On the Road, Paul Goldberg Blog

No Perils this Week

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We are sitting on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Tom Sawyer RV Park as we have several times in the past. The drive from Columbus OH was just a drive and we easily found our way to Louisville North  just across the river in IN. We had the generator exhaust pipe strapped back in place and were good to go after 3 nights to Nashville. We did get to Louisville and Carol wrote that up nicely in her blog. 

The next stop was Nashville where we planned a two night stay. The  full day we were there we got some food shopping done and then went to Grand Ole Opry. Somehow I remembered going many years ago and vowing not to return. We really enjoyed the show and crowd and the delight at being in the place where so many great country artists took the leap to stardom. 

The next drive was across I 40 to Memphis. They do say that into every fine day a little rain must fall. That’s a LITTLE rain. About an hour 50 minutes down the road we came to a rest area and the next one was 89 miles. Carol agreed to let me drive even though she still had 10 minutes left in her shift. As I got the coach up to speed there were some rain drops on the windshield. Within 10 minutes we were dropping our speed to be driving within what we could see. Traffic was crazy. Eventually the rain subsided to “just rain.” by the time we reached Memphis.

We crossed the Mississippi River on I40 and  went a bit south (8 miles) to Tom Sawyer RV park. Our front row site – 105 – is as close to the river as you would want to be. River traffic seemed lighter than usual and it is clear there is less water than one would expect to see. There has not been much recovery from what we saw last Spring.  We have pretty much stayed on our site and enjoyed being on the river, so much so that we have extended our stay until the 5th. The river traffic as picked up today.

On the 5th we will try to ignore the election day hoopla as we drive to New Boston TX where Candy Cane Corral is located. That is the Harvest Host site we had the tornado warning last Spring. As we sort of promised ourselves we are returning for 2 nights to take advantage of what there is to see and do in the vicinity. After that we will go on to Plantation Place RV Park in Dallas area so we can visit with Deb and Scott and drive up to Aubry to visit Dora (she was my mother’s primary aide and has become a friend over the years).  

Today is Carol’s Birthday – she caught up to me at 82. We have dinner reservations in Memphis. 

On the Road, Paul Goldberg Blog

Perils Continued

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We had a great visit with Lee. We had no problem with the campground having been there most recently last Spring. We finally got to see his home and his incredible collection of guitars, banjos and mandolins

There are many more in a large closet behind Lee

 After dinner we returned to the coach and prepared for a 4 hour drive the next day with some reading time and a reasonable night’s sleep.

We have 5 days to get to our reservations on the Mississippi River and decided to stop for 2 nights in Louisville KY because we had not been there yet. The campground, Louisville North, is in Clarksville IN just across the river from the city. One approach goes through an underpass with a 10 foot clearance. Their instructions took us in another way. As I applied the brakes on the off ramp I heard an ominous  scraping noise from the front of the coach. Last Spring we had clipped a diverter barrel and broken the connection to the generator exhaust pipe that extends just clear of the  body under the driver. I had it repaired at Colton RV in Buffalo NY (North Tonawanda to be precise). Apparently they used a leather strap for part of the connection. It broke. The people at Louisville North have a mechanic available and he is supposed to come by today to repair it again. 

We have extended our stay another night so we can get in to Louisville on  Monday and get on to Nashville for two nights then on to Memphis. 

Waiting for yet another shoe to fall, this 2012 coach is getting old, the odometer reads 99899.9.

On the Road, Paul Goldberg Blog

Day Two-Perils of Paul

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This trip to Cleveland started off with a reminder of what RVing is all about. In storage we set out to open the slides so we could store the stuff we had brought on board. Naturally, after making sure the power was on, the ignition switch was on – with the engine running – the hydraulic motor refused to start. After considering my alternatives I remembered a suggestion I had read someplace before. I had a small wrench next to the hydraulic compartment for other tasks and I picked it up and gave the offending solenoid a light tap and called out for Carol try the slide. It worked and has continued to work.

We got to the KOA Thompson/Grand River eventually, it took some doing since the GPS took us to another campground with a similar name – my bad – and I couldn’t unlock the lock on one of the tow bar arms. I attributed that to dirt getting in the mechanism, but eventually I released the tension on the system by unlatching the arms which freed the lock. I’m still not sure how those are related, but it worked.

At about that time Carol informed me that there was a leak under the bathroom sink.  I solved that by turning off the water supply and resorting to using our pump which provides a slightly lower pressure. Problem temporarily solved, but in topping off the freshwater tank I got carried away and flooded part of the site under the coach. 

Had some dinner watched some TV and then read and slept well so we could visit June and her daughter Beth, recovering from double lung transplant, and her husband Jim. After that we had a delightful dinner at Heck’s with Bert and Laury. An hour drive back to the coach – don’t ask – and we are ready for some rest so we can drive to Columbus OH in the morning to visit Lee. 

All in a day’s RVing, but don’t tell newbies about it.

In Rochester, Paul Goldberg Blog

Preparation II

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I’m running out of clever for titles. As we continue our preparation for travel we are deeply involved in following the collision that will start on November 5, the ongoing heartache of war in the Middle East and the rising tide of anti-Semitic hate in the world and in the US.   All of this is leading to loss of sleep, especially when piled on top plans for departure. 

I would think that getting ready to leave would be the least of our worries since we have done this almost every year since 2002, with some intermediate departures along the way. Somehow as our 82nd birthdays are approaching everything seems just a bit more difficult, both physically and mentally. A couple of days ago we stopped by the coach, in storage, to be sure the batteries were topped up – grateful for an effective solar system which I had installed many years ago – checking for leaks given the rain we have experienced and being sure there was no flat tire to deal with. All is good as of now.

Just had an email from our planned first stop in Cleveland cancelling our reservation. Its a Harvest Host Winery and apparently they have upset their neighbors and sleeping in a vehicle is not permitted in the area. This set off a scramble on my part to find a place to stay near the city. Well an hour away is the best I can do. We will drive in in the morning and spend the day. Once I got started I had to make plans for the week or two following. After a stop in Columbus OH – less than a week before election day, our next reserved stop is Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis AR for three nights of watching barge traffic on the Mississippi. Election Day it appears we will be in Dallas. That should be interesting. Plans after Tom Sawyer are still in unset Jello as far as timing. We will be watching the news to stay away from trouble spots to the extent possible. 

Circling back to the beginning, I worry, I lose sleep, for the United States, for Israel, for the world. Not least I am concerned about the rising anti Semitism which seems to be able to threaten us and our family very personally. 

More from the road.

 

 

In Rochester, Paul Goldberg Blog

Preparation

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So much to prepare for and the time is passing quickly. The High Holiday season, the Days of Awe, begin tonight and continue until sunset on Saturday the 12th. Holidays continue on the 16th through the 23rd. Carol and I plan to spend the 23rd driving to Cleveland, more preparation. 

After visiting friends from the past in Cleveland we had planned to continue on south to Asheville NC to visit with Leigh and Pat who we have known for more than 24 years.  It appears that Helene has obliterated that plan. Even if they got everything cleaned up and the water supply restored and the campground reopened, I would not want to take our coach on the remnants of the road system in the mountains. This is still subject to change.

This is only one impact of the storm on us directly. Our grandson Corey is a student at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, a tiny mountain town in the heart of the devastated area. He, his girl friend and several other friends got in their cars and somehow managed to get out of the mountains over makeshift bridges and washed out roads to make their way to Dan and Malena’s house to wait to see when the school will be able to reopen. 

That’s about it for the beginning of October. 

Hmm, just noticed that the blog is still on Pacific Time. I will see about changing that.

In Rochester, Paul Goldberg Blog

Antisemitism Today

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This is a difficult topic both to start writing about and to live with. It has been part of my life since I can remember being part of a mixed community going back to first grade. It was not always blatant and in my face, but it has always been there whether I recognized it or not. My earliest years were on a street in Rochester where three neighbor houses had a total of 21 Catholic children. My best friend from that group started trying to convert me before I was 10. The time period was the mid 40’s to the mid 50’s. I wasn’t bullied any more than anyone, but I found it easier to play with the Jewish children in the neighborhood. We knew who each other were even if our families belonged to different synagogues.

So what is this thing that has a meaningless name? Historically we were a group who refused to accept the common belief structure of the non Jewish people around us as the Christian world developed in the early centuries of the Common Era. The Catholic story convicted us of deicide which set us apart as an evil people. This was consistent until Vatican II when the Pope apologized. By then the idea was well set in people’s mind. Hitler sought to purify the “Aryan Race” and the Jews were the major target of his need to do that. There were other victims, particularly the Romish and Homosexual people. 

We owned a house on Sandringham Road in the town of Brighton. When I read the deed, in 1972, I found that there was a restrictive clause prohibiting the sale of the land to “Negroes and Jews”. This clause was not enforceable by the time we bought, but it was still in the deed. Family members were denied acceptance to UR Medical school in the 40’s because they were Jewish. I remember discussing the quota I faced in applying to Ivy League schools in 1959. The quotas were rising, but they still existed. If you think this is all past history, look at the current debate and Supreme Court ruling regarding admission quotas, Jews may not seem to play in the current rulings, but the very idea of such quotas dates back to the founding of these exclusive schools. Disclosure: I graduated from Brown University with a BA and an MBA from Columbia Graduate School of Business. 

These very schools are facing a significant antisemitic challenge today. The Arab world has refused to give Jews the right to land granted them after World War II by the United Nations. The grant was a division of the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River. Neither side was happy with the division, but the Jews agreed to make a country in the land they were granted. Within hours the Arabs rose up to drive them out and take all the land. The presence of Jews in “their” land was anathema. Nothing has changed since then. The slaughter of October 7 was a continuation of actions the Arabs have taken against Jews in the land going back in the 1930’s. They are an implacable enemy. 

I feel very sorry for the people dying in Gaza as a result of their leaders refusal to accept the continued existence of the Jewish state. If their leaders want to make it stop, it is within their power to say yes to a cease fire and an exchange of hostages for prisoners. Israel can stop bombing, but that will only encourage Hamas to continue their long game which is nothing less than the destruction of Israel and the massacre of millions of Jews, because once they are “pushed into the sea” they have no place to go. 

The pro Palestinian students either have not followed the logic or they are willing to demand the murder of millions of Jews because “From the River to the Sea, Palestine must be Free” is not just a slogan it is a promise of genocide. In all of this antisemitism flourishes. 

 

In Rochester, Paul Goldberg Blog

September – already!

The calendar has been filling to the point that there seems little open time before we load the coach and head west.  We have said repeatedly that Yom Kippur, which falls on October 12 this year, marks the earliest possible start across the country. With no specific dates to be anyplace until a rally in Coachella in December our departure date is still open. We need to plan a stop in Asheville NC which will put a pushpin in our map and calendar. This would most likely be preceded by a stop in Cleveland OH which is just about a five hour drive from Rochester. None of this is in stone – yet.

Our calendar is filled with social engagements, community events and medical appointments. Looking forward to the first two in that group, the last item not so much. Carol has been busy with her “list” trying to make sure we get to see everyone before we get back on the road to California. 

Watch for another post I am working on, contemplating on an altogether different subject.

 

On the Road

Returning from 2 Weeks Travel

Finally a moment to write. We are in a Harvest Host farm in Fort Plain NY somewhere near Utica and close to the Thruway. Out the window there are Alpaca, Sheep and, with a bit of a walk, rabbits and chickens. But this is the last night of the trip. 

We took two nights to drive to Malena and Dan’s place just north of Charlottesville. We set up the coach next to the garage as usual and began 5 nights of feasting. Between caring for the horses, managing the finances of their company she manages to prepare substantial delicious meals. The first full day there we drove out to their new land in the Shenandoah Valley (sort of) to tour the 240 acres of gorgeous  hills and vales and forests and plains they own. Four of us rode in their 2 seat 4×4 Kubota, 3 in front and Malena in the truck bed with cushions. We can’t wait to see how they develop the land as a farm and homestead. 

We spent time with their horses and with them and eventually moved on toward my sister’s home in Vermont. My first route had us passing though DC, Baltimore, and NYC. This was a NO. We routed back up I81 to I84 and stops in Harrisburg PA and the Catskills. The routes in the Catskills were fun to drive if you like rollercoaster travel. 

We had four days with my sister Sandy and her husband David. David was a wonderful tour guide and driver. We toured some special exhibits at the Shelburne Museum where my sister is a board member. Then we drove to Middlebury where there is a synagogue in a house that had been converted by David’s grandparents.  I had to deal with a Jojoba Hills SKP Resort board meeting while we were there. They lent me a room so I could set up my computer for the zoom. Fortunately the meeting  was adjourned in 45 minutes with the work completed. 

We capped off the touring with a stop at the local Conservative synagogue which has a wonderful restored mural that had been “lost” for many years. Then we stopped at Shelbourne Farms for a driving tour of the farm.  After lunch we returned to the coach for some R&R and to begin preparation for the trip home. Dinner that night included Sandys son Steven .

I had let our fuel level get a bit to low for my comfort and I needed a route that would get us to a truck stop that offered our discount program. I found one in Glens Falls NY. On a purchase of 78 gallons the discount was $62. Definitely worth planning a route to make that stop. 

As the sun is starting to set and the breeze is getting cooler we are preparing to eat and get back on the road tomorrow. Although we are within a few miles of the NY Thruway, we are just a few miles further to US 20. It will take an hour longer but there is no hurry so as those of you who have been following us know, we will be running 20 , slower and no tolls, and much prettier than yet another interstate that we know all too well.

In Rochester, Paul Goldberg Blog

and Found

When we arrived in Rochester on the coach I wrote this:

Unloading the coach and moving the unloaded stuff into the apartment was time consuming and frustrating. We are prone to loosing things from time to time, but a pound of ground beef? Yup someplace in the coach, the car or the apartment there is a one pound package of ground beef slowly decomposing – gross! 

Today we returned to the coach to run the generator for a while as is necessary to keep things working. As I reached into the Jeep console for the keys I realized the usual keyring was missing. I must have decided they did not need to go to Canada and wait around there for two weeks and taken them into the apartment, Baad Idea. I did have a key to get into the coach, just not to open any of the compartments to turn on the chassis batteries which is necessary to open the slides, and other things.

As soon as I opened the door I knew not everything was wonderful. My nose led me to the refrigerator which stood with doors partially open for storage. Looking inside I found the missing pound of ground beef, or its decomposed remains. I cannot imagine how we left that in the refrigerator after we turned it off, cleaned it and prepared it for storage. I know that I had looked in there several times just to be sure. I have the drawers and shelf in the apartment to clean up. I will plan a return trip in the next day or two to put everything in order. YUCK!

After 24 years of RVing I found a new way to make things miserable in the coach. I do not want to imagine what my next RV problem will be.

UK our 60th

Bookend – Home

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Carol and I began our marriage travels with a five week trip to Europe starting in England. After 60 years it doesn’t seem likely that we will be doing any more extended travel overseas. I’m not ruling it out, but there is still plenty to see and do in the US and Canada. We have traveled in 67 countries on six continents. We have been to the top of Tibet, over 12,000 feet, and to the depth of the Dead Sea, about 5,700 feet below sea level, as far north as Fairbanks Alaska and as far south as Cape of Good Hope South Africa. We have driven across the United States more than 24 times in our motorhome and been from the Mexican border to the Canadian Border – and beyond. We are not done, we plan to drive back to California in the Fall and do some other road trips this summer.  

Back to the trip we just completed. We had a day to walk around in Edinburgh and our hotel was just steps away from George IV Bridge which crosses to the area of the Castle. It was a warm sunny day!! and we strolled up toward the Castle area. We never made it since the steps were daunting. We did climb several steps and had two wonderful stops. We found the Writers Museum in Lady Stair’s house (that was her name) in Lady Stairs Close up some steps and it had three main floors covering the lives of Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns.  We spent over an hour there taking in all the information about the writers and the museum. We moved on from there to the National Museum on the way back to our hotel. This may be one of the most confusing museums we have ever been in. The range of material from modern medicine to ancient sculptures with a stop along the way for early steam engines is confusing enough then have more than three interconnected buildings with lifts that go to alternate floors and this tired couple were glad to find our way out after an hour. We concluded the day with dinner at a Spanish Tapas restaurant  before collapsing for a 4:30 AM wake up to be in our taxi at 5:30. 

I will spare you the description of Edinburgh Airport, it may be the worst we have experienced. The flight to Toronto was smooth and comfortable. Our car was immediately available at Park and Fly and we drove to Mitch’s house in the usual Toronto traffic. Carol was adamant we not drive home after the long flight and 5 hour time zone change. Mitch welcomed us to his house, although he was not there when we arrived, it was a work day. We had time with him late afternoon and in the morning – THANK YOU MITCH – before beginning the drive home. 

First stop after Toronto was Hamilton to visit Aunt Dorothy (known as Dodo to us). One does not drive by the home of a centenarian without stopping in. After a brief (30 minute) wait to cross into Lewiston NY we faced a dilemma. Southern route on the Thruway, Middle route on NY 104  or lakeside route, the slowest. After lunch in Lewiston, we opted for the slow route along the lake. Just west of the western end of the Lake Ontario Parkway we found an Amish farm stand we have visited in the past and stop to top up with fresh fruit and vegetables. We arrived at the apartment at 4 PM, a mere six hours for a three hour trip. That would be par for us.

Seeing the World/Seeing North America