Smoky
Well-known member
After enjoying the reading of Betty Brewer?s Alaskan log, it occurred to us that we might contribute a log of our Washington DC, Adirondack (North Country), New England, Niagara Falls, Black Hills, Montana expedition.
Agreed, this has not the drama, vastness, and adventure of an Alaskan trip.? If our log does not get much readership right now, that is ok.? But maybe some day down the road someone might have questions about the route we are taking, and it just might come in handy if we leave behind a record of our routes, stops, and adventures.? We did searches of these stopping places on the forum, found some information, but feel we could add more.? Also, the acquisition of the marvelous Panasonic FZ30 camera (the eyes behind the fabulous Brewer expedition) inspired us to lay down a written tracking of our travels.
This undertaking reminds me of the ?rudders? referred to in the James Clavell book, ?Shogun?.? Those of you who have read this book will recall the travels of both the British and Portuguese ships around the world.? The most precious possession a sea captain had in those days were his ?rudders?.? Rudders were his own handwritten compilation of his routes, passages, depths, safe harbors, etc.? In those days explorations took them into areas uncharted by any human.? The records of those travels, especially the navigational data, were unique.? As such they were priceless.? Men would kill to gain the rudders of another sea captain.? Rudders would unlock the doors to safe travel in regions unknown.
Yes, while it is true, we now have maps and GPS data that covers every last inch of our planet, we often do not have the combination of details that lead to a smooth and easy trip for a 40,000 pound motorhome or a featherweight trailer and the unique needs of an RV exploration.? We will be happy to share our rudders with you, and you will not have to kill us for them.? It is our simple way of attempting to repay the Brewers for their efforts.
We decided after our trip had already begun, belatedly, to create this log.? So already we are running behind and will have to play catch up.? Today it is already June 7, and we are in the Adirondacks in upstate New York on June 7, and we will have to begin our posting with a time warp, back to June 2 at Camping World in Manassas Virginia.? Please bear with us, we will soon catch up.
June 2
Mileage 72.7
We left southern Maryland on June 1, taking Maryland Route 5 to the DC beltway and on around to Route I-66.? At exit 47a we departed 66 and 1 light to the turn to Camper?s World.? We had made a reservation 2 weeks ahead of time for oil changes on both our Cummins 330 and our Onan generator.? This would be the first time we serviced the coach without using a Spartan/Cummins dealer so we had our fingers crossed.? The advantage here was that we would meet our timetable and routing needs plus have a place to stay overnight and interesting shopping.? We found a spot on the parking lot to dry camp, and went in and reported.? Then did some camping world shopping followed by a nice meal at Red Lobster (anticipating our pending visit to Maine.)
The next morning CW came to pick up our coach at 9:30 am.? I decided to hang around and do some more CW browsing and also play with my new FZ30 toy.? ?Sharon was off to a quilting show where she was meeting a friend at nearby Chantilly.
By 11 am the oil changes were completed and CW returned the coach to a secret spot they had with a 30 amp circuit.? This was delightful as it was hot and humid.? I checked the oil for both the engine and the genset and all was up to snuff.? (When our oil dipstick tube was replaced at a well known Spartan dealer in Phoenix they neglected to refill the engine oil and we discovered this 200 miles away heading back to the east coast.? This taught me a valuable lesson about always checking a dealer?s work no matter how respected they are.)
At any rate the mechanic at CW earned himself a nice tip, especially with the access to 30 amp service and the invitation to spend another night at CW.
The next morning on June 3 we were ready at 7 am to set out on our adventure for real.? And a chance to being putting the new FZ30 to the test.
Agreed, this has not the drama, vastness, and adventure of an Alaskan trip.? If our log does not get much readership right now, that is ok.? But maybe some day down the road someone might have questions about the route we are taking, and it just might come in handy if we leave behind a record of our routes, stops, and adventures.? We did searches of these stopping places on the forum, found some information, but feel we could add more.? Also, the acquisition of the marvelous Panasonic FZ30 camera (the eyes behind the fabulous Brewer expedition) inspired us to lay down a written tracking of our travels.
This undertaking reminds me of the ?rudders? referred to in the James Clavell book, ?Shogun?.? Those of you who have read this book will recall the travels of both the British and Portuguese ships around the world.? The most precious possession a sea captain had in those days were his ?rudders?.? Rudders were his own handwritten compilation of his routes, passages, depths, safe harbors, etc.? In those days explorations took them into areas uncharted by any human.? The records of those travels, especially the navigational data, were unique.? As such they were priceless.? Men would kill to gain the rudders of another sea captain.? Rudders would unlock the doors to safe travel in regions unknown.
Yes, while it is true, we now have maps and GPS data that covers every last inch of our planet, we often do not have the combination of details that lead to a smooth and easy trip for a 40,000 pound motorhome or a featherweight trailer and the unique needs of an RV exploration.? We will be happy to share our rudders with you, and you will not have to kill us for them.? It is our simple way of attempting to repay the Brewers for their efforts.
We decided after our trip had already begun, belatedly, to create this log.? So already we are running behind and will have to play catch up.? Today it is already June 7, and we are in the Adirondacks in upstate New York on June 7, and we will have to begin our posting with a time warp, back to June 2 at Camping World in Manassas Virginia.? Please bear with us, we will soon catch up.
June 2
Mileage 72.7
We left southern Maryland on June 1, taking Maryland Route 5 to the DC beltway and on around to Route I-66.? At exit 47a we departed 66 and 1 light to the turn to Camper?s World.? We had made a reservation 2 weeks ahead of time for oil changes on both our Cummins 330 and our Onan generator.? This would be the first time we serviced the coach without using a Spartan/Cummins dealer so we had our fingers crossed.? The advantage here was that we would meet our timetable and routing needs plus have a place to stay overnight and interesting shopping.? We found a spot on the parking lot to dry camp, and went in and reported.? Then did some camping world shopping followed by a nice meal at Red Lobster (anticipating our pending visit to Maine.)
The next morning CW came to pick up our coach at 9:30 am.? I decided to hang around and do some more CW browsing and also play with my new FZ30 toy.? ?Sharon was off to a quilting show where she was meeting a friend at nearby Chantilly.
By 11 am the oil changes were completed and CW returned the coach to a secret spot they had with a 30 amp circuit.? This was delightful as it was hot and humid.? I checked the oil for both the engine and the genset and all was up to snuff.? (When our oil dipstick tube was replaced at a well known Spartan dealer in Phoenix they neglected to refill the engine oil and we discovered this 200 miles away heading back to the east coast.? This taught me a valuable lesson about always checking a dealer?s work no matter how respected they are.)
At any rate the mechanic at CW earned himself a nice tip, especially with the access to 30 amp service and the invitation to spend another night at CW.
The next morning on June 3 we were ready at 7 am to set out on our adventure for real.? And a chance to being putting the new FZ30 to the test.