10/21 to 10/31 Croton Point Park

 Croton Point

RV Park

October 21st to October 31st

Another wet weekend for a drive from Point A to Point B. I'm told for the area, it was the seventh straight rainy weekend. No matter. My mind was busy re-arranging my new found time at home before heading south for the next six months. 

It was good to be back at CPP...my home away from home. Neighbor Diane came to pick me up at CPP so I could have my Caddy to run the many errands on tap. Site 59 on the east side of the road will keep Winnie toasty warm with the afternoon sun coming through the windshield. Temps will average 48º during my ten day stay.

And what a whirlwind week it was. Fourteen "things to do" on my calendar were all accomplished which, if you're a list keeper, is a very satisfying feeling.

• Had six lunch/dinner dates and got to see nine friends/family while enjoying Italian and sushi;
• All caught up on four doctor appointments including establishing a new primary care physician, thus enabling me to renew and obtain meds for my trip south;
• Shopping for basics and replenishing supplies needed to operate Winnie in addition to getting haircut, doing laundry and securing my apartment;
• Winnie's gray and black water tanks are drained and flushed; fresh water tank filled.

CPP was pretty well inhabited for what I thought was late in the season. Sunday, the 29th was a day of a mass exodus. I'm leaving Tuesday, the 31st. Took some photos of the goings on that I caught during my stay.

Site 59 is nestled in among the white pines whose fallen needles...

...provided a nice bedding underfoot so I didn't need to lay out my carpet

The feral cat lover was a daily visitor; not to feed it, but just to spend about ten minutes petting and stroking it. She'd even walk into the underbrush behind her to seek it out. Some days when she arrived, the cat would come and greet her.

Fortunately, one day, there was an unexpected visit from this coyote...during the day...who came out from the underbrush the cat lady went seeking her friend. Neither she nor the cat was seen during this time. A close look at this creature showed some damage.

A very messed up right rear leg. It ambled along with no noticeable limp...

...but messed up it was. A park maintenance person drove by to capture a photo but nothing transpired after that. The animal moseyed behind a couple of campers along the wooded perimeter and disappeared.

So, with that, I bid CPP, friends and New York State a fond farewell. I decided not to make my next stop in Cape Charles, Virginia, in one day...a drive of over six hours. Instead, I'll be stopping overnight at Lums Pond State Park in Bear, DE, after a three hour drive. My seven day stay in Cape Charles, Virginia will be just another 3½ hours further. Hope to see you along the way.

"The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready." — Henry David Thoreau

10/20 to 10/21 - Covered Bridge - Livingston Manor - New York

  Covered Bridge Campground

New York

October 20th to October 21st

After a wonderful, relaxing breakfast at the Dorset Bakery, my next stop was to be the Sunoco gas station less than a mile further north from the Bakery…said the GPSs…both of them as well as Google maps. I traveled that "less than a mile,” then, more than a mile…many more miles and no sign of any stations. The narrow, two lane, VT-90, country road continued on and on. A predicament. There were no turn offs, no side roads for me to pull a U-turn and go the way I planned. Narrow driveways into people’s homes were the only paths off this road. The GPS indicated the next turn was in twenty miles. Problem was, I was heading north and my destination was Livingston Manor, NY...southwest. As time went on, the mist settled in and once again I was traveling in dark, gloomy drizzly weather. I found a Stewart’s in Hartford, NY and with a sigh of relief filled my tank...only to find the price was $.10/gal cheaper at the next Stewart’s I encountered.  This wasn't going to be my day. Up one side of a mountain and down the other a few times with elevation changes ±1,500 feet. Winnie was put through her paces maintaining speed up hills and came out fine, dark, gloomy, drizzly weather notwithstanding. 

To make a long saga of traveling about an hour in the wrong direction in Vermont short, I’ll segue into the next ordeal awaiting me as I approached my destination 208 miles later, the Covered Bridge Campground. I had received notices from the campground that if I went the way a GPS indicated, I would wind up at the entrance on one side of a closed covered bridge. The campground was located just on the other side of the bridge. Re-routing took me over the rolling hills of New York, again on narrow two lane country roads. None of my camping friends would have had success in their Class As, Fifth wheels or trailers navigating these curvy, steep hills. Finally, a left turn onto the road to the campground. The seven-tenths of a mile dirt road took me past side roads on either side that had run-down, old, rusting uninhabited RV trailers that made the entire area look like a graveyard for dilapidated, abandoned RVs. These turned out to be the “seasonal" RV sitess, one of which was going to be mine, site 46. That voice in my head repeated itself, "today wasn't going to be my day."

At the end of the road, just before the barricaded covered bridge I was lucky enough not to see from the other end, I turned into the campground office. First impressions? This place was O-L-D and being kept up with minimal maintenance. This was not going to be one of my better encounters. After checking in, I returned up the road to one of the side “roads” and pulled into site 46. This should have been a back-in site but the narrow road would not allow for such maneuvering so I pulled in forward. My 50-foot power cord just made it to the source. The site was level, water/electricity only, had a picnic table and a fire pit. It was desolate. No one occupied the three rusting relics around me. As I posted on my FB page, this campground so far gave new meanings to the words, “in the boonies," "quiet,” "away from civilization” and “dark". And to put icing on the cake, once settled, there was no cell service and therefore no Internet. This called for good ol' "patience." I never felt 'fear' or 'danger' being in the desolation and alone, but unable to work on a blog, read emails, play on-line games, make phone calls (like 911) or being otherwise productive for four days didn't sit well.  A decision had to be made.

The next morning, I packed up and backed out of the site onto the “main" road and headed for CPP...days early. This four day stayed turned into an overnight stopover. This was the first time e-v-e-r that I cut short a stay at a campground. Fortunately, CPP could accommodate me (with a move from one site to another). So, a one-night stay cost me. I had to forfeit my payment due to the early departure and pay for four extra nights at CPP.

A bright side? Yes. I'll end this blog post on a positive note. The leaves were changing into what I expected for this "adventure"...and I just had to travel through New York State to see it. The trip to Livingston Manor provided the best fall foliage scenery I've encountered since leaving Rhode Island. Yes, timing is everything.  The sun broke through and the Route 55 around the Rondout Reservoir was beautiful (the highlight of the afternoon drive). The following photos were taken from a moving vehicle without taking my eyes off the road...I just pointed and shot.

Thanks for joining me for this different type of blog post. Good for a laugh...now that it's over. I'll see you in Croton. Stay well and warm.

“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.” ― David G. Allen

10/16 to 10/20 - Dorset RV Park - Vermont

 Dorset RV Park

Vermont

October 16th to October 20th

3½ hrs - 179 (scenic) miles

Only up to the 50's daytime, 40's nighttime.

My drive through New Hampshire into Vermont via I-93, I-89 and I-91 gave me some of the most scenic vistas that come to mind when you hear the phrase, "driving through the back country roads in New England in the Fall." True, Interstates and back country roads is an oxymoron, but to connect to them, I traveled those country roads; an experience everyone must include on their bucket list. In that category, mine is complete and with more to come. My next trip will take me through the rest of Vermont via Manchester and Bennington into New York State. What beauty must await me. Now here's the sad news about the drive. The weather the entire day was an overcast, dreary, dismal, intermittent drizzly day. The anticipated colors were not at peak nor enhanced by sunlight; but now that temps at night are in the mid-forties, things will change. I reminded myself as I scanned left and right while driving, these forests are mostly evergreen/conifers. It's the deciduous trees (oak, maple, ash, aspen) that are providing the spectacles. So far, their time has not arrived and so, the views are not as spectacular. The few photos taken while driving don't compare to what my eyes enjoyed. 

My last glimpse of the State Park in NH

Ah yes, every five miles or so a reminder.

Dorset, Vt, is a small town of a little more than 2,100 people in the southwest region of Vermont and home of the Dorset Marble Quarry, the first marble quarry in the United States (1785). It's also the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder, Bill W. The Bill Wilson House is in East Dorset.

I found this historical note in The World Atlas: Due to the area's closeness to New York and New Hampshire, the area was frequently claimed by both. New York insisted that it was included in its 1664 grant from Charles II but didn't make any effort to settle it. New Hampshire, attempting to expand its border to the west, simply seized the land and proceeded to grant 131 charters in the territory, which then was named the New Hampshire Grants. On the other hand, New York took revenge by announcing the Grants null and void and informed the settlers that they would have to buy the land back from New York at a much higher price if they decided to stay. The New Hampshire Grantees responded by organizing the "Green Mountain Boys," which is a casual association of civilian soldiers who protected the settlers from being expelled. In 1790 New York finally turned over her claims when Congress announced Vermont as the fourteenth state. In 1912 the Vermont Society of Colonial Dames built a historical icon at the site of the Cephas Kent Inn in Dorset.

This is a 360º video clip starting and ending with Winnie in the background. An active campground, RVs are coming and going everyday. 

And the celebrity chickens. One rooster has three hens, a half-dozen or so of a different breed went about on their own.

Big Daddy

My token offering was 'bird seed' which they seemed to enjoy. I figured I had friends for life.

Fortunately, he did not greet me at sunrise in the usual farmyard manner.

Even after returning from my shower, they were eager to greet me.

Chilly nights? Being warm and toasty sitting beside a campfire? S'more's? Marshmallows? All pleasing, comforting thoughts for the Fall. However, I've always maintained that all of it is wonderful...but you have to do it with company. I had my first campfire here solo and it just didn't do it. Warmth? Yes. Maybe it's because I'm a Gemini, that one aspect of camping, for me, requires others to make it memorable. I'm okay with traveling solo all these years soaking in the sights and enjoying the experiences, but a campfire requires at least two.  Does anyone feel the same way?

With the sun finally appearing the day before I leave, I've given you the sum total of the excitement experienced here in Dorset VT. RVs came and went spending just a day or two here. Tomorrow, when I leave I'll stop at the Dorset Bakery for breakfast which may be the highlight of my stay. On the way, the Dorset Quarry should be an interesting stop as well. I'm on my way back to New York State and Livingston Manor for five days.

Three photos from the Internet:

My photos of the same area:

How must they have carved such patterns back in the 1860's? Based on color, I'm guessing this is a "young" quarried slab of marble...

..as compared to older slabs that have undergone their color change due to the interaction of the atmosphere, moisture and the stone's chemical composition. It's a guess because I was a biology not an earth science teacher.

Today this quarry is a popular "swimming hole" that attracts many during the summer.

And after breakfast at the Dorset Bakery, off I went. Breakfast was French toast with Vermont maple syrup and a side of bacon. Two fresh baked pastries left with me. Off I went to Livingston Manor in New York state.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” — Albert Einstein