My new life - retired and full time!

pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Dump station is a hike from the sites so if your there for a while and using the blue totes it will be a haul!!! What used to be area 'H' is now a play ground and some sites (the one I used to like) are no longer there. Brand new water / electric towers though!
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Come On Mother Nature


The morning stared out promising - bright and sunny. However, by 9 a.m. the overcast and sprinkles returned making this another day of sightseeing and errands. We made another stop at Paradise Hill Farm to replenish fruits and veggies – we are really going through this stuff – but I can’t complain, I’ve always liked veggies and my weight is down.
Next it was off to Dunkin Donuts. The chill and damp are starting to get in our bones and a couple of hot chocolates will help chase that away. Lori talked me into trying an Almond Joy hot chocolate. I get skeptical because she really liked the salted caramel hot chocolate at Dunk and I was not a fan. It seemed to take a week before I could get that evil taste out of my mouth! This time she was right! Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate rates below average for me but, an Almond Joy spritzer in it and it wasn’t bad. Always pays to try new things!
From Dunk we headed to the Head of Westport. This is actually where the Westport River begins. There is nice access to the river and it is a primary destination for launching kayaks and paddle boards. There is actually a kayak / paddle board rental business here along with a small country store across the street.

Because the chill and damp was starting to get to us again we decided to take a driving tour of homes throughout town. This didn’t last too long as we are both getting tired of being in the Ram and know we have long stretches on Friday and Saturday. So it was back to the campground to take advantage of some idle time to start getting things packed up or getting them organized to go back into their place.
Tomorrow and Wednesday are supposed to be rainy so we are planning laundry and a visit with the grand-kids on Wednesday – provided we can survive Tuesday’s rain!
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Cape Cod Here We Come!

As predicted, the rains came - and so did the wind. That’s beach living – the meeting of land and sea always causes for high winds when the storm fronts come.
We decided that we would knock an item off the to-do list – at least partially. When we get to Southeaster Massachusetts we like to visit Cape Cod. Especially after Labor Day when most of the seasonal tourist have left and the shops run discounts to clear stock. Because of our schedule we decided we would only take in Falmouth. It is the first major shore town over the Bourne Bridge so there are plenty of shops and galleries to visit. We found ample parking for the Ram in the lot at the intersection of Post Office Rd. and Katherine Lee Bates Rd. behind Eastman’s Hardware. This put us right in the middle of the downtown section of the city.

Umbrella in hand we headed for the Chamber of Commerce to grab one of those cute cartoon maps of the area. While there Lori noticed they had postcards and they were only 25 cents apiece – compared to $2.00 each at Davoll’s. From there it was a stop in Noonan Park just to watch the world pass.


As we’re sitting there the rain starts to pick up so we decided to investigate some of the local shops. We first hit Celebrations, a unique gift shop with year-round Christmas items and Cape Cod themed gifts. Next we dodged the rain by ducking into The Gallery on Main. This gallery has some incredible artwork including some fabulous seafaring pencil art by Barry O’Neil. Some of O’Neil’s pencil art, including military drawings showing ships and aircraft, was displayed in the back room of the gallery because the gallery was setting up for a show in the evening. After we leave the gallery and are heading down the street I noticed that most of the local businesses had bowls of water out for four-legged friends. I always admire places were well mannered dogs are encouraged.


As we are walking down the street we see Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium and I immediately think of Stowe, VT and the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. I wonder if Ben & Bill’s can replicate it? Turns out – close but no cigar – but this is still a great cup of hot chocolate, just not enough to knock off the top guy!

Now the rain is really picking up along with the wind so we decide to wrap up the visit. We make a stop at the post office to get stamps. For some reason the Falmouth Post Office does not carry pre-stamped blank post cards or post card stamps? You would think with all the stores that sell postcards nearby there would be a run on the 35 cent postcard stamps.
As a closing thought we noticed this sign in Ben & Bills’

Who sees a display of chocolate boxes and says “Let me taste something in each box until I find the one I like.”? Do we need to run the park bench scene from Forrest Gump?
 
hometownhiker

hometownhiker

Active Member
Oct 17, 2009
456
Franklin, NC
pudge said:
Last night we had Westport Fire Ambulance on site.



As host campers we have no responsibility to act when EMS arrives. However, as a fellow resident of the Big Blue Ball and as a fellow camper we have an obligation to each other. This Columbus Day will mark the third anniversary of my tibial plateau fracture, the crown of the tibia that forms the lower part of the knee. We had just arrived at Fourth Cliff Recreation Area in Marshfield, MA. - I took that Friday off from work to get a head start on the holiday weekend. We quickly set up the Coleman Niagara and had a sandwich lunch. About one-half hour after arriving we were lugging kayaks to the North River for a quick excursion. Fourth cliff is a peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean south of Boston and the North River begins (or ends?) on the inland side of the peninsula. On this particular Friday the ocean waves were large and that was causing some wave action on the back side of the peninsula. As Lori started to paddle off in her kayak she got a little sideways and a wave capsized her. She has OK, though a little disoriented. Once she was safely ashore I went to retrieve her swamped kayak. As I got to the kayak a wave pushed it into me and knocked me on my butt The wave took it away and the next wave was bringing it toward me, now seated I was at eye level with the runaway kayak. I stuck my legs up to prevent the maniacal kayak from hitting me in the face. Unfortunately my left leg was not slightly bent to absorb the impact and the two bones that make up the knee came smashing together with the top of the tibia shattering because of the impact. This caused a trip to Southcoast Medical Center and an overnight stay at the hospital. Returning to Fourth Cliff I found that the camper had completely been packed up and everything made ready for the trip home by our fellow campers helping Lori. None of whom we had even met yet. I told that story to tell this one! Fortunately the ambulance was here for a non-life threatening condition. But Lori and I know what the family is going through. Thoughts of “how are we going to get the camper out of here?” and “How do we get everything packed away?” begin to come into view. We immediately informed the Horseneck staff that if the family needed anything they could direct them to us and we would handle whatever they needed. Today I went over to the site and introduced myself and made the same offer to the family. I explained my similar situation of three-years ago to them – more briefly than I did here. I’m hoping the wife felt some sense of relief knowing that help is available.
I know Lori is capable of getting our camper packed and hooked up, though it may take a little time because she is not proficient at it. I’ve noticed that most families seem to have each person with a specific job setting up and taking down – with no cross training. I prefer to have Lori knowledgeable of the whole task so; even if she is being helped she knows what is right and what is not! This way if, something happens she is capable of taking action on her own with confidence.

To my fellow campers – be safe. You never know when some freak incident will wreak havoc on your trip, so make sure your partner can handle the load! None of us are invincible – though my plan is to live forever, so far so good.
Click to expand...

Right on, Pudge. We need to help each other out, when we can. It's what keeps the big blue ball spinning.
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Tribute to Immigrants


Today was laundry day plus a day to spend with the grandkids. We needed to get laundry done since we will have three days on the road and it has been a week since the last time we visited the Laundromat (why does spell check capitalize laundomat?). As is our normal mode we tried to get as much done as we could while away from the campground. Our first visit was to Standard Marine Outfitters on Pope’s Island. I needed a boat hook since the Ram has an 8-foot bed and I’m more like the guy with T-Rex arms. Climbing into the bed every time I need something just a foot past the tailgate is annoying. Lori has also been asking for a ‘slicker’ style raincoat and fishing supply stores are the best places to get coats that are impervious to water. Remember these from grammar school kids? The staff at Standard was extremely helpful and it was also 30% of clothing sale time so the shopping was pleasant. Across the street from Standard Marine is Prince Henry the Navigator Park. The park was a gift to the city from the Prince Henry Society of New Bedford and the Portuguese government. The main feature of the park is a large granite and bronze statue of Prince Henry looking out towards the hurricane barrier in the harbor. The statue stands as a tribute to the immigrants who came and built America.




Next was a stop at Walmart for a quick exchange and then to the post office to finally get post card stamps and pre-stamped post cards. Not a store in the area sells souvenir post cards but this post office sells the stamps! Hey, Falmouth post office this may be a gold mine.
From there it was time with the grandkids. They are growing so quickly and we will miss a lot of their development over the winter. Thankfully there is FaceTime!
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Packing Up!

Today is packing day – truck day to the Red Sox fans. When we stay long term, typically two weeks or more everything comes out of the back of the Ram. I have a generator and gas cans, a Weber Q grill with 5# and 20# propane bottles, two camp tables and two blue totes – one 23 gal. for the galley gray water and a 43 gallon for the rear tanks. It is quite a process packing and unpacking. I obviously unpack less when we are at campgrounds with utilities but dry camping gets everything out! Because I’m a ‘place for everything and everything in its place” type of guy I like to pack the back of the truck the day before road day. It makes it easier and neater to find things and to place last minute items in the truck on a travel day. I also take any unused kiln dried wood along to the next destination. I figure if Tetrault can move it across state lines so can I!
Thinking about packing got me to work up an appetite and a slight craving for soup. It’s 70 degrees here today and sunny so I don’t know where this soup thing came from? Since Lori was also hungry we headed out to Partners Village Store for a quick bite to eat. Partners carries an array of gifts, toys, books, cards, candy, specialty foods, and more, Partners is a center for community-inspired events featuring local authors, farmers, artisans, potters, poets, musicians… even local animals and favorite pets. They also have a café which features deli quality sandwiches and homemade soups.


While out we decided to hit Dunkin Donuts – the closest one was in Tiverton, RI – to ensure our phones were all backed up. I had planned to wait until tomorrow night when we were at a commercial campground but you can never count on that. Even with a WiFi extender in the trailer I cannot always get a good connection.
While making coffee this morning I noticed that I underestimated the amount we had so a stop to Lee’s for a quick replenish was next on the list.
Finally we get to load the truck and get some trailer items stowed. There are a number of items that will have to wait until after breakfast in the morning or get stowed as we hook up.
For our last night we always eat out that way there are fewer dishes. Breakfast will also be something that doesn’t dirty pots and pans – oatmeal or cold cereal or something in the bagel/toast family. Everything will be in paper plates or bowls so we will not have any dishes to clean in the morning. The dinner decision was easy. We decided to return to Nick’s for pizza. It kind of surprised both of us since I love the Fall River style chow mein at Oriental Pearl and Lori is usually nuts about boneless pork! But hey, it’s the last chance to get linguica and you can get Chinese food anywhere (except in PA where we had it once and it was…well…different).
Tomorrow is a road day so lets see what happens. Be safe!
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Heading to the Next Gig

Today is travel day. We had a flash flood warning in place for all of today with the potential for torrential downpours. The plan was to be able to get to the backside of NYC before we started looking for a place to stay and now I was having my doubts we would make it that far. It is not like we are on a critical schedule – we are not due to start at Greenbrier until October 1st, so that gives us three full travel days to get 470 miles. The rain started about 7:30 a.m. so we packed up in rain gear and I found that either I did not lace my boots tight enough or they are no longer waterproof. Since most of the truck was packed and the trailer prepped, packing was easy and we were at the dump station by 10
The ride went reasonably well with two stops in Connecticut for breaks. We hit traffic (as expected) on I-95 near Bridgeport and I-287 before the Tappan zee was slow so I figured I wouldn’t get the 250 miles (my daily goal) I was looking for. However, the rest of I287 was pretty clear. Once in New Jersey I needed gas and figured New Jersey is pretty cheap so we stopped off of 287 in Oakland. I was shocked when I got the receipt! I’ll have to use my AAA gas app in the future because JWN & Sons was getting $3.799 for mid-grade. Since it was after 3 pm we figured we would plug a campground into the GPS and have a place to stop for the night. The first Good Sams park (I wanted full hookups so I could flush the black water tank) in our direction of travel was Fla Net Park in Flanders, NJ. So we rerouted onto I-80 and had more backups. Fortunately the campground was only 27 miles from the gas station.

Once we got to the park and got setup it was time to find a place to eat. The hostess at the campground office initially recommended Chili’s and Longhorn, which are O.K. but we typically go for more of the local flare – unless its Cracker Barrel ( We are pretty easy to shop for and the kids know it. Cracker Barrel gift cards are the go-to’s for them.) I told the hostess that we would prefer something that is not a chain so she recommended Budd Lake Diner. As I was searching the GPS for the diner an ITC Buffet popped up – I like buffets, plenty of selection, try a little of everything and then go back and empty what they make well!. We head out of the park and get to the address of the buffet and there’s no buffet there. So I put restaurants in the GPS and a little before Budd Lakes in the listing is Cracker Barrell. Guess where we ended up?
I even got back to the campground in time to do a first flush on the black water tank. Another flush tomorrow and it’ll be on the road to Boonsboro with a stay at a commercial campground since we will be a day early and the host camp site is currently occupied.
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Second Gig - Second Leg

Well we got an early start on the day. We got the trailer packed up quickly and headed to Cracker Barrel for Breakfast – we’re really starting to burn through those gift cards! We got on theroad by 10 am. Our first break came at Wind Gap, PA. where we made a stop at the worst Dunkin Donuts I’ve ever been at! Between customers who were not prepared to a staff that was not in work mode it took forever to get a cup of coffee. We made good time getting to Maryland. Since we were not do to be at Greenbrier until Sunday we looked for a commercial campground. I again wanted full hookups so I could flush tanks figuring we would be dry camping again. I looked in the GPS for Good Sam rated parks and Jelly Stone Maryland came up. This is a beautiful park with all the resort amenities. It is also resort priced at $108/ night on the weekends! Next time I’ll go with the KOA or not look to the GPS while driving.
While close to Greenbrier I thought we would take the short trip there for a visit. I introduced my self to Brie, the ranger at the contact station, and she set me up with a pass and a temporary gate code. What a beautiful campground though very hilly - the morning runs are going to be tough. The host campground site is well placed and has full hookups! We get a golf cart to travel with and the job seems simple enough but I’ll know more after we check in.
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Greenbrier, MD


The plan for today was pretty simple – travel 13 miles! We started the day with a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel and returned to Jellystone to pack up. We also got the obligatory pictures with the stuffed bears at the campground sign. Pack up went quickly and we were on the road for the short jaunt to Greenbrier. I again introduced myself at the contact station and this time was given the host camper pass and the permanent code to the gate – guest codes change frequently and staff codes change but at a lesser frequency. Mike at the contact station said that the duty ranger would be by later so I could have time to set up.
As I am nearing finishing my setup Ranger Chris stopped by to drop off the keys we would need along with the Camp Host Program binder. This binder has all the information you need to complete a successful tour as a camp host, everything from rules and regulations to area churches, RV repair and even locksmiths.
After reading the binder it was off to Boonsboro to find the post office. Boonsboro post office is near the center of town.

The area is set up for walking and shopping with a bunch of eclectic stores. We first stopped for ice cream at Potomac Street Ice Cream, next store to the post office. The ice cream here is delicious and reasonably priced. We followed this up with a quick walk through the downtown area. It is amazing how some towns really pay tribute to their military veterans. Boonsboro has a banner of, what appears to be, everyone from the town who served in the military.

From here we wanted to find the closest supermarket. I search for grocery stores in the GPS and near the top of the list is a Food Lion. This works because I have an MVP card for Food Lion! We get to the address and find an empty store. Apparently Food Lion was not successful at this location so we’ll go in search of the Weiss Market on our first day off.
The ice cream did not ruin our appetites for supper and we were hoping to have a nice fire in the evening. The host campers from another loop and invited us to their site for a fire since there are several new hosts and a few hosts will be leaving soon so it was a nice get together. For some reason they could not get their fire going but it didn’t matter since we were all having a good time swapping stories and getting to know each other. After the fire at Ash loop we returned to our site and tried to get a quick fire going to burn off some of the food and burnable trash in our pit. The fire in ash Loop must have jinxed us because we could not even get paper to burn in our pit!
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
The Stink Bug Invasion

The morning workout is a lot more difficult tackling the Appalachian hills. Twice around the camp loop I’m in, which totals just a little more than 1.5 miles, gives me 8 floors on my fitbit or an overall elevation change of 180 feet.
Today we started our community service at Greenbrier even though we did not get official indoctrinated until later in the day. We got bathrooms done quickly because there are no campers in our loop right now. From there we tidied several camp sites. Here the host campers rake sites after campers depart and with the fall foliage site cleanliness becomes more time consuming.
Our indoctrination happened at 1 pm. There was a heavy concentration on interacting with the guests, for both Lori and I this is a pretty easy concept as we both have extensive experience dealing with the public – Lori as a teacher and myself with my military experience. After that is was policies and procedures and radio communications since we are issued walkie-talkies.
Once that was done we headed to the post office in Boonsboro to retrieve some packages and to the Weis Market for food. By the time this adventure is done I’m going to need a trailer for all the preferred customer food cards I’m collecting. After Weis I looked to my AAA app for cheap gas. The app told me that Alex’s Convenience was $2.899 for mid grade so off we head to Alex’s only to find the pump says $3.179/gallon. Just another app you can’t trust
We return to the campsite to find we have been overrun with stink bugs. Fortunately they did not get into the camper. I sprayed Deep Woods Off around all the window and doors. Somehow they keep getting into the roof vents. The screens are holding them back and I’ve sprayed the vent screens with Off. Every once in a while I find one of the little buggers in there and I open the vent cover – turn on the fan and flick the bug off the vent screen sending it for the ride of its life through the fan and back onto the roof! We’ll see how the battle goes tomorrow. Just trying to keep them out of the rig!
 
mpking

mpking

Super Active Member
Jun 17, 2014
1,460
Raynham, MA
pudge said:
After Weis I looked to my AAA app for cheap gas. The app told me that Alex’s Convenience was $2.899 for mid grade so off we head to Alex’s only to find the pump says $3.179/gallon. Just another app you can’t trust
Click to expand...

Which one's have you tried? I've always been partial to GasBuddy
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Not Potty Training


The toilet in my Flagstaff is an all plastic Domestic brand toilet. What am I, potty training? Potty training toddlers get plastic toilets. I understand this is a weight saving measure but the plastic toilet did not stand up to 180 lbs of stud-muffin! The upper bowl on my Domestic is a two-part assembly and they now stay separated. So to get this replaced we went to the nearest Flagstaff dealer, which for us is Beckley’s Camping Center in Thurmont, MD – about 35 minutes away. During our indoctrination to Greenbrier I mentioned to Ranger Joe that my rig might disappear in the night and not be there the next day. I let him know not to get excited – we didn’t desert him – we are just getting a toilet replaced. He let us know that Beckleys provides onsite RV repair – making Beckleys even more favorable. So after completing our morning tasks we plug Beckleys into the GPS and begin our journey. On the way we see a sign for covered bridges and figure we can get in a couple of photo opportunities along the way. The first covered bridge we find is the Loys Station Covered Bridge in Rocky Ridge.


This bridge sits at a site on the Civil War Trail at a point where Union forces acted to keep JEB Stewart’s troops from reinforcing R. E. Lee’s troops following the Battle at Gettysburg. There is a nice park on one end of the bridge so the kids will have something to do while you check out the bridge. From here we hit the Utica Covered bridge. Unfortunately there is no place to park close to the Utica Bridge so you don’t get to tourist around it much
Once I get to Beckleys I tell them I would like to replace my toilet under warranty but would like to upgrade to a ceramic model. Everyone laughed because Flagstaff warranty will replace with a like item but not upgrade so if I want they will charge me full price for the upgrade AND hand me a new plastic toilet under the warranty? Really, Flagstaff, we need to get better at customer service. I realize that going to plastic toilets is one reason trailers of this size travel trailer went from 11,000 lbs to 8,000 lbs in one year but when customers want to upgrade because you give us crap (no pun intended) you should allow that. Anyway my service advisor, Eric Harvey, was very helpful and is arranging for an onsite replacement.
From Beckleys it was off to Gambrill State Park. One of our duties as host campers is to advise guests on area attractions, including the other parks in the South Mountain Recreation and adjacent areas . The highlight of Gambrill is a winding road to a day-use area with three stone scenic overlooks giving you a 180-degree view of the Frederick and Middletown Valleys.


Next it was time to replenish fruits and veggies so we hit the Boonsboro Farmers Market in Shafer Park. There are only four vendors there but they all deal in farm products, including meats.


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pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
The Original Washington Monument


Today was the day to explore Hagerstown, mostly to get the lay-of-the-land. To do this we stayed pretty much on Rte 40 for a through-and-through trip. The Rte 40 corridor through Hagerstown is pretty much commercial property with everything from the big box stores to smaller strip malls with mom & pop operations in them. Almost anything you need is on Rte 40. There is a short stretch of 40 that is mixed or residential.


Like Boonsboro there are banners of service personnel on almost every utility pole. Different than Boonsboro, the banners have more current pictures of the service men – in Boonsboro all the pictures display the service member in military garb. The banners are very similar in layout in both towns so I’ll have to do some investigating to find out why.


Our next stop was Washington Monument State Park. The Appalachian Trail runs through this park and the George Washington Trail is a short piece of the A.T.. This park is on South Mountains Monument Knob and contains a 40 foot tower, erected by volunteer villagers from Boonsboro to celebrate their Independence Day in 1827.


Though reduced to rubble by weather and vandalism the tower was used by the union army as a signal station during the Civil War and played a significant role in the Battle of South Mountain as well as during nearby Antietam. The monument was rebuilt many times but actually restored to its original condition by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1934-1936 You can actually enter the tower and get a three state (WV, PA, MD) view from the top.


The trail from the parking lot to the monument is relatively short and well maintained but is an uphill walk (as is most things in this part of the country). The path has signs along the way depicting major events in the life of George Washington so you can stop, read and catch your breath – you’ll need it because the view from the monument is breath-taking.
 
pudge

pudge

Active Member
Oct 12, 2008
247
On the Road Full Time
Everyplace is Worth a Second Trip


Today begins the Columbus Day weekend. Like most state parks the schedule for campers over the weekend is inconsistent. I realize not everyone will get Columbus Day off from work so there will be some Sunday check-outs. What I find funny is the Saturday arrival and Monday check-out. Since my section of Greenbrier will be full, at least for Saturday night, we needed to stock up on things we might run out of before the end of the weekend because getting away when the park is full is hard – something always comes up.
As we go through Boonsboro heading to the Weis I noticed the Boonsboro Trolley Station and the future home of the National Road Heritage Museum. I also noticed for the first time that the town maintenance building has some nice murals.


The Trolley Museum was the Boonsboro Trolley Station from 1902 – 1938. In its heyday the trolley ran from Frederick to Middletown, Meyersville, Hagerstown, Thurmont, Williamsport, and Boonsboro in MD and to Shady Grove in PA. The Museum is open the fourth Sunday of the month in May through October from 2 pm to 5 pm.


The National Road Heritage Museum is not yet open and soliciting donations. The museum will honor the nation’s first federal highway intended to expand and populate America’s untamed west.


Now that we are stocked up for the weekend it was time to great the incoming campers. Part of the camp host job here at Greenbrier is to welcome all campers once they are set up, let them know you are the host and where you are located, and to inform them of water stations etc. Greenbrier gives you a golf cart to make the rounds with but my loop is small so I like to alternate tours between riding and walking. As I’m doing a walking tour right at sunset a camper approaches me that he has locked his keys in his car. This is not a problem her because the rangers have a lockout kit. I radio the duty ranger that we have a lockout and she arrives promptly on scene. Unfortunately between the ranger, me, and another host camper we were unsuccessful. Fortunately for the camper he had a friend who was showing up later in the evening who could bring him a spare set of keys! Just another quiet night at the campground.
 
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