Friday was a grind. It took us all day and into the evening to get home. The day started rainy. Fortunately, it was just a light drizzle when we were cleaning up. We had to do a thorough cleanout of the black water tank since this was likely our last trip of the season. Then we unhooked the hoses and electrical, brought in the slide and raised the stabilizing jacks. Finally, around 10:30 we were ready to leave the campground. I think I mentioned earlier that this is a rural campground. Leaving the campsite and navigating the road to the exit was, interesting. The narrow road went down a small hill; I must have travelled at 2 miles an hour down that hill. Once out of the campground, Cathie and I got separated (one of the disadvantages of travelling in two vehicles). It took around 10 minutes for us to reconnect. Then onto the highway and the trip home.

The rain managed to make the ride very unpleasant. Cathie had trouble seeing the road at some points, because of the rain. We stopped for lunch and took an afternoon break. There was a traffic jam getting off the Mass Pike in Worchester. A truck was blocking one of the lanes. As I passed the truck, it appeared that a mechanic was filling the tank with fuel. So, we added ~20 minutes to the ride because a truck driver ran out of fuel. Fun. We got to the storage facility in Uxbridge around 7:30 pm. We moved the essential items into the car and drove home, arriving after 8pm. We were exhausted.

On Saturday I went back to the RV and brought home some other items: cans of food, bathroom supplies and some kitchen items. We’ll probably go back again in a few days to clean up the RV and remove items for the winter.

After a month on the road, neither of us are pining to get back out right away. On Saturday morning I took a nice, long shower without having to worry if the hot water would run out or if the grey tank was full. There was enough pressure for a good shower, with room to stretch out. It was glorious. We have a lot of creature comforts at home that we forget about until they aren’t there. I’m feeling appreciative of those creature comforts. I’m also looking forward to the next trip. I’m not exactly sure when we will go out again or for how long. With the cold weather coming it’s not likely to happen before the spring.

Today was a fitting end to our travels. Yes, we still have to drive home tomorrow. But today was our last full day on this trip.

It was a beautiful, sunny day. The high was around 70 with no clouds in the sky. We puttered around in the morning and took off for a bike ride in the afternoon. We rode on the McDade Recreational Trail, which is on the PA side of the Delaware Water Gap. The gravel trail opened in June, 2002 and is the result of a contentious fight regarding a dam on the Delaware. After the flood of 1955 (see the blog post Into the Woods), the Army Corps of Engineers proposed a dam to control flooding as well as provide a recreation area and drinking water for New York and Philadelphia. After opposition by local residents, environmentalists and geologists, the dam was officially ‘deauthorized’ in 1992. However, land was acquired, homes were demolished and towns, including Dingmans Ferry, were moved to make way for the dam, before it was cancelled. Once the dam was cancelled, the acquired land was given to the National Parks Service to create the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. There are a couple of interesting articles on the dam project and the trail here and here.

After the bike ride, we decided to treat ourselves to take-out for our final dinner. Cathie found a restaurant that serves Middle Eastern food. I had a falafel dinner. Yum. Tonight we are packing up some items so it will be easier to empty the RV.

It’s been a great month, travelling. We’ve both enjoyed this month away from the daily grind. It’s the longest I have been on the road since 1975 and Cathie has never been on the road this long. We’re ready to go out again. It might not be before the spring but we’ll be ready!

What a difference between campgrounds. The one we stayed at in Maryland was a resort type campground, with two pools, mini-golf and a walking trail. This one, in Stroudsburg, PA doesn’t even have WiFi internet and it’s hard to tell where the roads start and end. It’s much more secluded with the trees as our neighbors. I think this is the most rural campground where we have stayed.

We took a walk today on Brodhead Creek Trail. This peaceful area next to a meandering creek was developed as a result of a major catastrophe. In 1955, two tropical storms within one week dropped ~25 inches of rain on the area. Swollen creeks broke through dams and destroyed almost 60 bridges and over 60 homes. Almost 90 people died from the ensuing floods.

To prevent future flooding, the government built levees and filled in flood planes. Parks, playgrounds, ball fields, golf courses and trails were added later. One of the trails was the one we walked on today!

Today is a travel day. We’re going to Stroudsburg, PA for a few days. It’s about halfway between Maryland and Providence. In normal times we could take a more direct route through New Jersey, New York and Connecticut but we aren’t allowed to stay overnight in any of those states, due to COVID restrictions. After a few days in the Stroudsburg area, we will head home to Providence on Friday. Neither of us are looking forward to getting home, even after a month on the road. We both seem to like the RV life!

Yesterday we visited Tessa and Dan in their new apartment in DC. They took some COVID precautions by ‘semi-quarantining’ for the past week or so. Other than walking thru the lobby and taking the elevator (with masks), we were in safe spaces. We talked and ate and enjoyed the afternoon. Then we took a tour of the area with Dan guiding us. We passed by Tessa’s work and the local grocery store. We saw the National Cathedral, one of the largest churches in the US with a history dating back to the founding of the country. We also drove through Rock Creek Park, which is a short walk from their apartment. This park follows Rock Creek from Maryland into DC. Interesting tidbit: Part of Rock Creek Park abuts my sister Marla’s house in Rockville, MD, 15 miles away. Driving through the park reminded me of driving on Lincoln Drive, which follows the Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia.

Back at the campground, there was lots of activity with campers talking and laughing around campfires. Weekends are a very busy time at campgrounds; this one is practically full. We experienced the same situation at other locations: quiet on weekdays and busy on the weekend. This campground is large enough to have several sections. Some are more secluded. Of course we were placed in the heart of the campground, near the playground. I’m not sure why we were assigned to this area. We have learned the hard way that we should request secluded locations when camping over the weekend.

I took another bike ride on a beautiful fall afternoon yesterday. The Sligo Creek Trail runs alongside the Sligo Creek, about 20 minutes from the campsite. This trail was more urban than the Paint Branch Trail, which we took the other day. The twisting trail goes over numerous wooden bridges and crosses public streets on several occasions. The area is pretty urban, with many walkers and bikers on the trail.

In the evening we visited my cousins Chelle and Bob, who live in Columbia, MD.

It seems like we are going from rural to urban as we progress on this trip. The first campground, in the Poconos, was very rural. The second, near State College was still rural but felt a bit more populated. Our third, outside Philadelphia, was a mixture of rural and suburban. This one, halfway between Baltimore and DC feels definitely surburban. That’s fine, though. Our goal here is to visit family and this campground is near each of the places we will visit.

Cathie mentioned the bike ride we took today. It was nice to be able to leave right from the campground. I’m very impressed with the number and quality of the trails here. They are well marked and in great shape. The one we took today was about a mile from the campground, with a bike lane on the sidewalk between the campsite and the trail.

The weather has been so pleasant the past few days and will likely last for another day or two. I’ve heard that fall camping is nice. Now we are able to experience the warm days, cool nights and fewer people staying at the campground. I could get used to this life.

Our campsite is about half an hour from Valley Forge Park, which seemed like a good place to visit on a Sunday. It was a popular site, with bicyclists, joggers, walkers and many cars touring the grounds. Here are some interesting tidbits we learned during our drive in the park:

Valley Forge was named after the iron forge that was constructed along Valley Creek well before the war.

There was actually no fighting at Valley Forge. This is partially because of its strategic location. Washington chose the land because it offered natural defenses against an attack. The Schuylkill River borders the area on the north and east and a small mountain on the west. The park sits higher than the land to its south, offering the Continental Army superior defense.

It took about a month for the soldiers to construct barracks so that everyone was under a roof. During that month they lived in tents. This was in December. I get a shiver just thinking about that.

About 10,000 troops entered the camp in December, 1777. An estimated 2,500 died that winter, mostly from disease.

We learned some Rhode Island history while at the park. Rhode Island organized the “Black Regiment”, the first African American military regiment. The 1st Rhode Island Regiment recruited African Americans in 1778, to help fill dwindling ranks among the Rhode Island regiments. It was never exclusively African American; blacks served in segregated companies within the larger integrated unit.

The website BlackPast.org has more information on this story. “In January 1778 Rhode Island, having great difficulty meeting troop quotas set by the Continental Congress, pursued a suggestion made by General James Varnum who had commanded the 1st Rhode Island. Varnum urged General George Washington to enlist slaves in the army. In February, the Rhode Island Assembly voted to allow ‘every able-bodied negro, mulatto, or Indian man slave in this state to enlist into either of the Continental Battalions being raised.’ The assembly further stipulated that ‘every slave so enlisting shall, upon his passing muster before Colonel Christopher Greene, be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free.’ Rhode Island slave owners opposed the new law fearing that consequences of armed ex-slaves on those still in bondage. Their opposition prevailed and in June the Rhode Island Assembly repealed its law. In that four month period, however, over 100 free and formerly enslaved African Americans enlisted.

“After the repeal Rhode Island’s treasurer recorded another 44 slaves who enlisted. The 1st Rhode Island Regiment eventually totaled around 225 men including 140 who were African Americans, by far the largest percentage of blacks in an integrated military unit during the American Revolution. Although the 1st Rhode Island Regiment initially placed its African American soldiers in separate companies within the regiment, this process eventually gave way once more African Americans were no longer recruited. Slowly the entire regiment became fully integrated.

“The regiment first experienced combat at the Battle of Bloody Run Brook in Rhode Island on August 28, 1778. Over the next few years, however, the 1st Rhode Island remained in northern colonies as the focus of the war shifted to southern colonies. In 1781, Colonel Greene and a many of his black soldiers were killed in a skirmish with American loyalists; Greene’s body was reported mutilated likely as punishment for having led black soldiers. As troop strength diminished the 1st and 2nd Rhode Island Regiments were joined to form The Rhode Island Regiment which participated at the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia in 1781, the engagement which led to the British surrender and the end of the war.”

I toured a bit of Downingtown on my bike yesterday. The original plan was for the two of us to ride the Schuylkill River Trail but that didn’t happen. Cathie went out in the morning to pick up a prescription and, well, found a creative way to get back to the campground. Her primary GPS didn’t work. Then her secondary GPS took her in the opposite direction from where she wanted to go. Finally her third GPS got her back to the campsite. By that point she just wanted to chill. So I took off alone.

When I take a bike ride, my preference is to rely solely on my bike for transportation. Sometimes I drive my car to the bike path but I really like to just ride my bike the whole way. So, I looked at the map to see where I could go. There looked to be a nice trail, The Struble Trail, that started about 2.8 miles from the campsite. I could manage that, but the road I would have to take was a winding road with no shoulder. Not ideal on a bike, wondering if a car behind me would take care going around me. Back to the map to look for other options. There was another trail that started closer to the campground and ended near the Struble trail. This trail had a dotted line on the map. I wasn’t sure what the dotted line meant but was willing to try it.

I found the start of the first trail. It went through Marsh Creek State Park, which surrounds the Marsh Creek Reservoir, a dammed lake that the state built to provide additional drinking water and to reduce the impact of seasonal flooding. The trail was a gravel trail, rough at parts and wound its way past some farms, up and down hills and up a final hill through a forest that challenged my legs to the limit. Then I rode on the Struble Trail, a popular paved trail, frequented by many walkers and bikers. That trail followed the Brandywine Creek, which is the same creek that runs past the campground. When I got back the Struble trailhead I had to decide which way to go back. I decided to risk the road. I pumped my legs and pushed myself on the road. There were actually only three or four cars that passed me. So, it was fine. All in all, an exhausting but satisfying ride.

There is a difference between travelling in an RV and living in an RV. On our previous trips this year we mostly travelled in our RV. We went to the Berkshires, the White Mountains, the North Country of New Hampshire and the Adirondacks. This trip feels different. Yes, we have travelled, to the Poconos and State College. But somehow this feels more like we are living in our RV and just going from place to place.

One difference with this trip is the length of time we are spending at each stop. We were in the Poconos for a week and in State College for five days. We will be here, in Downingtown, PA, for a week. And we plan to go to Maryland for a week. Staying that long in a location removes the urgency of planning each day to get everything in before moving to the next location. We had no plans for tomorrow until this evening and we still don’t know what we will do on Sunday and Monday. We’re just living out our lives, and happen to be doing it in an RV.

Today we visited an old college friend of mine, Hank Holmes and his wife, Barbara. We ate lunch outdoors during a nice early fall afternoon and reminisced about times gone by. Then we ran around to a couple of pharmacies to get some prescriptions filled for Cathie. Back home for a nice dinner of chili that was cooking in the slow cooker all day. Tomorrow we hope to take a bike ride on the Schuylkill River Trail.

We toured some of State College yesterday. On College Street we saw a rally against Trump that eventually blocked downtown traffic. We toured the campus and drove around the town. During the drive we passed a few places I lived so many years ago. Some places look like they weathered the past 50 years reasonably well. But the farmhouse in Waddle is all shuttered up.

On our way back to the campsite, we took a country road into Bellefonte and relaxed in a downtown park. I thought the sign about the old fountain was funny.

Today is laundry and shopping day. Tonight and tomorrow we will spend observing Yom Kippur. Then we’re off to the Philly area on Tuesday.

This part of our trip is a bit of Memory Lane. I haven’t spent time in Happy Valley since the early 70s when I went to school at Penn State.

When we planned this trip to Pennsylvania, I thought it would be nice to visit the State College area. However, time marches on and there is only so much reminiscing that one can do. The area has changed significantly, and there are very few touchstones that remind me of the 4+ years I spent here.

For our first day here I planned a bike ride on a trail that started near the Penn State Arboretum. The trail was a few miles long and seemed a good distance for Cathie and for me. Little did I know that this ride would bring back memories.

The last year I lived in State College, I rented a farmhouse with a few friends in a ‘town’ called Waddle. It wasn’t really a town. There were no stores; just a few houses along a road several miles north of State College. There was also a road in State College called Waddle Road. Although the road ended, it seemed too coincidental. I figured that there must be a way to get from Waddle Road in State College to the Waddle where I lived, without driving on the main highway. So I decided to explore.

At the end of Waddle Road there was a small path. I rode down the path on my bike. Several miles later, past fields and forests, I wound up in Waddle!

Back to the present. When I looked at the bike trail we planned today, I realized that it ended in Waddle. Interesting. The first part of the trail was gravel. At a certain point, the trail narrowed and got rougher. Cathie decided to turn around but I forged ahead. I don’t remember the ride to Waddle that I took 50 years ago in detail but it’s likely that it was the same one that I took today. It was a good ride, and a great workout.

We ended the day at the Arboretum. What a beautiful area. Pretty gardens, a wonderful area for children to explore and several nice spots to sit and enjoy nature. The students who attend this campus are very lucky to have this available to them.

In an earlier blog post I mentioned that camping in the fall would be different. Now we have had a chance to experience fall camping. One difference: heating the RV has been a bigger factor than we thought.

This week we’ve had nighttime temperatures go down into the 30’s. The propane furnace has been able to keep up with those temperatures but there is another impact—running out of propane. Our RV has a fixed propane tank. In order to fill it, we need to move the RV to a propane filling station. Although there is a filling station at most campgrounds, filling up means unhooking everything, raising the levels, bringing in the slideout and securing everything for travel. That could take 20 minutes or more. Then we drive to the filling station and fill up. Finally, we have to hook up again. The total time to fill up is likely around an hour. Some RV’s have portable tanks. That offers the advantage of portability but the disadvantage of smaller tanks.

During the first five days of this trip we quickly went from 2/3 tank of propane to 1/3 tank and now hovering near empty. We tried lowering the heat but living in mid-60’s temperature isn’t really enjoyable. There are only so many layers one can wear and still feel comfortable.

I had read about some RVers doing winter camping and remembered that they used electric heaters. When we planned this trip I didn’t think we would need a heater but now I realize that was a mistake. So, on Monday Cathie went shopping for a few things and picked up a small space heater. It’s been a godsend. We have been much more comfortable and have hardly used the propane furnace. Last night it didn’t even go on overnight.

Now we have to juggle running too many heating elements at once. Yesterday, Cathie’s hairdryer stopped working. She complained that she just bought it recently. Then I noticed that the heater stopped working as well. I figured we blew a fuse but where was that fuse? I finally found the breaker switches, flipped the correct one and everything was fine. This morning the electric kettle caused the same problem. Eventually we will remember to turn off the heater but flipping the circuit breaker isn’t too complicated.

On to the next adventure!

I grew up in Philadelphia. I saw the Delaware River many times as I grew up, usually as we crossed the bridge and headed to the Jersey shore. It’s a working river with factories and docks lining the shores of Philly and Camden.

Today we experienced another Delaware River. Upstream a hundred miles or so from my childhood memories was a peaceful river with a few kayakers enjoying the early fall weather. We spent some time on the New Jersey side of the river, meandering up the Old Mine Road. At a campground we stopped for lunch. Then we travelled up the road for several miles.

We crossed the river again at Dingmans Ferry. This bridge has the unique distinction of being the only privately owned bridge on the Delaware River and one of the few remaining in the US. It’s interesting to have a town named after a ferry that no longer exists but the ferry does have a long history. It was started in 1735 to connect the Old Mine Road in New Jersey (which we travelled on) to the ‘turnpike’ in Pennsylvania. A bridge was built as early as 1836 but was damaged 11 years later. Two more bridges would come and go until 1862 when the ferry again became the primary mode of transport across the Delaware. That lasted until the turn of the 20th century when the present bridge was built. Oh, and before you ask, the Dingmans ran the ferry and managed the first three bridges.

Tomorrow we are going to Jim Thorpe, a pretty town about half an hour south of the campground.