[VAC] Storms - 3 of 3

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Continuing:

This morning (Friday 04/13/01) saw us crossing our fingers, tossing salt over our shoulders and
wearing black to show the Black Friday Witches we were friendly. It's not every day that Friday, the
13th follows a series of days when Mother Nature had been rattling our cages with gusto. 

Since starting across several states a few days ago, we've found the variation in gasoline prices
bizarre (up to 20 cents a gallon) even within a few miles of each other. By the time I-90 took us
through a small section of Pennsylvania, we were ready for I-86 (the old NY 17 Southern Tier
Parkway) and hoped our remaining gasoline would last until the Seneca Indian Nation Reservation
near Salamanca, NY (Exit 20). We arrived with 1/8 tank and filled both tanks for 30 cents a gallon
less than our previous best price. 

One of the disadvantages in going North during early April is there are few campgrounds open. In the
past, Allegany State Park (PA/NY line) has opened before commercial campgrounds and sure enough, it 
had been open one day. Another disadvantage with early April camping in the Northeast is mud from
snow melt that hasn't had a chance to dry out. When selecting a site in April, we choose very
carefully (one that's high and dry with a wide entrance of dry gravel). A site on the low side of
the road may look dry, but needs to be walked first before backing onto it. (Don't know why I
mention this to Airstreamers. They already know it.)   

Redundancy came into play this night. Although the site had electric, our meter showed 90 volts
instead of the usual 115+ volts. The weather forecast was for night time lows in the 30s to 40s. One
of our electric heaters has a slow blower motor and is very quiet. But, it provides only a minimal
amount of heat. Normally, that's adequate. But, not this night. 

By morning, the RV furnace was necessary. Even with low voltage, the converter still did its thing
without any objection and our 12 volt batteries were happy to push the furnace blower at top speed.
Had our furnace not worked properly, or had we been without electric, I'd have used the catalytic
heater in the morning. Although redundancy seemed wasteful in our earlier years, it now provides us
with a measure of confidence that makes traveling more enjoyable.

==============

Just before leaving this morning (Saturday 04/14/01), another RVer stopped by and asked the age of
our Airstream. His wife had seen us drive in, told him our Airstream was beautiful and she wanted
one. He was nonplused because he'd just bought a brand new square box 35' travel trailer. He said 
his wife wanted to experience camping as it was in the "old days" with a simpler, more elegant
trailer and a pioneering way of life. Hmmmmph - how about that? Anyway - he now knows that
Airstreams are easy to refurbish (first clean it, then put in new carpet, upholstery and drapes). He
asked about restoration of mechanical components and I told him about our group. But, anybody can
give advice - the trouble comes in finding someone who is interested in using it. That someone might
very well be his wife. 

Tonight, we're at Chenango Valley State Park near Binghamton, NY on campsite 200 in the Pine Bluff
area. This is one of our most favorite campsites. It's located on a narrow, high bluff among the
pines with privacy on three sides, overlooking a swimming area down on one side and a river down on
the other side. The maintenance people had just trimmed the trees and campfire wood was everywhere.
We cooked supper at our fireplace and got our clothes campfire sweet (a good smell). 

===============

Today (Sunday 04/15/01), we rolled onto our property at the old homestead. After opening up the
house and checking that everything still worked, I went out to the garage, sat inside each of our
other tow vehicles, enjoyed the fragrance of them and let the familiar feelings wash over me. Next,
I did the same thing inside each of our other Airstreams. It's good to be back. Or, as J.H. Payne
once said, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."

Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net