PLEASE READ!! WE HAVE CREATED A NEW BLOG: http://Garol1.Tumblr.com

PLEASE READ!! 
We are forced to bail on BlogSpot because we can no longer
upload pictures.  We have created a new blog on Tumblr.com called Garol1.  Just click on the following link and if you right click, you can save it in your favorites.   http://Garol1.Tumblr.com


Super sorry for the inconvenience, but I have no idea what I'm doing and the whole thing has been a little frustrating.  Please send us an email or call if this is a problem.  We are wandering lost in a big ole world!!

We are in South Bend, Indiana and at long last I am in a hotel room!!  Ah - I shower as long as I want and I don't have to wear water shoes!!  YAY!!  I have been having a real problem uploading pics - by problem I mean it has become a complete fail and it is so disappointing after going so swimmingly.  We have pics to post from Port Clinton, Kelley's Island and now the campus of Notre Dame.    Happy Mothers Day to everyone, mother or not.  Surely we've all mothered someone or something!

We are camped at East Harbor State Park in Marblehead, OH on Lake Erie.  Weather was so nice last night we had our first night with windows and dormer open.  Also our first campfire!  Of course, it gets dark at 8:58 and we go to bed at 9:32, so that's not much fire time...most was in daylight.  :( 

Yesterday morning we rode our bikes all over Historic Port Clinton, OH - known throughout America as the place Carol Hopfinger Genser was born.  Not my home town, bc we moved away right after I was born, but we got a lot of pics to show Nana. Having trouble loading pics...

We are off to Kelley's Island for the day to ride our bikes around.

Yesterday, according to our grand plan, we got an early start and went to see the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.  We tried something new today and used an app called DogVacay.  We set an appointment up in advance for Molly to stay with a dog sitter in Cleveland while we went to the museum and then went out to lunch.  Molly had a good time -- we had a great time! 

 We loved the RnR H of F - it is literally the music of our lives.  I have personally seen many of the inductees in concert (Jimi Hendriks, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, etc). 

Spring in Cleveland!!

Cool brass relief commemorating the Freedom of Slaves

Without our small dog, we went all wild and crazy.  A great
lunch out at "The Chocolate Bar"

Shopping, eating, Cleveland style!

Outside the Door, Cleveland KOA (which btw, never cleans their bathrooms):

Today we're heading taking a short ride to Marblehead, OH to stay for three WHOLE days.  I was born in Port Clinton, Ohio, so I want to check it out -- also my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Bob are buried out on Kelleys Island - Going to take our bikes over on the ferry and right around the island which is 4 square miles.  Molly will be in the basket, of course.

The Logistics of Life on the Road in an Aliner

The Logistics of Life on the Road in an Aliner

There have been several people (you know who you are!) who would like details of how life in the small camper looks on a day to day basis.  I took a bunch of snapshots and I’ll include explanations.  Feel free to skip any/all of this ;)

These are air ferns my mom gave me when I was out in Coronado, CA.  They travel well and go on every picnic table if the weather permits.

 
 



This is our generic campsite when the weather is dry.
The inside of the camper is so small, we move most things
out whenever we can.



 We have several plastic bins to store shoes so they don't come
in and out, tracking dirt.  Also, anything small that would roll
around while we travel gets stashed in here between sites.

 


Haha!  Everything else goes here!!  Hanging over the truck is our
"smoke sack", which is where we put clothes we sit around the campfire.
If we don't, EVERYTHING smells like a campfire.  Towels hang
to dry, either in the truck or out.



This sign was given to me by the people I worked with at
ING at my retirement party.  They collected cash, I used
it to have something to permanently remember everyone by
.



To the left is our little outside shower which we will probably
never have to use.  We have a popup shower stall for privacy.
Toward the back is water and electricity.  We have air conditioning and
heat, thank God!

 



This is a shot of our pantry-a real Godsend.  Gary spent months
planning where everything goes.  He does all the cooking and he
has spices, basic cooking items (oil, flour etc) as well as an electric
skillet, rice cooker, crock pot.  Utensils, paper products and a small
picnic basket that carries our every day dishes in and out easily.

 

 

Map of the USA on the side of the camper, showing the states we've
been in.  Stay tuned!

Hanzi (gypsy name for Gary) at the door, with a little
friend peeking out from her perch.

Left side of camper as you enter.  Bed stays up all the time
although it can be made into a sofa.  Sofa = too much trouble.  Underneath
the bed are our clothes, in bins.  We have bins under the dinette seats for alternate
clothes, towels etc.  In this pic you can see the dormer in the back.  If the weather
is nice, we leave it up and can see the stars, but if it is too windy or chilly,
it closes up to a hard sided A frame.

Tiny Microwave.
 

Tiny fridge, storage and a sink.  Gary made a shelf to go over the
sink bc we use the camp bathrooms and we put our TV (that we haven't
watched) on it instead.

Right side is dinette.  Everything goes here. BC we only need half
the space to sit, our backpacks, toiletry bags, computer, needlework
etc goes here.  It stays pretty tidy, except when we go to bed and
then all extra stuff gets piled here.

Here is a pic of the bed with the side curtains drawn.  We put up a shower
bar with the curtains in case one of us can't sleep, the other can read, etc.

I made the curtains and each tie back has a small loop
to hang shower curtain hooks on.  This way we can get
ball caps, sweatshirts, etc up off the counters.  Works GREAT!

These babies are critical to tidiness!  Wire stacking baskets which
have designated items - dog stuff, charging wires, wipes, coffee makings...

So cute!  Fox lamp with a soft glow, night light w tea light
candle, etc.

Basket o Crap...pens, Velcro, scissors

Big Big book of organizing.  Planning with maps, phones and Ipad
then writing in info and confirms.

Hitch!  Camper is small enough to drag the hitch to
the trailer (add  the mayonnaise TO THE TUNA-don't ask)

I know you are interested in this!  The camper has no
bathroom and I am NOT walking through bear
country 2-3 times a night to pee.  If there is enough privacy, once it gets dark
we put this up right next to the camper inside the pop up
privacy tent.  It works so great,!  it is in two parts, it flushes
and has chemicals so there is no smell.  We put it beneath the
camper during the day and then empty and rinse it at the
dump station on our way out.  SUCH A LIFESAVER!!!


That's all folks!!  It all packs up in about 45 min and off we go.  I'll try to
make a video of Gary putting up the Aliner, but you can also
go on YouTube and watch how quick they go up.

I tried to adjust the comments section, to make it easier. Please
comment some times so we can connect - or email us!  Kisses!!

 

Just jabbering

4/5/15 Tues morn - been on the road a week and we are somewhere in Ohio:
As an aside, we may have mentioned our quest: PIE ACROSS AMERICA!  We wanted to stop in the occasional diner and have a slice of pie - possibly a thing of the past...we couldn't find any!!  Finally today we stopped in a super small restaurant in Aurora, WV and had a great chat with some nice folks AND a slice of pie!  Yes!!

Our travel Fairy!  We've had her for over 8 years and she goes where we go...kinda like Molly! ;)

 

Last "Out the Door" shot from last night:

Quick update:  Remember the old movie, The Last Starfighter?  Remember the funky old mobile home park he lived in?  That's where we're camped tonight...not really but Gary and I call them Starfighter campgrounds.  We are north of Pittsburgh, PA - Check it out:

Ugh - not good.

Anyway, back in West Virginia we wanted to show you the tiniest church in America!!  Super adorable AND it has a tiny outhouse too!

 

 

Catchup Photos from West Virginia

Hey travel team!  We are about to skirt around Pittsburgh to spend the night in New Castle, PA.  High in the Appalachians we had no Internet connection for two days (panic??!).  We saw a black bear cross the road in front of us, visited Seneca Rocks and Black Falls, as well as saw the tiniest church in America.
Seneca Rocks:

 

Below is a shot of the switchback we hiked up to the Seneca Overview.  Brutal hike with no water or shoes!

 

 Black Water Falls, WV

West Virginia - so far pretty damn close to Heaven

We are camped in a lovely state park campground, Canann Resort, in Canann Valley.  We had breakfast this morning at the Lodge.  It is a ski resort, but we are in a funky little campground, just the type we love!  Yesterday we hiked up 1,000 ft in a steep switchback trail to the Seneca Rocks observation deck.  A shout out to my trainer, Karen Faris, because the hike was brutal and, of course, we had the wrong shoes and NO WATER...wait, just enough for Molly, who was in the backpack most of the way.  V tired when we got here to our new campsite - we have watched only a couple of episodes of Seinfeld since we headed out  - too busy and too tired at night.  It is windy and chilly here, the camper is tight as a tick.  We do not have any wifi so having a hard time uploading pics...but we are going into Davis to see a High School art show.  Maybe then...

We are very happy and having a blast, as is Miss Molly May.  We have left her alone several times and she curls up in her carrier and sleeps til our return.

Heading Towards West Virginia Tomorrow

We are packing up early tomorrow and making our way to Seneca Rocks, WV, home of the plank bridge that stretches over a deep gorge.  Will we traverse it or will we chicken out??  Stay tuned.  We had some problems today with the brake lights on the truck, so our plan to visit Dolly Madison's home was a fail.  S'okay - I heard she wasn't home anyway.

The sunsets have been beautiful at this campground and the people great but we are ready to be back in the woods.

 



We decided to go back and see all the beautiful Virginia countryside we missed in the rain.  So lovely!



Yesterday we met an Angel for REALZ

    Sort of tough day for your intrepid gypsy crew.  One of the really fun things about having no place in particular to be -- we can explore, taking the time to drive a half hour into a forest to stay one night at a really rustic site.
    Leaving Uwharrie State Forest, we took a wrong turn and drove deeper and deeper into the forest on a pitted, unused road.  This wasn't the way we came in, but the sign we followed said it was.  Trouble is...you can't turn around with a camper on a road with deep ditches on either side.
    So - wrong way.  Getting more wrong.  Nervous.  Our camper was bouncing and shaking like an abused rag doll.  After about 20 minutes, we took a curve, and there, at a small turn around in literally the middle of nowhere, was a fellow in a rusted red pickup.  I rolled down the window and asked the young man, "Is this the way to Interstate 109?"
    He smiled.  "No mam, but if y'all follow me, I'll take you there."
    He waited patiently while we edged back and forth between the two ditches to get ourselves turned around and then he led us all the way out, swerving to show us potholes to avoid.
    When we arrived at the highway, he hopped out of his truck, came over to us and grinned.
    "I  didn't know why I was sittin' there on that dead end road, but I'm glad I was!  I'm a new Christian and I have a present for you."  He handed us a funky silver cross and said he loved Jesus.  We laughed and said we did too.
    So today the lesson for us was acknowledging miracles when we see them.

After that, four hours of driving, some of it in torrential rain.  Ah, life on the road.  Our new site here in the Shenandoah Valley is at a "RESORT" campground.  We were invited here by Big Bass Pro Shops to take a tour of their facilities and get so excited that we compulsively buy a time share.  Not gonna happen.  BUT...we stay for free AND they give us $100!  Psych!

Yesterday's (4/30/14) "What's Outside" shot:

Today's (4/30/14) "What's Outside" shot:

Quite a difference, huh?  These kind of places are not our cup of tea, but hey, it's free!!

We plan to stay here a couple of days to re-pack our camper based on our new experiences.  Gypsies, tramps and thieves!!  That's us! (except the thieves..and maybe the tramps)