.

The is one of Scottoline’s many books about the Rosato & DeNunzio law firm (though in the earlier books it was just Rosato). The main character in this book, however, is neither Rosato nor DeNunzio but rather Judy Carrier, the senior associate in this all-female Philadelphia law firm. It begins with the firm taking on a huge 75-case workload defending an asbestos manufacturer. This is a big deal for the law firm and a ready-made path to partner for Judy, but she hates the work. It seemed, early on, that the book would be all about these cases.

Not so. Personal problems intervened. She got a call informing her that her beloved Aunt Beth had breast cancer and was to undergo a radical mastectomy on Monday, just a weekend away. Judy heads to her aunt’s home, just over an hour away, to comfort her, joining her mother who has flown in from the west coast.

The three women are joined, briefly, by Iris, an illegal Mexican immigrant who is a gardening partner of Beth’s. Beth speaks very highly of Iris and it is clear she has grown very fond of this young 40ish woman.

So it is quite a shock when Iris turns up dead that very afternoon, the victim of a heart attack. Or so the medical examiner rules. But things don’t seem quite right to Beth and Judy agrees. She quietly starts to investigate Iris’ life.

Things quickly spiral out of control. Over the course of the weekend and the following Monday, Judy experiences an amazing variety of traumas, both physical and emotional. She is assaulted, chased by gunmen intent on murdering her, hides in a pile of manure, watches her VW and an informant being blown up, finds a large sum of money secreted in Beth’s home, dumps her boyfriend, loses control in a deposition and is slapped with what amounts to a malpractice complaint and learns that her Aunt Beth is not her aunt. That is what I call a busy few days. And none of it has anything to do with asbestos.

That probably sounds more exciting than it was. And more exciting than it should have been. The assaults and the car bombing really lacked motive. Why was it necessary for the bad guys to take this drastic action? She really knew very little and the whole nefarious scheme probably would have survived and continued to thrive if they had just ignored her. They brought the law down on themselves by attacking her. So I have a problem with the motive.

I also have a problem with the murder/assaults/car bombing being about 40% of the book – the rest is a recitation of Judy’s personal issues. Cancer, boyfriend, an aunt who is not an aunt. All interesting, but not a mystery. Chick stuff.

4 out of 10.

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Negative

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Sparky

I wasn’t really worried but maybe you were, so I will announce the result of Jett’s COVID-19 test: negative.

Categories: Health | Leave a comment