Will We Make it?

Ahhh, another beautiful day.  My father checked out the clutch and made the mechanics decision that it must be the clutch slave cylinder that is going bad. We leave out early, with our fingers crossed and praying that we will make it home without having to come to a stop.  On this day, my Dad will be driving since I would be a nervous wreck if I could not shift into gear.  We take off and the
clutch has a little bit of grab.....a wee little bit!  Okay, we only have about 100 miles till home.  We agree on taking the highway in which it would get us there the fastest and with the least amount of shifting.  We arrive into Newport News and we have to stop for the tunnel so they can check our propane bottles to be sure they are turned off.  Oh no!  We have to shift, several gears!  Please lord, have them wave us by, please, please, please!  My prayers are answered.....they wave us by!  I could not believe it!  We make it through all the traffic lights and did not have to stop until we got to the North Carolina border where we see an Advance Auto Parts store.  With confidence in my fathers shifting capabilities, we stop.   Right off the shelf they had the clutch slave cylinder in stock for a whopping $12.36!  Happy as a lark, I prance towards the Toyota holding my shiny new prize.   With no fear in making it the rest of the way, we decide to head home to replace the newly bought part.  My father, king of shifting, and majesty of auto repair, had us home safe and sound.  He had the Toyota repaired in less than 20 minutes.  I will say, I learned a lot from my father on this trip and am very proud to be his daughter.  I love you Dad and Thanks!

Williamsburg, Va - American Heritage RV Park

With two days of on again, off again showers, we decided to head to Williamsburg, Va where there was no threat of rain.  The first part of the excursion was stress free until we got to Rt. 95.  The traffic was heavy like it tends to always be, so we decided to get off the Rt. 95 parking lot and take Rt. 30.  That was the best decision we made since only a few miles down the road, I started to have a real hard time shifting.  It was very hard to get into any gear.  I crested this knoll and went to downshift and it would not go.  With my heart beating a little faster than normal I crept off to the side of the road and low and behold 100 yards ahead was a automotive garage that was open!  Coasting in, my father (thank goodness he was with me) popped the hood and noticed it was completely out of fluid for the clutch.  Okeedokee, we just meander over to the handy dandy garage that so happened to be open on a Saturday and get the brake fluid we need.  Simple right?  We fill the resevoir and away we go.  With only about another hours drive to our next campground, the clutch acts a little funny but my Dad reassures me it will bleed itself, to a point, as we drive along.  Alrighty then, there is a little bit of a smile coming from the corner of my mouth by now.  Then all of a sudden the same problem occurs.  I cannot get it to downshift, upshift, any shift!  Once again as luck would have it our exit was just ahead and we made it to our destination to Williamsburg, Va.

We found our lovely site that with a concrete pad, that was brand new and and totally level.  Now this is a first that I don't have to put out any levelers!   We unload & set up and I decided to head to the camp store to get hotdogs for this evenings dinner.   With the earlier fiasco we forgot to stop for food.  As I enter the store I notice they do not have any perishables, whatsoever!  What!  You mean you don't even have hotdogs?  Ugh!  Tired and hungry, I crawl back to the campground and announce that I am off on my bicycle to search for hot dogs.  Pedaling the highways and praying I don't get run over I finally find a 7 eleven.  Oh Thank Heaven!

Back at the camp my father starts a fire and it burns just long enough to cook our hot diggity dogs.  Whew!  It was quiet warm so the fire did not bring us any comfort as a source of heat other than cooking.

I will have to say this campground is one of the cleanest I have seen.  The bath houses were new and decorated in a way that you would have not known you were in a campground bath house but rather in some upscale hotel.  The pool was a delight for my son who once again made friends instantly.  In fact he was only at our campsite to grab a quick bite to eat and  to sleep.  I will definitely come back here again for a longer stay.

To Pennsylvania

We left out bright and early for our next destination of Hershey Highmeadow Campground in Hershey, Pa.  Yes, this time I did make reservations!  The trip took us the better part of the day since we traveled all the back roads to get there.  We drove along my father's old truck routes which he had taken so many times before and it was warming to me, to hear him reminisce about those days as we traveled through the winding hilly roads which overlooked the Amish farms and fields.  The history that abounds on every turn is beautiful for the eye to see.  I cannot wait to take this same route next summer, hopefully once again, with my father.

We had arrived later in the day only to find the rain had moved in.  Soggy & dampness surrounded the campground as people were running quickly to set up camp.  Although having the misfortune of the rain, my fellow campers still smiled and waved.  There was no fire that night but I did get an invite, to a warm and blazing fire that was roaring near our site.  My son & his new friend watched a movie that was playing on the side of a barn.  And when they returned they were greeted with smores.  I have camped at this park before and I have to say it is one of my favorites.  With the free shuttle bus to Hershey Park & Chocolate World  it is a bonus for on those days it does rain.  We ended up staying two days and had combined a visit with my Mom since she lives in Hershey.  And yes, you can smell the Chocolate that floats through the air, in amazing Hershey, PA.

A Short Trip

 

We left Ocean City, MD and decided to take Rt.1 North along the coast to Big Oaks Campground in Rehoboth Beach, DE.  It was a slow going drive due to all the traffic lights on the strip but it gave us a chance to take in the sites without having them blur on by us.   Big Oaks is a Mom & Pop Campground that is located about 2.5 miles from the beach.  Once again, without reservations we were blessed to have had the tiny little spot they had given us. We backed into our little space and was  immediately welcomed by our new neighbors. One neighbor was nice enough to give us some vegetables from her garden she had brought from her home.  With the campground being too small to even ride a bike, my son and I ventured off to take a dip in their pool.  Once again, the people & atmosphere, was very friendly & calming.  There was no disappointment this time on my son's face when I told him we were only staying for a night.

The Maiden Voyage

The time has finally come.....to camp!  After 15 months of restorations, I am off to enjoy the company of fellow Rver's who I have been so envious of.  Along for the ride is my son, father & our small dog.  I load the bikes for the big adventure & unbeknownst to me I would have to use a bicycle for transportation later on in the trip.

We leave on a beautiful but very,very hot morning.   The heat does not faze us, as the camper had just come out of the shop for air conditioning repair and was blowing ice cold air.   Low and behold we did not get 15 miles from home and the A/C had stopped blowing cold.  It seems the compressor had failed.  After saying a few choice words and some under the breath grunts, we reluctantly head back into the cab to continue our journey.  Once again, that does not faze us, since we have the old fashioned wing windows that will cool us just enough to keep us alive!

Driving North to our destination to Frontier Town Family Campground, the beautiful drive takes up and along Rt. 13 through Virginia into Maryland.  With it's straight, flat & pot hole free road we arrive in just a few hours to enjoy the afternoon of relaxing, unwinding and wasting no time to turn on the Rooftop A/C to MAX.  Whew! One day of driving down and many more to go.

The campground itself is huge in comparison to many, with plenty of activities for children.  It is heavily wooded and tucked away overlooking the Sinepuxent Bay which is located across from Assateague Island.  With not making reservations ahead of time (which I highly suggest for future outings), we were only able to stay one evening in which my son's face was turned from happiness to utter disappointment.  In leaving behind his newly found friends, we promised to return soon for a longer stay.