Some RV Tips

  We are in Bar Harbor, Maine as of July 24 so that puts me fairly well caught up. I'd like to say that we hope to see everyone when we come to PA in September. Right now we have reservations at Scotrun Campground in Scotrun, PA which is near Tannersville. We will be there from August 22- September 2. After that we will be headed to the Pittsburgh area for a while and then head back to the Reading area for a few weeks. We're not sure where we will be staying yet.
 Today is rainy and I have some time to kill. I thought I would take this opportunity to give some tips and pointers to those of you who might take on a long RV or trailer trip. Since we do this for months at a time we still want and need the technologies make life comfortable just as you would be at home. While you might spend a lot of time in the great outdoors there is nothing like the conveniences of home.
  First on that list is television. All campgrounds are unique in what amenities they provide. We have encountered the following during our travels:

•  Over the air broadcasts. This is the least favorable. A good antenna is needed and you are dependent upon how close you are to local stations. There is a government website you can use to check your area or destination for over the air reception: http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/. 
• Next possibility is local cable only. You must have a CATV cable on hand to connect to the line on the post. Make sure to carry male and female connectors because you never know what you will be tapping into. By local cable I mean they supply only the basic cable which is just the local stations and maybe a few others. Don't look for ESPN or TNT. 
• The next step up is a more expanded cable package. In some cases you be charged extra for this. The programming could be via the local cable company or satellite. Once again carry your own cable and connectors. Helpful hint: I also carry wire and cable stripping and crimping tools along with the hardware in case I need to repair a line. I have used this several times. 
• Lastly is the option of using your own satellite dish. You will see many campers with DirecTv dishes, DISH dishes, and others. These are great for the first two scenarios mentioned above; however your reception is dependent upon site location and orientation. Any obstruction of the southwest sky and you'll not get a signal. I have seen DirecTv being used in areas that I couldn't use my DISH Tailgater, but with DISH you only pay for what you are going to use. In other words call ahead to your destination and find out what services are provided. Then you can decide if you need to pay for a whole month of DISH service. The monthly bill is about $57 and the Tailgater Antenna runs about $399 and the basic receiver is $99. If you are a Good Sam member you get a discount at Camping World. Set up is easy as plug it in and the antenna finds all the birds in the sky automatically.

  With all that being said worst case scenario is what we had at Gateway to Cape Cod: no cable, six over the air channels, and tall trees negating the DISH. Best case is a full array of cable channels from A&E to Food Network to ESPN. Here at Mt. Desert Narrows RV Resort we have about 65 channels included in our reservation.

  Next on my list is internet. We as a society have become so dependent on the internet and it is no different while RV'ing. Banking, reservations, blogging, and staying in touch are some of the things you will still want to do. First start with a good smartphone and that will serve you well enough but you still will want to surf the web and use your laptop. I will review what we have encountered so far:

• Campground provided Wi-fi. This is the cheapest but not too secure. The better systems provide a security code to log on, some just use a basic password. You might have to go to a clubhouse or other building to get the signal. This is not convenient for us. I prefer to have access right at my site. I always open my network connections even if they tell you wi-fi is only available at a central location in the campground because I am pulling it in right now at my trailer from the clubhouse.
• Campground provided Wi-fi on site. You will see telecommunications boxes or posts every few sites and you know you will get a good signal. Ask for the security code or password. Sometimes you have several connections to choose from when you open your network connections.
• Fee based wi-fi provided by the campground. This we have used this and TengoInternet is a leading provider for the campground industry. Prices range from $5.95/day, $24.95/month, and even a yearly subscription can be purchased. There are usually several connections available but you are monitored on your usage. Usage is based on a 24 hour cycle and they will cut you off if you burn through much data quickly. This is probably the worst case.
• Next possibility is what we are using to supplement the above options. Buy a wi-fi hotspot device and pay as you go data card. Walmart sells Straight Talk Wireless products. The hot spot is about $80 and cards are offered in different data amounts for as low as $15 for 2MB for thirty days. Buy what you want and use what you want with no contract.
• Another option is going with your cell phone plan. Verizon has the Jetpack and data plans are monthly for the length of the contract. With this you are paying every month regardless.
• Last option is satellite internet. I have seen HughesNet advertised for $49.95/ month. I am not sure of the specifics but I do know upload speeds are much slower and sometimes not possible.

Internet has been the most frustrating aspect of traveling. I am looking right now and my connection icon indicates I am disconnected. Some days you can't get a connection at all. With the Straight Talk we used a 5MB 30 day card in 10 days. If there was a way to get a cable internet connection wherever I went I would pay anything. If you are hooked on Netflix or any streaming video provider forget it. Too much data usage.

Cell phone reception is also a consideration. Staying at state parks and other public facilities your cell phone signals can be spotty. You might need to drive to a different area to make a call. There are cell phone boosters on the market but I haven't used one yet.

Lastly for consideration is refrigeration. I don't know how we could do what we do with only the one main fridge. Luckily we have a secondary refrigerator in the outdoor kitchen. We have even traveled with our electric Igloo to supplement our refrigeration needs. Between food and beverage we need all the space possible. If you buy an RV with only the basic RV fridge I recommend at least carrying a quality ice chest to keep food and beverages cold. I see that the RV refigerator manufacturer Dometic even makes a plug in ice chest. Most campers and RV have electrical outlets on the exterior for a place to plug in.

This image shows a 12v plug but some models have a dual system for 12v and AC.

That is it for now and maybe I will write another post in the future for more tips and advice.

Back to the Bay State again

  As stated in my last post we had some minor issues with the trailer that we wanted to get addressed before the warranty expired. The most pressing was the leak under the bathroom sink. Evidently the leak was not detected and repaired by the repair shop in Ohio and it still persisted. The major obstacle in scheduling work is that they want to look at the issue and then schedule the repair work so that is what we did. We were lucky enough to find an authorized Forest River dealer near our campground in Vermont and like I said before we dropped in on our way from Massachusetts to Montpelier for a 1 PM appointment. They found that the leak was coming from a pressure check valve and they would need to order the part. Doreen contacted the warranty representative at Forest River and he stated the part would take no more than a few days to get there. With that being said we scheduled an appointment for our departure day of Monday July 14. The week went by and on Friday we learned the parts would not be in until Tuesday. We stayed an extra day at Lazy Lions and pulled into the dealer at 10 AM. Now we had to wait for the UPS truck to deliver the parts and have them installed. So what to do with our time and a cat in tow? Have a picnic lunch at the local park in Montpelier.

 We didn't get on the road until 4:45 PM arriving at Gateway to Cape Cod at 9 PM.

The cat was in her carrier for almost twelve hours and she had lost patience by the time we were on the last twenty or thirty miles. I just hate setting up in the dark and rain added to my misery. After setting up I had a cold beer and a shower. Much to my chagrin Doreen found a puddle of water under the sink about an hour after my shower. Now what was leaking?? I was too frustrated to think about it; it would have to wait until tomorrow.
  The next day I ran the shower and the sink. I discovered the fittings to the hold and cold spigots were not tight so I tightened those. That seemed to solve the problem. Next I ran the black water back flush; water was spewing from the valve, worse than previously. Doreen called the RV dealer and Forest River but really got no where. Finally she called the manufacturer of the valve and they said they would replace it free of charge.

Gateway to Cape Cod is nice but there is no cable and the satellite doesn't work because of tall trees.

Luckily the members lounge got DirecTv and the MLB extra innings package so I watched Pirates and Phillies for several nights after the schedule resumed from the All star break. We didn't do much since my budget was crushed by the cost of diesel fuel. We made one excursion to Providence, Rhode Island.

It was a Saturday afternoon so the capitol was closed. We took a ride to little Italy and had a bite to eat.

On the way back to the campground we stopped at the Dartmouth Mall and caught a movie. We saw the 6:30 showing of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 3D. I am a huge "Apes" fan since the first one in 1967. While this was not as a good as last remake I thought there was some social and political overtones. The lead human character was a little weak and I thought he brought the whole production down. The rest of the cast was decent including the ape Koba.

  Our last night in Massachusetts we went out for some seafood at Captain Al's Tiki Bar. I thought it was a very nice place with waterside dining and bar.

We sat at the bar and ordered drinks and food from the bartender who was a nice enough chap to explain what a quahog was. A quahog is like a large clam that is found in local waters. The meat is removed and ground up and placed back in the shell and baked. Not bad. 

  I had enough of Massachusetts at this point and was really looking forward to getting to Maine.

Miles this leg: 276

Total miles: 5156.4

 

The Green Mountain State

  We left Massachusetts for Vermont on July 7 but we had to make a stop at the local RV dealer in Vermont for service. I am not sure if I mentioned it in previous blogs but we a few small warranty issues with our trailer that we wanted to get addressed before the warranty expires on July 25.
  We had an on going leak somewhere under the bathroom vanity and that caused the wood to warp, also the radio would not pull in any radio stations. It is tough enough to get appointments for RV service this time of year yet alone while you are on the road from state to state. Luckily Doreen obtained the direct phone number to a warranty representative at Forest River so that helped with arranging the appointment.
  We drove the 224 miles to the dealer near Montpelier and let them look at it. After a few hours they informed us they would need to order the parts so that meant bringing it back in before we left. This was our second go around with the leak. We thought we had it fixed when we were going through Ohio but apparently they did not fix the correct component. The servicing is very inconvenient when you have no where to go while they do the work and have a cat in tow. Anyway they assured us the parts would arrive before the week was out and we could stop in when we ready to leave Vermont for our next destination. I knew that was a pipe dream. The parts didn't arrive until the day after our planned departure so we had to stay an extra day. To compound matters the parts would not get there until after noon. I really don't like to set up the trailer in the dark and I knew that we had another 275 mile drive after we left the dealer. That meant we had to be out of there by 3 PM at the latest. I will end the narrative and we will pick this part of the story up in another post but here is a sneak peak of the repair job:

  We stayed at Lazy Lions Campground near Barre, Vermont.

Lazy Lions was a welcome respite from our prior site in Sturbridge. Peace and quiet at last! We had a nice roomy site with no neighbors for a week and nice clean restrooms directly across from us. The grounds of the property were immaculate and I informed the owner thus. The tent sites were spaced around the rear of the campground and looked very inviting. If you are looking for a place to stay in Vermont look no further; from motor home to tent camping this place is perfect. They take pride in their establishment.

  Vermont is truly the Green Mountain State. The greenery is spectacular and unspoiled as far as the eye can see. Vermont is the second least populous state in the Union after Wyoming and the state capital, Montpelier is the smallest. Everything is very quaint and the people are very friendly. The state capital reminds me of a movie set or a made-up town. 

The parking meters accept quarters, dimes, and nickels! Eight minutes for a nickel. Now that is quaint. 

If you are hungry don't look for your favorite chain restaurant because its not here. Other than a Subway all the eateries were local. 

  We took a ride up to Stowe, VT and saw the Trapp Family Lodge of the Sound of Music fame. I really knew next to nothing about the Sound of Music and I never saw the entire movie. I didn't realize it was such an interesting story. The ride was gorgeous up I-89 and into the mountains. The Trapp's selected the site for their home because it reminded them of their native home in Salzburg, Austria. 

  The VonTrapps came to America to flee Nazi Germany. They were not Jewish, however Captain VonTrapp was a war hero from The Great War (WW1) and was known to Adolph Hitler. Hitler had asked Von Trapp to take command of a U-boat when WWII started and he refused. Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels asked him to fly Swastika banners from his home and he refused. Lastly Hitler then asked him to have his singing family perform for the Fuhrers birthday and, after much family discussion they refused. The Captain knew it would only be a matter of the Gestapo or the SS coming for them since no one refused the Fuhrer let alone thrice so they made their way to the Italian border and crossed into Italy. As providence would have it The Captain was a dual Austrian-Italian citizen by virtue of his owning a summer estate on the Adriatic Sea prior to the Great War when that part of Italy was actually The Austrian Empire. As a result of Austria losing the war they ceded that part of Europe to Italy and the Captain was granted Italian citizenship since he was a land owner. The family made their way to England and ultimately the United States. 

  There were ten children in all. The Captain had seven by his first wife and after a short time as a widower married his children's governess Maria, whom he had three more children with. 

  I learned all this as part of the tour we took of the estate. A short film of an interview with Maria VonTrapp is shown and the daughter of the youngest VonTrapp son gives a little q&a. The views are spectacular and one can understand their decision to live here. The lodge was their private home where friends would come visit, which was frequent and in 1955 they opened it as a lodge for the public. The original lodge burned to the ground in 1980 and the present building was built. Most of the Trapps are buried in the family cemetery including the Captain and Maria.

The eldest son:

Daughter Maria died recently and will get a traditional Austrian marker soon.

Two of the Von Trapp sons served in the U. S. military during WWII and are also buried here. One ironically saw action in in the Italian Campaign and fought the Germans and saw the liberation of his village in Austria.

We ate lunch and admired the view:

After the Trapp Family lodge we passed by Ben & Jerry's. 

I declined to take the tour since they charged $5 for it plus there were bus loads of kids and the place was packed. 

  I didn't even consider all the businesses that call Vermont home: Ben & Jerry's, Cabot Cheese, and Green Mountain Coffee. I guess that explains Vermont's low unemployment rate which is the lowest in the country.

  Very close to the campground is Rock of Ages Granite Quarry home of famous Barre white granite. Granite is a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale and is an igneous rock.

  A tour bus takes you up to an observation deck about 600 feet above the quarry floor.

The granite is quarried and finished in the factory:

Vermont is also famous for maple syrup so we went to a local farm.

The sugar maple trees are tapped for their sap and connected hoses bring the water looking liquid to the sugar house where it is boiled and the pure syrup is separated.

Many trees are needed for fuel and for the sap and there is no shortage in Vermont.

There are four main grades of maple syrup from light to dark. The dark amber is harvested when the weather is coldest and to me is the tastiest. 

  I enjoyed Vermont but the cost of living is rather high. They recycle and the cost is added to your purchase. For example if you buy a bottle of liquor there is an added 50 cents that you get back when you return the bottle. The same for a case of beer even. The scenery is beautiful but I bet wintertime is a challenge. I think there are more Subaru's per capita here than anywhere else in the country.

Miles this leg: 224

Total miles: 4880.4

Connecticut and more Massachusetts

    Since the Fourth of July was a rain out many communities celebrated on the 5'th; except for Boston who had their celebration on the 3'rd. As for us after numerous years of playing host to holiday gatherings we just want to be low key. We found a car show in Worcester on July 5 and spent the day there.

You never know what you are going to see sometimes; in this case it was good to see Jesus at the show

Many cars were on display and an auction was held. Someone actually bought this 1930 Chevy coupe:

A 1962 Ford station wagon as old as me:

Hotrods from the old to the new 

Worcester is the site of the Massachusetts Vietnam Veteran's Memorial:

We drove back to the campground and took in the fireworks from the side of the on ramp:

  We took a day trip to Hartford, Connecticut a few days later. Doreen wanted to see the Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe houses. I didn't realize they lived in Hartford and were actually neighbors. Twain's house is more elaborate than Stowe's:

Mrs. Stowe was retired from writing when Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain was his pen name. No one called hi m that) built his house across the yard from her in 1874. At that point in his life he was still an aspiring writer and not well known. Luckily for him his new wife was socially connected and her family was well to-do and his in-laws provided the couple with a new home along with servants as a wedding gift. Clemens chose the property in Hartford because at that point Hartford was the wealthiest city in the country and the publishing center as well. The house he built was controversial at the time because it did not conform to any specific architectural style. Clemens knew he had to be as outgoing as possible to attract all of the famous personalities of the day if he was to make a name for himself.

  The house is amazing inside but of course no photography is allowed. Extensive woodwork adorns the interior and each room is decorated in a different motif: the parlor is Moroccan; the dining room African; the foyer Indian, etc. Clemens' favorite room where he did his writing is the billiard room on the second floor. There, at a small table, he penned his masterpieces The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the sequel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 

  A short walk from the house is the Mark Twain Museum. I recommend purchasing the guided tour of both homes to hear all the interesting facts and tidbits about both authors. The Stowe house is not that impressive. Mrs. Stowe was the most prolific author of her time. She was probably the richest and most famous celebrity in America at that time. Stowe made a small fortune off of Uncle Tom's Cabin and the twenty other books she wrote. She was socially active in political issues of the day including her most passionate cause as an abolitionist. 

Up next is Vermont.

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