Stephens State Park July 23 2012

We arrived in Jersey late yesterday afternoon, set up camp, and then drove to my home town of Clifton, about 40 miles away, to visit the cemetery.  Today, we set out to Stephens State Park in the Allamuchy Mountains near Hackettstown off Route 206.  I found it on a website of NJ state parks, and never having been there, we thought it might be a nice little drive on the back roads.  The park has several picnic areas along the Musconetcong River, a popular place for trout fishing . At one spot, there was a lime kiln that dated back about 200 years where potash was made using the granite rock oven.  We also stopped at Saxon Falls on the Musconetcong which contains part of the tow path for the Morris Canal, a waterway that was used in the 1800's to transport coal  from Pennsylvania to cities along the way to New York City and  goods and supplies on the return trip.  We got back early in the  afternoon, just before a severe thunderstorm came through the campground. 

Saturday July 21, 2012

Today is day 3 of our trip north for cousin Joey Paul & Melody's wedding in Washingtonville, NY, on July 27th.  We decided to bump back an appointment Bob had early August and take our time and our travel unit going up and back to the wedding. Originally, we were going to go straight up and return after the wedding, staying at pet friendly hotels along the way.  We were able to get a week's stay at Mahlon Reservation in Milton (our usual campground when we're in New Jersey).  From there, it is about an hour north to where the wedding festivities will be held.

Our first stop was in Titusville at the Manatee Hammock Park along the Indian River where we've stayed before.  This time, it was incredibly hot and humid.  I took a quick dip in the pool there, and we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in unit with the a/c.  Bob's sister Gwen, and friend Ellen, came over for a while.  It was good to see them and catch up on Ellen's latest adventure in Alaska.

Second night we stopped at St George, SC.  Our Passport America website showed a 16 unit RV park as part of  a Comfort Inn off I-95.  To our surprise, it was very nicely maintained, and despite the nearness to the Interestate and a rail road track, we did have a "comfort"-able night's rest, plus I was able to use the pool (and was the only one in it) all for $15.  We drove into the town of St George, which consisted of Main Street...one block north and one block south.  Sadly, most businesses were out of business.

Tonight's stop is in Buena Vista, VA, near Lexington, off I-77, at a place called Glen Maury Park.  It is a 315 acre facility with ball fields, golf course, city pool, stream, trails, concert area, and the Paxton House.  The Paxton House is a pre-Civil War plantation type home which is being restored.  It was built between 1830 and 1835 and was where Elisha F. Paxton grew up. Elisha was a lawyer and later a Confederate general in the Stonewall Brigade.  He died in the battle of Chancellorsville on May 3, 1863.  This evening, a gospel jubilee is being held on a hill near the plantation, but Bob, Charlie Dog and I plan on again staying in the unit with the a/c cranked low.  Hallelujah!

Finally home and some funny things along the way

We were on the road 31 days, and traveled a total of 4794.5 miles!  Lots of road dust!  We saw several unusual and humorous signs and sights during our trip.  Some I was not able to capture in time with the camera, like a sign in front of a diner "Love, peace and bacon grease"; or the slogan on a glass repairman's truck" "Show Me Your Crack".  But here are a few that I was able to get (right double click to enlarge):

I couldn't get this one good enough, but the station wagon was on a tow truck.  The bumper sticker on the wagon read:  "This car survived Mount Washington".

 Well, that's it until next trip....

Big Oops!

Monday we went to the cemetery, then spent the rest of the day getting ready to leave Tuesday morning.  Rain was again our companion throughout most of the ride Tuesday.  We stopped near Wythesville, VA at a campsite that we hadn't stayed at before, but seemed convenient being close to I-81.  It was probably one of the worst places we have ever camped at.  The sites were tight, and vehicles were parked in the roadway.  When Bob was trying to get into our spot, he inadvertently jack-knifed the unit right into the back window of the truck, smashing the window and crunching the cab frame.  The only thing we had to patch it up was cardboard from a beer box and electrical tape.  Talk about looking like rednecks!  The camp was right under the I-81 bridge, and the noise from the traffic could be heard even inside the unit which compounded the upset about the damage to the truck, and did not make for a pleasant night's sleep.

Party Time

The reception later in the evening was spectacular.  Appetizers were set up in two huge adjacent rooms with seating there and in the courtyard.   There was more food than one could imagine: jumbo shrimp, stone crab claws, duck, a carving station with stuffed pork and beef tenderloin, as well as a wide variety of  salads, cheeses, breads, cold cuts, hors d'ouvers, and condiments, ice sculptures, and an open bar that continued throughout the night.  After the appetizer/cocktail hour, everyone entered the ballroom  for the formal sit down dinner, speeches by Jill, the Maid of Honor, Victor, the Best Man, and Michael, the Father of the Bride who entertained everyone with a poem he had written about Rachel, and dancing which lasted until midnight.  It was truly an incredible wedding.
The next morning, we were invited to a breakfast at The Hunter's Room at the Grainery located behind the Inn.  Later in the afternoon,  Bob and I brought over some of the flowers from the wedding to Adele's house, where we had a chance to visit a bit longer with the Merson/Lambright family before saying so-long for this trip.

 

Rachel & Nathan's Big Day May 19 2012

Saturday morning, with some trepidation, we dropped Charlie Dog off at The Clip Shoppe, a groomer we've used when in Jersey who also boards dogs.  In the 8 years that we've had him, we have never boarded him, and with his being 13 years old, we weren't sure how we would react, but it turned out he did very well.  From there, we headed down to The Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge where the reception would be held, and where we had reservations for the night.  After checking in, we were able to catch part of the bridal party with the photographers and get some photos of our own. Then, we headed to Kirkpatrick Chapel in New Brunswick where the wedding ceremony was to start at 4 pm.  Traffic today was a lot lighter, plus we found a way to circumvent the road where the Greek festival was being held.  The chapel was truly awesome. The ceremony generated tears and laughter.  When  Rachel and her father walked down the aisle, Michael's great niece, Seneca, who was the flower girl, asked her mother if Uncle Michael was marrying Rachel. The Reverend related how Rachel and Nathan met at Rutgers, and it was funny to see how Rachel "played to the audience" as their story was told.  Soon they were pronounced husband and wife, and a kiss sealed the deal.