Winter Excursion 7, Day 30

Fishing Day!

Left the camper at 0800 and headed to the boat ramp with Tony. We have been trying to hook up for some fishing for a few years. It finally happened today.

We had a great day on the water. The fishing was fair, but not great.

We got three Sea Trout and four Reds. Actually a slow day.

On the way back we checked Tony's crab traps and hit the jackpot. Probably got over 4 dozen Blue Shell crabs!

The marsh and bay were beautiful today. Light winds and warm temps.

Cath had a nice dinner for me when I got home. Moving day tomorrow.

Winter Excursion 7, Day 29

It was a busy day!

Took Cath into town for a hairdo morning and laundry at the Kid's house. After dropping her off I headed to the Verizon store. We got two new Pixels 7s for free! In years past we have had some good deals for the phones, but this time the deal beats all. We are happy with the new phones.

Cath spent the afternoon doing laundry. I spent the time getting the propane tanks filled. 20 miles to get the tanks, 15 miles to get them filled, 15 miles back to install them, then 20 miles back to the Kid's house.

Picked up the Kiddos at the bus stop, had dinner and then headed home with all the clean laundry.

A usual sleep will come easy.

Winter Excursion 7, Day 28

We met Kids, KIddos, and Rick for lunch at Seewee for our annual fried seafood fix. It was great as usual.

Back at camp it was NFL football time for the afternoon.

Weather continues to be perfect. It's nice just to relax outside. Temps in the 70s to high 60s.

General TSOs chicken on the griddle for dinner. It was our first time making it. It was good, but we will try a few other recipes before we finalize our favorite.

No dinner and a movie, just football tonight.

Winter Excursion 7, Day 27

After a well deserved good night's sleep we drove into town for a few supplies.

One of the stops was Verizon as our hotspot has been acting up. Picked up a new one and then asked the salesman about new phones. He looked up our account and said we could get new Pixel 7s for FREE if we traded in our Pixel 5s. I asked if he was sure, so he gave me a written quote! I'll pick up the new phones on Monday!

Back at camp we just enjoyed the weather and relaxed. Cath did some reading and I got the new hotspot set up.

Dinner, a movie and off to dreamland again! All is well in the Boss camp.

 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 26

The morning after Thanksgiving.

Brian left for work, Nicole and Kennedy left for shopping, Rick and Wesley were left on the couch, and Cath and I headed back to the camper. We're all still stuffed!

Back at camp Kaylee immediately got into her bed and fell sound asleep. I had to wake her up and force her outside, but once out she enjoyed some off-leash time. Here she is in her bed by the fireplace. 

She sticks her nose out for a little fresh air! I think she'd suffocate if she didn't have that nose out.

Cath and I just chilled, had some dinner, and didn't even finish our movie. We were in bed by 2000 and slept like bears all night. It was a wonderful T-Day Holiday!

Winter Excursion 7, Day 25

Happy Thanksgiving!

We left camp and got back to the Kid's house around 1000. Spent sometime cleaning up from the Oyster Roast last night and prepping the turkey for grilling.

The Macy's parade was on during all the prepping and then NFL football.

Kennedy treated us to a short concert before dinner.

Dinner was served around 1600.

After we stuffed ourselves and got it all cleaned up. We watched a movie and finally got to bed around 2200. We stayed at the Kid's tonight and will head back to the camper in the morning.

It's been a great Thanksgiving!

 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 24

We headed back to the Kid's house around 1000. Cath spent most of the day prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. Nicole and I spent the afternoon setting up for the annual Oyster Roast.

Here's the table I built 6 years ago. It's been used, but it is still going strong. I put the PVC trim on the edges 2 years ago as the 3/4 inch marine plywood was starting to delaminate. I sealed it all with RV Proseal and it seems to be doing fine. The oyster cooker is in the background. We did 3 bushels of clusters!

Here's the family waiting for everyone to arrive. There was probably 40 folks at the roast not counting all the Kiddos. It lasted until 1000.

Cath and I went back to the camper for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy Thanksgiving Day.
 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 23

You can tell the Kiddos are with us right now. Fruit Loops and Kix for breakfast and then a movie! That's probably a first for us, unless it's a football game that TV is usually not even on before 1700, if at all.

The walkie-talkies continue to be a hit. I can hardly keep them charged.

Wesley discovered what a magnifying glass can do on a sunny day. He spent a few hours burning ants! I may regret showing him this!

We left camp at 1400 and took the Kiddos back home. Cath and I were back at camp by 1800. It's been a fun few days, we will sleep good tonight!
   

Winter Excursion 7, Day 22

The morning started early with hot chocolate, whipped cream, French toast, sausage, and maple syrup! The Kiddos are here!

After breakfast Wesley decided he needed some Squirt:

Walks were the order of the day:

We had a super low tide and all the oyster clusters were exposed;

Yahtzee and UNO Flip filled in the afternoon, but the hit of the day was when the Kiddos discovered the walkie-talkies. They even made up "call signs". Jet, Bluebird, and I was Helicopter. They even went for walks after dark, but with flashlights of course.

Dinner and a movie, and we didn't get to bed until 2200.

It was a long, fun day.

 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 21

After breakfast we got the camper straightened up. The Kids and Kiddos arrived around noon. The weather turned cool, but it stayed in the 50s. We had smash burgers on the griddle and a few snacks for lunch.

Here's Brain & Cath, notice Kaylee in her bed!

Here's Nicole & Kennedy. Kennedy is an aspiring artist! 

We all hung around camp, had a short walk, played ball, and just relaxed. Oh Yeah, we watched NFL football too!

We got some BBQ takeout from a local joint. It was really good.

After dinner Brian & Nicole left and the Kiddos stayed with us. We have them for two days! Got the couches folded down and everyone snuggled in for popcorn and a movie. By 2100 we were all in bed. It's been a fun day! 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 20

After breakfast we did a quick trip into town for a few things.

We spent the rest of the day doing some camp maintenance and getting ready for the Kiddos, they arrive tomorrow and will spend a few days with us.

The campground remains full with lots of fisherman this year. I can't remember when there was so many boats in camp. The fisherman all say the fishing as been lousy!

As usual, dinner and a movie. We actually watched Smoky and the Bandit! It was a good laugh!

Winter Excursion 7, Day 19

We left camp this morning and headed to the Kid's house. Played some cribbage with Brian and got whooped!

Here I am with the bundle of energy named Ringo. He and Kaylee are doing good together.

We left the Kids and drove to the commissary to do some food shopping. We got back to camp around 1600.

Dinner and a movie, then off to bed. 
 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 18

Here's the new campsite. Site #3, Buck Hall USDA/USFS, McClellanville, SC.

Left camp at 0900 and headed to the Kid's house.

We hung out with Brian and Ringo (the new pup). He was a blast of energy, Kaylee puts up with him. He's only four months old.

Both the dogs finally started to get along and were tired:

The Kiddos got home after school and we were treated to an impromptu concert thanks to Kennedy.

Afterward, off to the camper, a quick dinner, then off to bed.
 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 17

The rain stopped last night around 0300. We were on the road by 0730. It was a short drive today, only 225 miles. We ran some of the highways on the way to Charleston and found the best way to get around Myrtle Beach. Rt. 31 is the bomb! We will never go through Myrtle Beach again. The drive was uneventful and we arrived at Buck Hall Campground around 1300. We spent a little while getting set up then headed out to get the Kiddos.

They were jazzed to see us as usual. We met the new puppy, Ringo. He's four months old and a bundle of energy. We spent the afternoon and evening at the Kiddos house catching up news and school stuff and had our favorite Do-Re-Me pizza for dinner. It's been a long day.

Sorry no pics, but I'll post some tomorrow.

Winter Excursion 7, Day 16

We spent the day in camp slowly packing everything up. We have rain in the forecast so I wanted to get it all put away today rather than pitting it away wet tomorrow.

The rain started just after lunch and lasted on and off until 0300 in the morning.

We did get a short walk in, but Kaylee was hearing some blasting in the distance and refused to leave the camper all afternoon and evening. She would not eat her dinner either!

We hit the rack early as we want to leave by 0800 tomorrow so we can pick up the Kiddos at the school bus stop.

Winter Excursion 7, Day 15

This morning we opened the bread box (microwave) to get some bread out for toast. Seems while we were using the timer yesterday one of us hit the wrong button and cooked all the bread, rolls, and tortillas. All the stuff was hard as a rock and the plastic was partially melted all over the microwave!

After breakfast we headed out to do our least favorite chore..Laundry! It actually went fairly fast, 7 loads in less than 2 hours!

After laundry we stopped at the grocery store so we could re-stock the bread box.

Back at camp we spent the afternoon relaxing and watching a few shows.

 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 14

After breakfast we did a little shopping at our favorite Grocery Store in this area; Lowes! It is not associated with Lowes Hardware. It reminds us of Wegman's in NY. High end store, but really nice!

This afternoon was football day. A few beers and some snacks and I was happy.

We did shrimp fried rice on the flat top. It turned out really good. It was easy to make.

Weather continues to be perfect; 60s & 40s and sunny.

The campground cleared out for the most part, maybe a dozen left. With all the weekenders gone the place is really quiet!

Winter Excursion 7, Day 13

We left camp this morning at 0900 after dumping the tanks. The dump station at this campground is not level! It would be OK if it was off level to the street side, but it is off to the curb side, so you get a lousy dump!

The drive was uneventful (which is always good). Got to our new campground around 1400.

Here's Site #30 at Cedar Point Campground, USDA Forest Service at Cedar Point, NC. 

This is our third or fourth time here, Site #30 is our favorite.

After we got set up we took a walk around the campground. Saw this camper and just had to get a pic. It looks like someone sawed a camper in half and threw the back half away.

We will be here four days, then off to see the Kiddos!

Winter Excursion 7, Day 12

Well, Nicole was definitely a rain event for us. We hunkered down in the camper all day. The wind was not bad at all, but we were in a Tornado Watch almost all day.

Cards, videos, food, and clean-up described our day.

Off to points farther south tomorrow. 

We get to see the Kiddos in a few more days!  

Winter Excursion 7, Day 11

We hung out a camp this morning and most of the afternoon. Did a little camp maintenance and got everything outside put away in preparation for Tropical Storm Nicole. It's going to be a rain event for us starting around midnight and most of tomorrow.

We did run into town this afternoon. Needed propane, hit the grocery store, and picked up some fried chicken for dinner.

A little cribbage and some TV will be the highlight for the rest of the day and tomorrow.

The campground is still empty, counting us there is only four campers! 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 10

Left camp this morning around 0800. We had a great drive with great weather all day. We traveled the back roads all the way. Mostly US RT 30 in PA, then US RT15 in PA, MD, and VA all the way to our new campground in VA .

Highlight of the morning was when the TPMS monitor alarm sounded just a few miles from camp. I looked at the monitor and it said 27 psi! I uttered a few expletives that I won't repeat and then thought to myself why doesn't it say 0 psi? I didn't feel any difference in the ride either. Found a place to pull off, checked the suspect tire, flicked the sensor, monitor went to 65 psi, and all was well for the next 280 miles (65 psi). Never had that happen before. Hope it doesn't happen again as I felt my heart skip a beat and at my age that may not be good!

Arrived at Twin Lakes SP in VA around 1500. Got all set up, Cath started cooking and I had a few ABs. We will be here until Saturday when we leave for points further south.

Here's a few pics of the site:

Only three other campers in the CG. It's going to be a quiet evening!

Winter Excursion 7, Day 9

We spent the day at the park. Kaylee got multiple walks, treats, and pets. Here she is late afternoon enjoying the warm sun and the last of the warm weather.

We got most everything packed up as we leave tomorrow for Twin Lakes, SP in VA. It's the longest drive of our trip this year so we are not looking forward to it.

Winter Excursion 7, Day 8

Since we are in Pennsylvania we had to have some Scrapple for breakfast! The Flat Top is getting a lot of use.

Later in the morning we went into town for a few supplies and gassed up the truck for our departure the day after tomorrow.

Spent the afternoon playing cards and enjoying the warm weather, temps in the 70s! Is it really November?
  

Winter Excursion 7, Day 7

Daylight savings time ended last night, so everyone (including Kaylee) is a little off.

We spent the morning waiting for the rain to stop. When it did we moved the camper a little to stop the squeaking from the slide topper. When the wind blew and the tree swayed a little the squeaking was annoying.

Walked around the park and spent some time yakking with the neighbors. By the afternoon the park was almost empty as the weekenders were gone.

Spent the afternoon watching football and relaxing.

Got the Flat Top all set up, we still have yet to use the grill!

Had a fairly nice sunset, but it sure got dark early!

Winter Excursion 7, Day 6

We were on the road by 0900. Traveled the Taconic State Parkway in New York for an hour or so. The Taconic State Parkway is a 104 mile parkway between Kensico Dam and Chatham, the longest in the state of New York and built in the 1920s. Once we got off the parkway we traveled through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It is on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, New Jersey in on the other side. It was a pretty drive and pheasant season was in full swing in PA, lots of hunters and dogs.

We arrived at our new campground, French Creek SP, in Pennsylvania a little after 1500.

As we were setting up the neighbor came over I though to say Hi. Instead he told me about the Ranger here and what a stickler for rules. He told me if my tires were touching the grass the Ranger would make us park the truck elsewhere! The site we are in is small enough that we can't park the truck in front of the camper, so we parked it diagonally, but it barely fit!

Got the camper leveled, chocked, and stabilized. Put out the slides and figured all was well. As we were getting everything set up inside we kept hearing a squeaking noise. I went outside to investigate and found the the slide topper (awning roller) was just barely touching a tree, I'm talking like an 1/8". As it wasn't touching the slide we are going to leave it.

So once again all is well in the Boss camp and BTW the Ranger never came by nor a Host!

Winter Excursion 7, Day 5

We spent the morning in camp. After a nice breakfast on the Blackstone (called the Flat Top from now on😃), we slowly started packing everything up in preparation for moving tomorrow. Speaking of the Flat Top, we are really enjoying it. We never fired the grill up the whole time here. The Flat Top is fast and super easy to clean up. It's our new favorite "Go To"!

After lunch we headed back to Albany to meet our friends, Carolyn and Megan. Spent some time at Megan's new apartment, which is really nice, and then headed to the waterfront for an early dinner. Druthers Brewing Company is just a few blocks away from The Nipper Dog. The food was really good and the beer was even better. I had a Hefeweizen and thought for a minute I was back in Germany!

After dinner we said our goodbyes and headed back to camp. Early to bed, tomorrow is a driving day.

Winter Excursion 7, Day 4

The day started with pancakes on the flattop. With a little maple syrup it was a nice breakfast.

We did some camp cleanup (dishes..yuk!) and cleaned up the griddle (easy-pease), guess who did what! We left camp around 1130 and headed to Nine Pin Cider Works in Albany, NY. We did a flight (only 4, 2 each) of their Signature and Ginger Cider. The Signature was really good. I liked the Ginger, Cath said YUK! We got a four pack of each. The girl at the register had just come back from their summer home in Alexander Bay, NY just north of our home. Small World!

After the Cider Works we walked a few blocks down the street to see the Nipper Dog statue on top of an old warehouse near the Albany waterfront. This dog was originally painted in France, but became the mascot for RCA records (think "my master's voice").

After the waterfront we headed to my favorite sub shop, DiBella's Old Fashion Submarines. There are many locations in Upstate NY. It was recently voted one of the top ten in New York! The "Godfather" is to die for! 

https://www.dibellas.com/

On the way back to camp we stopped at a grocery for a few essentials.

Spent the rest of the afternoon playing cribbage (Cath cheats, but I won).

All is well in the Boss Camp. 

 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 3

The weather continues to be fantastic for this time of the year. Today temps were in the high 60s and sunny. It's forecast to stay this way until next week.

We spent the day at camp. Got a bunch of stuff reorganized and did a little cleaning. Here's a few pics of Site #29 at Schodack SP, NY:

Kaylee got a couple of good walks today, but picked up a few ticks on the trails. We will stick to the roads for future walks, the park is not crowded!

Carolyn & Megan came over in the afternoon. Carolyn was wanting to check out the CG. She and Jerry can stay here when visiting Megan. We had a few ABs and lots of conversation. It was good to see them.

 

Winter Excursion 7, Day 2

We left home this morning around 1100 after winterizing the house. The trip to Schodack State Park on the backroads was uneventful, but once we got to camp all that changed!

First the water spigots in the campground were "out of order". I asked a neighbor across the street where to get water and she said the dump station, so we drove back to the dump station and filled up with potable water. Back at the site the same neighbor I'd asked about the water was filling a jug right behind our site from a "working" community spigot! Seems the "community spigot" in front of our site was "out of order", but others in the campground were working! I hope the neighbor got a kick out of that trick (yesterday was Halloween after all)!

Our next surprise was when Cath opened the fridge. Seems a jar of homemade pickled watermelon rinds got broke of the ride here. Of course it had to be on the top shelf so everything under it was covered with a sticky mess! It took Cath the better part of two hours to clean it all up. When we get to a FHU campground we will clean it again as some things are still sticky. The watermelon rinds were pickled, but had a lot of sugar in them, so that "syrup" is tough to clean up.

So our first day on the road has been eventful. I'll post pics of the campsite tomorrow. At least the weather is perfect, sunny and warm!