Gin is the planner. I am the plodder. I especially plod when it comes to plans.
We arranged to have a 12 volt line running from the rv to toad so that the battery of the toad will not be dead after towing for several hours. It has not been tested yet. I hope it works. It wasn't cheap to put in. RV mechanics charge about $100 an hour and the guy who installed the line for us probably gave us a break on the hours, but it was still enough for about eleven rounds of golf (at senior rates), 12 good lunches, 13 days of car rental, and 14 partridges in a pear tree.
The pressing issue, pun intended, for the brakes in the toad is critical as we begin to plan for our New England trip. We probably qualify as "leaf peepers." The fall foilage is beautiful and what better place to enjoy it than New England. New England means hills, mountains, and severe circumstances for an rv towing a vehicle. A supplementary braking system is in order just to protect the rv braking system and probably by law, although the laws are about clear as mud when it they are looked up.
The cost for a supplemental braking system for the toad is about one and half times the total value of all things in the paragraph before last and a gold record by the Partridge Family to boot. So, being a frugal person (cheap also fits many times), I wanted to shop around for a "deal." Long story short, places were either not experienced at putting in the system I wanted, too expensive, or did not seem reliable.
We had heard and seen wondrous things about the Hershey RV Show, the one in Pennsylvania and appearing on tv several times. Gin and I have had basically positive feelings about the ones we attended, so off we went in the car. It was a nearly 2 hour trip and we got there one-half hour after the opening of the first day. The place was jam packed already. There must have been a thousand, no embellishment, rvs there by dealers and more than a hundred vendors with products, not to mention a walk from the nearly filled parking lots that had Sherpas for hire to help with the lengthy hike.
One of the vendors did indeed offer a deal on installation of the exact braking system that I wanted. The only problem was that the dealer was over 2 hours away and could install it with the earliest time being 3 days after we wanted to leave for New England. It was decided to make the dealership a stop on the way to New England and get the work done by delaying the trip for 3 days.
We belong to AAA. We have more than gotten our money's worth with maps, campground guides, and some discounts for tickets, etc. The time for making tentative arrangements, times, and routes for our trip had arrived.
Long ago in a place far from away, I was involved in professional development with the topic of data analysis. I preached that to determine causal relationships, one must reduce variables in order to make decisions. How many variables are there for a trip like this? Well, there are places that are absolute must sees or stops (see dealership above), highways that have different numbers of lanes, mountains, forests, driving distance capacities for me, places that dogs are allowed or not, 30 or 50 amp services, non-refundable reservations, trains that go by in the night (just like every village having an idiot, campgrounds have trains that travel by only at night with 3000 decibel whistles), reviews of scenic areas on the internet, the electromagnetic flux of the earth, and so on. We tried the route planning of several services and found the AAA one to fit our needs the best. I didn't have to gargle that night. I just poured in the mouthwash and the shaking did the rest.
It remains to be seen how all of this planning turns out, but being a cynical person like I am about some things, perhaps it is time that you reread the title.......
Friday, September 21, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Williamsburg with the Kids
Our next trip in mid July was determined by the vacation the children and grand cuties were taking at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. A major decision to be made was to tow or not to tow. Being concerned about another dead toad upon arrival and some faulty financial calculations on my part resulted a decision to rent a car once there and not to tow. It turned out well.
For the first time, I was largely comfortable in driving the rv. The major understanding that caused this was not overthinking the size of the rv and how it fits into lanes. As long as the focus was on a distant point without worrying about constantly staying in the lane on a close proximity basis, things seemed to go fine. At least, that is my story and I'm sticking with it! We traveled between 55 and 65 miles per hour with the average being close to sixty. Sixty five is really too fast and fifty five is just a mite slow. We averaged around 9.3 mpg, which is good in my book.
The drive was uneventful, but tiring. Five hours is about my limit. I-95 is not the place for Gin to get comfortable with handling the rv, so that is to come later.
The rv camp was nice. Set-up was no problem. The only glitch was moving the rv and redoing the setup after discovering that the leveling jacks really had one side of the rv up in the air. I don't know whether that is a problem or not, but it concerned me. Therefore, the adjustment by unhooking, moving the rv on the pad, and then hooking up again was made. It had everything to do with the way I pulled onto the pad initially, so it was another learning experience.
The next morning, I was picked up by Enterprise Rental Cars to get the rental car. It was a bright red, very small car with a red and white interior. Gin thought it was "cute." It did quite well for us in and around Williamsburg and although it was an additional cost compared to towing (see faulty calculations above), it was worth it not to have to tow, worry about a dead toad, and for the experience of renting as an option.
We spent all day at Busch Gardens with the kids and had a lot of fun. It rained cats and dogs for about an hour, but it turned out alright as it gave us time to get ice cream and for the kids to rest. We wouldn't let the cats and dogs have any of the ice cream - well, only what was dropped on the ground.
I had previously wanted to go to Jamestown because of recommendations from family and friends. Truth be told, history can be a real bore for me for the most part and Gin wasn't that exited about it either. So...
We did Williamsburg sightseeing the next day as the kids went to the water park. We did the old historical district by what I call mechanized hiking, that is, we drove by. Next, we went to the new Williamsburg Pottery. It appealed to the eye, but lacked the charm, unique items, and pricing of the old one. Lunch was had near the historical district and was good. Although intrigued by the three cheese grit with shrimp offering, I had crab cakes. Too much mustard or similar spice in the recipe and I was tasting them all day.
Shopping was next on the list and that went okay. Gin posed with the statue as seen below. It was our only picture as we were remiss in taking some of the kids at Busch Gardens. This will have a bearing on the content of the blogs in the future with the purchase of a small, portable camera that is easy to use, I hope.
One highlight (I am easy to amuse because of previous exhilarating outings such as going down to the Safeway and watching 'em check out on Saturday mornings) for me was the purchase of a chocolate truffle for me and one for Gin - when she wasn't with me. That is just about the only way that goodies can be bought and eaten by us. She will not buy them, but enjoys them when offered. Oh well...
We met the kids, saw their condo, and went to an ice cream store that night. It was fun and we got frozen yogurt (low or nonfat), but in a waffle cone (definitely a no-no with the fat and calories). Go figure - it's like eating a doughnut with a diet soda. The last time I looked though, I was still on the right side of the grass - above instead of below.
The trip home was long, but uneventful. I resolved to get the dead toad problem fixed...
For the first time, I was largely comfortable in driving the rv. The major understanding that caused this was not overthinking the size of the rv and how it fits into lanes. As long as the focus was on a distant point without worrying about constantly staying in the lane on a close proximity basis, things seemed to go fine. At least, that is my story and I'm sticking with it! We traveled between 55 and 65 miles per hour with the average being close to sixty. Sixty five is really too fast and fifty five is just a mite slow. We averaged around 9.3 mpg, which is good in my book.
The drive was uneventful, but tiring. Five hours is about my limit. I-95 is not the place for Gin to get comfortable with handling the rv, so that is to come later.
The rv camp was nice. Set-up was no problem. The only glitch was moving the rv and redoing the setup after discovering that the leveling jacks really had one side of the rv up in the air. I don't know whether that is a problem or not, but it concerned me. Therefore, the adjustment by unhooking, moving the rv on the pad, and then hooking up again was made. It had everything to do with the way I pulled onto the pad initially, so it was another learning experience.
The next morning, I was picked up by Enterprise Rental Cars to get the rental car. It was a bright red, very small car with a red and white interior. Gin thought it was "cute." It did quite well for us in and around Williamsburg and although it was an additional cost compared to towing (see faulty calculations above), it was worth it not to have to tow, worry about a dead toad, and for the experience of renting as an option.
We spent all day at Busch Gardens with the kids and had a lot of fun. It rained cats and dogs for about an hour, but it turned out alright as it gave us time to get ice cream and for the kids to rest. We wouldn't let the cats and dogs have any of the ice cream - well, only what was dropped on the ground.
I had previously wanted to go to Jamestown because of recommendations from family and friends. Truth be told, history can be a real bore for me for the most part and Gin wasn't that exited about it either. So...
We did Williamsburg sightseeing the next day as the kids went to the water park. We did the old historical district by what I call mechanized hiking, that is, we drove by. Next, we went to the new Williamsburg Pottery. It appealed to the eye, but lacked the charm, unique items, and pricing of the old one. Lunch was had near the historical district and was good. Although intrigued by the three cheese grit with shrimp offering, I had crab cakes. Too much mustard or similar spice in the recipe and I was tasting them all day.
Shopping was next on the list and that went okay. Gin posed with the statue as seen below. It was our only picture as we were remiss in taking some of the kids at Busch Gardens. This will have a bearing on the content of the blogs in the future with the purchase of a small, portable camera that is easy to use, I hope.
One highlight (I am easy to amuse because of previous exhilarating outings such as going down to the Safeway and watching 'em check out on Saturday mornings) for me was the purchase of a chocolate truffle for me and one for Gin - when she wasn't with me. That is just about the only way that goodies can be bought and eaten by us. She will not buy them, but enjoys them when offered. Oh well...
We met the kids, saw their condo, and went to an ice cream store that night. It was fun and we got frozen yogurt (low or nonfat), but in a waffle cone (definitely a no-no with the fat and calories). Go figure - it's like eating a doughnut with a diet soda. The last time I looked though, I was still on the right side of the grass - above instead of below.
The trip home was long, but uneventful. I resolved to get the dead toad problem fixed...
Sunday, September 2, 2012
A Dead Toad ..., Part 2
It was time to tend to our major goal with the rv. It is not so much the camping that we look forward to, but the sights we can see in our travels. At this juncture, our sights defined include the scenery wherever we go and the local habitats, which include shopping at the not-run-of-the-mill places and local restaurants.
We went to the less developed side of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. We did some minor hiking in addition to seeing the canyon. It really was very impressive, much more than I anticipated. The trees and general environment were pristine and what a state park should be. My cynical nature, no pun intended, is characterized by states and tourist offices describing their attractions in an embellished way. By being born and raised in West Virginia, embellishment is fine with me as long as I am the one doing it and I do it exceptionally well on occasion - that's no kidding or as my father used to say, "I'm not pulling your leg" on this one. If embellishment is being used to sell me something, that is another story.
We used the rest of the day to shop in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. It is a nice, quiet, interesting place to shop. Gin really liked the different types of merchandise sold in the unique shops and probably would have liked to spend more time there. For me, it was okay. I bought a seven piece screwdriver set for a buck - my kind of shopping. When asked why it was so quiet, a salesperson said that Wellsboro is really busy during a music festival and again during the leaf changing season.
We like to eat in local places rather than chains. On a back street, we saw what looked like a family restaurant that was somewhat busy. To be off the beaten track and thriving is usually a good sign. I had a real hamburger for the first time in well over a year, not the 93% fat free cardboard that we usually eat, and french fries. Actually, the hamburger was split between Gin and me as prearranged and negotiated before ordering. One of the great dilemmas in life as one gets older is being full before dessert can be ordered and eaten. Normally, when we eat out, it is usually lunch, we do not eat dinner or just have something very light. We resolved the dessert issue, I saw that this restaurant had real home made pies, by coming back later in the day and ordering a piece of pie apiece to appease us personally. The pie was good, but not amazing considering that we deprive ourselves of that goodie as a rule. Oh well...
The owner of the campground advised Gin that the canyon was spectacular at sunset. We went to the more developed side. This is a much easier side to see the canyon with much larger views and we enjoyed it very much.
The drive home was relatively uneventful. With less wind, it was much less stressful. We did return to the same gas station as on the way, an independent one, to get cheap gas. It is amazing to me that there was as much as a thirty cent difference in prices along the way and with the rv getting about 8 miles to the galleon, this was important.
When stopping for the gas, I dutifully started the car as had been done on the way up. The manual said to do this as part of the towing procedures.
We were concerned about having a dead toad when arriving at the storage lot for the rv. I ignored Gin's advice for the direction of the rv in relation to the toad. Bad, bad move... The toad was dead and sitting at an angle which put the hereto told release handles for the tow in a locked position (see the previous post for the details. By putting the toad in park once again in desperation, I now had an rv sitting in a position that could not be turned around and a toad that could not be moved. Woe is me. It was hot in the late afternoon. We could have called a wonderful neighbor for assistance, but preferred not to bother him if possible.
So I did it with an Army solution. If something does not work, bang it with a bigger hammer. I will spare you the gory details, but one tow bar side was eventually disengaged from the toad which led to the other one having the pressure taken off and we were free. The rv had to be driven home and another car picked up to bring back for jumping the battery for the dead toad. Mission accomplished. However, something has to be done about the dead toad after towing for more than five hours.....
We went to the less developed side of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. We did some minor hiking in addition to seeing the canyon. It really was very impressive, much more than I anticipated. The trees and general environment were pristine and what a state park should be. My cynical nature, no pun intended, is characterized by states and tourist offices describing their attractions in an embellished way. By being born and raised in West Virginia, embellishment is fine with me as long as I am the one doing it and I do it exceptionally well on occasion - that's no kidding or as my father used to say, "I'm not pulling your leg" on this one. If embellishment is being used to sell me something, that is another story.
We used the rest of the day to shop in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. It is a nice, quiet, interesting place to shop. Gin really liked the different types of merchandise sold in the unique shops and probably would have liked to spend more time there. For me, it was okay. I bought a seven piece screwdriver set for a buck - my kind of shopping. When asked why it was so quiet, a salesperson said that Wellsboro is really busy during a music festival and again during the leaf changing season.
We like to eat in local places rather than chains. On a back street, we saw what looked like a family restaurant that was somewhat busy. To be off the beaten track and thriving is usually a good sign. I had a real hamburger for the first time in well over a year, not the 93% fat free cardboard that we usually eat, and french fries. Actually, the hamburger was split between Gin and me as prearranged and negotiated before ordering. One of the great dilemmas in life as one gets older is being full before dessert can be ordered and eaten. Normally, when we eat out, it is usually lunch, we do not eat dinner or just have something very light. We resolved the dessert issue, I saw that this restaurant had real home made pies, by coming back later in the day and ordering a piece of pie apiece to appease us personally. The pie was good, but not amazing considering that we deprive ourselves of that goodie as a rule. Oh well...
The owner of the campground advised Gin that the canyon was spectacular at sunset. We went to the more developed side. This is a much easier side to see the canyon with much larger views and we enjoyed it very much.
The drive home was relatively uneventful. With less wind, it was much less stressful. We did return to the same gas station as on the way, an independent one, to get cheap gas. It is amazing to me that there was as much as a thirty cent difference in prices along the way and with the rv getting about 8 miles to the galleon, this was important.
When stopping for the gas, I dutifully started the car as had been done on the way up. The manual said to do this as part of the towing procedures.
We were concerned about having a dead toad when arriving at the storage lot for the rv. I ignored Gin's advice for the direction of the rv in relation to the toad. Bad, bad move... The toad was dead and sitting at an angle which put the hereto told release handles for the tow in a locked position (see the previous post for the details. By putting the toad in park once again in desperation, I now had an rv sitting in a position that could not be turned around and a toad that could not be moved. Woe is me. It was hot in the late afternoon. We could have called a wonderful neighbor for assistance, but preferred not to bother him if possible.
So I did it with an Army solution. If something does not work, bang it with a bigger hammer. I will spare you the gory details, but one tow bar side was eventually disengaged from the toad which led to the other one having the pressure taken off and we were free. The rv had to be driven home and another car picked up to bring back for jumping the battery for the dead toad. Mission accomplished. However, something has to be done about the dead toad after towing for more than five hours.....
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