Our Stay in Vermont

   Oct 10 - 15 found us at Maple Grove Campground in Fairfax, Vermont. Twas a beautiful ride up through New York State and across just miles from the Canadian border. The foliage of the trees was spectacular not only during the ride but our whole stay there. Even the locals commented how vibrant the colors. Simply beautiful, every where you looked, the oranges, yellows, the reds, and the contrast to the rich green of the Evergreens, well nature pulled all the stops during our visit. The weather was notable as well. Temperatures in the high 60's right into the the low 70's during the day. Nights got chilly but we just threw another blanket on the bed and were fine.
 


 Maple Grove Campground was another win. Small, only about 30 sites terraced on the hill. Mike the owner/manager was very personable: fun, helpful and kept the park well maintained. Another great stop over place if you are planning to be out and about a lot, not many amenities but everything you need. Camp Store, clean bathhouses, relatively level sites, great laundry room with big table for folding and several shelves of books, magazines, and dvds  for borrowing or swapping. We had fun just walking around and playing horseshoes. 

  We went to Vermont to spend time with Paul's Godson Eric, his wife, Miranda and their darling little boy Emmett. Such a lovely couple, we laughed and chatted the whole time together. Emmett, of course stole our hearts, eighteen months of pure joy. They took us to a local Farmer's Market where so much could be had. From Vegis, meats, cheeses, breads, preserves to handcrafted items galore. Lot of fun walking around picking up this and that, part of me couldn't help wishing my place was a bit bigger, there was that much I could have bought. See the money I save by having bought an RV, heheheh. Miranda cooked us several yummy meals using mostly local foods and so tasty. Sunday we headed for the hills and Emmett got to experience his first hike! Gad, I feel special being there for that. He did so well, couldn't believe how long he walked before those little legs tired out and he got to ride on daddy's back. Beautiful park nearby their house with several trails up the hills and through the woods. The trails are used for snowshoeing and skiing in the snowy months.

  Had a delightful, serendipitous experience. Paul and I went for a walk down the road by the campground, traffic was a bit busy for our tastes so turned up a small side road. I must exclaim once again how beautiful the trees and vines. We got to the top of the hill and were just wandering around trying to see if there were any trails, noticing a couple of houses and a business of some sort. On the way we did notice plastic tubing wrapping around the trees and wonder what that was for, came up with several ideas when we hit upon Maple Tree tapping. Of Course. So anyway, this car comes up along side us and we were thinking Uh-Oh are we on private property? But no, he asked if we were there for the tour of his "Sugar Shack"? Umm no, but we could be. He laughed and said he was showing a couple of others the maple syrup process and we were more than welcome to tag along. Yep, count us in!

 Ernie Flanders and his brother retired five years ago to develop Flanders Bros of Vermont. Syrup making had been a family undertaking for 5 generations, so was naturally they wanted to expand and open it open to the public. Their "Sugar House" is a post and beam structure hand built from the trees on their property, and milled on-site. What a beautiful building. They still make the syrup by heating with wood but now instead of on the stove, pot method they have more modern equipment. We learned about the process and got to sample several of their products. Oh my I was in heaven! Each we tasted was yummier then the next. My favorite? Their Wood Fired Bourbon Barrel Syrup that is aged 4-6 months in wooden barrels from Woodford Reserve Distillery. And yes, you can taste the subtle flavor of the bourbon. Even got to pick some apples from the trees outside the building. What a fun, educational way to spend the morning.  When we got back to the campground we had the perfect lunch: Pancakes with fresh apples and Maple Syrup! ummm.

Goes to show when you open yourself up to life, life opens up to you.

See you at the next stop!

On Our Way!

We are on our way! Started our new life adventure October 8, heading for Arrowhead Marina & Campground. Always amazes me the difference in traffic as leaving New Jersey. Once we got into New York State it thinned out quite notably. New Jersey has a lot to offer but it is just too congested at any time of day, and when in a RV, man, do you experience it at a different level. Once again we get to experience the convenience of a home on wheels come lunch time and necessity stops. There's a rightness to being able to pull over at a service center or rest stop, make a couple of sandwiches and have a relaxing lunch.

Have to add I love our new Garmin GPS, not only can you plug in the dimensions of your RV and a route will be determined based on those keeping you from roads, tunnels, bridges not suitable, but, I get to watch a mini motorhome going along on a purple road, hehehe.

Arrowhead Marina & Campground was a great two day stopover.

Quiet without a lot of amenities but everything you need. Nicely spaced sites, well maintained, friendly staff and clean bathhouse with good hot water. It is located in Glenville, NY, section of Schenectady, right on the Mohawk River. making it a perfect stopover spot while heading up the New York Thruway. Beautiful, the park had Adirondack Chairs and picnic table for our use. Lunch and coffee overlooking the river yeah this is the life.

Took our Ebikes out for a spin, oh I like these. You can pedal away and then when you need just a burst of extra power to get up that hill, turn the throttle and YES! I can tell we are going to appreciate them. They go up to 20 mph and you can get 20 to 40 miles per charge depending on how much you rely on the battery. I like that you can just pedal getting some good exercise in.

Also took a nice long walk and wound up in a lovely park on the other side of the river. Entertaining note, It's Woolly Bear Caterpillar time and we must have seen a dozen black and brown ones as well as a number of beige to orange ones. Spent our time coming back across the bridge removing many from the concrete divider and pulling them back fin the grass/brush areas. Our good deed for the day!

Little side note: If one can forecast the winter by the coloration of Woolly Caterpillars then New York in for a Warm, Mild, Severe, Cold winter LOL. Those bands of color were all sizes.

Great start to our new life journey.

What About That Name

This is it, tomorrow we truly begin our new adventure. While we have been living in the RV for 4 months and have traveled to several campgrounds, tomorrow is our official launch day. It has been an interesting and educational experience so far, it can only continue to be more so. We have now "lived" in 3 campgrounds and visited 2. All have had good points and bad. We are looking forward to experiencing the many different styles of campground/RV resorts. We need to come up with a grading system for each one. So far, we thought: Maintenance of Park, Staff friendliness/helpfulness, Size & Style of sites, Ease of getting around, Amenities, and Bathhouses. Bathhouses will have several of their own.  Would be a fun way to remember each one. I'm also taking photos of each one and will start putting them up as collages. Each one we have been to have been very different with Turkey Swamp and Butterfly being my favorites so far. Nice wooded sites, well maintained, great staff, places to walk, lakes and bogs to enjoy nature at. Let's hope I can get better at posting, LOL

We have said many goodbyes which is bittersweet. We can only hope many take us up on our offer of coming to visit us. We shall see. Tomorrow we are heading into NY state for a quick two night stay as we make our way to Vermont. Will be there 5 nights, then heading back into NY state but toward the western side. After that, it's Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia as we make our way into Florida for January and February. Very exciting, so much to see. 

So Why did we name our RV Dexter?!?  Paul and I were trying to come up with a name as so many people do. Nothing really fit, we figured once we lived here a spell something would come to us. Well, seems our rig already had a name because one day as I was admiring him there it was, right on the door. The RV's name is Dexter. Couldn't argue with what was right in front of us, SO Dexter it is. and I love the name and the RV.

See You On The ROAD!!

Answers to a couple questions

Had a couple of question about our life and Dexter (the RV). Thank you I love questions as I know people are reading my posts and also that they are interested in learning more about it. So, Please ask away, it gives me direction on what else to post. 

One of the biggest questions we get right now is about transportation. Are we going to tow, How do we get about. For now we have decided not to tow a car for many different a reason. Financial: one more expense, would have to buy a towing device, added insurance, added maintenance costs. Towing a vehicle adds to the length so a larger site would be needed sometimes at added cost. Bridges, tunnels, toll roads all cost more. We also decided to learn the ins and outs of driving this before the added learning curve of towing. 

So that leads to the question, so how will you get around, get to the grocery store, do tourist-type things etc. Fortunately, we live in a time of many opportunities. Groceries, We plan that on travel days, Our plan is not to go more than 200 miles in a given moving day (less as we can). At an average speed of about 50 (more if on interstates, less on other type roads) is about 4 hours of travel, add a hour for meals and other stops makes for a five hour day. Adding an hour or so to that when necessary to do grocery shopping still makes for a leisurely day to move and set up camp. Things we use regularly we will buy several at a time so we always have a backup or two if we don't get to the store. Trying to go big shopping once a month, then only needing to pick up produce, meat, eggs, etc and the things we forgot LOL. Also if we need to we unhook and head to the store in Dexter.we can.

It really isn't that difficult nor time consuming to break down the rig and get it ready to travel. Especially if only going short distance and most tourist attractions have ample accommodations for RV parking. We also will have EBikes (pedal assisted bicycles) which can go 20- 40 miles per charge. More if you pedal more, less if you rely on the motor. Great for finding a convenient parking lot to leave the RV and then scooting around town if that is our plan.

We have already taken a bus to where we want to go and walked to a grocery store (backpacks are great for carrying things) If we happen to be in an area where there are lots of things we want to do and see, we can easily rent a car for a couple days or call a taxi or Uber.

It helps we are not the type that need a lot in the way of entertainment. We love just walking around the campground, taking advantage of the amenities there (pool, miniature golf, etc) State parks are wonderful with hiking trails all around you. 

We will reevaluate this as we go along and who knows, maybe some day decide to tow a car or, heck, you may just see us tooling around on a Trike!! 

We still have one of the cars which we will keep until we head out in October as I am still working full-time and have to get back and forth. But after that.......


Another question someone asked was "What is a split bath"
  RVs usually have one of three types of bath facilities. Small units often have what is called a Wet Bath, found also in boats. This is a small room with sink, toilet and shower. Where it gets it's name becomes obvious if you take a shower, Everything gets wet!  Functional for short term but....
  Many RVs have Dry Baths, the more traditional style found in houses. Toilet, sink and shower in one room but shower has a separate stall with door or curtain to contain the water.
  In ours, we have what is called a Split Bath. As you go down the hall from the gallery(kitchen area) to the bedroom on one side is the door to the toilet and sink area and across the hall from that is a separate shower stall. Makes life real convenient on those rainy days when you don't want to walk to the campground bathhouse and keeps the toilet/sink accessible to others. Ah the simple things in life that make one happy!!


Keep asking those questions!! Love talking about our life!

Things We've Learned Since Starting Our New Life.

It has been just over three months since we started our new life adventure and a lot has happened since then. I can honestly say I am loving every moment including some of the not so good ones. It is definitely a learning experience and a lot of trial and error. Oh so worth it. We are living in the RV fulltime now but haven't taken truly to the road. That will come in October after I retire. September 27 can't come soon enough! Below is a list of things I have learned about me and the RV lifestyle so far”

1. So far, it's as good as I thought it would be.
2. You only need half the clothes you thought you would and probably less than that even.
3. You need to learn to meal plan and what to stock up on and what to do without.
4. You need twice, ah heck, three times the amount of bug spray!
5. I am not as good at keeping up this blog as I'd like to be!
6. I use more paper towels and plastic zip bags then I use to.
7. There are a lot more places to creatively store things then you would think.
8. Too many people with dogs are just as inconsiderate of others in campgrounds as in sticks and bricks areas. No, I really don't want to hear your dog bark and bark and bark. Please teach it to shut up!
9. I love sitting at night and listening to all the night noises (well, except the barking dogs and overly loud people) This I already knew but have now been reminded.
10. People like lights too much! If you are afraid of the dark, Get out of the woods! 
11. It takes less than an hour to break down camp and move. I am better at securing things than I thought I'd be.
12. Trust is such an important thing between a couple. Trusting each other when backing into a sight. Trusting each other enough to open up about what's bugging them. Trusting each other to overlook the not so good things in each of us but also to trust each other to explore the whys of those.
13. I am so very fortunate to have the partner I do and the opportunity to find “Dreams can come true!”

Paul's List

1. Even in a small area, there are still many things that need tending to
2. Cooking in a small space is easier than one thought
3. I enjoy cooking outside even more than I thought I would
4. You don't need as much room as you think you do
5. Retired doesn't mean nothing to do
6. It's fun to discover different ways to get around without a car
7. People shouldn't be working on a vehicle in a campground at night.
8. Teri and I can live together in a small space without throwing me to the dogs
9. Ninety Five percent of the people one meets in campgrounds are very friendly and willing to help each other.

Can't wait to discover what else we learn as we go along.

Pictorial Of Our New Home

As we walked into Scott's this is what we saw!!

And here is what we received!

Heading for home!

Perfect place to start out

The drive into the campground

Got her backed in perfectly!!

He is a natural at this!

Our Kitchen

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Our first sticker! Can't wait to see this get filled!

First Dinner in our new home

Dining Room

Living Room

Bedroom with True Queen Size Walk Around bed!

Teri's View

Paul's View

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Bathroom

Split Shower! Nice 

Cab and over head bunk

We all need a mascot and garden!

Haven't actually driven it yet But will

Our New Home! Oh and how we love it!!

I was planning on updating on our new RV and our moving into it but I have decided to put that off a little longer. Last week a very special person in my life past on, I want to take this time to remember him and the others who have played a significant part in my life. Uncle Bill Meyer means so much to me, he, Aunt Kay, my mom, and my dad are the reasons I am and have always wanted to "take to the road in an RV. Uncle Bill was my dad's best friend since I do believe sometime in their teen years and throughout their lives. It is with the Meyer's we went camping every summer, had many Sunday dinners, picnics, BBQs, sleepovers, etc. Uncle Bill and Aunt Kay were not blood relatives, but the relationship between the families was so strong they earned the honorary title. They were Aunt & Uncle, their children are my cousins and dear friends, heck, even we and their cousins call each other cousins. They are and always will be Family.

 As I mentioned, we traveled and camped most of the summer together every year well into my teen years. My folks and Aunt Kay & Uncle Bill continued to camp together many years after that. The love of nature and the great outdoors was a constant in my life because of this. They taught me the plants, animals, fishing, and how to have fun just being outside. I hold each and every trip in my memories. 

  I do chuckle sometimes wondering if Uncle Bill actually knew my name. I was Pumpkin, Cookie, Kid. All precious pet names, not sure if he every called me Teri LOL. But my goodness did we travel. All up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Florida. The memories I have: Bears in Blue Ridge Parkway, the freezing waters of Maine, Kon Tiki Beach Campground in Florida and of course, Delaware. That's were the four settled with the campers when they decided not to do as much travel. Holiday Park, Lewis, De. Many a day and evening at Rehoboth Beach. Campfires, eating crabs, out on the boat. I could go on and on. 

 He was the last of the foursome, he will be missed. Now as I embark on this wonderful new phase of my life I dedicate it to them. Mom, Dad, Aunt Kay, Uncle Bill, I thank you for all you taught me, I thank you for installing the love of adventure and travel, I thank you for all the wonderful experiences and places I was able to have and to see because of you, I thank you for being there for me. I will take you and my memories with me as I travel across this great country knowing your love will always surround me. I know you will hear me when I point out the many wonders and I know you stand proud knowing how much you influenced my life.  I love you always.