Author: mchazen

The past two days were spent visiting and touring the area.

On Saturday, I went to the gym with Howard and Jeanne went to the nursery with Suzi to select ornamental plants for the garden.  Suzi prepared an outstanding dinner and award-winning gazpacho soup.

Jeanne and Marty in the backyard of Howard and Suzi. Notice recently planted flowers around border of circle.

Jeanne, Howard and Marty relaxing during walk around North Hampton on a beautiful day.

Jeanne, Howard and Marty at the coach.

On Sunday, we all went to North Hampton to tour the town, shop and have an excellent dinner at one of the local restaurants.  Howard and Sue followed us home to view the coach.  We spent the night at the coach to be closer to tomorrows destination in the Berkshires.

We got up a little later than usual.  Due to the mud at the campsite, getting the coach ready to go was a little messier than usual but eventually we hit the road.

After a few clouds in the morning, the day was perfect for traveling and we enjoyed the ride along the Hudson river valley and over the Berkshires into western Massachusetts.  The only challenge was locating the campground, which was buried way into the woods along a narrow road.  We missed one of the turns and had to take the coach through a craft fair in a very crowded small town.  We survived the ordeal, set up the coach and met Marty’s cousin Howard and his wife Sue in a small town nearby.

After a great dinner, we talked way into the night.  How nice to catch up — it had been a year since we saw them last.

This was a travel day.

Before leaving, we were concerned about the emergency braking system on the Jeep.  After talking with a technician at U.S. Gear (manufacturer of the braking system) it seemed there was a bad connection between the Jeep and coach.  The six-wire connecting cable tested ok but further investigation revealed corrosion in the receptacle on the front of the Jeep.  A little WD40 and plastic brush seemed to solve the problem.  Just one more thing to keep and eye on.

We left the campground in Delaware, New Jersey around 9:00 AM.  The coach had a full tank of fuel and we immediately hit the road.  The interstate through New Jersey was almost as bad as I-10 through Louisiana and we really got bounced around.  The road improved a little after we turned north and finally smoothed out after crossing into New York.  We were happy to see New Jersey in the rear view mirror.

We stopped at a small KOA at Saugerties, New York.  The campground is old but the owner is obviously making improvements.  What a rip-off.  Almost $40 to camp in a 30 amp mud hole with no sewer connection.  Part of the property is a swamp we nicknamed Mosquitoville.  The entire layout of the campground was goofy with some of the campsites arranged in a circle around the dump station.  We hid out in the coach and waited for morning.

Contemporary note:  A few days after dealing with the jeep-to-motorhome connection, I discovered dielectric grease.  Commonly sold in automotive parts stores, it is a special grease that facilitates the flow of electric current through connectors — perfect for automotive applications.

For the most part, the grounds of the campground are flat, so we got a welcome break for the running portion of our workout.  However, Jeanne felt the running was harder than normal and guessed, since we were surrounded by hills, the altitude made running difficult.  After a GPS reading determined the coach was at 385 feet, I suggested there must be some other reason.

We decided to spend the day on vehicle maintenance.  The coach maintenance schedule required replacement of the automatic transmission fluid filter at 5,000 miles.  We had the work done in Florida but discovered the fluid level was low — the service guy guessed instead of verifying the fluid level.  Through trial and error we found the transmission uses an expensive special high-mileage fluid marketed through Allison dealers only.  The trick is finding an Allison dealer close by when you’re camped in the middle of nowhere without reliable cell phone service.  Eventually, we found a dealer in the small town of Netcong, New Jersey (I’m not making this up).  After a leisurely 18 mile drive along the Delaware river we located the dealer, paid $35 for a gallon of the stuff and returned to the coach.  Problem solved.

We had been on the go for so long, we decided to use the rest of the day to prepare the coach for travel and relax.

Contemporary note:  It might seem to the reader that we spent a lot of time hanging around the coach relaxing.  The truth is there is a LOT of maintenance on a motorhome, it is like maintaining your house and vehicle at the same time.  

For example, the coach had six batteries.  Yes, six.  Two were for motor ignition and four were deep-cycle batteries for the living quarters.  Two highly-rated batteries were needed to start the rig and/or to start the diesel generator when shore power (campground hookup) was unavailable.  The four deep-cycle batteries supplied power to the 12 systems when generator or shore power was not available.  All the batteries had to be regularly checked (especially in hot weather) for proper water level, charge, connections, etc.

All the other systems had similar maintenance requirements.  If one system failed, life quickly became complicated.  Preventative maintenance was essential and the best way to deal with it was to set aside some time every day to check and re-check systems.

The last two days have been interesting.

Monday, July 5 was part of the Fourth of July weekend and the campground was still full when we did our morning workout.  Since we got a late start, we skipped breakfast and headed for Lancaster to update the computers.  By the time we headed home, it was late afternoon and hunger drove us to the highly-recommended smorgasbord in the small town of Blue Ball (I’m not making this up).  For $13 each, we ate way too much rib-sticking food and were rolling in agony for the next several hours.  It had to be a 5,000 calorie meal.  Returning to the coach we found the campground cleared out.  I mean empty.  Even the drunk neighbors — the very ones who wanted to see how much smoke the campfire would generate — were gone.  We spent a quiet night watching TV.

Early the next day, we set off for a campground along the Delaware river near the small town of Delaware, New Jersey.  Even sticking to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the roads were narrow, rough and crowded.  After some unexpected delays, we finally pulled into the campground around 2:00 PM.  The campground is old but very well maintained and is set along the bank of the Delaware river.  After setting up, we walked the around and were surprised to find the grounds were bigger than we thought.  After a dip in the pool and dinner of BBQ chops, we read and watched movies the rest of the evening.

The campground filled up and the place is thick with kids, dogs, campfires, BBQs and July 4 decorations.  After our workout, we hid out at the coach all day watching movies and taking care of some chores.

We certainly miss our California friends and the annual gathering at CHFC where intoxicated club members threaten to harm themselves, bystanders and property with a rather disorganized fireworks display.  I’m sure a good time was had by all once the hangovers cleared.

Today, we headed in the opposite direction to visit Valley Forge and Independence Square in Philadelphia.

The grounds at Valley Forge were truly beautiful and well maintained.  Surprisingly, the multi-use trail through the park is enjoyed by local walkers and runners in addition to those interested in the historic aspect of the location.

The standard story of Valley Forge generally focuses on how General Washington tried to keep the army together under terrible conditions during a harsh winter.  Certainly, all this is true.  However, what a visit to the site reveals is the size of the camp, its tactical defenses and its strategic location in relation to Philadelphia.  The camp is big and in addition to living quarters, the soldiers also built support buildings and earthworks around the perimeter.  The camp is in a strategic location: far enough from Philadelphia to prevent a surprise attack by the British, close enough to Pennsylvania to react to British moves and located to protect the farming country of Pennsylvania.  The main problem was the flow of supplies during winter over poor roads.  After visiting this location and several other associated with the Revolutionary War, I’m surprised at the scope and length of the conflict.

Marty with artillery at Valley Forge defenses.

Reproduced log cabins built at Valley Forge.

Jeanne in front of Independence Hall, Philadelphia.

Jeanne with the Liberty Bell.

Another view of Jeanne and the Liberty Bell. Look closely and you can see the fractured bell and repair.

After Valley Forge, we made a quick trip into Philadelphia for Jeanne to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.  Being so close to July 4, the area was really crowded and under heavy security.  Eventually, we got through it all before heading back to the coach.  That evening, we sat around a campfire and watched the fire flies dance in the nearby woods.

After an early workout huffing and puffing up the campground hills, we set out for Gettysburg.

Monuments at Gettysburg.

Open area of Pickett's charge the Confederates had to cross before reaching Federal defenses.

Marty with artillery at "The Angle".

With heavy traffic and a narrow roads through an endless number of small Pennsylvania towns, we finally arrived to find the town of Gettysburg absolutely overrun with tourists.  We eventually parked the car and made it to the tourist center to view the excellent exhibits and attend an “Electric Map” presentation of the battle.  Afterwards we visited the battlefield.  A few photos from a digital camera can’t capture the look and feel of the place — you just have to be there.  The location of Pickett’s charge and Little Round Top were of special interest.  I can’t add anything to what has already been written and documented about the battles; clearly something terrible happened here.  We had plenty to think about on the long drive back to the coach.

Contemporary note:  In our ignorance, we visited Gettysburg on July 2.  Bad idea.  The battle occurred  July 1 – July 3, 1863; we stumbled onto an anniversary date of the battle and the place was packed.

We were way too close to Hershey, Pennsylvania to pass up a visit to the famous chocolate factory.  So, we set out early along country roads that took us through hills, farms and small towns.  The weather was beautiful and we very much enjoyed the drive.

As we approached Hershey, we realized there was more here than a chocolate factory.  In fact, the place is one huge theme park where thousands of wired-up kids are marginally controlled by tired parents trying to make the best of a few precious hours away from work.  We headed for Hershey’s Chocolate World, which is somewhat separate from the theme park.  After sharing the plant tour ride with several screaming kids, Jeanne stocked up with enough chocolate to exceed the carrying capacity of the coach.  After observing the interaction of kids with their parents, I learned something — the primary purpose of school is to separate kids and parents.

Jeanne in Hershey, Pennsylvania stocking up on chocolate. Notice the chocolate-induced smile.

Sample picture on Cabela's showing only 1/3 of the bows available for sale in archery department.

Jeanne at one of several wildlife exhibits at Cabela's.

Ed, this is for you.

Trophy fish over fishing department at Cabela's.

Another exhibit over fish tank at Cabela's.

Outside view of brand new 250,000 square foot store.

On the return trip Jeanne noticed a sign for Cabela’s, which is a well-known outdoor outfitter.  On a lark, we headed for the store.  It turned out we stumbled onto a brand new 250,000 square foot store packed with anything the outdoorsman (and women) could possibly want.  The scope of the place is hard to describe.  We spent four hours there without getting to some of the departments.  It was truly outdoor overload.  It was easily triple the size of the Fort Lauderdale Bass Pro Shop; probably bigger.  Luckily we got away for less than $50.

We woke early after a quiet night and got into our workout.  There is a footpath at one end of the campground where the adventurous family can take a group walk into the wilds of Pennsylvania.  This “outdoor experience” venue was perfect for trailrunning.  However, most of the campground roads are a lot steeper than they appear and running here is a real challenge.  I have no idea how the permanent residents here manage in winter.

After our workout, we headed for the town of Lancaster to pick up e-mails and groceries.  At the local Walmart Supercenter, we discovered a sizable shelter in the parking lot to accommodate horses and buggies.  I’ll try to get a picture of this.

Lancaster, the county seat, is a typical weather beaten east coast town with narrow tree-lined streets and brick buildings.  We drove through the center of town looking for the Borders Books, but eventually found it among the other chain stores at the new shopping center along the interstate.  We eventually returned to the coach, ate dinner and watched a movie.