All my life, I’ve heard about the plague of Love Bugs from New Jersey snowbirds who head to Florida in the Fall and return in the Spring. I never knew what they were since I hadn’t experienced them on the east coast of the state. I got a “crash” course in them while driving up the west coast in May. They’re called Love Bugs because after mating, the male stays connected to the female to ensure no other male can…
From the Keys, I moved back up to the mainland, drove west on Alligator Alley (there were no alligators) to Naples and stayed at Lake San Marino RV Resort. This park is really a mobile home community with several empty sites they rent to travelers. Its only downfall was a gravel/sand plant next door that produced a lot of dust that covered everything in sight. If I stayed any longer, I would have been concerned about breathing it for too…
I left Dad’s house on May First with the knowledge that his estate was being settled by my sister and she’d found a buyer for the house. It’s bittersweet to think that the house my grandparents bought in 1957 will no longer be in the family but all good things must come to an end. And so did my extended stay on Singer Island—time to get a move on! The house on the Intracoastal Waterway in South Florida has been…
It was not part of my original travel plan, but I returned to Florida last December because my 93 year-old father was in failing health, suffering from congestive heart failure. My father, just two weeks before he died. My sister Barbara and her husband Dave had moved in with him nearly four years prior so they’d be there when he needed them. This was perfect but, as his health declined, it became very trying, as anyone who has ever been…
I checked out of my New Jersey campground on November 30 but I still had a couple service issues to take care of before I could leave the state. I had a front tire that was wearing unevenly—a sure sign of an alignment problem so I needed to replace the two front tires and get a front end alignment. No easy feat because, as I found out, there aren’t many places that can handle a 31 foot motorhome. I don’t…
I was sad to leave the Finger Lakes and to say “Au revoir” to my friend Christine. I really enjoyed my first long-term stay and I loved the comfort of being stationary for awhile—but not too long. So, it was time to move on. I promised my kids I’d spend Thanksgiving with them in New Jersey so that’s where I was headed but first I made a stop in north-central Pennsylvania to visit friends. Yes, apparently I have friends everywhere!…
My favorite part of my stay in the Finger Lakes was setting up camp in one place for an entire month. It felt more like the lifestyle I envisioned when I set out last May. Some days were spent exploring the surrounding area, some were spent visiting famous attractions, I had a wonderful time visiting with a long-time friend, and even spent a bit of time just hanging around the house or doing laundry. It was exactly how I pictured…
From my home base in the Finger Lakes last October, I was able to make several day trips north to the shores of Lake Ontario to photograph lighthouses. Salmon River Lighthouse Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse (Oswego River) Oswego Lighthouse sits at the end of a 1.3 mile-long breakwater. I was willing to walk all the way out to it but I didn’t get very far before I was confronted by an obstacle too high to surmount. The only way over…
I arrived in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York on September 19 and would spend 32 days—my longest stay to date—in one campground: Flint Creek. I chose this location for its proximity to a friend who lives in Penn Yan on Keuka Lake, which is in the center of the group of lakes known as the Finger Lakes. They’re named so because the long, narrow lakes that all run north-south resemble fingers (Freddy Krueger’s, maybe!). The largest, Seneca…
Driving a motorhome requires you to be aware of highway situations you never thought of in a car; low overpasses being chief among them. I use an online mapping service through the RV club Good Sam that is similar to AAA, as well as a GPS designed for RVs. I can program my vehicle’s specs and they will warn me of “unfriendly” routes. This came in particularly handy when I was planning my drive from Connecticut to Long Island. GoodSamClub.com…