"Fall Colors" - October 4 & 5 2013 - and "The End"!

     It was cool and crisp when Jim walked the dogs in the big open field.  It was their kind of place, and they weren’t real anxious to get in the RV and get going!  It was pretty much a driving day.  I78 into NJ is a very familiar – and boring – route to us, but after getting off the highway we were able to enjoy some of the fall colors.  After a brief stop in Montgomery Township and lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant, “Ya Ya Noodles”, we went back on the I295 and connected with the New York Thruway.  The ride was quite pretty, as the reds, yellows and browns were interspersed throughout the forests all the way north.

     Our big accomplishment for the day was finishing our audio book, “The Sinner”, and it was quite engrossing and enjoyable.  We look forward to listening to more!

    The Newburgh/New York City North KOA is one of our favorites.  It’s expensive, compared to most KOA’s, but it’s an excellent facility with beautiful large wooded lots and a great deal of privacy.   

Saturday October 5 

      They knew something was in the air!  The dogs, that is!  It’s funny how they seem to be able to sense when something affecting them – or us – is about to happen.  We got off about 8:30am after pancakes and bacon (we usually had cereal!), and headed for the New York Thruway north towards Albany.  Away from the cities, New York State has some beautiful vistas, and today didn’t disappoint with all the foliage changing.  Riding along we spotted a strange looking vehicle, so Becky got out the camera and snapped these two photos. 

Interestingly, the license plate said “ECO”, and there were actually two people in the vehicle.  The lady in the “back” seat was bent over leaning forward, and had to be severely uncomfortable.  It was having no problem keeping up with traffic, though. 

     We headed east on I90, which becomes the Massachusetts Turnpike.  Driving through the Berkshires was most pleasant, as the there were many sugar maples among the hardwood forests on both sides of the highway and they turn a brilliant red in Autumn.   Passing Sturbridge, where I84 from Connecticut intersects the MassPike, put us on a route we could almost drive blindfolded all the way home.  That used to be our ½ way point from Princeton to Southport, and we knew we had a little over 200 miles and 4 hours to go.   

     The next event was crossing the bridge from Portsmouth NH to Kittery, and we were greeted shortly after with the “WELCOME TO MAINE – THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE” sign.  Two hours to go!

     For those who aren’t familiar with our constant companion, “Randy”, here is his picture. 

 

 For years we used a Garmin GPS to help us navigate in strange places, something we had purchased prior to owning RV’s.  Over the years it finally suffered what all digital devices die from – the infernal “this device is no longer supported”.  We made the decision to purchase a Rand McNally GPS, specifically designed for RV’s.  We affectionately nicknamed it “Randi”, and selected a female voice for getting our instructions.  Alas, we decided to change to the male voice mode, so henceforth it will “it” will be named “Randy.” 

     It was close to 4:30 when we crossed the Southport bridge.  We knew we were home when we came over the Towns End hill in Boothbay Harbor and saw the “bridge open” lights flashing.  As we headed down the slope towards the bridge, the lights went off, traffic started moving, and we were back in Southport.  

     From the time we left, we put 6,511 miles on the odometer, and for those who care about such things, we averaged 16.4 mpg on our turbo-diesel engine. 

     The dogs were thrilled to race into their own yard again, and we were happy to have finished driving 386 miles.  It was a wonderful trip, and we’ll look forward to our next adventure in February 2014 as we head south to Florida.

 

                                                            THE END !!