Tag ArchiveEverywhere Once |

Hurricane Hideaway

by Brian on September 3, 2010 in Maine

The bad news is that we decided to visit Bar Harbor during one of the three worst heat waves ever recorded and just before the largest hurricane threat in a decade. The good news is EconoLodge. I say that with only the slightest tinge of sarcasm. After all, what are the chances we’d find a seemingly sturdy, conveniently located, pet friendly, hotel with oversized parking spots large enough for a 35 foot motor home? I’d have guessed none. But here it is, about an hour inland from where we were in Bar Harbor.

We could have stayed put and rode out the storm. Some folks at our campground were planning to do just that, and they’ll probably be fine. But then again, they might end up needing to have their dumb asses rescued because they were too stupid to get out of harm’s way. That didn’t sound like a good trade to us. Instead, we’re making a brief, unscheduled, detour to a hotel where we plan to watch the raging storm, and previously missed Daily Show episodes, over a Papa John’s pizza and a six pack. It could be worse.

In all likelihood we’ll be back in Bar Harbor tomorrow afternoon. The nice thing about traveling permanently is that little detours like this don’t really matter that much. If we only had the weekend to work with, a good portion of it would be shot. But we were planning to spend a week (or more) in Bar Harbor and we will spend a week (or more) there, even if it means adding extra days. What else do we have to do?

Ha-ha, kill yourself, Earl.

Fit or Fun?

by Brian on August 5, 2010 in How To, Planning and Prep, RVing

There is something about this Jeep that has me rethinking our plans. As I mentioned earlier, our existing car isn’t suitable to tow, so we’ll eventually have to replace it with something else. We had pretty much decided on getting a Honda Fit for a whole host of really boring practical reasons. It’s inexpensive, light weight, has plenty of cargo capacity, gets great gas mileage, Zzzzzzzzzz.

But lately we’ve been running into a fair number of unpaved roads, which I didn’t really expect in the North East. I’m wondering what we’ll encounter when we head west. So we’ve been thinking that the dainty little Fit might not get us everywhere we want to go. And how practical is that?

And then today we see this bad boy, tricked out for serious off-roading. It even has the requisite mud splatters to prove it is legit. But there is something else here that I can’t quite put my finger on. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but for some reason I really want a Jeep now.

Conquering Moby Dick

by Brian on July 20, 2010 in Massachusetts

View from Stony Ledge

“All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby-Dick. He piled upon the whale’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart’s shell upon it.”

– Herman Melville, Moby Dick

My, oh-my, Melville must have hated Mount Greylock to have written such vitriol.* For it is rumored that the snow-covered profile of this gently sloping mountain peak provided the inspiration for his leviathan, Moby Dick. From a distance, and with enough psychotropics, you can definitely imagine the mountain as the hump of a great whale breaching the surrounding granite waves. But our objective today wasn’t to view it from a distance, it was to summit Massachusetts’ tallest peak.

Mt. Greylock as seen from Herman Melville's house

That certainly sounds impressive, and it might have been, if only we had taken the nine or so hours needed to hike the entirety of it. But we were short on time and ambition today so we packed a lunch and drove to the 3,491 foot peak. From the summit you can see several mountain ranges (the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Green Mountains) depending on which direction you look.

Stony Ledge Trail

While Greylock’s vista is admirable, the better view, in our opinion, is from the lower summit of Stony Ledge. Some 900 feet beneath its larger sister, Stony Ledge gives an excellent view of Greylock, as well as the undeveloped valley on its western slope. The hike to the ledge would have been fairly easy, but the wide trail just begged to be tackled via mountain bike, which proved to be harder than we expected. The entire trip is a hill, halfway up, and halfway down. Going down is loads of fun, but biking a mile or so straight up kicked the asses of a couple of fatties like us. Good thing we got back early enough for a nap.

(* This will wind Shannon up good, because Melville loved Mount Greylock. Heh, heh, heh, heh.)

Longer Hose Wanted

by Brian on July 16, 2010 in Massachusetts

Our sewer hose (bottom right), stretched to the limit

We arrived safely in Massachusetts basically on schedule, a few wrong turns aside. The rig leveled successfully, which was never a problem, but whether we’ll be able to un-level it, remains to be seen. It could be that our leveling jacks are now a permanent foundation. So if anyone wants to see us, we’re in Lanesborough, MA, possibly for the foreseeable future.

Set-up took longer than usual today. When entering our campsite Shannon helpfully pointed out that my hose wasn’t quite long enough to reach the desired spot. So I had to pull out, and back in, and out, and in, many more times than either of us wanted. But once started, you have to see the job through to completion, or else everyone just ends up cranky. Through persistence, and no small measure of skill on my part, we eventually got things situated to everyone’s satisfaction. But life would be much easier if only I had a longer hose. So I’m off to see if I can find an extension.

Jacks Up, Ready to Roll

by Brian on July 16, 2010 in Miscellaneous

If all goes according to plan, we’ll be on the road to the Berkshires in an hour or so. That’s also what we thought yesterday, but at least as of this very moment, the rig checks out tip-top. Wish us luck.