Category Archives: Jennifer’s

Shakedown Trip 2

Last Friday, we launched on a trip down to Merrimac, MA to see daughter Jen and her family — and to test out systems on the Airstream.  We often take the unit down there so that the dog and I can sleep out in the woods — saving some hassle at the house.

The rig hooked up and ready to roll down our newly surfaced driveway.

I expected a difficult trip since it was a Friday afternoon – the first weekend with school out — but it was fairly tame.  We navigated the construction work in downtown Montpelier and huffed up the big hills heading out of Vermont.

There was a neat Canadian couple parked just ahead of us in the rest area and I quizzed them on their big Class C rig, which they’ve taken all over North America.

During the last half of the trip, I was sweating out the arrival procedure since I have to stop on a sometimes-busy road, back kitty-corner into a winding narrow driveway, and then back diagonally into the woods.  It’s not hard if cars and trucks don’t show up — and we must have missed rush hour because only one car had to stop and watch Mary and I work at getting the Airstream off the road.  We are getting better, or luckier.

There’s no electricity out in Jen’s woods and the solar panel never worked in previous trips.  You can see why.

Our visit was wonderful, including a celebration of our 51st anniversary with a couple of cousins of mine whom I seldom see, but the mosquitos were tough as was the temperature and humidity.  We decided to return to Vermont a day early since the trailer was getting very warm (the generator is great but not sized to run the A/C unit.

We got home Monday, mid-day, and had a chance to unpack and park the Airstream before a series of thunderstorms.  The trip was a success: seeing the gang was wonderful, the hot water and refrigerator which had just been serviced worked like a charm, and Penny was in general, a good visitor.

The Airstream is now parked off the driveway in the only flat spot available, ready for the next adventure.

Traveling to Mosquitoville

The trip down our driveway (see last post) without swaybars as uneventful and the Airstream’s back bumper did not dig into the road and the bottom dip as it usually does (thanks for the tip, brother Barry).  We navigated through busy downtown Montpelier at noontime and soon were laboring up the long hill on I-89.  Always forget how tough that is to climb with a trailer in tow.

The trip down was rather easy, with a little construction here and there and moderate traffic.  We stopped for a Subway sandwich at a mini-mart in Warner, NH where we often pause enroute.  Of course, with the trailer behind, it’s a challenge to find parking.  I pulled up in front on the highway, right next to a “no parking” sign, and jogged in to order a sandwich, leaving Mary and the dog in the truck.  Just as I entered, I noticed a police car sitting there.  The officer was in side chatting and I said, “I just did a quick illegal park out there – but my wife’s in the truck and I’m just grabbing a sandwich.”  He deadpanned, “Well, I guess I’ll have to write you a quick ticket!”  Then with a grin said, “You’re all right there.”  He had me for just a minute.

We found a shaded spot to eat, sneaking into the Airstream so the dog didn’t hound us for food.  She ended up with some tasty leftovers and we were on the way.

Penny’s not completely convinced that this will be a good stay.

The driveway into Jennifer’s is a challenge — just a back-in off a rather busy road and the driveway is winding.  I had been game-planning it for the last part of the trip and with Mary’s help, we did fine.  However, like Vermont, this area is experiencing a major outbreak of mosquitoes spawned by all the excess water from Hurricane Irene.  They were all over Mary in a flash, and we put on bug dope a little late.  We did get leveled off in our rustic parking space and look forward to a good stay here.

Getting The Airstream Home

After a Thanksgiving trip to Maryland sans Airstream, we returned for a week in Massachusetts to do some child care and retrieve the trailer.

Not surprisingly, mice had taken up residence in the ‘Stream, leaving little piles of insulation and droppings here and there. I had set traps but they weren’t tripped – in fact one had the peanut butter licked off and mouse “calling cards” all around. The dog was very interested in a wall where undoubtedly the culprit(s) resided.

With sub-freezing temperatures, staying in the trailer was more of a challenge but the new propane heater did a nice job. The dog and I stayed comfortable, especially at the end with the heating unit, but we were going through propane pretty fast.

I did a little birding (see my new vtbirder blog) and celebrated Mary’s 70th birthday with Jen and family. Watching the weather, we left for home a day early since snow was forecast for our original travel day.

It was cold and windy hooking up and of course, the trailer had not moved in several months. I noted that the right turn signal on the trailer was not working but decided to press on — it was daytime and the weather was clear.

Monday mid-day is a good time to travel. It seems like the trucks are still loading and there is mainly local traffic. We made good time up through New Hampshire in spite of pretty stiff winds. The Airstream handles wind quite well.

I noted a warning signal on the trailer brake controller – “H05” – but had no idea what it meant. (The manual was back home.) It would flit back to .C. for connected and then back but everything was handling ok so we pressed on. It was too bitterly cold to troubleshoot along the highway.

As we descended the final hill into Montpelier, the brakes started acting a little strange – grabbing a bit. I cautiously wove my way the last eight miles, wondering what condition our driveway would be in. Our road was rutted (from early thaws) and the driveway had several inches of snow, but there’s no way to pause — you make the sharp turn and start climbing. Saying “hang on” to Mary and the dog, I gunned it up in 4 wheel drive and while it was a little exciting, we made it up and around the large rock and were home.

With snow on the way, I got the Airstream blocked and unhitched and settled in place until we leave in mid-January for Southwest.

I believe that I have some shorting issues again in the pigtail connector. It’s way to cold (0 degrees this AM) to work on it right now but I need to pick a day where the temperatures moderate a bit and check it out. We don’t need failures like we had last year.

‘Nother Cold Rainy Trip to MA

Yesterday, after an early morning lending committee meeting at the community land trust, I came home to finish packing and hook up the Airstream for a trip to Massachusetts. It’s our grandson’s tenth birthday and our daughter’s was the day before.

I had tried to take a short nap after an early lunch since we had a long trip ahead but all I could do was think of the trick of getting backed into Jen’s driveway off a relatively busy road. It’s more than a 90 degree turn and rather tricky — and having several cars waiting in line and watching is never helpful. I decided to get up and get going.

The light rain started just as I got ready to maneuver the truck to hook up. It’s been a while and I was taking my time but with several layers and a raincoat, finished up relatively dry. Still always get grease on my hands from either the ball or the sway bars.

We got the gear and the dog loaded and negotiated our steep driveway. At the bottom, the rear bumper always gets hung up and scraps dirt for a bit — adding a few swear words to the start of the trip.

The drive down was rather easy — traffic light but steady — with some low clouds and fog hanging over the high parts of I-89. The weather got better into New Hampshire, as did the foliage. The photo was taken at the Sutton, NH rest area.

With five miles go go, I started visualizing the backup process — where I would stop the truck, which way the wheel went first, etc. I briefed Mary on her role as observer, director, traffic cop but we both decided to stay cool. Well, either I’m getting better, or getting lucky, but the trailer was angled in off the road right away, letting traffic move — and with just a little geeing & hawing, I got the Airstream situated in the wooded parking place. Voila.

So, we’ve got the catalytic heater going and the inside temperature is manageable. I’ve got a little water in the system but I’m not using it. I’ll winterize either this weekend or next trip down. We are going to leave the Airstream here in MA since we have several trips more in the coming months.

Boondocking in an oak grove


The hurricane flamed out and our trip to Massachusetts was easy — light traffic and Will Lange’s CD of wonderful Vermont stories. We wedged the Airstream into our parking spot at Jennifer’s and got out the solar panel – why I’m not sure. We get a random ray or two now and then through the leaves but it’s moral support, electrically speaking.

It was great seeing Rich and Bronson from Ohio as well as Mac, Jen, and Ben . Yesterday we had a big reunion with Jack and Susan Russell and their kids and grandkids. Perfect weather and dear friends we don’t see often enough.

I’ve been doing some birding here, seeing a lot of warblers which are still tough to ID, especially with a Viszla pulling on the leash. Saw six flickers today high in a tree eating some sort of fruit.

I also had an encounter with a grumpy old guy on a back road here in Merrimac — a place I’d seen some birds while running yesterday. This morning, I drove the truck down there, parked it beside the narrow road, and was watching some chestnut-sided warblers when the door to the nearby house opened and an old guy stood there staring at me. I said, “Hi, I’m doing a little birding” and got no reply. I kept scanning the trees when I soon heard a pellet gun type noise, cocking and firing. I just kept birding and didn’t hear any pellets my way but just figured he was being a jerk. I was very tempted to tell him so and still marvel at my restraint. I finished up and as I returned to the truck, I glanced up and saw the air rifle at his side. It took real will power not to flip him the bird as I drove off but I don’t need more dents in the Ford.

Jennifer, who runs on that route, decided to call the police and report the incident. As she says, “It bothers me when someone’s first instinct when angry is to go for a gun.”

So in addition to catbirds, warblers, flickers, cardinals, I’ve found a red-neck flatlander. May add it to my life list.

Waiting Out Earl


We were planning to take the Airstream to MA yesterday to see Rich and Bronson who just flew in from Ohio. The prospects of camping in the oak forest at Jennifer’s — known for dropping branches in windstorms — was not appealing even if Earl stays out by Cape Cod. Forty to fifty miles an hour winds tonight still could make the aluminum habitat interesting — so we’ll wait a day.

We’ve charged the battery, filled up the propane, loaded some fresh water, and put the brand new foam mattresses on the beds. I’ll hook up tonight and we’ll be off first thing in the morning — along with many others delaying their trips because of the hurricane. Better safe than sorry.

Here are the grandsons [Bronson (left) Mac (right)] that we can’t wait to see tomorrow.

Trip to Jennifer’s

We took the Airstream down to Merrimac, MA for a three day visit to see Jennifer, Ben, and Mac and to help a bit with painting the house. It’s been a while since we’ve hooked up and moved so it was a good summer excursion. Leaving on a Monday and returning later in the week avoids some of the weekend travel — the trips down and back on I-89 were pretty uneventful.

The parking site at Jen’s is tricky to get into. You have to stop on a busy road, back in with about a 90 degree turn and then navigate a ways down a narrow driveway before angling off into the woods where we’ve cleared out a spot to set up. I had just stopped and started to back up when a car came — so I pulled ahead to let him pass. I then started the tough process when Mary’s voice was replaced by a guy’s, who gave me pretty detailed instructions. “Got a boulder here, pull ahead and cut it more. No, the other way.” He guided me down and into the spot and it turned out, it was the guy who had passed in the car. When I thanked him and complimented him on staying in view in my mirrors and giving great directions, he told me that he had worked for carnivals for years and backed up all sorts of trucks. He saved my bacon — I’d probably still be there fighting with the stonewall and the oak trees.

The visit was wonderful. Got a lot of work done but also had time with our grandson and just hung out some with the family. The weather was very sunny and warm but the oak trees blocked nearly all the solar rays where the Airstream was situated. I had to monitor electrical usage closely but was able to run the overhead fan to cool things off at night.

We’ve pretty much decided to forget trying to camp at campgrounds during the summer — too crowded and too much hassle. For example, the big state park at Salisbury, where we stayed last October, is completely filled every day until Labor Day. We’ll wait until then for Vermont parks as well. In the meantime, it’s nice to use the ‘Stream as a bedroom for family visits — both here and away. Here we are back home.

Off To Massachusetts

Having worked some on installing the solar controller and wiring up the solar panel, I tested it yesterday and it was great to see the meter registering 3 to 4 amps as the sun came out from behind the clouds. For now, I’m planning to use the panel up against a sawhorse, positioned to catch the sun — and not mount it on the roof. Several friends (and my brother) set it up that way and like the versatility.

We packed up and headed out today — still winterized — to visit our daughter and family in Merrimac, MA. We’ve set up a nice little parking area off their long driveway so Penny (the Vizsla) and I boondock out there. It saves a lot of hassle since Jen has an old cat and Penny is terrible with felines.

The trip down was uneventful — aside from the fact that our running lights still do not work. It was rainy and foggy the first hour and while not dark enough to require lights — they would have helped from a safety factor. Next week’s project.

The site here, as you can see in the photo, is pretty wooded so the use of solar is going to be iffy. Right now, the leaves are not out so there’s hope — but the forecast is for rain. I’m on a limited electrical budget and monitoring the battery with the new controller. I ran the old furnace with the blower for just a bit and saw an immediate drain. Fortunately, the catalytic heater is cranking and should take the chill off. Penny plants herself about a foot from it.

Being further south, the birds are more plentiful and active. On a walk with the dog just before dark, I saw about a dozen or more species including a lovely pileated woodpecker. Hope to do some serious birding tomorrow or Saturday at Plum Island.