Canadian-Traveler

Good News Bad News

2026-11-04T22:25:56.834-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS AMERICA!

Be assured that CANADA is a very Happy Camper today and so are we. I don't turn on our TV very often, but yesterday I did to follow with the happenings in the midterm elections.

Then this morning the full-on results were showing and I couldn't wait to tell Bea as she was still in the bedroom.

After breakfast we got busy with routine preparations for another start on our journey.

That's when I took a look from down below up to our roof. At first it seemed unbelievable. I saw a piece of alluminum sticking up, clearly from the solar panel I had mounted there.

After removing our Blueboy from the rear ladder I went up on the roof. The solar panel lay flipped backwards hanging on with a part of the mounting rail.

I got some wrenches and removed the totally broken panel, and threw it to the ground.

So what had happened? The two front bolts had losened, probably because of road vibrations before the wind had gotten underneath and flipped the panel backwards upside down. Both front bolts, as all the others had been secured with NYLOC NUTS. It is therefore a riddle to me how this came about.

Anyway, we have to be happy that the panel did not come lose entirely while on the highway.

Due to the solar panel incident, our departure got delayed for a while, and as we finally moved down the highway, it started to rain. It rained on and off most of the day. First as we went deeper into Missouri, it cleared up and the sun broke through.

We crossed the Mississippi south of Saint Louis.

Spending the night at Walmart in Missouri.

Tomorrow we aim for Oklahoma.

We Almost Ended Our Trip Today

2026-11-03T18:06:35.928-04:00

After a sumptious dinner provided by our friends (they brought it to the Park) we headed out under sunny skies again. A short drive got us back to the Interstate 70 where we joined a busy traffic, with lots of trucks. If you've ever pulled some big high-profile vehicle, trailer or truck, down the road, you know that any semi passing you is producing a terrible airbubble ahead and to the side which will destabilize your vehicle. That was going on with us all the time, once we were moseying down the highway.

When approaching Indianapolis, Bea found out that the Interstate was closed through the city as excessive rain had damaged the road. Traffic was supposed to be led through single file via a side track.

Bea found a better solution. We left the I-70 and went down I-465 which bypasses the city before it rejoins the I-70 west of Indianapolis. Soo good to have a copilot with internet connection.

But now the winds perked up. We got it from the front left. and it shook our rig badly.

After getting into Illinois we were hit by a powerful wind cast which catapulted the rig onto the shoulder and towards the ditch. It took only a fraction of a second but I brought it back into our lane. We got really scared and started thinking about stopping somewhere until tomorrow.

Bea found Fox Ridge State Park about 11 miles north of I-70.

It turned out to be a lucky choice. The park is old but gold and offers electric sites for $20/night. What a bargain! Smal hiking trails lead throughout the park, and even an idyllic little pond is part of it. Hardly any other campers are around. We love the place and will have another quiet night to recover from the recent scare on the I-70.

From State Park to State Park

2026-11-02T21:06:01.969-04:00

This morning we took our sweet time in getting road ready. Only about 250miles shouldn't take all day. Our destination for this rather cloudy day was another Ohio State Park - the Buck Creek State Park near Springfield.

Our choice for this park has a very special reason. You may want to read about it in a posting from April 10-2024 and April 12-2024

Today, we met the ladies who were of great help when we were broken down with our transmission.

And today they came out to the State Park with a full-on chicken dinner. Boy, there was so much to talk about we had a great time with each other.

The weather did turn rainy, but it's not a big deal now that we are safe in the park.

Tomorrows adventure will take us down the I-70 via Indianapolis towards Saint Louis. I have written about that highway before because of the really bad condition of the pavement. We have heard about improvements being made so we'll try it again.

So we will get back to it tomorrow.

With Dixie At Geneva State Park

2026-11-01T20:30:52.367-04:00

We got the wheels rolling again, and decided to have a shorter run today.

300miles would do it and get us down to Lake Erie and Geneva State Park.

This time of the year available spots are easy to find in State Parks.

Again we had great weather, very little wind, not much traffic and no drama whatsoever.

Days like this are always the best and worth to remember after years gone by.

After arriving in the State Park and picking a site, we went for a long walk heading over to the beach.

Not many campers here alright. We were so amazed about how warm it still was.

What a relief from the cold days we had to begin with. Btw, an electric site at Geneva can be had for $35 - a bargain these days. They have great very clean shower houses as well.

Happy Roads

2026-10-31T21:33:18.349-03:00

The weather Gods are still with us as we traveled under super blue skies again. The hills {mountains) of Massachusetts and New York are a challenge for our rig but we have done most of it at 50mph.

We do miss our Class A. It is more roomy, has more power and does not have to fill fuel every 200 miles. It's easier to handle than
this white box behind the van. But it definitely costs a lot more running down the road.

Albany, NY

We enjoyed admiring the colourful countryside along the I-90.

Calling it an early day we turned into a Walmart we have been staying in earlier, at Oneida,NY. This really is a great spot if one is willing to travel a few miles off the interstate.

The place is called W A M P S V I L L E , which certainly has a funny ring to it.

Lunch along the road

We also loved the drive along the scenic Mohawk River

GONE

2026-10-30T21:06:56.852-03:00

After weeks of planning and hectic packing we hit the road today. We are traveling with our trusty Flagstaff TT and though we hate the price of gas, we are confident that we will save big by using our gas driven van rather than the diesel Class A. In fact, when we stopped for gas along the Maine Turnpike I came across a Class A being at the pump ahead of us. His filler had stopped and in passing I read $450. FOUR-HUNDRED-FIFTY!

The guy was from California and he is up to "lose" $3000 before rolling up in front of his home.

But nough said about that. Our traveling weather couldn't have been better. Blue sky and sunny skies and wonderful fall colours along the road.

Took a short lunch break at Tidal Falls, ME before heading on south.

Are camped for the night at our usual spot at the NH Liquor Sales along the Interstate. Yes we checked out their offers of the day. :-))

More Solar Talk

2026-10-02T19:11:19.126-03:00

Being passionate dry-campers we need to be independent, or close to independent in terms of services from outside.

The last two winters were spent in our Beaver Motorhome. first thing I did then was mounting 1200W solar panels on the roof. We hardly ever used the generator after that.

This year, we leave the Beaver at home, due to outrageous diesel prices. Instead, we revert to our travel trailer pulled by our Chev Express van. A little better fuel mileage and the lower price of reg. gas will be more budget-friendly, though still way more expensive tha last year. Funny enough Repubs don't complain about it.

But the trailer doesn't have much solar on the roof, so I ordered 4 extra 200W-panels. When they arrived a few days ago, one was broken. (FEDEX) I got a refund for it, and today it was time to mount the other 3. Btw. the panels came from HQST in California.

I decided to do it the same way as I did on the motorhome using double-sided Eternabond, strut channels and slotted angle irons. This method allows mounting solar panels without drilling into the roof. Extra use of self-leveling caulking provides an even stronger bond.

Eternabond, strut channel and slotted cross-bars

And while I was using the trailer roof gym area, Bea was going after her own business. For several weeks she has been a dog-walker for a neighbour lady who had a surgery. Her dog, Rory, a labradoodle of sorts, was a bit of a hand-full to begin with. So Bea put her dog-training skills to use and is already seeing great success in the change of Rory`s behavior.

Today, Rory`s owner had a day-long errand in the big city, so Rory stayed with us. And what can I say, it was fun watching Dixie and Rory getting along with eachother.

It is pouring down right now, but tomorrow I will start connecting the panels to the new MPPT charge controller.

Happiness, Peace, Solitude

2026-09-11T21:32:36.552-03:00

Happiness,Peace, and Solitude

Such values have become increasingly rare in our society. We are constantly caught up in a race - encouraged to keep up, to hang in, and to be part of everything imaginable, whether we truly need it or not. We are surrounded by an endless stream of noise, much of it disguised as breaking news and we rarely stop to consider how deeply this constant stimulation affects us. Yet. when we are given the opportunity to escape-to a quiet lake, a distant corner of the desert, a remote mountain peak, or perhaps a peaceful and beautiful garden-we may begin to notice something changing within us.

A sense of calm slowly takes hold. Then, almost unexpectedly, we experience a sudden happiness brought on by the peace and solitude surrounding us. It can feel like an awakening—as though, for a brief moment, we become aware of how far we have drifted from something essential.

The feeling can be remarkably intense. It reaches beyond the moment and lingers long after we have returned to our ordinary lives. And once we have experienced that profound sense of peace, we may find ourselves longing to return to it—to seek out that quiet place, that stillness, and that feeling of being truly present, again and again.

When I went out to the Lightstation this morning, a fresh breeze had already sprung up. I was glad I had put on a warm, solid sweater. The sky, however, was magnificent—a deep blue that seems to appear only at this time of year, when the air is so clear and crisp that everything looks sharper and more vivid.

The tide was still out, so I made my usual hike across the ocean floor, climbing up and down the stairs that form part of the access to the Head Harbour Lightstation.

I had planned to stay through high tide and then return home after a full day of work, spending my time on carpentry and painting.

The buildings here are old—very old—and they require a great deal of care and TLC.

I have already established a small carpentry shop inside the old foghorn building. My project today was to complete something I had started a week earlier: rebuilding the small deck at the entrance to the foghorn building.

Several hours into the work, I took a short break. That was when I really noticed the peace surrounding me.

By then, the tide had risen to nearly twenty-five feet, completely cutting the Lightstation off from the mainland. Nobody could come out here. I was alone, and I would remain so until the tide receded again around 4:30 in the afternoon.

The silence was remarkable.

The only sounds were those of the sea—waves rolling, breaking, and splashing against the rocks below. Every now and then, I could hear the distant rumble of a boat somewhere out on the water, slowly making its way toward some faraway destination.

And then there was nothing again.

Just the sea, the wind, the old buildings, and the immense solitude of the place.

It was me, the Lighthouse and the sea

For a few hours, the outside world simply disappeared. And standing there, surrounded by nothing but nature and silence, I was reminded of how rare moments like this have become—and how deeply they can affect us when we finally experience them.

When The Cold Winds Start Blowing - It Won't Be Long

2026-09-06T17:13:57.868-03:00

After a rather hot and dry summer we got a sudden reminder that we have reached September. And already the first week of the month is gone.

And while we have been talking about it all the previous month, it becomes much more of a topic in September.

Of course, I am thinking of the coming winter and what to do. And I know many of you are having the same thoughts. It is about whether we will be able to enjoy another warm winter in the south, or whether we will be relegated to endure ice and snow back home. And this wouldn't even be a serious question if the American village idiot hadn't started the crazy war with Iran driving the price of gas through the roof.

I am having a hard time to contain my anger about this, but Bea keeps me attached to the ground - sort-of!

It is clear that we won't drive our motorhome south again. I flatly refuse to pay 7Bucks/gal at 8mpg for Diesel.

But we are kind of lucky that we have a second RV - our trusty Flagstaff trailer and our 1t. van as a tow vehicle.

And then there is the question about where to go. It isn't much tempting to spend time among nutty supporters of the criminal regime.

So I rather would add extra miles scooting down the Baja. Mexicans are nice people, they value democracy and a friendly attitude to visiting Canadians. I have already scouted out a few really nice locations "south of the border". The alternative would really be a home-stay with ice and snow.

If the previous winter already deterred thousands of Canadians to travel south - this winter there will be even fewer Canadians in the US.

But how did we spend this summer?

Part of our summer was the realization that our tourist tours on the island experienced a big slump in business volume which also is part of the "achievements" of the known village idiot who ruined American's economy with a staggering 13% inflation rate. No wonder people try to save money on the vacation budget. On a positive note, we have seen a record-breaking number of bookings for our AirBnB and VRBO accommodations.

The lack of booked Island Tours also has a positive side as I have been thinking of retiring from the business. After all, I have run these tours for 15 years.

It also made it possible that I got elected as President to the board of directors for the Head Harbour Light Station. As such I have spent a lot of time out there working with maintenance of the buildings, which is a very rewarding job.

The coming weeks will go with preparations for winter. Even though we should decide to stay home, we have tons of firewood set up - so no worries about that.

This morning I was walking Dixie in the cool northern wind, when I saw flocks of Canada Geese heading south. I could take this as an omen and follow their example.

It's June And The Fog Is Moving In

2026-06-14T20:27:01.304-03:00

Almost the middle of June, I watch this grey wet mass moving in, covering the rocks, trees and open maritime meadows like a grey wash cloth. This is prime time for sea fog lingering around, preferably the early mornings and early evenings making summer temperatures drop like a rock. The air is at a 100% humidity and everything is dripping wet. Years ago Campobello Island got a FOG FEST. 5 days of celebrating fog as if trying to mocking it with music across the island.

And yes, I was looking for an extra jacket when Dixie was bugging me to "go-for-a-walk" after supper, her subtle demands not to be misinterpreted.

Before we got the fog, we had some clear and sunny days offering plenty opportunity to get busy outdoors. And oops, I got a new job. Joining the board of "The Friends of the Head Harbour Lightstation" I advanced to be their president. "President" means getting involved in planning and execution of very necessary repairs on the 5 buildings making, up the Lightstation. The maritime climate is fast to take a toll on wooden buildings, when maintenance is lacking for a few years.

And you should understand that these buildings are accessible only under low tide when the ocean reveals a gravel bar across which we have to go. That leaves just 4hrs. max, before the water is speeding back, creating a strong tidal current powerful enough to whip anybody of their feet, which would be certain death in the freezing cold waters of the Bay of Fundy.

With April Gone.....It's About Time

2026-05-03T20:27:00.002-03:00

The last night frost is barely a week ago and we are still wondering how much longer the cold weather will last.

This nasty type of weather is anything but normal and Bea is showing me pictures of previous years when flowers were out at this time of the year.

Ice cold northern winds are turning even sunny days into frosty experiences.

Finally yesterday, I saw the first forsythia starting to show their happy yellow flowers and today I saw a few daffodils near our front yard apple tree.

Finding something to do during cold days I have been trying to stick to indoors tasks.

Our motorhome had been sitting quietly, untouched, until the day I discovered something wasn’t right. The passenger-side rear inner tire had completely lost its pressure—and no matter how hard I tried, it refused to take on any air.

With no quick fix in sight, I booked an appointment at a repair shop just across the border, hoping for a straightforward solution. But things turned out to be anything but simple.

After dropping off the rig, the shop owner called with an update. They were struggling—big time. The wheel nuts wouldn’t budge. Even their air tools were no match for them. In the end, it took three mechanics, a very long breaker bar, and a good deal of determination to finally loosen them by hand.

As it turned out, this was the same troublesome tire that had caused us headaches throughout our trip, requiring assistance not once, but twice before. The culprit, yet again, was the valve stem.

This latest chapter in our tire saga set us back $150—an amount that, considering the effort involved, felt almost reasonable. Now, with the repair behind us, we’re crossing our fingers and hoping this will finally put an end to the issue for good.

As if the tire troubles weren’t enough, the list of little fixes around the motorhome kept growing. This time, our attention turned to the pleated window blinds. Over the course of the trip, they had taken a beating—some were crumpled beyond redemption, while another sagged helplessly, its strings long past their prime.

Instead of patching things up one by one, we decided it was time for a full upgrade. We ordered roller-style blinds for the entire coach, hoping for a cleaner look and a more durable solution on the road.

Of course, nothing in motorhome life is ever quite as simple as it sounds. What seemed like a straightforward swap quickly turned into a labour-intensive project, demanding patience, time, and more effort than we had bargained for. Still, step by step, we’re transforming the space—making it a little more comfortable and a lot more our own.

And while I had been spending time in the bus, Bea had been busy in the kitchen department baking delicious bread and buns.

And speaking of baking, I can mention our dear neighbour Deanna. Her cakes look just as amazing as her house.

If for once the weather turns out a little sun, we take Dixie out for a forest walk. The other week we had just returned to the van and were about to drive away when we discovered this little guy: Do you know what it is?

JUST IN:

Full winter in Nova Scotia and northern New Brunswick

The news of yet another return of winter is definitely a bit unsettling. Just when we thought we were finally past the season’s icy grip, here it comes again, reminding us that the weather has a mind of its own.

It’s a harsh reminder that no matter how many sunny days we might have ahead, the unpredictable nature of winter still has a few tricks up its sleeve. I’m sure many of us are hoping it’s just a brief cold snap, but either way, it adds a bit of a chill to the air—both literally and metaphorically.

Time to pull out the extra blankets, maybe huddle in for a few more cozy nights indoors. Here’s to hoping that spring shows up soon to stay!

So Dixie says Good-Bye and takes another nap waiting for better weather.

Happy Easter!

2026-04-04T10:11:00.000-03:00

Between rain showers and snow showers I extend our greetings to my readers!

Though my personal happiness may have been more pronounced in earlier years, we are trying to keep our anger and frustration under control.

When power-hungry madmen around the globe are affecting everyone's life, there really is not much reason to be happy.

Our early return from the south, caused by health concerns, has probably saved us hundreds of $$$ as Diesel fuel has jumped with 2 dollars/gal.

The cold and unpredictable weather over the past 4 weeks has made us huddle inside, letting our wood stove work overtime consuming copious amounts of firewood.

And yes, I have seen the doctor and been to the hospital for a CT-Scan.

Charlotte County Hospital

The result was uplifting (they couldn't detect any thing wrong) but that leaves us with a huge question mark about the reason for my still ongoing headaches. So for further testing I expect a date at an MRI to dig a bit more.

As we now move through the month of April we are hopeful that we will see some better weather, so we can finally begin with outside work like starting the garden and doing needed maintenance on buildings and vehicles.

Winter Is Dragging Its Feet

2026-03-15T11:03:00.000-03:00

FRIDAY THE 13th

4:30am is not my favorite time of the day. But it was Friday and I had a 7am appointment at the hospital's imaging department for my CT-scan.

It was chilly in the house which made we wonder what kind of weather we had this morning. Stepping outside, I noticed a little fresh snow, just a dusting on the ground. Frost filled the air. Window wipers where frozen to the glass. Most of the night it had been raining then turned to snow. The roads would be treacherous. 1.5hr. drive to the hospital was not what I wanted.

An hour later I called the hospital and canceled.

They gave me a new time for Wednesday. I can live with that. It is only a little more than a year ago the hospital in St.Stephen had gotten that CT-scanner. Before that, people from Campobello had to travel 3 hours to Saint John.

Well, Bea had gone to sleep again while I made sure we had a fire in the wood stove.

Saturday, March 14. The curtains are still drawn. Daylight Saving Time and at 6:45am it is still pitch dark. So I have my coffee and another portion of disgusting news of the day. Why are we doing this to ourselves - filling our morning with atrocities happening around the globe? I make a mental note of stopping this morning madness.

Finally daylight arrives, and I pull open those curtains. What can I say...? Thick snowflakes have already covered the ground transforming it into a Christmas-style postcard picture, and more is coming down.

Oh my.....

Aren't we just a week from the start of spring?

We need to bring more firewood into the house!

Bea has an idea. She wants to bake breakfast buns. I love fresh-baked breakfast buns.

A couple of hours later the delightful smell from the baking stove is moving through the house. Meanwhile, the snow has stopped and the sun is now working overtime to melt the white stuff again. A cold wind is working against it, making outside activities unpleasant. Not even Dixie likes it outside.

So we stay where we are. Well - not quite. We are out of a few supplies and I drive across the border. My goal - the Dollar store. Milk is cheaper there. Another stop at the IGA and I get some more stuff. They got eggs for 2bucks.

But while eggs are cheap, gas prices are soaring. "A small price to pay", says the president. He should ask those people with a minimum wage who have a daily commute.

Let this lighten your day....

The Greyest Of Grey Days

2026-03-12T13:18:00.001-03:00

HOME FOR A WEEK

Waking up on this day I found the outside world in a state of 500 shades of grey. So with a 100% of humidity we won't be moving around outside.

So time for reflection.

Clearly, we have been busy getting ourselves reinstalled in the house. And that didn't just happen without hick-ups.

Like in years earlier, we found that we had way too much stuff in the motorhome. Our clothes, our kitchen utensils and our gadgets had to find their original places in the house.

The most overshadowing problem has been the water supply. We had days with absolutely no water from our well, and then suddenly water was running for 2 days, just to fail again. On and off it went, never to be reliable. We still hope that milder weather will help to restore a normal water supply.

Then one afternoon our power went out. There wasn't any storm going on, so we wondered about the reason. Shortly before dark, the power came back on. Later we heard that someone had hit a power pole in an accident.

Personally, I still had to deal with my headaches. After a doctor's visit I got a referral for a CT-scan, which will be done tomorrow, Friday. I hope that Friday 13 doesn't imply anything sinister happening.

The past 2 days have been warm and sunny. In fact, day temps climbed up to 10C (50F) and the warming sun even made it possible to sit down outside coffee in hand.

Snow was finally starting to melt and I was able to fix an electrical issue on our motorhome. Before we left in October, I had removed our Magnum Inverter/Charger as I couldn't get it to work. A 3000W Renogy inverter from our trailer was installed instead, which got us through the winter. Now, I tested our Magnum and to my surprise found that it actually was working. So the Magnum was reinstalled in the motorhome and it is working just fine.

A successful job like this and it makes me feel good.

The coming days will be significantly colder with temps below freezing again. Thankfully, we have lots of firewood so we will stay warm. Our central heating which is run by an electric forced-air furnace has been disconnected. Running that in cold temps is the same as registering for bankruptcy. If I'd be 30 years younger I'd install solar for the house and kiss the power company Good Bye. Besides of firewood, we use a couple of electric oil radiators which are much more efficient than the furnace in the basement.

So we should be fine riding out the last weeks of winter.

I have had days with contemplating whether we left California too early in a panic. But two facts have made these thoughts go away.

As you all have noticed gas prices are on a steep rise due to the illegal and completely unnecessary war the orange pedo-ape has started. And now Iran promised that they will not allow any oil to pass through the strait of Hormuz. But we still got home on much lower prices, and if we have to stay home next winter we will do so.

Number two has more natural reasons: Temperatures in Holtville, CA have risen into the 30s C and will peak at 41C for March 20. This would have been forbiddingly too much for us and directly deadly for Dixie.

So with that consolation in mind, I can live through a grey day and stay in front of my wood stove.

Best way to spend the day

The Homecoming

2026-03-05T19:18:00.000-04:00

The trouble of returning home after months of absence can be that "normal" functions" in the house don't function any more.

This time we discovered that our deep drilled well did not have enough water to provide us with running water. But I think you read about that already in my previous posting.

This is not a good situation. Nobody can live without water.

First day we got by with using our 2 5gal containers we had in the motorhome. But then we had to seek help from our neighbours.

Then of course, our house was really cold. We connected 3 oil-based radiators and got a roaring fire in the wood-burning stove.

Our property here has been "blessed" with lots of snow. This white stuff is in the way when trying to get into the garage, or the wood shed. And some of it is frozen to a heavy ice barrier. Yesterday we had sunshine and no wind, but today olde sun didn't show itself and we got subzero freezing conditions.

A fellow islander came by with his truck and plow. He pushed a lot of snow out of the way. This makes room for parking our trailer and being able to drive close to our wellhead. Our plumber had suggested to fill water into the well. With our 50gal water tank that could help.

This morning I had my medical appointment. I will have to go for a CAT-SCAN the coming week.

I was still tired after that long haul homewards. Notice that I am not young any more.

Home Free!

2026-03-04T04:54:00.001-04:00

Yes, we made it home - yesterday. But we got way too busy to do a posting.

Yesterday, started with -11C (12F) and that caused a whole lot of problems. Overnight there hadn't been enough battery capacity to run that little fan, so the water was frozen again. But worse things were underway.

Under a routine walk-around I discovered that passenger side tire was down quite a bit. So I unpacked our air hose and connected into the compressor outlet. After starting the engine I noticed air gushing out from that connector.

Removing the air hose didn't make a difference. The connector didn't close. I tried multiple times but it didn't work. Then, finally after using Bea's hair dryer on it, it did close. But I didn't dare to try the air hose again.

So we left with a low pressure tire. Bea went onto the internet and found a tire service in Portsmouth, NH. We pulled into their yard and found two helpful guys inside the building.

When one of them started looking at the valve stem of the inner tire he discovered a damaged valve stem. A minute later he had gotten a new flexible stem from the shop and put himself under the motorhome to replace the old one.

At the tire service

It takes a service minded person to do this outside in freezing temperatures. He finished his work by controlling both sides of rear tires and even our trailer.

When it was time to pay, the manager didn't want any money, instead he hinted to pay the worker directly, which I did. What a good man and a good outfit!

\We went back to the Interstate and continued for our last miles northward. We had lost about 2 hours that morning but made it to Bangor,ME before noon.

3hrs later, we reached Canada Customs, where our bus and car was searched by two agents! This is quite crazy, given the fact that we are locals here and would never even think of smuggling anything through the border. But I get it. There was no traffic and the agents must have been pretty bored.

We unloaded the car in the Roosevelt Parking Lot then continued home.

Restarting the house was a problem right away. Our well pump did not produce any water, despite the power being turned on. So either our well is empty, or it is frozen. The latter being the most probable cause.

Our good neighbour Deanna had invited us for dinner so we warmed ourselves under a delicious meal.

Was This The Most Unpleasant Day?

2026-03-02T20:14:00.001-04:00

Waking up this morning it was really cold in the rig, so I was quick turning the heater on full. I think we left Freehold NJ around 7:30am.

Despite adding antifreeze to our rest of fresh water, the water froze. Our rig has a small electric heater in the wet compartment and we turned on the "system heat" button. Our solar panels should produce enough power to keep it running while driving.

And as we got rolling we joined the insane morning rush hour. Everybody was in a hurry to get to work. I have seen a lot of ruthless crazy driving in my days, but this morning took the cake. Not only were there a million of small cars but also an army of transit buses.

The goal was to get onto the "Garden State Parkway" for a short distance, than transfer to the I-287 with our aim being Newburgh,NY. The 287 becomes the I-87, one part of it veers to the north-east through New Jersey and which we cannot take because of dangerously low bridges. Instead we continued in heavy traffic towards Newburgh.

Hudson River

While the I-87 continues towards Albany, we left onto the I-84 which leads down to Connecticut and towards the I-90 meeting the I-495 through Massachusetts.

And finally we got down to the end of I-495 where entering the I-95 gave us that special feeling of almost being home. Besides of the horrible traffic volume around New York, through Hartford,CT and near the Boston area, our other big problem today was the ice-cold weather. Temps got down to -8C (17.6F) which means it gets really, really cold in the motorhome. Those Class A rigs with a rear engine have not enough dash heat to warm up the interior, something we have noticed years ago with our first Class A diesel. So we donned Polar-style clothing and yet it got cold. RVs are NOT made for winter use, regardless of what sales people will tell you.

And I need to mention the frightful state of the Interstates in Massachusetts. Despite the state cashing in on $$$$ in tolls, the roads have giant potholes and terrible bridge crossings. A true nightmare for drivers.

Below: Hartford,CT through our windshield

Once we got across into New Hampshire we turned into the parking lot of the NH Liquor Outlet. A great place to spend a peaceful night. It was also there that we discovered our water was running again. That little fan is a good thing to have.

So after many days starting from Holtville,CA this day feels like something we could have been without. Now, another cold day lies ahead for us and once being home....oh boy we have to restart the house again. But that's for tomorrow.

The NH Liquor outlet

Big Parking lot for ourselves

We Went Across The Sea!

2026-03-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

It's not the most common way people choose when they go north into the New England States but it has certain benefits and a big draw-back. I am talking about the outer route to avoid being swallowed up in big city traffic through Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Leaving our camp in South Carolina, we went north on the I-95 to Emporia, North Carolina. From there Highway 58 is heading east via Suffolk to Norfolk. From Norfolk we took the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. But the problem is getting through Norfolk, a city-monster of the worst imaginable. Not only it is the horrible traffic, but worse still is missing signage to the Chesapeake BBT.

Once we reached it, our stress turned to relaxation. There is a low speed limit of 55mph and seemingly they enforce it as well. So exciting to drive on a road which all-of-a-sudden dives under the surface of the bay, while ships are happily sailing above crossing the tunnel. And then the road appears like a new-born Poseidon out from the depth and continues along bridges. But like Poseidon you get another chance to explore the depth of the Chesapeake Bay when the second tunnel swallows your vehicle. The tunnel then spits you out to more bridges until you reach Cape Charles, VA.

We stayed overnight in a big parking lot where the bridges are ending. There is a beautiful nature trail with overlook across the salt mashes. What a pleasure to walk there in utter peace after the stressful crossing through Norfolk.

The area once was of strategic importance under WWII when German submarines and warships were feared. A huge cannon was built, able to shoot at targets 25 miles away. The cannon I measured to be 23m (82ft) long. A true monster. However, it was never fired!

Overlook salt marsh

So this morning we got up really early, leaving our overnight location to reach Lewes, DE from where I had booked a ferry service to get us across the Delaware Bay.

The trip to Lewes took 3 hours and just like in Norfolk,VA the signage to the ferry terminal was abysmal. But we made it to the ferry terminal 2.5hrs. early. We were let into the staging lines as the first vehicle for the ferry departure at 12:15pm.

Our arrival at Lewes,DE ferry terminal
Courtesy WEBCAM

We knew that the ticket building has a webcam from where the full staging area can be seen. So we called our family in Germany. They went online and could see us, waving at them. So much fun! Bea's brother even watched our arrival at Cape May on the New Jersey side.

The next 2.5hours we drove along the Garden State Parkway (toll road) ending our day at the Walmart in Freehold, NJ. We have used this overnight location a couple of times earlier. It is rather quiet and peaceful here.

Because of expected frost, we bought plumbing antifreeze here to fill into our fresh water tank. Yes, we can't use it for anything else than the toilet, but that way we can let it go into water lines.

Approaching Cape May

This image shows the arrival of our ferry at Cape May, NJ
Courtesy WEBCAM

The End Of I-20

2026-02-26T11:50:00.001-04:00

Traffic can be heavy when approaching big cities
After 5 days at 650kms/day we reached Florence SC where we met with our friend Carmen. 3 days alone were spent on the I-20.

Carmen's rig, a brand new AIRSREAM

Yesterday, we had been in steady contact with our friend Carmen who drove up from Jekyll Island, GA to meet us at the "Midpoint I-95 RV-Park".

The RV-Park is an excellent choice for anyone traveling along the I-95 and wanting to take a break in peaceful surroundings with all the comforts of modern amenities.

Tall pine trees are lining the park roads and for someone like me who likes natural surroundings, the lack of concrete pads is a real blessing.

Planning ahead, we studied weather forecasts and found that it is better to stay yet an extra day to avoid getting into the coldest days back home.

This morning I also got a doctors appointment for March 5.

Then we will have to wait for results of tests.

Carmen walking the dogs

Some Places Have Odd Names

2026-02-24T22:05:00.002-04:00

While moving from one state to the next we see a lot of place names. And most of them we just wonder about their meaning. Now today we were driving through Mississippi and near the city of Meridian we saw the name LOST GAP.

This triggered our curiosity and Bea looked it up on Google. (What did we ever do without GOOGLE?)

Down below is what we found. This was published in a WORDPRESS blog.

We concluded today's trip at after 406 miles at a Walmart in Pell City,AL.

A History of “the” Lost Gap

November 12, 2022 — 1 Comment

On November 1, 2012, Steve Gillespie, Managing Editor of The Meridian Star, referencing the book Railroads of Meridian by J. Parker Lamb, wrote an article in which he detailed the history behind the name Lost Gap:

Lost Gap (just outside of Meridian, Mississippi) got its name because of a compass failure that occurred during construction of the Southern Railroad line around 1859.

For three days two surveying crews each waited on the other to join up with them to lay out the route. Finally their search parties met up.

Underground iron deposits were blamed for the mix-up, skewing the magnetic compasses, which caused the eastbound crew to veer south, and the westbound crew to veer north. Consequently the route has an unplanned section of track running north and south — a “lost gap” in the original route survey.

The Alabama and Vicksburg Railroad operated the rail line through Lost Gap from 1899-1926. A map from this era from Mississippi Rails shows the strange curve in the rail line at Lost Gap.

WHY ALL THIS SMOKE?

Besides of dealing with strange place names, we noticed that our vision forward got sort of limited. The area around Tuscaloosa (another name with a meaning) was enveloped in a grey stinkin' smoke. Again, we googled it and found that the entire Gulf Coast has wildfires from where the smoke drifted north.

Free dump station along the Interstate

Bridge over the Mississippi

Out Of Texas

2026-02-23T23:33:00.001-04:00

Texas is a big state and crossing east/west or vice versa takes three days, unless you attempt to want to compete with an airplane.. lol.

We used 3 days and rolled into Louisiana this afternoon.

The state does not range among the financial well-off ones and accordingly, the highway leaves much to be desired. Today it got so bad that the microwave door opened ejecting the rotating glass plate sending it crashing onto the floor, leaving just about a million of tiny glass shards all over. The crashing plate made Dixie jump up and remain in anxiety mode for the rest of the drive.

Generally, the eastern parts of Texas with the further eastern areas of Louisiana and Mississippi are much prettier than the long boring plains of West Texas. We enjoyed the fresh grass and seeing trees turning green. Even the dandelions were out some places.

So our further plans are to proceed to the Florence,SC area and spend 2 nights in a nice RV park. We will be joined there by a good friend who's coming up from Jekyll Island,GA.

After that, things can get ugly, at least after reaching New Jersey and north of there. A violent winter storm has just dumped tons of snow all the way along the coast and into Canada. How we are gonna make out with that is everybody's guess. But we need to get home.

Another Day In Texas

2026-02-22T22:24:00.000-04:00

This morning our departure was delayed because of trying to get our rig out of that mouse trap of an RV site.

But eventually we got rolling on Hwy 17 towards the I-20.

Pretty soon we saw the first oil rigs, and with that all that ugly industrial area which comes with it. Odessa/Midland is growing at an alarming rate. Miles and miles of road construction going on, made us balance along a narrow strip of temporary detour.

But the I-20 seems to be in good shape, especially compared to all the other broken Interstates we have driven over the years.

After lunch my headaches were acting up again, so we shut her down in a Walmart in Eastland, TX.

Went into the market and got some missing items for the kitchen.

Too tired for pictures today.

The Trek To Texas

2026-02-22T00:41:00.002-04:00

The Interstate 20 across Texas does not count as my favorite travel route in the US. But our need to get to the East Coast makes this the best alternative. It is going east all the time and it runs through an area with warmer weather than what we would find farther north. Another benefit of it is that we don't have to climb across a major mountain range. We have gone that route earlier and are kind of familiar with it.

So this morning we left Portal,AZ at our usual "we-are-ready-time", which is 7:45am what ever local time zone we are in.

As our own tradition commands it, we stopped at the "Roadrunner Rest Area" high above Las Cruces. I have shown and described the statue of the roadrunner in an earlier posting. It is fascinating to see what garbage can used for.

Then we rolled down to the city, which is the southern-most in the State of New Mexico, before Interstate 10 runs into Texas at El Paso.

El Paso never fails to make us gasp at its steady growth year over year. We call them "Spaghetti Highways" when their intersections are built like a crescendo of roads crossing each other at multiple levels of height.

Today's crossing of El Paso went well, even with that mind-boggling amount of Saturday morning traffic we had to deal with. After roughly 45minutes and some 55kms we reached the southern end of what looks like a never ending mass of industrial and residential areas.

Border Patrol Check Point ahead

So now we were back into the desert, endless plains with sand and typical desert vegetation. Fabens is a place containing of a few spread buildings and a truck stop. We took a lunch break there and topped our diesel.

At some point the I-10 gets us to the beginning of the I-20, but before that, it climbs high, passing Sierra Blanca, a small town surrounded by mountain tops and high desert. Reaching Van Horn, yet quite a bit higher in elevation, it plateaus, now approaching the intersection with the I-20.

We had phoned the Balmorhea State Park and were told they still had 2 sites available for a one-night-stay. Now, Balmorhea is a few miles down from the I-20 intersections and along I-10. But we had been there years ago and found their overnight rate affordable. Besides, we wanted a place where we could walk Dixie without wading in the usual garbage of a rest area. For the next morning departure we only have to follow Hwy 17 which eventually gets us up to the I-20.

Balmorhea State Park once was a quaint park with simple RV-sites in a natural setting. Over the last 2 years it has gone through "upgrades" which pretty much changed it from a natural setting into a place with paved roads, concrete pads and a city-like atmosphere. And while doing that the planners ignored that bigger rigs might want to come which would need slacker curves and room for wide turns. So not the ideal place for us and our 65ft total length. But someone with a Van or small class C would be fine here. Yet, I find sites are built too close to each other.

So today we drove 365miles (587km) and I was doing a lot better than on our first travel day.

This Was Not Easy

2026-02-20T23:59:00.001-04:00

After this morning's breakfast I decided I wanted to give Dixie and myself one last desert walk, before our daily routine would disappear in eating miles along endless highways.

Shortly before we returned to the rig, Dixie stopped walking. I called her - she wasn't moving, she even laid down on the trail, just looking at me. Of course, she had realized that this walk had been the final walk and that she would have to get into the bus for a long boring day. You might think that I just imagine this, but I'm telling you, I know my dog. And she is incredibly smart.

It took quite a bit talking on my part to make her get up and do the last steps back into camp. To me this was really heartbreaking.

But it was nearly 8am when we rolled out of camp.

This was the saddest farewell ever. And it is 20 years ago we visited this place the first time, so yes, it does feel like home.

We had a short stop at Gila Bend to check on our load and release more waste water, then back on the highway. Getting close to Tucson traffic became a nightmare. Will there ever be an end to increasing the size of that city. 4 lanes full of trucks and cars in both directions.

Picacho Peak

Stopped for lunch, after which I had to take a short nap on the couch. My headaches had started to bother me again.

Shortly before reaching Benson we got into a traffic jam several miles long. It turned out it was because of a construction site, where nobody was working. Yet they had blocked the left lane for at least 2 miles. Why are they hampering traffic for everybody if the construction site is empty?

At Benson we stopped for diesel.

Bea had then figured out that we could get to a rest area shortly before reaching the New Mexico border.

It was 7pm before we stopped driving at the San Simon rest area.

We made 406 miles and have been on the road for 10hrs.

We are both super tired.

Dixie, finally fallen asleep

We Need To Leave And Go Home

2026-02-19T23:37:00.000-04:00

The thought of going home early has been mentioned on and off over the last couple of weeks, but it took my headaches getting more intense and prevalent.

I have avoided talking about it earlier here, but since early January I have been plagued with ongoing steady headaches. Everybody gets a headache now and then but usually it is short-lived. Mine persisted and if it hadn't been for Ibuprofen we would have gone earlier yet.

Clearly, something is wrong and it needs to be evaluated - at home, where we have free healthcare.

Sooo today was the last day for us here at the Holtville Hot Springs. We hate to miss out on our last 6 weeks of winter stay, but it can't be helped.

This day had its own full agenda, as we needed to dump waste water, get fresh water and get a few things in Holtville.

Returning to camp, we hitched on the trailer and gathered all our stuff we had spread around the place, then stowing it away in the motorhome.

After lunch we loaded the car, always a job to be taken seriously, with all the tie-downs in the right places.

A light check turned out all lights working, so now we could relax.

Our neighbours, Annie and Rick came over for a last chat and say Good Bye. They had barely sat down when more people appeared. There was James from New Mexico, Jurgen, a wandering nomad from Germany, Roberta, Anne and Peter (another Peter) all from Alberta, Canada.

Talking about life in Camp and exchanging memories from past years is what camper friends do when they meet.

Besides of our friends, Dixie's friends also came: Bella, Emma and Mesa - all super active, and when they got the zoomies racing around like headless chickens, Dixie was watching all this from a secure spot between me and Anne. I wonder what she was thinking about this circus.

Needless to say we all laughed so hard watching the race.

What a great moment, this was.

I need to tell the story about Bella, Emma, and Mesa, which began 3 years ago.

It was still early in the morning when I met James at the front dumpster. He was clearly not himself so I asked how he was doing. It turned out he hadn't been able to sleep all night. A dog which had turned up with him days earlier and which he had taken into his trailer, had thrown out a litter of 8 puppies during that night. Now James was all up in arms as the mother dog wouldn't let the puppies drink.

So James was ready to run to town to get formula for dogs. However, when he came back he found his 8 puppies happily sucking milk from their mother.

6 weeks later, James had turned into a nervous wreck, other campers, incl. us, took over watch hours for the puppies while James tried to catch some sleep. And then it was time to find people interested in adopting a puppy or two. It wasn't difficult. The puppies were really cute heartbreakers, so soon all puppies found their forever homes. So Bella is the mother, while Emma and Mesa are two of her kids. The others went to other homes, one named Pedro still lives in Holtville.

These Images from 2023

We enjoyed this impromptu gathering tremendously, it is good to have friends.