Today I drove to Venango County to continue working through geocaches on the Allegheny Geotrail.
Here are a dozen things I learned today:
I’m falling down on the job. So much for my promises of daily blogging about the trip, but I’ll try to get you up to speed.
Tuesday morning was back to work. I spent much of the day answering e-mails, reading discussion threads, and grading essays. Alexis, too, had an avalanche of mails to which to respond and phone calls to field. The day was a busy one. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Geocaching, rving, Travel, work
It’s been a busy few days, and we didn’t have much in the way of Internet access while we were at Geowoodstock. Now that we’re back in Corry at Harecreek Campground and have a decent connection, I can get caught up with the blog.
Tags: Geocaching, Geowoodstock, Travel
Today was all about geocaching, so if that bores you, feel free to skip this entry.
Tags: Geocaching, pets, rving, Travel
Today was a bit frantic.
Alexis spent the day near tears because she was having troubles with our wifi connection. It was her last day of work before a holiday weekend, end of month, and end of quarter. Translation: It was busy. She had such a hard time that we think we may have to invest $200 in a Verizon MiFi to get us through this month. Verizon is the only provider to get 3G in this area. Lex can’t afford not to be able to access her files for work; her telecommuting is contingent on functional tech.
While Lex was banging her head on her desk, I was doing laundry. The machines are so much cheaper here! I got home from the washateria just in time to have to run out again, this time to meet my student geocaching club members at the fairgrounds. A group of five of them drove the six hours from Baltimore this morning to be here for the weekend.
The students are borrowing some of our camping gear, so I dropped that off for them, made sure they got settled into a campsite, and then drove the 20 miles back to the RV.
Alexis and I had to rush to leave Harecreek Campground because the campers who were taking our spot for the weekend arrived early and wanted in the space. Alexis still had an hour and a half of work to do, and I still had to clean up and pack up the rig, so the campers just had to wait.
We rolled out at 5:15. When we arrived at the fairgrounds with the rig, we were met at the gates by a cheering squad of CCBCers. Now I know what Jesus must have felt like when he rode that ass into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday!
We checked in and got to our spot only to find that the ground was so soft and the pitch of the site was so steep that Lex couldn’t get into it. Her tires spun in the mud and the weight of the rig was pulling her down the hill.
We asked permission to move to one of the empty sites nearby. Fortunately, it wasn’t a problem since many of the sites weren’t rented. We found one on more level ground and after a lot of maneuvering got the rig parked. It took a while to level (which we never really accomplished) and hooked up. We’re only on 15 amp, so no A/C or microwave, but that’s okay as it will be in the 40′s tonight. We DO have the juice to run our small space heater!
I’m hoping the students heeded my advice and brought plenty of extra blankets and warm clothes. They did bring a firepit and some firewood, so we sat around that firepit tonight after the sun set and the temps fell quickly.
Our dinner came courtesy of a fellow Geocacher who was grateful that the girls helped him put up his tent. PCSenn, a Baptist preacher from Tennessee, kindly provided us with steaks and tales from the road. Lex grilled up the steaks and Brittany made mashed potatoes — so yummy!
After dinner and chatting around the fire for a couple of hours, we called it a night. The next three days will be full of events, so we need our beauty sleep. Sweet dreams, all!
Tags: Geocaching, rving, Travel
Today I found five more caches, hiked 2.5 miles through the forest and marsh (a lot for me), had a minor panic attack when it appeared for a short while that the CCBC Geocachers weren’t going to be able to get their van, went to a geocaching event and met lots of nice cachers from all over the country, discovered that several of them are staying here in the same campground with us, and then came home and collapsed!
Tomorrow the students arrive to check in to the Geowoodstock campground, and I’ll be there to meet them. Before they arrive, I’m hoping to do my laundry and get the rig ready to travel the 20 miles down the road to join 5,000 others at the Warren County Fairgrounds.
I think my legs will go on strike before this weekend is over. They are already hurting. Oh well, one of my goals this summer is to cache my way to better fitness, so I’ll pop some Motrin, grit my teeth, and cache on!
Before I sign off, I should add that today was full of natural wonders. I saw wild turkey, beaver, chipmunks, a deceased porcupine (RIP), bullfrogs, ducks, and a number of birds of prey. I visited an old-growth forest full of soaring trees, babbling brooks, masses of wild blueberry bushes in bloom, blankets of lush, green ferns and moss-covered logs. I trekked across a wetland with marsh grass that was 6 feet tall in places. And I crisscrossed gorgeous farm country that boasted some of the most breathtaking mountain vistas I’ve ever seen. This is a truly sublime place, and I look forward to discovering even more of its secrets over the next few weeks.
Tags: Geocaching, rving, Travel
Yes, I know I promised daily blogging. Yesterday wasn’t exactly noteworthy, though.
I spent the morning working and the afternoon in bed with a migraine. Alexis and I did go out to dinner at The Library Bar and Grill here in Corry. Yes, it used to be the public library and is now a cafe upstairs and sports bar downstairs. Nice place, so-so food. At least I didn’t have to cook it or clean up the dishes. After dinner, we went out after a couple of caches, but we didn’t have any luck. My flashlight was dying and so was my patience, so we came home. I plopped on the sofa and made a half dozen paracord bracelets while watching Star Wars: A New Hope.
See, I told you it wasn’t noteworthy. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: critters, Geocaching, Pennsylvania, rving, Travel
Last summer, I blogged every day our of roadtrip. This year, I want to do the same, but I’m already behind! So let me get you, Dear Reader, caught up. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve been finalizing the details of the trip, working out exact costs, finding places to visit and things to do near where we’ll be staying, and trying to get the rig ready to go. Read the rest of this entry »
It seems that Alexis and I both have had a hard time truly committing to this summer’s travel. We’ve changed our plans half a dozen times.
Here’s we are right now: Read the rest of this entry »
