Rain and Rally (Hershey, PA)

Last week (September 7), we left Wellsboro, PA in the rain and drove south all in rain.  Our projected trip was supposed to take about 4 hours.  However, as we approached Harrisburg, PA the rain kept coming down harder and harder.  We made it around Harrisburg and turned east towards Hershey still in rain.  The closer we got to Hershey, the more water there was coming out of the sky and staying on the roads.  We made it to Hershey and couldn't go anyfurther--our turn-off from one road to another was closed due to a collapsed road.  We followed our on-star directions and turned down a street, went up a hill and came to a sudden stop--the other side of the hill was flooded with water and other things flowing across the street.  Pat got out of the truck and walked back to tell other drivers that the road was flooded.  Obviously we were not going anywhere soon and it was still pouring.  Finally, we managed to move enough cars out of the way so Pat could back up into a business parking lot.  We went back to route 422 which is the main street of Hershey--it was crawling due to flooding.  In this picture, you can see the top of a car (police car, I think) which is under the trees.  Later we discovered that the car was actually on a street!  I guess 20 inches of rain (yep-20 inches) will cause all sorts of problems.

 Finally, we turned on a street that would take us to the road we needed to be on.  However, after going two blocks, a temporary traffic control person wouldn't let us go any further and we had to turn down a narrow street with the camper.  Pat handled it very well and we managed to make it to a bank parking lot to try to figure out what we could do.  Since we drive two vehicles, I left to scout out a possible route.  By this time, the rain had stopped for a while and I found a way to get out of Hershey.  We finally arrived at the campground as the rain resumed at a horribly heavy rate and in the dark.  With some help from a very nice fellow camper, we were able to get into a spot without floating into the pond.  WHEW!!

The next morning we were able to assess the situation.  The campground roads were in pretty rough condition and the area roads were still closed.  Our friend, Judy, came out from Harrisburg to spend a few days with us and we did some touristy type things such as going to the Chocolate World and the Civil War Musuem. 

Sunday, the RV-Dreams Rally led by Howard and Linda Payne started.  The campground managed to repair many of the roads so all the attendees as well as other campers were able to enter and establish camp.  The rally was an educational seminar to help both old and new RVers with various topics ranging from RV safety to making the decision of what type of RV to buy to the emotional issue of moving from a stick & brick house to an RV.  This was a first class rally that was worth every penny.  We learned a lot and made lots of new friends.

EASY LIVING!!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears--Oh MY (Wellsboro, PA)

Well maybe no lions and tigers but bears are in the area.  Unfortunately, with the Labor Day crowds and the continual rain since Monday, we did not see any bears.  Our current stay has been at Stony Fork Creek Campground in a valley surrounded by mountains.

Before the weather closed in on us, we did go to see an area called Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.  More beautiful scenery as you can see from the pictures:

Saturday was unseasonably warm with no breeze.  Because of the full campground with everyone running air conditioners and also because the old power lines leading to the campground, most of the campground lost power for several hours.  Thank goodness we have a built in surge protector--the power would come on but because of low voltage, it would go off again.  This continued from about 3 pm until 10 pm.  In this case, the campground's wiring was not at fault and the utility company is in the process of upgrading the lines.  They just haven't gotten as far as the campground yet.  Rather than eating at home, we decided it would be a good idea to go out.  We had a very delicious meal at The Steakhouse in Wellsboro.

Sunday was warm as well but with a good breeze there was no issue with the power.  By Sunday night, the rain moved in and we stayed in the camper except to walk the dogs.  Of course, neither Duke nor Abby like to get wet so walks have been extremely short!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we move to Hershey, PA area for close to two weeks.  We will be busy  visiting long-time friends, attending an RV rally, visiting with family and going to the Hershey RV show.  I hope the rain ends and the sun shines!!

EASY LIVING!

Letchworth State Park (NY) August 30, 2011

Sunday, we reluctantly left Four Mile Creek State Campsite and drove a short 85 miles to Gainesville, NY.  Fortunately, Hurricane Irene stayed east of us other than some gusty winds.  We got all set up at Woodstream Campground with 50 Amp and full hook-ups (time to do laundry after our state park stay).  The campground, while a bit pricey and extra charges for just about everything, is a pleasant setting with a trout-stocked creek running through the middle of the park.

Cool mornings and pleasant days allowed us to open windows and not use the air conditioners (there is an extra daily charge for use of ac).

Yesterday (Tuesday) we set out to explore Letchworth State Park which claims to be the Grand Canyon of the East.  We started our driving tour at the Mt. Morris entrance with our first stop at the Mt. Morris Dam Overlook.  At this time of the year, the dam is dry which for us mid-westerners was odd.  It turns out that the dam is not a hydro-electric facility but was built for flood control.  The gates are open to control the winter runoff and spring rains from flooding upriver all the way to Rochester, NY.

From there we continued to an area of the Genesee River that is called Hogsback because of the shape that looks like the back of a hog.

Further on and after stopping at many overlooks, we arrived at the overlooks for Big Bend.  At this point the river takes about a 270 degree turn and the views are absolutely breathtaking.  We saw a group that were kayaking in spite of the low water levels.

The tiny red dots are the kayaks.

One of the highlights of Letchworth State Park is the series of water falls--Lower Falls, Middle Falls, and Upper Falls.

Lower Falls

Middle Falls

Upper Falls and Railroad Trestle

The park was originally part of the Seneca lands.  In 1859, William Pryor Letchworth acquired the first parcel of what was to become the 1,000 acre centerpiece of the long, narrow park.  His home is now the Glen Iris Inn which houses a restaurant and lodging overlooking the Middle Falls.

Tomorrow is another moving day with our destination in Pennsylvania.  We will be there through Labor Day weekend.

EASY LIVING!!

Sunset over Lake Ontario

While we were in the Niagara Falls area, we stayed at Four Mile Creek State Campsite on the shore of Lake Ontario.  While our site was completely in the open, the park was very nice and quiet.  The park flies both the American and Canadian flags--a lot of campers come from Canada because of the proximity to Ontario as well as the cost. 

The best part was the sunsets on Friday (August 26) and Saturday (August 27).  Each sunset was unique and surely God's creation!

Friday:

Saturday:

EASY LIVING!!

Old Fort Niagara (August 25, 2011)

Old Fort Niagara is located at the mouth of the Niagara River.  The history of the fort spans over three hundred years and was held by the French (1679-1759), the British, and the United States.  The British held the fort from 1759 throughout the American Revolution but yielded it to the United States in 1796.  The British recaptured it during the War of 1812 and ceded it again to the United States at the conclusion of the conflict.  As a result of the various ownership, the three national flags are flown daily above the parade ground.  In more recent history, Fort Niagara was a barracks and training station for American soldiers during both world wars.  Today, only the Coast Guard maintains a presence on the site.



Gate of the Five Nations (1756)--Named by the French in honor of the
 Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.



18-Pounder Battery (1840-72)

Casement Gallery (1872)--reinforced earthwork walls due to tensions with
British Canada during the Civil War.  Guns were never mounted.

Demonstration of cannon firing.

Cannon fired--LOUD!

The "French Castle" (1726)--oldest building of the Fort and also in the eastern interior of North America.  To calm the suspicions of the hostile Iroquois, the French designed it to resemble a large trading house.  In reality, it was a strong citadel capable of resisting Indian attacks.

Officer's Apartment

Commanding Officer's Apartment

This is your history lesson for the day!! :-)

EASY LIVING!

Niagara Falls, NY

 Yesterday, we got up early, took showers at the bathhouse, and headed out to find Niagara Falls attractions.  We purchased a discovery pass on-line which gave us admission to five different attractions.  The first one was the Maid of the Mist which is a boat ride down below the falls and is quite an experience.  We were given disposable ponchos to wear and it did protect most of our clothes.  The falls from this perspective were absolutely glorious:

During the most spectacular part of the boat ride, we had to keep the camera under cover because we DID get wet.

After the boat ride, we decided to go ahead and get wet some more at the Cave of the Winds attraction.  If we thought we were close to the falls on the Maid of the Mist, that was nothing!  On the Cave of the Winds walk, we were given yellow ponchos and sandals which make really neat shower shoes.  This was our opportunity to get up close and personal with the falls!

The specks that are yellow in this picture are standing in an area called Hurricane Deck very aptly named for the force of the wind and water.  I think Cave of the Winds was even more impressive than Maid of the Mist but both are the highlights of the park.  It is also interesting that Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the United States and draws visitors from all around the world.  We were on the Maid of the Mist with a Chinese tour group and also met some folks from Australia, a couple on their honeymoon from Italy, and several others who couldn't speak English.

To conclude our day, we rode the trolley around the park to the visitor's center where we were parked. 

The dogs were certainly glad to see us and we treated them to a car ride to find a gas station.  We ended up at Sam's Club in Niagara Falls and later took the truck to fill it up as well.  After supper, we headed out once more to find a PetSmart so we could get some canned food (Duke is reluctant to eat just dry food and we ran out of canned food while in Canada).  It is probably a good thing we had to go all the way to Buffalo because there is some road construction and we will have to detour when we leave on Sunday.  Always better to find out before Pat is towing the fifth wheel!  Storms woke us up during the night and once Abby settled down, we all went back to sleep.  

Thus ends another day in our adventures.

EASY LIVING!! 



London, Ontario and onward

Last Sunday, we left Michigan and headed across the border into Canada.  Our plans were to stop outside of London, Ontario for a couple of days before moving east.  On our one full day, we ventured into London to try to find the London Tree Trunks which are tree trunks that have been carved with chain saws and are positioned in various locations.  We only found two of them since we did not have a brochure to point us in the right direction.  One interesting facet of London was the number of people walking in the downtown and surrounding areas.  I guess with the price of gas at more than $5.00 a gallon, people walk instead of drive!  The two tree trunks that we did see are pictured here:

 

The one on the left is titled "Shining Brightly" and the other one is "CCH Crusader" in front of a Catholic school.  The artist for both is Robbin Wenzoski.

The campground where we were staying was not really very good with old electrical service.  We had thirty amp service but we kept blowing the circuit.  Even my hair dryer blew it.  I ended up doing laundry in the campground laundry because I was afraid I would get a load of wash partially completed and poof.  Thank goodness we have a built in surge protector!

On Tuesday morning, we left Golden Pond (campground) and headed east towards the United States.  It probably took us at least an hour and a half to cross the border.  Customs should have two agents at each lane so that one could do the questioning and the other could search the vehicle.  Of course, since the government doesn't have any money, I guess that idea would never work even though it might put some people back to work.  Anyways, both our vehicles and our RV were searched.  After that experience, we proceeded to Four Mile Creek State Campsite recommended by Linda and Howard Payne (www.RV-Dreams.typepad.com).  It is an extremely pleasant campground right on Lake Ontario and close to all the attractions around Niagara Falls.  See the next posting for pictures and impressions!

EASY LIVING!!