Destination Long Point State Park, Chaumont Bay, NY.

In 1986 when Mom and Dad headed off on the Maiden Voyage of The Sun Raider they took off for Cape Hatteras. For the trip I gave Mom a journal, to keep the travel log of this adventure. The first trip was short in comparison to what they would eventually do after Dad’s retirement from the Saratogian where he was a printer for 33 years.  (This is not part of the story, but I got to brag that in those 33 years he missed only two days of work.)

In the first entry made, Mom thanked me for the journal. She was “very touched by the thoughtful gift which arrived yesterday.”  Faithfully she wrote entries. She logged the miles traveled, the shakedown woes of the new RV, the fretting over her sheltie, Holly, Dad's grumpies, the weather, the meals cooked, episodes with her diabetes and the blessings of Our Lord.

Having this journal of course has a special meaning to me. The memento of the trip. Things she wrote about the trip experience Dad has long ago forgotten. Not the little stuff which could be expected of everyone. But even the huge ones. On this shakedown trip the Sun Raider had some sort of leak. I can’t determine from the journal if that was from the water pipes or the tank itself. It was discovered early on when one night getting out of bed … well imagine the feel of cold wet carpet when not expecting it? Yikes and panic I am sure. When I asked Dad about the leak, he doesn’t remember it.  

I know mom would be happy that we are making this trip. To know that I spent the time and energy preparing the rig for the road after a much too long hiatus under the oak tree at the end of the driveway.  She would have smiled.

Mom and Dad made Wilkes Barre, PA on their first day. 268 miles. It was October 11, 1986.

“It was cold 32 degrees when we left but the sun was bright. The traffic light. I drove ‘til 1:30pm when we stopped for gas in Binghamton. We ate our chicken sandwiches riding along. We had hoped to make Lancaster, PA but by 3 pm we were tired and stopped here.

"We have not been able to get Holly to go potty. She went about 11:30. She hasn’t been drinking either.

"What a supper we had! After praising God and thanking Him for sending a guardian angel to stop us just as we were about to go down a super highway the wrong way, we sat down to stuffed shells, spinach salad, homemade bread and Mario Lanza.”

Mario Lanza! Dad tortured me by playing a CD last week when we went to pick up the RV in Amsterdam where we were getting a new LP tank. I put up with it but then Dad told me he thought the music would have been better. “Dad, you didn’t have to listen to it.”  But maybe he did.

As we put on our 208 miles heading to towards the Thousand Island Region I kept the radio silent. Instead, I listened to every engine hum, whine, groan, tick and a hundred other sounds as we chugged the rolling hills of Western New York. Yes, I was nervous. I’ve been nervous for the last two days. After all, should I not expect this 29 year old vehicle to breakdown in the middle of nowhere? Or in some busy intersection?  Or on the Thruway?  Or not start once I stopped at a grocery store for eggs and roast beef?  But the little engine kept chugging. It even passed three trucks on a long rise near the Tug Plateau. But there were a couple of hills that required the emergency flashers because I couldn’t maintain 40.

By 2pm, we were lost in Watertown trying to find route 12E. Watertown really isn’t that big, but there is a mad convergence of roads in this little town that plays host to the soldiers who call Ft Drum home. Dad had done a good job navigating, but we both got turned about looking for the road. I finally spotted a sign for Cape Vincent and knew that was the direction we needed to go. It wasn’t until the next town that the road picked up the 12E identification.
Checked in at Long Point we toured the peninsula, admiring the water views from every spot in this campground. Quiet, secluded, far from any beaten path this is a near perfect campground. Dad relaxed as I prepared spaghetti and garlic bread. If I had been alone, I would have eaten yogurt. I began the blog as Dad did dishes. And then we went to the Chaumont Bay shore to watch the sun set in a building bank of clouds.

Oh yeah, Mom logged expenses too. Gas $10.00. $12.60 for KOA.  Shit, lunch at the Nice and Easy gas station in Lowsville was more than that.