HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RV CARE-A-VANNERS GROUP

    

     Rene and I had been thinking about volunteering with Habitat for Humanity through the RV Care-A-Vanners group for quite some time, so after deciding on our Winter destination we finally signed up for our very first build in Dade City, Florida.  The affiliate that we were volunteering with was Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County.

     We arrived on Sunday afternoon, January 5, 2014, at the camping area owned and operated by the affiliate.  It was located in a Habitat residential community on a large grass area with full hook-ups for about a dozen RV's.  Next to the RV sites was a small house with a large covered patio.  Inside the house was a large kitchen, laundry area, two rest rooms with showers and a bedroom for the caretaker.  The land on the other side of the house was being developed for an additional six full hook-up RV sites.  This campground area was located on one side of a dead end street and a block long.  They were very nice accommodations for our first volunteer experience.  We picked out a vacant site and proceeded to set up the RV for our two week stay.  We mingled a bit with some of the other volunteers and met our team leaders.

     The next morning we had to shape up at 8 am with the other volunteers under the covered patio.  We were introduced to the construction staff of the affiliate and were assigned to various work sites for the day. We were not building any new homes on this build, but were completing some projects on homes that were nearly ready to be dedicated to their new owners.  I was assigned to work with a long time volunteer, Bob Hammer, and with another first time volunteer, Steve Ferriole.  Our job was to complete the railing on a wheelchair ramp for a home right across the street from the camping area that was being modified to accommodate the new owner that was wheelchair bound.  Rene was assigned to a painting crew and went with two other women to a town nearby to finish some painting on two homes near completion.  The work day ended at 3 pm and everyone returned to the campground.

     On Monday evening all of the volunteers were invited to attend a wine & cheese gathering at the Habitat ReStore, where the affiliate offices are located.  We were introduced to the office staff and ReStore staff by the President/CEO, John Harper, who we had met at the morning shape up.  We got to hear about all the great things the affiliate was doing to provide affordable housing to residents of East & Central Pasco County, and about how the ReStore operates and contributes to the success of the affiliate.  We also chatted a bit with other volunteers, who we discovered were from all parts of the USA and Canada.  One women drove from the Seattle Washington area and has done so numerous times to volunteer with this affiliate.

     On Thursday night, under the covered patio, there was a "Pot Luck" dinner.  Everyone brought a side dish, but one couple treated us to a main course of Fried Chicken and Cooked Ham.  The following Thursday we were treated to a nice BBQ by the affiliate.  Everyone brought a side dish again, but this time the affiliate treated us to chicken and filet mignon cooked to order.  They also provided all the beverages! Needless to say, they want their RV Care-A-Vanners to come back and volunteer again.  They took real good care of us.  Also, on the Saturday between our two week stay we were invited to attend a wedding of two of the volunteers, Bob Hammer (who I was working with) and his girlfriend Sharon Upton.  It was a wonderful experience to see these two get married "on a build" and to celebrate with them on their special day.

     Over the course of our two week stay, I continued to do some work on the house being adapted for wheelchair use and I also helped with the construction of a storage shed to be used in the campground area.  We got to know some real nice people over the course of this two week period, some of which we are still in contact with.  Rene continued with some painting, floor tiling and volunteering in the ReStore, where she uncovered an assortment of Habitat T-shirts.  Someone in the group suggested that they make a T-shirt quilt, but the only one that sewed much was Rene.  Anyway, we got help from two of the women, Marie & Annette, with cutting out the squares, (I even did some), and Rene sewed together all 72 squares for this large two sided quilt.  The girls helped her finish it at the ReStore using the conference room table to sew the two sides together and put the finishing touches on it.  The beautiful quilt was presented to the affiliate staff at the BBQ.

 
     All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of our first build.  The Florida weather in early January, although cold at times, was still a whole lot warmer then where we had come from.  The warm affiliate staff offered us the opportunity to volunteer along side them with the task of helping to put worthy families into safe, secure and affordable homes that they will be the proud owners of upon completion.  We also enjoyed working and socializing with all of the other great volunteers that gave of their time and talents and came together for this important cause.

Habitat is not a hand out... it is a hand up!

Regards,
Frank & Rene

PS: If you would like to see all of our road trip photo albums please click on the link below.

www.facebook.com/endlessadventureusa

   

NEW ENGLAND ROAD TRIP 2013

October 2nd to October 21st, 2013

We had planned this Fall trip for quite some time to see the Autumn colors and to check out some National Parks and Historic Sites, but with the Government Shutdown in effect we had to make some last minute changes knowing that those facilities would be closed to the public.  So we pulled out our National Geographics Guide to State Parks of the United States and reviewed some different options for the States that we would be traveling through.

In Connecticut, our first stop, we visited Bluff Point State Park in Groton.  Once we located the park we realized that the RV was not going to make it under the old railroad tressel at the entrance that had a clearance of 10' 8", which is precisely what our height is!  Fortunately for us there was a small parking area in a Town Park just outside the entrance so we squeezed into a parking space there and walked a short distance to the State Park.  Good thing we weren't towing the Jeep!  The state park has a 3-mile loop trail through wooded areas and along wetlands that brings you out to the rocky Bluff Point with views of the Long Island Sound and Fishers Island.  On a clear day you can see Long Island in the distance, as we did.  The weather was sunny and warm and we had a very enjoyable hike.  When we got back to the RV we even took a short hike along the Poquonnock River Walkway, near where we had found our parking space earlier in the day.  After a little snack we found our way to the Walmart in Groton and stayed there overnight.  In the morning we stopped at Mystic Seaport for a quick look around on our way to Rhode Island.  The Seaport has a large parking area with a section for Buses and RV's.

In Rhode Island we decided to visit Fort Adams State Park, which was built to protect the entrance to Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor after the War of 1812.  After an interesting drive through the narrow streets of downtown Newport we arrived at the park and were immediately delighted with the view of Newport Harbor.  We enjoyed taking the 2-mile Bay Walk around the Fort with views of the harbor and the bay.  When we got back we had an afternoon snack in the RV and enjoyed lovely views of the harbor. When our snack was done we were on our way again and headed to the Walmart in Wareham, MA., where we stayed overnight.

In Massachusetts, we spent our first day exploring Cape Cod.  We started near Bourne and meandered along State Hwy 28 through the Southern portion of the cape up to where it meets US Hwy 6 near Orleans. We drove US 6 all the way up to Provincetown.  Although both Visitor Centers were closed, we were lucky enough to get out to the National Seashore at Nauset Light Beach where we found the parking lot open with plenty of room for us to park the RV.  We took a stroll on the beach where we viewed some seals in the water just a short distance from shore.  Unfortunately, as the day went on the weather turned cloudy, then rainy.  It was not much of a beach day.  We would have certainly spent more time on the cape if the weather was better.  I'm sure we will be back this way again.  We returned to US Hwy 6 and made our way back to the Walmart in Wareham, where we stayed for a second night.

The following day we drove up to Plymouth to check out Plymouth Rock and the harbor area.  After walking around town for a few hours and seeing the Rock and the replica of the Mayflower, we headed to my cousin Lee's house in Brockton.  After arriving we reminisced for a while about old times and then Lee and her husband Steve took us into Boston to show us around the North End (Little Italy) area.  We walked around a bit and then stopped for dinner at one of their favorite Italian restaurants.  We enjoyed the dinner and the tour.  After camping out in their driveway that night, Steve dropped us off at the train station the following morning and we spent the day in Boston on parts of the Freedom Trail.  We saw Quincy Market, Paul Revere's house and Statue, The Old North Church, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, Charlestown Navy Yard (closed due to the government shutdown) and the Bunker Hill Monument.  Although it was another rainy day, we made the best of our visit.  I'm sure we will visit again.  After returning on the train to Brockton we had a pleasant evening visiting with Lee and Steve.  We called it a night and camped out in their driveway again.

The next day, after topping off our water tank, we left in the early afternoon and headed over to my cousin Karen's house in Worcester to visit with her and my Aunt Joy.  We got there around 4:00 PM and kept my Aunt company for a few hours until Karen got home from work.  We had a nice time visiting with them.  We camped out in front of their house for the night. In the morning we stopped in for coffee and said our goodbyes before heading to our next destination... Maine.

After driving most of the day we stopped at the Walmart in Rockland, ME. for the night.  The following day we stopped at the nearby Ford Dealer to have our brakes checked.  We had been hearing some metal on metal sound, which I thought was the front disc brake sensors.  Wrong.... it turned out that the problem was the rear brakes.  I should really say, the lack of rear brakes!  The brakes shoes were gone!  After our 8 month, 12,500 mile road trip towing the Jeep across the country they had disintegrated!  Unfortunately, rear brake shoes don't have sensors to tell you when they need to be changed.  I was planning on having them checked in December when the RV was due for its NYS Inspection.  I will be having them checked every 10,000 miles from now on.  Anyway, it turns out that we found another great Ford Dealer that took us in, did excellent work and got us back on the road the same day.  Conveniently for us, there was a McDonald's right across the street from the Ford Dealer.  We waited there, had coffee, had lunch and used their WIFI. We also walked around Lowe's for a bit, which was right behind the McDonald's.  Anyway, once the brakes were done we settled up then drove a short distance North to Camden Hills State Park Campground and set up camp for the night.

Camden Hills State Park turned out to be a very nice park and campground.  We chose a dry camping site with WIFI for two nights at a total cost of $38.88, off a wooded loop road.  We managed to get enough sun through the trees for our solar panels, since many trees had started to shed some of their leaves already.  In the Summer you would probably need to examine the sites a little more closely to find one with sufficient sunshine for your solar panels or chose one of the many water & electric sites the park offers. The campground had a conveniently located dump station with a fresh water fill at no extra charge.  The following day we set out to hike one of the many trails within the park.  We chose the Mount Megunticook trail which took us to a height of 1385 feet with views of Maine's Atlantic coast.  Later in the day we walked across the street to another section of the park and hiked along the coastal trail.  There, we were able to find some outlets that took us down to the waters edge.  Some took us on to rocky beaches and others on to some very large boulders jutting out in to the ocean with the waves crashing against them.  All in all, we enjoyed our stay at the park.  The following morning we checked out and headed to the Walmart in Ellsworth.  We spent the day doing our laundry and shopping to restock the RV.

Although the Government was still shutdown and Acadia National Park was still closed we decided to take a drive around Mount Desert Island anyway and try to make the best of it.  We looped around the Western part of the Island on Hwy 102 and 102A.  Then we looped around the Eastern part on Hwy 3 and stopped in Bar Harbor.  We found the RV parking area and then took a nice stroll through town.  We enjoyed our walk and the views from the harbor.  During our drive we noticed that every entrance road to Acadia that we passed was closed, as well as all the trail head parking lots.  In some areas we found lines of cars parked along the shoulder of the road.  Apparently, many people were still walking into the park or making use of the trailheads.  We had read some reports that people were being issued a summons if they drove a scooter or rode a bicycle into the park.  At one point we decided to park and walk along a trail in a wetlands area.  The Government Shutdown certainly put a damper on things and we were disappointed that we were unable to enter the park.  We had hoped that the shutdown would have been settled by the time we made it up to Maine, but that didn't happen.  I guess now we will have an excuse to make another trip up this way again.  Late in the afternoon we drove back to the Walmart in Ellsworth and spent another night.

The next morning we headed for Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire.  We arrived late in the afternoon at the Lafayette Place Campground and found a site for two nights at a cost of $50.00 that would accommodate our RV.  The site was wooded, but it worked well with our solar panels.  All of the sites there are dry camping for Tents or RV's.  There is no WIFI.  They did have fresh water available throughout the campground, but they did not have a dump station.  The Cannon Mountain RV Park on the North shore of Echo Lake does have a dump station at a cost of $15.00.  We settled in for the night, had dinner and planned our hike for the next day.  We decided to hike four different trails that created a giant loop that would bring us back to the campground at the end of the day.  So after breakfast the following morning we started on the Lonesome Lake Trail, which brings you up to, you guessed it, Lonesome Lake.  It is nestled in the mountains 1,000 feet above the floor of the notch, and is a popular hike.  It is reached by a 1½-mile trail that begins at Lafayette Place, just south of the cabin near the campground. Once you reach the lake there is a lakeside trail, which we took, that leads to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) hut at the far end of the lake, where we stopped for lunch.  After lunch we then took the Cascade Brook Trail to the Basin Cascade Trail to the Pemi Trail, which led us back to the campground.  It turned out to be quite a workout.  When we got back to our campsite we were ready for hot showers and a big dinner!

The next morning we checked out and headed for the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead in Strafford, VT., a National Historic Landmark.  Unfortunately, we were stopped en route by a 10' 6" clearance covered bridge.  That destination was quickly removed from our agenda since our RV is 10' 8" high. Anyway, Rene also planned for us to stop at the King Arthur Flour flagship store in Norwich, so we re-grouped and headed over that way.  If anyone reading this enjoys baking of any kind, the King Arthur facility has a store, bakery/eatery and a baking school all in one large complex.  If you should visit they do have a large parking lot that will accommodate RV's and buses.  Rene bought a few things for her baking projects and I made sure we included a large loaf of rustic French bread before checking out.  After our adventure in baking we headed over to the Walmart in Bennington and settled in for the night.  The next morning after breakfast we headed West to New York State where we had Niagara Falls in our sights.  It was a travel day and we were headed to the Flying J Truck Stop, just off of I-90, in Pembroke, NY.  We settled in there for the night in preparation of our visit to Niagara Falls the following day.

I have visited Niagara Falls a number of times in the past, but this was Rene's first visit.  Unfortunately, the weather was still cloudy and cool so we dressed appropriately.  It didn't rain, but the mist from Horseshoe Falls picked up by the breeze would have you believe otherwise.  Good thing we had our rain jackets on.  We took in the sights from the American side and then walked across the bridge to the Canadian side.  Make sure you have your passport or enhanced drivers license with you to get back.  I've always heard and read that the view from the Canadian side was better and it is.  The gardens and parks on the Canadian side were very nice as well.  There was no charge to walk into Canada, but it cost us .50 cents each to get back into the U.S.  If you plan to visit by car or van type RV you can park in parking area 1 at the main entrance for Niagara Falls,  if you have a class A or C motorhome you will have to park in area 2 on Goat Island. The attendants at parking area 1 will give you directions to parking area 2, as they had to do with us.  With enough sightseeing for the day we got back on the road and headed East on I-90 and stopped at the Scottsville rest area and called it a night.

After breakfast the following day we meandered through the Finger Lakes area on some two lane highways enjoying the scenery.  By the end of the day we made our way over to the Walmart in Horseheads and settled in for the night.  The next day we continued our scenic highway drive and ended up at the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown.  After visiting the museum in the late afternoon, we made are way over to a nearby rest area where we camped out for the night.  The following day my cousin Patty who lives in nearby Milford met up with us and we followed her home.  Patty and her husband Dave made room for us in their driveway and we were set for the night.  We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on the last 18 years since I saw her last.  I also enjoyed meeting her husband for the first time. We all stepped out and had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, then it was back to the house to continue our visit.  We finally called it a night and retired to the RV.  The following morning we visited for a while before saying goodbye and hitting the road again.  We made it back to my Dad's house in Westbury by late afternoon.

Regards,
Frank & Rene


PS: To view all of our trip photos, please go to our facebook page using the link below.

www.facebook.com/endlessadventureusa

ADDING MORE SOLAR & BATTERIES!

     We arrived back in New York on August 1st and have been staying at my Dad's house in Westbury.  We have been re-organizing and re-evaluating everything that we brought with us on our 8 month trip, our 1st Full-Timing adventure!  We have gone through every cabinet, closet and storage bay.  We may have over packed a few items, so anything that we did not use on this trip has been removed.  We also re-evaluated our current Solar and Battery capacity and decided to increase it.

     One of the things we did recently was to free up one of our storage bays so that we could use the space to add two more batteries.  While we were on the road and having some service done on our RV we had
our single wet cell house battery replaced with an Exide Group 24 AGM RV/Marine Deep Cycle Battery.  We also purchased a second identical battery and installed it ourselves in a space under our refrigerator.  We wired the two batteries together and connected our single Go Power solar panel through the charge controller.  At this point we had 95 Watts of solar and a 150 amp hour battery bank.

     Also while we were on the road we ordered another 95 Watt Go Power expansion panel and recently installed it next to the other one up on the RV roof.  It was a simple install with easy plug and play connectors.  So now we have 190 Watts of Solar!  We also ordered and installed a Jack Digital TV Antenna, replacing the old crank up unit.  We also ordered and installed a Jensen 12 volt TV/DVD to run off of our battery bank.  We may have a few other smaller projects to complete in the coming weeks.

     Anyway, our most recent project was to install two more identical Exide batteries, that UPS dropped off the other day, to our battery bank.  Since our storage bay has a very narrow door we had to remove the entire door and frame so that we could squeeze the two batteries in sideways and drop them into the battery trays that were bolted to the floor of the storage bay.  It was a time consuming project, but we managed to get it done in one day.  We will also be installing extra support under the storage bay using a piece of steel tubing connected to threaded rods that will run up through the interior floor.  We don't want the extra weight of the batteries to cause any issue with the way the storage bay is mounted to the underside of the RV.  We also have to re-route the conduit in and out of the bay and wire all the batteries together.  Once the wiring is complete we will have a 300 amp hour battery bank ready for our next trip.

     We are contemplating visiting the New England area this Fall and then heading down to the South East for January and February, making sure to be back in New York for my Nephew's wedding in early March.  We can't wait to test out all of our new stuff on the road!

Regards,
Frank & Rene

PS: To view all of our trip photos, please go to our facebook page using the link below.

www.facebook.com/endlessadventureusa

 Here's our two solar panels!

 Storage bay we used for 2 extra batteries!

 Removed the plastic molding to expose the screws!

 Storage bay with the door & frame removed!

 Battery trays to be bolted to the floor of the bay!

 One battery in and one to go!

 Battery tray install!

 Battery hold down installed!

 Battery number 3 & 4 installed!

Ready to re-install the storage bay door & frame!

CRATERS OF THE MOON NATIONAL MONUMENT, ID

     We checked out of Shoreline RV Park on June 4, 2013 and spent the day at Walmart and the overnight in one of the Crescent City Hospital RV sites.  The following morning Rene got a clean bill of health from her surgeon, so we were back on the road and headed to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.

     After driving the remainder of the day we stopped for the night at the Walmart in Klamath Falls, OR.  The following morning after gassing up we lost our brakes as we were pulling away from the pumps.  Initially, we were annoyed at this breakdown, but later after thinking about where we "could have been" when we discovered that we had no brakes (like coming down a mountain pass) we realized that this was a blessing in disguise.  I called Progressive Roadside Assistance and arranged for a tow truck to come for the RV.  As I was doing that, Rene was calling the local Ford dealer to see if they could accommodate us.  It turns out that their shop could not handle an RV, but they recommended another shop in town.  Rene called Emmett's Auto Repair and they agreed to help us, so we disconnected the Jeep and waited for the tow truck.  Once the tow truck got there we drove to Emmett's and waited for the RV to arrive.  Inside the office we met the service manager, Jim Heath, who got a tech working on the RV in no time.  It turns out that the two front brake lines had rusted out so they were going to replace them.  In addition, they were doing an oil change and replacing the front and rear universal joints on the drive-shafts. (recommended by the tow company driver that had to drop the rear drive-shaft before towing the RV)  Since they could not finish all the work that day they let us stay overnight in the RV in their fenced in facility and provided us with electricity and the key to the gate if we needed to go out.  They finished the repairs the following morning and had us on our way. Once again, we lucked out finding a great repair shop with a friendly and competent staff.  After having a quick lunch we got on the road about noon, drove through the afternoon and stopped at a rest area for the night.

     We arrived at Craters of the Moon National Monument the following morning and set up camp at the Lava Flow Campground.  This is a NO Reservation facility, all the sites are first-come, first-served.  The campground has paved roads and gravel sites, but no hook-ups, or dump station for that matter.  Fresh water was available and the rest rooms had a dish washing station for those that need it.  So plan accordingly if you intend to stay here for any length of time.  We know that our black water tank can go for two weeks (or longer if we use the public restrooms), but the grey water tank tends to fill much faster, so we keep a basin in the kitchen sink and an old cat litter bucket in the shower and dump this water down the toilet in the campground restroom.  The water that does make it in to the grey water tank we remove using the bucket and dump this water in the restroom toilet as well.  This system requires a little bit of work, but helps us stay in places longer that don't have dump stations.  We actually prefer the dry camping/boon-docking and consider it a challenge.  We enjoy overcoming the obstacles and making it work for us.  As long as we can find a "not so shady" site our solar panel keeps our batteries charged and we are Happy Campers!

     If you have never seen hardened lava flows before, this is one place in the U.S. to get a close up view of spatter cones, cinder cones, lava tubes, rope-like pahoehoe and rubble-like, crusty 'a'a. (Hawaiian Terms, No, I didn't make them up!)  History shows that Shoshone Indians may have witnessed some volcanic eruptions along the Great Rift.  Oregon bound pioneers passed along the Northern edge of the lava lands in the mid 1800's.  In 1920 an explorer, Robert Limbert, hiked the length of the Great Rift in 1920 and brought national attention to the area and the need to protect it.  A geologist, Harold Sterns, described the area as the nation's "most recent fissure eruption" (outside of Hawaii) in 1923 and became an outspoken advocate for preserving the area as a national monument, which it became in 1924.  In 1969 NASA's Apollo Astronauts, Shepard, Mitchell, Cernan and Engle, learned basic volcanic geology here as they prepared for their moon missions.  Today, the area is visited by National Park tourists interested in seeing this Moon-like setting.

     We were planning the next phase of our trip from Redwood National Park in Northern California to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons National Parks in Northwest Wyoming.  We knew that the shortest route would take us through Oregon and Southern Idaho, so this stop was a "NO BRAINER"!  It turned out to be another great "National Park" experience in our Endless Adventure!

Best Regards,

Frank & Rene

PS: To view all of our trip photos, please use the link below to our Endless Adventure USA facebook page.

www.facebook.com/EndlessAdventureUsa

   

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE ROAD

    Frank and I left Long Island, NY in November of 2012 and have made multiple stops to visit family and National Parks during this initial 'adventure'.  Before we departed from New York we had installed one 95-watt solar panel and taken care of several maintenance items on our 1994 Fleetwood Tioga Montara. 

     Our stops along the way have lead to some good information on Alaska, camp hosting, sites to see, and boon docking tips. Its good to get some first hand information.  I had spent the past summer reading many articles on RV organization, how to manage water use while boon docking, what food and items you really need, and other RV survival tips. My only previous RV experience was a vacation where my family and I had rented an RV for a week-long trip to Possum Lake, TX.  The experience was mixed with good and funny memories, but the vote was not to travel by RV again.   So many years later here I am venturing into full-time RVing with Frank and we plan to see this beautiful country of ours for years to come.  

   We have definitely over packed because after six months on the road many items are still packed up and won't be coming along on the next trip.  Organizing and trying to improve upon our storage is definitely worthwhile, it saves time and space.  I made large size shoe pockets that go all the way around both sides of the bed, they work great and by using an inexpensive paint tarp and some grommets the total cost was probably about $10.  Frank added some wire shelves under the vanity counter in the bedroom and we use the space for clothes, hiking boots, his National Park hat collection, and extra storage.  The kitchen cabinets have been tweaked and re-tweaked, we have added wire shelves in most cabinets in order to add a 2nd tier for organizing food and dishware items.  One section was fitted with a 3-tier canned food holder, found at the Container Store, it works for cans, fruit cups, bottles and small boxes.  We use two plastic bins on each side of the overhead space above the driver & passenger seats;  one holds our sports and hiking equipment, and the other holds our books and maps.

     We kicked into gear immediately with the water conservation effort.  We collect water in the sink by keeping a plastic bin in it at all times to collect hand and dish washing water when we are without hookups (which will be most of the time) in many National Park and Forest campgrounds.  This water is emptied into an old pail we keep in the shower.  We also collect shower water in this pail when warming up the water at the start of our showers.  These conservation efforts help us stay put for a week before we have to drive the RV to a dump station to empty the grey water tank.  Our RV has a 30 gallon fresh water tank, a 35 gallon gray tank, and a 35 gallon black water holding tank.
 
     In order to avoid having to drive the RV to fill up our fresh water tank we purchased two standard 7-gallon blue water jugs from Walmart, and store them in the Jeep so we can fill up on our way back from sightseeing.  Frank purchased a 12-volt water pump from Northern Tools and added some PVC piping and quick-connect hose adapters from Home Depot so that we are able to pump water into the RV tank without any heavy lifting. 

     Food and meal preparation is an area that will be dependent on available RV space, personal choice, and how much effort you want to exert in order to make a meal.  My food cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer have become a lot more orderly as our traveling has progressed.  For our first two-week-long dry camping I took stock of what was on hand, developed possible meals, then created the shopping list.  We were going to make do with what we had on hand in order to see if we could estimate food needs wisely.  Well, we made it and had 5-6 meals left.  A few shopping changes have been made since our trip began; powdered sports drink instead of buying bottled, Tang instead of fresh or frozen orange juice, powdered low fat milk instead of fresh, instant coffee instead of our Keurig, fruit cups to supplement fresh fruit.  These are just a few items that come to mind.  We keep 1/2 gallon containers in our refrigerator door for milk, juice, water, tea, so we can make drink items as we need them.  If anyone told me I would be drinking powdered milk and instant coffee, and liking them, I would not have believed them but life on the road brings about change.

     We purchased a 12-volt crock pot for Christmas with hopes of using it to make hot meals during our boon docking.  After our first use it was apparent that we do not have enough power with the one solar panel and single 12-volt house battery to use the crock pot as planned.  So we now use the crock pot for making meals while we travel "on the road" or when at sites with power - it works great and dinner is ready by the time we arrive at our destination. Lesson learned!  Since starting our trip we have added a second battery and have a second solar panel waiting to be installed in New York.  We may even make some modifications in order to fit a third or fourth battery.

     We have experimented with the propane oven in the RV and have made fresh Italian and Irish breads, banana breads, cookies, and cupcakes.  In some cases we have had to shave off the well-done bottom of a cake or muffin, but practice is improving that issue.  We finally have the time to bake and cook so neither one of us lets the smaller space or lack of electricity keep us from a 'baking day' or 'Pasta Sunday'.  Sure we could just start up the generator and take the easy way but that just wouldn't be the same. 

   Latest lesson learned on the road was how to address a serious medical issue.  When I (Rene) had quit work last summer a very important task was to secure self-insured medical insurance coverage.  This was not a slam dunk even for a seemingly very healthy 50-year old woman, but looking back I'm thankful for the coverage I did manage to find before our trip began.  When I experienced a ruptured appendix we were forced to find medical care on the road, far from either of our homes.  After searching my insurance directory for participating clinics and hospitals I scheduled an appointment.  I was sent from clinic to the ER and then spent a week in the small hospital before returning weeks later for the laparoscopic surgery to conclude this chapter of our travel.  We heard from many locals in the town that they would suggest going elsewhere for care but we had confidence in the 'traveling surgeon' and the wonderful staff at the small Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City, CA.  While others may have taken a different path in addressing a serious medical issue on the road we are pretty happy with our outcome. 

   Hopefully we will be returning to the road next Wednesday and while we won't be taking our Alaska Adventure this summer we are pretty sure that our new plans to venture through the Tetons, Yellowstone and the Rocky Mountains on our way back towards home will still provide great memories and sites on our first of many 'Endless Adventures in the USA'. 

Regards,
Rene & Frank

PS: To view all of our travel photos use the link below to Frank's facebook page.

www.facebook.com/frank.posillico.351

CRATER LAKE NP, OLYMPIC NP, LEWIS & CLARK NHS and OREGON DUNES NS - OR & WA

     With Rene getting back to her old self we left Klamath on Saturday May 4th and set our sites on Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.  We had an interesting drive on the winding roads of Highway 199 that runs from Crescent City to Grants Pass.  We arrived safely at Joseph H. Stewart State Park on Highway 62, near Prospect, OR., which is about 36 miles from Crater Lake.  It was still quite cold to camp in the National Park as their Mazama Village campground was still closed.  We set up camp and enjoyed the rest of the day at this beautiful state park.

     The following day we set out to visit Crater Lake National Park.  It was a beautiful tree lined drive and as we got to higher elevations the snow started to appear on the side of the road.  Once we got all the way up to the Steel Visitor Center the piles of snow left by the plows were still quite high and hiking was limited, unless of course you had snow shoes.  We were still able to get good views of the lake and a section of the West Rim Drive had been cleared of snow up to Discovery Point.  The park averages about 44 feet of snow each Winter.  Obviously, the best time to visit is in the Summer months, because it may take until early July to open the entire Rim Drive.  Just in case you didn't know, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States.  It is fed by rain and snow and is considered to be the cleanest and clearest large body of water in the world.  They say it was formed about 7,700 years ago when the 12,000 foot tall volcano collapsed following a major eruption.  Why didn't I like this kind of stuff when I was in school?  Anyway, on our return trip we stopped at the Rogue River Gorge to view the rushing water at a point where the river narrows to about 25 feet in width.  After that, it was still early when we got back to camp so we hiked a bit along the Lost Creek Reservoir trail before having dinner and settling in for the night.

     On Monday May 6th we continued North and were planning a side trip to Seattle.  We stayed overnight at the Gettings Creek Rest Area and after breakfast drove to Potlatch State Park,near Hoodsport, which was not far from Bremerton where we could catch a ferry to Seattle.  We set up camp, always looking for the sunniest site, and enjoyed the view of the Hood Canal right across the street from the campground.  The next morning we were up early and took the ferry to Seattle and spent about half the day walking around the Pike Place Market area.  The forecast was for sunny and warm so I wore shorts and sandles, well that didn't happen!  Welcome to Seattle!  Good thing I took a fleece with me.  We had some great pizza at De Laurenti's for lunch and we each had a Boston creme filled donut for desert from the Pike Place Bakery.  We also saw the very first Starbuck's coffee shop located on Pike Place.  We stopped by some of the shops along the waterfront on our way back to the ferry terminal.  All in all, it turned out to be a nice day and it got better when the sun came out while on our return ferry to Bremerton.

     On Thursday May 9th we arrived in Port Angeles and stopped at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center before setting up camp on a sunny site at Heart O'the Hills Campground in Olympic National Park.  It was still early in the day so we took the drive up to Hurricane Ridge for views of Mount Olympus, glaciers and the wilderness.  There was still quite a bit of snow up there at this time of the year, so again, unless you have snow shoes you have to stay in the plowed areas around the visitor center.  This is another location that should be visited in the summer months if you have that choice.  But still, spectacular views!  The following day we moved the RV to the Fairholme campground at Crescent Lake and hiked the Marymere Fall Trail.  The day after that we drove to Sol Duc Hot Springs, hiked the Sol Duc Falls Trail and then took a dip in the Hot Springs Pools at the resort.

     On Sunday May 12th we moved the RV to the Kalaloch campground, which Rene says is her favorite National Park campground that we have been to since Padre Island National Seashore.  It is right on the Pacific Coast and we got a site right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean.  We spent the rest of that day on R&R collecting driftwood and shells on the beautiful beach.  The following day we visited the Hoh Rain Forest in the rain.  We geared up in our rain suits and hiked around a bit.  There's no better way to experience what the trees and plants feel like than to be in a rain forest in the rain!  By the time we were finished there the sky started to clear and we were able to do some beach-combing in the afternoon.  The next day was an R&R day with more beach-combing.  On Wednesday May 15th we started heading South and stopped overnight at the Dunes RV Resort in Copalis to meet up with Jeremy & Hazel who had been driving North on Highway 101 on their way to Port Angeles to meet some friends.  We shared a bottle of wine and had a nice evening with them.

     We said goodbye to Jeremy & Hazel the following morning before heading to the Cape Disappointment State Park campground, which was only a short distance from where we were.  We visited the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center on the grounds and took a hike to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse where we met a young man from Stony Brook, NY.  He was in the Coast Guard and stationed there.  We had noticed the New York License Plates on a Jeep parked at the lighthouse, so we knocked on the window of the weather station and spoke with him briefly.  He was a very pleasant young man.  The next day we crossed the Columbia River and drove to Fort Stevens State Park to camp for the night.  Nearby we visited Fort Clatsop, part of the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park.  This is where the Corps of Discovery set up camp for the Winter of 1805-06, after reaching the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River.  It was an amazing accomplishment and they only lost one member of their party, due to what was believed to be appendicitis, during their journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.  Why didn't I think this was cool when I was learning about it in grade school?  If you ever have a chance you should check out the Ken Burns film about their journey that he made for PBS.  Rene and I saw it when we were in St. Louis visiting the Arch.

     On Saturday May 18th we continued South along Highway 101 and stopped at the Oregon Dunes National Seashore area and set up camp at the Lagoon campground.  Lagoon has no hookups, but it does have fresh water.  It does not have a dump station.  It is a National Forest Service campground and is patrolled by Forest Service Rangers, so when you are driving around the park use your directional signals so that you don't get pulled over like I did!  No ticket, just a warning!  Whew!  Anyway, we hiked some trails while we were there and spent some time at the beach.  FYI - For the general public to get to the beach from the parking lot you have to climb over an enormous sand dune.  There is no wooden staircase, just sand... on the way up and sand... on the way down.  Getting to this beach would be difficult for some and there is no handicap wheelchair access.  We would have liked to stay here longer, but the weather forecast was indicating rain and cloudy weather and that's not good news for our solar panels.  It seems the Pacific Northwest is not the ideal place for boon-docking or dry camping, just not enough consistent sunshine to keep our batteries charged!  We did great when we were down in the Southwest!

     On Tuesday May 21st we departed the Lagoon campground and headed South on Highway 101, which, by the way, has spectacular views of the rugged Oregon coastline.  It's a little nerve wracking driving a 29 foot RV towing a jeep along this curvaceous coastal road, but still spectacular.  At least Rene was able to enjoy the view.  We arrived at Shoreline RV Park in Crescent City, which is a city owned RV park, where we will probably stay until Rene has her pesky appendix removed on the 28th.  It's not far from Sutter Coast Hospital.  After her surgery we will consider what our next destination will be on our Endless Adventure!

Regards,
Frank & Rene

PS:  To view all of our travel photos please use the link below to Frank's facebook page.

www.facebook.com/frank.posillico.351

REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, CA

     On the morning of April 4th we left the Walmart in Napa and headed North to visit Redwood National Park.  On the way up we stopped in Santa Rosa so that Rene could seek medical attention at a clinic for her sinus issues and to have the abdominal pain evaluated that she had been experiencing on her right side. After an office exam the PA gave her a prescription for an antibiotic and told her that her abdominal pain was probably stress related.  We stopped at a Walmart Pharmacy and picked up her medication and were back on the road again.  We stayed overnight at a rest area on Highway 101 just North of Eureka.

     The following morning we continued our trek Northward and arrived at Chinook RV Resort in Klamath, CA.  The campground was right on Highway 101 and located right on the Klamath River not far from the mouth where it meets the Pacific Ocean.  The price was right at $15.00 a night for full hook-up with cable, WiFi, and a scenic location.  Most of the campgrounds in this area cater to campers that like to fish and are booked during the Summer and early Fall at the peak of the Salmon and Steelhead fishing season.  We had decided to stay at a private campground, because the National Park Service does not operate any campgrounds in this area.  Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Parks do operate campgrounds, but they are quite expensive considering that they only have sites without hookups.  In addition, the sites are wooded with not much sun for the solar panel.  Anyway, we set up camp at Chinook and Rene rested over the weekend.  While Rene's sinus issues improved, her abdominal pain continued and she requested that I take her to a clinic in Crescent City on Monday.

     We arrived at the Sutter Coast Health Clinic Monday morning and after a quick exam they indicated that she may have appendicitis and directed us to the ER across the street at the Sutter Coast Hospital.  After completing some forms she was seen in the ER by a PA and then by a surgeon.  The surgeon sent her for a CT scan which confirmed the diagnosis of appendicitis.  Now...I don't know about you, but we were always under the impression that if you have appendicitis you must have your appendix removed immediately, right?!  Well... apparently there are some new treatment options that the medical profession is using that we were not aware of.  What they do now, in some cases, is insert a drain and treat the abscess with antibiotics for a week during an in-hospital stay.  After that week they discharge you, but have you take more antibiotics for 10 days, then you come back two weeks later for a recheck.  If all is well they schedule laparoscopic surgery to remove the appendix in about a month.  I confirmed this treatment plan with my sister, Linda, the nurse, and she indicated that what we described was exactly what was done for her daughter, Lauren, my niece, when she was diagnosed with appendicitis.  So, with that said, Rene was admitted and treated in the hospital for a week.  After our initial shock of having to deal with a serious medical emergency on the road, we came to realize that the staff at this "small town" hospital were all extremely professional, friendly and very accommodating.  I was able to move the RV to the hospital parking lot where they provided me one of the two RV spots they had, with water and electric, at no charge!  Rene responded very well to the treatment and the following Monday she was discharged after the last CT scan showed that the abscess was gone.

     We returned to Chinook RV Resort, and after a day of rest, Rene was feeling well enough to start visiting some areas of Redwood National Park.  Let's take a moment and look at some facts and differences about Redwoods and Sequoias.  The Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) grow in a narrow strip along the Pacific Coast of California and Southwestern Oregon.  Giant Sequoias grow only on the Sierra Nevada's Western slope.  The worlds tallest living trees, Coast Redwoods tower over all other trees and some have been recorded as being as high as 370 feet.  Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) grow to larger diameters and bulk, but do not grow as tall.  Coast Redwoods can live to about 2,000 years old and average 500 to 700 years old. They have no known diseases and do not suffer any significant insect damage.  Giant Sequoias can live to be 3,200 years old!  We were in awe being in the presence of these magnificent trees!

      We started our exploration at the Klamath Overlook, just down the road, at the mouth of the Klamath River.  This was where we saw grey whales the following week.  In between days of R&R we visited the Park Headquarters & Visitor Center in Crescent City, the Battery Point Lighthouse, the Stout Grove, the Kuchel Visitor Center in Orick, the Big Tree via the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Gold Bluff Beach, Fern Canyon, Point St. George, Lake Earl, Tolowa Dunes State Park and the Crescent Beach Overlook.  During this two week period we also took care of some chores with trips to Walmart, the Post Office and to Del Norte Tire to buy new tires for the Jeep.  We also did some laundry at the campground.  All in all, we enjoyed touring around the area.  We took it easy on the hiking and kept to the less strenuous trails since Rene was still in the process of recuperation.

     During this two and a half week period before Rene's recheck, we spent some time with Jeremy & Hazel who we met at the Chinook RV Resort.  They were from England and had been traveling around the United States for the past nine months.  They had spent the previous three years traveling around Europe in a camping trailer or "caravan" as they refer to it.  When they decided to visit North America they made arrangements through a RV dealer in the UK to purchase a new 5th Wheel camping trailer.  They flew over last Summer to pick it up in Indiana along with their Dodge pickup to tow!  We spend quite a bit of time with them having afternoon tea (vodka & tonic for some of us) and enjoyed getting to know them.  They said when they are finished traveling in North America they will have the truck and trailer shipped back to the UK where they will continue living in it full-time.  They will be traveling to Canada for a few months to visit friends and relatives.  I believe they are on Vancouver Island for a month as I write this.  They also indicated an interest in venturing into Mexico on the Baja Peninsula.  We exchanged contact info and plan on staying in touch with them.  You never know... maybe one day we will do some RVing over in Europe and can hook up with them!

     Rene had her follow-up visit with the surgeon on May 1st and a CT scan on May 3rd and everything looked good.  She has an appointment for surgery on May 28th. In the meantime, we will be traveling to Crater Lake NP, Olympic NP, then down the Oregon coast with stops near the mouth of the Columbia River to see the Lewis & Clark National Historic sites.  We will then continue South to Oregon Dunes National Seashore before coming back to Crescent City.  We will fill you in on that trip in our next blog.

Regards,
Frank & Rene

PS:  To view more photos of our travels please use the link below to Frank's facebook page.

www.facebook.com/frank.posillico.351