Thursday 10/7

 Today is the last day I'll be in Mercersberg and Annelle will be on her own. She has had difficult riding as some of the trails are still under water due to the recent hurricanes. Had to go 8 miles out of her way to cross a river that had a bridge wash-out. 

She has had some vertigo issues that now have settled, so that is a relief. I will be happy to get her back in the camper each day so I can make sure she's ok. Yeah, I worry. This was, perhaps, not the greatest way to start the trip, but it's how it worked out. The remainder will be without any self-supported days. Perfect.

Monday, 10/4

 Nothing much going on today. Did a short trip to get some essentials (a Dustbuster. Much more important than last time as Jack gets litter everywhere.) Came back to Mercersberg and took a walk around town. Everything is closed on Monday so I ended up coming back to the camper for lunch. Was hesitant to go too far afield as Annelle said she was having a vertigo spell. She took some Meclazine and rode into NYC. Much relief when I finally heard from her and she was feeling ok.

Doing some laundry right now and munching on cheese for dinner. And keeping Taylor company for a bit. He's so much bigger than Jack, more muscular. He's a super friendly cat and comes and sits by me when I'm in the house. Will go back out when finished and sleep in Roxy, which is pretty darn comfy. The last two nights have been warmer but I do have a fan, so no problem. 

Not sure what I'll do tomorrow. Have downloaded library books so am reading a lot. It's nice. I will have many days in this 5(ish) week period to be busy. Did some research today on The Shining. May read it, but it was fun to see what the critics thought. Super scary movie, in my opinion. Over the top? YES. But that's part of what made it great. I can't believe I'd never seen it before. Now I want to rewatch Dr Strangelove.

I'm a bit antsy to get going, but I'm glad Annelle and Jake are getting to ride together.

10/3

 Yesterday was a long drive from Mercersberg to Stratford, CT. But we had a nice dinner at an outdoor Tex-Mex place. And margaritas. This morning Annelle and Jake took off. They will be in Port Chester this evening and will ride into NYC tomorrow, where Annelle will stay with good friends in Hell's Kitchen.

Bobby and I drove back to Mercersberg and we are (well, he is) making dinner. Chana Masala, one of my favorites. 

I will stay here all week and will explore the environs, do laundry, pet Jack (and Taylor) and chill. On Friday I'll meet Annelle with the camper and we will proceed south. She will not be doing much blogging this week as she has a hard time doing it on her phone, so expect some news from her on Friday.

Weather, so far, is spectacular. Warmer today, but tonight should be cool for us in the camper. 

Mercersberg,PA 10/1

 We've spent 2 lovely days in southern PA. Weather has been fabulous- cool enough at night to need both fleece blankets in the camper! We've done some exploring the beautiful countryside, which we may do more of today. Wi-fi doesn't reach to the camper so we are working around that.

At the moment Annelle is setting up the feeders for Jack so we can leave him overnight by himself in Jake (my cousin) and Bobby's adjacent empty (future apartments) building. . Tomorrow I'll drive us all to the starting point of the ride, spend the night, and drive back to Mercersberg for a few nights on my own while Annelle and Jake do a self-supported route through NYC and environs. It is looking like Sunday will be perfect riding weather, but the next few days look rainy. I'm expecting some discussion later of plan B possibilities. Rain is no fun, but thunderstorms are a no-go. Will let you know.

Mercersberg was one of the stops on the Underground Railroad and this was one of the buildings used as a waypoint. Lots of history here. James Buchanan was born here and one of Jake's friends has bought the house his niece (Harriet Lane) lived in and is turning it into a bed and breakfast. We had a tour yesterday- he's got some pieces that belonged to the original house. It's a huge place with amazing detail in every room. Each room upstairs has a full bath so it's perfect for a B&B. LOTS of work needed and I hope to be able to see the finished product one day. Some of the buildings here are original to the town from the 1700s. 

Finally, after almost 2 years

Night 1, Natural Bridge, VA. A long day of diving but all went well after we got the "extras" hooked up and orientated. Working back-up/rear view camera. On all the time. Very helpful to see who's behind us. Mirror extensions also a help. And the RV specific GPS (which won't sync to my car) on the phone in a spot I could see. These are all things that contribute to the driver's mental health. Oh, and wine at the campsite.

Jack did well. If any of you travel with cats I highly recommend Bach's rescue remedy for pets. Chills him right out. Better than almost anything else I've used. He slept so soundly today we may have to give him a dose tonight so he won't keep us awake! He got a bit of food and a litter box trip when we stopped for lunch. 

Tomorrow we will meet up with my cousin in Mercersburg, PA. We'll spend a couple of days there before I take Annelle to her starting point in Fairfield, CT. Then she'll have a few days of self-supported riding while I pass the time back in Mercersburg. I think she kind of wants the experience. And I, absolutely, don't want the experience driving anywhere near NYC. So, we shall see.

It's 79 at 6:10 but the fan makes it tolerable. To get to 61 overnight. Perfect. Homemade Acorn Squash/coconut/curried soup for dinner. 

When the internet is better will upload Jack's sleeping quarters.

On the way home

The campground for tonight, after our 6 (ish) hour drive, is fantastic. Easy back-in on a lovely brick driveway. Back door view of the canal. Sweet Chicki Hut behind our spot.

 We took our old fashioneds down and watched the fish jump and the birds fly by. The breeze was amazing- I actually got chilly. There has been some rain today and it's muggy. It's 73 degrees though!!
I'm so looking forward to being home.
Tomorrow another 6+ hour day then Sunday we will have a shorter day to Athens.

Jack will be happy to be able to go outside again, though it will be much colder. He's not a fan of the cold.

Just started raining again. We are safely inside a comfy Roxy!

P.S. I am grateful for seasons.

13th, 14th

Today is our last day in the Keys. Yesterday we walked around downtown and did some tourist things for a while. A little of that goes a long way for me. Giant cruise ship in front of a big cruise ship.

Annelle decided to join in a Mariachi serenade and I did not spend $129 on the cool Christmas shirt. We came back and had smart dogs for dinner in the cool breeze of Roxy's open windows.

Last night on my way to the shower I saw a camper like the one we lust for. When I said Hi and asked if it was the model with the rear twins they took me in and gave me a tour. We talked for about 30 minutes about everything. She is a former Broadway actor and he was FDNY. After 9/11 they decided to move to Florida. This is their first RV, on its maiden voyage,  and they couldn't stop telling me how wonderful (it is a Leisure Wonder) it is.  I was worried Annelle would think I had fallen into the shower so I said my goodbyes and took a quick one. She was walking down the path when I was heading back.

 This morning we had breakfast at the Cuban food truck located at the front of the campground. It was delicious. Afterward we went down to the nature preserve. Tiny. Tiny. Didn't see anything but people! 

Came back and decided to walk to a venue for frozen beverages. The heat requires it. I'm not kidding.

It was on the water and was a typical joint. I had some absolutely out-of-this-world Ahi tacos with a wasabi cream for lunch.

We've put the bikes back on the rack (no small feat) and have started a bit of organizing for the 3 day trek home. I went for a cooling dip in the pool. Annelle is making reservations. We have a tentative date with the 2 women who were riding from Jacksonville. We saw their stuff at a site and I'm sure they were relishing riding into town with no gear.

P.S. It has been fun. I am somewhat used to the heat. I still don't like it. I'm grateful that soon I will be wearing jeans and fleece and taking less than 2 showers a day! And I'm grateful to have been able to explore 2/3 of the east coast, campground to campground.
Thanks to all who helped us along the way. And thanks to you blog readers out there for reading.