Sunday, June 27, 2010

Time for some catch-up

Sorry you haven’t heard from me in a while but I came down with the same ailment that afflicted me last October in Ocean Springs, MS. No trip to the hospital this time but it did delay our trip to Canada one day.

To regress after our wonderful Fathers Day fishin’ trip we had a scrumptious dinner of fried Crappie Monday night. There was lots & lots of leftovers so the boys could take some in their lunches.

Tuesday Jeremy came home with a flatbed to install on a pickup truck for his boss. He had cut it in three pieces cause it needed to be narrower and was fixin’ to weld it back together. Well after seeing how it didn’t want to fit cause of the raged cuts and big gaps he was startin’ to pull his hair out. I went out and looked at things, I told him I’m a wood butcher and I never worked much with metal but we worked out a plan where we would clamp a straightedge to the cut and just re-cut, makin’ it straighter. It definitely improved the joints and his outlook as well. After straightening the first two cuts he tacked it together. We had to use a jack to keep the surface of the bed flat and then tack it in place, raising and lowering as we progressed.

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We got both sides re-cut and tacked then flipped it over so he could reinforce it the next day.

Wednesday Linda, Gloria and I went to the Springville Auction. We perused the flea market, nothing of interest, then I bought some cheese which had been my ulterior motive fer’ goin’. They have cheese made by local farmers as well as the Cuba Cheese Company, I prefer the local stuff. After that we visited ‘Wally World’, had lunch at Taco Bell and were off to home. To my surprise Jeremy had all the weldin’ done on the flatbed and I planned to get a completed picture but was gonna’ wait till the next mornin’. But fate played me a cruel trick and I woke at 2:30 AM with terrible pain under my sternum and was up & down the rest o’ the night. I couldn’t stand and I couldn’t sit or lie down. It’s a horrible feelin’ and seein’ as this is the second time it’s happened, I’m gonna have to look into it further when I get home. Maybe an ultrasound, maybe an upper GI. Somethins’ got to be done!

Well I spent all day Thursday, the day we we’re leavin’ fer’ Canada in bed, walkin’ around, tryin’ to lie down, nothing worked. I finally got a little relief around Supper time and drifted off to sleep for about 4 hours.

Friday mornin’ I felt good enough to travel and we headed up the road for Fort Erie, Ontario, me in the passenger seat and ‘Bubbles’ at the wheel. Everything went well till we stopped for some lunch and when I entered the camper I was freezin’, shiverin’, cold. We ate a little, then headed out again but I lived in my Alaska “Hoodie’ till we got to Wayne’s house, in 75 degree weather.

So it’s now the third day an I’m feelin’ a mite better but the shivers and hot feverish feelin’ seems to come on in the later afternoon. Everyday it seems to get a little later. After a nap this afternoon to quiet the shiveries’, I started getting board and took that as a good sign. Linda had gone off with Wayne & Coleen to do a clogging show for some benefit and I didn’t feel up to accompanying them. So I napped and got rid of the shiveries’. About 8PM They returned and I was feelin’ so good I was gonna’ make someone take me for something to eat, but they hadn’t eaten so we all went to dinner. Boy did it taste good, first regular ‘people food’ I had since Wednesday.

Sunday I didn’t start feelin’ poorly till around 3PM and we had been out most the day. So back to bed to get me warm and feelin’ better. This thing has got to GO! I have no other ailments other than aches and pains, probably from helpin’ my Nephew, and a fever that comes on during the day. The speed I’m improvin’ Coleen says in a week I might be able to get through the day.

Well that’s all I can tap out ,this entry has taken me two days. Hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the wind.

Monday, June 21, 2010

A Fathers Day for Fishin’ & Relaxifyin’

Sunday was ‘Fathers Day’ and Fred & Gloria had plans to take us to their ‘Little Piece of Heaven. We were going to be fishin’, grillin’ & relaxifyin’. The property is owned by Fred’s ex-brother-in-law and he spends his summers here, winterin’ in South Carolina. We will be fishin’ in a 7 acre pond with bass, crappie, bluegill, sunfish &  carp. The great thing, Private Property, No License Required!

We arrived around noon and commenced to relaxifyin’, some of faster than others.

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It wasn’t too long and we were plying the depths of the water searchin’ fer out targeted prey for the day, ‘The Crappie’! Fred was the first to land a fish, seemed like seconds after he casted.

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Followed by yours truly with my Lunker Bass fer’ the day.

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Shortly after the Crappie started to hit, everyone was gettin’ in on the action and had a turn catchin’ fish. All in all we caught 3 bass, two bluegill and twenty five crappie, that yours truly spent the better part of two hours filletin’. 

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All the fish were returned to the pond with the exception of the yummy, tasty crappie. Those will be dinner tomorrow night as these folks have never et these! At one point I thought I’d never get ahead on the cleanin’ of fish cause Linda was catchin’ much faster than I could clean. The fish would bite good while the sun was out bright, then shut down when it got cloudy. So much fer’ relaxifyin’, but I had a great time fishin’ and spendin’ the day with the family.

In amongst the action  my youngins’ and grand youngins’ had all called to wish me a “Happy Fathers Day’. That was very nice of them.

We had some grilled hot dogs & hamburgers to round out the day and when I looked at my watch it was almost 7 PM. I was tired and ready to call it a day along with everyone else. So we packed up and were off, back to our 8x14 rollin’ home fer’ the next 4 months. At times we both wish we had the 5ver here with us but we’ve existed in this box fer’ month’s before and we’ll survive.

That’s about all the news I can squeeze out fer’ this post. We’ll be here till Thursday mornin’ if all goes accordin’ to plans, but you know how that can change when you don’t have schedules & deadlines.

Hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Tractor Pullin’ & Vistin’

We left ‘Cousin Bonnie’s’ at a remarkable 9’ish this morn. We only had about 125 miles to travel, but someone has been lookin’ fer sandals at ‘Wally World’ since we left home. The sandals she liked were worn by the daughter of our good friends ‘Bud & Linda’ and were purchased in the Jamestown, NY ‘Wally World’ and as we get closer the anticipation grows. Well we also stopped in Warren, PA & Springville,NY but NO SANDALS! Maybe we can stop lookin’ now, HA!
We arrived at Niece’s Gloria & her husband Fred’s house in NY around 3 on Saturday. Gloria was on hand to greet us but Fred and Josh, their oldest boy, were at a Tractor Pull. Seems both Josh and Jeremy are into participatin’ in tractor pullin’. Tractor Pullin’ is big sport here from the hobby level to the “Pro” circuit and there are "’Pulls” almost every weekend somewhere in the area. Both Josh & Jeremy are hobbyist's right now But Jeremy is building a ‘Super Modified’ tractor from the ground up.
After gettin’ parked and hugs from Gloria, Dad & Josh called to say they were on their way home. Seems Josh won ‘Third Place’ and received a trophy. He has had first place wins before but he seemed more thrilled with the trophy he received today than the monies he’s received for those first place finishes. He say’s the money gets spent but this is something that will last a long time.
After they arrived we were instructed to don our crew shirts, that were presented to us, and it was time fer’ some pics'.
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Here’s Josh on his tractor with his trophy.
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Here’s the whole crew.
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Here’s a short video of Josh’s first ‘pull’ of the day.

After puttin’ away the tractor the ‘Boys’ sat down to some fried chicken Linda had made and the ‘Old Folks’ visited into the night.
That’s all fer this episode, stay tuned fer’ some more news on ‘Fathers Day’.
Until then maybe we’ll see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Great Time Machine Boondoggle

We’ll we’re still at cousin’s Bonnie’s fer’ the next few days then it’s off to our niece’s in Holland, NY for several days before we leave the country for Ontario.

We haven’t been doin’ too much, tryin’ to conserve our energy. Never know when ya’ mite need to draw on the reserves ya’ got stored. Haven’t written cause there’s nothin’ much to write about here.

I know I mentioned it before, but I’d like to tell ya’ about our adventures at the 25 or so WalMarts from TN to PA that we’ve visited on our way here. Where do I begin;

It seems when we were at our friends house, Amy & Randy, in TN and walked out to see their new trailer with Amy, upon entering the trailer Linda noticed Amy had a nice white wall clock. Then she noticed it was quiet, no TIC-TOC. She mentioned if it came up missin’, that Amy would know where it wandered off to. See the wall clock we have in the Lance has a loud TIC-TOC. When we’re dry campin’ and going to bed it sounds like it gets louder, resonatin’ off the walls. The quieter it gets outside the louder the clock seemed to get. So when Linda saw this and Amy said “I bought it at WalMart, it was only $3.97 or so”, I could hear the wheels turnin’ in her head. So after the campin’ weekend we spent with Amy & Randy, I knew I was headed fer ‘Wally World’.

We made it as far as KY before I had to stop at ‘Wally World’. We went in and found the style clock Linda was dyin’ for. We had been siteseein’ around Cumberland Gap National Park and I just happened to have my backup camera batteries in my pocket. The clock we were lookin’ fer’, someone had already removed from the box, so I slipped a battery in and ‘VOILA’, time with no TIC-TOC TIC-TOC. Yeah!!!! I put the clock up to Linda’s ear, “Do you hear anything”? “No”, she replied, we were both elated. I placed the clock against a folded up resin table, to simulate the amplifying effect the wall seems to have, ‘No Sound’. I took the clock, slipped it in the box and we were off for the checkout. We were pleased that after three years we had a wall clock that didn’t make a racket.

The next day and about 100 or more miles down the road, my lovely bride decides that she would like a white bezel, instead of the black one on the new clock. Well the clock we’ve had for three years has a black bezel, but she wants white! Ya’ know the sayin’ “If Moma’s Happy, Everybody’s Happy” I’ve found is healthy advice to live by. So start lookin’ fer the next ‘Wally World’ fella’.

After stoppin’ at 8,10,12 ‘Wally World’ stores we finally find what the Mrs. is lookin’ fer. Same clock, same manufacturer, white bezel. So we grab it up and with our other purchases we check out and leave. No need to put a battery in it, “It’s the same clock”!

The mounting is different so I have to remove the industrial velcro on the wall and the present clock before I can mount the new clock. Several days later we get the new clock out to see about hangin’ it. After puttin’ a battery in it we are rewarded with the window shakin’ sound of TIC-TOC, TIC-TOC. Wonderful. Now I’m ready to use this thing as a clay bird and see if I can hit it with one of my pistolas!!

So another 8,10,12 ‘Wally World’s”, on up & down the road, before we find the same clock again. Well ‘Fool me once, shame on me’, I’ve got a battery for the clock and a screwdriver to remove the clock from it’s packaging. Now here I stand in ‘Wally World’, removin’ all these clocks from the packagin’ and puttin’ batteries in ‘em, while “Wally Word’ security is watchin’ me on camera. I’m surprised I didn’t get detained as a ‘Homegrown terrorist’, loadin’ up all the clocks. Well we didn’t find a quiet clock till we got to Titusville, PA, and it wasn’t silent like the first clock, but it was quieter. At this point I’m willin’ to settle fer’ any time piece that doesn’t ‘Rock the house’.  We take it home and the next day get ready to mount it. After puttin’ the battery in and placin’ it on the wall it was decided we didn’t want this semi quiet TIC-TOC clock either. So after 25 or 30 ‘Wally World’ stops, this is or new clock!

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No TIC-TOC and look, it has the black bezel we started out with on the first clock. Linda’s happy, I’m real happy!! End of story.

So if yer’ ever in need of clock advise, you know who ya’ can look to. BUY DIGITAL!!!

Hope ta’ see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Surprising the Bike Tour Girl

We had made plans with Bonnie to drive to Conneaut, OH this morning. Her daughter & boyfriend were riding in a 150 mile bike trip to benefit MS. It’s the “Escape to the Lake” They traveled 80 miles Saturday and were finishing today. Bonnie's daughter, Jody didn't know any of us were coming to cheer her on at the finish line. Her boyfriend Hansel, had been corresponding with Bonnie over the 2 days, keeping her abreast of their progress. Jody had no clue that Linda & I were even in PA. We we were up early as Bonnie was comin’ over about 9 so we could head out for OH.
We were greeted with a surprise this mornin’. The black tank is FULL, FULL, FULL, and there’s no place to dump it here. Did pretty good, it’s been 10 days since we dumped last. Guess we should have been watchin’ it a little closer than we were, Oh well “It’s water almost over the bridge”. So now we need to move, if just to dump the tank. Since we need to dump and Linda’s cousin Diane has a dumper at their house, I guess we’ll be movin’ to Bonnie’s a day earlier than expected, cause they don’t live too far apart.
Bonnie came and we were almost ready, as we started to break camp. We left after checkin’ the route on DeLorme Street Atlas and wrote down the directions so we didn’t have to use the computer. See the truck’s back seat is packed, so we three had to ride up front, not much room for anything else.
Everything was going fine and we were makin’ great time until we hit Meadville, PA and realized we were backtrackin’ south. Seems we took a wrong turn at this confusion intersection in the middle of Cambridge Springs, PA. So back we go, head fer’ the interstate to make up some lost ground. Well we got to Conneaut, OH and the town was turned out to greet all the cyclists, which was quite touching. We made our way to the third entrance of the park as instructed by Hansel and found a parkin’ spot. Turns out they were still an hour away so we spread out the table and had our picnic lunch while we waited. While we ate Hansel’s Mom & Dad arrived and we tried to flag them down so they could park by us, but they missed us. We all met up by the finish line minutes later. When Hansel texted Bonnie to tell her they were a few minutes away we made our way to the finish line.  There were over 1300 bicyclists participating in this ride, so pickin’ out Jody & Hansel was going to be a job. I'm glad for digital cameras as I took pictures of several folks I thought were, but were not them, prior to their arrival. As these bicyclists are zoomin’ round the corner and down the hill, all dressed in their cycling gear, it was hard to spot them.
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But alas here they came!
Jody was excited to see her Mom at the finish line to greet her. She didn’t even see Linda & I for a few seconds and boy was she surprised to see Linda!
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We were all real proud of them, 150 miles on a bike in two days. Sounds like excruciating torture to me. We don’t drive that far from one camp spot to the next some days. 
After the greetings and back slappin’ they went to check in and then for some well deserved food. Must burn an awful lot of calories ridin’ that far. Hansel said they averaged around 10 miles an hour. After they were finished eatin’ it was time for more pictures at the lake.
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Here’s the lovely couple on the boardwalk.
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One in the refreshing 62 degree water of Lake Erie.
Hansel has done this trip several years but this is Jody’s first. We are all really proud of your accomplishment.
Way to Go Jughead!!!
Now some obligatory pics of the rest of us.
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Me, Bonnie, Jody, Hansel & Linda
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Darrin, Jody, Hansel & Christie
So we all said our goodbyes and headed home to Titusville. The kids are ti…r…ed, too say the least. When we arrived I started loadin’ the camper while the girls were gettin’ ready fer’ supper. But no, first I must make a trip to ‘Wally World’ for Italian bread. When I return I learn Don & Jessie have gone to their son’s and were all invited for dinner. Well we need to break camp and get to a dump station, so we decided on pizza instead for something quick. After dinner Bonnie headed home and we told her we’d follow shortly. We left Titusville and went to Diane & Denny’s to dump then on to Bonnie’s in Seneca.
Family members may view more pictures from Jody & Hansel’s Bike ride at Jody's Bike Ride.
We’ve had a busy weekend and this ole’ boy is ‘Pooped’! So I bid you adieu & goodbye for today. Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Dinner with the Cousins’

Cousin Bonnie invited us down for supper as her husband Scott was going to be home. Scott drives a truck ‘over the road’ and was in for the night before his next trip. As long as we’re going to their house and we were figurin’ on movin’ the camper there Monday we decided to take some of our stuff there tonight. We loaded the generator, gas can, second battery that we carry, bicycles and some 2x2’s that I bought to build a rack in the truck bed for the bikes.
One of the local Fire Departments were having a festival and Linda, Don, Jessie & I went last night for the fish fry. We got a huge slab of fish, french fries, cole slaw & a roll for $7, it was excellent. We also watched the ‘Lawn Tractor’ pulling event that was takin’ place. It was OK but there was no information on which contestant was pullin’ or how far they pulled. So we couldn’t tell who was in what place, kinda poorly run.
Saturday before loadin’ up and goin’ to Bonnie’s we returned to the festival to watch some woodcuttin’ competition. I expected events like you see on ESPN with tree climbin’, log rollin’ and such, but this was different. The events were all done with chainsaws. The most intriguing event involved cuttin’ a tall pole and makin’ it fall where you want it. They were scored on accuracy of alignment, after each contestant markin’ out where they intended to bring the tree down. They place a 30” hemlock board perpendicular to the intended path of the pole, about 1/2 way from the base to the spot the top would strike the ground. If they snapped this board they received points. Each pole also had a large diamond shaped target attached to the top and a spike was placed by each contestant where he predicted the top of the pole to fall. If the target struck the spike, points were awarded in relation to the center bullseye on the target. Here’s an example.
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Here’s a video of the PA State Collegiate Champ at work. Ya’ might want to turn your sound down a bit, my gal does get excited.
The day was hot and the sun was hotter, besides we had to get to Bonnie & Scott’s, so we left the festival. After loadin’ up the afore mentioned stuff, we headed to Bonnie’s. Along the way we made a small detour to Franklin, PA to a bike shop to see if we could make an appointment to have someone look at Linda’s bike. We found the one bike shop in the area located on the bike trail in town, the Country Pedaler. We explained the problem and were told to bring the bike in so they could take a look at it. The owner lubricated it, adjusted it and gave us some tips on keepin’ it runnin’ smoothly. No appointment necessary, the charge, $5, I was elated. Our bikes are just run-o-the-mill bicycles and was fearin’ a bill more than what the bikes worth. I can’t recommend Country Pedaler more to anybody who is in the area and is in need of repairs or bicycle related equipment. I purchased some White Lightning Clean Ride lubricant to try to keep our bikes running smoother and I felt I owed this fella something more that what he was chargin’.
So with the bike fixed we head to Bonnie’s. When we arrive Scott is off doin’ his shoppin’ for his next trip. Linda & I unloaded all our ‘stuff’ and commence to visitin’. Shortly Scott returns and we all have a rousin’ time visitin’. Before ya’ know it it’s six o’clock and we have to start gettin’ supper goin’. Bonnie served a meal fit for a king with LARGE portions of delicious steak, Twice Baked Potatoes, cole slaw & a tomato and mozzarella salad. Now ordinarily Linda & I split a steak anymore as that’s enough fer us. Well tonight I ate all of my steak and nibbled on Scott’s bone, I was stuffed but it was so good!! Later we topped everything off with Bonnie’s ho-made, we know who made it, strawberry-rhubarb pie. Again delicious!!
Around 9:30 we said our goodbyes as we needed to get back to the camper in Titusville. I don’t enjoy travelin’ on these roads at night cause this country is loaded with DEER!I don’t need a new hood emblem on our truck. We made it home safe while Linda drove and I forced myself to remain awake watching for DEER.
Hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Bicycle Ride gone bust!

We decided that we needed to take our bikes down to the bike trail along Oil Creek. The path starts at the Drake Well  Museum and goes down through Oil Creek State Park.

So I loaded up the bikes in the back of the truck for a trip to the other side of town. I soon realized that I need to come up with a removable bike rack for the bed of the truck when the camper is off the truck. Just pilin’ the bikes on top each other just don’t cut it. I got some ideas runnin’ around in my noggin’ so I’ll have to sort them out and see what comes to the surface.

Well we got to the bike trail and unloaded the bikes. Linda decided to ride hers around the circular parking loop to loosen up a bit. Mrs. Murphy must have been lookin’ down on her and threw a ‘Kabosh’ at her. Now her bike won’t shift gears on the rear de-raileur at all. So I try ridin’ it and sure enough I can’t get it to shift either. So instead of headin’ up the trail we try the trail that goes upstream back towards town. The uphill grades are not as steep but Linda still had trouble with them so we headed back to the truck. She wanted me to go ride anyway but I wasn’t going alone.

So now we have to locate a bike shop to get her bike looked at and “you know they don’t have one here”. So we’ll wait till we get to Bonnie’s house and try to locate one there.

That’s about all for this post. We’ll be movin’ to Linda’s cousins in a few days down in Seneca, PA, time for some different surroundings. Hope to see ya down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Nice Day for a Hike

Linda woke this mornin’ with the idea of takin’ a hike up in the Allegheny NF. Don had mentioned takin’  a drive up to Minister Creek and hikin’ out to the rocks he remembered as a kid. So it must have been weighin’ heavy on Linda’s mind in the early mornin’ as she lie in bed and guess what? It’s hikin’ today! Not a problem, I’m up for it. We took a short 2.5 mile walk last night to settle our supper.

So we packed a picnic lunch for the four of us and Don & Jessie picked us up. We drove the 20 or so miles through many small burgs that had names but that was about it. We arrived at Minister Creek, at a parkin’ area then decided we should go across the road to the campground to see if we could find a table for our lunch. As luck would have it there was only one campsite taken so we had a choice of spots. After selectin’ one we commenced to ‘picnicin’.

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Fuelin’ up for the hike!

I spoke to a couple who spent a lot of time hikin’ the Minister Creek trails for years and was told the Minister Creek Overlook, our destination for today, was about 2 miles out. Then we commenced to hikin’. We crossed the creek and started follerin’ the trail.

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Soon we came to an old buildin’ that looks like it was left from the ‘Oil Era’. It was probably a machine shed for the oil wells in the area.

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The extensive open area is used by campers now as well as the structure that remains.

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It makes a nice cook shack and a great place to take shelter from the numerous rains we’ve been gettin’ in the last weeks. This clearin’ is unusual as the forest is really thick, to the point that there is little sun that reaches the forest floor and the primary ground cover is fern. So as we continue on the trail towards the Minister Rocks Overlook, we re-enter the thick woods.

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Here’s the girls by one of the first rocks we encounter. The root behind the girls is from the tree on the opposite side of the rock and was large enough to allow Don to walk up it to reach the top of the rock.

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And we continue on.

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And on

Then after walkin’ up, up, up on this mountain we finally are rewarded with the prize we’ve been searchin’ fer’.

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We made it to the top.

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This is the view that we’re rewarded with at the top.

The area is covered with large boulders and there are large crevices that are intermingled with the boulders. The path through the crevices shows a change in elevation of 100-150’ and far to steep for us to navigate down. Before headin’ back down I asked everyone to sit and rest while munchin’ on a trail bar and drinkin’ some water. This is the first I’ve sat down since we started up the trail and I was enjoyin’ it.

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We seemed to attract a friend who was coy but still soliciting for a hand out.

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He sure liked the chocolate chip trail bar.

After our short rest we started back down, but someone knew a better way to return, after all, it’s only been 65 years since they were here. More direct & more swampy, fer the girls who were wearin’ tennis shoes. There were times when we knew we should turn around and go back the trail we came up on. But we followed an old loggin’ road after we made our way down out of the rocks. Eventually we came to the highway. We were only a mile down the road from the car. Linda and I walked back to the car and brought it back to pick up Don & Jessie.

We had a great day in the woods with only one mishap. Jessie’s hikin’ stick broke as she was traversin’ on of those muddy, wet, swampy spots and she went down in a little mud. Thank goodness she was not hurt.

Well that’s all fer’ today. No need to rock this ole’ boy to bed tonight, I’m Pooped!! Maybe we’ll see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

More rough weather & Effects from yesterday

Well were havin’ some more strong storms tonight. The ‘Weather Guy’ on the news says to keep your weather radio on through out the night. Great ours is at home in FL, cause “we didn’t need that”! Matter o’ fact we have two at home!!

Linda’s cousin Cheryl and her husband Kent just signed the papers on a home they bought for a rental less than two days ago. The storm that went through Friday night with all the tornado warnings did a bit of damage around the city.

Cheryl's House with Tree

That’s Cheryl & Kent’s new rental on the left with the tree lying on it after Fridays storm. The tree struck both houses when it fell & they sustained a bit of damage but it doesn’t seem structural. Once the tree was removed they secured a tarp over the the roof to protect it.There were a multitude of trees around that area of this small city that were felled by the storm. The City also lost about 15 utility poles due to downed trees and some just snapped in the wind. The fire station down the road scattered their trucks around the area so they wouldn’t be all caught at the station should damage occur there.

I’m wonderin’ if maybe we should pull up stakes and go somewhere else fer’ a while, at least till things calm down. Course I don’t know where that would be at this point. I know I’ve mentioned the temps have been runnin’ hot-hot here lately, but after tonight the highs are supposed to be 60’s with lows in the 40’s. Maybe the cooler weather will calm down the ‘wild weather’.

Well off to bed for me and I hope we’re not “Off to see the Wizard” tonight while we sleep.

Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Rough Weather

We had Ed, one of the neighbors, over to dinner this evening. We were just finishin’ dinner tonight when the neighbor fella, a cross the way, come a-knockin’ on the door. Seems we’re under a ‘Tornado Warning’ for this city. We had heard some distant thunder but nothing that close.  So we started lookin’ a little closer. Then Ed’s daughter, Cari came over sayin’ there’s a tornado on the way. Now wait a minute. Two days ago there’s a Ranger runnin’ around yellin’ to tie everthang down, now there’s a tornado headed this way? Do I have a black cloud hangin’ over me? I don’t normally attract this much attention, even from ‘Mother Nature’. Well now we’re all standin’ outside trying to see if’n we can see something. Well Ed decides to head for home and Cari and her husband Albert are headin’ in, so Linda & I go back in the camper. She’s playin’ solitare and I’m tryin’ to bring up the radar on the computer. We had already discussed goin’ in the Milk House if’n things start gettin’ bad. When Linda says, “Maybe we should lower the camper closer to the ground”. I figure it’s not a bad idea, so I grab the jack remote, but when I open the door a gust of wind almost pulls it out of my hand. Now I figure we better get in the Milk house, so I grab a lantern and this computer and we run for the door just as the cold rain starts. From the doorway of the milk house I run the jacks down lowerin’ the camper to the ground. Then the rain’s goin’ sideways and the hails comin’ as well from the west. In less than a minute the rain and hail is now comin’ from the east. We had a lot of lightning, not much wind and small hail. After ten minutes or so everything started to calm down and we returned to the camper. During the time we were in the milk house the siren down the road at the fire station went off twice in warning.

So that’s seems to be all the excitement for today, thank goodness. See Ya’ again soon.

Hope to see ya’ down the road as were;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Red Barn at Last!

Well here we sit in Pennsylvania. We stayed a second night in Barkcamp State Park at the Passport America rate of $10. We might have stayed longer or explored a new state park but the rates change on Thursday night. The last night at Barkcamp we had a new experience, the ranger came through the campground loops repeatedly announcin’ over his loudspeaker, “A severe Thunderstorm is coming, Please tie everything down!”! Heck we come from the land of severe thunderstorms and have never heard this before tonight! Well we had a little rain, and I do mean little. But that’s OK. Better than havin’ a blow that takes everythang’ we got right with us.

Since we couldn’t stay in the OH parks system we decided to go over to PA and visit Billy & Gary, Linda’s cousins in Karns City. We tried to call them Tuesday night but had to leave a message. Turns out they were busy this weekend with graduations and an anniversary party, so we went up the road further to Linda’s Aunt Jessie & Uncle Don’s in Titusville, PA. Jessie & Don are over in the eastern part of the state visitin’ their grandyoungin's’ but they’ll be back Sunday. Gives us a chance to unpack, do some laundry and maybe relax a little fer’ a few days. We are parked up at the barn next to the old ‘Milk House’. Jessie & Don have owned this farm up the road from their home for a lot of years. They use the old three story barn for storage rental space. So there’s no critters to fuss about, ‘cept some barn swallows and some bats. We’ll be stationary here fer’ a while so unless somethin’ excitin’ comes upon us my postin’ may be a little lax.

Before I go I forgot to mention someone we met in our travels at Camp Copperhead. See thar’ was this fella with a big… tag-a long rig, and he had his wife and four young children with him. It kinda’ made Linda & I reminisce a little and we thought it it was wonderful that he was exposing his children to the outdoors and the camping experience. Well seems this fella is the creator of a brand new product for campers, tailgaters and homeowners. It’s called “Stake Buddy”.

Stake Buddy 1 Just a quote from his website- “It’s simple to use just slip the larger loop over your wrist, and grasp the comfortable handle. Adjust the slide to secure to your wrist. Then just attach the other loop to the stake and pull”.

It’s effortless, lightweight, compact and fer’ a ‘Mister Fixit’, ya can’t hardly hurt yerself’ with it. I tried it, it worked on our metal stakes that we use with our canopy. So if ya’ think ya’ might could use one and support a young American entrepreneur in the process go to their website and check it out further.

Well I’ll get off the soap box fer’ now and say ‘adios’. Maybe we’ll see ya’ down the road as were;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Get ready Ohio, Here we come!

We Left Alma, Camp Copperhead and our friends Kathy & Vicki behind and headed north along the Ohio River. We went as far as Sistersville and stopped to peruse the town. I was lookin’ fer’  a bank with an ATM to get some dinero’. Nope, none ‘o’ the banks here have an ATM. It’s up at the BP station, What? There is a ferry here that crosses the Ohio River and we wanted to check on the fare for us and the camper. Well after lookin’ over the town, goin’ to the BP fer’ some much needed cash we drove down to the ferry.
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Ferry ready fer’ loadin’
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Wow we all went fer’ $4
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All loaded an ready to go
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How bout this fer’ a reverse action?
The Sistersville Ferry has been continually operatin’ here since 1815 takin’ folks across the Ohio River. The trip isn’t long but it sure was worth the fare, just fer’ the unique experience.
When we reached the banks of the Ohio we headed north along Rt. 7 followin’ the river all the way to I-70. It was a scenic ride along the river through little hamlets that have relied on the river and it commerce since their beginnings. We turned west on I-70 fer’ a short spell and got off at the exit fer’ Barkcamp State Park.
Upon arrivin’ at the park we stopped at the office on the way in to ask if we could choose a site, or do they assign sites. We were greeted by Charlotte, who I called “Little Miss Sunshine of Barkcamp State Park”. I had talked to Charlotte yesterday on the phone and even then her warmth and enthusiasm for her work and the place she worked were evident.Today we were greeted with the same enthusiasm and I new it had to be her. I asked her name and confirmed my suspicion. Well we chatted about the park, our travels, and the area in general. She provided us with oodles of info and wanted to know how long we would be staying. We replied that we’d start with one night and she said that we’d love the park should stay longer. Strange she said the same thing to me in our previous conversation on the phone.
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Here’s our site at Barkcamp State Park
We'll we tend to agree with her. Barkcamp State Park Has much to offer everyone, from it’s day use areas with lake swimming, boating, fishing from bank or boat or picnicking in no less than seven different picnic areas. There is an extensive trial system for hiking, horseback riding and snowmobiling in the winter. There is volleyball, basketball, horseshoe pits, a Put-Put course adjacent to the Park office. The rental boat program is a real deal at $10 for three hours for row boat, canoe or kayak.
The campground offers 125 sites with 20/30/50 electric, table, fire ring and water spigots for filling your tank conveniently throughout the camping loops. Paved roads & paved site pads. There are three loops to choose from, one with 40 ‘Pet Approved’ sites, An equestrian area in the same loop with 25 sites with electric, corral, horse washing station and a accessible mounting ramp. There is also a group Camp available. They offer hot showers with heated floors, for the chillier weather camping, vault toilets throughout the loops, and a dump station.
On weekends they offer programs in interpretive hikes, Junior ranger programs, fishing fun, boat tours on Belmont Lake, Saturday Night at the Movies and exploration of their museum in the Pioneer Village. All programs are FREE to the public.
If this park has any drawbacks I’d have to say it’s the showers. There is only one shower house for 125 sites and it’s a long walk for a shower from some of the loops. On a busy weekend with five or six showers for men & women you might have to wait quite a while for a shower.
Barkcamp has been voted #1 in the states park system and is indeed a ‘Hidden Jewel’ in Ohio. It is close to the interstate, but distanced enough so there is no interstate noise or light pollution.
Big Bonus for you Passport America folks, this park participates in our program and sites are $10 Sunday thru Wednesday. Where else can you stay with all these amenities for that kind of money.
Well that’s all fer’ this day in the travels of the RV-Anytimers. Hope to see ya’ down the road as were;

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Return to Camp Copperhead

Howdy we made it down to Alma to visit with Kathy & Vicki, the ‘Queens’ of Camp Copperhead. No really Kathy & Vicki are the sweetest two gals and great hosts.
We pulled in on Saturday and they were havin’ a Memorial Weekend complete with several bands performin’ in the ‘creekside’ stage. They directed us to a site they saved fer’ us and we swung in and setup. Later Kathy came by to see if we were satisfied with the site, “Sure it’s fine”. We relaxed fer a spell then Linda made some sausage-peppers n’ onions fer supper. That was some good eatin!! We stopped in a grocery store earlier in the day at Cumberland, MD and picked up a 2.5 lb. ring of hot Italian sausage with red, yellow & green peppers & onions cut up in the center fer’ $5 & some change. Got Saturdays & Sundays dinner outa’ it and have 4 pieces left fer’ sandwiches or pasta. Not a bad deal at all. After dinner we walked down to the bandstand to checkout the music, ran into the girls makin’ a fire and was invited to set by their fire, off I went fer some chairs. The music was good and stretched on till after 12AM but we faded about that time and went home.
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All setup with the wash hangin’
Sunday we had a wonderful breakfast of Sausage & Pancakes, Mmm..mn. We hung around most of the day as Linda was cookin’ Country Ribs, more Italian sausage and ground beef fer’ spaghetti sauce. All great deals at that little grocery store in MD. We invited Kathy & Vicki for a dinner of spaghetti with sausage & garlic bread. The girls showed up and we all sque..eezed round the table in the camper. We had a wonderful dinner, great conversation & lots ‘o’ laughs into the night. We broke up around 9 as both girls had to work Monday.
Monday we just kinda’ hung out doin’ nothin’. We were expectin’ thunder storms that night and picked up as much as we could to be prepared for our departure Tuesday morning. Turns out we got just a little rain around 1 AM & no more.
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Camp Copperhead is big on ATV’s as they have 30 acres of mountain out back to explore.
If your ever in the Alma area of west Virginia and lookin’ fer’ a place to camp in the country where there’s no interstate, no trains, just piece and quiet. Then ya need to stop by Camp Copperhead. If’n ya’ meet Kathy & Vicki, tell ‘em we said Hi!
By the way I asked where they got the name fer this place. Kathy told us that this was the first official Boy Scout Camp in WV, in 1938, the Boy Scouts gave it the name and it has stuck all these years.
Well that’s all fer’ now. Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re";