KOA Newburgh - Last Day

The rains came to an end about 9:00 am and slowly, one by one, tenters and cabin people began to come out of their small, protective environments and life on their last day here began.  By noon the sun was out, the humidity low, the temperature perfect with a slight breeze; a perfect day.  Humans?  All, every single one of them, packed up and gone back to their reality.  It was an amazing sensation.  Once again, the realization of how nice I have it sank in.  There's no work to go back to.  My kids called me to wish me a Happy Father's Day as did others by way of texts and emails.  How nice was that?  Thank you, all.   Once again, in the stillness of Father's Day, I'm here alone with the chipmunks.  Well, physically alone but I know about my blessings that are with me 24/7.  I posted this on my Facebook page this morning:  Father's Day. On this special day, I can sit back (as can their mother), relax and bask in the knowledge that we lucked out and wound up with two fantastic kids, Chuck and Marybeth; loved and respected contributors to society, healthy, and proud parents of awesome children...my grandchildren: Sara, Beca, and Aaron. For this, above all else, I am truly blessed and thankful.

So, one "travel adventure" comes to an end and another is right on its tail.  From Plattekill, NY, I'll travel to Poughkeepsie to meet and visit daughter, Marybeth tomorrow, Monday, during her lunch hour at her new home.  From there it's back down to Croton's RV Park where I'll be until July 7, 2015. I am hoping once again to have friends visit and enjoy some peace, quiet, and outdoor relaxation while enjoying snacks and liquid refreshment.  Thankfully, I will have missed the annual Clearwater Festival with its young and old hippie tree huggers that will once again reaffirm their need to "Save the [insert your favorite]."  Click here for George Carlin's classic on the environment and see if you don't agree with at least some of it.  I agree with all of it.

As I entered a few notes into a log book I've kept since 1978 for this cloudy, rainy trip, I came across two others as I leafed through the pages that I'd like to share with you:

This campground used to be called "Hudson Valley KOA Kampground."  I found two passages from 33 years ago:

"Sept. 25-27, 1982.  Camp Fees = $30.50 at $12.00/night.

Very wooded; clear, mild, sunny day. Camped with Merz's & Armistos'

Sites were cozy and wooded.  100 sites in campground. Supposedly all full but didn't seem to be. Quiet nights, very peaceful.

Rained after midnight on last night. Gas heater refused to maintain pilot light; borrowed Ray & Kathy's electric heater.

Celebrated Kelly Armisto's 15th birthday."

Flipped forward a few pages and read:

"Aug. 22-25, 1984.  Camp Fees = $51.00 for 3 nights

Pure luck. Campsite right next to the one we used on 9/25/82 w/Merzs' & Armistos' .  This time Wyskidas' coming.

Friday 8/24/84: Chuck, Marybeth with us.

Sat. nite, Stephanie, Tommy Jr., Michelle Franciosa, Doug & Judy are due.

8:30 a.m. Temp 66°, bright, sunny, and breezy."

My, how time flies.  One may not be able to ever go back to "the good ol' days", but here's to having memories that can take their place.

See you in Croton. 

KOA Newburgh - Day 4

As the dark and dismal afternoon gave way to evening, the sounds of this very crowded and active campground continued.  Loud music from the cabin group and of course, screaming kids running loose everywhere. From 4-5 pm. there was the occasional clang of the KOA/Walden fire engine's bell. As part of the campground's amenities, a ride around the campground for young and old are provided. As I sat cozy in the warmth of my coach, the temperature outside was 67 and will drop a bit more as the expected heavy rains drench the area, I glanced up at a piece of my history taped to one of the storage doors.  Except for the Sunday Best we wore (Easter Sunday) and the fact that they're in cabins while we were in pop-up campers, the large group behind me was enjoying their time together as we did some 30 years ago.  Their fire was big, kids were roasting marshmallows, dads were holding beers, the Alpha male grilled, the women carried dishes, containers, and platters, as usual tying the dinner together for those who just served themselves and ate...the teenagers.

Easter Sunday, April 11, 1982

Although, these teenagers were very good and well behaved, our brats were better.  But didn't we all enjoy the complete abandon that camping and summer provided us?  Even back home, times spent outdoors in the summer with our friends were the best ever even though they had to end when the street lights came on.

Last night I reflected on those never-to-be-forgotten times as I listened to the noises of summer outside. There's a little girl out there somewhere whose scream could shatter crystal. The scream is of the 'I just saw a snake' variety and perfect for the thriller movies we enjoyed as youngsters. I've never heard such a high pitched squeal.  I'm surprised dogs in the area didn't begin to howl as I'm sure the pitch approached the range of sound that humans cannot hear. That scream differed from another tot who, for the past two nights around 6 or 7 pm, just screamed...or was it crying?  No, it would fall into the "dysfunctional screech" of a tantrum. Loud and never ending, it made you wonder if the child would go hoarse due to the strain.  Next up, there's the little gang of about six 5-8 year olds with cap pistols whose mission seemed to be ridding the campsite of varmints, crooks, and bad guys.  They ran helter skelter everywhere; through campsites, behind trees warning each other of where to go and not go.  It was really quite comical.  Next, there was the 18± month screamer next door who, the minute his world was deprived of something, he'd let you know with yes, another ear-splitting scream/cry--otherwise you'd never be aware of his presence.  It will come as no surprise what kind of kid this will be once he reaches school age.  The family seem very tolerant of the little guy.  Yes, I looked forward to those "camp sounds" giving way to the soothing pattern of a constant rain that arrived about midnight and greeted me in the morning.

The blue dot, north of Newburgh, is my location.

Please note the new tab added above: Painting4_a_Purpose.

KOA Newburgh - Day 3

Good morning.  It's another dark day with a heavy cloud cover AND a NWS warning of heavy rains drifting northeast from Tropical Storm, Bill.  Watching the radar shows that the most severe weather will pass well to my south with the northern fringe just reaching New York City. Not wanting to deal with anything wet, I've put away my tablecloth, outdoor rug, and retracted my awning.  Sure enough, precisely at 1:00 p.m, the light rain began. Run campers, run.  See the campers disappear into whatever shelter they could find.  That is, except the fellas outside the cabins.  There they sit in front of their fire. It's 2 pm and the rain has stopped. Things have not remained static, however, here at the KOA campground.

Friday afternoon and evening saw at least 10-15 RVs enter; from pop-ups to Class A's.  In addition, a group of what I'm guessing to be four families with about 15-20 members between them now occupy the four cabins behind me.  Loud talk and music was the order of the day but lasted only till 9:30-10:00 pm. At one point, when the volume was cranked a bit, I did motion to one of the fellas that it was a bit too loud.  Problem solved. And isn't it interesting how the organizer, leader, and "dominant male" is shortly identified by speech only.  Next door to my left, a "Cruise America" rental RV with a young couple got settled and, at 8:30 pm just as it was getting dark, two vehicles and a crowd, including a crying youngster arrived.  Dad, had the job of setting up a large tent (which, it turns out, he hadn't done in over a year.)  My contribution was my very bright lantern that shed some light on the area and his attempts were finally rewarded 10:30 pm when they returned the lantern.  The grandfather/granddaughter (I think) across the road left and the mother and two teenage sons in a tent across the way remain.

A new visitor, other than human, paid a visit this morning as well.  Oh, the usual critters remain.  Sparrows and the frisky chipmunks remain. They're getting used to me.  They now boldly come under the table I'm sitting at and one even charged and bumped into my sandled foot.  I think I'm lucky socks covered flesh.  Yes, MB, I wear socks with sandals; I'm allowed now that I'm approaching senility. The very selfish, dominant one continues to forage and will chase with amazing speed all others who try to share the goodies.

Grackle

Cardinal

No, these two birds were to be expected.  It's the little guy who greeted me this morning on my picnic table....very similar to another bird that, "outta da blue," landed on my balcony.

Its constant 'cheep' 'cheep' drew my attention from
inside my RV.  How it landed on my table, I don't know.

Looking up at the trees that hover above, I don't think it fell out
of its nest.  Without a tail, I didn't think it could have flown there.
And, as I asked almost ten years ago, "How come me?"

I was at least thankful that my bird feeder was nearby. But 

even pouring some seed on the table the critter didn't bother

with it. 

It dawned on me that it may be a baby robin and

 seeds

are not part of 

their diet.  It ignored it anyway.

Yes, my little guest knew what was what.  As I approached,
it hopped away toward the end of the table always looking
up or down...fly or jump? Fly?  Maybe.  Jump?  You're gonna
get hurt.  So?  What did it do?  What do you think?

KOA - Newburgh - 06-17-2015 - 06-22-2015

KOA in Newburgh, NY  June 17 - 25, 2015
(Remember, highlights in green are links to a different site)

Actually, look closer to find site #17, my final location.

Very wooded and shaded....

...spacious w/picnic table and fire pit.

Taken before I put my tablecloth set up

Last photo in this series shows table/seat covers.

Behind me on a lower roadway are a series of
10 Camping cabins all of which are unoccupied.

This is a typical "Camping Cabin" which differs
from the "Deluxe Cabins," "Premium Cabins,"
and "Studio Cabins."

Campsites to my left.....

....and right.....

..as well as across the road are unoccupied as well.

Took my blinking refrigerator display to inform
me that there was no electricity coming from the
supply box outside.  Problem remedied within a
half hour after I reported it to the office.

I'm writing this blog on day 2 of my stay.  Day 1 was apparently tiring even for the short, 42 mile trip. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to setting up a campsite.  I arrived around 2:30 pm and by 4:30 had it pretty well set up.  The day provided perfect weather for that activity so, upon completion, I thought I'd lie down and maybe grab a few Zzzz's after dinner.  That was about 7:30 pm.  I awoke a 2:50 a.m. well rested and ready to go.  Always a predicament as you can imagine.  No problem.  One of the all-time great benefits of being retired: you don't have to fight with your body for sleep and have it annoy the hell out of you as it reminds of your curtain call at work early the next morning.  I got my 5-6 hours which, for me, is adequate and if I want more....guess what?  I sneak it during the day.  The body does have the last laugh, however, because between 2 and 4 pm. my eyelids keep slamming shut as I'm busy doing something on the laptop.  So be it and so much for my body in action....or lack thereof.

Today was a very dark day....a day without sunshine.  Between the shade of trees and the thick cloud cover, it was a day where sunlight made its point about being so important in the life of us mortals.  This campground is very nice, well run and maintained but now, not crowded at all, very quiet.  

A little demon...

My impression after setting up was that there are more chipmunks than humans in this campground.  I scanned my site 360° and there were chipmunks everywhere; on top of rocks, on trees ....even in the upper most branches.  If you heard what you thought was a bird, it turns out it's a chipmunk.  Mini tree rats scampering all over foraging and chasing each other when their territory was encroached. I threw seed around hoping to see some birds I haven't seen at home but alas, one little critter spent its afternoon filling its mouth pouches with everything it

...and accomplice

could fit.  Next noticeable creature were the mosquitoes and spiders. Enter my bug zapper (for mosquitoes only). So far with the dampness, lack of sun, and threat of rain, I decided to remain inside Winnie.

Oh, and speaking of "Winnie", my "support group" provided some input I must keep from my caretakers at the home:

"#1

should we be concerned that he is talking about the camper as if "she" exists as a person

#2

should we be concerned that he is taking mug shots of people and posting them up in the camper as a psychopath would

Just wondering"

To which person #2 responds:

"Well, for #1, he's captain of his vessel so I guess that entitles him to name his land-yacht.

For #2, this is actually a good thing to do because we'll be able to piece together who was the last to see him for when he goes completely senile and points his camper "south" and winds up at the north pole...."

I love them.  To conclude this entry, a peek at my dinner this evening:

Before the flip, a frittata with mushrooms,
red pepper, zucchini, onion, and Parmesan cheese

 

My first attempt at acquiring a panoramic shot with my new iPhone 6:
the Camping Cabins behind me.

A 180° view from the middle of the road.

Happy Birthday, Winnie

In the blink of an eye, one year has passed.  On June 14, 2014, Marybeth and I traveled north to SPAC to enjoy her Father's Day gift to me: A concert featuring Journey and the Steve Miller Band.  It was the first time I had ever driven Winnie...right off Camping World's lot in Kingston, NY.  I believe by now her white knuckles on that trip have recovered their natural color. I still eagerly await my next trip as though it were my first.  Over 6,000 miles have been logged and there is no evidence of wear and tear on either Winnie or me. 

With a (her) new year beginning, the reader will notice a new look on my blog site: The addition of tabs along the top of this page.  One click now navigates you to previously posted pages. The reader no longer has to guess where to go to find information post earlier that (may have) interested them. These will be updated individually as the need arises, so check periodically.

As mentioned in earlier blogs, the planning, phone calls, decision making regarding the best campground site ("site" unseen), and the best route to get there with the least amount of hassle have all been an exciting part of "the adventure."  I've worked with on-line maps, GPS software for the built-in Rand McNally and Garmin's Dēzl 560 dash mounted devices, and combined all input for the best way to go. Although I "went with my gut" on many trips, the one great feature of both GPS devices that I respected were routes I was unable to take; those with size and weight restrictions, low overpasses, and travel-ways not open to trucks or RV's. After that task was completed, the business of planning menus and shopping for necessities completed the plan.

As a birthday treat to Winnie, I brought her to American Cycle Corp, 1400 Park Street, in Peekskill, for an oil change. Dave, Robin and staff got a chance to visit inside securing them a place on The Wall of Fame. Winnie drank heartily for the occasion: 13 quarts of diesel oil and a new filter.  She is now ready for another 7,000 miles.  Our third adventure of the new season will take place on Wednesday, June 17th with a trip to the KOA in Newburgh, NY, for 5 days.

Yes, her 25' butt just about made it into the bay.

Fortunately, the lift was not needed.
11' 3" clearance needed for Winnie

Dave, owner and former Blue Mt. Middle School student

Co-worker, Robin, also a former student at
BMMS, loved Winnie but loves her Jeep more!

Mike approves

Donny had the honors of changing the oil.

The other Mike loved Winnie too.

If you check the tab above, these 5 new "Visitors" now grace the walls inside Winnie.  Thank you all for your services.