We're ready

On June 28th we drove to nearby Cambridge, Ohio.  Tim heard there was a great donut shop and a glass museum.  The donut shop was OK and the National Museum of Cambridge Glass was great.  The exhibits were extremely well displayed inside of well lighted cases reflecting the chronological history of their glass.  The museum also had a couple of rooms depicting a setting using period glass.  We had the museum to ourselves and were given a "private" tour by a knowledgeable guide.  Worth the visit.

We walked around downtown Cambridge and decided to return to the RV because it was hot and getting to be late afternoon.  We just got out of Cambridge and received a text message from Linda's brother-in-law that a bad storm was headed our way.  Looking at radar the storm was about an hour away.  We got back to camp, put things away, secured everything, and turned to electrical power off in case of a power surge. 
We grabbed food, water, ponchos, lights, & something to read and headed to the shower/shelter house.  We warned some nearby campers.  The campground host seemed oblivious to the storm.  We were the only people initially in the shelter.  A half hour later it was packed.

The storm soon came in.  We watched trees fall, limbs flying, awnings wrapped over RV roofs, canopies sailing, and tents dislodged.   Of course the power went out, but we were prepared.  We could see Big Red from the shelter.  It seemed to hold up well.  After the storm passed we ventured out to inspect damage.  Big Red was unscathed, but the campground was not.  We had no power that night and the prospects were grim about power returning.  We decided to try to leave.  Tim road his bike up the campground road and found it blocked.  Hours later equipment arrived to remove the blockage.

Downed trees blocking campground exit road

Equipment to remove trees from the road

I hope the above video runs on this blog.

The campground road was finally cleared by 1 p.m. the day after the storm.  We got in Big Red and headed a day early to Holmes County for Scenic Hills RV Park.  We watched the national news as we drove to Holmes County and it talked about the damage done in and around Cambridge.  Yep we were there!

Black Cloud continued

In the last post, Black Cloud, we detailed some of the travails of traveling and otherwise.  We had driven from Pittsburgh to Salt Fork State Park in SE Ohio for a week of relaxing.  Over the years of traveling to Ohio, we had never stopped at this park.  After some research, we found it to be a beautiful park and it is reasonably close to an attraction, The Wilds, that Linda wanted to visit.

As the picture depicts above the entrance to the campground area is beautiful.  The park is set in rolling hills.  This area is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.  The campground has 5 or 6 loops.  Some of the loops have about 20 sites other loops have 50 or more.  Some sites are wide open, other sites have some shade or are almost completely shaded.  Our aversion to trees required an open site.

After arriving late the 1st night and parking behind a tree, which blocked out satellite TV reception, we went to the office to inquire about another site.  The staff gave us a recommendation and we moved.

Salt Fork S. P. site

View down the road of the campground

We got setup on our site, tuned in satellite TV and all was well.  The next day we visited The Wilds.  The Wilds is a private, non-profit safari park and conservation center that combines cutting-edge conservation science and education programs with hands-on experiences and one-of-a-kind adventures that include ziplining, horseback riding, fishing and more. Located in southeast Ohio, the Wilds is home to rare and endangered species from around the globe living in natural, open-range habitats. http://www.thewilds.org/
Linda had a great time taking pictures and the weather was perfect.

One of many zip line towers

Linda looking at zip line tower. Will she do it?

I don't see Linda in this group orientation

Linda boarded the open bus for a tour instead

Wild horses checking out the passengers on the tour bus

Wild dog cooling off in pond

The above pictures show only some of the wildlife we saw.  Everywhere you look brought another animal into view.  The uneven terrain among the rolling hills made for a very enjoyable ride.  It great to see animals in a more natural setting.  The only thing to top off the day would have been an appearance by Jack Hannah!

Rhinos with a calf

We left The Wilds exhilarated from our exposure to wonderful nature.


June 26th is a very special day for us.  We celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary!  It sure doesn't seem that long.  Besides our two wonderful children and their families, we have experienced many terrific events and adventures over the years.  We hope we have another 41 years to go.....wishful thinking.


Being invited by Linda's sister, Karen, and her husband, Kerry, to celebrate is an offer we couldn't pass up.  We drove a little less than a hour north to visit.  We had dinner at a great Italian restaurant and some cake and ice cream afterward.

Anniversary celebration with Kerry, Karen, and Linda & Tim

Tim & Linda showing off 41st anniversary cake

We also made a stop at the New Philadelphia town park, so Linda could get a bag of fresh popcorn.  She just loves popcorn.

Linda enjoying popcorn with her sister, Karen

We headed back to Salt Creek for a few more days of relaxing and enjoying nature (we thought) before moving a hour north to Scenic Hills RV Park near Berlin, Ohio in Amish Holmes County near Karen's house.  We had an adventure though before we left.


See the next post.

Black Cloud

Have you ever heard the saying "I think a black cloud is following me."  Even though we've had a good time on this trip seeing family, friends, and sights, it has presented many challenges.  We should have known before we left.  We had a few clues.

In mid-March just before Tim left Jacksonville upon the completion of his prostate cancer treatment, Tim noticed water slowly dripping from the bus water bay.  The bus was converted in 1999, so it is around 13 years old.  Upon getting home, 1 of the 2 water heaters had developed a small leak in the case (rust through).  Of course that water heater was located below the other.  Both heaters were removed to replace the bottom unit.  It was noticed that the electric dash was starting to fail as well as the front unit of the 3 roofs air conditioners.  We bit the bullet and had both replaced, trying to be proactive on maintenance.  The new "glass dash" electronics was not cheap, but hopefully will last a long time with great reliability.  These repairs were made May 23.

About the same time we upgraded the front TV to a new LED 32".  The Bose A/V system that we bought a few years ago, but had caused us some trouble was reconnected to the satellite receiver, new TV, and DVD player.  We tested all the units thoroughly.  We parked the bus in the garage until Tim brought it home for Linda to load on June 10.

As we have written in an earlier post, Tim had a cancerous growth on his back removed May 29 requiring 5 internal and 15 external stitches.  The external stitches were removed the day before we left.  Removing the stitches would later prove to be a problem.

We pulled the bus out of the driveway on Tuesday, June 12 to hook up our towed car.  Wouldn't you know the troublesome Bose unit stopped working.  After a few choice words and a threat to throw it over the seawall, Tim disconnected the Bose unit and we left town.

When we arrived in Jacksonville for our first overnight stop, a RV pulled in next to us shortly after we arrived.  The driver popped out and remarked "boy that was a hot trip."  They had their front air conditioner replaced in Ft. Myers the day before.  It stopped working on the trip to Jacksonville.  I looked up and it was the same as our new unit.  This event foretold what would happen to us.

Someplace in Georgia or South Carolina, we noticed the over-the-road air conditioner was not cooling as well.  After a rest stop in West Virginia, the dash air conditioner blew warm air. 

At the New River Gorge stop for 2 nights, Tim's wound opened where the 15 stitches had been removed.  This resulted in a trip to the ER.  We wrote about this in an earlier post.  Then we received a call that my mother had suffered a heart attack and was recovering in a Largo, FL hospital.  She is doing better now.

Boondocking (no hookups) in the parking lot at the hotel in Pittsburgh the bus was running house electric off the 2 inverters.  Tim went to the bus to check on it.  He decided to start the generator to charge the house batteries.  It ran for 1 minute, shut down, and every electrical item in the bus was dead.  After about 10 minutes, 1 of the 2 inverters came back to life and Tim was able to run the generator to charge the batteries.  The dead inverter never came back to life.

About this same time, we noticed the new front air conditioner was not cooling.  We checked into it closer and sure enough only warm, ambient air was coming out of the vents.  Now we have 3 of 5 air conditioners on the bus weren't working and it was pushing 100 degrees.  If you have ever been in a metal bus, now you know what it is to be a slice of bread in the toaster.

We headed on Sunday, June 24th from Pittsburgh to Salt Fork State Park near Cambrige, Oh (southeast Ohio) for a week to relax in nature.  We arrived 5 miles from our turnoff of I-70 late afternoon just past the last exit.  We noticed traffic backed up in front of us westbound.  It took us an hour to drive 5 miles because of construction.  We finally pulled into the campground and set up on our reserved site.  We were tired and hot and wanted to watch some TV to relax.  Satellite TV wouldn't work because of 1 damn tree across. from our site.  Damn it!  We decided to go to bed and try to find another site in the morning without a damn tree in the way.

BLACK CLOUD continued on the next post.

Family and Pirates

We were lucky enough for our son, daughter, son-in-law, and 6 month old grandson were able to join us at the wedding.  We miss them dearly whenever we leave town.  During our travels, we'll hookup with them using FaceTime, but it's not the same as being there. They made the big effort to come for the wedding weekend.
Our son, John, was able to fly to Pittsburgh on Wednesday.  His wife, Jaime, had recently taken a new job, so she was unable to get off work.  Daughter, Maria and her husband Justin and son, Caden, flew in the day of the wedding.  We were busy shuttling people from the airport.

Son, John, holding our grandson, Caden

Our kids stayed at the hotel, so we were able to visit with them.  I mentioned the bride and groom are big sports fans, so they invited people who attended the wedding to go the Pirates game with them on Saturday afternoon.  We thought that would be a great idea.  Our son-in-law, Justin, had attended with his father a Steelers game the prior year.  He told us about a great sandwich place and bar in downtown.  We headed downtown early.  Primanti's was already packed with a long line.

Primanti Bros. Bar & Grill in downtown Pittsburgh

Grandson, Caden, in his baseball outfit at Primanti's

John, Maria, Justin, & Linda on bridge in front of PNC Park

Tim in front of Roberto Clemente statue

John, Maria, Caden, Justin, & Linda on Riverwalk between stadiums

Steelers Stadium viewed from PNC Park

Newlyweds, Robert & Kim at the Pirates game

PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Sunday, the family went to a sandwich restaurant for Pittsburgh's version of a Philly cheesesteak.

Linda's sister, Karen, holding our grandson, Caden

Caden wearing his latest "lid" and monogrammed shirt

After reluctantly taking the kids back to the airport on Sunday,  we headed for southeastern Ohio for a relaxing time at a state park near Cambridge, Oh.  The adventure continues....

The Wedding in Pittsburgh

The primary reason for this summer's RV trip was to attend the wedding of Linda's oldest nephew in Pittsburgh on June 22.  After our adventures were over in the New River Gorge area, we high-tailed it to the Pittsburgh area. 

Pittsburgh has a dearth of campgrounds or RV parks.  After some research, we found Raccoon Creek State Park west of Pittsburgh and west of the airport, but in the flight path.  Most of the sites in this state park are too short, not level enough, or overgrown with trees preventing access by our large bus.  I called the park after discovering there were two ADA sites that were long enough.  The park office said we could reserve one of the sites. 

We arrived on the Tuesday, the 19th late afternoon.  Signage to enter the park wasn't great, so we pulled out and disconnected the towed car, so Linda could drive into the park to get the lay of the land.  That was a good move.  Linda called me a few minutes after entering the park to report she went over a bridge with a stated weight limit of 6 tons.  Since the bus weights almost 25 tons, we decided this would not be our route.  Linda drove to the west side of the park and found a doable, curvy, hilly, tree overgrown entrance.  She figured I could dodge most of the low hanging tree limbs.  We already hit our quota of tree limbs earlier in the trip in Charleston, so we didn't want to add to the total.

We made it into the unattended campground which wasn't very occupied.  The ADA site worked well, except no water was available at the site, so we had to drive a short distance in the campground to locate a water faucet to fill our tanks, since we would be boon-docking later in the week at the wedding hotel parking lot.  After filling the water tank we backed into our site seen below.

We stayed at the campground two nights before moving to the hotel parking lot.  Linda went to the hotel each day to help her sister with rehearsal dinner decorations and arrangements.  Thursday we moved to the hotel parking lot.  Linda did have a room at the hotel.  Tim stayed in the bus with the two cats.  You can see how Tim rates....oh, well.

The rehearsal dinner had a baseball theme since the groom is a sports anchor for the Steubenville, Ohio NBC station and the bride is a big sports fan.  See some of the decorations below.

On Friday, June 22 the wedding day arrived.  The groom, Robert (Linda's nephew), and the bride, Kim, were married shortly after 5 p.m.  We didn't get many good pictures, but this isn't too bad.

Following the wedding at a local church, the reception and dinner were held at the Embassy Suites Hotel.  Everyone had a great time and we're so proud of Robert & Kim.  We wish them the best.

Example of the reception/dinner decoration.

The wedding concluded, but not the weekend.  See the next post.

New River Gorge; Hatfields & McCoys; 3 hours, $300, & 3 Aleve

West Virginia has many hidden treasurers.  New River Gorge National River is one of them.  We headed to the area on the 17th, Father's Day.  We didn't know exactly where we would camp, but had a few ideas.  We stayed at Gateway Gorge.  We couldn't reach them by phone, so we decided to drive there to check it out.  We arrived at the campground and the office was closed at mid-afternoon.  We found a note on the door to call a number.  That didn't work.  A lady was driving a truck by the office and she said she'd help us.  She drove us to a site, which worked fine and we were told to settle up with the manager in the office on Monday morning.  We were hungry, so we set up the bus and head for Father's Day dinner.

Tim outside the rib joint for Father's Day

Tim & Linda celebrating Father's Day dinner at Dirty Ernie's Rib Pit in Fayetteville, WV

After an early dinner at Dirty Ernie's Rib Pit, we headed south to Beckley to see the outdoor drama held at the Cliffside Amphitheatre in Grandview State Park.  The original production of the Hatfields and McCoys started in 1970 and Theatre West Virginia was founded in 1952.

Part of the set from Hatfields & McCoys at Theatre WV

The show starts at dusk.  We really enjoyed the drama all the way to the last 15 minutes.  A storm arrived in the area with lots of lightning and a subsequent downpour.  The show was postponed and later cancelled.  We received  rain checks with no time expiration.  Hopefully, we'll come back some day.

On the 18th we decided to explore the New River Gorge.  We went to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center.  The exhibits were well done with lots of information.  We took the short walk to the observation deck.

Sign explaining the bridge

At the time of its completion in 1977, it was the world's longest steel single-span arch bridge.  The use of CORE-TEN steel protects the structure with a thin layer of rust, which never needs painting.

From 1977 to 2004 it was the highest vehicular bridge

Tim walked down the wooden stairs to an observation deck to get a different view.

Some of the steps leading to a lower observation deck

This is the view Tim saw.

Bridge view from underneath

This sign explains more information about the bridge and shows the small bridge below.

We then took a one way road to the bottom of the gorge.  We discovered the Tunney Hunsaker Bridge depicted in the sign above.  All Linda could think of after taking a close look at this bridge is the Erector Set toy that was her favorite as a kid.  Yes, Linda played with Erector Sets instead of dolls.  The construction of this bridge was fascinating.

Note the triangle braces bolted for suport

Closer view of the triangle brace construction

After returning to the Visitors Center about 2 p.m., Tim was sweaty from his hike down and up the wooden stairway.  An unplanned detour began.  On May 29th Tim had a 6cm basal cell carcinoma spot removed from his back.  It required 5 internal and 15 external stitches.  The Monday before we left town he had the 15 external stitches removed.  Linda had been changing the bandages everyday on the wound.  The wound looked good on the 17th.  When Tim had Linda change the bandages in the parking lot of the Visitor Center, she was shocked to see the wound had split open.  Well, after a trip to the nearest hospital ER, 3 hours of waiting and finally seeing the doctor, who said there was no good way to stitch it closed, so the wound would have to heal the old fashion way from the inside out.  After a $300 ER fee, he said to take 3 Aleve and go home.  We weren't ready to waste our whole day, so we took a trip to Babcock State Park.

The park is about 15 miles east of the New River Gorge Visitor Center.  We saw this interesting grist mill.

Grist Mill at Babcock State Park

It was getting late, so we decided we had enough for one day, so we headed back to the bus for dinner.