We reconnected with Pat and Fred at the FMCA rally. By attending our first FMCA rally during the first few days of August, we got to reconnect with friends. Shortly after, we left NY, moving south to Pennsylvania, where we got to spend time with Dave’s mom and sister.
FMCA Northeast Rally – Herkimer NY
Although we weren’t FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) members, we made plans several months ago to attend the summer rally in Herkimer NY, because Pat and Fred planned on attending. Over the course of several conversations with the NE area president, Dave signed us up serve as Safety Officers for the event and managed to convince Fred and Pat to do the same. It would work well, he thought. We would have little scheduled duties and access to a golf cart. Pretty sweet. In the intervening months, he reached out to Mary and Angie, friends we had met at Pocahontas who now lived near Syracuse. They decided to join the event as well, and signed up to do some volunteering as well.
Although we weren’t FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) members, we made plans several months ago to attend the summer rally in Herkimer NY, because Pat and Fred planned on attending. Over the course of several conversations with the NE area president, Dave signed us up serve as Safety Officers for the event and managed to convince Fred and Pat to do the same. It would work well, he thought. We would have little scheduled duties and access to a golf cart. Pretty sweet. In the intervening months, he reached out to Mary and Angie, friends we had met at Pocahontas who now lived near Syracuse. They decided to join the event as well, and signed up to do some volunteering as well.
The calm before the storm. Set up by ourselves at the Herkimer County Fairgrounds. So, as we pulled into the nearly empty Herkimer County Fairgrounds on the Tuesday before the event, we were looking forward to spending time with friends and taking advantage of the offerings of the rally. We were welcomed, shown our parking place and given an overview of our duties as Safety Officers. We did some golf cart training and checked out the various venues for fire extinguishers and clear exits. Got a copy of an incident report, and we were good to go. Well, sort of. We also had a “minor” duty to ensure no rig was parked closer than 5 ft from another to comply with fire regulations. This proved to be a wildly unpopular role.
The campground filled up with 160 rigs. The next day, we were asked to each drive golf carts to guide RV’s to the parking attendants, checking for distance compliance when necessary through the day. But confusion reigned, and we found ourselves sitting around much of the day, looking to help but not getting much direction. We did manage to guide Mary and Angie into a spot near us and then Pat and Fred to one on the other side. And there was the occasional distance problem that was reported back to the head of parking. However, when we were just about ready to call it quits for the day, we suddenly learned we had a new responsibility. The state inspector had arrived and given several new requirements that needed to be communicated to every rig. We split up - Pat and Cathy in one cart and Fred and Dave in the other. We stopped by each rig and repeated our spiel – awnings 5 ft away, open flames 10ft away. After making the rounds, we were glad to call it a day.
Vendor Fair With all of the RV’s parked, we figured the next day would be pretty quiet. However, Pat and Cathy found themselves manning the “pumpout” sign-up table, which was pretty mild duty considering Dave and Fred ended up spending 5 hours following the propane truck around the campground from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. However, we didn’t miss too much because the 3 seminars slated for the morning session didn’t happen because the speakers failed to show. Without recounting the details of the rest of the rally, to say it went poorly is an understatement. Probably the lowest point was spending another 4 1/2 hours behind the pumpout truck.
Dave and Fred But the opportunity to spend time with our friends did materialize, and we had a great time with Pat and Fred and Mary and Angie. Despite our enhanced duties, we had lots of time to socialize and we really enjoyed the reunion. While we don’t see an FMCA membership in our future, the event did give us this time together which was the best part of it.
General Clinton Park – Bainbridge NY
Leaving Herkimer later on Sunday after most RV’s had left, we headed south to Bainbridge NY and the town’s General Clinton Park. This was our 2nd stay at the park. Pulling along side our neighbors, we struck up a conversation and learned they were musicians and would be playing that night at an ice cream social fundraiser. It was at the Maywood Depot in the tiny town of Sidney Center, and was originally the site of a wooden trestle bridge for the NY O & W RR. The foundations can be still be seen in the valley below the historic depot.
Leaving Herkimer later on Sunday after most RV’s had left, we headed south to Bainbridge NY and the town’s General Clinton Park. This was our 2nd stay at the park. Pulling along side our neighbors, we struck up a conversation and learned they were musicians and would be playing that night at an ice cream social fundraiser. It was at the Maywood Depot in the tiny town of Sidney Center, and was originally the site of a wooden trestle bridge for the NY O & W RR. The foundations can be still be seen in the valley below the historic depot.
Jim performing tunes at the Maywood Depot Ice Cream Social fundraiser. So, that evening we found ourselves looking over a scenic valley, enjoying some homemade blueberry pie a la mode, accompanied by Jim’s music. It was a hidden treasure we would have missed had we not struck up that conversation.
Fetish Lane performing at General Clinton Park A few days later, we were enjoying a different style of music. The park had a local band playing to an enthusiastic crowd, with a nearby food truck feeding the patrons. We learned later that at least 2 of the performers were local high school teachers. Maybe that explained the range of ages in the audience. We certainly had a good time.
In our site at Silver Valley Silver Valley Campground – Saylorsburg PA
The next morning we headed out for Pennsylvania. We would be staying once again at the Silver Valley Campground. Since we had been there before we weren’t too worried about our route. However, that changed when we turned down the road toward the campground and saw a “5-ton limit” sign. Apparently a bridge had been restricted since last year. Since we weigh closer to 9 tons, this wasn’t going to work. Calling the campground, we worked out another route, but it meant we had to turn around on this road. We were lucky that there were 2 open paved driveways that were available for us to back into and turn around. We made our way around to the campground using the other route successfully.
The next morning we headed out for Pennsylvania. We would be staying once again at the Silver Valley Campground. Since we had been there before we weren’t too worried about our route. However, that changed when we turned down the road toward the campground and saw a “5-ton limit” sign. Apparently a bridge had been restricted since last year. Since we weigh closer to 9 tons, this wasn’t going to work. Calling the campground, we worked out another route, but it meant we had to turn around on this road. We were lucky that there were 2 open paved driveways that were available for us to back into and turn around. We made our way around to the campground using the other route successfully.
Blue Ridge Winery wine selection With more time in the area this year, we enjoyed a few more activities at the campground, including a wine tasting, music and dancing one Saturday night. There were also a wine tour and tastings at the nearby Blue Ridge Winery, along with some wood-fired pizza that we enjoyed on their outdoor patio. As an extra bonus, we were given a boxful of corks to give to Dave’s mom and sister who are using them for their crafts.
Cathy with part of dead branch that hit our neighbor's RV That night, a storm blew through the campground, and when we woke up the next morning, we had new neighbors. A large branch from a dead tree had punched into their roof overnight and they had moved in the middle of the night to avoid any more damage. Dave worked with them to offer tools and supplies to make some temporary repairs, sharing our experience with some similar damage on our old RV.
Diane and Dave repair a hose Family Time
The main reason for our stay at Silver Valley was to visit with Dave’s Mom, sister Diane and Pam. We spent several days with them over the next week, catching up and working through a number of tasks to help them out. We trimmed trees, powerwashed a fence, repaired a hose, and helped move and set up a queen bed for one of Diane’s friends, and lots more. And, as always, there was a lot of computer work.
It was great to see them and enjoy time together.
The main reason for our stay at Silver Valley was to visit with Dave’s Mom, sister Diane and Pam. We spent several days with them over the next week, catching up and working through a number of tasks to help them out. We trimmed trees, powerwashed a fence, repaired a hose, and helped move and set up a queen bed for one of Diane’s friends, and lots more. And, as always, there was a lot of computer work.
It was great to see them and enjoy time together.
Losing Weight
No. This isn’t about our daily checkup on the bathroom scales. We have been concerned about the weight of the RV as we continue to search for a new truck, trying to ensure we can match our weight with a new truck’s payload. We have made considerable efforts over the past year to cull out extraneous stuff and reduce our overall weight. Since the rally took place next door to a truck stop with a CAT Scale, we decided to see how well we’ve done. The good news was that we have lost weight. The bad news is that with all of our efforts, the combined weight was just 20 lbs less than the last time we ran across the scales 2 years ago. Maybe we need to work more on that number on the bathroom scales instead.
No. This isn’t about our daily checkup on the bathroom scales. We have been concerned about the weight of the RV as we continue to search for a new truck, trying to ensure we can match our weight with a new truck’s payload. We have made considerable efforts over the past year to cull out extraneous stuff and reduce our overall weight. Since the rally took place next door to a truck stop with a CAT Scale, we decided to see how well we’ve done. The good news was that we have lost weight. The bad news is that with all of our efforts, the combined weight was just 20 lbs less than the last time we ran across the scales 2 years ago. Maybe we need to work more on that number on the bathroom scales instead.
