A moment of silence, if you will, for those who lost their lives on this day in 2001...
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Thank you, they deserve more, but we offer what we can.
Now on with today. In a bit of an unusual move here at The Thin Blue Ride, there were no touristy activities today. Instead, the day was spent preparing to pick up and move (once again) in the morning. It consisted of the usual activities: laundry (tho this is the last time ALL my cycling gear will need to be washed in any given week), haircut, some cleaning, loading the scooter back on the trailer, etc.
We also took time for a walk about the RV Park this evening. We’ve done this before, but I always find it interesting to scope out everybody else’s rigs. It’s kinda like when a lady shops for a blue shirt at the Mall. They might see a blue shirt they like, but they keep looking. After they eventually buy the shirt of their choice, they still just like to look at shirts. (Blouses maybe? I dunno.) Now, I’ve no idea what Susan does on our walkabouts. So far as I know she’s happy with The Rig. Maybe she walks with me for exercise? Maybe she thinks I need the exercise? But me? I’m checking out the other rigs.
Like this...
This, readers, would be a Tiffin Phaeton. A bit unusual for two reasons. First, they're produced in Red Bay, AL, whereas the vast majority of RVs are produced in Indiana. Second, this is the Cadillac Escalade of RVs - except it's worth about 4.5 Escalades. A quick on-line search says new models run in the mid to upper 350s and I found a 2012 model for 160. That would be 190k of depreciation in 8 years - or just a shade under 24k a year - or 2k per month, if ya care to think of it that way. Ouch. Apparently they're almost as expensive to own as horses.
Thought I'd show you all this pic just to give you an idea how busy this RV park is - which is to say that it isn't. We talked to a lady doing laundry today whose husband is working at the naval yards as an inspector - they've been here since November. She told us this was as empty as she'd ever seen the Park and that most people left before Dorian arrived last week. Apparently not to return since it was the end of the RVing season anyway hereabouts. Guess we arrived at the right time. She also told us that the same people who own this park own one in Hatteras, NC. At Hatteras they evacuated the Park and closed it for the Labor Day Holiday, which is supposedly their biggest weekend of the year. That had to hurt. Some of the slots here have brick fire pits/grilling areas (we're talking 8' tall), pergolas, landscaping, night lights and masonry fire pits. We're livin' above our pay grade about now, me thinks.
Some day The Rig hopes to grow up and be a Tiffin Phaeton. Note the absence of pergolas, landscaping, brick fire pit/BBQ areas and the like in our slot. They must have fouled up our reservation...
But while we were out oogling the other rigs, we stumbled across this - that's right - a nature trail. This was made clear to us by the sign between us in the pic that says in big, bold, red letters, "Nature Trail". The blue banner with three stars above emphasized precisely how naturey this trail was. And as an added bonus it had a nice wide paved path on which to walk. Well then. No one loves nature more than me, except maybe everybody else I know, so off we went.
We made it about 40 yards and it turned in to this! This was nothing like it was advertised to be at the trail head. (A little hiker lingo there for the uninitiated.) Plus, a mosquito buzzed past my ear. I told Susan I loved nature, but not this much. She agreed and we did a 180 before departing the area.
I've been meaning to do this for a couple of days but keep forgetting. We're the blue dot. I can't believe how much work it took to move that blue dot, what, maybe three inches?
But it brings up this point. We've finalized our itinerary for the trip home. From here we're going up to Newport, RI for a couple of days. They have some mansion tours and a car museum in the area we want to check out. Then on to Cape Cod, MA where we just today reserved a spot in an RV park across the street from the beach. We'll spend several days there acting like landed gentry. After that, it's up to coastal Maine where we found an RV Park between Kennebunkport and Ogunquit. We plan to travel between the two. Susan wanted to stay in the former Bush compound, but it was booked. Then, it's off to the Champlain Adult Campground on Grand Isle, VT. The plan here is - not much. After doing the tourist thing at all the other destinations, we decided that this would be our "unwind" time. I believe we spend four full days there. Finally, we head home from Lake Champlain with a weekend layover in Glen Carbon, IL to visit Tim and Glynda Gasser. If all goes according to plan, this has us back in Manhattan, KS on October 7th - the 8th at the latest. We were talking the other day about how odd it will feel to have so much space again when we get back to our first home. And so much stuff. I think I'll make the adjustment quickly.
I know what some of you are thinking. How did Susan talk Brad into going to an Adult Campground? Well, untwist your knickers and get your mind outta the gutter. It wasn't easy. But Susan says it just means there's no kids allowed. I agree, I agree - they could have chosen a better name. I'm holding my breath hoping she's right. But it is what it is, and Susan made the reservation already.
And finally, I tasked the Accounting Department here at The Thin Blue Ride with working up some statistics from the ride. I've no idea what she will come up with, but earlier today she threatened me with a report of her activities. Sure enough, this evening she still remembers. Accounting Departments are like elephants, they never forget. As I type this the Accounting Department is otherwise engaged, but should she free up enough time, I'll draft an addition to tonight's post before publishing.
.................
This just in from the bean counters at the Accounting Department...
Fuel: $2,415
Propane: $99
RV Sites: $1,861
RV Repair: $2,710
Propane: $99
RV Sites: $1,861
RV Repair: $2,710
Laundry: $158
Food: $2,798 (Susan must have been eating while I was out riding.)
TOTAL: $10,102
$10,102 / 91 Days = $111/day*
*If one deletes the RV repairs, per day expenses drop $30 to $81/day. A more reasonable figure.
The Accounting Department is confident in these numbers but wishes to make clear that they are unaudited. I figure the Calculating Section in the Accounting Department must have been burning the midnight adding machines to come up with this on such short notice. There is rumor of grumbling - something about wearing her fingers to the nubbins. When I suggested the Calculating Section use pencils instead of adding machines because pencils worn to nubbins are better than fingers worn to nubbins, she looked at me like I was an idiot. Whatever...
The trip days break down like this:
71 riding days
14 rest days - includes all goofing off days: i.e. Yellowstone, The Tetons, Breckenridge, etc.
6 miscellaneous days: RV breakdowns and the return to Manhattan for medical appointments.
Food: $2,798 (Susan must have been eating while I was out riding.)
TOTAL: $10,102
$10,102 / 91 Days = $111/day*
*If one deletes the RV repairs, per day expenses drop $30 to $81/day. A more reasonable figure.
The Accounting Department is confident in these numbers but wishes to make clear that they are unaudited. I figure the Calculating Section in the Accounting Department must have been burning the midnight adding machines to come up with this on such short notice. There is rumor of grumbling - something about wearing her fingers to the nubbins. When I suggested the Calculating Section use pencils instead of adding machines because pencils worn to nubbins are better than fingers worn to nubbins, she looked at me like I was an idiot. Whatever...
The trip days break down like this:
71 riding days
14 rest days - includes all goofing off days: i.e. Yellowstone, The Tetons, Breckenridge, etc.
6 miscellaneous days: RV breakdowns and the return to Manhattan for medical appointments.
Till next time.
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