We have been home now for several days and we are only now starting to get back to "normal." The virus/cold - whatever - that I had certainly took a bunch of energy out of me for a few days and then I spent the last couple of days getting my truck back in order.
When we left last February I asked my body repair buddy Glen to fix a couple of dents and replace the rusty bumpers and rocker panels on my 2003 Silverado. You would be amazed at how rusty an 11 year old truck living in Maine can get! They sure don't make 'em like they used to. Glen did a nice job on the repairs I asked for - but as I suspected he would - he found a few additional areas needing some work so he was a little behind schedule getting all the work completed. I helped out a bit on Thursday getting the rear bumper back on and the doors re-hung and then I decided to replace the shock absorbers yesterday while Glen's hydraulic auto lift was available. Glen finished up the work yesterday evening by spraying some rustproofing gunk under the truck -- so hopefully it will last another 10 years. Well - at least the body might!
I picked up the truck this morning and got home just in time for a visit by our granddaughter Sophie and her mom and dad. We had a fun visit for a few hours before she had to take mom and dad home for naps. She has grown to be a very typical almost 1 year old - full of smiles and curious about everything! I shoulda taken a few pics for the blog - but I didn't.
Now that we have had a few days to figure out where we are - it is time for the traditional Maineiacs In Motion Post Trip Amazing Statistics and Other Things You Never Wanted to Know.
Overall Trip Miles - 8,414 - Yet another MIM record for one trip!
Our Westward Leg came in at 3,732 miles and the Eastward return trip was a wandering 4,682 miles.
Winne pulled into the driveway here in Topsham having logged 116,030 total miles and I'm happy to report that she suffered no mechanical problems whatsoever on this trip. She just keeps on running - just the way I like it!
We were sorta in a hurry to get to Minden so our trip west was accomplished in 13 days. After spending 25 days in Minden - our return trip was accomplished in a more reasonable 46 days.
During the trip we stayed overnight in 34 different paid RV Parks and the one long stay at the Redeker RV Park and Elder Care Center in Minden where we barely worked for our parking spot. Of those 34 paid places - 19 were new ones we hadn't visited before. Our average per night cost for our paid spots was just under $29 per night. A few $ over budget but that 25 days in Minden helped to keep the overall nightly cost at around $20. A cost per night of $29 seems pretty high - and it is - but it's hard to keep costs down when you're paying the daily rate and unable to get a weekly or monthly rate. I figure we did save about $460 using our various club discount cards (Passport America, Escapees, Good Sam).
Our average cost per gallon for Regular Unleaded gasoline for Winne came in at $3.40 per gallon with the most expensive fuel purchased in Boron, CA on the way home at $3.999 and the least expensive in Wytheville, VA on our way west at $3.029. Wow - what a difference! As for the trip overall fuel cost ... Winne burned 1,216 gallons at a average cost of about $0.49 per mile. I leave the math to you as reading the result may be too painful for my tired eyes.
So there ya go. The 2014 Maineiacs In Motion Winter/Spring Coast-to-Coast Adventure is now "In-the-Books."
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
The Way Life Should Be
On Tuesday we had another very nice travel day weather-wise and we continued our eastward travel along the "Southern Tier Expressway" in southern New York. As planned - we stopped for the night at the Arrowhead Marina and RV Park in Glenville, NY and we met up with my friend Rocky for dinner at Delmonico's Steakhouse. Rocky insists that he is going to retire next March and that he and his wife are going to purchase a RV and travel the U.S. of A. for a while with no schedule. I hope he pulls it off!
Well of course we drove home on Wednesday. Was there ever any doubt? Actually I did have my doubts as I started coming down with a cold on Tuesday and it was in full-time nose blowing mode on Wednesday. I knew it wasn't going to get better as the days moved forward so I figured I might as well just get those last 300 or so miles done and over with. We had another nice travel day and made it home safe and sound around 3 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time. 84 days and 8,414 miles later - we made it home.
We got a few things unloaded after our arrival on Wednesday. I should say Peggy did while I sat in my recliner wiped out - blowing my nose! Except for a short but fun visit with Stacy and Taylor - that pretty much was it for Wednesday.
I got about 3 hours sleep on Wednesday night and was feeling pretty miserable all day on Thursday so once again - Peggy did any unloading that got done. I did manage to get all the cable TV/internet stuff working again. Must have our TV and internet you know!
I was able to get a full night's sleep last night and although I still feel pretty puny - I think I'm on the mend.
Let's hope so. We're back in Maine - Spring is in full swing - it's time to enjoy "The Way Life Should Be."
Well of course we drove home on Wednesday. Was there ever any doubt? Actually I did have my doubts as I started coming down with a cold on Tuesday and it was in full-time nose blowing mode on Wednesday. I knew it wasn't going to get better as the days moved forward so I figured I might as well just get those last 300 or so miles done and over with. We had another nice travel day and made it home safe and sound around 3 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time. 84 days and 8,414 miles later - we made it home.
We got a few things unloaded after our arrival on Wednesday. I should say Peggy did while I sat in my recliner wiped out - blowing my nose! Except for a short but fun visit with Stacy and Taylor - that pretty much was it for Wednesday.
I got about 3 hours sleep on Wednesday night and was feeling pretty miserable all day on Thursday so once again - Peggy did any unloading that got done. I did manage to get all the cable TV/internet stuff working again. Must have our TV and internet you know!
I was able to get a full night's sleep last night and although I still feel pretty puny - I think I'm on the mend.
Let's hope so. We're back in Maine - Spring is in full swing - it's time to enjoy "The Way Life Should Be."
Monday, May 19, 2014
Catching Up
Oops - I got behind in my blogging. Time to catch up.
On Thursday night the Escapade hosted a "Ham-A-Rama" where all sorts of Escapees with talent of one sort or another entertained the audience. There were singers, pickers, comedians, and one really talented mother of 6 with one on the way. What you may ask?! An SKP young enough to be pregnant? Yup ... it's true. I'm not sure of Mrs. Hoffman's age but her children appear to all be under about 10. She was introduced as a former music teacher and she sang the aria Habanero from the opera Carmen. Wow! She was definitely the hit of the show!
Except for attending the closing ceremonies in the afternoon - we pretty much took Friday off from Escapade activities and started our preparations for heading home by taking care of grocery shopping. We also went out to dinner with about 20 fellow Escapees who joined another 30 or so the Lux Cafe in Goshen. Our friend Norm Payne referred to it as "The Last Supper."
It did rain a bit on Thursday and a slight bit again on Friday night so we were hopeful that the grounds in the infield were firm enough to support the weight of all the RVs that were planning on exiting on Saturday. We watched a few rigs head out early in the morning without problem so we decided to give it a try ourselves around 9:30 AM. We made it out without incident and drove over to the Elkhart Campground in Elkhart to finish our trip preparations. We took care of some key items like dumping our waste tanks and catching up on the laundry before getting a good nights sleep on Saturday night.
Sunday was a gorgeous morning and we got a relatively early start heading east on I-80. We completed our drive through northern Indiana and then on into Ohio - gassed up in Toledo - and then made our way through Cleveland on I-90 and then north along the coast of Lake Erie to almost the border with Pennsylvania before stopping for the night.
Today we had a relatively short drive of about 230 miles continuing along Lake Erie on I-90, through the short piece of PA that borders the Lake, and then into NY - turning east again on I-86 - "The Southern Tier Expressway." This part of NY is really very pretty and we enjoyed the drive - well - except for the 20 miles of construction and bumpy roads just west of Olean. Once they get that part fixed this route will improve greatly!
We finished up our Monday travels by pulling off here in Campbell, NY - just north of Corning, NY where we visited the Corning Glass Factory last year.
We plan on making another couple of hundred miles tomorrow - making it to Schenectady, NY where we will stay overnight at the Arrowhead Marina and RV Park - one of our favorite stopping points going and coming from Maine. The park is really not all that special - but it is located right on the Mohawk River and has some great views. As a bonus we are hoping to have dinner with a friend of mine from back in my working days who is still working on that DOE project I worked on back in 2010.
Then we need to make a decision. Take a day off from traveling ... or finish up our trip and get back home.
Which decision do you think we will make? Stay tuned!!
On Thursday night the Escapade hosted a "Ham-A-Rama" where all sorts of Escapees with talent of one sort or another entertained the audience. There were singers, pickers, comedians, and one really talented mother of 6 with one on the way. What you may ask?! An SKP young enough to be pregnant? Yup ... it's true. I'm not sure of Mrs. Hoffman's age but her children appear to all be under about 10. She was introduced as a former music teacher and she sang the aria Habanero from the opera Carmen. Wow! She was definitely the hit of the show!
Except for attending the closing ceremonies in the afternoon - we pretty much took Friday off from Escapade activities and started our preparations for heading home by taking care of grocery shopping. We also went out to dinner with about 20 fellow Escapees who joined another 30 or so the Lux Cafe in Goshen. Our friend Norm Payne referred to it as "The Last Supper."
It did rain a bit on Thursday and a slight bit again on Friday night so we were hopeful that the grounds in the infield were firm enough to support the weight of all the RVs that were planning on exiting on Saturday. We watched a few rigs head out early in the morning without problem so we decided to give it a try ourselves around 9:30 AM. We made it out without incident and drove over to the Elkhart Campground in Elkhart to finish our trip preparations. We took care of some key items like dumping our waste tanks and catching up on the laundry before getting a good nights sleep on Saturday night.
Sunday was a gorgeous morning and we got a relatively early start heading east on I-80. We completed our drive through northern Indiana and then on into Ohio - gassed up in Toledo - and then made our way through Cleveland on I-90 and then north along the coast of Lake Erie to almost the border with Pennsylvania before stopping for the night.
Today we had a relatively short drive of about 230 miles continuing along Lake Erie on I-90, through the short piece of PA that borders the Lake, and then into NY - turning east again on I-86 - "The Southern Tier Expressway." This part of NY is really very pretty and we enjoyed the drive - well - except for the 20 miles of construction and bumpy roads just west of Olean. Once they get that part fixed this route will improve greatly!
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| Rest Area at Chautauqua Lake along I-86 |
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| Chautauqua Lake |
We plan on making another couple of hundred miles tomorrow - making it to Schenectady, NY where we will stay overnight at the Arrowhead Marina and RV Park - one of our favorite stopping points going and coming from Maine. The park is really not all that special - but it is located right on the Mohawk River and has some great views. As a bonus we are hoping to have dinner with a friend of mine from back in my working days who is still working on that DOE project I worked on back in 2010.
Then we need to make a decision. Take a day off from traveling ... or finish up our trip and get back home.
Which decision do you think we will make? Stay tuned!!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
A Wet, Wild, and Chilly Escapade
My what a difference a few days can make.
When we arrived here in Goshen it was sunny and in the mid 80s. Since then we have had one pretty decent stretch of thunderstorms followed by about a day and a half of soaking rain and then temps in the 40s with the low tonight forecast to be around 33 degrees. Yes indeed -- it was time to put away the short pants and break out the Wranglers, long sleeve shirts, and sweatshirts!
And then the LL Bean Boots came out today when the mud arrived. We are parked along with several hundred of our fellow SKPs in the infield area of a harness racing track here at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds. Apparently when Indiana soil is mixed with several inches of rain and then driven over by a few RVs weighing 10s of tons - this can happen!
This unfortunate motorhome driver had to be rescued this morning by a large tow truck and I understand he wasn't the first. The Escapade/Fairgrounds folks have trucked in several cubic yards of gravel to help out the situation ... and it is drying out some ... but I hope it improves a bunch before we have to try and drive out of here on Saturday!
In between all the raindrops Peggy and I have been enjoying the various events here at the Escapade. We have attended seminars on a wide variety of topics. From "Technology For Travelers" and "Highway History and Back Road Mystery" to "Driving Your RV Safely" and "My Personal Amish/Mennonite Story. We have wandered amongst the various vendor booths purchasing some hard to RV without items ... everything from replacement LED lightbulbs to new memory foam pillows. We have been entertained by professional entertainers and by just watching people enjoy the festivities.
We even left the fairgrounds for a few hours yesterday to visit the Menno-Hof Museum in nearby Shipshewana to learn all about the Amish and Mennonite people - many of whom settled this area of the country and whose descendants still live here today. We learned the history and basic differences between the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Hutterites and we learned some of their traditions and culture that is easily viewed as you drive through the countryside ... including transportation by horse and buggy.
We got to see some beautiful quilts ...
and we even got to try on some traditional garb ...
but then our Mennonite tour guide said we had to look more stern for the Bishop ...
all very interesting since we're told the Amish don't like to be photographed!
Seriously ... the tour was very interesting and was a fun way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy afternoon.
As I sit here writing this on Thursday afternoon we have a little over a day left at the Escapade before our scheduled departure on Saturday. Depending on how well the placed gets dried out - we may delay our leaving until Sunday.
Assuming we leave here on Saturday - we are planning on heading back to Elkhart for 1 day to dump our waste tanks, do some grocery shopping, and catch up on the laundry before we start on the trip back home to Maine.
Regardless - we plan on heading East on Sunday. We have about 1,000 miles to go so it will probably take us 4 travel days and perhaps 1 take-a-break from traveling day.
It may be sorta wet - and sorta cold - but were still looking forward to coming home.
See you Mainers soon!
When we arrived here in Goshen it was sunny and in the mid 80s. Since then we have had one pretty decent stretch of thunderstorms followed by about a day and a half of soaking rain and then temps in the 40s with the low tonight forecast to be around 33 degrees. Yes indeed -- it was time to put away the short pants and break out the Wranglers, long sleeve shirts, and sweatshirts!
And then the LL Bean Boots came out today when the mud arrived. We are parked along with several hundred of our fellow SKPs in the infield area of a harness racing track here at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds. Apparently when Indiana soil is mixed with several inches of rain and then driven over by a few RVs weighing 10s of tons - this can happen!
This unfortunate motorhome driver had to be rescued this morning by a large tow truck and I understand he wasn't the first. The Escapade/Fairgrounds folks have trucked in several cubic yards of gravel to help out the situation ... and it is drying out some ... but I hope it improves a bunch before we have to try and drive out of here on Saturday!
In between all the raindrops Peggy and I have been enjoying the various events here at the Escapade. We have attended seminars on a wide variety of topics. From "Technology For Travelers" and "Highway History and Back Road Mystery" to "Driving Your RV Safely" and "My Personal Amish/Mennonite Story. We have wandered amongst the various vendor booths purchasing some hard to RV without items ... everything from replacement LED lightbulbs to new memory foam pillows. We have been entertained by professional entertainers and by just watching people enjoy the festivities.
We even left the fairgrounds for a few hours yesterday to visit the Menno-Hof Museum in nearby Shipshewana to learn all about the Amish and Mennonite people - many of whom settled this area of the country and whose descendants still live here today. We learned the history and basic differences between the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Hutterites and we learned some of their traditions and culture that is easily viewed as you drive through the countryside ... including transportation by horse and buggy.
We got to see some beautiful quilts ...
and we even got to try on some traditional garb ...
but then our Mennonite tour guide said we had to look more stern for the Bishop ...
all very interesting since we're told the Amish don't like to be photographed!
Seriously ... the tour was very interesting and was a fun way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy afternoon.
As I sit here writing this on Thursday afternoon we have a little over a day left at the Escapade before our scheduled departure on Saturday. Depending on how well the placed gets dried out - we may delay our leaving until Sunday.
Assuming we leave here on Saturday - we are planning on heading back to Elkhart for 1 day to dump our waste tanks, do some grocery shopping, and catch up on the laundry before we start on the trip back home to Maine.
Regardless - we plan on heading East on Sunday. We have about 1,000 miles to go so it will probably take us 4 travel days and perhaps 1 take-a-break from traveling day.
It may be sorta wet - and sorta cold - but were still looking forward to coming home.
See you Mainers soon!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Escapade Start
We made the short 15 or so mile trip from the Elkhart Campground to here at the Escapee Escapade in Goshen, Indiana on Sunday - relatively early in the morning - and the drive in to the fairgrounds was easy-peasy. Once we arrived we were met by the extremely competent parking crew who directed us quite efficiently to our parking spot in the middle of the fairgrounds harness racing track. We are "roughing it" here at the fairgrounds with 30 AMP electric service and water supplied to Winne but we will have to survive with only about 50 gallons of "Grey" Water storage capacity and another 50 gallons of "Black" Water capacity. Peggy is mostly concerned with that grey water limit since it will limit her daily long therapeutic showers. So as for as she is concerned ... we are just like the pioneers crossing the prairie in a conestoga wagon.
Upon arriving at our "spot" we immediately noticed the "rigs" of Don and Gloria Martin ... and Norm and Linda Payne -- friends of ours from the Rainbow Plantation down in Alabama - who are also attending the Escapade with their friends Rich and Diane Emond from Florida. We met and said our howdies and walked with them over to the registration area to receive our credentials and get the info on the schedule of events for the next week. While we registering we met a few other folks we have met along the way - including Mark and Dortha Hall who we enjoyed some time with in Maine back in 2010 at the 1st (and only at this point) "Maine Event" at the Topsham Fairgrounds! Mark and Dortha are the Coordinators for this Escapade -- a very big job that they have been working on for months -- and will continue to keep them busy for the rest of this week and probably a week after. It was great seeing them again!
After registering we joined the gang from the Plantation for a dinner out at the Ponderosa Steakhouse in Goshen.
and then returned to Norm and Linda's rig for a rousing couple of hours of stories of experiences on-the-road. A great start to a fun week.
We rode out the strong thunderstorms on Sunday night and then started our Escapade fun early on Monday morning by visiting the vendor buildings. You know - the large buildings with all kinds of booths set up by vendors selling all kinds of wares - mostly RV related - but other "stuff" as well.
We didn't come away from our shopping experience unscathed as we (me) bought a set of fire extinguishers that I have thought about for some time now to replace the one small and probably almost useless one that came with Winne ... and a couple of LED bulbs to replace a couple of the incandescent types.
After walking back and forth to the Vendor area a couple of times throughout the day we were pretty tired but had to save enough energy for the afternoon orientation session and then the evening door prizes and entertainment. Entertainment on Monday was provided by Johnny Counterfeit and his band performing a couple of hours of tribute C&W songs mixed in with some classic Rock and Roll and even a bit of Motown Soul and Gospel. Judging from the audience reaction -- everybody had a pretty great time!
Monday evening brought a few more thunderstorms but that didn't slow down the Escapees come Tuesday morning as this gang hit the seminar buildings in full force come 0830. Peggy and I didn't make the seminars until around 10ish and then made it back to the vendor area to spend some more $$ before heading back to the rig to have some lunch and hide from the heavy thunderstorm that moved through around noon. But then it was back to the seminar buildings for some more before once again retiring back to our rig.
We are planning on a Pizza night out in town this afternoon for dinner and then back here for evening entertainment again.
Whew -- this partying with Escapees is tough work!
Upon arriving at our "spot" we immediately noticed the "rigs" of Don and Gloria Martin ... and Norm and Linda Payne -- friends of ours from the Rainbow Plantation down in Alabama - who are also attending the Escapade with their friends Rich and Diane Emond from Florida. We met and said our howdies and walked with them over to the registration area to receive our credentials and get the info on the schedule of events for the next week. While we registering we met a few other folks we have met along the way - including Mark and Dortha Hall who we enjoyed some time with in Maine back in 2010 at the 1st (and only at this point) "Maine Event" at the Topsham Fairgrounds! Mark and Dortha are the Coordinators for this Escapade -- a very big job that they have been working on for months -- and will continue to keep them busy for the rest of this week and probably a week after. It was great seeing them again!
After registering we joined the gang from the Plantation for a dinner out at the Ponderosa Steakhouse in Goshen.
and then returned to Norm and Linda's rig for a rousing couple of hours of stories of experiences on-the-road. A great start to a fun week.
We rode out the strong thunderstorms on Sunday night and then started our Escapade fun early on Monday morning by visiting the vendor buildings. You know - the large buildings with all kinds of booths set up by vendors selling all kinds of wares - mostly RV related - but other "stuff" as well.
We didn't come away from our shopping experience unscathed as we (me) bought a set of fire extinguishers that I have thought about for some time now to replace the one small and probably almost useless one that came with Winne ... and a couple of LED bulbs to replace a couple of the incandescent types.
After walking back and forth to the Vendor area a couple of times throughout the day we were pretty tired but had to save enough energy for the afternoon orientation session and then the evening door prizes and entertainment. Entertainment on Monday was provided by Johnny Counterfeit and his band performing a couple of hours of tribute C&W songs mixed in with some classic Rock and Roll and even a bit of Motown Soul and Gospel. Judging from the audience reaction -- everybody had a pretty great time!
Monday evening brought a few more thunderstorms but that didn't slow down the Escapees come Tuesday morning as this gang hit the seminar buildings in full force come 0830. Peggy and I didn't make the seminars until around 10ish and then made it back to the vendor area to spend some more $$ before heading back to the rig to have some lunch and hide from the heavy thunderstorm that moved through around noon. But then it was back to the seminar buildings for some more before once again retiring back to our rig.
We are planning on a Pizza night out in town this afternoon for dinner and then back here for evening entertainment again.
Whew -- this partying with Escapees is tough work!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Studebakers
One more day before we enter the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds for all the Escapade fun ... and it was a lovely day here in Indiana at that ... so what do we do. We looked through the many brochures we have picked up here locally and we had a bunch of options. Amish farm related stuff, flower quilt displays (not really starting until later this month), RV related tours, visit the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, walk along the Elkhart River Walk ... .
Well this one was easy for me ... Studebakers of course! Peggy agreed long enough for me to point the Vue towards South Bend and about 20 minutes later we were entering the museum. We actually had our choice of a more traditional "history" type museum or the Studebaker museum -- or both.
We figured one museum was way more than enough so we chose the Studebaker Museum.
The Studebaker family were blacksmiths that moved from the Gettysburg, PA area back in the early 1800s and made their way to the South Bend area around 1836. The family business grew from general blacksmithing, to wheel making, wheelbarrow making, and onto carriage making. This one carried President Lincoln to Ford's Theater in 1865.
They supplied wagons to the union army during the civil war and moved to making some of the first electric cars in 1902. Although the electric cars worked pretty well - obtaining a range of about 70 miles and a top speed of around 20 mph, they started making car bodies for gasoline powered cars in 1904.
My dad always liked Studebakers - although as far as I know he never owned one. As we toured the museum I certainly found several that I liked -- including ones that were made far before my time.
Like this 1934 President
And this 1931 Roadster with driving lights that turn with the steering wheel. Studebaker was always out front with technical innovations.
And how about this 1927 Commander that drove from New York City to San Francisco (3,302 miles) in under 78 hours. That would be hard enough today -- and imagine that is was accomplished in 1927!
Peggy tried to drive away in this 1950 model ... but alas ... it was out of gas!
I liked this 1964 Daytona model with only 50 original miles!
This 1966 model was the the last Studebaker ever made (and was made in Canada at that).
Now the 1962 Avanti ... that was a car before its time!
I think I may get this sign for may garage at home.
This 1953 Starliner was probably my favorite. Most cars made in 1953 looked nothing like this. Once again ... ahead of its time!
Yes indeed that's a supercharged Studebaker putting out over 400 horsepower ... back in-the-day!
Studebaker made some beautiful cars during its existence and it was a sad thing to see them finally go out of business in the mid 60s ... but I'm sure glad they saved these in this museum.
I see the weather is looking quite iffy for the next week - so it must be time for a RV Rally! Rain or not ... here we come.
Well this one was easy for me ... Studebakers of course! Peggy agreed long enough for me to point the Vue towards South Bend and about 20 minutes later we were entering the museum. We actually had our choice of a more traditional "history" type museum or the Studebaker museum -- or both.
We figured one museum was way more than enough so we chose the Studebaker Museum.
The Studebaker family were blacksmiths that moved from the Gettysburg, PA area back in the early 1800s and made their way to the South Bend area around 1836. The family business grew from general blacksmithing, to wheel making, wheelbarrow making, and onto carriage making. This one carried President Lincoln to Ford's Theater in 1865.
They supplied wagons to the union army during the civil war and moved to making some of the first electric cars in 1902. Although the electric cars worked pretty well - obtaining a range of about 70 miles and a top speed of around 20 mph, they started making car bodies for gasoline powered cars in 1904.
My dad always liked Studebakers - although as far as I know he never owned one. As we toured the museum I certainly found several that I liked -- including ones that were made far before my time.
Like this 1934 President
And this 1931 Roadster with driving lights that turn with the steering wheel. Studebaker was always out front with technical innovations.
And how about this 1927 Commander that drove from New York City to San Francisco (3,302 miles) in under 78 hours. That would be hard enough today -- and imagine that is was accomplished in 1927!
Peggy tried to drive away in this 1950 model ... but alas ... it was out of gas!
I liked this 1964 Daytona model with only 50 original miles!
This 1966 model was the the last Studebaker ever made (and was made in Canada at that).
Now the 1962 Avanti ... that was a car before its time!
I think I may get this sign for may garage at home.
This 1953 Starliner was probably my favorite. Most cars made in 1953 looked nothing like this. Once again ... ahead of its time!
Yes indeed that's a supercharged Studebaker putting out over 400 horsepower ... back in-the-day!
Studebaker made some beautiful cars during its existence and it was a sad thing to see them finally go out of business in the mid 60s ... but I'm sure glad they saved these in this museum.
I see the weather is looking quite iffy for the next week - so it must be time for a RV Rally! Rain or not ... here we come.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Readying for an Escapade
We arrived in Elkhart, IN yesterday around 2 PM and settled in to our spot here at the Elkhart Campground. Elkhart is known as the "RV Capital of the World" since so many RV manufacturers and suppliers are located here. We are in the area mainly to attend the 54th "Escapade" in nearby Goshen, IN. An Escapade is a gathering of members of the Escapees RV Club members for visiting, fun, seminars, entertainment, and plenty of other reasons. We haven't been to a RV "Rally" in a number of years and we thought this one would be a good opportunity to meet up with some RV friends, maybe learn a thing or two, and rest-up for the final leg of our 2014 Winter/Spring Adventure across America.
The Escapade doesn't officially begin until Monday in Goshen at the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds but by the looks of things here at the Elkhart Campground -- lots of folks have started the party early! Early arrival parking in Goshen starts on Saturday and we will be heading to the fairgrounds on Sunday. Since we will be "camping" at the fairgrounds with "only" electricity available (no water or sewer hookup) we will use these next few days to take care of things like doing laundry and Peggy can enjoy a few days of long showers before she has to swap over to water conservation mode. NOT her favorite thing to do!
After seeing the sights here in the Amish Country of Indiana - and partying for a week at the Escapade - I suspect we will be more than ready to get back home! We are "ready" now ... but we will be really ready by next Saturday.
As of today we are on day 72 of this trip and have traveled over 7,300 miles. Only a little over 1,000 more miles to go!
What the heck is up with the price of gasoline! I have noticed the price has been a bit high coming back east but was floored when we got to Indiana to see that Regular Unleaded is about $3.75 per gallon! I just checked the price in Topsham and it is $3.65. Keeping our trip fuel cost under budget may be a challenge!
So what do you think about the idea presently being discussed to have more highways funded by use of user paid tolls? Should we let each state raise money by charging tolls for interstate highway use - and perhaps use that money to maintain and expand the highway system (or help feed their general fund)? Or should creating, expanding, and maintaining the interstate highway system continue to be one of the more legitimate responsibilities of the federal government? As for me ... I'm in the camp that thinks this one belongs with the feds. The US Constitution does provide some duties/responsibilities of the federal government (all others belonging to the states) .. like "providing for the common defence" and establishing a "Post Office" and "post Roads."
It may not be anywhere near "efficient" when it comes to providing for our defence, a post office, or roads ... but I for one do not want to see 50 armed state militias or 50 different standards for roads.
As for the Post Office ... that one may need a Constitutional Amendment!
The Escapade doesn't officially begin until Monday in Goshen at the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds but by the looks of things here at the Elkhart Campground -- lots of folks have started the party early! Early arrival parking in Goshen starts on Saturday and we will be heading to the fairgrounds on Sunday. Since we will be "camping" at the fairgrounds with "only" electricity available (no water or sewer hookup) we will use these next few days to take care of things like doing laundry and Peggy can enjoy a few days of long showers before she has to swap over to water conservation mode. NOT her favorite thing to do!
After seeing the sights here in the Amish Country of Indiana - and partying for a week at the Escapade - I suspect we will be more than ready to get back home! We are "ready" now ... but we will be really ready by next Saturday.
As of today we are on day 72 of this trip and have traveled over 7,300 miles. Only a little over 1,000 more miles to go!
What the heck is up with the price of gasoline! I have noticed the price has been a bit high coming back east but was floored when we got to Indiana to see that Regular Unleaded is about $3.75 per gallon! I just checked the price in Topsham and it is $3.65. Keeping our trip fuel cost under budget may be a challenge!
So what do you think about the idea presently being discussed to have more highways funded by use of user paid tolls? Should we let each state raise money by charging tolls for interstate highway use - and perhaps use that money to maintain and expand the highway system (or help feed their general fund)? Or should creating, expanding, and maintaining the interstate highway system continue to be one of the more legitimate responsibilities of the federal government? As for me ... I'm in the camp that thinks this one belongs with the feds. The US Constitution does provide some duties/responsibilities of the federal government (all others belonging to the states) .. like "providing for the common defence" and establishing a "Post Office" and "post Roads."
It may not be anywhere near "efficient" when it comes to providing for our defence, a post office, or roads ... but I for one do not want to see 50 armed state militias or 50 different standards for roads.
As for the Post Office ... that one may need a Constitutional Amendment!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Spelunking Kentucky
Today's adventure took place in southern Kentucky at Mammoth Cave National Park. As the title of the park would suggest - there is a really big cave located here. All-in-all the Mammoth Cave National park contains over 400 miles of interconnected caves.
But before I can continue with today's story - I must provide a bit of perspective. Back in 2007 Peggy and I toured several caves during our travels including the one leading to Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, TN and one near Natural Bridge, VA. Although we found the caves interesting - we figured we had had enough of cave exploration and haven't been to one since.
But the cave was here - we were nearby - and Mammoth is a National Park we hadn't visited.
We arrived here in Cave City, KY yesterday after a 160 mile uneventful trip from Crossville, TN. After arriving and getting settled in - we unhooked the Vue and headed over to the Park Visitor's Center to see what we could see. We viewed the exhibits explaining the geology and history of the caves - and we talked to one of the Park Rangers about the various tours being offered. After discussing our options - but not giving it enough thought - we decided to purchase some tickets for the noon "Historic Tour" tomorrow (today). After all how hard could it be? 2 hours - 2 miles - 300 feet into the earth - and back again. No Problem ... right?! We also got Peggy her very own "Old Geezer" National Parks Pass. She is now a bonafide Geezer I reckon!
So today we made our way back to the Visitor's Center to take our tour. We started with a short talk by our tour guide and then were on our way.
We walked down a 1/4 mile path to the original cave entrance where the temperature suddenly dropped from the warm 80 degree day we were enjoying to the normal 55 degree temperature of the cave. Thank goodness we were prepared with long pants and long sleeve shirts!
Down we went walking along paths made by CCC back during the Great Depression - pretty soon the sunlight back at the cave entrance was gone and we were in a large room used during the war of 1812 to mine saltpetre - also known as potassium nitrate - a key ingredient for making much needed black powder - a commodity in great demand! The mining equipment is still there - just as it was left - well preserved by the cool temperature and nitrate environment of the cave.
On we walked ... through areas called unusual names ... methodist church, bottomless pit - fat man's misery -- I'll let your imagination guess how much fun that one was to negotiate! Through large caverns -- and along narrow paths -- down we went. After about an hour and a half we found ourselves in a large room about 310 feet down. Now all we had to do was walk up several hundred stairs back to the cave entrance.
Boy ... that was fun!
I'm pretty sure we are going back to our 2007 resolution about cave exploration.
Having survived our adventure today we will be back on the road heading north tomorrow - destination Indianapolis, IN.
Wait a minute ... it's May ... it's Indy ... maybe we should take in the race! Nope ... too early in the month and we other things on the agenda.
But before I can continue with today's story - I must provide a bit of perspective. Back in 2007 Peggy and I toured several caves during our travels including the one leading to Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, TN and one near Natural Bridge, VA. Although we found the caves interesting - we figured we had had enough of cave exploration and haven't been to one since.
But the cave was here - we were nearby - and Mammoth is a National Park we hadn't visited.
We arrived here in Cave City, KY yesterday after a 160 mile uneventful trip from Crossville, TN. After arriving and getting settled in - we unhooked the Vue and headed over to the Park Visitor's Center to see what we could see. We viewed the exhibits explaining the geology and history of the caves - and we talked to one of the Park Rangers about the various tours being offered. After discussing our options - but not giving it enough thought - we decided to purchase some tickets for the noon "Historic Tour" tomorrow (today). After all how hard could it be? 2 hours - 2 miles - 300 feet into the earth - and back again. No Problem ... right?! We also got Peggy her very own "Old Geezer" National Parks Pass. She is now a bonafide Geezer I reckon!
So today we made our way back to the Visitor's Center to take our tour. We started with a short talk by our tour guide and then were on our way.
We walked down a 1/4 mile path to the original cave entrance where the temperature suddenly dropped from the warm 80 degree day we were enjoying to the normal 55 degree temperature of the cave. Thank goodness we were prepared with long pants and long sleeve shirts!
Down we went walking along paths made by CCC back during the Great Depression - pretty soon the sunlight back at the cave entrance was gone and we were in a large room used during the war of 1812 to mine saltpetre - also known as potassium nitrate - a key ingredient for making much needed black powder - a commodity in great demand! The mining equipment is still there - just as it was left - well preserved by the cool temperature and nitrate environment of the cave.
On we walked ... through areas called unusual names ... methodist church, bottomless pit - fat man's misery -- I'll let your imagination guess how much fun that one was to negotiate! Through large caverns -- and along narrow paths -- down we went. After about an hour and a half we found ourselves in a large room about 310 feet down. Now all we had to do was walk up several hundred stairs back to the cave entrance.
Boy ... that was fun!
I'm pretty sure we are going back to our 2007 resolution about cave exploration.
Having survived our adventure today we will be back on the road heading north tomorrow - destination Indianapolis, IN.
Wait a minute ... it's May ... it's Indy ... maybe we should take in the race! Nope ... too early in the month and we other things on the agenda.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Headin' North
Well our time here in Tennessee is just about up for now. We have visited with our friends Darrell and Judy who have recently set some roots here in Crossville - and we got a bonus visit in with other friends Randy and Terry Guiler who are down visiting from Pennsylvania. The weather has been nice and the fellowship even nicer.
After attending services at D&Js new church here in Crossville today we all drove over to nearby Cumberland Mountain State Park and had a nice buffet lunch at the on-site restaurant. The restaurant is located overlooking a scenic river/dam. A beautiful scene on a lovely spring day.
We said our sad goodbyes to our friends after lunch and spent the afternoon getting some chores done in preparation to heading north tomorrow.
After attending services at D&Js new church here in Crossville today we all drove over to nearby Cumberland Mountain State Park and had a nice buffet lunch at the on-site restaurant. The restaurant is located overlooking a scenic river/dam. A beautiful scene on a lovely spring day.
We said our sad goodbyes to our friends after lunch and spent the afternoon getting some chores done in preparation to heading north tomorrow.
- North to the next Chapter of the 2014 Winter/Spring wanderings of these Maineiacs In Motion.
- North towards Indiana where we hope to have a fun week next week with more RVing friends at the Escapee Club "Escapade."
- And Yes Stacy ... North towards Maine and Home Sweet Home.
See Ya next time from Kentucky -The Bluegrass State
Friday, May 2, 2014
May, Merriment, and Meyhem
Welcome to May 2014!
We made the drive east along I-40 to Crossville, TN on Wednesday. Another uneventful driving day except for the rain as we arrived and got the rig set up.
We are staying at the Spring Lake RV Resort here near Crossville - a very nice, out in the country, built around a pond, RV Park. The park is relatively empty at the moment so we pretty much have one side of the pond/lake all to ourselves. It's a very relaxing place with geese, ducks, and lots of different kinds of birds to keep you company.
We spent a few hours visiting with Darrell and Judy after our arrival on Wednesday and they were gracious enough to have us over for an arrival day dinner at their new house. They are still in move in mode -- but they make a little more progress each day. We visited some more on Thursday and helped with a couple of move-in projects before heading back "home" for the evening to take care of a few projects around our mobile "house."
Today more RV friends are arriving as Randy and Terry Guiler make the trip down from PA to visit for a few days. Oh Boy -- the fun level is about to increase!
Our plan is to hang out here in Crossville through the weekend and then start heading north towards the Escapee Club "Escapade" in Goshen, Indiana. The Escapade doesn't start for a little over a week but we have another stop or two to make along the way for some sightseeing. First stop - Mammoth Cave National Park.
I know ... I swore off more cave explorations some years back but it's on-the-way and we have the time ... so why not!
But first ... more merriment and mayhem with the Pattersons and Guilers!
We made the drive east along I-40 to Crossville, TN on Wednesday. Another uneventful driving day except for the rain as we arrived and got the rig set up.
We are staying at the Spring Lake RV Resort here near Crossville - a very nice, out in the country, built around a pond, RV Park. The park is relatively empty at the moment so we pretty much have one side of the pond/lake all to ourselves. It's a very relaxing place with geese, ducks, and lots of different kinds of birds to keep you company.
We spent a few hours visiting with Darrell and Judy after our arrival on Wednesday and they were gracious enough to have us over for an arrival day dinner at their new house. They are still in move in mode -- but they make a little more progress each day. We visited some more on Thursday and helped with a couple of move-in projects before heading back "home" for the evening to take care of a few projects around our mobile "house."
Today more RV friends are arriving as Randy and Terry Guiler make the trip down from PA to visit for a few days. Oh Boy -- the fun level is about to increase!
Our plan is to hang out here in Crossville through the weekend and then start heading north towards the Escapee Club "Escapade" in Goshen, Indiana. The Escapade doesn't start for a little over a week but we have another stop or two to make along the way for some sightseeing. First stop - Mammoth Cave National Park.
I know ... I swore off more cave explorations some years back but it's on-the-way and we have the time ... so why not!
But first ... more merriment and mayhem with the Pattersons and Guilers!
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