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.

Key West! Nov. 12

Annelle made it. Key West, baby. Amazing to think how much riding she's done. I'm sad she wasn't able to ride all the way through, but Connecticut to NC/SC awaits.

I rode with her from the campground, 5 miles from the finish, so I jumped in to the photo. 

We had lunch at an outdoor cafe (Blue Heaven) and enjoyed some live music while we ate. I had a salad and Annelle had a huge fish sandwich! We split a Key Lime pie (delicious) and got back on the bikes for the brutal afternoon ride back to camp.

The photo below on the left is looking out our "kitchen" window.  The right shows the site, not far from the ocean. I was not expecting this site as we had made reservations for one of the inland sites. I'm not complaining.



We just took showers and realized how tired we are. Back in the AC for a while. We will probably heat up some pasta in the microwave for dinner and do as little as possible tonight. I'm in the middle of a fun book so I'm good with that. Tomorrow will be a laundry day (I underestimated the heat) and we will take an Uber into town early evening for exploring and an early dinner.

P.S. I am grateful for a smooth end to this leg of the journey. We will leave Friday and take 3 days to get to Athens (where Roxy will spend the winter.) Then on to the welcome cold of Suches.

November 11. Big Pine Key

I'm sitting outside the camper at the fire pit, right on the water. The fire will be lit tonight but it's all quiet now. The wind is keeping me cool. Big wind. 80 degrees. The fire pit is just to the right of the wooden bench you can see in photo 2. The campground is not too full so it will be interesting to see who shows up at the pit.

Could have pulled the trailer in from the front as there wasn't a camper behind us but I backed it in. Every time I learn something and get better at it. I wish Roxy had a window in the front- it would be fantastic to lie in bed and look out at the ocean. We are on the ocean side today, not the bay side.

Fantastic, large shower. One of the few leg-shaving showers in a campground. We are camped right under a bridge but I'm expecting, at mile 32, there won't be a lot of Monday night traffic.

Tomorrow Annelle does the last 32 (or so) miles of this part of the trip. We're trying to figure a way I can meet her at the end point to take a photo. If the campground will let me in early (we had to wait an hour today as we were early for check-in) I'll ride with her to the southernmost point. Fingers crossed. 

I am enjoying my tour of smoked fish dips along the Keys. Today's was tuna and was, again, delicious. We saved some, along with pizza, to eat oceanside tonight. Along with a Florida original, Cigar City Maduro brown ale.

P.S. I am grateful for the breezy cool on an 80 degree day. This couldn't be better!

Nov. 10

Another beautiful campsite with a water view and a Tiki Hut! The people here are incredibly friendly and helpful as well. May not be a lot of shade but I'm not gonna complain. There are no bathroom facilities, which I was a little concerned about, but we do have a toilet and shower and they have full hook-ups so there was nothing to worry about after all. Super nice place. They are awaiting a bunch of big Newmar RVs for a rally today. Guess we'll be the smallest ones again!

The drive today was a delight as well. The colors of the ocean are so beautiful they look unreal. Every blue in the Crayola 64 box plus some. And a few amazing greens and browns added for interest. I do see how people can love it here. And I could (maybe, probably)get used to the heat in return for the beauty. 

P.S. I am grateful for the opportunity to see so much beauty and diversity on this trip. I am filled with joy and wonder.

Key Largo. Nov 9, pm

After getting to Key Largo Annelle and I went for lunch at a place we loved 5 years ago when we came to the Keys for her 60th. The smoked fish dip was as good as I remembered! We also ran into the 2 women who we have  seen on the road several times since Jacksonville.  They're riding self-supported from Jacksonville to Key West. They ducked into the restaurant during a quick rainstorm. We agreed to meet for drinks in Key West on the 14th as we will all be at the same campground. 

 This is our campground from the front, just off the street and at the end of the drive, on the water.

 The dock looking back to the campground. There are several park homes that were rebuilt after Irma decimated the campground. There are a handful of RVs also. You can see how hard the wind is blowing. I did the final (I think) laundry for this part of the trip, then we went for drinks and hors d at a swanky place right on the beach. Beautiful sunset. Nice breeze.

Back now with Jack. Windows open, fan on. Feels pretty decent.

P.S. I am grateful for the beauty of the natural world in all it's different incarnations.

Nov, 9. Miami Everglades RV resort

Now this is a place I'd come back to. But if it involved driving in Miami.....

Yesterday was a traumatic day driving in downtown Miami to pick Annelle up. Suffice it to say (you do not want to hear all the gory details) the drivers are worse than in NYC and, to add to the insanity, motorbikes are everywhere going between cars to get ahead. I was literally shaking when I finally stopped. NEVER again.

We are surrounded here by plant nurseries. I've never seen so many. It's cooler than it has been and we didn't need the AC after the sun went down. This morning is overcast, 76 degrees, with a delightful breeze. I'm hanging out for a bit then I'll pack up and head to Key Largo.

Nov. 7.

Now this campground is not one I will look for in the future. That said, it does have a spectacular shower. Seriously good pressure. Rain shower head. I could have stayed in it all day, especially after I tripped and fell. Luckily I went down in the grass. I'll be sore tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Miami, Everglades Park. I can't believe we are already that far. That means the following night is Key Largo. I'm remembering the fantastic smoked fish dip we had 5 years ago for Annelle's 60th. It was so good we went back two more times!

We will spend 3 days getting to Key West. Then a couple of days enjoying ourselves, riding around town, eating seafood and drinking adult beverages. After that, 3 days home and we will be done with the last 1/3 of the trip. Crazy. We'll take Roxy to Athens for the winter and resume the final 1/3 sometime in the spring.

Annelle's start this morning. Burt Reynolds Park.

The view during todays lunch/dinner. Delicious grouper. The guy in the orange shirt was part of a crew cleaning that boat. They wiped, shined and wiped and shined again. There was one guy on a float, going around shining the bottom! They were covered from head to ankles (barefoot), including some Spy v Spy facemasks.

Tuesday, Wednesday. Johnathan Dickinson State Park

This is a great park. Sites are far enough from each other that there's no feeling cramped. It's laid out well, the showers (which are right behind us) are nice. If there were only a few more trees!

Still so hot. This morning we rode the bikes around the park. Went to the Hobe Mountain Lookout Tower (highest point in southern Florida) and generally explored. It's beautiful.

I hadn't ridden in over a month and my body (especially my bottom) could feel it. That and the heat. (Have I mentioned the heat?) Came back and took a cold shower (heaven) before going back to Alice's to meet her for lunch. We ate on the river, in a sandy area where several White Ibis roamed around. There were signs about feeding wildlife, but someone must be doing it because they kept hanging around. There was a beautiful breeze off the water to keep us cool.

After lunch we went over to Whitney's new business: AR Workshop. It's a craft shop that has classes where groups of friends can get together and make cute decor projects from wood or canvas. Stencils, paint, nails, all kinds of stuff. Pillows, signs, trays, wall art, tons of stuff. Kind of in the Joanna Gaines/Magnolia vein. They're very popular right now. This is me, Whit and Alice in front of the monthly calendar of projects. It's great to see the kid as a happy, successful adult. She loves what she's doing (she started as a customer!)

Tomorrow back to the real world of travel. I'm looking forward to the keys.

P.S. I am grateful for a chance to get on the bike. It was lots of fun.

Ft Pierce/Port St Lucie KOA

We've stayed at several KOAs on this trip and they've all been very well cared for and easy to find and set up in. Until this one. Definitely at the bottom of the list. I had to drive around a couple of times to be sure I was at the entrance but I did find it and the woman at the check in was nice and helpful with showing me to the site. It's a gravel parking lot, mostly. The guy next door has some kind of lunch truck he was working on. We've opted to go on tomorrow to the next site and stay 2 nights there instead of 2 nights here. It's also closer to Alice's.

Great visit with Alice. We spent all afternoon talking, eating, drinking wine and doing laundry. And there's still a load for tomorrow (it is summer in Florida)! We will see Whitney (her daughter, AKA the kid) tomorrow also, so it should be another fun day catching up with her. Nothing like friends who, even if they've been in Guam for 20 years, fall into the relationship like old times.

No photos today. It was a quick set-up then a drive to Alice's.

P.S. I am grateful for friendships that stand the test of time. I am lucky to have many!

Melbourne

This is a cute campground. One of my favorites, I think. Nice tree, we're right on the river, and the showers are across the street. Close enough, but far enough!

We had our usual late lunch/early dinner at a New England Seafood place. Owners moved from Massachusetts 30 years ago and started it up. Just fine.

You may have noticed we've been eating out more on this leg of the trip. There are reasons for this:
1. It's hot.
2. There's gulf shrimp.
3. We've gotten lazy. Or, I've gotten lazy.

Looking forward to a visit with Alice Leilukas! Laundry and lots of fun ahead.

Easy Sunday Morning

Annelle just left and I'm here drinking coffee and looking forward to breaking camp in the DST heat.
This "campground" is actually a trailer park, mostly. There are some seasonal in RVs but mostly what are now called "park homes" AKA trailers. It's right off a highway and very near train tracks. But it was cool enough last night to use the window fan.

I will seek out a Camping World this morning on the way south to see about the crazy back-up camera. It's still coming on occasionally, though not enough to be useful. I've gotten used to doing without, but I would rather have it working.

Spent yesterday afternoon with a bunch of FLA fans in a sports bar, rooting for UGA. I don't think the 2 questionable calls early on changed the outcome, and Florida got their own questionable call later. Dawgs outplayed them. Good win.

Melbourne today. My oatmeal beckons.

P.S. I'm grateful for being able to do this trip for Annelle. Bucket list check-off!

Port Orange/Daytona

This is another campground with LOTS of seasonal campers. Yards, porches, lawn mowers, etc. We have a nice pull-through site among hordes of motorcycles. Don't know what's up in Daytona this weekend or if this is just how it is here. 

It's luxuriously cool. 71 degrees at 7pm. I haven't had the AC going in the car or the camper all day. Overcast. A slight breeze. Sleeping should be good. Last night we finally turned the AC off at midnight and went with the small fan. By morning it was in the 50s and we had to drag the blanket out. No complaining here, it was great. We hear they had some snow in Suches!

Annelle did her longest ride to date today and seemed to enjoy it. The weather certainly makes a huge difference in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Tomorrow Titusville. The "campground" where we have reservations is a 55+ community of mobile homes, park homes and campers. Seems a little odd, but we will see. It will be a different experience from what we have had in the past.

Oh, I may have fixed the back-up camera. It actually had a picture for longer than 30 seconds. Will see tomorrow if it's ok. I need to stop at a RV center to see if they can do a diagnostic while the camper is still attached.

Thursday, Halloween

Yesterday we stayed with Annelle's cousin in Jacksonville. I drove into the driveway and the miracle of being totally level occurred. Perfect.

Once Eddie and I rescued Annelle from her potential heat stroke we went back to his house and had a nice afternoon. We all went to a seafood place (thanks for being DD, Marie) on the water and had a great visit in a great space. I won a glass of wine from the singer when I was the first one to recognize a song he started. Fun.

This morning I slept in (!) and Annelle rode from Eddie's house. He and I got up later and took a nice walk in the neighborhood, had breakfast and watched an am Football program. The hosts were all in costume, which was fun. Nate Burelson did a good job as Deon Sanders.

Another super hot, super sunny day had me picking up my whooped rider on the way to the campground in St. Augustine. Really, the weather has been unbearable. It is supposed to get cooler tonight and continue for a few days. We are praying for that. Right now (7 pm) it's 85 and our AC is keeping us sane.

After getting set up we decided on another late lunch seafood treat. This time the ocean instead of the river. HOT, but there was a nice breeze.

This is a nice campground and we are happy to have trees. Some of the campers up the way are costumed and have chairs out with bowls of candy for trick or treaters. 

P.S. I am grateful that, because we had to change trip plans, we will be far enough from the GA/FLA game in Jacksonville. For those of you who don't know, it's called the largest outdoor cocktail party in the US. For about 100 miles in all directions (probably out in the ocean too) people who don't have tickets for the game still tailgate, camp and party all weekend. And they drive from all over to be close enough to be in the party zone. 

GA/FLA line

We have a nice spot with a patio today. I got hooked up before the rain. We have a cute patio that I'm not sure is going to get much use!

Then Annelle called me to rescue her from the thunderstorm. She did ride in the rain for a while, but when the thunder started she played it safe.

This is looking out onto our patio. Right now the rain has stopped. For a while. We showered and are planning to try some coastal delights for dinner. Roxy seems nice and dry. AC is going full blast. Oatmeal is cooked and cooling for breakfasts the rest of the week. 

This is the bike light charging station. There are a fair number of plugs in the trailer, but, as at home, there are never enough where you want them. It's on the ceiling right where the TV would plug in if we had a tv. We're happy to read, but I would like to see the game on Saturday. Looks like I'll stream on my Mac.

P.S. I am grateful for eggs and grits. Breakfast at the campground this morning was just right.

Rain coming. One dry Roxy.

Last night I got in bed with my book (How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollen-fascinating) and I felt something damp. On further investigation there was not only something damp, there was one whole side of the bed (mine) that was WET. Yes, we had a big storm Saturday night in Suches. Nothing looked wet on the wood and we didn't notice when we packed up. I guess it was a good thing we didn't find it then as it would have delayed our trip by more days.

Today I found the nicest RV place in Brunswick, Newcastle RV. They not only fixed the rigged cord with a brand new one, they took me up the ladder to my roof and showed me what was the problem. Those of you who know me know I don't do well with shoddy work, especially after I had requested a reseal and the dealer had told me it was fine. I asked for something they did not even look at- I could tell the incorrect sealant (didn't know it was the wrong stuff though) was cracked and needed repair. Rocket science not a necessary degree for that observation. Needless to say, the dealer to whom I paid my hard earned money will be getting an email. Just an email, no more business from me or anyone who asks where I got Roxy. Poor thing, she's trying to be a good camper, and she's succeeding when she's not being thwarted.

As  usual, we are the smallest camper. Compact and efficient! (to the left of the tree)

P.S. I am grateful for the attitude adjusting properties of chocolate. 

Sunday, Oct 27

We are back on the road. South of Savannah tonight (it's 78 with high humidity at 6pm) after several stops for running-light checks, among other things. Need to take Roxy to replace the cord that was repaired in Maine. Back-up camera is out, probably due to the power cord.

We've been off for 2 1/2 weeks, not counting the week I came to GA before that. Annelle will commence tomorrow with a 50(ish) miler, so that should give me time to get the repair done.

It took us, together, 20 minutes from pulling in the KOA to register to fully set up. Leveling, stabilizing, power, water, sewer, inside table up! It was super smooth and efficient. AC on inside and we're all fed and watered. It is still too sticky to be doing anything outside, in my opinion. Have I ever expressed how much I dislike heat and humidity?? This part of the trip will be very different from the cool North East. I'll get used to it, I'm sure.

Adventure awaits!

Time moves on

Dad is now with Mom, as he wished. He also got his wish of going to sleep and not waking up. He is at peace and we are sad. It is a blessing he did not have to suffer and he was ready to go. He would have been 91 in December.

We are hoping to resume the last 1/3 of the trip next week. The idea is to start up in GA where we would have been on the same date and finish the final leg. Next spring we can do the middle section from NJ to  GA that we missed due to my needing to come home.

We are putting one foot in front of the other to get things taken care of. When we return we will resume those jobs. All of you who have been through this know what I'm talking about.

Meanwhile, packing and organizing is happening, along with bread baking.

Another change of plans

Annelle awoke during the night with dizziness. It got worse this morning, with nausea. She took a dramamine and went back to sleep. I went to the drugstore to get 7up, saltines and some non-expired dramamine nausea. She slept most of the day. We did the Epley maneuver. (look it up. It's for vertigo and is no fun for the patient.)

I was going to go along with the planned Liberty tour but, alas, no tickets available for today. We made a reservation for an extra night as we weren't sure Annelle would be travelworthy tomorrow either.

Then I talked with my sister. Dad is going downhill quickly. He fell (again) and, this time, hit his head. The home health nurse came today and they are planning hospice, who will hopefully evaluate him tomorrow. His mind is still all there, his body is just done with the work of living.

So, Annelle and I, if she can travel tomorrow, will head home for a while. It will take us 2 days and I hope we make it before he's gone.

The trip will resume.

Back in the saddle

Today we left Niantic, CT for Jersey City. This is the trip I've been dreading, having had to drive from there to Maine on the way up. It did not disappoint. There is nothing like driving a (even small) camper through a busy, big city. I won't bore you with details, just know I lost another week or two of  my life today.

This is the oddest place. It's a RV Park, not a campground. Emphasis on parking. But it's right across from NYC and it has its charms. We decided to walk to Liberty Park as the guy here said it was only about 20 minutes. I don't know how fast he walks, but it was 5 miles round trip. And we were not able to take the ferry to Liberty as all the doors were closed up tight. This was from the walking path.

So tomorrow we will ride the route and take the ferry. One thing I never have done in all my trips to NYC. We also plan to meet up with LeeAnne Hutchison and Grant Neale in the city for drinks tomorrow afternoon!

Dad is having a difficult time. I'm not sure if it's more mental/emotional or physical. All the systems are failing and he's tired of it. I am hoping for some comfort for him.

P.S. I am grateful for an easy back-in spot. And for the knowledge dad is in good hands.

Saturday night in the ATL

One week gap in the trip but dad is safely at my sister's house and the world continues to be unpredictable.

Will fly out in the early am to rejoin Annelle in CT. At present I'm enjoying UGA v Tennessee with a nice cocktail and a nosh.

P.S. I am thankful for the adaptability of life long curmudgeons. It has been nothing short of amazing.

Uncertainty

I'm waiting for my sister to let me know what's up with my dad. They're in the ED at Kennestone.
As Annelle and I planned this trip we knew there may be something with my dad or her mom that we would have to make decisions about. It looks like I may need to fly to GA tomorrow morning and we aren't sure how we will proceed after that. Not sure if Annelle will take a few days to drive home or what. Been a stressful day worrying about it all.
We are grateful to be parked in the yard of a good friend of a good friend, so that is a plus.

Will keep you posted.

Super lazy Sunday

Another rest day. Except it really is for both of us. Had a leisurely breakfast sandwich alla Annelle (with the last of my bread) and did grocery shopping (seems like an everyday thing!) I've been chomping to get the car washed and vacuumed, so that happened. Roxy needs a bath too, but that probably won't happen today.

We're paying bills, doing a load of laundry (also a never-ending chore) and staying out of the hot sun. Thought about doing some exploring in Hartford but I wanted to drive as little as possible.

Later we'll have a curried fish dish in the Instant Pot and some Oregon Pinot Noir.

This life is simple, for the most part. There are repeatable steps, usually daily. The navigation has been a bit of a pain but we have made it to all our destinations. I'm not looking forward to skirting NYC in a few days and we're trying to get the Co Pilot RV adaptable GPS app to speak to me. She'll say "Welcome to Co Pilot" but won't give any verbal route instructions. I am able to see the map (had to get a hands free phone thingy) but it sure is nice to hear it when driving in traffic. I'll look online in a bit and see what I can find out.

It feels like we've been on the road for much longer than 25 days. We are only 1 day behind our original route plan at this point.

P.S. I am grateful for a trip that has some flexibility included.

Bristol

Today was a rest day for Annelle so she drove with me to the next campground. Bear Creek in Bristol, CT. Nice little PULL THROUGH space. Not too many trees but the temps are wonderful at night. Fall is definitely here. There are cabins, tepees, and tiny huts. It's right next door to Compounce Theme Park- the oldest theme park in the US. We considered going to the haunted graveyard tour, but the $$$$$ was a bit high for us.

Tomorrow she was to ride through Hartford, which she has been dreading due to hills. So she's skipping it! I know she will ride many, many more miles, and Hartford isn't one of the best places on the trail, so I'm glad she isn't making herself do every damn mile. We are looking at what kind of fun we can get into in the car.

One more night here and then off to Bridgeport to stay at Anita's friend's house. She is very kind to put us up in her yard/driveway for 2 nights!

So, nice day, fairly relaxing, and tomorrow to be even more relaxing. I do think we both needed this down time.

P.S. I am grateful for a shower big enough to shave my legs! I was beginning to think winter was going to have to start early.

A better day- Friday Sept 27

Annelle got up this morning and decided to change the plan.

Pancakes for breakfast and a ride together on the Charter Oak Trail in Manchester, CT (where we used to buy our new clothes and shoes each year for school when I was a kid!)
We had a leisurely morning and drove up to the trail.

So perfectly done. Beautiful stream side trail, if hilly. We didn't ride much, but I was glad to have a chance to get on the bike (hadn't since Provincetown.) It felt great.

After the ride we had lunch at a pizza place and brought enough leftovers home for 2 more meals apiece!! What a bargain.

Went to Target to get supplies, including a card reader since I left ours at home. Annelle is using her camera while on the trail as her phone is for mapping.

Today is the first day in a few weeks we were home in the afternoon together. We put out the awning on the camper, had a glass of bubbly to celebrate the day (thank you Elizabeth Wise) and brought Jack outside too. It was a fine afternoon.

Now we are getting neighbors. A few campers have arrived since dinner. Quiet time here is 11pm, which is later than we have been used to at a campground. Apparently this is the busiest weekend of the year for this campground! Tomorrow night will be a big fest and trick or treating for the kids. We leave in the am for our next stop, so we'll miss it. Aw, gee.


P.S. I am grateful for the beautiful day we got to share today.

DL and Roxy’s Big Adventure, or The Universe is Such a Jokester

The day started out nice enough. Short trip to take Annelle to the trail, back to camp to pack up, dump tanks, get on the road. The road was lovely again, wide, well maintained, and not busy at all. 

I got to where I thought I was supposed to go and couldn’t find a campground. I turned into the address gps gave me, thinking the registration was behind the bushes. That’s when I got out of the car and had my first Uh Oh moment of the day. I called the campsite and it seems there is more than one Water’s Edge Campground and I had gone to the wrong one. New address entered into gps and one more hour of driving ahead.

Yes, I had pulled into a driveway. A private driveway.  A short one with no possibility of a turn around. With big rocks at the corners. And the road I had turned from was a one lane dirt road with a stone wall. Nobody home. Nobody anywhere. 

Big deep breaths. I am grateful to Oprah (haters gonna hate) and, more recently, Ashley Garrett, for reminding me to be grateful and look at the good things. 

Out of the car to assess the plan. Many backs and forths (and out of the car moments to see where I was)  later I did manage to get out with only one casualty- one of the homeowners solar path lights. I have the address so I will offer to replace said light. 

Back on the lovely rural highways. Horse farms, turning trees. Back roads. Sitting up and breathing in. Then, bam, the road ahead is closed. Like no way was I going forward. Bridge out. Seriously, 2 times in one day to try to extricate myself from a situation by backing the trailer. Seriously???

I am here to tell you I did just that. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked. GPS reroute and made it to the campground that did have our reservation. Backed into one site and the ground was so soggy I couldn’t level. Luckily it’s the end of the season and there are many sites empty. I ended up at the very last site, among the trees, and called to let them know (she had told me to pick whichever site looked good and let her know.) Leveling was fine. I forgot to eat. Or drink. 

Beer and chips time now. Annelle just had a shower and I’m next. When the rain stops. 

P.S. Ashley, I’m grateful for many things. Your fun classes at ARMC, your laugh-out-loud fb posts, and your reminder to me to look at the half-full glass. It’s not my go-to!

Wednesday, Sept 25

RI has some nice highways. RI 101 is a 2 lane, double yellow, nicely maintained road on which I got to drive Roxy for many miles. And I'm grateful for that ease.

Observation: Jack seems to do well when I do well. If I'm stressed driving he seems to meow more. If it's smooth sailing and I'm chill, so is he. It's interesting.

Another observation: This trip reminds me of labor. As in birthing babies. There is pain and agony, followed by rest. There is much talk of never doing this again. The end result (the campground in this case) is so wonderful I forget the previous agony and, lo and behold, do it again.

Such mixed feelings. One minute I'm ready to quit. The next I'm ready to get a super cool, larger, more easily driven camper. These thoughts occupy the many miles I traverse daily. Along with taking time to look at the beauty of New England. And to remind myself to Be Here Now.

I love a Salt Box, a Cape Cod, especially when they're sided with cedar shake shingles. Some of you may not know that I was born in Connecticut and lived there until I was 11. In a Cape Cod house. There is so much that feels like home here to me. The leaves are turning, the air is cool. My favorite season since childhood, fall has so much to love. I could see myself living in many of the sweet towns I pass through.

Tonight we are at a very quiet campground on a lake at the State Line Campground between RI and CT. Most of the seasonals have left or gone home to work for the week. Another laundry day before I picked Annelle up from the trail.

It took me a while but I backed in. It's funny how, once I get a groove going, it's easy. The groove part just takes longer than I'd like!

P.S. I'm grateful, as above, for the easy roads. And for the quiet of this place. We've had a nice dinner and are both, after all the planning for the next few days, relaxing.

The end of beginners luck

I should never have bragged. We all know that. Yeah, I did a good job parking at James and Anita's. But there hasn't been a good back-in since then. Today I called the camp office and asked to change my site to one that was more conducive to an easy parking job. Thank goodness it isn't still summer tourist season.

Annelle left at 0900 from camp for what's to be her longest day yet. I'm a little concerned as we were both tired this morning.

We have broached the subject of "not as young as we once were, are we?" All you people in our cohort (I know, there are outliers) probably know what I'm talking about. You youngsters may be thinking what wimps we are. Your day will come. I could use a spa day! I'd bet Annelle (who hates spa days) would agree.

Our campground (Massasoic SP) has no wi-fi so I decided to spend a little time at the Starbucks nearest Annelle's pick-up spot at Fall River, MA. I never order those sweet drinks but today the Salted Caramel Frappucino was calling my name. I guess every few years it's good to remember why. From Find Friends it looks like Annelle may have made a turn south and she still has 13 miles to get to me. I'm early.

I picked her up yesterday at The Christmas Tree Shop! It was right across that super high bridge and I know how she loves those places. I went in and bought a small colander and a dustpan and brush. Sometimes the broom is just too much.

P.S. I realize I have a ways to go to get to a gratefulness comfort level. I keep forgetting. So, today, I'm grateful for all the drivers here in MA (known to some as "Massholes") who have been kind to this camper driver. Many people have let me into traffic in front of them and have given me the benefit of the doubt without honking. 

Monday afternoon

Monday afternoon. Jack and I are relaxing in the breeze after our morning work. Dropped Annelle early at the trail, did some shopping for groceries and sunscreen, came back and cut vegetables for dinner, had lunch. Someone is cooking a terrific smelling meal not too far from me.  I can't believe  the wind is bringing it this way.

This campground has very wonky internet. Last night Annelle ended up using her phone as a hot-spot. I'd like to post a couple of pictures, but not happening.

Annelle is supposed to ride to the campground but she just texted to let me know she's behind due to intense winds. I imagine she will text me when she gets to the big-ass bridge and ask me to come get her. Can't say I blame her, the winds are pretty bad, and that bridge is VERY HIGH and only 2 lanes with a raised area for bikers and hikers.

Later note. I picked her up. I couldn't see her having any fun going across that bridge with the wind as it is. She only lost a couple of miles.