Final Blog of 2022 Season

The trip back from Rhode Island to Croton Point Park (CPP) painted a gradual, color changing landscape for me. Rhode Island was mostly green but by the time I arrived in Croton, the brilliant reds and golds of the sugar and red maples had already begun to announce the coming of cooler weather and winter; the ground already had its carpet of red and gold. Forecasters had predicted that in our area colors were going to peak much later than usual due to the dry conditions.

So, that time has arrived. It was a long time coming but I knew it was inevitable; the end of my 2022 RV season. My final week here at CPP will have me carting anything susceptible to freezing back to my apartment in Peekskill. Friday, Winnie will be winterized with all water lines filled with RV antifreeze. Then off to storage a mile away until January 3rd, 2023 when I'll once again prepare for my RV season.

For those who are statistically minded, here's some data that further illustrate the wonderful adventure I've enjoyed:

Travel Duration = 9 months and 11 days

Number of States Visited (6 for the 1st time) = 21

Miles traveled = 12,382

Gallons of Diesel Used = 909

Number of Fuel Stops = 61

Average Price per Gallon = $4.758

Average Miles per Gallon = 13.6

Number of campgrounds visited = 47

Amount paid for Campgrounds = $4,811.00

Average Cost per Month = $534.00

Number of blogs written = 63

Number of Blog Views = 4,404

What's next? The 2023 RV season which is already written in stone. I plan to begin again on January 6, 2023. This final blog is about what I've planned so far, January through May. Unfortunately, I've already received word of one cancelation in the Ft. Myers area. Groves RV Resort suffered at the hands of Hurricane Ian. 

The extended winter forecast does not bode well for me, however. According to the Farmer's Almanac, (click links in red for more information), 
"Winter 2022-2023 should be dominated by an active storm track in the eastern half of the country, running from the western Gulf of Mexico to the northeast, across the Virginias, and across interior New York State and New England.

Areas south of the storm track (much of the Southeast) will see frequent storms bringing cold rains and a wintry mix of wet snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain—as well as chilly temperatures.

The I-95 corridor can be included in this winter mix zone with places to the north of the track seeing the precipitation fall more as snow and at times, a lot of it. This may be especially true over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes area."

"January 16-23, we’ll raise another red flag for bouts of heavy rain and snow across the eastern two-thirds of the country followed by what might be one of the coldest outbreaks of arctic air we have seen in several years. How cold? Try 40 degrees below zero!"

The route will be from NY to FL to TX and back to NY

DATE	DAY	CAMPGROUND & ADDRESS
01/04 to 01/06	Wed Leave Fri	Cape Henlopen State Park 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive Lewes, DE 19958
01/06 to 01/08	Fri Leave Sun	Spacious Skies Sandy Run 821 Lazy Acres Street Fayetteville, NC 28306
1/08 to 01/11	Sun Leave Wed	Barefoot RV Resort 920 37th Ave S N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
1/11 to 1/15	Wed Leave Sun	Visiting Friends in Bluffton
1/15 to 1/25	Sun Leave Wed	Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins & Campground 28244 Hwy 121 Folkston, GA 31537
01/25 to 02/01	Wed Leave Wed	Daytona Speedway RV 3003 W. Int'l Speedway Blvd Daytona Beach, FL 32124
02/01 to 03/31	Wed Leave Fri	Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley
03/31 to 04/07	Fri Leave Fri	DelRaton RV Park 2998 S. Federal Highway Delray Beach, FL
04/07 to 04/10	Fri Leave Mon	Trail Lakes Campground 40904 Tamiami Trail US 41 Ochopee, FL 3414140904
04/10 to 04/17	Mon Leave Mon	Fiesta Key RV Resort and Marina 70001 Overseas Highway Long Key FL 33001
		Ian Hurricane Damages
04/17 to 04/18	Mon Leave Tue	Call Christy at 248-565-3566 for updates and/or rebooking. Groves RV Resort 16175 John Morris Road Ft. Myers, FL 33908
04/18 to 04/19	Tue Leave Wed	Old Town Campground 2241 SE 349 Hwy Old Town, FL 32680
04/21 to 04/24	Fri Leave Mon	New Orleans KOA 11129 Jefferson Highway River Ridge, LA 70123
04/22	Sat	New Orleans Bus Tour
04/23 11:30am	Sun	City of New Orleans Riverboat Jazz Cruise 11:30am to 1:30pm
04/24 to 04/25	Mon Leave Tue	Boomtown USA RV Resort 23030 I-10 Vidor, TX 77662
04/25 to 04/29	Tue Leave Sat	Visiting Friends in Georgetown, TX
04/29 to 05/01	Sat Leave Mon	Backwater Jack’s RV & Cabins 621 E Longs Camp Rd Karnack, TX 75661
05/01 to 05/03	Mon Leave Wed	Quilly's Magnolia RV Park 211 Miller Street Vicksburg, MS 39180
05/04 to 05/06	Thu Leave Sat	Whitewater RV Park 1875 Hwy 64 Benton, TN 37307
05/06 to 05/08	Sat Leave Mon	Brushcreek Falls RV Park 5127 Eads Mill Road Princeton, WV 24739
05/08 to 05/11	Mon Leave Thu	Spacious Skies Shenandoah Valley Campground 3402 Kimball Road Luray, VA 22835
05/10	Tue or Wed	Luray Caverns 101 Cave Hill Rd Luray, VA 22835
05/11 to 05/12	Thu Leave Fri	Camp Swatara 2905 Camp Swatara Rd Bethel, PA 19507
05/12 to 05/26	Fri Leave Fri	Croton Point Park

Well, there you have it. Putting aside the "what-ifs" and "supposins'" it seems like a huge undertaking but it'll be my ninth season and as long as this octogenarian can, he will continue to venture forth.  I have lots to be thankful for and those thanks are for my Hudson Islander RV friends whose company provided a ton of good times and memories; for my neighbor Diane for gathering my mail and watering my plants and, of course, for my readers. Many terrific comments were shared with me via email. For some, their attempts at commenting at the end of the blog were frustrating.  They did, however, share their kind words expressing their enjoyment of the trips which included some history and photos. So, until the next blog, take care and do enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah and New Years each safely and surrounded by your loving family and friends.

Cousin's Reunion - 2022

2022 Cousin's Reunion

Patsy's Pizzeria

2 Pelham Road, New Rochelle

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Entire back room reserved for the party. My guess...60-70.

Neighbors as well. Patrick either has 3 brothers or he's one of three.

A photo kiosk with a lovely, friendly young lady whose name I didn't get. She's a pre-K Head Start teacher. Unfortunately, she had to leave early; got a phone call near the end that her grandmother had passed away.

Entire tables filled with grandkids of James (he's got seven grandkids) as well as and Richard's

After Patrick made opening welcome remarks, mentioning every one who was there and how far they had to travel, he turned the mike over to Rita who outlined the nights events: DJ, Entertainer, foods served family style. BTW, did you know they have a house in Naples? I didn't catch the name of the town but they have the "best marching band in the area." Cousin Jerry didn't make it.

Foods served family style: fried eggplant/tomato/mozzarella, Caesar salad, grilled chicken, penne a la vodka, pasta with spinach/broccoli, and shrimp scampi. With Judy's hip replacement and her long drive home back to Fishkill, we left before dessert was served.

Richard with Mary. Behind Mary, the blonde, her daughter, Jennifer

Patrick

The entertainer, Frankie, who sang nothing but (you guessed it) "Frankie Sinatra" songs.
DJ's music, background music for Frankie...way too loud; not able to talk to anyone next to you.

Mary's daughter, Jenny with husband, Mike and son.

Mary, Nina and another in front of photo booth.

After you take your photo, you enter your phone number and the photo is sent to you.

On the right, Rita's Administrative Assistant, Bianca, and her fiancé. Rita, being a Deacon, will officiate at their wedding ceremony.

Two of Jim's grandchildren (I think)

Lynn and her daughter (who I thought was Lynn when I first saw her forgetting that 30 or 40 years have passed since I last saw them.

Fishermens Memorial State Park - 10/10 to 10/14/2022

 10/10 to 10/14 - Welcome back. The troops have landed.

My new site 178 was perfectly level for me with just water and 30-amp service.
Behind me is Bunker 109.

The park is divided into two parcels, formerly the west and south reservations of Fort Greene. We are located in the former west reservation in the campground, and includes Battery 109, a massive concrete and earth emplacement intended for two 16-inch guns that were never armed.

To the right is the former fire control tower resembling a barn silo. It too is part of the former Fort Greene west reservation.

Wasting no time, some of the gang drove the two miles Monday to visit Galilee, RI, which is home to the largest fishing fleet in Rhode Island and for being the site of the Block Island Ferry. In 1902, the story goes, "Thomas Mann a fisherman from Nova Scotia who had settled here, felt the village that had sprung up with its fishing shacks should be called Galilee, after the fishing village of biblical times. Galilee was the original home region of Jesus Christ, who grew up in Nazareth, a village in the Galilee region of Israel on the Sea of Galilee. Four of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, Peter, James and John, were fishermen from Galilee.  One day, an old timer sat on the docks repairing his nets when a stranger called out to him, "Where am I". The answer was "Galilee". "And what is that?" the stranger asked pointing to the other side of the channel. The old timer thought for a minute, nodded his head and replied, "must be Jerusalem". And so the name of Galilee and Jerusalem have been used since."  Today, the port of Galilee is responsible for transporting over 16 million pounds of seafood and shellfish each year. Roberta shared these photos with me.

Tony, Doreen, Melanie, Dan

Tuesday, we drove 20 miles north over the Jamestown Verrazzano and the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge to spend the afternoon in Newport, RI. A note to my readers: The many links cited in this blog have been most gratifying for me to fully get the flavor of what I've experienced. I highly recommend you take the time (especially the restaurants) to check them out. I was very impressed how far restaurant websites have come. They're outstanding.

Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge

Caught a glimpse of the
Plum Beach Lighthouse.

On line photo much better.

Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge

Larry, Charlie, Roberta, Dan, Melanie, Doreen, Vicki, George
(Thank you, Tony)

Tenders from the Caribbean Princess taxing passengers back and forth.

Stopped at Diego's Newport  for a bite to eat.

Tony, Larry Doreen, Roberta, Charlie

#11 Rangoon:
Buttered squash, shishito pepper & spicy shrimp Rangoons served
crispy with their cilantro Thai chili sauce.

After lunch, a driving tour of the beautiful area around Newport. As a passenger, it was difficult to get the full flavor of the sites. What follows is part of a blog I posted FROM 2019. depicting my visit to Newport with granddaughter, Sara, then a student at URI.

Click this link for the history of The White Horse Tavern...

...built in 1652 and restored in 1952, it's recognized as the oldest tavern in the US.

The Seaman's Church Institute.
Founded in 1919, the institute's mission is to provide men and
women of the sea and persons refereed from the community
a safe haven in which they may find comfort, recreation and benefit.

 

The front gates to the Breakers

The Breakers from the rear facing the ocean. Vanderbuilt's
summer cottage completed in 1892 after fire destroyed the mansion.

As of 2017, 450,000 visitors a year tour the property.

The ocean side view from the Cliff Walk. For the fascinating
history of the The Breakers, visit the website.

 

Across the road is the private residence, the Anglesea Mansion.

Built in 1880, view the breathtaking video clip HERE

The gazebo is just above the Cliff Walk

It is a 3.5-mile public access walkway that borders the shore line

My beautiful and wonderful guide and chauffeur, Sara.

Easton Bay in background.

Saint Mary's Church where John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier would become the youngest President and First Lady in American history. Read about it HERE.

And here are two old-timers lounging in a Fall setting.

Youngsters took the photo advantage as well.

Dan and Melanie

For dinner, we made reservations at the Chophouse Grille, a restaurant in Wakefield where Sara worked as a server. For me, an eagerly awaited, mouth drooling culinary event. I've looked forward to this for a long time; a filet mignon with a baked potato.

Larry, Tony, Doreen, Roberta, Melanie, Dan
(Tony's observation: 4 of our 7 are left-handed)

Done to perfection! Béarnaise sauce and sour cream on the side. Those are sauteed Brussel sprouts....delicious. 

Wednesday, we ventured just up the road to Scarborough Beach. A perfect day for sitting in the bright sunshine.

While observing newlyweds beachcombing, the Windswept Mansion in the background caught my eye. It's one of the many abandoned structures in the area. These stone ruins of the outer building are all that remain. Click on the link to read its fascinating history; after changing hands from the original owners, the Davis family who constructed it in 1895, it became Cobb's By The Sea, an upscale restaurant where you paid the high price of $1.75 for boiled lobster and $2.25 for a filet mignon.  

Dog walking on the beach? Lots and lots....as well as silent observers, sea gulls.

Yes, Jack, it's time for dinner....again. Funny how that works. Each day, about the same time, we humans seek nourishment. Tonight it's The Coast Guard House Restaurant. Wine Spectator's Award Winner 2015-2022. John and Martine joined us. Again, a beautiful webpage gives history, menus and incredible photos. Be sure to check it out.

This plaque depicting the high water mark gives a different feeling...

...when you realize by comparison just how high the water line was. Very scary.

Larry, Tony, Doreen, Roberta, Charlie, George, Vicki, John, Martine

Once the sun set, it was chilly.

Charlie's Lobster Mac 'n Cheese. Need I say more?

Thursday, our last day rainy and windy...one of those stay-in-and-read-a-book days. But dinner time rolled around once again and tonight it's George's of Galilee.

End of blog quiz: Name them.

• BAKED STUFFED SHRIMP

  Five succulent jumbo shrimp stuffed with their own Italian herbed cracker stuffing. With it, I enjoyed a Charles Krug Chardonnay. 

Guess you could call this a kind of strawberry shortcake (which I shared).

And, as you would expect, with temperatures in the mid-50's, a full moon overhead and a collection of friends...that first night (and each night) you enjoy the soothing  warmth of a campfire. It's always the highlight of my getting together with my RV friends.

On that warm note, it's time to say good night. Hope you enjoyed the trip; the sights, the friends and the food. It's been a wonderful experience that I was blessed, thankful and fortunate enough to enjoy. My last blog for this RV season will be composed while in Croton Point Park. See you there.