
After spending another week in Reston, we moved north into Pennsylvania. Taking advantage of our Harvest Host and Boondocker’s Welcome memberships, we stopped at some new places – a winery and an organic cattle farm, and returned to the Ives Run campground near the NY border. We planned to end the month near Rochester NY, so our travels were working us north in that direction.

Lake Fairfax Park, Reston, VA
When not exploring the hiking trails at Lake Fairfax Park or working on other projects, we enjoyed some social visits. We had not seen our friend Jannie in many years, having first met her in Rochester before she relocated near us when we were living in Northern Virginia. We joined her for lunch at her home in Herndon and learned of the incredible turn her life has taken, as she is now teaching hydroponics at local schools and to others throughout the US and beyond. (Here’s a link to her Explorer’s Club.)
When not exploring the hiking trails at Lake Fairfax Park or working on other projects, we enjoyed some social visits. We had not seen our friend Jannie in many years, having first met her in Rochester before she relocated near us when we were living in Northern Virginia. We joined her for lunch at her home in Herndon and learned of the incredible turn her life has taken, as she is now teaching hydroponics at local schools and to others throughout the US and beyond. (Here’s a link to her Explorer’s Club.)

One afternoon as storms were threatening, we joined Dave's cousins Don and Cindy at National Harbor. As they graciously honored our desire to eat outdoors, the raindrops chased us away from one more exposed venue (where the rain started pouring down onto our table) to one that was more fully covered. We enjoyed catching up with each other. Since retiring from teaching, Don had recently started a woodworking business, which was taking him weekly to local festivals. We offered our assistance in creating a website for him, which he can now use to highlight his wares – and they are beautiful.

And what about the promised July 4th fireworks? Well, the park actually had a fireworks display on Saturday the 2nd. As the sky opened up with rain just before the start time, we concluded the show was a washout. Not so. A few minutes after the rain let up, the display began. We didn’t make it to the best viewing spot, but we got a pretty good view from the campground.

Having extended our stay a couple of days, by Friday the 8th, it was time to pull out and head north. We had done more exploring of the park this year, and hiked many more of the trails. It is a real haven in the midst of the busy Reston congestion.

Armstrong Valley Winery, Halifax PA
Our next stop after leaving Reston was going to be our first Harvest Host stay this year and only our 3rd since joining. We were arriving at the small Armstrong Valley Winery the day before their Summer Fest, allowing us to pull into their spacious parking lot while it was still empty. That would change dramatically the next morning. (Having discovered that our original arrival date was going to be during the festival, we asked to arrive a day early. Good plan.) But we had our choice of 6 pull-through spots that had 50amp power. In exchange for this generous service, we were asked to patronize our host, and that we did. Our first night, we enjoyed a bottle of wine in a courtyard while listening to the music of local band Cracken Jack.
Our next stop after leaving Reston was going to be our first Harvest Host stay this year and only our 3rd since joining. We were arriving at the small Armstrong Valley Winery the day before their Summer Fest, allowing us to pull into their spacious parking lot while it was still empty. That would change dramatically the next morning. (Having discovered that our original arrival date was going to be during the festival, we asked to arrive a day early. Good plan.) But we had our choice of 6 pull-through spots that had 50amp power. In exchange for this generous service, we were asked to patronize our host, and that we did. Our first night, we enjoyed a bottle of wine in a courtyard while listening to the music of local band Cracken Jack.

When the first day of Summer Fest arrived, the people started arriving by mid-morning. We strolled through the craft vendors, enjoyed the live music, joined a barrel tasting and tour, and then took a hay ride through the vineyards, all of which are owned by the Winery. After having some BBQ for lunch, we signed up for an unlimited tasting ticket, which allowed us to try any of the wines we liked, some of which were paired some yummy treats.

As we took a break that afternoon, we looked across at the parking lot that was full of cars, with 5 additional RV’s working their way around the festival-goers. Before sunset, though, the RV’s had the lot to ourselves and enjoyed some time socializing along with a beautiful sunset.

Ives Run Recreation Area on Tioga Reservoir, Tioga PA
Heading out on a Sunday morning, we had a short run to get to the our campground on the PA-Ny border on US 15. Tucked into the hills that line the Tioga River is an Army Corps of Engineer park that has 2 campgrounds. We opted to stay at Ives Run where we had a full hook-up site at half price thanks to Dave’s senior pass. The sites are level, many with full hook-ups, and situated close to the lake, which has a beach and boat ramp. For the first time this year, we pulled down the bikes and discovered the Visitor Center and butterfly garden, along with other hiking trails. Unfortunately, it was the first place in all of our travels north that we lacked any T-mobile internet service. Our Visible phone filled the gap, though. Despite that, it is one of favorite stopovers on the way north.
Heading out on a Sunday morning, we had a short run to get to the our campground on the PA-Ny border on US 15. Tucked into the hills that line the Tioga River is an Army Corps of Engineer park that has 2 campgrounds. We opted to stay at Ives Run where we had a full hook-up site at half price thanks to Dave’s senior pass. The sites are level, many with full hook-ups, and situated close to the lake, which has a beach and boat ramp. For the first time this year, we pulled down the bikes and discovered the Visitor Center and butterfly garden, along with other hiking trails. Unfortunately, it was the first place in all of our travels north that we lacked any T-mobile internet service. Our Visible phone filled the gap, though. Despite that, it is one of favorite stopovers on the way north.

Honeyhill Farm, Livonia NY
With our next stop we were in NY, on a small organic cattle farm, raising Black Angus cattle. This was another Boondocker’s Welcome site. We pulled alongside the barn and where we had the use of 15amp power and a view of the entire property. For the first time in our travel north, we turned off the AC, and the cool nights allowed us to sleep well without it.
With our next stop we were in NY, on a small organic cattle farm, raising Black Angus cattle. This was another Boondocker’s Welcome site. We pulled alongside the barn and where we had the use of 15amp power and a view of the entire property. For the first time in our travel north, we turned off the AC, and the cool nights allowed us to sleep well without it.

Our host was enthusiastic about having company. He hosted a campfire our first night and took us on a scenic, albeit challenging, hike to Hemlock Lake the next day. We enjoyed the company and our quiet site on this small farm. After a couple of nights, it was time to move on again.

RV Stuff
Why is the oven smoking? As soon as the question entered Cathy’s mind, she immediately knew the answer. Before heading out that morning, she had stored a plastic container in the oven for the trip, and had forgotten to remove it when she lit the oven. Opening up the oven door, the sight that greeeted her was disheartening. The clear plastic container was dripping through the oven rack onto the bottom of the oven. Was this something that we could clean up or was the oven toast? (Bad pun.)
Amazingly, much of the plastic hardened back quickly and popped right off. However, the problem was the thin residue left over on racks and the oven floor that was concerning. But a quick Google search determined that Cathy is not the first (nor likely the last) person to melt a plastic container in the oven. There were tons of tips for getting it clean. The bad news was that it took a LOT of scrubbing. The good news is that the oven is VERY clean now. And after a little smoke to burn off the final residue, there is no more plastic smell to infuse our baked goods. Whew!
We also had some water issues to deal with. The heat began to affect the quality of the water in our tanks. While in Ives Run with full hook-ups, we sanitized the tanks with bleach (let it sit in the tank overnight), and then drained and refilled it. We also used our access to the sewer hook-up to regen our water softener. That would keep it fresh for future water fills.
Why is the oven smoking? As soon as the question entered Cathy’s mind, she immediately knew the answer. Before heading out that morning, she had stored a plastic container in the oven for the trip, and had forgotten to remove it when she lit the oven. Opening up the oven door, the sight that greeeted her was disheartening. The clear plastic container was dripping through the oven rack onto the bottom of the oven. Was this something that we could clean up or was the oven toast? (Bad pun.)
Amazingly, much of the plastic hardened back quickly and popped right off. However, the problem was the thin residue left over on racks and the oven floor that was concerning. But a quick Google search determined that Cathy is not the first (nor likely the last) person to melt a plastic container in the oven. There were tons of tips for getting it clean. The bad news was that it took a LOT of scrubbing. The good news is that the oven is VERY clean now. And after a little smoke to burn off the final residue, there is no more plastic smell to infuse our baked goods. Whew!
We also had some water issues to deal with. The heat began to affect the quality of the water in our tanks. While in Ives Run with full hook-ups, we sanitized the tanks with bleach (let it sit in the tank overnight), and then drained and refilled it. We also used our access to the sewer hook-up to regen our water softener. That would keep it fresh for future water fills.

But our more significant issues have been electrical in nature. When Cathy activated our leveling system to leave Lake Fairfax. The battery voltage that consistently read 13.6V was unusually low at 12.6V. The problem? We discovered that our converter is no longer consistently charging the batteries. Since we are routinely plugged into shore power, you might ask how big a deal is this? Well, even when plugged into AC power, the DC power (i.e. direct from the batteries) is used for a number of systems, such as lights, the water pump, and ventilation fans. The converter than recharges the batteries for the power used. So, the good news is we have AC to cool us and TV to entertain us. But to avoid irreparably draining the batteries, we have to sit around in the dark and limit our water use. After several calls to the manufacturer, a replacement converter is on its way. Fingers crossed.

But wait, there’s more. We have mentioned in earlier blog posts that our In-command system (i.e., electronic display that controls the RV systems) freezes periodically and has to be re-booted with increasing frequency. This all started happening after a software update in May. Since there are no or very limited alternatives for control each system, we need this display to function. We’ve been told by the manufacturer Asa Electronics that some Cougars are missing the end-of-line resistor, and they suspect ours is one of them.
When we called Keystone to get them to send us the part, they disagreed that our 2020 Cougar was affected. We called back to Asa Electronics, who is sending us the replacement resistor anyway. Since the In-Command system is also one of the few ways we can get an accurate read on the battery voltage, this complicates the problems with managing our batteries. Fingers crossed twice that this resistor will fix the problem.
When we called Keystone to get them to send us the part, they disagreed that our 2020 Cougar was affected. We called back to Asa Electronics, who is sending us the replacement resistor anyway. Since the In-Command system is also one of the few ways we can get an accurate read on the battery voltage, this complicates the problems with managing our batteries. Fingers crossed twice that this resistor will fix the problem.