On July 31 we bid farewell to LL Bean
in Freeport, ME and began out trek west!
A night at Seven Maples Campground in Hancock, NH. aimed us to our destination near Albany, NY to visit our FL friend, Elsa Sakacs and prissy Katie in Colonie. Both seemed glad to see us and we surely were delighted to be with them a few days.
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| From 2012 7 VT NY
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We also visited with HTR friends Perry
and Lonnie Berkowitz who also live near Colonie, NY. Their Doxy Roxy and I held
our semi annual meeting of the Roxie groupies. |
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Arrowhead
campground, on the Mohawk River, put us within 12 miles of these friends. The only downside was that our 50 amp power
was unpredictable and too frequently low. This is our third visit to this park
that twice flooded badly in August 2011.
It closed for that season.
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We continued west
stopping in Romulus, NY at Sampson State Park for 3 days. Sampson had been a navy base during WWII with
training possible on the expansive Senaca Lake.
Seneca is one of the Finger Lakes in NY.
During the Korean conflict it became an air force base.
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This well inhabited
park by New Yorkers was not level for a motor home. We had to build up the front with blocks,
levelers and our extra folding step. The
assent was too much for the Heidi and Daisy and Charles lifted them in and out
for 3 days. The walking was great and
along the water, playground and marina.
However, the frequently white capping Seneca Lake discouraged us from
unloading the kayak the entire time there.
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Our trek west
continued to Campbell, NY to another mom/pop campground, Camp Bell. This park
is very active with locals who summer there.
The owner also provides space to various day camps and a Cub Scout Camp
was completing their week. Fun for us to
watch.
We then stopped in
Cuba, NY at Maple Lane Campground which put us just ten plus miles from Keith
and Stella Wood, HTR neighbors. They no
longer travel south for the winter so being with them was a must. Woody is a Shriner and to our delight he was
in a parade in his town of Portville, NY on Saturday. Woody’s mischief popped out as he whizzed in
formation with the Kart operators.
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| From 2012 NY Woody Kart
We spent the day with
Stella and Woody enjoying Subways once back at their home. Saturday evening Stella prepared a spaghetti
dinner. Sunday morning they came to us
for brunch. Sunday evening they took us
to as favorite restaurant, Spragues which was also celebrating the town’s 175
years.
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| From Collages
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| From Collages
Reluctantly parting
from the Wood’s we did a load of laundry and headed west to Tionesta, PA to a
Corp of Engineer park…Tionesta. It has
124 sites with full hookups, including 50 amps, and is below the earthen
dam. The park provides us much walking
and biking on paved and flat roads. It
does not provide us consistent cell or data strength!
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We are less than 10
minutes from the town of Tionesta where the Tionesta Indian Festival is in
progress this week. We can bike to the
town. One evening we enjoyed a
demonstration of Indian dancing and culture explanations by a family dressed in
traditional attire. We have been back
most of the six days while here. Folks
are very friendly and love patting the greys. The girls do not resist.
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| From Collages
We have decided
against a float on the rushing Allegheny River!
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The end of this trip
is in sight. We should land at home at
the end of August after a stop in Indianapolis, IN for the international
convention of Family Motor Coaching Association and performances by the
Frustrated Maestros. Charles will enjoy playing his trombone.
Since our last blog entry our immediate neighbor’s house has gone down
and many wonderful trees ripped from the earth.
After all, mowing the now city owned land becomes more important. We fought hard for those trees. A picture of the barren land is helping
prepare us for this horrible first look.
At least, we never have to worry about the impending neighbors. The FEMA controlled land can never have a
structure on it.
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