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.