A weekend trip

Upper Deerfield Twp
New Jersey

As many of you know, my sister, brother and I own a small cabin in north central Pennsylvania.  Our parents bought this property back in the mid 60's.   It is an old one room school house.  As I've relayed before, the cabin is back in the mountains and sits about 1/4 mile from the birthplace of Silent Movie star Tom Mix.  He went to school in this building.   Okay young people ...Google Tom Mix.

On Saturday morning we left our Rig at our friends house and drove the 280 miles to the cabin.  We intended to stay until Tuesday.   However, we found the bedroom carpets were saturated from a leak in the shower.    We didn't want to further dampen the recently installed carpet so did not use the shower.  We kept fans on the carpet the entire time.

That means no shower on Sunday or Monday.  We did not want to chance the bad smells another day so headed back to NJ a day early.    My siblings and I will make plans for installing a new shower.

The town of Driftwood, Pa is in the middle of the Pennsylvania Elk herd.  We saw no wildlife either Saturday or Sunday.

Coming from the town of Piper, Pa on the Quehanna highway it is 7 miles of paved road and about that many more of mountainous gravel roads to the cabin.  Or taking the Quehanna highway from Piper and picking up 555 thorough the town of Benezette adds another several miles.   An option to save some mileage is from 555 before entering Driftwood is to across the river, Mix Run, that runs directly in front of the cabin.  Our 4 wheel drive truck handles it with ease.   Mid river:

Looking to come up the other side:

Short drive up to the cabin:

Ah, there she is:

Taken from the front yard showing the river below:

We did not see any wildlife Saturday or Sunday but Monday morning they were in abundance.  These are shots taken on the mountain road between the cabin and the town of Driftwood, a distance of 4 miles.

Altogether we saw 6 Elk and 7 deer.  Not bad.

Last night .............long showers!

Tomorrow we hitch up and move to Sea Pines Thousand Trails near Cape May, NJ for two weeks.

Until next time......

Just toss it

Upper Deerfield, NJ

WANT FRUSTRATION????   Is there no quality anymore?  Buy something, it breaks, replace the purchase, repeat.

By way of examples.

1.    My daughter gave us a Keurig for Christmas.   We make AT THE MOST an average of 2 cups of coffee a day.   About 3 weeks ago it started making a grinding noise.   Then the noise stopped for a couple of days.   Then started again last week.   This unit has 3 settings to brew different size cups of coffee.  We always used the largest size.    Last week we attempted to make our morning coffee as usual.  It made a racket and filled the cup less than 1/4 of the way.  It would take us 4 or 5 cycles to get a full cup.   These things are not cheap.  And it lasts 5 months?  What to do?  Just get a new one and hope it lasts longer I guess.

2.   We bought a chaise lawn chair at Camping World a couple of years ago.  Not Cheap!  It lasted one season before it started to tear.   We've bought more of those bagged lawn chairs then I care to count.  They, too, tear apart in just months.  WE ARE NOT THAT FAT!!!!  (well me, maybe a little.)  Will never buy another one.  Last year we got two nice lawn chairs at Penneys.  You guessed it, material is ripping.  Does anybody make a good lawn chair?   For slightly fat people?

3.   Last June I bought a new JetPack MIFI from Verizon.  Worked well.  I was pleased.  On Tuesday I turned it on.   Won't do anything.   I took it to a Verizon store.  They could not get it to turn on either.  It had a one year warranty.   Expired 3 weeks ago.  Only choice to buy a new one. But what steams me.......the warranty on the old one was One Year;  the contract, Two Years.  This means I still have to pay $10.00 a month for 11 more months for a device that does not work. Plus $10.00 for the new one.  I will be making a call to Verizon.  Still in all, the original MIFI should have lasted more than 12 1/2 months I would think.

4.   Even simple things.   When was the last time you bought dish soap that made suds.   Palmolive, Dawn, Joy.... no suds.   Might as well buy a cheap brand that doesn't make subs to pour down the drain instead of paying more for the name brand to pour down the drain

5.   Quality Control.... is there such a thing anymore?   We love our new Fifthwheel RV.  We love the layout, we love the inside storage, we love the way the truck handles it.  Yup, we love it.  Glad we got it.   HOWEVER..... the first time the shower was used, water ran all over the bathroom floor.  Upon investigation I discovered the problem.   The silicone to seal to shower door tracks stopped where the vanity started.   I got a flashlight and looked between the shower and vanity, an distance of no more than two inches.  I saw gobs of silicone on the floor, side of shower and vanity.  I went to the owners forum.   I find FIVE other people with the same year and model RV had the same problem.  Whoever was in charge of placing silicone  along the  shower tracking needs to be trained to do their job right or be fired.  And what about QC????  Dealer fixed it.

Enough..... these are just a few of my complaints.   What about you?  What makes you frustrated?

Which would you prefer?

Port Republic, NJ

We are spending our last few days at

I have mixed feelings.   I like the cost here with our Thousand Trails membership but.....

Today we went for a ride through New Jersey Pine Barrens and the Wharton State Forest.  As a child and young adult I knew the roads through this section of NJ like the back of my hand.  Not anymore.

Excuse the  following hazy pictures, they were taken from inside the truck.  No rolling down windows.  Ever hear of Green Head Flies?  It's the state bird of NJ.   They attack and cling to the truck.  They do the same to ones body. And Bite.  Hard.

When we lived in this area we would trailer our horses here.  We would park in a field behind this monument.

One time we saddled the guys, followed a path and crossed the gravel road from the monument.  We were attacked.  The ears of our horses were covered with Green Heads.   We were covered.  The horses were stumping and attempting to shake them loose.   We decided this was not a good idea.  We crossed back over to where the truck and trailer was parked.    Not a Green Head in sight.   I guess the Green Heads were not old enough to cross the road.    So we followed this old, abandoned railroad track and had a good few hours of trail riding.  And not a bite.

Now, which would you prefer........ where we are parked at this campground on a holiday weekend:

Squeezed in tight, loud music well into the night.

Or riding rough roads,

passing deserted small villages deep in the forest,

crossing over cedar steams,

and one lane bridges,

ending at this campground (no Green Heads noticed here)

with few neighbors

I know which one I would prefer.   Just can not get our 43 foot home down these roads.

Until next time.

The last few days.

Chestnut Lake TT Campground
Port Republic, NJ

We arrived at this campground one week ago today.  We leave next Wednesday.   My feelings about the campground.....they have obviously done  some recent improvements such as a new pool and entry gate.  However, the sites are quite small.  (Although we've been in smaller ones).  This is us on the left, my sister's unit on the right.

These families are all over the place.

It seems we've been on the road most days.   This area of NJ is about an hour and a half drive from where we park at our friends farm.   It took us a great part of the day last Wednesday to get set up as my sisters truck is down and after towing our rig here, returned and got hers.  I can't remember what we did on Thursday. Come to think of it, I think Leonard took the truck to the shop for an alignment.    On Friday we had dermatologist appointments over an hour away.  Took up a lot of the day.


On Saturday afternoon we drove over 2 hours to meet the daughter and son-in-law to get our granddaughters.     We had a bit of excitement after picking the girls up.  We were on the Atlantic City Expressway when we saw a mini-van pulled over and someone standing on the side of the road waving his shirt to warn people to slow down and move over.  We saw their vehicle was on fire.  Leonard pulled over and got the fire extinguisher we keep on the truck.

He used the entire extinguisher and put the flames out but it was so hot, it flamed again.  There was no stopping it.

He called 911.   The State Police arrived shortly and pulled into the open lanes to block traffic as there were explosions and debris flying across the road.   It must have been 10-15 minutes before fire trucks arrived.

All passengers and their pet dog were out when we got to the scene.  They had even pulled out their luggage and lawn chairs.  

On Sunday it was mostly time at the pool and doing a bit of grocery shopping.   A couple who used to belong to the same Good Sam Club as us now have a seasonable site here at Chestnut Neck.  Billie and Joe stopped to say hello and we invited them to stay for dinner.

 On Monday it was the pool again and a visit to nearby Historic Smithville Village.  We apparently got there too early as most shops and attractions were not open.

We thought we found a way to keep them corralled.  But as there was only one of these, the other one still could run loose.  Will have to come up with a better plan.

Yesterday was a really long day.  It rained heavy all night and was still dreary in the AM.  So no pool time.   We instead went to Batsto Village.  We always enjoy our time there just walking along and looking at the old buildings.  The girls especially like the nature center.  Leonard showed them a site where their parents worked on an archaeological dig before the girls were born.

By this time it was stopping for lunch at one of our favorites places ....Peters Diner in Williamstown.  Then another hour and a half to where we met up with their father.  There were a few tears by Abby but we assured them they would be returning in a few weeks to spend more time camping with us.

We have a friend who lives only about 12 miles from where we were taking the girls.  I contacted Karol and asked if she would be home then we would stop by.  She had prepared chicken salad and grilled veggies for dinner.  After a delightful visit we set out for the over two hour drive back to the campground.   An exhausting day indeed!

Now later today we see our cardiologist.   Both of us feeling fit, just our annual checkups.

Until next time.....

Celebrations and RV changes

Mooch Camping
Upper Deerfield Twp, NJ

Well here we are for a few more days, mooching off our friends Lyn and Shirley Mooneyham.  We arrived last Wednesday and will be leaving this Wednesday.

 1st Celebration:

June 10 was the 7th birthday of our granddaughter Abby:

Every little girl likes Ana and her friends from Frozen.   Abby with Ana and her big sister Charlotte:

Abby got to select where to go for dinner.   INDIAN FOOD.   She loves the pitas and creamed spinach.   Also hummus and other Indian delights.  These girls like not only Indian food, but Japanese, Vietnamese and Peruvian.   They know the names of dishes I'd never even heard of (or ate).

2nd celebration:    Wedding

Yesterday daughter Terri was Maidren of Honor at her HS friend Debbie's wedding.   Terri and the groom Bill

Once more I goofed.  I don't have a single good picture of Debbie the bride.  Here's is the best I took.

A good time was had.  Even got in a few Country Line dances and two-steps.   Len and me:

RV changes.  

We love our new Open Range.  I like the color brown...... but this was TOO much.  Brown, nothing but brown.   Brown furniture.  Brown cabinets.  Brown bedspread and curtain.  Brown floors.  Brown carpeting.  So last week Terri and I did a bit of shopping.

Living room before:

After:

Kitchen before

After:

I have 4 pillows that are cream and brown.  My friend Karen, a seamstress will be stopping by in a couple of days to see what she can do to change them out and give us more color.

What that's about it for today.   Until next time......

I do have favorites

Hershey Preserve TT Campground
Lebanon, PA

We are on the downside of our time here at this popular Thousand Trails Park, leaving next Wednesday.  

 Yesterday we got to spend time with one old friend and two newer ones.  When we lived in NJ we were friends with a couple who attended our little church.   Then a few years ago Diane and Russ moved to Florida.   Diane and I have remained in touch.  We visited them in Florida last summer.  This week Diane came up for her grandsons graduation.  Her family lives but 20 miles from where we are camped.  We picked up Diane, bought her back here for a visit and then we went to lunch.

Then last night we met our new friends Darlene and Jim for dinner.  We met this nice couple when in the area last fall.   They plan to eventually fulltime RV.  They are also camped at this park now.  And to our delight we find they will be at a campground near Cape May, NJ the same time as us in July.

 Visiting with friends, eating out twice in one day..... how good does it get.  

People have asked us what is our favorite areas of the country.   I do have a few:

Michigan......we fell in love last fall.  Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state.

The beauty of Mackinaw Island is breathtaking:

Wild Mustangs at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota:

Tenkiller Lake area of Oklahoma.  We just won't return during tornado season.

The mountains of North Carolina

The Prince William Sound off Valdez, Alaska, a treasure trove of wildlife.

Lancaster and Lebanon counties of Pennsylvania.  So neat and tidy.  Well kept lawns.  Old stone houses and rolling hills.

These are a few of my favorites.  What are yours?

What have we come to......

Hershey Preserve Thousand Trials
Lebanon,  PA

We left TN on Tuesday and drove a little over 400 miles where we over-nighted at the West Virginia Welcome Center.   On Wednesday we did the remaining 150 miles to spend two weeks at this TT park.

After getting settled we drove down to Maryland to visit a bit with daughter Amy, SIL Scott and granddaughters Charlotte and Abby.   Last night we went to daughter Terri and SIL Steve's house to visit.  (And do a load of laundry).   We like this park as it is only 7 miles from Terri's house.

Like most folks today, I spend time surfing the Internet.  The Internet has reconnected me to people I have lost track with over the years and gave me opportunities to meet many that I would have never have met except for being on-line.  All this said, I am saddened to read so much rudeness and inappropriate conduct being tossed around.   And mis-information.

On one RV site I read where the original poster was told when entering Canada everyone is checked and they MUST have $1,000. on them.  If not, they can not enter the country.  Really?  People believe this?

Then I read where several people were re-posting that  Betty White died on the day after she turned 94 because she was out partying with young men.  When asked about it, she had said that if she died tomorrow she would have gone out happy.  A simple Internet search tells me....Betty White is alive. Wish people would check things out before re-posting.

Another one... the store Target will no longer sell American Flags.   Not true.

Oh, and the US banned smoking in cars effective some time in March.  This happened LAST YEAR in England.  There are some state and local ordinances banning smoking in cars, no Federal.  Check it out before posting.

One I really love...... on FB coupons keep popping up for free stuff from restaurants and grocery stores.  If everyone used these coupons, the store or restaurant would be in serious financial trouble.  Oh, and Mark Z is NOT going to share his fortunes with you.

I follow a lot of RV related sites.  Someone will post their thoughts of golf carts, who is REALLY a fulltimer, kids, dogs yelping, etc and just watch the snarky, nasty comments to follow.  And please don't give an opinion of which truck, RV, Motorhome you prefer.

I read articles related to politics.   Then I read the comments.  The name calling, insults and hateful comments are disgraceful and ugly.   People can disagree on issues, but thoughtful discussion is better than hate spewed rhetoric.  Few of these people that post ugly comments would say the same thing face to face.

A few weeks ago I read about a young girl who died at her schools field day.  The picture of her was a head shot.  She looked to have a full face.   The comments that followed were shocking.  People talking about her being over-weight and her parents got what they deserved by letting her get fat.  I prayed her parents never saw these comments.   This is not uncommon.  People  jumping to judge others in the most vile way.

And the latest..... the gorilla or the child.  Need I say more?

What have we come to......