NY to CA-1

Day 1 Saturday 7/8/17

And so it begins...with the purchase of Winnie three years ago, a one time flicker in the back of my mind, an adventure that made its way onto the ol' bucket list has been fanned into a flame of reality. Knowing bucket lists are delicate and fickle, we humans strive to empty them before kicking them, the buckets, that is. It's a mad sometimes unrealistic rush to deal with the conflict between having the dreams and reality of actually achieving them. I got lucky...and am very fortunate to be able to do what I'm about to do.  A special "vacation." 

My uneventful 4½ hour trip (with a stop to refuel) treated me, as usual and as expected, with breathtaking views as I drove up and down the hilly landscapes of I-80. 

This my first overnight KOA stay for this trip. As a member, by the end of this round trip, I will have stayed in nineteen of them as I travel from coast to coast. Their very user-friendly website for online reservations, choice of site type and favorable rates made it a pleasure to create and book my itinerary, which for me, is half the fun of RVing--the journey. I was favorably impressed with the campground as soon as I made my left off of Jacksonville Road. After some scattered, brief showers during the latter part of my journey, it was nice to see the grounds neatly landscaped, flowers blossoming everywhere and the facilities well maintained. I left Peekskill with the temperature holding at 77° and arrived to 66° after driving through some showers. Backing into site #74, I made my first introduction to a gal named Vicki; yup, another one. Unlike me, 'here today, gone tomorrow,' she and hubby looked like they were going to be there for awhile. I'm baking stuffed shells for a late night dinner and tomorrow I will visit the pavilion for their free Sunday pancake breakfast. Then on the road again for Ohio. The free Internet service? 6 out of 10.

Site #74 at Bellefonte KOA

Day 2 Sunday 7/9/17

Today I learned there is a lot of truth to the maxim about journeys; it is absolutely all about the journey. Perhaps it was the perfect weather for traveling or that it was a Sunday with light traffic. Maybe it was the route through continuously beautiful scenery that caused me to marvel at the lush, dense forests on either side of the highway, the hillsides, peaks and down in the valleys all around me. A magnificent country with so much to soak in. The sky was sunny and clear...cloudless, the temperature a perfect 67° and like yesterday, the rolling hills just took my breath away as I crested yet another hill and scanned the valley below me. Ahead of me, the I-80 beige strip reminded me of man's presence in this pristine environment and showed me what was "down the road." In Penfield, PA, I was at the highest point in elevation on I-80 east of the Mississippi, 2,250 feet. There's no getting around it, I love to drive. My windows are open, my music is blasting and Winnie is purring along giving me a smooth ride even at the speed limit of 70 mph. With the Mercedes Sprinter Class V-6 Turbo diesel engine I'm getting an average of 15-16 miles/gallon.

I stopped for lunch a few miles before arriving at the Streetsboro/Cleveland SE KOA in Streetsboro, OH. Once again I was proud to show off Winnie to a couple of admirers who stopped and actually backed up to get a better look while I was seated nearby. Fred and Jean were thinking about RVing and natch, I gave them a tour. Marybeth, from 4,507 miles away in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, shared her usual comment.

An impressive view to my left upon entering
my second KOA.

And, a little further, on my right.

Signed in at 1:30 pm and was escorted to my site.

Just another view of Winnie in the shade on site #425. For me, a glance
at the sites I've occupied on my trips brings to mind the experience as
fresh as the day I enjoyed it. 

Here's a video of my surroundings...a long line of 5th wheels and monster Class A coaches. Let me know if it doesn't work for you; I'll send it via regular email.

There's another maxim related to RV travel and it's about ending your travel day "driving 3 hours or 300 miles, which ever comes first." Is it for safety? Or for the comfort of driver? Yesterday I drove 4.5 hours, yawned twice and covered 245 miles. Today I drove 3 hours, didn't yawn at all and covered 215 miles. I've asked myself along the way should I have planned to drive longer periods of time with breaks and get further quicker? It's a plus in that one regard but my driving takes place during the best times of the day: 11:00 am (the usual time of check-out) to 3:00 pm. Check in time for most campgrounds is after 1:00 pm. If I stop for lunch along the way, it works out nicely. In addition, arriving that early in the afternoon allows me more time for email, checking my finances, creating my blogs and eventually finding the time for reading and....resting. Not setting anything up other than plugging in for electrical service, affords me the extra time. By the way, my readings on this trip include:

Thus far, I haven't found time to start. 

Another day has ended. Thunderstorms are predicted for Monday thru Thursday. I know that'll change as I move west. And tornadoes? Ha! More about that when I go through Tornado Alley. 

What? Me worry?

I've decided to post these blogs every couple of days rather than once a week as they do get long winded. Oh, and speaking of things learned. I realized why RV guys always wear hats and I cannot. They have no hair. AND, they ALL have dogs and are a great majority are older than me. The dogs have nothing to do with hair, they're just omnipresent with practically every rig I see pull into a site.

Free Internet service? 8 out of 10. Indiana and Illinois next up and check out the full moon tonight.