Summer 2016 EscaPODes
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Forum Name: Camping Adventures
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8715
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Topic: Summer 2016 EscaPODes
Posted By: StephenH
Subject: Summer 2016 EscaPODes
Date Posted: 02 Sep 2016 at 9:28pm
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I will post a series of messages about this summer's travels in our EscaPOD. Trip one: North Carolina to western New York State and return. We prepared and left for New York State. Due to an appointment, we could not leave nearly as early as I would have liked. Despite trying to take all precautions, we seem to inevitably leave some things behind. However, nothing critical was left, so when we remembered, we just kept going. By that time, it would have meant a significant drive home to get the items and the cost in time and gas would have exceeded the replacement cost of the items. Our usual route heading north is to go up US Highway 1 until we reach I85. From there, we go to Petersburg, VA, where we pick up I95. That is what we did this time also. Given our late start, we did not cover as many miles as originally planned. Our stop for the night was at a Walmart. This was the first time overnighting at one. The RVparky app on the phone lets us know what places are available. Since there were no truck stops near, the Walmart seemed like a good option for a free stay. It turned out to be a good place as it was farther off the highway than a truck stop would have been. Thus, it was quieter. Since it was warm, I had opened a window on the end of the bed near our feet and had the vent fan running. During the night, a rainstorm came through. Neither my wife nor I noticed. In the morning, we shut the window, but did not notice that the foot of the bed area had gotten wet. We continued on, arriving at my sister's house and getting set up. When we went to bed, I noticed that my feet seemed to be damp. However, it was not until the morning that we realized that the rain the previous night had gotten not only the linens wet, but had gotten the foot end of the mattress damp also. The linens could be dried in my sister's drier. However, the mattress was a different matter. I propped it up for air circulation and ran a fan to also circulate air and help dry the mattress. Once that was done, everything could be put back together for our next night's rest. The first few days were with my family. My mom wanted to get us all together. Since I wanted to contribute something, my contribution (with the use of my sister's kitchen and refrigerator space) was cheesecake. Now, this is not baked in an oven, but cooked in a pressure cooker. We had gotten an electric pressure cooker when our local Aldi store had them. I found Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough's The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book: 500 Easy Recipes for Every Machine, Both Stovetop and Electric. It had recipes for several types of cheesecake, including the two I made. One was a New York Style cheesecake. One was a Chocolate cheesecake. I had previously made these. I needed to get a 6" cheesecake pan. That was a "Fat Daddio's" 6" pan, purchased from Amazon. It was the size needed for our 6 quart pressure cooker. Since my sister did not have a kitchen scale (one of the items I had forgotten), I had to guess on the quantity of chocolate in the chocolate cheesecake recipe. I ended up melting about 4 extra ounces of chocolate. It was very a very stiff batter, but a little extra sour cream made it possible to get into the pan. It still kooked okay. The NYS cheesecake went much better as it did not require anything that was not on hand. The results were that the NYS cheesecake turned out quite well and was well received. The chocolate one turned out so rich, people were splitting already small slices in half. It was more like a fudge cheesecake than a chocolate cheesecake. We ended up with extra, so we cut and wrapped it to fit in our refrigerator better. What we did with the extra will be part of the next installment. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Replies:
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2016 at 9:14pm
I had thought to continue this yesterday, but life got in the way. My wife fell in the kitchen, breaking the top of her humerus bone at the shoulder. No cast as it is at the joint. Right now, no surgery needed as the broken piece is in the right place, presumably being held in place by surrounding tissue. She will be in a sling for several weeks while it heals. It is her dominant arm, so it will make life difficult, but it could have been much worse. I will be on cooking and clean-up detail for the next several weeks so my posting on our trips may take longer than the trips themselves. 
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2016 at 9:41pm
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Sorry to hear that, hope she is doing well!
------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: birderdiane526
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2016 at 9:51pm
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Hope your wife recovers quickly. ------------- Diane and Michael 2016 179 "PIP" (PODDING IN PARADISE) 2007 Toyota Tundra BLOG:Podding in Paradise, birderdiane526.blogspot.com |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 04 Sep 2016 at 10:47pm
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Thank you. I'll relay the messages to her.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 05 Sep 2016 at 12:12pm
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Ouch, may your wife recover and heal quickly with no lingering long term problems. Now is your time to shine as the gourmet chef! ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 05 Sep 2016 at 7:38pm
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The next part of our first summer trip was to move the R-Pod from my sister's driveway to a campground in Newark, NY. The name of the campground is http://www.whisperingwindsrv.com/ - Whispering Winds Campground and Family Fun Center. It just opened this year. This campground is on the site of a former golf course. The owners are new. The prior owners filled in a swimming pool, so the campground currently lacks one. The owners told me that they plan to add one. The overall campground is nice, though it lacks shade. Since it was a former golf course, it is open. There is a lot of space for expansion and the property itself is attractive. The facilities were clean. We did not intend this as a resort type stay. This was a convenient place to stay for the main purpose, which was to get together with friends from the Fidonet Cooking Echo (anyone old enough to remember computer BBS's should recognize this). This was a food-centered gathering. It involved visits to local dining establishments, a visit to the local ball park to see the local team get beat by a team from Victor, NY, and a day of serious cooking and eating. I demonstrated pressure cooker cheesecake by making another NY style cheesecake. There was enough of the chocolate left over for testing as well. This was the chocolate cheesecake with extra chocolate. When I explained that it was a goof that included extra chocolate, I was told that I should repeat that goof when I make it again. A very lactose intolerant friend who is also a musician and a supertaster said that it was "worth the pills" by which he meant lactase pills. That day concluded our participation in the "2016 echo picnic." The final event for this trip was to attend my 45th high school class reunion. This was the first of my class reunions I have been able to attend. It was the right combination of timing and resources that made it possible. It was good to attend this reunion. However, time has changed the appearance of so many of them so much that I had a hard time recognizing them. I'm glad we had name tags with pictures from the yearbook. Some that I thought might be there weren't. Other classmates have since passed away. The morning after the reunion, we finished packing and loading, hitched up the R-Pod, and hit the road back to North Carolina and home. The trip had one more surprise for us that was not so pleasant. There was a construction detour to exit I85 onto US1 South toward Raleigh. On it, I saw a place I wanted to stop at. We did so, and got home safely (or so I thought). After we had been home a few days, I was looking at the pod, and noticed a screw sticking out of the middle of the tire on the door side of the pod. I was looking at the tire, because the wear on it seemed to be excessive on the outside edges of the tread. I was able to remove the wheel and tire, which I took to our local Discount Tire, where it was patched. I appreciate that Discount Tire patches them (if possible) for free. It is one of the reasons I have also purchased tires there. The patched tire went back on the R-Pod.This concludes our first trip of the summer. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2016 at 8:21pm
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Our second summer trip was made with the intent to do a little touring in conjunction with a church mission trip and a visit to my wife's father and some family friends. The first leg of our trip was from home to Cherokee, NC. I had made reservations at http://www.cherokeesmokies.com/camp/ - Cherokee Campground & Craig's Cabins . Our campsite was along the Soco Creek. The site had full hookups, but did not have as much shade as some of the other sites. However, with full hookups, we could run the AC, so the lack of shade was not an issue. We had come to Cherokee to see " http://www.cherokeesmokies.com/unto_these_hills.html - Unto These Hills ," the Cherokee outdoor drama which gave the history of the Eastern Band Cherokees and included the history of the "Trail of Tears."  The location was great. The facilities were well-maintained and clean. We enjoyed our stay and would gladly return for another visit. We did not spend too much time in Cherokee on this trip. When we left, I wanted to drive at least part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We left out of Cherokee, headed up US 441 to the start of the BRP. We only stayed on it until the second exit, which was for US 74. We stayed on it until we got to I40 and took it to I26. We wanted to at least parallel the BRP, so we linked up with I81. Our next few nights were on the road. We stopped at a Walmart overnight. This was a better choice than a truck stop. It was further off the highway than a truck stop would have been and so was much quieter. It was warm, but not oppressively hot. That was good since with no hookups, we could not have run the AC. Between the vent fan and an additional fan, we were comfortable enough. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2016 at 8:26pm
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Nice looking site!
------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2016 at 9:02pm
Our next stop was not on our original list of places to see. We saw information about http://www.naturalbridgeva.com/ - Natural Bridge . We decided that it would be a worthwhile interruption of our travel. It was! Natural Bridge is an interesting natural formation. The trail and reproduction Monacan Indian village was included in the price of admission. The trail led on, terminating at a small waterfall. In addition to the Monacan village, there was a cave where bat and bird droppings were mined to make saltpeter (for making gunpowder) during the Revolutionary War. There were other caverns also, but we did not elect to visit them. The day was rather warm, and my wife was not up to hiking the full trail, so she waited (with a bottle of water) at the Monacan village while I completed the trail hike. I would like to return to see the caverns also if we should be in the area.  The next part of our trip was challenging for our TV. I wanted to drive the northern end of the BRP, so we got off of I81 and onto VA 606, which was the Steele's Tavern exit. We continued on to VA 56, the Tye River Turnpike, which is a Virginia Scenic Byway. What I did not know is that this road is narrow, twisty, and steep. Our Escape was pulling up the hills, but with the low speed, it was getting hot. We use an OBDII device and the Torque app to monitor. Both engine and transmission were getting hot. We got some warnings about engine power being reduced to keep the engine from overheating. Then we got a warning to STOP, Engine Overheated. There was no good place to stop as there was no place to pull off. It was about then that I remembered to turn the AC in the car off. That helped greatly as the heat from the AC was no longer preheating the air going through the radiator. The outside temperatures were much cooler at the altitude than when we were on I81, so we really did not need the AC anyway. The transmission cooler was not able to work well as the speed was too low for adequate airflow. We finally made it to the entrance to the BRP. Once we got onto the Parkway, we were able to increase speed. The road did not have the steady, uphill climb either as there were both up and downhill stretches. This allowed both engine and transmission to get back down to better operating temperatures. We exited the BRP on to I64 and headed toward Charlottesville, Virginia. Our intended stop had been Monticello. However, we arrived too late in the day to see it, so we went to the http://koa.com/campgrounds/charlottesville/ - Charlottesville, VA KOA . The facility was clean and well maintained. There was a pool, but by the time we were set up, there was no time to enjoy it. A note is that if you look at the 30A back-in site listing, there is an R-Pod featured (not ours though). ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2016 at 9:10pm
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We went to the Natural Bridge area a couple of years back, loved it. We had a great lunch at the Pink Cadillac diner ( or something on that idea). Sounds like a blast!!!
------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2016 at 9:37pm
 After our overnight stay at the KOA, we drove up to Monticello, purchased tickets, rode the bus up, and waited our turn to tour Jefferson's home. It was interesting, and there were some very interesting features. It was interesting to keep hearing/reading about how everything was kept under lock and key. Dishonesty is not just a product of modern times and society.My wife and I rode the bus down, but got off at the cemetery where Jefferson and his relatives are buried. My wife rode the bus the rest of the way, but as it was shaded, I walked the trail the rest of the way to the building with the gift shop. We browsed there, but did not spend much time or money there since we needed to get back on the road. Our next stop was in Green Brook, NJ. My wife has relatives there. We spent the night and visited one aunt in a nursing home. HOA rules stated that we could park there, but could not disconnect. So we left the car connected, but leveled it so we could spend the night. Because the street was narrow, we did extend the slide-out. The night was cool enough that we did not need the AC, and we did not need the extra room of the slide-out for the one night we stayed. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2016 at 10:42am
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We continued on our journey with our next destination being in Vermont. we were actually ahead of schedule, so we wanted to find a place to spend the night. We looked and found the http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/emerald.htm - Emerald Lake State Park along Vermont route 7 in Dorset. We stayed in http://www.vtstateparks.com/interactive/emerald/t04.html - Tentsite T04 . While it is called a tent site, the site was large enough to easily accommodate our R-Pod 179. What was not so easy was getting backed in after dark. My initial placement was off, so I ended up pulling back out and backing in again. This time, the back of the trailer was to the right of the fireplace pictured in the site picture (see link above). That done, it was then an easy matter to do the little bit of leveling needed and get things set for our stay. We ended up staying two nights. Vermont parks are pretty much no-frills camping. There are no electric or water hookups except for the camp host's site. Water taps are scattered about, but these have smooth ends so one can't attach a hose. There are bathrooms and showers, but the showers are coin-operated hot water. There is a dump station near the park entrance. We used the R-Pod's shower. I ended up having to borrow a water container to add some water to our fresh water tank as we were already somewhat low from the several days of travel we had already done. I realize now that i will carry a water jug, even if empty, for this purpose in the future. We spent the time "chilling out." I hiked down the trail to the lake for some swimming. The weather was warm during the day, but cool enough at night that we did not need the air conditioner. We would not have been able to run it anyway as there were restrictions on the hours during which generators could be run. I did run it for a bit to make sure the batteries were adequately charged. That was the only time I ran it on this trip. I probably did not need to do so. It was just being a bit cautious as I did not want to run out of power for my CPAP machine. We really enjoyed this park. It is a place to which I would like to return. It would probably be a great place for a Pod rally. It came time to leave. As we were traveling to Washington, Vermont, we spotted the Norman Rockwell Museum in Rutland, Vermont. We were not aware of it, so we turned around and navigated around some construction to get into the parking lot. After some maneuvering to get the R-Pod out of the way, we went in and toured the museum. We purchased one print and one small book showing Rockwell's work Our next stop was the http://www.washingtonbaptistchurch.net/retreat-center.html - Calef Retreat Center in Washington, Vermont. We parked and set up in the driveway. The caretakers were kind enough to allow us to connect to a 15A circuit. We had use of indoor facilities for showers, so we had no worry about exhausting our fresh water or filling up our gray water. We were there as part of a team from Grace Baptist Church. We came to conduct a Vacation Bible School for Waterbury Baptist Mission. This meant that each day we were there, we had to travel almost an hour to get there. In order to support the group, my wife and I had volunteered to do the grocery shopping and prepare meals for the group. Since we had our own vehicle, this was easier and meant that a meal was ready for the team when they returned to Washington. In prior years, they had to prepare meals after returning. Last year, we did the same so they got more time for sightseeing after the day's projects were completed. If anyone goes to Vermont, there is one thing you should try. Maple Creemees. A Creemee is the Vermont term for soft-serve ice cream. A Maple Creemee is just that--soft-serve ice cream flavored with maple syrup. It is as good as it sounds. Waterbury, VT is also the home of Ben and Jerry's. There is also a Cabot Cheese outlet there. Barre, VT is home of the Rock of Ages granite quarry. We toured it and bypassed some other places that the team wanted to visit. Last year, we brought home a granite rolling pin. This year, we brought back a granite pastry slab. Barre granite is a fine-grained black and white granite (think coarse salt and pepper mixed). A lot of the granite quarried there is used for memorials. There is a World War One memorial, " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barre_%28city%29,_Vermont - Youth Triumphant ," in Barre (scroll down on the page to see a picture of it). The bench behind the sculpture has a remarkable feature. If one is seated at one end, one can hear clearly the speech (even a whisper if it is quiet) of someone seated at the other end. Hope cemetary (linked from the page linked above) has some other example of artistic use of Barre granite. The pictures are only a few of the many artistic memorials there. We had a very successful Vacation Bible School, and enjoyed our stay with the group at the Calef House. We slept in our R-Pod, but were with the group otherwise. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: john in idaho
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2016 at 11:26am
| At Montcello -- have they opened up the second floor? I forget what the reason was, but they used to not allow visitors up there. |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2016 at 11:48am
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Unfortunately, no. The second floor is still off-limits to visitors.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2016 at 10:56am
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Our mission trip over, we packed up and pulled out on the next leg of our trip. I filled up at a gas station which had a low price for premium. It was no bargain. I think it was old gas as I noticed the car not performing as it usually did. Later, I added some fuel system cleaner which helped put things right. Moral: The lowest price isn't always a bargain. The next stop on our trip was Oneonta, NY. My wife's father is in a care facility there. We looked at some different options and elected to pull in to the http://susquehannatrailcampground.com/ - Susquehanna Trail Campground .  Our site was along the Otego Creek. The plus: Nice location with the sound of the creek.  The minus: The mosquitoes were out in force.  Repellent, either applied or by means of a Thermocell device, was essential. The pool was pretty nice also. The restrooms were not so good. The owner had purchased it from a family where the husband had passed away and the wife had neglected the campground, so the new owner was having to fix a lot of things that had been neglected or that had been damaged by flooding several years prior. The sites were well leveled. We pulled in after dark. The owner assisted me in backing in to the space as my wife was not quite up to guiding me in the dark. We enjoyed our stay, even with the problems noted above. We could have gone to a KOA or a state park, but the Susquehanna Trail Campground was the most convenient location for our visit. After we left, we went to visit friends in McClure, PA. This is where my Dad grew up. The family we visited were like relatives although there was no direct relationship. They were always like aunts and uncles. This was our next-to-last stop. Our final stop was in Columbia, MD. We stayed overnight with some friends. These were friends we had seen at the picnic on our first summer trip. The last leg was to our home in North Carolina. Our summer EscaPODes came to an end with us safely home and with many more good memories. I did not mention the number or R-Pod tours we gave. It does draw attention.  ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2016 at 9:10pm
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Columbia, almost my back yard. Only about 20 minutes from where I work. Nice trip report. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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