Planning Future Travel
This is another of these mornings when I have awakened far earlier (3:08 a.m.) than I would have liked. After lying awake for an hour, or so, I am now downstairs surfing the net and making preliminary travel plans for when we depart Rochester. I just heard that the coffeemaker is no longer gurgling so I will prepare a cup of my favorite (though decaffeinated) morning elixir before I continue.
Ah, coffee in hand. To the RV’er planning can be an interesting challenge as itineraries are seldom fixed and contingencies are always necessary. When you throw in camping site locations and availability into the mix it can be especially exigent.
By way of example, we would like to meet a cousin in Hyde Park, NY around the twelfth of September. At that time our current plans are to be in New Hampshire. Here are some of the questions that arise. 1. Do we journey down without the RV and then return to NH? 2. Do we journey down with the RV and then return to NH? 3. Do we journey down with the RV and then continue afterwards to Florida? 4. Do we journey down with the RV and then go elsewhere afterward? 5. Do we go anywhere at all or do we stay put for awhile? 6. If we do go what is the nearest campground and do they stay open after Labor Day? 7. Is the campground on the east side of the Hudson River or, if not, is there a convenient bridge nearby? 8. Are we going to confine our explorations to the Hyde Park area or are we going to do further journeying up and down the Hudson River area? 9. Where will meet up with my cousin, Tug, and what kind of accommodations will he be utilizing? 10. Are there any campgrounds near where he “might” be staying? 11. What is his itinerary, and timetable, and can we adapt to it? 12. Are there any contingencies I have failed to consider?
From my list of questions I’m sure you can realize the scope of my travel planning and preparation (and this is for one possible side trip). That’s the thing about the RV lifestyle; it’s not about a destination as much as it is about the journey. There are itineraries within itineraries and agendas within other agendas. I have often pondered why many are attracted to the RV lifestyle and have concluded that the demand for flexibility and spontaneity lies at the heart of its appeal. Yes, I know most people require a rigid travel agenda because of copious demands of employment and family obligations, but to the full time RV’er the calendar is much like the challenge of an empty canvas to an Impressionist artist – it demands to be filled with color and form. To most people traveling is a requirement or an escape but to the dedicated RV’er it is an art.
The other thing you might gather from my rambling script is that, even when not on the road, the full time RV’er is always traveling, at least in his mind. By the way, lest some misinterpret my motives, this is not meant to romanticize the RV lifestyle but it may serve to clarify the RV persona for some of my readers. And while it appears to some that RV’ing is a casual pursuit, I would caution you that consider adopting this way of life not do so casually. In the same way the artist is committed in the pursuit of their art, so the full-time RV’er be committed theirs. On the other hand this, too, is not meant to be intimidating in my causations to not adopt RV’ing lightly because one of the greatest attributes of the RV’er is joy and a lighthearted spirit.
Hopefully, this will prove to be more enlightening than confusing to most of you.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Day Sixty-one
A Cool Respite
Early morning and I am sitting on the deck again; the temperature is a comfortable 65 degrees. Yesterday we had wide spread showers that lasted into the night resulting in this wonderful cool air. I awakened about 4:30 a.m. and have been unable to go back to sleepy land. I hate it when I do that.
Tomorrow is a big day here at the house. The plan is for the family to gather @ 9 a.m. and complete the process of emptying the basement and sheds of all the items desired for themselves. Trash will be put to the curb and the remainder put back in the sheds for the garage sale next weekend. I am glad this process is nearing completion.
Also, I have been making plans for our departure on August 12th. We have reservations @ The Villages at Turning Stone RV Park east of Syracuse. This facility is a part of the Oneida Indian Nation and has a casino complex and other amenities. Arriving on Thursday, we will drive back to Syracuse on Friday for Gina’s graduation and then departing Saturday for Alton Bay, NH. From Turning Stone to Alton Bay is not terribly far but with the fifth-wheel we may do it in two days rather than one.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a six inch puncture on the fifth-wheel near the king pin. I didn’t do it and have been attempting to figure out who did. We recently had service done to our rig but I would think that I would have noticed it when hooking up to drag it back to the house. The servicing dealer will never own up to it now that I have it back in the driveway so I will have to deal with it myself. Thank goodness for metallic duct tape.
Thursday night we enjoyed an evening over at Larry and Sandy’s. Kathy had cooked a pot of sauce so Sandy made gnocchis and we had an Italian dinner. Kathy also roasted a large chicken. It was great! Tonight we have dinner plans with friends Carol and John down at Irondequoit Bay near the outlet to Lake Ontario. I’m told the dinning is al fresco so it should be nice with the current weather.
Early morning and I am sitting on the deck again; the temperature is a comfortable 65 degrees. Yesterday we had wide spread showers that lasted into the night resulting in this wonderful cool air. I awakened about 4:30 a.m. and have been unable to go back to sleepy land. I hate it when I do that.
Tomorrow is a big day here at the house. The plan is for the family to gather @ 9 a.m. and complete the process of emptying the basement and sheds of all the items desired for themselves. Trash will be put to the curb and the remainder put back in the sheds for the garage sale next weekend. I am glad this process is nearing completion.
Also, I have been making plans for our departure on August 12th. We have reservations @ The Villages at Turning Stone RV Park east of Syracuse. This facility is a part of the Oneida Indian Nation and has a casino complex and other amenities. Arriving on Thursday, we will drive back to Syracuse on Friday for Gina’s graduation and then departing Saturday for Alton Bay, NH. From Turning Stone to Alton Bay is not terribly far but with the fifth-wheel we may do it in two days rather than one.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a six inch puncture on the fifth-wheel near the king pin. I didn’t do it and have been attempting to figure out who did. We recently had service done to our rig but I would think that I would have noticed it when hooking up to drag it back to the house. The servicing dealer will never own up to it now that I have it back in the driveway so I will have to deal with it myself. Thank goodness for metallic duct tape.
Thursday night we enjoyed an evening over at Larry and Sandy’s. Kathy had cooked a pot of sauce so Sandy made gnocchis and we had an Italian dinner. Kathy also roasted a large chicken. It was great! Tonight we have dinner plans with friends Carol and John down at Irondequoit Bay near the outlet to Lake Ontario. I’m told the dinning is al fresco so it should be nice with the current weather.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Day Fifty-eight
Rochester Heat
It is sweltering here in Rochester; warmer than Florida. In spite of this I played golf this afternoon with Danny in the Men's League at Lake Shore Golf Club. Kathy is spending the night at Danny & Kim’s so they can get a good night’s sleep while she tends to Brayden.
Not much else to write about.
It is sweltering here in Rochester; warmer than Florida. In spite of this I played golf this afternoon with Danny in the Men's League at Lake Shore Golf Club. Kathy is spending the night at Danny & Kim’s so they can get a good night’s sleep while she tends to Brayden.
Not much else to write about.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Day Fifty-seven
Beautiful but Warm
Awakened about 3:30 a.m. and arose at 5:30. I am, presently, sitting outside on the deck enjoying what little coolness we will experience today. I am under the impression that it is to be cooler here in New York than it is back home in Florida but this doesn’t seem to be the case. Highs are in the 90’s with a low near 80 – sounds like Florida to me.
Sunday we had a nice 4th as we spent it with family. I played golf with Danny and his father and we had a good time despite the challenging course and the warm temperature. Afterward, we all gathered at Danny & Kim’s for supper with Kathy’s stuffed shells, Zweigles red & white hots, cheeseburgers, ice-cream cake and more. Too much food!
Today’s agenda includes a nursing home visit to see Kathy’s mom and some shopping for miscellaneous items we need around the house. Kathy is beginning to prepare for a yard sale to be held the weekend after next, with the proceeds going into her mother’s account at the nursing home.
We are anticipating getting back on the road in Mid-August. Joey’s fiancée, Gina, is graduating on the 13th in Syracuse and our plan is to attend. We will probably take the fifth-wheel to Syracuse the day before and find a campsite nearby and then depart for New Hampshire the day after the ceremony where we plan to meet my father in Alton Bay. This is not set in stone but seems to be firming up as the date nears.
As I conclude I will mention that, as I am writing this, I have been watching the family of feral kittens in residence romp around the yard. Momma & Poppa kitty eye me cautiously from time to time attempting to discern if I represent a threat. Kathy puts out water for them, but we do not feed them as we don’t wish to hinder their departure should leaving ever occur to them. They are cute, though not very friendly, and it is fun to watch them play and wrestle with one another.
Have a nice day, everyone.
Awakened about 3:30 a.m. and arose at 5:30. I am, presently, sitting outside on the deck enjoying what little coolness we will experience today. I am under the impression that it is to be cooler here in New York than it is back home in Florida but this doesn’t seem to be the case. Highs are in the 90’s with a low near 80 – sounds like Florida to me.
Sunday we had a nice 4th as we spent it with family. I played golf with Danny and his father and we had a good time despite the challenging course and the warm temperature. Afterward, we all gathered at Danny & Kim’s for supper with Kathy’s stuffed shells, Zweigles red & white hots, cheeseburgers, ice-cream cake and more. Too much food!
Today’s agenda includes a nursing home visit to see Kathy’s mom and some shopping for miscellaneous items we need around the house. Kathy is beginning to prepare for a yard sale to be held the weekend after next, with the proceeds going into her mother’s account at the nursing home.
We are anticipating getting back on the road in Mid-August. Joey’s fiancée, Gina, is graduating on the 13th in Syracuse and our plan is to attend. We will probably take the fifth-wheel to Syracuse the day before and find a campsite nearby and then depart for New Hampshire the day after the ceremony where we plan to meet my father in Alton Bay. This is not set in stone but seems to be firming up as the date nears.
As I conclude I will mention that, as I am writing this, I have been watching the family of feral kittens in residence romp around the yard. Momma & Poppa kitty eye me cautiously from time to time attempting to discern if I represent a threat. Kathy puts out water for them, but we do not feed them as we don’t wish to hinder their departure should leaving ever occur to them. They are cute, though not very friendly, and it is fun to watch them play and wrestle with one another.
Have a nice day, everyone.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Day Fifty-four
Not Much Adventure Lately
We are ensconced at Kathy’s mom’s house, complete with Cable. We must have been pretty excited the day it was installed as there was an earthquake and we didn’t feel the ground shake. The epicenter was just outside Ottawa, ON and was felt as far south as Rhode Island and as far west as Michigan. One of the cable people asked us, “Did you feel the quake?” All we could say was, “what earthquake?”
The house is slowly emptying out as different family members select items and take them away. Eventually, we will have to relocate back to the RV as there will no longer be furniture enough in the house for us to be comfortable. We are uncertain as to where we will park when this becomes necessary. The local campground doesn’t have sewer hook-up though it is in a nice setting. We may park in Dave & Jan’s back yard as they have 30 amp electrical service but this location is a little further from Brayden than Kathy would like.
Danny and Kim delivered Brayden Daniel Geraci on June 25th. He was 22 inches long and weighed 9lbs and 10ozs. Grammy (Kathy) is especially happy as this is her first grandchild in Rochester. She enjoys dropping by to visit where much cooing and rocking is the order of the day. She is also eager to offer her babysitting services.
Other than activities around then house we have done little. A few visits with family and a walk in one of the local parks. The parks are lovely here with plenty of open spaces, yet with beautiful trees. I have wanted to get out with my camera but the opportunity has presented itself. We’re not sure about what we will be doing on the 4th as no one has committed to any plan yet. I will probably play golf with Danny even though it is predicted to be hot (record highs, they say). There is a concert (Rochester Philharmonic) downtown that evening and we might brave the crowds and give it a go.
Larry has been looking after the house back home, thankfully. He called late last week to tell me the AC was out. The culprit was a $1100 blower motor. It is covered by warranty so our share will be the labor costs only. It sure is nice to have a friend who will check up on things, even staying overnight occasionally. Of course, the hot tub we left running makes a pretty good perk after an afternoon on the golf course, hey Larry.
Today’s plan has yet to coalesce so we will free-form it, as we often do. Spontaneity is a great quality and we so enjoy it. Often, when we do make plans, something happens to foil those best laid but when we free-form it we are seldom disappointed.
We are ensconced at Kathy’s mom’s house, complete with Cable. We must have been pretty excited the day it was installed as there was an earthquake and we didn’t feel the ground shake. The epicenter was just outside Ottawa, ON and was felt as far south as Rhode Island and as far west as Michigan. One of the cable people asked us, “Did you feel the quake?” All we could say was, “what earthquake?”
The house is slowly emptying out as different family members select items and take them away. Eventually, we will have to relocate back to the RV as there will no longer be furniture enough in the house for us to be comfortable. We are uncertain as to where we will park when this becomes necessary. The local campground doesn’t have sewer hook-up though it is in a nice setting. We may park in Dave & Jan’s back yard as they have 30 amp electrical service but this location is a little further from Brayden than Kathy would like.
Danny and Kim delivered Brayden Daniel Geraci on June 25th. He was 22 inches long and weighed 9lbs and 10ozs. Grammy (Kathy) is especially happy as this is her first grandchild in Rochester. She enjoys dropping by to visit where much cooing and rocking is the order of the day. She is also eager to offer her babysitting services.
Other than activities around then house we have done little. A few visits with family and a walk in one of the local parks. The parks are lovely here with plenty of open spaces, yet with beautiful trees. I have wanted to get out with my camera but the opportunity has presented itself. We’re not sure about what we will be doing on the 4th as no one has committed to any plan yet. I will probably play golf with Danny even though it is predicted to be hot (record highs, they say). There is a concert (Rochester Philharmonic) downtown that evening and we might brave the crowds and give it a go.
Larry has been looking after the house back home, thankfully. He called late last week to tell me the AC was out. The culprit was a $1100 blower motor. It is covered by warranty so our share will be the labor costs only. It sure is nice to have a friend who will check up on things, even staying overnight occasionally. Of course, the hot tub we left running makes a pretty good perk after an afternoon on the golf course, hey Larry.
Today’s plan has yet to coalesce so we will free-form it, as we often do. Spontaneity is a great quality and we so enjoy it. Often, when we do make plans, something happens to foil those best laid but when we free-form it we are seldom disappointed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)