May, 2018

During last year’s 2,000-mile pursuit of the solar eclipse, caving and visiting grandkids, we wanted to focus during our maiden voyage on adjusting to Aimee without pulling a car.  However, and in preparation for being full-timers and towing a car along behind us, we purchased and had installed a Blue Ox towing system.  We had to learn to make the system work for us, and as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.  What better way than getting on the road?  And with Maggie’s birthday in the middle of May the timing was perfect for an Ohio road trip.

We’re retired, and time has little meaning (except for senior discounts at restaurants?) unless there’s some place you just have to be on a specific date.  In this case the specific date was the weekend of May 18-20 – the birthday weekend.  Once the tow system was installed we had as much time as we’d like to travel to Yellow Springs.

I had been through Williamsport several times for business, but had never stopped at the Little League Museum; Barbara had never been.  3-4 hours (maybe a little more) is a perfect daily distance, and a campground just a bit south of Williamsport happened to be in our time/distance calculation.  Cuyahoga Valley National Park was a stop we wanted to make last year but the press of time prohibited visiting during 2017.  And guess what?  A campground near the Park is just a little longer than 4 hours from our campground near Williamsport.  And where we stay near Yellow Springs was in that 3-4 hour range as well.  So the trip was cast.

Traveling to our campground near Williamsport turned out to be more treacherous than expected.  Going south off of Route 80 and in the rain, both of our cell phones blasted a weather alert warning for tornados in the area for the next 45 minutes.  With testosterone and a fair supply of sheer stupidity, I ignored the warnings (ah – it ain’t so bad outside!); forgot I was driving a large rectangular box on wheels, and continued on for a couple of minutes until a “gust” of wind pushed me just about 1 lane to the left.  We pulled over under the next overpass and sat it out for the next 45 minutes or so.  SAFELY into our campsite, we enjoyed the evening.  Next to us was another camper who asked if we were part of the RVers square dancing club, and were we in the campground for the dance that night?!  I guess there’s an RV club for just about everything.  No, we didn’t participate.

The Little League Museum is a hidden gem, and if you’re in the area it is definitely worth the $5 admission ($3 for seniors) and a couple of hours of your time.  From the roots of little league’s formation (ever wonder why Williamsport, PA?) through the 2017 world series, with jerseys from around the world and a few little league jerseys from former and current players who made the big show; and a special focus on the international aspect of the game as well as the inclusion of girl’s softball and programs for the disabled, the displays are informative and well thought-out and organized.  Various rooms provide different aspects of the game, and one room is entirely interactive. Families can participate in several activities that occur during a baseball game.  The museum’s emphasis is on the world-wide aspect of little league, and the joy coaches, families and players share, and the spirit of competitiveness and sportsmanship.  Stopping at the administrative offices provides an overlook to the fields used in the world series.  And – oh yeah – on the local league level, everything is done by volunteers.  Doesn’t matter whether you’re a coach, run concessions or work at the stand; groom the field, or are a local league official, your time is donated.

 

For the last several years I’ve been reading about our National Parks (thank you, Teddy Roosevelt!), and wondered why Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a national park.  If you  triangulate Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland you’ll find the park.  As you read further you find out the park’s longer than it is wide; it’s a densely wooded area, that Brandywine Falls is a featured attraction, that there’s no camping; there’s a Beaver Marsh in which you might find fresh water otter; there are some early settlers cabins/farms, and there are miles and miles of hiking and bike paths; there’s the (roundtrip) Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad that runs from Lockside Station (canal exploration center), stops at 7 different stations for an “on-and-off” experience, and ends up at the Big Bend Station (Akron Northside).  The Park is really quite beautiful.

But why is this a National Park?  There are 2 answers.  The cynical among us would say ’cause the National Park Service says so.  But I believe the Park was established in 1927 as a way to commemorate the importance of the Ohio and Erie canal in the growth of America.  The canal ran south from Cleveland to New Philadelphia, using barges and mules along it’s canalway to bring essential goods to the region; and it was responsible for the development of settlements and towns along its 110 mile length.  The Ohio and Erie canal was designated a National Heritage Area by Congress in 1996.  It is evident that the National Park Service continues to fulfill the goal of helping to preserve and celebrate the rails, trails, landscapes, towns and sites that grew up along the canal.  Along the original canal way, there is an 87-mile towpath trail that runs through the middle of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  Hike any part of the towpath and you’ll experience avenues of overhanging trees providing a shaded canopy, stretches of bright sunshine, the string-like thwonk of frogs greeting each; a gray heron or a woodpecker, running river waters and a fairly flat walk. Come walk a part of American history.

 

 

Onward to Yellow Springs and Maggie’s birthday.  After setting up camp and time with Elyssa, Ben, Maggie and Penny, we had the wonderful experience of Maggie spending the night with us. Next morning we hung around the campground, got drizzled on, participated in a brief arts and crafts activity, and by early afternoon, we had some errands to run and then headed back to Maggie’s house and the family birthday party.

 

Ben and Elyssa knocked themselves out opening up their home to the crowd, and feeding us burgers and chips and fruit and a triple layer strawberry birthday cake with strawberry icing and chocolate ganache between the layers (nice to have a Daddy chef!). The party included lots of wonderful conversations with family and friends, and a good time was had by all.  I almost forgot how excited Maggie was at all of her gifts (Elyssa orchestrates this so very, very well every year), and how Maggie’s delighted squeals could be heard all through the neighborhood.

We had one more half-day to visit with Ben and Elyssa, Penny and Maggie.  It had been almost 3 months since the last time we had visited.  Maggie is always wonderful, cheerful, talkative, loving, and affectionate.  Penny has developed a strong personality, commands the room; on her terms she seeks interaction with others, and someday we’ll figure out why all of us are called “mama.”  What a joy for us to get a spontaneous hug and kiss from her.  Ben and Elyssa are truly wonderful parents, and it is such a joy when we can be together with them.

 

With an overnight stop just outside of Somerset we found ourselves back in Bethlehem for our last night on Dartmouth Drive.

Brian and Barbara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s the end of May, 2018.  I’m sitting at the picnic table in our campsite at Mountain Vista Campground in Stroudsburg, PA sipping my morning coffee (I’ve been decaff’d for the record), and feeling a need to wrap up the last 23 years of my life so that Barbara and I can mosey on down the road.  In November 1995 we packed-up, left Indiana and settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  It’s the standard American dream to take a new job to improve your lot in life, and with unbreakable promises to my children, off we went.  It’s been a time of all those cliché words–growthful, exciting, difficult, with some tremendous struggles, heartfelt pain, joy, love, new friends, old friendships, lots and lots and lots of travel, the Big Apple, City of Brotherly Love, mistakes and all the right moves.  You get the picture.

After a year living in a townhouse, we found a lovely home in Bethlehem Township that was perfect for 2, great when our kids were with us, OK for a small party of 7-10, and a little cramped but doable for 25+ for a Passover Seder.  Jordan lived with us for several years, and we had the usual repairs and made some upgrades.

So many memories of our life here – New Year’s Eve in Times Square, going to Broadway, Yankee and Oriole games, sharing a beer with my oldest, having Graham and Leigh in Philadelphia and DC for a bunch of years, trips to Fairfax to have time with the Duckenfield crew, parties at the house, the Heavenly Hedgehog and associated shenanigans, breaking the Yom Kippur fast with our Muslim friends at their restaurant, the birth of grandkids, KI and Rabbi Seth, the Philadelphia Flower Show, Barbara and Gail dancing with the crowd at the Mummer’s Day parade, family and friends visiting, times with Tom and Landa, Bailey and Pam, Neil and Gail, Tammy and Ben, Scott and Tracy, Stacey and Mike,  Marty and Susanne, Sue and Maggie, Sue and Didi, Roma and Jim, Bill and Karen.  Getting to know Jon as an adult and celebrating his marriage to Lucy and the birth of their first child.  Jordan and Jaimee and Ava and Helena in our backyard.  Long road trips to see Elyssa, Ben, Maggie and Penny; to see Spencer, Vange, Aurora, Julian and Kyra.  There have been lots of times I thought our life had become mundane and routine.  Looking back we have been blessed with a loving family, the best in friends, and all-in-all a pretty damn rich life.

So here are a couple of pictures, just in case you (and we) want to remember the house on Dartmouth Drive.

 

 

We thank each an every one of you for such wonderful memories, and we will always hold you in our hearts.

See you on the road!

Barbara and Brian

IS IT THIS COOL EVER YEAR?

Barbara and I have quite a few traditions with family we try to keep an annual basis. Some of those traditions include celebrating the start of summer and jamming together a couple of grandson birthday’s in DC over Memorial Day weekend, Thanksgiving in Yellow Springs, Christmas morning with Jordan and crew followed by a sojourn to DC to hang with Kea’s brood. When together the time does fly by, but there’s an iconic question of how many activities we can squeeze into those few days-what memories can we make to hold us over until the next time?

So, it’s Christmas, 2017 and we’re off to the United States Botanic Garden for their annual Holiday Train Show. Parking in DC is usually a chore and can be especially daunting when going anywhere near the Mall, but Paul got us in the neighborhood at just the right time, and with his knowledge of where we were heading made parking stress free. After a short walk we queued up for entrance. Being late December we were indeed fortunate that while a little cold, neither winter’s cold rain or snow was our companion.

 

Have you ever been to a Holiday Train Show? I’ll bet there’s probably one right around the corner from you and you never knew it! A quick google search and you’ll find shows held annually during December at the Botanical Gardens of major cities like NY, Boston, Chicago and, well, DC, and who knows where near you throughout the US. Being a Chicago boy at heart I knew well the magnificent train set on display for oh so many years at the Museum of Science and Industry, but never connected to special shows for the Holidays.

You may be wondering why this adventure is part of our blog? Each year the Holiday Train Show has a theme used to create the displays. This year it happened to be “Roadside Attractions,” and since we hope to be visiting many of the places creatively displayed in the show in the next couple of years I thought I’d share our perfectly wonderful time at the US Botanical Garden. Check it out…

December, 2017

 

The Luray Caverns, Shenandoah National Forest, Gatlinburg and The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and Mammoth Cave are behind us.  Lots of lessons learned for us novices during this “shakedown” cruise, and Barbara and I will certainly talk, and talk and talk about those lessons.  For now all we know is that we love being on the road and seeing and exploring new places, meeting new people, and damn, we actually still like each other and look forward to being together each and every day all day (25th wedding anniversary coming up in February!).  But we’re on vacation.  How this translates for us into a fulltime RV lifestyle, I’m sure, will be the focus of our talks for months to come.

So it’s a short 4 hour ride crisscrossing the countryside from Cave City to Bloomington, Indiana.  Bloomington’s home to grandchild #9, Kyra Grace and her parents-just about a day visit in Bloomington.  Then a short 4 hour interstate only ride to Yellow Springs, Ohio.  Yellow Springs is home to grandchildren #7 and #11, Maggie Elizabeth and Penelope Rose-just a little more than a day in Yellow Springs.  

Sadly this vacation is over, but both Barbara and I felt that our maiden voyage was a 100% success.  Now it’s a non-stop 10 hour drive and we’re home…at least our home until late next spring or early summer, but that’s a story for another day.

August 24-26, 2017  

The excitement of the solar eclipse and our wonderful trip stayed with us for the long journey from Gaitlinburg to Cave City, Kentucky.  Easy enough a drive staying on major highways, and we did pick up a car along the way so we could travel into the Mammoth Cave National Park in a much easier fashion than with Aimee.

Mammoth Cave is so very different that the Luray Caverns.  There are some spectacular stalagmite/stalactite formations at the very end of the tour; however, the Mammoth Caves are part of the longest cave system in the world; a system of chambers and subterranean passageways, and because of this the attraction is being able to hike underground unimpeded by formations requiring water seepage to develop.  The uniqueness of this cave system is its formation; limestone strata capped by sandstone, and since the sandstone cap is relatively hard for water to penetrate the passageways the cave is actually very dry.

 

We were impressed by the National Park Service Ranger leading us on a 4 hour  tour through a good majority of the cave system that is open to the public.  He seemed like your favorite drill sergeant in bootcamp, tough to the core with a heart of gold.  And just like that drill sergeant our Ranger’s job was to enforce rules that would keep us safe, and, oh yeah, to give those of us on the tours enough knowledge to truly appreciate one of this earth’s wonders.

The Park Service provided a bus ride to our entry point, and from there it was well over 100 steps down into our starting base in the cavern.  There were about a half dozen that started down the stairs with us who backed-out claustrophobic when reaching the base, and 1 gentleman who had to turn-around with breathing/heart concerns a bit of the way into our 21/2 mile underground hike.

This isn’t an oh/ahh/wow type of journey like you’ll find in the Luray Cave.  But there are a fair share of curiosities.  For example and for decades the Park Service would serve meals to tourists.   They did stop that practice quite a number of years ago.  Full hot lunches or dinners were served, not PB&J or cold sandwiches.  Weddings had taken place in the caverns as had other social events and banquets   Think about the logistics-do you prepare meals on the surface, and if so how do you keep the hot food hot during transport?  If not how would you prepare food in the cavern-open campfire or camp stoves?

Mammoth Cave is a wonderful history lesson and a stop well worth it.  It leaves you wondering just what else might be waiting to be discovered in some unexplored section of the cave system.

 

August 22 and 23, 2017 

 

          

 

“So let’s get up early, have breakfast in town and queue up for the bus ride to Clingman’s Dome to see the eclipse.”

The solar eclipse was the cornerstone of our trip, and we had been planning on going long before Aimee came into our lives; Aimee just sweetened the deal. The National Park Service put together a well-planned, well-staffed, and well-organized trip from Gatlinburg to Clingman’s Dome for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Buses picked us up in town, maneuvered the roadway that had been closed since the last evening to public traffic and dropped us and 1400 of our closest friends off at the highest point in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. 5 hours after the drop-off we were picked up and deposited back in the parking lot in Gatlinburg.

Just a word quickly about the bizarre obsession with pancake houses in Gatlinburg…we counted 9 in an approximately 2 mile radius (ok-maybe 3-5 mile radius?). Not sure if the Gatlinburg population, vacationers or locals alike are that much in love with pancakes, or that there’s great profit in pancakes (probably) but it really does beg the question as to the why it’s such a big deal in this small a community? By the way-the pancakes were terrible at our choice of restaurant.

Belly’s full we boarded a bus for “The Dome,” excitedly anticipating our long-awaited event! We arrived at Clingman’s Dome parking lot to find some incredible vistas of the Smoky Mountains.

We were  early, and it would be hours before the eclipse would occur.   We decided to follow a somewhat torturous half mile approximately 10-12 degree slope hike up to find Clingman’s Dome.  We made it alright, but only to find out that the “Dome” had been subject to imminent domain by the National Park Service, various TV crews and NASA no less.  Well hell! Along the way we discovered that a certain flowering cousin of the carrot produces a nectar that intoxicates bees, beautiful vistas, and lots and lots of absolutely friendly and knowledgeable Park Rangers who were more than willing to strike up a conversation and make everyone feel at home.

 

We perched ourselves across from the Park Service telescopes and occasionally peered through the lenses, ate the lite lunch we had brought long, roamed about a bit and listened to a lecture or two about how different cultures described the eclipse and why it is so important to make a lot of noise when the eclipse happens. Eventually we returned to our perch, and donning our eclipse proof glasses we stared at the sky awaiting the big event.  As the spirit moved us we would run over to the telescopes to see things a bit more up close, and watched Venus and Mercury appear as the moon gradually crossed in front of the sun.

About 5 minutes or so before the eclipse strange things began to happen–the birds quit singing and flying about and bees stopped buzzing-it got absolutely quiet, there was a sense of twilight but with more gray than just gradual darkening, it got colder and colder, shadows lessened-at one point with the sun over Barbara’s left shoulder her shadow was only about 18 inches long.

The sun disappeared behind the moon and it became surreally gray. And we observers let out the loudest whoops and hollers we could manage, and our sun began to reappear in the sky. The temperature increased, grayness gave way to daylight, sounds returned and whatever demons took our sun retreated into their secretive places once again.

So how cool was the eclipse? The entire experience was cool enough to recommend that you should consider finding yourself a place to view the next solar eclipse. It is anticipated that the next solar eclipse in the US will be visible between Texas and Ohio during 2024.

August 21, 2017

 

 

On the way to Gatlinburg we stopped in Sevierville, TN for a rental car so we would be able to travel inside The Smoky Mountains National Park and were then soon to our campsite. If you’re in the neighborhood stop in at LaConte Resort RV Park. Nice, clean campground with very nice owners some old time cabins, a trolley stop just outside the property that for $0.50 one way will take you to and from Gatlinburg, and-ready for it?-on property treehouse accommodations for rent!

Gatlinburg is a tourist heaven…Ripley’s and an aquarium and mini-golf and alpine “ski-lift” rides and an alpine sled and zip lines, and moonshine tasting and pancake restaurants…and just a few miles from Pigeon Forge—which is more of the same only more of the same and bigger. Did I mention the pancake restaurants? You’ll see. But through town you must go to get to one of the “main entrances” to The Great Smoky Mountain National Park from the Tennessee-side of the world. The Sugarbush Visitor Center is worth a stop before you figure out where you’re going.

Day 1 – a 2.6 mile round trip trail hike to Grotto Falls. Now the map and all of the guide books call this a moderate hike….NOT! Don’t get me wrong it’s a gorgeous hike, but it is over rough terrain and averages, I’m guessing, a 4-6 degree grade for 1.4 miles up and then the1.4 miles down. There are plenty of places along the way to stop, catch your breath, rest sore muscles, and admire the view. Excellent when you get there, a pool of very cool water in which to soak your weary feet before your descent. More than 1 of the visitors on-site accidentally (?) fell in. A great treat is to be able to walk behind the falls and, if so inclined, take a picture.

 

A short drive up to Newfound Gap and at almost a mile high you can put one foot in North Carolina and the other in Tennessee!

Time to call it a day and cool down and refresh in the campground pool, but not until we asked at the Visitors Center where to hope to see wildlife the next day. Without missing a beat the Ranger clearly stated: “Cade’s Cove early in the day-give yourself 5 hours.”

Day 2 – So up we were before the dawn and off to Cade’s Cove (no traffic through Gatlinburg-go figure), and once there be sure to leisurely, and I mean at 5 miles an hour or less, drive the Cade’s Cove loop. If you ever wonder why this National Forest got its name, find an open field before dawn and take a goodly amount of time to look across at the foothills and mountains and watch the mist rise off the field like smoke rising from an ancient wellspring to bring its wonder for you to view! Add a herd of deer, stags and doe alike and it’s an awesome sight.

We were watching a herd of deer, and I heard a rumbling across the road in the woods behind us-BEAR?  While we were watching to catch a glimpse of whatever was really in the brush  a bear decided to rush through the underbrush close enough to startle the lovely and talented Ms Garrison, who did the 1 thing you’re not supposed to do-run away. I just stood there so who’s the stupid one? Guess we were lucky that we weren’t a bear’s breakfast as things quickly quieted and we lost sight of the critter.

Continuing on the loop we did see a lone bear and on a couple of occasions a momma with cubs, we watched cubs wrestling, and couldn’t miss a wild turkey in the roadway.

We took a little hike a short way into the forest along a well-worn path, and considered our trip into the Park a success.

 

TOMORROW’S THE ECLIPSE!

August 19 and 20, 2017

 

Barbara and I wanted to break up our first long motor home trip into manageable segments and decided we needed an easy travel day. The more natural stop on the way to Tennessee would be right around Bristol, but it was race weekend at the motor speedway and it made no sense to be in the craziness for even one night. NASCAR and I just don’t get along…although I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad to drink a beer or 6 with the race fans. But we stayed about 25 miles north of Bristol and 7 miles northwest of Abingdon, VA. A place to stay only once is about the only thought I have Riverside RV Park. Getting there is along a 1 (yes 1) lane roadway (wanna play chicken with a motorhome anyone?), and then a hairpin turn to enter the campgrounds. It’s rundown and more a place for resident campers than weary travelers. ‘Nuff said.

August 18, 2017

The Luray Caverns are a hidden gem..don’t listen to anyone else-go see for your self. After a long set of stairs descending to a large open atrium and your first oh wow you take about a 11/2 mile walk among some of the most fascinating various colors and thickness (lampshade anyone?) of stalactites and stalagmites growths (0.037 inches per year!), and then there’s weird formations that look like 2 people standing side by side or a baby’s or old man’s face.

 

We thought we’d have enough time to explore the lush rich forest of the Shenandoah this first day of our vacation, but we could only drive for about 45 minutes along Skyline Drive. Did you know that the Shenandoah Forest was one off the first 3 named National Parks east of the Mississippi? Prior to Mammoth Caves, the Smokey Mountains and the Shenandoah Forest becoming National Parks all of their sister parks were out west. Barbara and I both thought it would be much fun to come back in the fall and see all of the colors.

 

If you are traveling along I-81 and need a place to park your rig and want to avoid the campground chains think about staying at Shenandoah Acres. They pride themselves on being hillbilly, but the campsites are spacious, the campgrounds well-tended and peacefully quiet and it really is a beautiful forested setting.

August 17, 2017

So where does one start on this adventure? Well since Aimee’s purchase we went on a couple of very local trips,and fell in love with the Mountain Vista campground.  Who knew that becoming a seasonal camper would give us lots of get-away weekends, some pretty wonderful fellow campers to meet, share time and swap tales with, and owners that truly make you feel at home.

Back in November, 2016, well before Aimee came into our lives, Barbara mentioned how terrific it would be to find somewhere to be to observe the total solar eclipse “scheduled” to occur on August 21, 2017. Anyone that knows me knows that that becomes a challenge to put together “THE TRIP!” The first question was whether or not we were going to fly in and fly out of that somewhere or did we want to rent a camper and make a larger adventure using the eclipse as an anchor. And our decision was….”camper!” Since we love National Parks and Monuments what could we see or do along the chosen way? And can we see any of the grandkids too?

One of the predicted perfect places to see the eclipse was from Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. So the “plan” was constructed: home to Luray Caverns National Monument to Shenandoah National Park to Gatlinburg and Smoky Mountain National Park to see the once in a lifetime solar eclipse to Mammoth Cave National Park to Bloomington and Yellow Springs to see grandkids and then home. And, as it turned out Aimee came into our life and this adventure become the true maiden voyage for our dream.

So the trip was set, Aimee came along and off we went on August 16, 2017.  As we wind south on I-81 out of PA and into Maryland and then West Virginia and into Virginia to Luray Caverns and Shenandoah National Forest the traffic is moving well but heavier than I expected. The license plates indicate that some folks are, I guess, heading home; Virginia, the Carolinas and Florida, and a couple of travelers identified with Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. But then again there’s a fair share of New York, Maryland, a few New Jersey’s, a Maine, New Hampshire or 2, and lots and lots of PA drivers headed south…everyone headed into the path of the eclipse? Tough enough for this maiden voyager behind the wheel to navigate the highways and byways with just average traffic, but here we are in the midst of, well what, another wagon train heading upstate to New York, a Yazger’s farm experience?

There’s things you learn about your driving self while behind the wheel of a 27,000 pound 34 and a half foot long 9 foot wide 12 foot 6 inches tall motorized box on wheels. So for now my lessons…the weight’s behind you so be careful to not over or understeer-corrections take quite a while; don’t drive more than 62-65 mph; be cautious of the right shoulder-there’s no reason to be too close; stay on the interstates as much as possible-don’t believe GPS more than your own perception; braking takes about 5 times more distance than in a passenger car or pick-up; when turning go further into the intersection than you think you should and watch your mirrors-yeah both sides; pay attention this is a big box on wheels and wind and 16 wheel vehicles push you aside if you’re not careful…and most of all don’t panic…slow down and enjoy the ride.

August 16, 2017