Lebanon, TN to Brattleboro, Vt

 We left Lebanon, TN on 6.25.22 and began the rest of our journey, one that would take us thru Tennessee, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and eventually to Brattleboro, Vt. The first two stops were just overnighters, the first at Rocky Top Campground in Blountville, TN and the second at Shenandoah Valley Campground in Verona, VA.  Both trips were mileage wise in our comfort zone between 250 -300 miles each day. And both were relatively easy on/off I 81. Our next destination was the Pennsylvania Dutch Country and Country Acres Campground in Gordonville, PA. We had stayed there before so we knew what we were getting ourselves into. It truly is a special place and one that we enjoy. Of course, the best testimony is the fact that we were return visitors. And would gladly do so again, given the opportunity. The RV sites are more than adequate. The park is clean and peaceful. And the area - amazing.

Our site at Country Acres

Amish farmer raking hay

Mary outside one of the farm stands

Part of the farm tour

Another part of the farm tour

Our bus for the tour

One of the perks of the Park, are bus tours through the Amish farm country. Tours last about 2.5 hrs. Our driver/tour host was an actual member of the community(she was a Mennonite so she got to drive). We actually visited a few farms where you could purchase anything from Quilts to furniture to vegetables, to hot out of the oven soft pretzels. I did buy a soft pretzel and it was GOOD. Quite an interesting trip. Below are some pics of the trip.

One night we took a trip into Strasburg and  had dinner. This place was special.

A really nice place and one we would definitely go back to

With Covid still a factor in our lives we elected to eat outside. The tree over our table was a member of the Oak family and was one of the most proportioned trees I've ever seen. Almost all branches were perpendicular to the trunk, making for an almost perfect canopy.

The food was awesome. I splurged with a local IPA and a seafood plate. Mary did OK too!

The next day we took a ride to the infamous town of .......

Our primary destination there was Stoltzfus Meat Market.

Besides a fantastic meat market, they have an exceptional Deli. Which we took advantage of with lunch.

Country Acres got a 5 Star rating from us and well deserved. So after 4 enjoyable days here we were off to New York State and Belden Hill Campground in Harpursville, NY. Driving distance 204 miles.

Our home for the next 12 days

Our site at our new yard. REMEMBER: ALWAYS HOME JUST THE YARD CHANGES

We had what the owner described as the nicest site in the park. It was spacious with the luxury of no neighbors on the one side.  The park has 3 ponds which are loaded with Bass, Blue Gills and whatever. The views from the area of the ponds is really quite nice.

I got my moneys worth out of those ponds. And Lexie absolutely loved the walks through all the grass. 

On July 13 we departed and headed up I 88 to the Albany / Troy area and eventually to our new yard in Dummerston, VT.

Our site at Kampfires Campground in Dummerston, Vt

Kampfires was a pleasant surprise. We had a nice site, and in a good location to do what we planned which was to relax, enjoy the beautiful area, and meet up with old friends. 

That first week Mary didn't waste any time, meeting up with a group of former co-workers from Grace Cottage Hospital. They had so much fun, they did it again the next week. As for me I took advantage of fishing opportunity. Got my pontoon boat set up and headed to both Somerset Reservoir and the Connecticut River.

Already for some fishing

A Loon came to visit me....

This Loon couldn't have been 10' from me.

Fishing was slow, but still fun.

We visited  former neighbors of ours from Camp Arden Rd in West Dummerston. Hard to believe we have been gone for  over 7 years now. The area has changed but old friends are still old friends. We  enjoyed visiting with Calvin & Sam and Susan. We spent a quite a few hours talking about our travels and their neighborhood. We really enjoyed that.

I took a day and traveled to Cavendish, Vt to visit with old friend Stan. Stan & I both worked at St Johnsbury Trucking until they closed and went out of business. We had shared many a day traveling to and attending  NASCAR races in Dover, DE. Stan is now retired too, so we shared stories about enjoying retirement, grandchildren, old friends. We finished up with a nice lunch at a local Deli. And of course with a good cold beer. Stan is truly a good old friend and I really enjoyed our get together.

Me and Stanley

One night we traveled to Wilmington, Vt and met up with our son's Ex wife Amanda and her son Asa and her mother Candy. Again, it was a good night visiting with old friends and sharing stories and updates.

Mary and I with Amanda and Asa

Another night found us visiting with old friends Hollie & Paul for dinner at Brattleboro Country Club. Updates on ours and their travels were a good part of the discussion.

Another day had us at The Marina  restaurant in Brattleboro for lunch with one of Mary's old high school classmates, Susan. Susan's mother, before she died had a place in Albuquerque, and Mary and I recall visiting with the both of them there. This also was a good visit. 

2 old classmates

View from The Marina outdoor deck

That took care of our visits. Very enjoyable. While we were doing all the visiting, poor Lexie was relegated to "guarding the fort". When we were back I enjoyed sitting outside with her.....

Lexie in her space

One day I traveled into Brattleboro and visited with some former co-workers at The Richards Group. What a change that had taken place. COVID changed everything. What was once a bustling office was now almost deserted. Where once there were 30+ people, now was 6-8. Everyone else was working from home. I sure hope that does not become the norm. It just didn't feel right. I visited with Ben, Mike and Mark. It was good to see them and talk with them. They had a surprise for me when they introduced a new receptionist- one who also had New Mexico plates on her car. When I talked to her I found out that she had just moved to this area from Socorro, NM- an area that we were familiar with.

Can't leave this part of the trip discussion without mentioning the Walker Farm.  During our short stay in the area, regular trips to The Walker Farm were a regular occurrence. They have the best sweet corn. Without a doubt!

If you are into plants, trees, flowers- this is the place.

Baskets of the good stuff- fresh picked sweet corn.

With departure day fast approaching, it was going to be tough to leave the area and our friends. But something better was coming. We would soon be leaving for Tamworth, NH and Tamworth Camping area where we would be staying for 2 weeks. This campground is located in the White Mountains and is located pretty close to where our son and his wife have a camp on Silver Lake. What was going to be really special was that they had arranged for all 3 of our grandsons to be there- including Peter who was coming up from South Carolina. Laissez le bon temps rouler.

Escapade

 As part of the Property Team I was involved with setup. We got started by unloading the Escapee Trailer which was packed full with carts with equipment belonging to each of the many groups involved with putting on the Escapade: Sound, Projection, Property, Smartweigh, the Coffee Team, Escapee Club Cart, etc.

Unloading the trailer

All the carts were brought into the main hall where they were situated where the appropriate teams could access. And then it was setup time although what we  could actually do was dependent on the fairgrounds staff and the Pipe &  Drape vendor. First order of business was getting the stage setup. Our Property Team was fortunate in that the fairgrounds staff and the Pipe & Drape vendor did most of the heavy setups- chairs, tables, dividers. We did have to set up classrooms and when that was done, helped out with sound, projection and the setup of the Market Area and The Row.

The Sound and Projection Team- awfully good at what they do.

A view of some of the Club booths at The Row

A view from the stage

All the set up work began on the 15th and pretty soon it was the 19th and Opening Ceremony. After that it was just a matter of monitoring classrooms and providing any required assistance to the instructors, occasionally having to rearrange rooms based on needs. 

During the course of the Escapade there was always something going on- happy hours, get togethers, visiting with friends- both old and new.

A mini gathering of our Freethinkers Group

RV Country had a daily themed "Happy Hour". Amazing how free booze will bring out a crowd.

6 days of Escapade flew by and then it was time to pack up everything. Which was how we spent 6.24.

And this is what we began from

Packing up included saying goodby to my golf cart

Not to detract from all the good of the Escapade, but we did have some issues. Two friends of ours tested positive for Covid. And they weren't the only ones. We were lucky. And then it was time to leave.

Lakewood to Lebanon

 Once back in Lakewood we quickly got settled in and focused attention on things that needed doing - like Dr visits. Mary and I both had appointments with our Family Physician in Artesia, Dr Go. Mary had visits in Roswell scheduled for her Cardiologist, Gastroenterologist, and Ophthalmologist and I had a follow up visit with Urologist in Phoenix. Also on the schedule was each of us getting our 2nd Covid Booster shot. This we got taken care of on May 10.

With all the med stuff out of the way it was time to start planning our trip east. We had already committed to volunteer positions as staff for the Escapees Escapade to be held in Lebanon, TN in mid June. 

Mary in the Office and me with the Property Team. We figured since we were going that far east, we'd add trip to New England, with extended stays in Vermont and Maine.

And so the planning started. We try to limit our days driving  to 300 miles or less, so with this in  mind, here is what we planned:

Amarillo, TX  (1) night

Oklahoma City, OK (2) nights

N Little Rock, AR (1) night

Hurricane Mills, TN  (2) nights

Departing on 6.8.22 this would get us to our Escapade destination for our 6.14.22 scheduled arrival. So on June 8 we began our trip, one that would eventually encompass 2700 + miles. We left Lakewood and headed north thru Roswell with our day end destination being Oasis RV Park in Amarillo, TX. Things were going ok until we got about 50 miles NE of Roswell when I apparently ran over something in the road and the right front tire on the truck showed loss of air pressure warning. Not good. We were forced to pull off the road and call AAA for roadside assistance. 2.5 hours later we were back underway.

Our AAA help

Amarillo was a 1 night layover and 268 driving miles, however first thing in AM on departure day, I made a trip to Local Discount Tire store and had the flat tire repaired and re-installed on truck. I was assured that the patched tire was good. Wrong. 25 miles from Amarillo we got the low pressure warning light again. Fortunately we were near a town with servics and here we found Pav's Tire Service.

Pav's Tire Service

Pav's Tire Service and my new friend.

We were so lucky to find this place. Great people. With tire really repaired this time, we were back on our way after only an hour or so delay.  Our next stop was KOA in Oklahoma City, OK . Day travel totals 284 Miles. We stayed 2 nights here. 

Day 4 had us traveling east on I 40 with destination North Little Rock KOA. 

 313 miles. A 1 night stay and then to KOA in Hurricane Mills, TN.

Buffalo I 40 KOA

While there took the opportunity to grocery shop and get stocked up for our 10 day stay in Lebanon.

On June 14, right on schedule, we arrived at the Wilson County Fairgrounds.

The 14th was all about getting set up and settled in.

Lexie and her new friend Louie

Lexie really enjoyed the grass. She really hadn't seen any in well over a year. 

With us all settled in it was time to go to work. Getting all set up for an Escapade is quite a job. As you shall see.

Yuma 2021-2022

After a 1 year pause - because of Covid and my Prostate Cancer problems, we returned in mid-Nov to Fortuna de Oro RV Park and Resort in Yuma, AZ.

Our site with rig getting some special attention from Benjamin's

While we have been going there to escape the winter cold, this year the trip had added significance.In March of 2021 I underwent a Radical Prostatectomy to remove a cancerous prostate gland. Post surgery PSA revealed that surgery did not get it all. The option now became radiation therapy. I  contacted Yuma Oncology and after they reviewed my PET Scan results, took me on as a patient. I began my treatments in early December. 5 days a week for just shy of 9 weeks.  44 treatments in all. Quite an experience. Two plusses out of it: 1) when done my PSA was a negligible 0.2. 2) My supervising Physician/Oncologist, Dr Richard Levy. He was super. Wednesday of each week during treatments I met with him to review status, discuss problems, and other times to just plain talk. It was during one of these sessions that I learned of the book he had written - "Ride The Wave, Lessons of Life On A Road Less Traveled". A great book and one I highly recommend. Needless to say we discussed this frequently.

Pickleball was another highlight of the Yuma trip, although this year not so much. The radiation treatments knocked the snot out of me. No energy to do much of anything. Especially pickleball. But I still enjoyed it, even if it was just watching.

It wasn't until 3-4 weeks post treatment that I felt able to play. My neighbor Bob was very sympathetic to my situation and would go to the pickleball courts with me in the afternoon to just hit shots and get back "into it". One day doing this had a strange experience. Bob pointed out a guy in the next court who had machine out and was hitting shots, and told me he was from NH. Afterall we were in Yuma, AZ. Not exactly just down the street from NH.  Immediately interested I asked the guy where he was from and he replied Walpole. I told him that I had once worked in Bellows Falls, Vt which is just the other side of the CT River from Walpole. He asked where I had worked. I told him St Johnsbury Trucking and he said so did I. At that point we exchanged names and confirmed that we did in fact work together. Although like 30 years ago. We commiserated, shared some stories, and both left the pickleball courts shaking our heads at what a small world it was.

Friends are another reason we enjoy Yuma, and especially FDO(Fortuna de Oro). Christmas found us sharing a table with old friends Tim and Vickie, who call Great Falls, MT home. Lot in common with this couple. Tim is originally from Northfield, Vt and Vickie is undergoing treatment for cancer. 

Our friends Tim & Vickie

A view of the Hall

Bob and Paula and I can't forget Maks their dog, from York, ME were our neighbors in the park. Paula introduced me to the author Louise Penny when she gave me one of her books. 18 books later, I have read the whole series. I gave one to Mary and suggested she might like reading it and now she too is hooked and on her way  to reading the entire series. Bob was a great guy to talk to and have for a neighbor. His puzzle project was something special. One of their kids took a photo of Bob and Paula and their son standing next to their RV and had a puzzle made out of it. And I got hooked into helping him with it(along with anyone else that happened to walk by). 

I don't remember them telling me how many pieces were in the puzzle but it had to be in the thousands. At least it seemed like that.

Lexie in her spot

Cruisin the Park

The owners of this 5th Wheel left the Park for a week. When they returned they found their rig all wrapped in crime scene tape. Prank of the week award.

Awesome!

Seen around town....

Yuma Sunset

We couldn't come to Yuma without touring the farms and vegetable crops. It still amazes us as to the scale of the farming. Easy to understand when they say 90% of Lettuce consumed in US in winter comes from Yuma and neighboring Imperial County in CA. We wonder about their near total dependence on Colorado River water and what will happen if that water source dries up. Which it is close to doing.

With the end of March came my final visit at Southwest Oncology. PSA test results were good, however my bladder issues had my Dr concerned. So much so that he referred me to a Urologist friend in Phoenix. 3 days later I had an appointment and we were headed to Casa Grande to keep it. I guess my appointment didn't come anytime too soon, as examination determined that my bladder opening was almost completely closed due to scar tissue from initial surgery. He scheduled me for surgery 2 days later to remove blockage. Surgery was successful, and he put me on a routine to keep it open until I saw him again in November. So far so good.

So early April found us back in Lakewood, where we both got caught up with Dr appointments and settling in. In June we would be on the road again.