September – October 2023

Floyd, VA

We spent the last two weeks of September in Floyd, VA, helping with a Habitat for Humanity housing project. We’re part of Care-A-Vanners, which is a Habitat program for RV’ers. We had helped with this same project in the spring and were asked to return to help the project move forward.

Each Habitat build is different. This particular project has had way more than its share of challenges. Overall, the build still has a long way to go. We pitched in where we could and helped with some framing and drywall installation. The local Habitat crew and other volunteers will continue the effort to complete these homes.

These builds provide the opportunity to meet and work with great people. The local affiliate staff members are always welcoming. On some days, local church groups generously provide lunches for the volunteers. The volunteers become a tight team and, often, long-time friends.

Mem and Larry Halstead were our team leaders for both of our builds in Floyd. They’re super folks who are very dedicated to Habitat’s mission and the welfare of the team. They are sterling examples of volunteer excellence.

For the duration of the build, we camped at Floyd Family Campground just outside of Floyd.

Formerly a working farm, this campground has lots of open space, grassy fields, and good amenities.

When you’re camping, getting to the jobsite by 9 am means rising early, grabbing a quick shower and breakfast, breaking camp for the day, and then heading out.

At the end of the day, you can relax, fix a nice dinner, and enjoy being in the mountains.

The town of Floyd is famous for its Friday Night Jamboree at the Country Store. Terrific mountain music in the store and along the street.

Floyd also has a popular Saturday morning Farmer’s Market. People line up to find the freshest tomatoes and produce. The aroma of baked bread fills the air. How can you resist?

We also had fun on our days off. The area has several good wineries. Chateau Morrisette and Appalacchia Winery, both along the Blue Ridge Parkway, are favorites. On the outskirts of town, Buffalo Mountain Brewery is a nice spot for unwinding with a draft.

Shenandoah River State Park

After Floyd, we started a northward trek to take in the fall colors and do some camping and hiking. Shenandoah River State Park is in the northern portion of the National Park. Now we know why reservations are hard to come by for this park; it’s lovely. Sites are large and private. The hiking is great, too.

Delaware

We zipped through Delaware, watching the foliage brighten as we went. We had a good time catching up with friends Barbee and John.

We visited Dogfish Head Brewery (Yes, there is a travel theme here)

And we all had a great dinner with friends Kae and Becky. This is how I usually look for most of my time with Kae.

Maryland

The C&D Canal is one of the big attractions of Chesapeake City, MD. It’s also a vital shipping passage. We met our friend Ronnie, who lives in town, and then we all had lunch at Schaefers Canal House. Besides a delicious meal, we had the added treat of seeing a huge freighter come up the canal. These ships look gigantic next to the restaurant, and you’d swear that they’ll never make it under the bridge, but they zip right through.

Interesting note: As ships pass from Maryland waters into Delaware waters, the ships must pause and change pilots. A pilot boat comes alongside, a door opens on the side of the ship, and the Maryland pilot scrambles down the ladder to depart the ship. A Delaware pilot then climbs aboard. Ships coming from the other direction – from Delaware into Maryland – go through the same procedure – every single time.

Finger Lakes, New York state

The Finger Lakes have always been a favorite destination. We love hiking the Watkins Glen Gorge. This year, the hike fell on my birthday, which made it even more special.

We camped at Back-Achers Campground in Himrod. A funny name, but a good base-camp campground on Lake Seneca.

We made a day trip to Ithaca and hiked Buttermilk Falls. Also excellent! Lunch at Moosewood Cafe made it a delightful fall day.

Wineries abound in the Finger Lakes. Dr. Konstantin Frank and Lamoreaux Landing are two of our favorites. What a nice way to spend a fall afternoon.

Seneca Falls, NY

We visited the Women’s Rights National Park museum. This church was where the first Women’s Rights convention was held in 1848. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann M’Clintock, Martha Wright, Jane Hunt and a group of 300 courageous women and men, issued a Declaration of Sentiments that proclaimed women must have equal rights.

This was the first major step in the Women’s Rights movement. It would take another 71 years for the 19th amendment to pass and give women the vote.

Prior to the Women’s Rights movement, women were denied basic equal rights. They couldn’t own property, inherit property, enter legal or medical professions, or vote – even though they paid taxes.

This is an excellent museum with powerful messages and reminders of the importance of voting and the perils of complacency. VOTE.

Lake George, NY

Off-season is a fine time to visit the Lake George region. Campgrounds are more quiet and you can actually walk into a restaurant without a reservation and be offered a prime table.

A paved bike trail ran right by our campground. Going in one direction, the trail went to the Outlets (LL Bean!) and in the other direction, into the Lake George Marina. We declared Lake George a winner and stayed an extra day.

The campground also has its own winery, with surprisingly good wines. The only thing missing was a brewery. Ha.

A Harvest Host stop in Walden, New York, gave us the opportunity to balance breweries and wineries. Big Dogs Brewery is only a few years old. It’s housed in a roadside building that was formerly a BBQ spot.

The welcome we received was genuinely warm and friendly. The beers were good and there was even live entertainment.

It’s a terrific neighborhood spot and we wish them great success.

Pawtuckaway State Park

This state park gets a special shout out for its great customer service and fall foliage. We arrived without a reservation – something we don’t usually do- and they were very welcoming. We had a super campsite…for $23. The amenities were basic, but the waterfront location and views were stunning. If you like woodsy camping, and are near Nottingham, NH, this one should be on your list.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The suggestion to visit off-season also applies to Cape Cod. Although the state parks had already closed for the season, we found a nice, sort of urban spot called Atlantic Oaks in Eastham. It was near the bike trail which took us along the ocean and to Nauset Lighthouse.

If this lighthouse looks familiar, perhaps this is why. It is the logo for these local potato chips.

We enjoyed fresh local fish, lobster rolls, and Wellfleet Oysters at Caroline’s in Wellfleet. In all, we had a super visit and would be happy to return – again off-season.

Raystown Lake, PA

We’d heard wonderful reviews of this Corps of Engineers campground in Raystown, but our travels hadn’t taken us in this direction. What a wonderful spot. Raystown Lake is vast – more than 8,000 acres of lake in this reservoir.

The hilly terrain makes for serious biking and hiking, but we loved it.

Next – a quick break in November

Following our routine of recent years, we’re taking a short break from traveling. We tuck into an Airbnb for a couple of weeks and dash around to do yearly doctor appointments, visit with family and friends, and prep the van for another year on the road.

More adventures await in year five of traveling!