We got a call today from Camping World at Chichester, NH telling us that our new awning is in. We've made an appointment on Tuesday, June 3, for the installation.
Mike made a reservation today for Balsam Cove Campground (Passport America) in East Orland, Maine for June 7-12.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Boston & Old Town Trolley Tour
Yesterday at the campground office I bought tickets for the Old Town Trolley Tour of Boston. The regular price for seniors is $31, but at the campground office I paid $26 for each ticket and we got a brochure showing a map of Boston and the route of the Trolley Tour. We were up early this morning to drive to the MBTA subway station at Alewife which is about 15 miles SE of Hanscom. We parked the car at the parking garage ($5 for the day) and followed other commuters from the parking garage to the subway station. There we paid $2 each for a ticket at a ticket vending machine. We rode the Red Line subway to the Kendall/MIT station (I had gone on the MBTA's website and found all the information I needed regarding parking and the subway schedules). We chose the Kendall/MIT station because one of the Old Town Trolley stops was right near there.
Our first stop on the Trolley Tour was at the Massachusetts State House. The cornerstone was laid July 4, 1795 by Gov. Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. The State House was completed in 1798 and is on the former site of John Hancock’s cow pasture. It's the oldest building on Beacon Hill and is one of the oldest state capitals in continuous use.
We then walked down to the Granary Burying Ground which is the 3rd oldest burying ground in Boston. There are 2345 gravesites in the Granary Burying Ground. Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin's parents are buried there.
We walked through part of Boston Common before heading to the Trolley Stop. The Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum should have been our next stop on the tour, but we were told that there had been a fire and it was closed for renovation. Our next stop was at Quincy Market where we ate lunch at Cheers (a recreation of the Cheers from the TV show).
We then visited Faneuil Hall which was built in 1742. It's called the "Cradle of Liberty" - town meetings were held here where colonial Boston patriots met to rally against the British oppression. From there we walked over to the Old State House. It is Boston’s oldest surviving public building. On July 18, 1776 Bostonians heard the first reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony. Here on March 5, 1770 five colonists were killed by British soldiers and that action became knows as the Boston Massacre -a key event leading to the American Revolution.
We got back on the Trolley and our next stop was at the Paul Revere house. It was built ca 1680 by Robert Howard who was a wealthy Puritan merchant. Paul Revere bought the house in 1770 and sold it in 1800. We couldn't take photos inside the house, so I bought some postcards and I've scanned them so I could include them with the photos that we did take.
Our next stop on the Trolley Tour was at the USS Constitution Museum. Here we saw exhibits detailing the history of "Old Ironsides" during peace time and in war. She was launched October 21, 1797 in Boston and cost $302,718. She was restored in 1997 and sailed under her own power for the first time in 116 years. The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. Her hull is made of live and white oak - 24" thick in some places. We then walked over to the USS Constitution to go onboard for a tour. We had to go through a security check and then wait for our Navy tour guide. The USS Constitution is undergoing a restoration now and her masts had been removed for painting. Once onboard we could only be on the upper deck, but she is still very impressive.
After our tour it was late afternoon and decided to pass on walking up the hill to see the Bunker Hill monument. While we were waiting for the next Trolley to come, several Duck Tours came by and everyone "quacked" when they passed by. We rode the Trolley back to the Kendall/MIT subway station. On the way we passed the oldest firehouse still operating in Boston, Fenway Park and the Christian Science Mother Church. We got to the subway station (bought 2 $2 tickets from ticket vending machine) in time for the 5 p.m. commute, so we rode standing up and shoulder to shoulder with the other commuters. Then back to the car and then home to the RV.
We highly recommend the Old Town Trolley Tour and they do have a package where you can buy tickets good for 2 days instead of touring Boston like we did in 1 day. We want to go back sometime to visit the USS Constitution, the Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum (when they aren't being renovated), Bunker Hill and to see some of the other sights we missed.
Our first stop on the Trolley Tour was at the Massachusetts State House. The cornerstone was laid July 4, 1795 by Gov. Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. The State House was completed in 1798 and is on the former site of John Hancock’s cow pasture. It's the oldest building on Beacon Hill and is one of the oldest state capitals in continuous use.
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| From Boston, MA |
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| From Boston, MA |
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| From Boston, MA |
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| From Boston, MA |
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| From Boston, MA |
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| From Boston, MA |
We highly recommend the Old Town Trolley Tour and they do have a package where you can buy tickets good for 2 days instead of touring Boston like we did in 1 day. We want to go back sometime to visit the USS Constitution, the Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum (when they aren't being renovated), Bunker Hill and to see some of the other sights we missed.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Generator Repaired
We were up early again this morning to head down to Cummins Northeast in Dedham to pick up our generator.
Again we waited in the customer waiting room while our generator was installed in the RV.
This time a young couple came into the waiting room while their truck was being repaired. They were a husband and wife team from Chicago. They were both originally from Romania. We talked about their experiences as truck drivers and we told them about being full-timing RV'ers.
After our generator had been installed, we invited them in to see the RV. We had to wait for the paperwork on the generator to be finished, so we continued visiting with them. By the time our paperwork was finished, their truck was repaired.
Our extended warranty on the RV paid for some of the generator repairs, but the valves had to be readjusted and the warranty company wouldn't pay for that. The service manager explained to them that the valves had to be adjusted due to the repairs and that it wasn't "routine maintenance". But the extended warranty company wouldn't budge and we had to pay for that ourselves plus our $50 deductible.
Again we waited in the customer waiting room while our generator was installed in the RV.
This time a young couple came into the waiting room while their truck was being repaired. They were a husband and wife team from Chicago. They were both originally from Romania. We talked about their experiences as truck drivers and we told them about being full-timing RV'ers.
After our generator had been installed, we invited them in to see the RV. We had to wait for the paperwork on the generator to be finished, so we continued visiting with them. By the time our paperwork was finished, their truck was repaired.
Our extended warranty on the RV paid for some of the generator repairs, but the valves had to be readjusted and the warranty company wouldn't pay for that. The service manager explained to them that the valves had to be adjusted due to the repairs and that it wasn't "routine maintenance". But the extended warranty company wouldn't budge and we had to pay for that ourselves plus our $50 deductible.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Gas Price on Post
Today we drove on post (the campground is actually outside the post) to get gas in the Vue at the post gas station. We paid $3.859 a gallon for regular.
Yesterday I bought groceries at the Hanscom commissary. They have a really nice commissary and PX there.
Yesterday I bought groceries at the Hanscom commissary. They have a really nice commissary and PX there.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Appt at Cummins Northeast
We were up early this morning to take the RV to Cummins Northeast to have our generator worked on. It's located in Dedham, MA which is about 25 miles SE of Hanscom. Their service department opened at 7 a.m.
We stayed in their customer waiting room (Tinker went also) while they checked to see what was wrong with the generator. After a few hours we were told that the bolts that hold the rocker arms on one cylinder had come loose. We would have to leave the generator there for them to repair it. They are going to replace the plugs and re-torque the rocker arm bolts. We have to come back next Tuesday to have the generator installed.
While we were waiting for them to work on the generator, a truck driver came in to the waiting room while his truck was being repaired. We had seen the truck being towed in to the shop. It turned out that he would have to have a new engine or a rebuilt one installed in his truck. Since he was an independent trucker, he was going to have to pay for it himself. He had a family and kids getting ready to enter college and he was trying to figure out how to pay for the rebuilt engine. He said the cost of fuel was already eating into what profits he made and he wasn't sure what to do about replacing the engine. We left before he had made a decision and we wished him well.
We stayed in their customer waiting room (Tinker went also) while they checked to see what was wrong with the generator. After a few hours we were told that the bolts that hold the rocker arms on one cylinder had come loose. We would have to leave the generator there for them to repair it. They are going to replace the plugs and re-torque the rocker arm bolts. We have to come back next Tuesday to have the generator installed.
While we were waiting for them to work on the generator, a truck driver came in to the waiting room while his truck was being repaired. We had seen the truck being towed in to the shop. It turned out that he would have to have a new engine or a rebuilt one installed in his truck. Since he was an independent trucker, he was going to have to pay for it himself. He had a family and kids getting ready to enter college and he was trying to figure out how to pay for the rebuilt engine. He said the cost of fuel was already eating into what profits he made and he wasn't sure what to do about replacing the engine. We left before he had made a decision and we wished him well.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Burlingame State Park to Hanscom AFB, MA
We left Burlingame State Park this morning about 10:30 and headed north on US-1. We stayed on US-1 until it connected with SR-138 where SR-138 crosses Narragansett Bay. The Newport Bridge which crosses Narragansett Bay is a toll bridge and our toll was $4 for the RV and the car. SR-138 becomes SR-24 and we continued north until we stopped at a rest area near Scotland, MA for lunch.
We stayed on SR-24 until we connected with I-95 south of Boston. Then we took SR-225 northwest for about a half mile to the turnoff for Hanscom AFB Famcamp. We arrived at the campground around 1:30 p.m. We're in Site #49 - a fairly level pull-through with a concrete patio. We have 50 amp electric and wifi. Hanscom Famcamp doesn't take reservations, but we had no problem getting a site.
After hooking up and getting settled in, Mike called the Camping World in Chicester, NH to order a new awning. Our RV insurance will cover the new awning and installation (less our deductible). Our insurance company said they would pay Camping World for the new awning and installation, but Camping World had to have everything paid for before they would order the awning. After we told the insurance company that we would pay for the awning and would have Camping World fax them the invoice where we paid for it, our insurance company agreed to mail us a check to reimburse us.
We stayed on SR-24 until we connected with I-95 south of Boston. Then we took SR-225 northwest for about a half mile to the turnoff for Hanscom AFB Famcamp. We arrived at the campground around 1:30 p.m. We're in Site #49 - a fairly level pull-through with a concrete patio. We have 50 amp electric and wifi. Hanscom Famcamp doesn't take reservations, but we had no problem getting a site.
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| From Boston, MA |
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Mystic Pizza and Mystic Seaport
This morning we stopped by the Post Office in Westerly, Rhode Island to pick up our mail that we had sent to General Delivery. Then we drove to Mystic to visit the Seaport Museum. Our first stop was at Mystic Pizza to have lunch. This pizza restaurant was made famous in the 1988 movie of the same name - one of the lead actors was Julia Roberts. The walls are covered with memorabilia from the Mystic Pizza movie.
We ordered the House Special pizza and a couple of Sam Adams on draft. We were not disappointed when our pizza was served. This was one of the best pizzas that we have had - they definitely lived up to their motto - "A Slice of Heaven". We also found out that you can buy frozen Mystic Pizza - I'll have look for it next time I'm grocery shopping.
Our next stop was at Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea.
After paying the entrance fee and getting a map of Mystic Seaport, we started exploring the recreated 19th-century seafaring village. We went aboard the Charles W. Morgan ( an 1841 wooden whaleship that has outlived all of her kind); we were able to go below deck to see the living quarters. Some of the ships docked at the Village are National Historic Landmark vessels - the L. A. Dunton, the Sabino (a1908 coal-fired steamboat), the Charles W. Morgan, and the Emma C. Berry (an 1866 sailboat). We saw the Shipsmith Shop (the only manufactory of ironwork for whaling industry known to have survived from 19th century), the 1833 Mystic Bank, Spouter Tavern, and the Chandlery. Several of the buildings in the Village have been moved there from other locations to help complete the Village. We saw displays of different ships and figureheads, whaling exhibits, and toured the Preservation Shipyard.
We had a great time today and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
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| From Mystic Seaport |
We ordered the House Special pizza and a couple of Sam Adams on draft. We were not disappointed when our pizza was served. This was one of the best pizzas that we have had - they definitely lived up to their motto - "A Slice of Heaven". We also found out that you can buy frozen Mystic Pizza - I'll have look for it next time I'm grocery shopping.
Our next stop was at Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea.
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| From Mystic Seaport |
After paying the entrance fee and getting a map of Mystic Seaport, we started exploring the recreated 19th-century seafaring village. We went aboard the Charles W. Morgan ( an 1841 wooden whaleship that has outlived all of her kind); we were able to go below deck to see the living quarters. Some of the ships docked at the Village are National Historic Landmark vessels - the L. A. Dunton, the Sabino (a1908 coal-fired steamboat), the Charles W. Morgan, and the Emma C. Berry (an 1866 sailboat). We saw the Shipsmith Shop (the only manufactory of ironwork for whaling industry known to have survived from 19th century), the 1833 Mystic Bank, Spouter Tavern, and the Chandlery. Several of the buildings in the Village have been moved there from other locations to help complete the Village. We saw displays of different ships and figureheads, whaling exhibits, and toured the Preservation Shipyard.
We had a great time today and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Stonington, CT
Today we drove over to Stonington, CT to do some genealogical research at the RW Woolworth Library of the Stonington Historical Society. They had wifi there and Mike browsed the internet while I did research. We had brought both laptops with us in case we found a place with wifi.
I knew that my Utley ancestors had lived in the Stonington area during the 1700's. I found out that they had been members of the First Congregational Church of Stonington. I found birth, marriage and burial information on the Utleys. I also found out that my 8th great-grandparents, Samuel and Sarah Utley, had been buried in the Old Plain (sometimes called Great Plain) Cemetery in North Stonington, CT. After getting directions to the church and cemetery we set out to locate them.
The First Congregational Church, commonly known as The Road Church, was easy to locate. The original church was officially established in 1674; the church that stands now was built in 1829.
The Great Plain Cemetery was a different matter to locate. The only directions we had was that it was 3/4 of a mile NW of the North Stonington Town Hall. We stopped at the Town Hall and after consulting a plat map, we were given directions how to find it. At that it still was not easy to locate as it sat back off the highway and was not visible from the road.
It's a fairly good sized cemetery, but even after checking all of the gravestones I wasn't able to locate any Utley graves. But since Samuel and Sarah died in the early 1700's their stones may not exist, or are so faint the names couldn't be read. It's not the first cemetery we've visited where we know ancestors are buried but can't locate their graves.
Today Mike called Cummins Northeast in Dedham, MA to get an appointment to have our generator repaired. Dedham is about 25 miles southeast of Hanscom AFB where we'll be staying next. We have an appointment on May 22 at Cummins Northeast.
I knew that my Utley ancestors had lived in the Stonington area during the 1700's. I found out that they had been members of the First Congregational Church of Stonington. I found birth, marriage and burial information on the Utleys. I also found out that my 8th great-grandparents, Samuel and Sarah Utley, had been buried in the Old Plain (sometimes called Great Plain) Cemetery in North Stonington, CT. After getting directions to the church and cemetery we set out to locate them.
The First Congregational Church, commonly known as The Road Church, was easy to locate. The original church was officially established in 1674; the church that stands now was built in 1829.
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| From Stonington, CT |
The Great Plain Cemetery was a different matter to locate. The only directions we had was that it was 3/4 of a mile NW of the North Stonington Town Hall. We stopped at the Town Hall and after consulting a plat map, we were given directions how to find it. At that it still was not easy to locate as it sat back off the highway and was not visible from the road.
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| From Stonington, CT |
It's a fairly good sized cemetery, but even after checking all of the gravestones I wasn't able to locate any Utley graves. But since Samuel and Sarah died in the early 1700's their stones may not exist, or are so faint the names couldn't be read. It's not the first cemetery we've visited where we know ancestors are buried but can't locate their graves.
Today Mike called Cummins Northeast in Dedham, MA to get an appointment to have our generator repaired. Dedham is about 25 miles southeast of Hanscom AFB where we'll be staying next. We have an appointment on May 22 at Cummins Northeast.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
USS Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum
This morning we drove down to Groton, CT to visit the USS Nautilus at the U. S. Navy Submarine Base. After parking the car we realized that we had forgotten to bring the camera!
There is no admission fee for the museum or to tour the USS Nautilus. We decided to tour the submarine museum first. We saw artifacts and photographs and learned about the history of the USS Nautilus in the Nautilus Room. The USS Nautilus was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. It was launched in January 1954 and commissioned in September 1954. It was the first sub capable of almost unlimited underwater operation. The USS Nautilus crossed under the North Pole August 3, 1958; it was the first vessel ever to reach the world's northernmost point. The Nautilus was decommissioned in 1980.
Also in the museum are working periscopes, an authentic submarine control room, models showing the development of the US Submarine Force, displays showing pioneers of submarine development, World War II submarine operations displays and a Medal of Honor Gallery of submarine recipients.
Then we went out to the pier to tour the USS Nautilus. It is a self-guided tour. We each received an "audio wand" for the audio portion of the tour so we could learn about each of the areas on the tour. The tour took us through the torpedo room, a small berthing area, the wardroom, officers' staterooms, the Attack Center (the "Conn", navigation center, sonar), the Control Room, the Crews' Mess and ended at the Galley. Fortunately, the USS Nautilus website has a virtual tour of the museum and Nautilus so we can look at their photos since we have none of our own.
On our way back to Burlingame State Park we stopped at Vetrano's Restaurant in Westerly, RI for lunch. I had seen an ad for the restaurant the Westerly, RI travel guide. It was an excellent choice! We both had spaghetti (I know, not very original) and it was great. If you like Italian and are in the area, we highly recommend Vetrano's.
There is no admission fee for the museum or to tour the USS Nautilus. We decided to tour the submarine museum first. We saw artifacts and photographs and learned about the history of the USS Nautilus in the Nautilus Room. The USS Nautilus was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. It was launched in January 1954 and commissioned in September 1954. It was the first sub capable of almost unlimited underwater operation. The USS Nautilus crossed under the North Pole August 3, 1958; it was the first vessel ever to reach the world's northernmost point. The Nautilus was decommissioned in 1980.
Also in the museum are working periscopes, an authentic submarine control room, models showing the development of the US Submarine Force, displays showing pioneers of submarine development, World War II submarine operations displays and a Medal of Honor Gallery of submarine recipients.
Then we went out to the pier to tour the USS Nautilus. It is a self-guided tour. We each received an "audio wand" for the audio portion of the tour so we could learn about each of the areas on the tour. The tour took us through the torpedo room, a small berthing area, the wardroom, officers' staterooms, the Attack Center (the "Conn", navigation center, sonar), the Control Room, the Crews' Mess and ended at the Galley. Fortunately, the USS Nautilus website has a virtual tour of the museum and Nautilus so we can look at their photos since we have none of our own.
On our way back to Burlingame State Park we stopped at Vetrano's Restaurant in Westerly, RI for lunch. I had seen an ad for the restaurant the Westerly, RI travel guide. It was an excellent choice! We both had spaghetti (I know, not very original) and it was great. If you like Italian and are in the area, we highly recommend Vetrano's.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Waterford, CT to Burlingame State Park, Charlestown, RI
We go up earlier than our usual time this morning even though we only had 45 miles to travel today to get to Burlingame State Park. Before we left Wal-Mart I bought some groceries and got breakfast at the McDonald's in Wal-Mart. We left Wal-Mart at 8:45 this morning.
We stopped at the Rhode Island Welcome Center on I-95. There we were told the best place to get gas was at the next exit & then we could take SR-138 to SR-112 to SR-2 to US-1 where Burlingame State Park is located.
We got gas at a Gulf Oil station at the next exit where we paid $3.799 a gallon.
We arrived at Burlingame State Park about 10:30 this morning. It's $20 a night plus a $9 reservation fee. We were assigned site #748 - lots of shade. There are no hookups here at the park. We soon discovered that our generator wouldn't start. We started checking some of the empty sites and found site #547 where we could get sun for our solar panels. After checking with the park office we moved from site #748 to site #547 and finished setting up.
Site #547 is a gravel/dirt pull-through which is reasonably level. There are still a lot of trees around so we can't pick up a satellite signal even with the portable satellite dish. We can get all 3 networks plus some other TV stations on our roof antenna. We had to run the engine for a while in order to charge our house batteries. The solar panels started charging the batteries when we started to get full sun shining on the solar panels.
We stopped at the Rhode Island Welcome Center on I-95. There we were told the best place to get gas was at the next exit & then we could take SR-138 to SR-112 to SR-2 to US-1 where Burlingame State Park is located.
We got gas at a Gulf Oil station at the next exit where we paid $3.799 a gallon.
We arrived at Burlingame State Park about 10:30 this morning. It's $20 a night plus a $9 reservation fee. We were assigned site #748 - lots of shade. There are no hookups here at the park. We soon discovered that our generator wouldn't start. We started checking some of the empty sites and found site #547 where we could get sun for our solar panels. After checking with the park office we moved from site #748 to site #547 and finished setting up.
Site #547 is a gravel/dirt pull-through which is reasonably level. There are still a lot of trees around so we can't pick up a satellite signal even with the portable satellite dish. We can get all 3 networks plus some other TV stations on our roof antenna. We had to run the engine for a while in order to charge our house batteries. The solar panels started charging the batteries when we started to get full sun shining on the solar panels.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Accord, NY to Waterford, CT
We left Rondout Valley RV Resort this morning at 11:45 - later than our normal departure time. After all of our sightseeing yesterday and then coming home to find our awning filled with rain water and then the awning breaking, we decided to take our time leaving today.
We stopped at McDonald's in Middletown, NY for lunch. Then we crossed the Hudson River at the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (our toll was $5.50). We stayed on I-84 into Connecticut until just south of Danbury where we connected with US-7. We took US-7 until it connected with I-95 and stayed on I-95 until we reached Waterford, CT.
We're spending the night here at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Waterford. We drove about 190 miles today.
We stopped at McDonald's in Middletown, NY for lunch. Then we crossed the Hudson River at the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge (our toll was $5.50). We stayed on I-84 into Connecticut until just south of Danbury where we connected with US-7. We took US-7 until it connected with I-95 and stayed on I-95 until we reached Waterford, CT.
We're spending the night here at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Waterford. We drove about 190 miles today.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Hyde Park and Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
We had quite an eventful day today!
This morning we took US-44 east to Highland, NY where we bought gas at a Hess station for $3.839 a gallon. Then we crossed the Hudson River and turned north on US-9 at Poughkeepsie, NY. We stopped at a Quizno's in Poughkeepsie for lunch before heading on to the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Springwood", in Hyde Park.
At the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center we watched a 22 minute film, "A Rendezvous With History", that showed the history of the house and of the Roosevelt's. At the Visitor Center we browsed through the displays while we waited for the 12:30 guided tour of the Mansion to start. The fee for the 1 hour guided tour is $14 and includes admission to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum - since we have a Golden Age Passport (now called the Interagency Senior Pass) our guided tour was free. We had about a 1/4 mile walk from the Visitor Center to the Mansion. Along the way we stopped at Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's' graves.
On the tour of the Mansion we learned the history of the house. FDR was born here and he and Eleanor raised all of their children in the house. After the tour of the house, we walked back to the Visitor Center and passed by the barn. Besides the public restrooms located in the barn, we discovered a children's activity room staffed by one of the park rangers.
After leaving FDR's home we drove about a mile north to the Vanderbilt Mansion. This "small" (small in comparison to other Vanderbilt homes) house was built in the 1890's by Frederick Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt. It is quite a sharp contrast to the FDR home. The only way to tour the house is on a guided tour. The tickets cost $8 (another free tour because of Golden Age Passport). The tour took about 45 minutes. We visited the first and second floors and the basement.
After our visit to the Vanderbilt Mansion we drove about 14 miles north to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome museum. Mike had seen a show on the Discovery Channel a few years ago on the museum and was looking forward to visiting it. The museum had just opened for the season. The museum collection is housed in Quonset huts. After buying our $8 tickets we started on our self-tour. Imagine our surprise to find that not only were vintage airplanes on exhibit, but we also saw vintage cars and motorcycles and various airplane engines.
We again crossed the Hudson River and drove south on US-209 back home.
Our day wasn't over when we got back home. The weather had been cool and somewhat cloudy on our trip - no rain had been forecast. While we had been gone for the day, a torrential rain storm had come through and had dumped a lot of rain at the RV park. We had left our awning out (no rain forecast) and apparently hadn't tilted it enough for the water to run off (we've always been very careful about tilting the awning, except this time). When Mike tried to dump the water, the center support broke and the awning ripped.
A fellow RV'er came down and helped Mike remove the awning. We got the name of a local repairman from the park office and left a message on his voice mail. When he came out to the RV we told him that we were leaving the next day & he didn't have an awning in stock to replace ours. He did haul off our broken awning. Everyone at the park was very helpful - definitely a place we will come back to when we're in the area.
This morning we took US-44 east to Highland, NY where we bought gas at a Hess station for $3.839 a gallon. Then we crossed the Hudson River and turned north on US-9 at Poughkeepsie, NY. We stopped at a Quizno's in Poughkeepsie for lunch before heading on to the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Springwood", in Hyde Park.
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| From 10 - Hyde Park |
At the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center we watched a 22 minute film, "A Rendezvous With History", that showed the history of the house and of the Roosevelt's. At the Visitor Center we browsed through the displays while we waited for the 12:30 guided tour of the Mansion to start. The fee for the 1 hour guided tour is $14 and includes admission to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum - since we have a Golden Age Passport (now called the Interagency Senior Pass) our guided tour was free. We had about a 1/4 mile walk from the Visitor Center to the Mansion. Along the way we stopped at Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's' graves.
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| From 10 - Hyde Park |
On the tour of the Mansion we learned the history of the house. FDR was born here and he and Eleanor raised all of their children in the house. After the tour of the house, we walked back to the Visitor Center and passed by the barn. Besides the public restrooms located in the barn, we discovered a children's activity room staffed by one of the park rangers.
After leaving FDR's home we drove about a mile north to the Vanderbilt Mansion. This "small" (small in comparison to other Vanderbilt homes) house was built in the 1890's by Frederick Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt. It is quite a sharp contrast to the FDR home. The only way to tour the house is on a guided tour. The tickets cost $8 (another free tour because of Golden Age Passport). The tour took about 45 minutes. We visited the first and second floors and the basement.
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| From 10 - Hyde Park |
After our visit to the Vanderbilt Mansion we drove about 14 miles north to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome museum. Mike had seen a show on the Discovery Channel a few years ago on the museum and was looking forward to visiting it. The museum had just opened for the season. The museum collection is housed in Quonset huts. After buying our $8 tickets we started on our self-tour. Imagine our surprise to find that not only were vintage airplanes on exhibit, but we also saw vintage cars and motorcycles and various airplane engines.
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| From 11 - Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome |
We again crossed the Hudson River and drove south on US-209 back home.
Our day wasn't over when we got back home. The weather had been cool and somewhat cloudy on our trip - no rain had been forecast. While we had been gone for the day, a torrential rain storm had come through and had dumped a lot of rain at the RV park. We had left our awning out (no rain forecast) and apparently hadn't tilted it enough for the water to run off (we've always been very careful about tilting the awning, except this time). When Mike tried to dump the water, the center support broke and the awning ripped.
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| From Awning after storm at Rondout Valley |
A fellow RV'er came down and helped Mike remove the awning. We got the name of a local repairman from the park office and left a message on his voice mail. When he came out to the RV we told him that we were leaving the next day & he didn't have an awning in stock to replace ours. He did haul off our broken awning. Everyone at the park was very helpful - definitely a place we will come back to when we're in the area.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Mike & Gayle arrive at Rondout Valley RV Resort
This afternoon our friends, Mike and Gayle, arrived here at Rondout Valley RV Resort. They are on their way down from Maine after helping their son and his family move there. Mike and Gayle will only be spending the night here before heading west through New York. We had a great time tonight catching up on each other's news and travels.
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| From Rondout Valley RV Resort, Accord, NY |
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Orange County Choppers & West Point Military Academy
Today we drove down to Newburgh, NY to visit the new Orange County Choppers World Headquarters & Showroom. We’ve watched Orange County Choppers on TV for years. All of the theme bikes they’ve built on their TV show are on display in the showroom. Mike didn’t think they would photograph well, so he only took a couple of photos. The photos he took turned out good & now he wishes he had taken photos of all the bikes.
We then drove down US-9W to West Point to visit the Military Academy. It was a beautiful day with a blue sky and a few clouds – and a fire rainbow. What a beautiful sight & unexpected surprise!
We drove through the town of Highland Falls to the West Point Visitor Center. At the Visitor Center we purchased tickets ($20 for both of us) for the West Point Tours - a commercial company that is the authorized tour guide service. The only way to tour West Point Academy is on the commercial tour. After having our ID's checked, we boarded a bus which took us on to West Point Academy. The hour long tour included stops at the Main Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point, Battle Monument, and the Plain. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history and traditions of West Point. She was good about answering questions and giving everyone time to take photos.
The Cadet Chapel was dedicated in 1910. It houses the largest church organ in the world. The Great Sanctuary Window is inscribed with the Academy motto, "Duty, Honor, Country". All of the stained glass windows on the sides are given as memorials by various classes.
The Battle Monument was dedicated in 1897 in memory of the officers and men of the American Army who fell in battle, mainly the casualties of the Regular Army of the North during the Civil War (2,230 names are inscribed on the granite shaft).
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| From Orange County Choppers, Newburgh, NY |
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| From West Point |
We drove through the town of Highland Falls to the West Point Visitor Center. At the Visitor Center we purchased tickets ($20 for both of us) for the West Point Tours - a commercial company that is the authorized tour guide service. The only way to tour West Point Academy is on the commercial tour. After having our ID's checked, we boarded a bus which took us on to West Point Academy. The hour long tour included stops at the Main Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point, Battle Monument, and the Plain. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history and traditions of West Point. She was good about answering questions and giving everyone time to take photos.
The Cadet Chapel was dedicated in 1910. It houses the largest church organ in the world. The Great Sanctuary Window is inscribed with the Academy motto, "Duty, Honor, Country". All of the stained glass windows on the sides are given as memorials by various classes.
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| From West Point |
The Battle Monument was dedicated in 1897 in memory of the officers and men of the American Army who fell in battle, mainly the casualties of the Regular Army of the North during the Civil War (2,230 names are inscribed on the granite shaft).
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| From West Point |
After our tour of the Academy grounds we returned to the Visitor Center. We walked over to the West Point Museum which is behind the Visitor Center. The West Point Museum, which originally opened in 1854, is the oldest and largest military museum in the country. Every armed conflict that America has been involved in is represented in the many exhibits. We saw weapons from all of the wars the U.S. was involved in. We saw exhibits depicting the Army missions during peacetime. The history of West Point Academy was shown through exhibits of the different uniforms worn by cadets and exhibits of West Point alumnus.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Tinker’s Vet Visit
This morning we took Tinker to the Rondout Valley Veterinary to have his pads examined. They were unable to determine what had injured his pads. They prescribed Rimadyl for inflammation & pain, Dermacool spray & Doxycycline antibiotic. We’re to soak his feet twice a day in warm water with Epsom Salts, then spray his feet with the Dermacool.
Since we’re in an area where Lyme disease occurs we had Tinker tested & he tested positive. We have him on flea & tick preventative – K9 Advantix – & we haven’t had any fleas or ticks on him. In 2007 we were using Advantage & we were finding ticks on him nearly every day when we were in Ohio & the ticks weren’t dying. That’s when we changed to K9 Advantix. So we’re thinking he picked up the Lyme disease before we changed to K9 Advantix.
Tinker has to stay on the Doxycycline for 30 days & then needs to be tested again for Lyme disease before he can start the Lyme vaccine. Since the Lyme vaccine is produced by different drug companies, we have to make sure that both shots are from the same manufacturer.
Since we didn’t have any Epsom Salts on hand, we stopped at the Catskill Pharmacy on the way home to buy some.
We still have the Elizabethan collar from when we had Tinker neutered & we've put it on him to keep him from licking his feet.
Since we’re in an area where Lyme disease occurs we had Tinker tested & he tested positive. We have him on flea & tick preventative – K9 Advantix – & we haven’t had any fleas or ticks on him. In 2007 we were using Advantage & we were finding ticks on him nearly every day when we were in Ohio & the ticks weren’t dying. That’s when we changed to K9 Advantix. So we’re thinking he picked up the Lyme disease before we changed to K9 Advantix.
Tinker has to stay on the Doxycycline for 30 days & then needs to be tested again for Lyme disease before he can start the Lyme vaccine. Since the Lyme vaccine is produced by different drug companies, we have to make sure that both shots are from the same manufacturer.
Since we didn’t have any Epsom Salts on hand, we stopped at the Catskill Pharmacy on the way home to buy some.
We still have the Elizabethan collar from when we had Tinker neutered & we've put it on him to keep him from licking his feet.
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| From Rondout Valley RV Resort, Accord, NY |
Saylorsburg, PA to Rondout Valley RV Resort, Accord, NY
We left Silver Valley Campsites this morning a little after 10 a.m. We only have 112 miles to drive today to Rondout Valley RV Resort, an AOR campground.
We learned at the campground to stop for gas just over the New York state line on I-84 at the first exit & go into New Jersey for cheaper gas. We stopped at a Valero station in Montague, NJ where we paid $3.599 a gallon – about 25¢ a gallon less than Pennsylvania & New York’s prices.
We stopped for lunch at a Rest Area on I-84 near Middletown, NY.
We arrived here at Rondout Valley about 1:45 this afternoon. We’re on site #11 (a back-in site) with a small creek behind us. We have full hookups (30 amp electric) & cable TV. They have wifi service through Tengo Internet service & we’ve paid $14.95 for the week.
We noticed Tinker started limping after we arrived here. When we checked his feet tonight, we found that his pads on all four feet were abraded. The large pads & some of the smaller ones have partially peeled and the pink under-pad is showing through. We don’t know when he injured them – it had to have been at Gifford Pinchot just before we left, Silver Valley last night or someplace we stopped in the last couple of days while we were traveling. There is a veterinarian a few miles from here & we’ll take him there tomorrow.
We learned at the campground to stop for gas just over the New York state line on I-84 at the first exit & go into New Jersey for cheaper gas. We stopped at a Valero station in Montague, NJ where we paid $3.599 a gallon – about 25¢ a gallon less than Pennsylvania & New York’s prices.
We stopped for lunch at a Rest Area on I-84 near Middletown, NY.
We arrived here at Rondout Valley about 1:45 this afternoon. We’re on site #11 (a back-in site) with a small creek behind us. We have full hookups (30 amp electric) & cable TV. They have wifi service through Tengo Internet service & we’ve paid $14.95 for the week.
We noticed Tinker started limping after we arrived here. When we checked his feet tonight, we found that his pads on all four feet were abraded. The large pads & some of the smaller ones have partially peeled and the pink under-pad is showing through. We don’t know when he injured them – it had to have been at Gifford Pinchot just before we left, Silver Valley last night or someplace we stopped in the last couple of days while we were traveling. There is a veterinarian a few miles from here & we’ll take him there tomorrow.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Gifford Pinchot State Park to Saylorsburg, PA
We were on the road this morning at 11:15 after stopping at the dump station before leaving Gifford Pinchot State Park to empty our tanks.
We had planned on stopping at the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA to tour their brewery – their Black & Tan is one of our favorite beers. We had called the brewery to check on where to park the RV & were told that there was large parking lot nearby that we could park in. Pottsville is a quaint Pennsylvania town with narrow streets once you are off the main roads. We did go by the Yuengling Brewery, but never found a place to park the RV. We ended up driving about 10 blocks through narrow residential streets before we found a cross street that we could turn onto to get back to the main street through town. We’ll have to save the Yuengling tour for another time when we’re not in the RV.
We stopped at Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA to visit their store. Since we were parked there, we decided stay and fix lunch.
We arrived at Silver Valley Campsites in Saylorsburg, PA a little before 6 p.m. – a total of 176 miles from Gifford Pinchot State Park. Silver Valley is a Passport America campground. We’re on site D3. Our front tires are up on blocks & we raised the passenger side up so high that even with putting the extra folding step out it’s still quite a high step up in to the RV.
We had planned on stopping at the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA to tour their brewery – their Black & Tan is one of our favorite beers. We had called the brewery to check on where to park the RV & were told that there was large parking lot nearby that we could park in. Pottsville is a quaint Pennsylvania town with narrow streets once you are off the main roads. We did go by the Yuengling Brewery, but never found a place to park the RV. We ended up driving about 10 blocks through narrow residential streets before we found a cross street that we could turn onto to get back to the main street through town. We’ll have to save the Yuengling tour for another time when we’re not in the RV.
We stopped at Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA to visit their store. Since we were parked there, we decided stay and fix lunch.
We arrived at Silver Valley Campsites in Saylorsburg, PA a little before 6 p.m. – a total of 176 miles from Gifford Pinchot State Park. Silver Valley is a Passport America campground. We’re on site D3. Our front tires are up on blocks & we raised the passenger side up so high that even with putting the extra folding step out it’s still quite a high step up in to the RV.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Colonial Complex & York Historical Society
We drove into York this morning to visit the Colonial Complex which consists of the Gates House, Golden Plough Tavern, Bobb Log House, & The Colonial Court House. When we arrived at the Complex we learned that a tour for school children had been scheduled for the 11:00 tour, so we decided to go back to an Irish pub we had seen & have lunch. We drove over to The Harp and Fiddle Irish Pub on North George Street. Mike had the Harp & Fiddle Burger and I had the Classic Reuben - both very good.
We then went to the York County Historical Museum & Library. After viewing the Museum displays, we went into the library to do some genealogical research. Sue's 5th great-grandparents, William & Mary Wethereld Garretson, had lived in York County from the mid 1790's to the early 1800's. We found out that they had been Quakers & had attended a Meeting House only a few miles from Gifford Pinchot State Park. As a matter of fact, we had driven by the Warrington Meeting House on our way to and from Gettysburg yesterday!
We arrived back at the Colonial Complex in time for the 3 p.m. tour. We had nice young lady from the York County Heritage Trust take us on the tour of the buildings. She explained the events & history that took place within the buildings.
The Plough Tavern was built in 1741 (the oldest building in York) and served as a hotel, restaurant & a place to hear the news. It is a medieval-style Germanic half-timber construction, recalling the 18th-century Black Forest.
The Gates House (c. 1751) represents 1778 when General Horatio Gates lived there while the Continental Congress was meeting in York. It was here at General Gates' headquarters that he and Major General Thomas Conway developed a plot to replace George Washington as commander of the Continental Army. The plot became known as the Conway Cabal. The Marquis de LaFayette, the French representative to the American colonies, attended a meeting with the supporters of the Conway Cabal at York. After several toasts had been given, the Marquis stood and said that one toast had been omitted. He decided it was time to show his support of Washington & proposed a toast to the commander-in-chief of the American armies. The conspirators eventually gave up their plot.
The Barnett Bobb House, built of squared timbers, depicts family life during the 1830's.
The Colonial Courthouse is a 1976 reconstruction (the original was torn down in 1841). America was born here at the York Courthouse. During the American Revolution the Second Continental Congress had fled to York for safety. Here they adopted the Articles of Confederation, in which the words "United States of America" first appeared. Congress was in session at York from September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 where they adopted our first constitution.
Before we returned to the RV we drove out to the Warrington Meeting House. We weren't able to find any headstones for Garretson ancestors in the cemetery next to the meeting house.
We then went to the York County Historical Museum & Library. After viewing the Museum displays, we went into the library to do some genealogical research. Sue's 5th great-grandparents, William & Mary Wethereld Garretson, had lived in York County from the mid 1790's to the early 1800's. We found out that they had been Quakers & had attended a Meeting House only a few miles from Gifford Pinchot State Park. As a matter of fact, we had driven by the Warrington Meeting House on our way to and from Gettysburg yesterday!
We arrived back at the Colonial Complex in time for the 3 p.m. tour. We had nice young lady from the York County Heritage Trust take us on the tour of the buildings. She explained the events & history that took place within the buildings.
The Plough Tavern was built in 1741 (the oldest building in York) and served as a hotel, restaurant & a place to hear the news. It is a medieval-style Germanic half-timber construction, recalling the 18th-century Black Forest.
The Gates House (c. 1751) represents 1778 when General Horatio Gates lived there while the Continental Congress was meeting in York. It was here at General Gates' headquarters that he and Major General Thomas Conway developed a plot to replace George Washington as commander of the Continental Army. The plot became known as the Conway Cabal. The Marquis de LaFayette, the French representative to the American colonies, attended a meeting with the supporters of the Conway Cabal at York. After several toasts had been given, the Marquis stood and said that one toast had been omitted. He decided it was time to show his support of Washington & proposed a toast to the commander-in-chief of the American armies. The conspirators eventually gave up their plot.
The Barnett Bobb House, built of squared timbers, depicts family life during the 1830's.
The Colonial Courthouse is a 1976 reconstruction (the original was torn down in 1841). America was born here at the York Courthouse. During the American Revolution the Second Continental Congress had fled to York for safety. Here they adopted the Articles of Confederation, in which the words "United States of America" first appeared. Congress was in session at York from September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778 where they adopted our first constitution.
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| From York, PA |
Before we returned to the RV we drove out to the Warrington Meeting House. We weren't able to find any headstones for Garretson ancestors in the cemetery next to the meeting house.
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| From York, PA |
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Gettysburg National Military Park
This morning we drove down to Gettysburg National Military Park which is about 30 miles south of Gifford Pinchot State Park.
Our first stop was at the new Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center that had just opened in April. There are 12 galleries in the museum with displays & artifacts covering the Gettysburg Campaign, the Civil War, and its causes and consequences. We watched the 22-minute film “A New Birth of Freedom” that shows the sights, sounds and emotions of the battle and the battle’s aftermath. We were unable to visit the Cyclorama Gallery where the Cyclorama painting depicting Pickett’s charge on the final day of the battle is displayed. The painting was still in the process of being restored & wouldn’t be on display until September. We purchased the “Gettysburg Field Guide” at the Bookstore. The booklet includes an Auto Tour Map, an illustrated guidebook about the battle & an audio CD.
After our visit to the museum we got in the car & started on our tour of the battlefield. The audio tour is fantastic. At each of the stops on the tour we learned about the events that occurred there & they were enhanced with music & the sounds of battle. The audio tour was well worth the $20 cost – we had our own tour guide & we could stay as long as we wanted at each stop unlike a regular guided tour where you’re on a schedule.
In July 1863 General George G. Meade & the “Army of the Potomac” with 93,000 troops and General Robert E. Lee & the “Army of Northern Virginia” with 75,000 troops fought for 3 days around Gettysburg. The battle started on July 1 & ended on July 3 in which a total of 5500 were killed & 22,000 were wounded from both sides.
We learned about the battle of Gettysburg in school, but to truly understand & feel the events that happened there you actually have to visit it.
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| From Gettysburg National Military Park |
After our visit to the museum we got in the car & started on our tour of the battlefield. The audio tour is fantastic. At each of the stops on the tour we learned about the events that occurred there & they were enhanced with music & the sounds of battle. The audio tour was well worth the $20 cost – we had our own tour guide & we could stay as long as we wanted at each stop unlike a regular guided tour where you’re on a schedule.
In July 1863 General George G. Meade & the “Army of the Potomac” with 93,000 troops and General Robert E. Lee & the “Army of Northern Virginia” with 75,000 troops fought for 3 days around Gettysburg. The battle started on July 1 & ended on July 3 in which a total of 5500 were killed & 22,000 were wounded from both sides.
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| From Gettysburg National Military Park |
Monday, May 5, 2008
Hershey Chocolate World & Antique Auto Museum
This morning we drove up to Hershey, PA to Hershey's Chocolate World & the Antique Auto Museum.
We went to Hershey's Chocolate World first. There we went on Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour which is an interactive ride (similar to those at Disney World) that took us through the process of making chocolate all the way to the packaged product. We followed the cocoa bean as it went from the tropical rainforest and through the processes that transforms it into chocolate. At the end of our ride we were given samples of Hershey's new candy, Bliss. We stopped by the photo shop to purchase a photo of us that had been taken while we were on the ride.
After our Hershey tour we drove over to the Antique Auto Museum which is about 2 miles away from Hershey's Chocolate World. There we saw vehicles dating from the 1890’s up to the 1970’s.
We saw this 1926 Pierce Arrow touring sedan that chauffeured movie stars from their homes in the Hollywood Hills to Paramount Studios during the 1920’s.
This 1936 Ford Cabriolet was used by Matt Damon in the movie “The Good Shepherd”.
You can view all the photos we took at the Antique Auto Museum in our photo album.
We went to Hershey's Chocolate World first. There we went on Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour which is an interactive ride (similar to those at Disney World) that took us through the process of making chocolate all the way to the packaged product. We followed the cocoa bean as it went from the tropical rainforest and through the processes that transforms it into chocolate. At the end of our ride we were given samples of Hershey's new candy, Bliss. We stopped by the photo shop to purchase a photo of us that had been taken while we were on the ride.
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| From Hershey's Chocolate World |
We saw this 1926 Pierce Arrow touring sedan that chauffeured movie stars from their homes in the Hollywood Hills to Paramount Studios during the 1920’s.
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| From AACA Museum, Hershey, PA |
This 1936 Ford Cabriolet was used by Matt Damon in the movie “The Good Shepherd”.
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| From AACA Museum, Hershey, PA |
You can view all the photos we took at the Antique Auto Museum in our photo album.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Gifford Pinchot State Park
Gifford Pinchot State Park is named in honor of Governor Gifford Pinchot. He was born in 1865 to a wealthy family. He graduated from Yale University & went to France where he trained in forestry - the first American to do so. Pinchot, a friend of President Theodore Roosevelt, was named Chief Forester of the U. S. Forestry Division and served from 1898 to 1910. The policies he created are still help guide the national and state forests today.
Gifford Pinchot was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 1922 & elected to a second term in 1930. He set up work camps in the state during the Great Depression that would become models for President Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. He campaigned for political reform and was progressive in his thinking. He was the first governor to have 2 women in his cabinet.
During World War II he developed a water gathering device and fishing kits for navy life rafts.
Gifford Pinchot died in 1946 of leukemia. Gifford Pinchot State Park was dedicated in 1961.
Gifford Pinchot was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 1922 & elected to a second term in 1930. He set up work camps in the state during the Great Depression that would become models for President Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps. He campaigned for political reform and was progressive in his thinking. He was the first governor to have 2 women in his cabinet.
During World War II he developed a water gathering device and fishing kits for navy life rafts.
Gifford Pinchot died in 1946 of leukemia. Gifford Pinchot State Park was dedicated in 1961.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Saturday's chores
Today we had laundry to do so we drove 8 miles in towards York to the White Dove Laundromat. Once that was done we drove 2 more miles to a Panera Bread Cafe to wifi & catch up on our e-mail & do our banking online. The wifi is free, but we always at least have coffee while we're there.
Even though we stopped at Wal-Mart yesterday for groceries, we went to Giant Foods across from Panera Bread to get some more groceries. We stopped at a Sheetz gas station & filled up the tank in the Vue - $3.559 a gallon.
I don't normally go into detail about our normal housekeeping chores, but by the time we got back to the RV we had driven 22 miles round trip today.
Even though we stopped at Wal-Mart yesterday for groceries, we went to Giant Foods across from Panera Bread to get some more groceries. We stopped at a Sheetz gas station & filled up the tank in the Vue - $3.559 a gallon.
I don't normally go into detail about our normal housekeeping chores, but by the time we got back to the RV we had driven 22 miles round trip today.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Harley-Davidson Operations, York, PA
We drove over to the Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations Factory in York (http://www.harley-davidson.com/) this morning to go on their factory tour (the tour is free). The York facility is Harley-Davidson's largest manufacturing operation; about half of their production employees work here. The York facility is on more than 230 acres and is over 1.5 million square feet in size. The factory operates around the clock assembling their Touring & Softail models, as well as producing limited, factory-custom motorcycles.
We watched the introductory movie, then picked up our safety goggles & headsets. The usual tour take you to the Touring production line, but it was not in operation that day. So we got on a bus & were taken over to the Softail production facility which is not normally open for tours. The tour lasted about an hour and because of the headsets we were able to hear the tour guide. We watched hydraulic presses form sheets of metal into fuel tanks, fenders, and tailpipes. The motorcycles travel by conveyor to different work stations for attachment of parts and assembly. They use state-of-the-art technology and ergonomically designed equipment to assist the employees in assembly. Each employee enters their code (it contains their personal info such as height) at their work station. Then as the conveyor reaches the employee's station, it's height is adjusted up or down according to the height of the employee. That way the employee can attach the parts to the motorcycle without having to bend, stoop or stretch. Once the motorcycles are assembled they go to the roll-test booth, where they are placed on rollers and "driven" at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Finally, the motorcycle is wrapped in plastic and crated by a robot.
After the tour was over we returned to the Vaughn L. Beals Tour Center where the gift shop is and where current production motorcycles are on display & anyone can sit on them. We saw some nice 2009 models that haven't been sent to dealerships yet.
We stopped at an Olive Garden for lunch, got gas in the Vue (paid $3.559 a gallon) & then bought groceries at Wal-Mart Supercenter in York before driving the 14 miles back to Gifford Pinchot State Park.
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| From Harley-Davidson, York, PA |
We watched the introductory movie, then picked up our safety goggles & headsets. The usual tour take you to the Touring production line, but it was not in operation that day. So we got on a bus & were taken over to the Softail production facility which is not normally open for tours. The tour lasted about an hour and because of the headsets we were able to hear the tour guide. We watched hydraulic presses form sheets of metal into fuel tanks, fenders, and tailpipes. The motorcycles travel by conveyor to different work stations for attachment of parts and assembly. They use state-of-the-art technology and ergonomically designed equipment to assist the employees in assembly. Each employee enters their code (it contains their personal info such as height) at their work station. Then as the conveyor reaches the employee's station, it's height is adjusted up or down according to the height of the employee. That way the employee can attach the parts to the motorcycle without having to bend, stoop or stretch. Once the motorcycles are assembled they go to the roll-test booth, where they are placed on rollers and "driven" at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Finally, the motorcycle is wrapped in plastic and crated by a robot.
After the tour was over we returned to the Vaughn L. Beals Tour Center where the gift shop is and where current production motorcycles are on display & anyone can sit on them. We saw some nice 2009 models that haven't been sent to dealerships yet.
We stopped at an Olive Garden for lunch, got gas in the Vue (paid $3.559 a gallon) & then bought groceries at Wal-Mart Supercenter in York before driving the 14 miles back to Gifford Pinchot State Park.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Front Royal, VA to Gifford Pinchot State Park, PA
We left North Fork Resort this morning a little before 11 a.m. Mike usually has me direct him when pulling out of a campsite, but he said we had plenty of room. We both forgot about the fire ring on the site left of the RV. Long story short, Mike drove over the fire ring & it ended up getting stuck between the exhaust pipe and the rear wheel - we couldn't drive forward or backward. A campground worker came by & tried to dig around the fire ring with a shovel so he could pull it out with his truck; but it was lodged too tightly. I suggested raising the driver side & seeing if they could pull the fire ring out. I put the jacks down & raised the right side enough that the fire ring could be pulled out with the truck. Then we connected the Vue to the hitch & we were on the road.
We stopped at the Flying J at Clear Brook, VA for gas ($3.459 a gallon) & propane ($3.199). We left I-81 then & took US-340 east towards Frederick, MD. We found a large parking lot by a closed business in Charles Town, WV where we could park & fix lunch. In Frederick we took US-15 north until it connected with US-30 north of Gettysburg, then US-30 to SR-74 near York, PA & then up here to Gifford Pinchot State Park. Gifford Pinchot is about 12 miles NNW of York, PA.
We're in site #244 & we have 50 amp service. We stopped at a water spigot (across from site #242) down the road to fill up our fresh water tank before going to our site. Site #244 is a back in with an asphalt drive & a gravel pad. We are able to get satellite TV, but it is a weak signal.
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| From North Fork RV Resort |
We stopped at the Flying J at Clear Brook, VA for gas ($3.459 a gallon) & propane ($3.199). We left I-81 then & took US-340 east towards Frederick, MD. We found a large parking lot by a closed business in Charles Town, WV where we could park & fix lunch. In Frederick we took US-15 north until it connected with US-30 north of Gettysburg, then US-30 to SR-74 near York, PA & then up here to Gifford Pinchot State Park. Gifford Pinchot is about 12 miles NNW of York, PA.
We're in site #244 & we have 50 amp service. We stopped at a water spigot (across from site #242) down the road to fill up our fresh water tank before going to our site. Site #244 is a back in with an asphalt drive & a gravel pad. We are able to get satellite TV, but it is a weak signal.
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| From Gifford Pinchot State Park |
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