Thursday, May 20, 2021

HAPPY TRAILS TO US…………

Day 1 – We’re on the road again after what seemed like an eternity! I have a notebook that I use to take notes while we’re traveling so we don’t forget anything for the Blog. Right after we departed, I opened it up to our last trip which began on August 30 and ended on October 17^th of last year. My first note for that trip ironically said “2020, The COVID Year”. Who would’ve thought then that I would be starting this trip with “COVID, Year #2”. Sigh. But it is getting better! We are vaccinated, and we hope that you are, too.

Okay, back to business: we have been working very hard the last several months, and stress levels have been high. Neither one of us had been experiencing the usual excitement we experience before a trip. The cats, too, had been stressed out due to the renovations to our home in NY, and I’m sure they were also feeling our stress. We’d been running around, trying to get things done in order to leave (the house reno is still not completely done, the electrical work still needs to be finished & that can happen without us at home). To top things off for the girls, they had their annual physicals at the vet a few days before we left. You would think we were murdering them; I mean, really, one visit to the vet per year is NOT the end of the world. They beg to differ.

Rob spent the last month installing new Lithium Batteries and an inverter, to replace our old system that we brought over from the original 5^th wheel trailer. This required a major upgrade of the electrical systems in the RV. This should allow us to go without electrical hookups for at least a week. Previously we could only go a couple of days before needing to recharge. His next project will be to install solar panels on the roof of the RV, which should allow us to never need to recharge. More boondocking trips will be in our future!

This morning we finally departed at 10:45 a.m. It was 73 degrees and a beautiful day. We checked the forecast at home before we left and 90-degree weather is supposedly arriving in about a week. Ick. We are very happy to be leaving in time to head north to a cooler environment. Our destination for tonight is a one-night stopover at Traveler’s Woods in Bernardston, MA. We stay there often on the way to Maine.

We took the NY State Thruway (I-87) north to the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), heading east. The scenery was very nice. The spring bloom was in full swing with the new-growth greens just sparkling in the sunshine. The hills of the Berkshires were gorgeous. We began looking for a place to stop for lunch and give the kitties a break around 12:30 p.m. We couldn’t find parking for the RV at several MA rest stops. There wasn’t a traffic problem at all, in fact, traffic was lighter than usual (but heavier than it was last year when COVID had pretty much shut everything down completely). But evidently there were still plenty of truckers out, and parking was at a premium. Click any picture below to see a slideshow.

We headed north on I-91 and just above Holyoke, we found a scenic turnout which could fit exactly 1 RV, in addition to a few cars. The girls happily trotted out of their travel room and visited with us as everyone had lunch in the RV. We’d brought Salmon Burritos with us from Mexicali Blue in New Paltz. We split one for lunch, put the girls back in the bedroom, and with only about an hour to go, we continued north to the campground, arriving at 2:10 p.m. 82 degrees, breezy & mostly sunny. We’ve stayed here so many times, we didn’t bother to take pictures of the campground sign, etc., but we did take a picture of our campsite, Site #21, located in the Rally Field. Easy in, Easy out – perfect for one-night stays!

The cats adapted immediately to being in a campground. Within one hour we were unpacked, set up for an over-nighter, and the girls were in their relaxing places. I should mention also that they were little angels for the whole trip with only one or two “meows” when we first left home. And, as soon as we pulled out of the driveway at home, Rob & I were both grinning. The stress was gone. We’re on the road again.

For more detailed information about Traveler’s Woods, click here.