The familiar three-hour, 162 mile drive from Rhode Island went well. I pushed the envelope and debated whether or not I should stop for fuel. I left CPP with a full tank; it holds 26 gallons. Could I make the round trip on one tank? On my trip back home, going through Stamford, CT, the GPS indicated 32 miles left. The onboard computer's fuel sensors indicated I had 50 miles of fuel left in the tank. Trusting neither, I continued on. What are the chances? The speed of my vehicle, traffic slowdowns due to congestion and road construction and the use of cruise control were all variables at play and still I pushed on. It ended well and to my satisfaction. I pulled into the gas station in Croton with four gallons left, added 22 and smiled that a) I made the round trip on one tank, b) used my BP gas card and received 15¢ off per gallon and c) was pleased that Winnie gets 16 miles/gallon. Quite good for a diesel powered motorhome. So that DECISION went in my favor.
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| Cheers |
Once back in the serene setting of Croton Point's RV campground, the weather and solitude offered more relaxation. I'll be here alone for a week before the Hudson Islanders gather for our second week-long CPP rally beginning September 7th. It took a few days to "catch up" back at the apartment with banking, laundry, mail and shopping but I was able to...
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| ...enjoy dinner at Cosimo's with daughter, Marybeth, and Carlo. Tonight, I chose the... |
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PORTOBELLO RAVIOLI
Portobello Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli, Caramelized Shallots, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Wild Mushrooms, Sherry Brown Butter and one of my favorite wines. |
The gas-fired fire pit took a bit of the chill out of the damp night air as well as providing a relaxing setting.
I also had a lunch date with friend, Hana, at The Bean Runner in Peekskill. Check out their menu. I had Jerk chicken, parmesan cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato & Caesar dressing on a panini..JPEG) |
And, a margarita toast to the passing of Jimmy Buffet.
Listen to him perform Margaritaville in 1978 HERE |
The Labor Day holiday was busy. Sunday, I hosted some friends for a London broil BBQ complete with salad, potato salad, corn on the cob and G&Ts.
Monday, Labor Day, friends, Steve and Maria. stopped by to spend the day. They brought everything: sandwiches for lunch, fresh off the vine yellow tomatoes for me, homemade wine and tomato salad. Their reward? A warm, on and off drizzly rain event that ended around 1:00 followed by humidity and mosquitoes. The park was close to vacant, quiet and relaxing. Later that evening for dinner, Steve's Uncle Tony and Doreen joined us.
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| In just three days, Tony and Doreen will be occupying this very site for their week here as part of our Hudson Islanders September Rally. |
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| Steve and his Uncle Tony manned the flawed grill (I need a new regulator for the grill.) while... |
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| ...Italian spaduche, skewered lamb, sizzled to perfection. |
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| As long as Tony's thumb has that valve pressed down, we get a good flame. |
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Before leaving, the couple next door to me offered their unused firewood. Good timing; we'll use it all in the coming days.
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With lots of time on my hands, I dove into debating my RV future. Another DECISION had to be made. My RV season is rapidly coming to an end. With only three more camping experiences left (two weeks in CPP, one week in Searsport, ME, and two more weeks in Narragansett, RI), winterizing was a reality and an annual chore in October I did not look forward to. Back and forth with pros and cons eventually led me to a DECISION: I will have an ENDLESS SUMMER and FOLLOW THE SUN!!  |
| The persuading argument |
I developed an itinerary that will continue through September and October. November 1st, I'll leave New York State and not return until mid-April. Six months later. Without the boring details that will come in future blogs, these are the stops and layovers I'll be making beginning October 10th and ending April 30, 2024. The trip home from Florida hasn't been decided:
Ellacoya State Park, Gilford, NH
Dorset RV Park, Dorset, VT
Covered Bridge Campsite, Livingston Manor, NY
Croton Point RV Park, Croton, NY
Sun Outdoors Cape Charles, Cape Charles VA
Dixon Landing RV Resort, Grantsboro, NC
Myrtle Beach State Park, Myrtle Beach, SC
Lake Jasper RV Village, Hardeeville, SC
Nova Campground, Port Orange, FL
West Palm Beach, FL
DelRaton RV Campground, Delray Beach, FL
*John Prince Park Campground, Lake Worth, FL
*Larry & Penny Thompson Memorial Park, Miami, FL
Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley, Clermont, FL
*Pending.
And if that weren't enough to make God laugh, I pushed the envelope with another DECISION. My goal for the summer of 2024 is to finish filling my map of the United States...There are nine states in which I haven't visited or slept. More about that itinerary in future blogs. Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington State and Oregon, here I come.
My ten-day stay on site 38 here at CPP comes to a close. I will now move over to site 35 on Thursday and be joined by fifteen fellow Hudson Islanders for another week of fun, frolic and invigorating conversation about new medications, new complaints about aches/pains, who's going where and where they've been. All this is made more fun around nightly campfires and libations.
Stay tuned.
If you don't know where you're going, then any road'll get you there. ~~George Harrison
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