Saturday, Day 4 September 18, 2010 Nickerson Beach Campground

Captains Blog

After a good night’s sleep – both in bed by 9:30 pm we woke to sunshine and another warm day. Today is our 45^th Wedding anniversary!!! Where did the time go and how did we get this old so fast???

Today we plan to head out to the Montauk Lighthouse at the very eastern end of Long Island. The lighthouse was commissioned by President George Washington in 1792 and is the fourth oldest lighthouse still active in the U.S. It can be seen for 19 nautical miles and one can climb to the top deck (156 steps) for a great view.

Getting to Montauk (112 miles one way) took us along routes and through small touristy towns reminiscent of Cape Cod. Along the way we stopped at the Plaza Restaurant in Montauk and had the best anniversary burger ever.

Once at the lighthouse we were inspired by the vistas of beautiful ocean. We could see the coast of Connecticut, Judith Point in R.I. and Block Island a 30 minute Ferry Ride away.

LINK

http://www.montauklighthouse.com/

I wasn’t sure if Ron was up to climbing to the tower light but he insisted. We made it to the top with several stops along the narrow spiral staircase. Since we’ve not engaged in any real physical activity for almost one year it was a challenge to get to the top but we were determined and succeeded. Unfortunately, we were not allowed out on the deck for safety reasons but Ron was able to get good pictures and a video clip from the vantage point they did allow us.

Back on the ground we walked to several viewing areas with more breathtaking views. Back on the road there was a vista viewing area so we decided to stop. Of course, the navigator (me) thought the viewing area was down this dirt path marked with wooden steps and Ron dutifully followed. Interestingly, it was a path to nowhere with no vista views and the Captain was quite amused.

We were on the road to the campground but Ron, who is looking pretty tired by now wants to push it and ride over to the West Hampton Dunes. Although it was along our route home I was concerned because Ron doesn’t know when to say quit for the day.

The Hamptons is an incredibly rich community with homes that are huge, spectacular and expensive. We marveled at the size of the homes and noticed that 90 % of the people here drive Mercedes, Cadillac’s, BMW’s and Lexus’s.

Along the beach route in the West Hampton

Dunes each house seemed to be bigger and more beautiful then the previous. We have seen this in several wealthy communities throughout the country and just wonder what these people do for a living. After being duly impressed we arrived back at our campsite around 7 pm. I made dinner and once again we were in bed by 9:30 pm.

The beaches here are state run but divided by beach names and location but essentially it is the same beach that runs the length of Long Island. At Nickerson Beach they are set up with 500 cabanas that can be rented for the summer for a mere $2,100. This is just to store your belongings and to have a private shower and dressing area. To get a spot your name is drawn in a lottery. This place must be CRAZY in the summer. A parking spot for a day at the beach in the summer is $30.00. The system here is incredible and I cannot imagine the number of people that flock to this area in the summer. The roads to the beaches and state parks are 6 lanes wide. Nothing is cheap in this part of NY. The campground is $49.00 per night with full hook-ups and you cannot book for a week at a cheaper rate.

Tomorrow we will head off to the Fire Island Lighthouse (we love lighthouses) and plan

September 17, 2010 Day 3 Long Island , NY`

Captain’s Blog

September 17, 2010 Day 3

Long Island , NY

After a not so restful night with the rain, wind, noise from the tractor-trailers that were not suppose to park with the RV’s and a nervous- Nelly dog who had to get in bed with us we woke to an overcast morning. The plan is to drive to Long Island to the Nickerson Beach Campground right on the Atlantic where I booked for tonight and tomorrow night.

http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/Parks/wheretogo/active/nickerson.html

Click Video Of Lido / long Beach, NY

The good news is the batteries are fully charged and giving us no problems and so far everything else mechanical is working as well.

We left the casino parking lot around 10 am. The drive to Nickerson Beach Campground was uneventful except for the crazy drivers and traffic.

Ron has been having trouble with his legs and feet hurting after walking even short distances so we thought it would be a good idea to buy him a pair of new supportive sneakers. We stopped at Bass & Company and did get what appears to be good sneakers for him. Hopefully they will do the trick.

We arrived at the campground at around 2:30 pm, set up and then took a walk out to the beach. The campground sits along the ocean on Lido and Jones Beach. The beach is beautiful and the waves spectacular. Other then the bad weather last evening we have once again been blessed with sunshine and unusually warm weather for September.

The drive, although fairly short (156 miles) tired Ron out so our plan is to stay in for the evening and enjoy the sound of the surf.

Foxwoods Resort & Casino Day 2

Captain’s Blog

September 16, 2010

We both got a good night’s sleep. The campground was really dark, quiet and empty.

Ron checked the house batteries and they were charged. To be on the safe side he decided to check to see if the local Wal Mart carried the type of battery we needed. They did not. On the premises was an RV repair shop so Ron checked it out and they had what we needed but the shop repairman came to the RV to check our batteries and did not feel we needed to buy new ones. WOW! That honesty cost him a sale.

We arrived at Foxwoods around noon, had lunch and Ron took a nap. He feels guilty about taking naps but that is what keeps him going.

Later we walked through the casino and the MGM Grand. I dropped five dollars in the slot machines and called it a day. The place was way too smoky and dank for me. We went back to the MH and Ron organized and rearranged all his stuff while I read.

I took Jewel for a walk and then we went to dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen. We order an appetizer of chicken dumplings with ginger sauce that was sooooo delicious. Ron had a barbecue chicken pizza and I ordered a garlic chicken and margarita pizza (1/2 and ½) Both super good.

Just as we were finishing our meal the lights went out. Not sure why and no one was willing to tell us but there was a huge storm going on outside. After about 20 minutes the lights came on and we were able to pay our bill and leave.

 

 

 

Our Neighbored!

Jewel was happy to see us we got back to the MH. The lightening was unreal and constant. The rain came down so hard you couldn’t see out the windshield lasting until 4 AM.

Mystic KOA Kampground, Connecticut 09/15/2010

Captain’a Blog
Mystic KOA Kampground, Connecticut

We have spent the last three days preparing and loading the MH. I think we have everything under control but not sure. Although I feel much better still not 100% and I’m depending on Debbie to fill in the blanks for me.

I will digress a bit and state that nine months ago I truly thought my RV traveling days were over. My first inclination that there was a more serious problem was when I was told my prostate cancer was not the usual easily treatable type, but a more aggressive inoperable cancer. And based on the research and reading that Debbie and I were doing I believed that my life was essentially over. Thank God for Dr. Hurwitz, the radiology-oncologist that offered me not only hope but perhaps even a possible cure. And a huge THANK YOU for all of the emotional and physical support, phone calls, cards, visits, e-mails, gifts and great meals from my family and friends that made my difficult journey a little easier. Now seven weeks after my final treatment I have been given hope for a real future and am doing what I love - traveling the country in the MH with my wife and dog. Sounds corny I know but even the smallest events and things make me very happy. Debbie did not think I would be ready to take a trip this soon and neither did I but wanted to give it a try. Not sure where we will end up but we are heading South and will make frequent stops along the way.

Yesterday I turned 64 and was amazed at the number of Birthday wishes I received. We didn’t do much of anything but load the MH for our trip. We did get out to say good-by to our Mother’s but didn’t get an opportunity to see any of our other family members. Kelly called and sent a great gift pack and Tom called later that day. Another year gone by and with any luck more to come. Debbie will continue the blog from this point since she is the journalist in the family.

OK, my turn. I (Debbie) did not believe for one minute that we would be on the road this soon after treatment but here we are. My plan was to hang around until the end of September but Ron did a 180 health wise and insisted we get moving. We will be out and about until the end of October. We have to be back for a follow-up MD appointment and repeat PSA (hopefully will be another positive report)

We didn’t get on the road until 2:45 PM today. Had to finish up last minute loading, went out for breakfast then the MH wouldn’t start so Ron had to jump it. I think I ran the batteries down inflating the airbags. I had the key on auxiliary because I forgot (it has been a full year since our last MH trip) the engine needed to be running while inflating.

Jewel was resistant to getting in the MH and dug her heels in on the front lawn. I had to pick her up and put her in. Poor Jewel, she really hates the riding thing.
We drove to Foxwoods planning to spend the night, tour the casino and have a nice meal but that was not in the cards. Ron noticed that the steps were not fully retracted which was an indication the coach batteries were depleted. So we stopped at a rest area so Ron could push the steps in manually. Upon arriving at Foxwoods Ron checked the battery voltage and it would not maintain a charge so we could not start the generator or maintain any current to run anything in the coach.

After some thought as to our options we decided to drive back about 8 miles to a KOA and plug in for the night. Ron hooked a battery charger to the house batteries and charged them over night. At this point it was 7:15 PM and Ron was duly tired. I made dinner and we settled in to watch America’s Got Talent. He was surprised who won – I was not.

Loading, loading, loading, raw hide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have been busy loading the Motorhome for the trip to nowhere! Finally after having her sit in the yard for 1 YEAR (BOO)