East Coast Family Reunion - Day 9 - June 15, 2021

We had a pleasant drive today. Fairly long (345 miles), but it went very well. The only issue was a 20-miniute construction lane compression delay in Wheeling, WV crossing the Ohio River.

West Virginia has an interesting history. From Wikipedia:

“Originally part of old Virginia Much of the area had been settled by yeomen farmers, few of whom owned slaves. With the railroad, a larger industrial or mercantile middle-class developed that depended on free labor; it either felt disinterest or hostility to slavery. The Wheeling Intelligencer newspaper expressed the area's anti-secession sentiment as tensions rose over slavery and national issues. The city became part of the movement of western areas to secede from Virginia after the beginning of the Civil War. It was the location of the Wheeling Convention.[8] It served as the provisional capital of the Restored Government of Virginia from 1861 to 1863, and became the first capital of West Virginia after it seceded from Virginia and was admitted to the Union in its own right in 1863.”

Travelling west on I-70E from Ohio you only cross a small sliver of WV where Wheeling is located. You then enter Pennsylvania and continue along I-70 until it joins the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-76 a toll road. The Pennsylvania Turnpike also has an interesting history.

The road crosses the entire state east to west, New Jersey to Ohio (360 miles). It crosses the Appalachian Mountains in central Pennsylvania, passing through four fairly long tunnels. During the 1930s the turnpike was designed to improve automobile transportation across the mountains of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission acquired the rights of way, with seven tunnels, from the South Pennsylvania Railroad that was abandoned in the 1880s, a victim of the New York Central/Pennsylvania Railroad wars (another interesting story) The road opened on October 1, 1940. It was one of the earlier long-distance limited-access highways in the United States, and served as a precedent for additional limited-access toll roads and the Interstate Highway System. It has been continually expanded and improved since then and is now one of the best maintained highways in the Interstate Highway System.

We are now officially in the east. We are staying at a nice RV park just across the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, PA. The scenery enroute was very pretty, especially over the Appalachian Mountains and the foothills up-and-down. Rolling hills, well kept farmlands and buildings many very old but kept up, lots of trees, all very green. No wind today made the drive much easier. Still a lot of trucks on the road. That is good. Commerce appears to be flourishing.

Our travel plans have been updated to address what to do on Wednesday and Thursday. Those days were built into the travel schedule to deal with any issues before arriving at Cape May, NJ on Friday.

We finally found someone to take a look at our RV coach AC that has a power problem. So we are headed to the Philadelphia/West Chester KOA tomorrow. We will stay there Wednesday and Thursday Night and a mobile RV repair guy will be there Friday am to see what the issue may be (and hopefully fix it). We will also be spending time with my sister and nieces who live nearby as well as getting caught up with travel logistics like laundry and supplies replenishment. After that we will travel to Cape May for the start of the reunion.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 8 - June 14, 2021

It was a bit of a strange day today.  We got on the road at the normal time around 8:30 am – 9:00 am but it seemed to take awhile to get locked in to the travel mode. The terrain in Indiana was about the same as where we have been.  Lots of Ag (more corn) and the road about the same.  I have to say however, the Interstate roads in Indiana are the worst we have seen so far.

We had stayed a little bit west of Indianapolis so we went around the city on the southern loop and picked up I-70E at the east end.  I was impressed with the size of the city and traffic there.  It is really a big city and a major transportation hub.  About 6 or 7 Interstate loops and roads intersect there.  As we moved east there were also definitely more people on the road.

We had pretty good wind again but a tailwind and it wasn’t a problem.  The problem was a lot of construction, lane closures/compressions and delays.  There was also a major delay due to a bad accident up ahead of us.  We probably lost about and an hour or so just clearing all the delays.

We also stopped at another nice rest area in Ohio for lunch.

Another challenge was driving through Columbus this afternoon.  Lots of downtown construction and nothing we recognized from our time there in the 60’s.  We are staying about 30 miles east of the city at a nice KOA at Buckeye Lake.

Harrisburg, PA tomorrow then two days (our travel flex time) to figure out what to do next before our scheduled arrival in Cape May, NJ.  We have a few minor RV issues we want to get fixed but are having trouble finding anyone to do that.  RV service centers are slammed, saying they are short of help and booking appointments two months out.  There are also lots of people in motion coming out of the COVID thing, and it is approaching the peak travel/recreation time.

Just as an aside.  Not many people we have come in contact with at truck stops, gas stations, and RV parks are wearing masks.  Ready or not, it appears people are moving towards their accepted risk tolerance.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 7 - June 13, 2021

We left Davenport around 8:30 am and after refueling, getting mochas and truck stop breakfast sandwiches we were on the road by 9:00 am.  It was a relatively short drive today, of 265 miles (mostly through Illinois) .  It went well, little wind more rolling hills and large Ag fields with mostly corn and possibly some soy beans (hard to tell from the road).  These are not hobby farms.  The fields are very large and my guess is many may be corporate owned.  They are definitely not growing the corn for domestic food consumption.  The scope of the effort suggests otherwise.  We did see a large Dekalb Corporation collection, processing and storage facility enroute. Everything is green here, is well kept and has lots of trees and shrubs along the roadsides.

We left I-80 east of Davenport and headed southeast on I-74 towards Indianapolis to avoid the I-80 congestion around the Chicago area and further east. There was less traffic on I-74, fewer trucks and better scenery  Still rural. We also crossed two big rivers today. First the Mississippi east of Davenport and the Illinois River in Peoria.

We are staying at a KOA in Crawfordsville, IN tonight about 30 miles west of Indianapolis.  We had an unpleasant surprise when we hooked up.  Our coach Air Conditioner would not turn on.  It looks like some sort of AC power input issue.  Fortunately, it is not too hot here and we have a nice shady site.  We will try to get it fixed enroute or when we get to Cape May.

Another relatively short drive tomorrow to Columbus, OH.  We were stationed there  from 1963-1968 after our return from Bermuda.  I am sure it has changed a lot and I still sort of root for the Ohio State Football team.  There will not be any memory lane explorations.  It will be an overnight stop then on to Harrisburg, PA on Tuesday.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 6 - June 12, 2021

We departed the RV park and got on road to Davenport, IA about 8:30 am.  After an abortive stop for gas on the way out of town due to a gas station system outage, we finally headed east at 9:00 am.  We couldn’t even buy ice or a truck stop mocha.

It was all lowa today. The state is not flat, at least along I-80.  It was a continuous trip of rolling hills, lots of Ag land (mostly corn) with silos and houses setback from the road. Everything looked fresh and green.  The traffic was heavier, maybe due to the weekend or there are more people living around here.  The only big city we passed through was Des Moines, the state capital.  We had a little crosswind today, although manageable.  We also had a 30- minute delay due to an accident on the highway ahead of us that closed the road.

Another rest stop lunch today. A nice one.

We arrived just west of Davenport IA around 4:00 pm.  Davenport is on far eastern side of IA on the Mississippi River.  The RV park where we are staying seems to be primarily populated by permanent residents.  It is O.K. for an overnight stop, but nothing special.  Weather remains hot and humid.

We decided to avoid I-80 through Chicago, Toledo, etc.  tomorrow and will head south to Indianapolis, then east to Columbus, OH.  It may be a tad longer but less aggravating traffic wise.  We will be staying at a KOA in Crawfordsville, IN, just west of Indianapolis tomorrow night.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 5 - June 11, 2021

 Not a lot to report.  We planned a layover/R&R stop for today and it turned out to be a good idea.  We had 4 days of hard driving in a relatively difficult driving environment with unpredictable travel conditions.   A day off along the way on a long trip is a good idea and highly recommended for senior RV travelers.

After sleeping in to the unheard hour of 7:00 am while on the road and a leisurely breakfast, we noticed that some pretty impressive weather was just west of us and heading our way.   Sure enough, around 9:30 am a strong line of thunderstorms along a frontal passage hit.  If you have ever seen Midwest black sky weather you can appreciate the experience.  Thankfully, no tornados but we had high wind, driving rain, and thunder and lightning.  We brought in the sliders and hunkered down.  By noon everything was about back to normal and no damage in the RV park or to the travel trailers/RVs parked here.  As locals here are pretty well used to severe weather this one was probably a 4 on a scale of 10.  Nevertheless, despite having lived in Omaha for two, three years tours while in the Air Force, you forget how the weather here can be when you are not actually here to experience it.

Leading Edge of the Storm

We  had plans to maybe travel up to the area near the Air Force Base (Offutt AFB) where we used to live and work, visit the old haunts and maybe have lunch at a favorite greasy spoon hamburger joint (Stella’s) we always enjoyed.  Our son says it is still there.  We were not about to go out in the weather and decided stay put and just be lazy today.  Actually, sometimes the past is best remembered and not reexperienced.

After the weather cleared, I did fix a vexing problem with the tow vehicle brake controller.  We have been experiencing intermittent then total failure of the controller that applies the brakes to the towed vehicle.  This not a desirable situation.  After tracing the wiring, I found a frayed/broken wire supplying power from the battery to the controller.  After I fixed the connection, everything is now working fine.  I also have now added Mobile RV Repair Technician as a qualification on my resume. 

We are back on the road tomorrow, east on I-80 to Davenport, IA at the eastern border by the Mississippi River.  The journey continues.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 4 - June 10, 2021

It was an 8:30 am start from the RV Park in Kimball, NE today. Somewhat surprisingly, although clear but misty when we left, it quickly became mostly overcast and windier than forecast. The good news was that despite more of a cross wind than yesterday, the velocity was about the same or lighter.  Nevertheless, it was not a relaxing dive today.

Driving across Nebraska is an all-day drive for most people.  It is about 500 miles on I-80.  We did 415 of it today, our longest scheduled day of the trip east.  Along I-80 which parallels the Platte River there are mostly Ag uses visible from the road as well as towns and cities spaced out enroute.  There is lots of interesting Nebraska History that is really worth reading about and how it was involved in the growth of the nation.  

We stopped for lunch at a well-maintained rest stop somewhere between Kearney and Grand Island for a quick lunch.

We then arrived at Gretna, NE (near Omaha) about 5:30 pm local time. We lost an hour entering the Central Time Zone.  By now the skies had cleared, the wind died down and it was hot and humid.

We are staying at a local KOA.  Looking over the fence there is a cornfield, almost knee-high -  right on schedule.

After unhooking the truck we met our son Brian and his wife Samantha for dinner at a great local BBQ restaurant.  It was then back to the RV and bedtime.  We are staying here tomorrow for a little R&R with activities TBD after sleeping in a little.

Maybe a Nebraska story or two in the blog tomorrow.

East Cost Family Reunion - Day 3 - June 9, 2021

We left the RV park at 8:30 am. On the way out, we stopped and took a few pictures of the entrance to the Fort Bridger Historical Park. Lots of history here.

It was than another long day of driving along I-80 which essentially follows the route of old US 30 and the historical Lincoln Highway through Wyoming.

A lesser known memorial highway, the 3,025 mile Victory Highway mostly followed the Lincoln Highway from San Francisco through Sacramento, over Donner Pass, to Reno and continuing east to New York City.

A short anecdote: One of my projects with the county was the coordination of the restoration and siting of one of the Veterans Highway eagle statues that was stored in a Caltrans barn. Working with the Town of Truckee, Caltrans and the Lincoln Highway Association we were able to site the statue in downtown Truckee as a Victory Highway memorial to veterans. We also were able to site various locations of the highway as it went over Donner Pass and down slope paralleling I-80.

Here is a short description of the eagle project by the Truckee Historical Society:

"First installed at the California-Nevada state line on July 24, 1928, the Victory Highway Eagle Monument is now permanently located on the corner of Donner Pass Road and Spring Street in Downtown Truckee in Victory Plaza. This monument is a bronze sculpture designed to honor America’s sons and daughters who served their country in World War I. These statues were intended to be placed at every U.S. county line along the transcontinental Victory Highway but when the Great Depression hit the project was sidelined. Only six of these monuments are known to have been made with Truckee having one of the six. These statues depict an eagle with its 6-foot, 8-inch wings spread protectively over two young eaglets in a nest, symbolizing the United States’ protection of its citizens. The Plaque at the bottom of the statue says “Dedicated to California’s sons and daughters who served their country in the World War 1917-1918 and to the memory of those who gave the last measure of devotion”.

Victory Highway Eagle Monument below the Veterans Memorial Building in Downtown Truckee

As we continued east on I-80 and reflecting on previous trips at different times of year, the most vivid impressions were: cold, overcast skies, windy, chance of rain/snow/ice, and not much to look at along the way. These are not necessarily unusual conditions in the high plains here at 6,500 – 7,000 ft elevation. Today was a little different. It was warm (70’s), the skies were clear and zero chance of rain/snow/ice. Zephyrus was good to us as we had some wind but it was mostly a tailwind with slight quartering here-and-there. Alas, not much as changed in the way of scenic attractions. Maybe a few more snow fences, seasonal road block checkpoints, and billboards. We did see two antelope however. Not sure if they were playing or not.

We are not staying at a destination resort tonight. We are 20 miles into the Nebraska Panhandle at the High Point RV park in Kimball, NE. The town bills itself at the highest point in Nebraska at 5,424 ft. although that is apparently not “settled science” in local academia.

Another long drive tomorrow along I-80 through Nebraska to a KOA near Omaha. We will be there two nights for a pre-visit with our son Brian who will also be joining us in NJ for the family reunion.