My Fall Escapade: Prologue

In my first two major trips with Gertie, I had mostly stayed at commercial campgrounds—I was lazy, and they somehow seemed easier to find. But I've found most commercial campgrounds crowded and unattractive, so on this third trip I was determined to boondock in state parks, and if possible, avoid the crowds. Starting my trip in mid-September after the tourist season was over would help.

My plan was to take three weeks and head west across the Catskills. The centerpiece of the trip would be a huge four day get-together of full-time RVers: the 37th Escapees RV Club "Escapade," to be held in northwestern Ohio.

Then I'd head east again to Pittsburgh and spend some time with my father, and finally visit my retired friend Nan in south central Pennsylvania before coming home to New Jersey.

I left New Jersey on Saturday, September 14th—a year to the day after I had started on my last big trip with Gertie. And this time I got off on schedule!

(As always, click on any of the small pictures in these pages to see a full-sized version.)

Contents

1. Southfields, here I come!

2. Into the wild gray yonder

3. Buttermilk Falls

4. The Corning Museum of Glass

5. The wrong museum

6. From park to park

7. Chinese water torture

8. Crossing Ohio

9. The Escapade begins

10. Safety first

11. Fire extinguisher nirvana

12. Ham-O-Rama!

13. The last day

14. Singing in the rain

15. Gertie-less

16. Conversation with an encyclopedia

17. Fruitless errands and forgotten silver

19. Onward to Caledonia

19. Good stuff cheap!

20. My day of rest

21. Heading home

22. Epilogue