The Tale of Going to Vermont

June 3-5, 2024                                                                        Most Recent Posts:
On the road                                                     A Fun Birthday and Heading North
to Moose River Campground                           New River Gorge National Park
St Johnsbury, Vermont

MONDAY JUNE 3
A NIGHT AT PILOT

After leaving the farm on Sunday June 2, I got on I 81 headed north and stopped for the night in West Virginia.  No problems. 

Back on the road the next day with a gas stop planned at the Pilot just off of I 84 in Newburgh NY.  About 90 minutes from there the battery light came on the dashboard.   Remember, I just put a brand new battery in less than a week ago.

The battery light is RED.  It comes on and the goes off.  Stays off a while, comes on and goes off.  It’s driving me crazy so I pull over, get out the manual and read that this is electrical.  You must turn off everything like radio, AC etc and get to a repair facility in less than an hour.  GREAT!   It’s in the mid 80’s, I’m driving a metal box and it’s hot outside.

What’s going on here?

I cannot stop in less than an hour.  So I turn everything off, push on to Newburgh Pilot with the light going on and off.  I’m hoping that it won’t go solid red in which case I think I’m in real trouble.

.

I get there, get gas, pull over surrounded by tractor trailers and look up mobile mechanics.  The first one  I call says he’s 10 minutes from me and comes right over.  It’s about 1pm.

I tell him the story and he says sounds like wiring and the alternator if I just bought a new battery and the light is coming on and off.  He gets under the rig, sees that a wire on the alternator is loose, uses zip ties to shore it up and says no charge.

I’m thinking this is a lucky event until he is gone and I’m just to pull out of the gas station when the light comes back on.  Trucks behind me.  I have to turn onto the road.  I have to call him back, I have to find a place to turn all 57 feet of me around and come back to Pilot.

Takes 1/2 hour to return and Tom is there.  He tests things, says it’s the alternator.   If I’d had some place near the farm to take Winnona when the starter required a booster I could have found this out and potentially not had to spend $300 on a new battery.   It’s likely the problem all along was the alternator.

BUT calling around we cannot find this alternator.  It’s been discontinued.  I won’t bore you with how much time I spent online and calling,  I managed to find the replacement part number and found one but it would take 3 days to ship it here.  I can’t see myself in a Pilot lot for 3 days, they would not ship overnight.

But it’s clear I’m going to have to spend one night here among the truckers.

Finally Tom took the alternator off, took it home with him, continued at night looking on line to try to find one I could pay to ship overnight.  I had called all the local parts stores to see if they had this alternator or its replacement or one for this VIN number or this chassis or this engine to no avail.  

TUESDAY JUNE 4 
PROBLEM SOLVED BUT. . . . .

In taking the alternator off, Tom had to take the “doghouse” off too.  That’s the carpeted cover over the engine so the noise from it being right between the two seats and under where you are sitting isn’t deafening.

Next day, Tom took the part in to an Advance Auto in a nearby town where a friend works and they got out all the possible alternators and compared them to mine and BINGO

He brought the new one over, installed it, put the dog house cover back and I was good to go after barely 24 hours and  only ONE night at Pilot.  It was completely amazing what he did.

Here is my knight in shining armor. I cannot possibly recommend TOM CARBAUGH of Tom C Mobile Mechanic 845 625 9465 highly enough.   He spent hours helping me.  I would have been totally stranded without him.  How lucky am I that I called him first.

Of course having no problems was too good to last.  It turns out Tom didn’t get the heavy doghouse back on correctly and I’m serenaded by the engine until I can get to Vermont.  But things could be worse.

I’m nearing the Vermont border when the yellow jack light starts flashing and dinging.  This is a nerve wracking ding just so you won’t possibly keep driving when apparently one of your jacks is slipping.

Springs hold the jacks up when you store them and we’ve replaced springs before but I haven’t had any problems with them in a while.  SO,  I pull over on the side of the interstate, get out the wooden blocks and the crowbar and force the jack back up and pray it will stay and not drop down again.   Which it does long enough for me to get to the Vermont Welcome Center for the night.

The Welcome Center is a MM 5 on I 91. The very nice people there gave me permission to park overnight in their lot as I was simply too tired to go on.   After some dinner, I took a look around.  This is one of the nicest welcome centers I’ve seen.  That’s it in the background behind the great tables and chairs for a picnic if you like.

They have a very nice garden with a sun dial in the center.  Several things were in bloom and some just budding.  I’m in the land of cooool weather.  Ahhhhh

A walking trail is mowed into the field with wonderful antique farm implements from Vermont on display.

These are only a few of the equipment on display.  If you like antique farm equipment, this is your place.  Be sure to stop.  It’s in Guilford Vermont on I 91.

They also have a great playground for kids

And kids at heart.

I spent a very nice night here.  Thank you Vermont.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 5
NO MORE MISHAPS.  I ARRIVE AT MOOSE RIVER.

I arrived without incident at Moose River in the late morning.  Very happy to be here.

I came in 2021 for a month, in 2023 for 2 months and this year I’m here for 3 months.  I guess you could say I like it.   It’s a small campground of only 36 sites which I particularly like.  It’s easier to get to know people.  About half the sites are seasonal since I’m not the only person who wants to be in Vermont by the river in the summer.

The sites on the left are on the river, the ones on the right are not.  The first 9 or so sites on both sides are seasonal sites. The season runs from May to October.  Seasonal sites on the river are by seniority.  When someone does not return for the season, the next person gets to move to the river.

As I mentioned, I’m here on a monthly site for 3 months, in site 15 this year.  Like the years before, I have a river site.  Look carefully and you can see it behind Winnona.

I can have my meals at the picnic table overlooking the river.  Especially after I put the table cloth on it.

Or I can sit with my book and read in my backyard by the water.

This picture of one of my neighbors on a seasonal site is for Pam.  Read the flag.

You can see why I’m willing to come so far and put up with “troubles”.

A Fun Birthday and Heading North

Greenfield Mountain Farm                                  Most Recent Posts:
Afton, Virginia                                                        New River Gorge National Park
May 17- June 2, 2024                                            May at the Farm

FRIDAY MAY 17

On Friday, I drove up to Maryland for the week-end to celebrate Celia’s 8th birthday although I don’t know how that can possibly be that she is 8. 

On the way I go right by Bruster’s Ice Cream in Culpepper – no joke – RIGHT by it.  Usually I stop on my way back since I go up in the morning before they open but today, BIG MISTAKE, I left around noon to get there when the kids got home and Carrie wasn’t working.   So Bruster’s was open and thank goodness since it gave me a needed boost on the trip that took me nearly 90 minutes longer to get there because of Friday afternoon traffic around DC.  WHAT WAS I THINKING??  

Oh and this is a SMALL waffle cone with JMC (Jamaican Me Crazy) David’s and my very favorite flavor which this Bruster’s unlike many always has available.  Eat your heart out Paul.

I arrived in the late afternoon but in time to see the “fort” Celia had made in her room.  Colin is required to request permission to enter which he is doing here.

Celia came out, Colin went in.  Too funny.

Later we three created a race track with chalk.   As you can see, we worked very hard on it.

I was told this is a lake that the track goes around.

Now for the racers – not sure this lopsided helmet is going to do much good in the event of a crash.

Colin definitely needs a bigger bike and  that maybe isn’t pink though he doesn’t seem to mind.  It’s what happens when you have an older sister’s hand me downs.

I stand corrected.  I think it says Pond.

After races and  before dinner there was batting practice.   I spent several hours trying to find a way to splice 5 very short videos together to give a sense of how funny this was but…..the only thing I came up with was $49.95 or a watermark.   So try to ignore the mark, it’s anything but tiny.  

You can see Colin’s efforts here.

SATURDAY  MAY !8

Celia’s birthday is Sunday the 19th and a party is planned with her friends so I gave her my presents on Saturday to spread out the excitement.  And it had to be first thing in the morning so she’s in her pajamas.

Of course Nana gives books.  This year, The Magic School Bus with Miss Frizzle.

The beading jewelry craft kit which was a big hit. 

She made me a necklace and didn’t tie the end off and when she handed it to me the beads went all over everywhere.  I wonder if she has made anything else with it since.   At least all the parts are in a nice carrying case.

After presents we went to Celia’s gymnastics class and in the afternoon we watched Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever play the WNBA’s #1 team the New York Liberty.  Love Women’s basketball.   We played Guess Who and other games as the afternoon slipped away.

And then it was time to take a ride in Matthew’s new Toyota Venza SUV.  I was so pleased to find out that not only was it roomy but more importantly, it’s a hybrid.  It was the first time I was able to sit in the back seat that wasn’t a Honda Accord and where I was not squished in between either two car seats or a car seat and a booster seat.  So much more room here.

We were on our way out for a birthday dinner at Eggspectation which had wonderful food and not just breakfast though that’s what we chose.  Carrie and I had Breakfast Tacos.  The kids had great looking chocolate chip pancakes.    Unfortunately I took no pictures all afternoon and owe these next two to Carrie.

Look at all the room for all 3 of us.

And then, books at bedtime.  Hoping she gets some sleep.  Excitement for the party is pretty high.

SUNDAY MAY 19

The party theme was Disney Princesses.  They were all set up on the presents table.   It’s an interesting change since I was a child and Carrie too.  The presents aren’t opened at the party so as not to take time.  Seems strange to me.  I always want to see someone open a gift I have given.  I wonder if the birthday child sends thank you notes.  I didn’t ask.

Love the pose.

The pool was all decked out with balloons and food under the canopy.  It’s a heated salt water pool.  Love that there is no chlorine.

Carrie and her mother-in-law Joan before the girls arrive.

Lots of floaties in the pool. 

The birthday girl squinting.  She’s got swim goggles but not sunglasses at hand.

Blowing out the candles on the princess cake.   Not sure why it stayed in the box.  Convenient for leftovers I imagine.

The cake was delicious – chocolate with fresh strawberries.  Not much was left.

And then it was over and back to school and work the next day.  But not for Nana happily.  I went home early and stopped again at Bruster’s since I won’t find one again until fall when I go to visit them again.

TUESDAY MAY 28

Most of the pictures from the end of May at the farm appeared in a previous blog entitled May at the Farm.  Link above. 

But one thing that did happen was in testing everything on the RV before leaving, the battery required the boost button on two different occasions.  Since it’s so difficult to take Winnona in to have the battery tested,  I took the battery in to Advance Auto.  They tested it and said it was still good but not completely charged.  So I had them charge it.  They said come back in half an hour. 

I came back in 45 minutes and when I walked in the guy who waited on me said OOOPPPS, I forgot to put it on the charger.  SO, I waited another half an hour and when I came back he was gone and no one knew whether he’d charged it or not.  But they decided to say he did.

When they brought it out and I insisted they test it again, it showed the same thing as before which was that the battery is OK but not fully charged.  Does that mean it didn’t fully charge or they didn’t charge it?  How can I know?

Since I was leaving in a few days, and there was no way I could prove they hadn’t charged it and no way I could charge it without reinstalling it and driving Winnona, I chose to buy a new battery.  This one was not quite 3 years old and had a 3 year warranty which wasn’t applicable since it wasn’t dead.  Shannon had taken the old battery out for me and he put the new one in.  Remember this story.

SUNDAY JUNE 2

And then I was saying good bye to the farm as I leave  to return to St Johnsbury Vermont for the Summer.   Looking back, looking forward.