Better then an RV Show

I seriously think that if you plan on buying an RV, you need to visit a campground on a busy weekend.  The variety of RV's you will see is better then some of the RV shows l have been to.

RV's that you have never seen before show up.  If you think about it, you only see a select few of the RV dealers out there when you are at a show....and mostly the bigger dealers with deeper pockets.

The shows that l have been to in Toronto never have any that are as small at this one

[caption id="attachment_999" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Love the name too...Wazat!!!"][/caption]

 

This one is a little bigger then mine,

[caption id="attachment_1000" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Vista"][/caption]

And the best part of all......you get to see this kind of stuff as you walk about looking at all the RV's

[caption id="attachment_1002" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Au Sauble River and Whiteface Mountain in the Background"][/caption]

 





 

Huricanes in the Adirondacks?

Yep, not a direct hit, last year Hurricane Irene came through this area.  Drenching the area in rain.  As the rain ran down from the mountains it whipped out roads, lifted houses off foundations and flooded rivers.

Here are a couple of pictures l snapped for your viewing pleasure....

 

[caption id="attachment_994" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Water line of Irene"][/caption]

 

This picture is just outside of Jay, New York.  The guy who owns this property marked on his cinder block wall how high the river swelled that day.  Pretty impressive, isn't it!  The river was on the other side of the road and about 50 feet beyond that the day l drove through.

 

[caption id="attachment_995" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The peaceful river"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_996" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bridge on the Au Sauble River"][/caption]

This bridge with the river meandering under it actually had trees and debris lodged in its' structure from the downpour.  Mother Nature is not to be messed with.  She took out roads in the Adirondacks that day, everything is repaired now.  Although a couple of cover bridges in this area are no more. :-(

From NY to Quebec

I've managed to transport myself from New York to Quebec without even starting my engine or burning an ounce of gas.  Pretty amazing if l do say so myself.

Are you curious at all how l did this feat?  It really is quite simple.  Quebec did all the heavy lifting for me.  They all came down to New York to the KOA Campground. The campground is only a couple of hours from Montreal, and it is the Canadian Long Weekend, so they headed to this beautiful spot.

When l went to Wal-Mart in Plattsburgh, l was amazed at how many Quebec plates were there.  I think Plattsburgh is the equivalent to Buffalo for us Ontarians.

The park filled up quickly for a Friday afternoon, and fifth wheels seem to be the trailer of choice.

Uphill Battle

I was over at a blog that l follow on a regular basis http://travelswithmiranda.uskeba.ca/, the author Rae has just gone through an experience that l hope never to go through, she was rear ended while travelling in West Virginia with her Class C and toad.  The toad was a write off, and the RV suffered some damage too.

She is heading home to Quebec on a trip planned before the accident, and has just arrived, safe and sound.  She made a comment today about the consideration of other drivers, or shall we say lack of.  And l have to agree with her.

I was driving yesterday, in the Adirondack Region of New York, in my Class B Falcon, traveling from Wilmington to Lake Placid.  The terrain is hilly, and lets face it, my old girl is a wee bit slow on the uphill ride.  I've actually figured out that l can go faster if l am on cruise control (who ever invented cruise, l will forever love you!!!) then if l just jam my foot on the gas peddle.  I pretty much go to a crawl if l am not on cruise when l hit a hill.  I don't know if the Falcon has a guvnor on it restricting it from switching to high gear when not on cruise when climbing a hill, or if it is something else(anyone know - feel free to chime in).

So yesterday l was going 45 MPH uphill in a 50 MPH zone, when l was passed shortly after, which is fine with me.  I understand, l can lumber along and usually just stick at the speed limit.  What l don't understand, is about 150 yards after this guy passed me, he put on his brakes to make a right hand turn.  Really?  You couldn't wait an extra 30 seconds to get there, you had to pass me???

I always get out of the way of traffic behind me if l am going slower then posted speeds, l always stay in the right lane, and l am putting it out there, that if you are stuck behind me and l am going to slow for you, l apologize in advance.  :-)

Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA

[caption id="attachment_965" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Our home for the next two weeks"][/caption]

This is the troupes' home for the next couple of weeks.  Not too shabby if l do say so myself.  I finally have arrived at a campground that IS a campground.  There are no seasonal sites here or any long termers, it's rustic and very naturally beautiful.

To get here l had a really tough time putting up with the scenery.

[caption id="attachment_966" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="New York State ....of mind"][/caption]

The roads were quiet, and every once in a while l would get a good view of the moutains up ahead.

 

[caption id="attachment_967" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Peace and Quiet"][/caption]

This is the view that l have from my van....l wonder what it will look like on the weekend?  There might be a trailer or two blocking my view :-(

I had been up since 5am, and was starting to fade really quick around 6pm tonight, so l threw on my running shoes and went out exploring the park.  It's pretty empty right now.  It is the Canadian long weekend this weekend so they expect it to be very busy.  They are only 2 1/2 hours from Montreal and Ottawa.  And us Canadians LOVE our May 24 (pronounced Two-Four - like a case of beer) weekend.   It is the official kick off of our summer....and we LOVE summer!!

 

[caption id="attachment_968" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Len-to"][/caption]

On the site map l had seen an area that said Lento, and this my friends is a lento.  The sign you can see inside says that it is against the NY law to pitch your tent inside the Lento.....so are you just supposed to be in your sleeping bag in this thing?  With the side open to bugs, and BEARS?????  I will have to do some fact finding this weekend.

 

[caption id="attachment_969" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Au Sable River"][/caption]

Past the Lento's l could hear these rapids calling to me.  We has just had a short thunderstorm, but l am sure these bad boys run this fast all the time.  Very pretty!!!

 

[caption id="attachment_970" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Very Cool Staircase"][/caption]

This cool staircase is part of  the lodge at the campground.  Very unique.  It is made out of trees harvested right here from the campground.  Too bad pictures never do anything justice!

 

 

 

Evening Swim

The Geese were across the pond, minding their own business, foraging for dinner when two kids on bikes started harasses them.  Of course it's the weekend so the kids are coming to the park.  The geese were having nothing of it.  So they guided their young into the pond and got away from the peace disturbers.

 



So they swam across to my side.  Then a pair of them with their 3 babies were harassed by a red wing black bird.  In the picture above he is sweeping down on them, fire bombing them.  My guess is red wing blackbird has a nest nearby, so he/she is just protecting his young.



There are 8 pairs of geese in this pond.  Most have 3 or 4 babies, one pair has 12 and one pair has none.  The pair with the twelve, pictured above, are like a machine.  All foraging at the same time, either the mother or the father utter commands and they all turn on a dime and head a different direction.

All day long when l see them they are either swimming or foraging, or dodging kids.  :-)

A Game of Cat and Mouse

Okay, it really was a game of Cat and BIRD.



 

The bird got so close he started hissing at the Tommy and Charlie.

 



My cats were outside chillin in the warmth, minding their own business while keeping an eye on the pair of Canadian Geese that were at the pond.  Of course, they realize these birds are a wee bit too big to go after, so they just watched.



 

Then one of the birds started to creep closer.  Everytime the cats would look away, the bird would step closer.  It was  cheap entertainment for about 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Story Time At The Library

Libraries are great!  I'm here using the free Internet, getting some work done, and l'm getting entertained with the 'Story Time' for the little tyke's.  The have had stories read to them and now they are singing songs.  I fear Skidamarink (by Sharon, Lois & Bram) might be lodged in my brain fo the rest of the day.

I love Libraries.  I love books. I love bookstores.  I hope the three never go away.

Kindle, Nook, and  other e-readers out there are fantastic with their capabilities to hold thousands of books in the size of a small paperback. They are fantastic for when you travel.  That being said, there is nothing better then browsing through a library or bookstore, flipping pages, smelling the paper and ink, stopping on pages that catch your eye.

I am sitting in a library in Waterdown, Ontario doing paperwork for my job.  It's nice to see that people still use the library.  I don't know if the library would get as much attention if they didn't have Internet and computers.  There is a fair amount of traffic checking out books though, and that is good to see.

Got Rock?

I’m staying at Olympia Village RV Park and Campground in Waterdown, Ontario.  It’s on the Niagara Escarpment.  Which if my geography serves me correctly was left behind when the humongous Glaciers roared through Canada at a snails pace millions and millions of years ago.  It’s part of the Canadian Shield, and with good reason.

As you drive through the country side coming up to the park, it’s flat green fields.  There are horse farms, berry farms, and not too many other farms.  You see, under that greenery, only about 3 inches down, is this…..

[caption id="attachment_838" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Rock Wall in Olympia Village RV Park"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_836" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A True Rock Garden"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_839" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Another shot of the rocks"][/caption]

It’s like someone build a stone wall, brick by brick, laid flat and then covered it with dirt.  I don’t know, but l’m guessing no one in this area has a basement.

The RV park is adding more sites to it’s roaster, and has had to dig through this with a jack hammer attached to a backhoe to make the ditches to lay the pipes for the water, electric and sewer.

Can you imagine being a pioneer a couple hundred of years ago thinking you have just staked your claim in this area, that is green and bountiful, only to find rock, after rock, after rock, after rock to infinity.

What Is That?

Every Day is a discovery in this Ford Falcon.  Last night l discovered the built in alarm clock.  Yeah, don’t laugh.  It’s on the wall above the gauges for the LPG, the Battery, the Gray Tank, Holding Tank, and Fresh Water Tank.



In the picture the bottom display is all the gauges l know about.

The one l knew nothing about is the top wall fixture  the “Micro Alarm” (who knew it was an alarm clock).  One night after getting the van as l was driving home from a friends place after dinner, it went off.  Even though there were no lights displaying(meaning it wasn’t ‘ON’.  I just started hitting buttons trying to make this most annoying buzzing sound go away.  I did drive home with an elevated heart level that night, since l hadn’t had a clue what set it off.  And,  as you know, l have a slight fear of propane and vans exploding.

And here it was all along a flipping’ alarm to wake you up.  Well…..it woke me up, so l guess that was a success.

Honestly, read what is printed around the buttons you push to set this damn thing?  Am l the only one that had to live in this Falcon 5 days to figure it out?

[caption id="attachment_831" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Alarm - sorry it's blurry best l could get with a crappy camera"][/caption]

Oh well l guess l wanted an adventure.  Who would have thought, l could get it right here in my own van. :-)

The Taste of Freedom

I was brave last night.  It was a warm night.  Certainly warmer than the last couple of nights.  So after dinner, when it was turning to dusk l let loose the hounds.  Ok, the hounds were of the feline variety.

I opened the side door to the campervan and let my cats out for some fresh air and some leg stretches.  At first Charlie the scare-dee cat, who is also the most phenomenal  hunter of the two, wouldn’t go out.  I guess she got Stockholm syndrome.  She didn’t want to leave her captor.  Tommy was braver and didn’t need any coxing.

Eventually, the thought of going out and smelling all the good scents won out.  They both came and went, in and out, over the hour that they were out there.  Which l have to be honest, l was so surprised that they willingly came back into the camper van.  It was a gamble that l let them out.  I was hoping that after 4 days being cooped up in the van, they would realize, it wasn’t so bad.

I am actually surprised that there has been no puking in the first hour of the adventure.  Usually, one pukes on car rides.  This time, no one (not even me!), for four whole days.  Today they both looked very relaxed when l was driving around on appointments.  It is a big relief for me.  And so l felt maybe it was time to try the experiment of freedom.

I am happy to report the experiment was a success.  The cats consider this their home too!  :-)

On The Road Again.....

[caption id="attachment_758" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Who ya gonna call????"][/caption]

I stayed at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas.  My room was great.  It was clean, very roomy, had a view of the pool.  And as you can see in the picture above, a phone by the toilet, just in case???

[caption id="attachment_756" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pool view from my room"][/caption]

 

I headed out of Las Vegas Monday morning bright and early.  It's pretty amazing how quickly Las Vegas ends and the desert begins.  It's almost like a line was drawn in the sand, and no one could build past it.

Most of the drive there were the small cacti on the floor of the desert, then l hit the big times and drove through the Cacti Forest of the Mojave Preserve.

[caption id="attachment_765" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cacti Forest"][/caption]

 

The mountains are pretty, one peak had snow.  I also saw what l believe to be a dormant volcano, you could see the black lava rock  where it flowed many, many years ago.

[caption id="attachment_759" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Dormant Volcano"][/caption]

 

Also, it looked like a dried up lake bed (in the for front of the picture).  The further l drove, l discovered it was man made, and has something to do with the extraction of Chloride.

 

[caption id="attachment_762" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Chloride Pond"][/caption]

 

I had an overwhelming urge to hold my breath as l drove through this part.

 

10 Days And the WINNER is .....

Saskatoon for the worst roads l have experienced since l have been travelling with my job.  All over the city are pot holes, some are pretty big, and could really damage a car.  I'm glad l'm in a rental!!!!  :-)

Saskatoon also wins the award for a pretty cool university that has a husbandry course with a real size barn and necessary animals in the middle of the city.  Sure the city is only 276,000 souls big, but it's still pretty cool.  I'll try and snap some photo's on the weekend.

10 days left.  It's coming up fast.

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

Beauty  truly is in the eye of the beholder.  I could be hyper-sensitive to all the commercials of the 'must have's' that are continually pounded into peoples heads, as l scale my life down to what l can pack into my van.

This morning on Good Morning America, while l was eating my breakfast at the Comfort Inn in Marshfield l could barely contain my shock that they were doing a feature story on nail polish that cost $5,000. a bottle, it contained actual GOLD in it.  No that price is not a typo,  $60. per nail, each time.

Who would even think of spending money on this?  That is a $720 manicure. WHAT???  Seriously??  And l  to even consider this news-worthy???

Then today on one of my appointments l was in a bike shop.  Not the motorized ones, but the peddle your ass off kind.  There were many for $1,000 and $2,000, l also saw one for $3,300.  That's almost as much as l paid for my van.  Okay, l could see if you were a professional bicycle rider, but the average Joe?

If just seems so....collapsible, this crazy mentality for excess.  As l said earlier, it's probably that l am just hypersensitive to it since l am running in the opposite direction.  Things that make you go......hmmmmmm.

Crunch!! @$%@ !!!!

Ever have one of those days?  Well, l just had one. @#%@!!!!!

My day seemed to start off well, l got up on time with the alarm (l usually do, or before hand).  The shower was hot, my clothes pressed.  I headed out to a earlier then normal meeting at a Starbucks at 7:30 am.  Ordered a nice big Earl Grey Tea, which was served hot, and remained hot while l waited for my appointment- who never showed.

No problem, it happens.  I packed up and moved onto my next appointment.  Got there with a couple minutes to spare.  Went in, and was told, that person had something come up and would have to reschedule.

The next one was there, had a great chat, he had a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree in his office and it put a smile on my face.

My next three appointments failed to show up also.  It was just one of those days.  I was 45 minutes from my hotel.  I punched in the co-ordinates into my GPS, and was heading that way when all of a sudden.......

[caption id="attachment_384" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Smash, Crash, SHIT!!"][/caption]

CRUNCH!!!!!

My day was topped off with a car accident.  I suppose after the first two appointments, l should have just turned around and crawled back into bed.  If only l had known!

So, because the car is rented with a corporate account, l don't get insurance like regular people (you know paying the highway robbery price the rental agencies charge).  We are covered on the corporate account since our company rents so many cars every day of the year.  But on the rental receipt it states that l have declined insurance.

Which, is fine, until you have to prove to a cop that you have insurance.  Especially when the accident happens after business hours on the east coast, and no one at Thriftys answers their phones.  And my car insurance for my car sitting back in Toronto (the car, not the insurance) isn't good enough, since it's not for the car l'm driving (uh, no shit, it's a RENTAL CAR)

So l ended up with a ticket that tells me l have to show up in court in El PASO, TEXAS on January 12, 2012.

Well, at least l had something of interest to write about in my blog :-)

Best Gear to take for Shopping on Black Friday

Okay, l'm stealing this idea from some women in the Los Angeles.  The best gear to take with you on Black Friday to help you get your discounted items.

 

[caption id="attachment_278" align="aligncenter" width="268" caption="Black Friday Shopping Accessory"][/caption]

Pepper Spray

 

Seriously?  What kind of madness is this?  Does this mentality run rampant in those crazy shoppers?

I guess it's less harmful then the shots that were fired at another store!!!!

Yikes 20 Below

I landed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada this morning just shy of 10 am.  And damn it was cold, -20 below Celsius, which for the Americans reading this  is -4 Fahrenheit.  I'm glad l brought my gloves this time.  It was so cold the trunk of the rental was almost frozen shut and took a bit of finessing to get it opened.

I landed in Calgary, but l am heading to Creston, British Columbia, 6 hours away.  It's a bit of a drive but with the scenic mountains to drive through, l didn't really mind, and l wasn't disappointed.

[caption id="attachment_235" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Rocky Mountains"][/caption]

On the road, still on the Alberta side l was flagged down by a desperate guy with crutches on the side of the road.  His leg was in a boot cast, hood of his van up, looked like he was in need of some help, so l stopped to see what l could do.

His van wouldn't start.  He had pulled over to sleep and left his head lights on and killed his battery.  He had cables sort of, which isn't saying much. The cables that he had, had alligator clips on one end, and just a circle connector on the other, like l said, sort of.  They wouldn't fit from his van to my rental car.

Two other guys stopped to help, no cables either - and of course, none in the rental l was driving.  They had been hunting and had a deer in their truck; we went over to take a look.  Not a big one, but enough to feed them for a winter. It was kind of sad, the deer had been shot in the head and had been gutted.  I guess it was better that way then being hit by a car and being in agony on the side of the road.

Between all of us, we got the van started and all went on our way.



The mountains were beautiful here, and went on and on.  There were more trees on the mountains then on the mountains down in Colorado, and more snow too.

And one point l was driving and noticed a bunch of boulders piled high on both sides of the road.  It looked like huge dump trucks had dumped load after load.  I've never seen so much loose rock, it was strange.  Then about 500 meters down the road, it was all explained to me.....it was the deadliest rock slide.



 

[caption id="attachment_240" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Boulders piled high"][/caption]

This is what Wikipedi had to say about the Frank Slide.

"Frank, Alberta is a coal mining town in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta. On April 29, 1903, at 4:10 a.m., 90 million tonnes (30 million cubic metres) of limestone crashed from the east face of Turtle Mountain and covered approximately three square kilometres of the valley floor. The slab of rock that broke free was approximately 650 m high, 900 m wide and 150 m thick.^[1] The slide dammed the Crowsnest River and formed a small lake, covered 2 km of the Canadian Pacific Railway, destroyed most of the coal mine's surface infrastructure, and buried seven houses on the outskirts of the sleeping town of Frank, as well as several rural buildings. Frank was home to approximately 600 people in 1903; it is estimated that 90 of the roughly 100 individuals in the path of the slide were killed."

 

[caption id="attachment_241" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="View from the top"][/caption]



[caption id="attachment_243" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Theres a hole in the top of the mountain."][/caption]

Rush Hour

 

[caption id="attachment_224" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Rush Hour in Burlington, Colorado"][/caption]

 

 

This is rush hour in Burlington.  It's a wee bit less crowded then in Toronto, or actually most major cities.  I love that l can get around without all the crazy drivers.  Small towns are great for the ease of commute.

 

[caption id="attachment_225" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Saturday Traffic in Toronto"][/caption]

 

And this is a Saturday in Toronto, not even rush hour.  Yuck!   At the best of times it's busy, throw in an accident and everything slows to a crawl.  Now that winter is approaching commuting time will lengthen dramatically.

 

[caption id="attachment_226" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Toronto Version of a Tree on a Rock"][/caption]

 

As l drove on Spadina Ave yesterday in Toronto, l saw a row of trees in the middle of the road.  I guess this is the city equivalent of trees growing on the side of a mountain in rock.  A thought that ran through my mind was "how does this tree get enough water to survive", it's surrounded by concrete.  The only opening is the 8" by 8" square that you see.

 

 

 

Give me Shelter

 

[caption id="attachment_184" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gimme Shelter"][/caption]

 

 

On my wanderings yesterday l came across this home.  If you can call it that.  I would tend to call it a shelter.  I don't know the story behind this building.  Was it a home that was blown down by a tornado, did a fire burn the top of the structure and the basement was saved. Or is it the community bomb shelter?

It's located in Kansas, just over the board from Colorado. So tornado isn't too far out of the possibilities (think Wizard of Oz), except that every other home surrounding it is normal.  Nothing looks amiss except this home.

I don't think l could ever live in a hole in the ground.  Sometimes l have wanted to crawl into one after l have opened my mouth and things came out wrong, it wouldn't be my choice of residence though.  And then to block the windows with cardboard or plywood?  How dark it must be inside.  Maybe Vampires live there!

The sign says "No Trespassing"   - Who would want to?

To each his own.