Linden's first trip report.

Walt and Beryl checked in with the following information from their first week of travel.

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October 10, 2013 - We attended a FMCA Fingerlakers Chapter rally in Hammondsport, New York.  While there we went to the Glen Curtis Museum.  Very interesting. Got gasoline at Tops for $3.299 with our 40 cent discount.

October 13^th - Drove to Erie, Pennsylvania, and stopped for the night. Ate dinner and got gasoline at Sams Club for $3.24.9 a gallon.

October 14^th - Drove to Marysville, Ohio, Where we stopped for lunch and at Walmart  for gasoline.  $3.149 a gallon.  Every time we stop the price goes down a little.  Hope this trend continues.  It’s a far cry from the $3.65 we paid at home. So far our trip has been uneventful.

October 15^th - Beryl and I stopped at the Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, Missouri, to visit Mike and Vi Downie who are camp ground hosts in the park.  We first met Mike and Vi when they were volunteers at Padre Island National Seashore while we were hosting there.  (When we leave this year they will replace us as camp hosts.)    

Onondaga Cave State Park is a nice little park about 8 miles off I-44.  The cave was closed for the season.  We saw lots of deer.  Two kept hanging around our campsite.

The deer are very small compared to the ones around Avon.  Also, saw a flock of turkeys wandering around the park.

Went to dinner at the “Missouri Hick  Bar-B-Q restaurant.  Second best ribs you’ll find anywhere.  First best are at Michael Bobs in Naples, Florida.

October 17^th - Headed for Branson, Missouri and on the way stopped in Marshfield, Missouri, and at Walmart we got our first gasoline under $3.00 at Walmart.  I hope the price keeps going down.

Arrived in Branson where we stayed at the Pea Patch RV Park.  The park is right in the center of all the Branson Show activity and they except Passport, Escapees and Golden Age Passport all at half price.  Last year when we stayed there we had some trouble getting into a site and vowed never to go back.  Since it’s in the middle of the entertainment district we decided to check and see if things had improved.  It turned out things were much better.

In two days we saw four great shows.  The Acrobats of China show was outstanding. It’s unbelievable what those kids can do. 

The Neal McCoy show was excellent as was the Barry Williams show.  Williams was on the “Partridge Family” TV show.

We went to see the “Ron and Kay Rivoli Revue” now called “A Heapin’ Spoonful”. We met Ron and Kay in Gillette, Wyoming and became instant friends.  Ron is from Gates, NY.  They do a great show and after the show we had a chance to visit.

We book all our shows with Michelle at “All Access Branson”.  She does a great job helping to pick out shows to see and gets great seats.  We highly recommend her.

Walt Linden

wlinden@juno.com,

2013-2014 Officers

Our October meeting brought election of officers as well as updates to by-laws.
Re-elected were: Tom Roule, President, Harold Wollaber, Treasurer, John Pangburn, National Director, Alice Sprout, Alternate National Director, Reed Johnson, Newsletter Editor.
New officers are: Nancy Anten, Vice President, Celine Moses, Secretary.
To the left is more information about them.

Hammondsport

Sunset

Morning Humidity

Our October rally took us to the "coolest small town" in the United States. Sitting at the southern tip of Kueka Lake with fall foliage close to peak, good weather after Friday morning showers, we had a great time with the 16 campers who came.

Our View of Kueka Lake

 

I scream for Ice cream

Donna and Sharon

Our campsite

We had hot apple cider, and warm dip to greet those on Thursday and an ice cream social after folks went out for dinner.
Friday our meeting followed the ice cream social and dinner at the Pine Inn in Hammondsport.

Joan and Dick making scrambled eggs

Saturday, the officers made breakfast for the attendees and then, we were free for the day to see the many sights around Kueka Lake.
Dinner of pulled pork was served by the officers enhanced by side dishes created by our attendees.

Celine and Donna

Alice weaves a web about us

After dinner, we enjoyed fun put on by Alice Sprout -- "head and tails" and "left-right".
Sunday, we had Danish rolls, donuts and more.
A couple members used this as a kick off to their travels south.

Fall Sun

Whether you are traveling or staying home, we wish you a great winter.

View pictures full screen by clicking on an image.

Fingerlakers' Trailer Redesign Proposal

Walt Linden and Harold Wollaber have promoted we rehab utility trailer. Below is their recommended design.

Northeast Area Blog

Tom Ziobroski, NMA President has asked if we would help with the Northeast Area Blog. We have updated it and hope to add information about the area from all chapters if someone supplies it.
If you are interested check out the blog at:

Northeast Area Blog

It's also available clicking on the tab at the top of our blog.

Update from Wes and Janet

As you know, Wes and Janet were married last month. We got this note from them and thought you might be interested. CONGRATULATIONS.

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Hi Tom.......Hello from BAAAA HARBOR Maine.  Still on our honeymoon and having a great time.  We are planning on attending the Hammondsport Rally if all goes well--would it be OK if we pay when we arrive on Thursday?  We would be joining you all for dinner both Thursday and Friday evening.  We do not have the surveys calculated yet--will do when we get home.  I will keep you updated when all are in. 

See you next week

Janet

National Parks

I presume you know that all National Parks are shut down due to the government shutdown.
That means - even the web site isn't being maintained and monitored. Probably also means you won't be able to make reservations if you are planning travels.
As you know, Linden's work at Padre Island National Park in Texas. If the situation isn't resolved by November, they may be looking for a 40 foot driveway.
For more information, check out:

www.doi.gov/shutdown/index.cfm 

Don't always believe your GPS

This came from the Huffington Post
An elderly California couple thought they might be going the wrong way when their six-month-old GPS system directed them towards a back road in Oregon.
The couple, Charles and Doris Garton, should have followed their instincts.
The pair ended up stranded inside their 23-foot motor home (GMC) on Saturday evening, stuck behind fallen trees on the remains of a logging road, after they followed the route selected by their GPS unit. Sheriff's deputies first made contact with Charles Garton, 73, around 11 a.m. Sunday morning, but were unable to free the RV. A towing company also responded, but was unsuccessful.
Finally a search and rescue team arrived on the scene Monday at around 1:30 p.m.
Search and rescue member Jerry Applegarth told NRToday.com that the team found the couple in a tough spot.
“We used chain saws to get in to them and yet they drove their motor home down in there,” he said, adding that the couple had no way to turn the RV around. “It was a mess.”
But he noted that the two were both in good spirits, enjoying tuna fish sandwiches.
The Gartons had been traveling from their home in Ridgecrest, California to an RV rally in Oregon when they became stuck.
Doris Garton told CBS Los Angeles that “it was nice to sleep in absolute darkness; no street lights. And the bears didn’t come to visit. And no deer came peering in the window."
Certainly this story isn't the first to involve a GPS gone wrong. And many drivers have reported feeling too reliant on their GPS devices.

Let's clarify

Sometimes in the forest, we are not aware what we think is obvious.
I got a call asking if the "Officers Meet" is only for officers.
The answer is, THE MEET IS PUT ON BY THE OFFICERS FOR THE MEMBERS.
So, please come.
Hoping to see you in Hammondsport. 
Tom