Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 08:24:44 -0700
Reply-To: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Trip report: hound dog unretires, mileage improves,
averaged 1 sighting per state
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We took a week and headed for the mountains of West Virginia, western Maryland and Pennsylvania. Stayed first at Blackwater Falls SP in Davis WV. Had planned to move on to Ohiopyle SP in Pennsylvania but our new old dog Hank (discarded Walker hound, blind in one eye and bad-hipped) showed us what he did during the first part of his life by jerking the leash out of my hand and tearing off after deer, baying to beat all. He was recovered by a fellow camper hours later, filthy and scuffed and seemingly glad to be back in his new life again but wondering what all the fuss was about.
Thanks to Hank we made it to PA a day behind schedule, just in time to learn that Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" house is closed on Wednesdays, so that will be another trip. If
you are planning to
camp in PA with pets, the
best single publication of the state's many offerings is the"Stay the Night" brochure. It is the only reliable, non-conflicted source of info we could find on which parks allow pets AND camping (not every park permits each), and can save you many miles of driving and worry. You might also check for Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds in your area for nice facilities near lakes. These facilities are not always on other camping maps and the ones we saw (we stayed at Tionesta Lake) are very nice and may be underutilized.
Our main goal for the trip was a drive along U.S. 6 across the top of PA through the Pennsylvania Wilds from Warren to the Delaware Water Gap. Two days of drizzle meant that the chief feature of Cherry Springs SP, "Least light pollution of any spot on the Eastern Seaboard," would not make the planned starparties doable. The trip was coming up bust as far as The Plan went, but that just makes things more interesting, right?
Sightings included a battered, mossy aircooled Westy in the company of equally beat bay Westy and hardtop retired behind the Davis (WV) Car Wash; a brown early WBX Westy from CT with kayak and mountain bike on the roof rack parked beside the Youghiogheny River in Sang Run
MD (go see the Cranesville sub-arctic swamp if ever on the western border of Maryland);a very nice
late grey hardtop that passed us heading west near Warren, but I was looking away from road briefly and did not see it in time to wave; a red '91 GL hardtop (7-passenger and NOT a Weekender, auto, alloys, decent grey cloth interior and glass, dented hatch, no tags) on Route 209 just east of Stroudsburg PA. Someone needs to check this one out. I have a phone number and pix.
Bay van sightings (for those interested) include a Country Homes-looking camper just east of Warren, a white Westy with bra parked in Stroudburg and a beautiful red-and-white Westy heading west from Stroudsburg, a green Westy sitting alone in the middle of a huge empty lot off the King St. exit from I-81 in Shippensburg PA. Also saw two EV hardtops and one Rialta.
Our van ran great, not a hiccup. The seats could be better for long days at the wheel, and it could use more power and big brakes in the mountains, but the A/C budget R-134A conversion worked well when needed and
I topped 300 miles on a tank for the first time. How this
happened I do
not know, but we've never broken the 20 MPG barrier before and this trip we had four consecutive tanks over 21 with a best tank of 22.22 MPG, heavily loaded and with a big dog, and with the A/C on for at least 1/3 of that tank. That is approaching miraculous in my book, but driving 45-50 probably had the biggest impact on that. At this rate of improvement, the van will be producing gasoline before long instead of consuming it.
Glad to be back home, but equally glad to be part of the Westy camping community. It's a great way to spend a vacation and you folks help make it possible. Thanks!
Stephen
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