Frog and Toad and Dead End Roads

Oops, We did it again.

The saying goes that in the north there are two seasons: Winter and Construction.

Well, we're deep into Construction Season. We've bumped our way over many roads that need an overhaul and wound our way through plenty of orange barrels.

Then, there is the morning local traffic report.

The TV was on as we were eating breakfast and packing up, catching glimpses of the weather and traffic reports, but not paying much attention. There was something about an accident, some road was closed.... Perhaps we should have listened more closely, but it was turning into one of those mornings.

We left later than hoped, stalled by phone calls and a malfunction in the Leveling System, which kept wanting to drop the jacks. It's really hard to move forward when the jacks that keep the camper level are on the ground. Finally, Toad was hooked, jacks were up and phone calls were ignored. We were on our way.

Ten miles after we got on I-70 traffic came to a standstill. I pulled out my phone to see what MapQuest could tell me. A black line outlining the highway was punctuated by a circle with a line through it. A section of the interstate was closed. Humph. Annoying. We were stuck in a long line that was finally funneled off onto a side road. A police officer stood at the end of the exit directing traffic; some to the left, some to the right. We wanted to go right. He took one look at us and pointed left. In hindsight, I suspect he was trying to tell us we were too big and we needed to stay on the main roads.

I grabbed the Road Atlas and started searching. OK, I told Larry. Stay on here and we can pick up US-40 and take it to Washington and get back on I-70.

Our GPS didn't like the plan. Turn left in 1/2 mile, she said. "Don't!" I said.

Larry was heading away from where he instinctively felt we should be going.

Finally, 'she' convinced him there was a better way. The road she wanted us to take did indeed go to I-70, further west from where we had exited. I didn't like it, but Larry really wanted to get back on I-70. We turned onto a ..... yes, of course.... a narrow road. A half mile in a sign warned us of lots of curves ahead. Well, we couldn't turn around. We kept going, and going, .....A car coming our way pulled over as far as it could and came to a full stop. I could imagine the driver inside sucking in his breath and leaning as far away from us as he could, as if that would make more room. We inched past.

And then we saw a Semi ahead of us! We took that to be a hopeful sign. If he could make it, we'd be ok. Hopefully. He was leaving a trail of leaves as he drove under low hanging branches, but he wasn't clearing the path completely. Tree branches whipped and snapped at us as we drove under trees not accustomed to big rigs. We kept going, and going.... Finally I-70 began to show up on my iPhone map. I was just starting to relax when we rounded a bend in the road.

There was the sign: Road Closed 1500 Feet Ahead.

?*&!@$%!!!(More Unprintable language)

Seriously, We had no where to go. We weren't facing steep cliffs, but we took up most of the road we were on. It was forward or backward.

We passed a house and crept around another curve to see two semi's stopped at the bottom of a hill at a cross road. The good news was the dreaded barrier blocking our way was on the other side of the intersection! The bad news was the turn was too tight for the semi's to make. We stopped. Thankfully, they were quite a ways ahead of us, but it was obvious they were trying to figure how to make the turn from one narrow road onto another. We had just passed a small house and I was ready to get out, disconnect Toad so we could back into their yard, and get out of there, but we watched the trucks to see what they figured out.

One driver was out talking to the other driver. Truck number two backed up a bit, so truck number one could back up. Finally, the first truck maneuvered his way around the turn, and semi number two was able to do the same thing.

It was our turn. We ventured forth, swung wide, and rumbled down the road; I-70 a few miles ahead. A few more turns, much bumping and banging over pockmarked highway, and a whole lot of construction barrels later we found ourselves back where we wanted to be. It was almost noon. We hadn't yet gone 50 miles. It was going to be a long day.

But I had a new mission. I'm not allowing him to take anymore unknown detours. From now on, it's interstate or Principal Highways as designated by our road atlas.

I've also realized taking the Grands on a trip in the RV wouldn't be a good idea...unless they are wearing earmuffs.

Frog and Toad Get Stuck

There is one fear that most RV drivers live in fear of--the dreaded dead end; that place where there is no way out except to turn around. RV's pulling a car (TOAD) can not back up. Period. RV's can make U-Turns but a 35' one takes 4 lanes to do so. Getting stuck on a narrow mountain road with a sheer drop-off on one side and a steep hillside on the other that ends in dirt road heading off into the woods is the things nightmares are made of.

So is the dreaded Gas Station.

Gas stations are full of pitfalls. Is there room to pull in without blocking off everything else? Can I get in and get out? Can I drive around the islands without Toad knocking a gas pump off it's base? And of course a busy one is a pain because at some point you ARE going to block someone from something.

One tool we have is our travel bible: The Next EXIT. This book lets us know what gas stations, motels, restaurants, and grocery stores are available at each exit, so it's a great tool for any traveler. But it's claim to fame for RV'ers is the amenities highlighted in RED, which means they are RV accessible.

Usually.

Except for Exit 146 on I-79 in West Virginia. (RV'ers take note! Unless you are diesel, DO NOT GET GAS at the Pilot at EXIT 146 on I-79 in West Virginia! Also note, that is the only thing at Exit 146. Just keep driving.)

We knew we were in trouble when we pulled in and the sign said "ENTRANCE/EXIT" and the word CARS was visible, but RV was missing. However, we saw another lost soul and took heart. While Larry is navigating the lot, my job is to peruse it for the way out, the best pump with the most turning space, etc.

Me: "Look! There's an Airstream at that pump. Get in line behind him."

Larry: "How do we get out?"

Me: Hmm. Well, the parking lot goes back behind the building. That must connect to the truck lot and we can get out there. See, the Airstream is heading that way."

At this point I start to get out of the RV so that I can guide Larry into the pump. But as I do, I see the Airstream has stopped. And then he begins to back up.

Uh-oh! This is not looking good. Larry starts to pump gas and I go to investigate.

The Airstream occupants get out and are looking... well... it's that combination of confused, worried, anxious, annoyed...

(I will avoid dialogue here, because most of it is unprintable in polite company, and perhaps around sailors.)

We are stuck. We have found ourselves in The Nightmare. There is no way out, except the way we came in. Then it gets comical. The pumps are set up so that all traffic will exit right and make a right turn at the last pump to get back out. Good luck. WE are in the last pump. At this point, cars can still get out, but there ain't no way WE are getting out that way. To make matters even better, our 'RV Brake' monitor has just informed us that Toad's battery has just died, but that's a story for another time. Even if backing up was an option, once we disconnect Toad, we have to get a jump start to move Toad. Can it get any better?

There was really only one answer.

I ventured into the store and 'gently' informed the attendant in the store there were two campers stuck in his lot that weren't getting out until he blocked some pumps.

Which he did.

While one attendant blocked pumps and re-directed traffic, another, very helpful employee came out and directed Larry as he turned the RV, very narrowly missing a truck parked there. The driver of the truck came out as we were blocking him. He was not thrilled with the situation and had to wait until they could clear the pumps of cars and get us through. He made his thoughts known when he could finally escape. We heard the squealing tires all the way down the highway.

After several seemingly endless minutes we made our escape with much thanks, and apologies, although we couldn't have done much else. The Pilot station was also along that much dreaded narrow road with no place to turn around.

We waved goodbye to the helpful attendants and the Airstream guy who was still wondering when he was going to get out.

Larry was still hyperventilating and "F"ing everything in sight as we headed back north on I-79.

And then we opened our Travel Bible and crossed out Exit 146 on I-79 in West Virginia with big letters NO! written over it.

Some days, the adventure is just more than you hoped for.

Airport Bound: Travel=Workout

I've been fortunate enough to visit Alaska twice, with Larry. He goes for work and I tag along, because, well....its ALASKA! Those visits were great, but limited in where we could go because he had time constraints. This year we did the trip we've always wanted to do; the land and sea trip.

The first leg of the trip was on the Holland America Cruise ship MS Oosterdam and we visited Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway and Glacier Bay, before heading to Seward. Once on the mainland we rented a car and made our way north through Anchorage, to Denali National Park and ending up in Fairbanks.

On the first leg we flew from Atlanta to Vancouver, via Seattle. For all the sitting one does on cross country flights, I also found ways to get a little exercise in.

First I got an abs, glutes, and core workout in the shuttle that took us to the airport. As it careened out of the hotel parking lot, Larry grabbed the back of the seat in front of him. My legs were tucked under the seat and as I clutched my purse to my chest I squeezed the seat cushion with my legs. There wasn't much room in the seat so to keep myself from falling into my husband, (and subsequently pushing him onto the floor), I remembered the words of my pilates instructor and sucked my belly button back to my spine and held myself upright. At the traffic light, I relaxed and took a breath until the light turned green and we took off. It may have only been 15 minutes, but it was a great Tabata Interval workout.

Once we got to the airport, there was a discussion as to whether we needed the domestic or international terminal. We started to walk towards the international shuttle. Larry saw the domestic terminal nearby so while I kept our bags safely corralled so they couldn't run away, he headed for the door. Ten minutes later, he reappeared to say we wanted the domestic terminal, and off we headed. I'm pretty sure, he got at least half of his 10,000 steps just making those two trips.

I know by the end of the day, I had 10,000 steps in for the day, and I spent most of it 7 miles in the air, reading.

I did manage to avoid the Body Pump Weight Lifting exercise. This time I had my husband along to hoist the carry-on bag into the overhead compartment. And I was glad! That bag was heavy!!

Stay tuned for tales about the actual cruise!

RVing Again!

The bus has been parked all winter. February came to an end. Larry's work travel was over. And finally it was time for us to hit the road.

RVing is still pretty new to us, so once again we pulled out the books, and got ready for some learnin'.

When we packed it up and tucked it in for winter, it meant I had to empty out all the foodstuffs from the inside. Larry had to empty out all the tanks and put anti-freeze in the pipes to protect them from the cold temperatures. Now it was time to reverse all those processes. For me, it was easy. Plan food, and get it in the bus.

For Larry it was a bit more detailed. And I, being the ever vigilant housewife, but not so involved with mechanics, have no idea what all that entailed. Except once in awhile I was called on to go 'turn on all the faucets and run the water until it comes clear'.

Him: "Is it clear?"
Her: "No. It's still pink.
    And a little later ...
"The pink is gone. Why is the water foamy?
Him: "WHAT? Wait a minute. Let me come look!! (exasperation.)
   And a little later...
"I'm sure its nothing. It's going away."
Me: Eyebrows raised. Thinking--"I'm not drinking that water!"

Finally, all was ready. Clothes in the closet. Food in the frig. Maps by my seat. It was time to hook up the Toad and get Frog on the road!

Day 1 through Atlanta in the rain wasn't the most fun we've had, but we took the outer loop and skipped the downtown madness. All in all, things went fine, and we were glad to pull into our first stop at a campground outside Valdosta, Georgia.

We put out the slides, plugged in the electric, set the Refrigerator to AC and turned on the hot water heater. Everything seemed fine except the Levelers wouldn't go down. It wasn't crucial because our site was level, but we knew we would need to have them looked at. Day 1 was in the books and we hadn't forgotten how to do anything. Good for us! (Oh, and the water ran clear, not foamy, and tasted fine....especially the ice cubes in the Gin and Tonic.)

Day 2 we thought should be easy. We had a straight shot down I-75 through Florida to Tampa.

So much for what we THOUGHT it should be like. Road construction had us frequently dodging orange barrels. 16-Wheelers set up trains on both sides of us, whenever they could and buffeted us between them. And then there was the wind. Head wind, side wind, constant wind.

My hero of a husband who can drive anything, was searching out rest areas just so he could flex and relax the hands that had been gripping the wheel, and sit back and close his eyes, shrug his shoulders, roll his neck....you get the idea. He was tense.

We made it to Tampa and our camp site at Lazy Days. I'm glad I wasn't driving, but all's well that ends well. I'm ready for a trip out west; Colorado, the Dakota's, Wyoming. Larry was ready for a beer.

We sat outside, in the sun, drink in hand and watched the news....It was snowing up north, again. Florida was a good place to be.

Pittsburgh vs. the GPS

It's so hard to know where to start this post, or even where to go. So I'll start with our evening's adventures. Larry and I decided it was time to venture out to find a local Christams light display known as Hartwood Acres. Although local, it is not close by and various trips in this area have served to remind us we DON'T know where we are going, and by the time we find our way 'there' and home, we rarely know where we've been!

Our first summer here, Larry wanted to show me a place he had found. It was 15 minutes away and he assured me we'd be home in 45 minutes. Getting there was easy. We stuck to the interstate. But on the way home we tried the back roads...without the GPS. 45 minutes later we had found 'the river'. I put that in quotes since Pittsburgh is well know for it's 3 rivers! 2 hours later we found our way home.

We've had various adventures since then, mostly in the city. There may be 14 ways into the city, but we've only ever found 1 way home. We end up at his office and head back from there. It may be out of the way, but it never fails.

So tonight's venture out was brave, but we felt suitably armed with a somewhat better idea of the area, 2 separate directions from Mapquest, and our GPS. The 23 mile drive was mostly on main roads (that we knew), and was suppposed to take 38 minutes. The plan was to go see the lights at Hartwood Acres and come back to town for dinner. Ah yes. Plans. Such a good idea. Such a wasted effort.

Who knows what went wrong. We headed down the turnpike towards Butler. Everything seemed fine at first as we headed south on Rt. 8, but then the GPS decided it would rather take us into Pittsburgh. As we followed the calm voice guiding us we suddenly realized we were being directed onto Rt. 28. Points to turn around were absent, and besides, 'The GPS' was quite insistent as it deposited us in downtown Pittsburgh. Fortunately, I had been in that part of town before so I was able to turn us around and head us back out. While Larry was armed with the GPS I had the mapquest directions in hand and was insistent we find our way back to Rt. 8!!! Easier said than done. We tried. We really tried. And finally we found ourselves way out of town, headed for Kittanning, where, OH THANK GOD!!!! there was the turnpike.YES! That road we really do know.

We finally did make it almost to Hartwood Acres. After 2 hours we were a mile from the entrance when we came to a standstill. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who decided to see the lights. Tired, hungry, and running on empty (the Trailblazer was hungry, too) we cried "Uncle" and turned around. It was almost 9:00 when we finally stopped at our favorite wings haunt. "What can I get you?" the waiter asked. "A pitcher of Miller Lite, and 2 glasses, thank you." (Oh yeah, we did order the wings too... after a few swigs. First things first.)

Pittsburgh is a hard place for a GPS. If you are downtown, the concrete canyons make it hard to find a signal. The multiple levels of highway and bridge make it hard to determine which road you should be on. Even so, maybe tonight's trip was more a problem of an old GPS that lost it's way. It has always been pretty reliable before. Larry asked for a new one for Christmas. I sure hope Santa brings one.