LEO'S FIRST RV TRIP - 4th OF JULY

We took our grandson, Leo, on his first RV trip to Liberty RV Park in Jersey City - a short Ferry ride over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  The lines were so long that I approached a ranger saying that my husband is a disabled Vet, and the ranger asked where he served.  I replied: Viet Nam, and he said: Bring him right over here to me, and he brought us to the front of the line. What a super guy and an appreciative proud citizen.  Too bad there's not more of them around to thank the Vets and shake their hands, and say: "Welcome Home".

The view of lower Manhattan was spectacular and the harbor was teeming with boating craft of all sizes from small skiffs to cruise ships disembarking to their caribbean ports.  

The Statue of Liberty was a sight to see - all 305 glorious feet of her -and it's been decades for Tony and me since we've seen her, and Leo's first time.  She was simply spectacular!  Made me think of how it was near the early 1900's, when as immigrants arrived, they were so excited to come to the New World, so they could learn the English language, follow their trade to get a decent job to support their family, or get any job they could, pay taxes and assimilate into their new lives unobtrusively.  What happened here? 

Tonight we stayed in, with Leo building a miniature wooden sports car, 



















and TZ in his favorite position: horizontal, with bourbon and TV remote in hand!

Spent the next day at the Liberty Science Center.  Leo operated a miniature K'omatsu excavator as part of the skyscraper expedition.

Next, he played the part of the Anesthesiologist in preparing a banana for surgery - He had to insert the IV into the banana.

Then, he was a Scientist, who had to do an experiment using control samples, to determine which of the "patient" serum samples had viral antibodies.

There were all sorts of reptiles, bugs and snakes in another exhibition. Here's a snapping turtle: (TZ's favorite)

Leo tried out rock-climbing:

and blowing giant bubbles through a sheet of liquid soap:

There was a video ride showing Diving with Dolphins and Solar Chase - the kids sat in this vehicle which bounced all around.  We sat it out.

At night, we went up to the riverside in Hoboken, to see the fireworks.  It was a great show.

The Empire State Building was illuminated in red, white and blue lights.  There must have been thousands of people in the park, and the temperature was still in the 80's, but it was a grand sight to see.


Head home tomorrow - think Leo enjoyed his first RV trip with us, and we look forward to taking him again.

CLEVELAND

Left for an 8 day ACN "business" trip with Nora and Walter.  Our first campground stop was in Fort Bellefonte, PA.  Tried for over an hour and a half to get our air conditioners working with 50 amp service, but finally had to disconnect, and change sites to hook up to a working electrical post.  Cocktail hour was delayed, which did not make Tony Z very happy.  Finally, with the bourbon flowing and the cigars lit, all is well!

Tomorrow, we're off to Cleveland.


Drove to a campground outside of Cleveland, in Statesboro, Ohio.  Our site had no sewer hook-up, so we moved to another site, which had sulfur scented water, no satellite reception and poor wi-fi.  Tomorrow we'll either change to a different site or go to a KOA nearby.  Not starting out so good on this trip!


Got all settled in our newest site. Took off today to register for the ACN Event, and since we're in Cleveland, we couldn't miss the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

Great place - There were 6 floors full of photos, film interviews, documentaries, outfits the stars wore and pieces of paper with scribbled lyrics of what became classic songs. Too bad we couldn't take any pictures.  There were all sorts of visitors there - young, old, and well, those who maybe had too much ganga:

We took in the famous E. 4th Street, where the traffic is blocked off, and all of the restaurants have sidewalk dining.  

Tomorrow it's the opening day of the ACN event.
Attended most of our convention, played some hooky, and ready to start the trip back tomorrow.  As usual, Tony provided the entertainment for us, and kept us laughing.  Another good trip!

2010 - Here We Go Again!

Our first camping trip of 2010 couldn't have come too soon!  We had cabin fever - big time!  Today we left for Turning Stone Casino's Villages Campground, near Syracuse.  This is where we left off last season, and we're looking forward to seeing our rv.net friends, as well as Ariel and Joe who are at SUNY Morrisville, about 30 minutes away.




After driving about an hour, we stopped for fuel and did a safety check before taking off.  The front tires on the Jeep, towed behind us, were worn down to the fibers!!  "The key had fallen out of the ignition" ( ???), and locked the tires, and in the short time of driving, had destroyed the tires. What a fiasco!

So, here we are in New Paltz at a tire center waiting for 2 new tires to be delivered and installed.  Never a dull moment!


Got to the campground, and had trouble leveling, getting a satellite signal, and getting the TV to work. Left it all, and went out to eat with Ariel & Joe, and when we came back, we noticed the ground under the motorhome was all wet.......Seems we had the water intake valve set to the wrong position, and the fresh water tank was over filled, and we had our own Niagra Falls coming out of the motorhome! But.....Johnny T to the rescue!  He shut the valve while we were gone, and then helped us with all our other problems.  Had fun tonight with all our rv.net friends, and again, Tony was overserved.  However, that didn't stop him from getting up early to play Texas Hold 'Em at Turning Stone Casino.  Hope he wins $350 to cover the new tires we had to buy yesterday !!!


Update.....looks like we'll have to cover the cost for the tires ourselves  :-(


Went to see Ariel at college, and check out Joe's Lacrosse Playoff game at Morrisville.  They were ahead when we left.  Tomorrow we head back there to see Ariel ride in an equestrian competition. The ducks and geese were out for a stroll on a perfect afternoon.

Sat around the campfire at the Brown's tonight with friends.  The camping season has really started now!


Update......Got up at 6:30 and TZ was gone again.  He returned from TS Poker tables at 7am and won almost $300 !!    Pay off those tires!!!


Ariel took 2nd and 4th place in her competitions - Of course, it looked like it should have been 1st to us.

TURNING STONE

Back again to see our rv.net friends at this wonderful campground. This is our final trip of the year, and we'll both miss camping. Went out to Turning Stone's Buffet with Ariel, Catherine and Joe who all go to college nearby. You never leave that place hungry. Tonight, I was a "Hold 'Em widow again, with Tony at the Poker tables. So far, he's "up".

The guys came to the aid of a camper who attempted to pull into his campsite, with his wife guiding him in, but he took the tree next to it with him. "McGuyver" Bruce grabbed his axe and chopped down the branches, and Johnny T climbed up the tree to free the branches, while the others helped guide him in again. Never a dull moment. Wish I didn't forget the camera - It was quite a sight! The guy scraped up the entire side of his gorgeous motorhome.

Enjoyed the traditional blazing campfire at The Browns' campsite, with our circle of friends. Loved the traditional Saturday Night PotLuck Dinner - what a spread! Left with a couple of recipes.....Barb's Clam Chowder and Kathy's yummy dessert. Both so easy, that I think even I can make them.

Well, the time has finally come around again to end the camping season, and hope that the springtime comes soon. Best thing about the long, cold winter, is that its the best time to plan all the roadtrips for next season! See ya next year!

CC Trip - Back Home

It was a long haul today, from eastern Ohio thru Pennsylvania, New York and finally back to Brookfield, CT.  

It was the trip of a lifetime, and if we didn't miss our family and friends so much, we'd still be out there somewhere.  We logged over 7,700 miles on the motorhome, and close to 1,000 additional miles on the jeep.  The only problem we encountered was with one of our TVs, which will hopefully be resolved soon. 

We both agree the best summer weather is in Colorado, which also wins for scenery, although Sedona was a close second.  We told our family and friends in Arizona and Las Vegas, that we love them, but they will NEVER see us again in the summertime!  Arizona also wins for the best highway system, and also the best radar for speeders.  The have cameras mounted on poles sticking out of SUVs, synchronized to radar, and if you are speeding, the camera flashes your photo and the license plate of your vehicle.  I know so much about this because I passed a dump truck and as I came back into the right lane, the flash went off as I drove past.  I'm NOT looking forward to getting that ticket in the mail.

We enjoyed posting our stories and photos, and we're happy our friends enjoyed the trip too! Until the next trip.......Ciao!

CC Trip - Back Through the Heartland

Left so early this am, that I decided to let Tony drive.  I figured how much damage could he do? After all, it's Kansas, flat and straight, on I-70.  So, TZ finally got to drive the big rig - he did 100 miles before I took over.  But, 10 minutes into his drive, it was Tony vs Bird, and it's TZ 1, Bird 0. He thought it was very funny, I said "Get your own material".  

Kansas City was a fun stop.  Known as The City of Fountains, it's very clean - not a shred of paper in the gutters.  There's a section called Country Club Plaza, a 14 square block outdoor shopping district. It's the first surburban shopping center in the country - 180+ shops and restaurants.  Built in 1922, it survived the Depression, and the floods of 1977. Blocks of stores were destroyed, but the merchants rallied and their clean-up allowed the annual Art Fair to open 10 days later. It was a symbol of the spirit of Kansas City. Today, you'll see designer shoe and clothes boutiques, chocolatiers, salons, fine jewelers, with a variety of restaurants from Chicago Uno, to Ruth's Chris Steak House. The architecture is Spanish, with beautiful courtyards, red tile roofs, and ornate towers. There is patterned brickwork on the sidewalks, and just about every store is represented.  

We drove east to St. Louis, city of The Gateway Arch, area of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. 

This was the starting point for the Lewis & Clark Westward Expedition in 1803, after Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the US for $15 million, doubling its size. Led by Merriweather Lewis, President Jefferson's Secretary, and William Clark, Lewis' colleague, the group sailed up the Missouri against the current, for what was in their time, comparable to a journey to the moon.  The President asked Lewis to document all scientific discoveries, such as foliage and flora, and Clark was to map the entire trip. The expedition took 2 years to reach the Pacific Ocean, via the Rocky Mountains and finally the Columbia River, and 6 months to return.  Along the way, they met up with various Native American Indian Tribes, who for the most part, were helpful in guiding the group in the correct direction.  In thanks, Lewis & Clark gave the tribal leaders coins and trinkets. The group was instrumental in providing vital information for future explorations westward. People were astonished to see the group return, less one Sargent who died on the trip, as they all were feared dead.  It was truly an amazing journey in the development of our country.

We took a tiny tram up to the top of the Gateway Arch.  

This phenomenal piece of engineering is 630 feet high, and took 2.5 years to build. We saw a film on how it was made, piece by piece, but what amazed me was that the workers so high up, were not tethered in any way to the arch or scaffolding, and not one person was lost during the construction.

The tram is a tiny bucket which holds 5 people:

The view from the top is spectacular:

Tony says between this and The Skywalk over the Grand Canyon, I can forget anything else except terra firma.

We continue to head east, towards Brookfield CT. Turned 6000 miles for the trip so far. Passed through 2 states today,

and tomorrow we have one more stop - in Columbus, Ohio - to see a friend.  Then, we're almost home.

Saw Patty & Gary Mann, and their family, in Columbus Ohio.  Tony met Gary in Viet Nam, so it was one more Helicopter Crew reunion on our trip.

  

Tomorrow we start the final leg of our trip, through Pennsylvania, New York, and finally Connecticut!