Homefeel

 I really thought this word would not exist in the english/american language, at least not spelled together, but rather like "Home Feel". 

Google taught me otherwise though. Apparently, there are Hotels and Inns, which use the word in their name or marketing. Of course, I didn't want to lecture you about english spelling. No, the reason for using the word "homefeel" in today's headline is that when I woke up on this first day at home after almost 5 months away, I had a "homefeel". Mind you, I slept on the couch in the living room, as the bedroom was frigid. Yet sleeping on the couch is not quite as comfortable than in a bed, I had the luxury of starting a fire in the woodstove at 5:30am and making a cup of coffee, all without waking my better half, who didn't mind a cold bedroom.

So "homefeel" is, in my opinion quite different from living in an RV. This is not meant as a critique against those RVers who have decided that their RV is a year-round home, but rather a self-learning experience for me, especially since years ago, I thought of starting a year-round life as an RV-tramp on the road. I still enjoy seeing new places, learning about them along the way, but I now know that it can't stand up against "homefeel".

Just imagine, yesterday we got home after a 3-hr drive in nasty rain weather. We got our tests done at the Health Center across from our border (didn't even had to pay for it) then went to the border where 2 officers rummaged through our trailer in search of what??? (they came up empty-handed) 

I phoned a couple of neighbours about our home-coming and promptly got a supper invitation. Yes, a seafood chowder and dessert was, what we enjoyed. So, think about it, we didn't have to cook ourselves in all the unpacking of the RV and getting back into order in the house. How nice is that?

Things like that, add to the "homefeel" for me. Another neighbour brought the remaining mail to the door and yet another friend had been waiting along the road when we rolled on to the island, honking her car horn. Amazing!

I think it's very healthy to get this renewal of "homefeel", once in a while. It makes us appreciate our homebeing, and our life so much more.

North To Maine And Almost Home

Yessss, we slept well even with the noise from the highway. If you are tired enough you can sleep in a closet!

Because we went to bed so early I was awake again at 5:30 and got up for enjoying a coffee. And that was a good thing as we heard a knock on the door an hour later. Outside was a DOT officer who had the nerve to ask us to move as they wanted to use this rest area for truck inspection. I was not amused by his request, especially as I cannot drive in the dark. So we had to pack up and leave, but moved over to where the cars were parked to take our breakfast. there.

It was drizzling too, so the weather would not be good today.

To make a=this very long day story short, we kept going most of the day ending up in Bangor Maine, where we know a truck stop off the highway. We have used this place many times before and it has always been quiet here, as truck are usually just parked here in wait for new orders. A couple of other campers are here as well. We are now only 3hrs. away from home. We still need a Rapid Covid-19 test to cross the border tomorrow, so we have scheduled for that tomorrow.

Looking back at this journey, which started on November 11, I have to say that we will not drive with this trailer/van combination once more. The 1t. van is equipped with the 6l GM Vortec engine and a 6-speed tranny. Despite the fact that GM states an allowable trailer weight of upto 10,000pounds, the van is not capable of maintaining normal travel speed on ANY incline or ANY headwind. 373pounds of torque is just not enough to pull our trailer weight of 7,500 pounds up any hill. 

The question becomes what to do. A big diesel for the trailer or back to a Class A Diesel? 

Time will tell.

Sorry, no pics today, it was just grey and rainy all day long.

We Did What We Did Only Once Before

We knew it would be getting colder, but when I stepped outside this morning, I was reminded of what March is all about. An icy wind from the east was sweeping across the campground. So both Dixie and I were quick with getting back inside.

Our ferry departure was booked for 10:10am, but strangely, the ferry left at 8:45, which was just fine for us as we would be saving some time on our trip.

Lewes Ferry Terminal

What we didn't know then was that later it turned out to be quite important.

View of Manhattan

Driving along the shoreline of New Jersey was a pain in the **s. The fierce wind hit us as a crosswind and it was almost impossible to keep the rig going at a normal speed. 

Then Bea got an idea. She suggested to take a route westward across the peninsula towards Philly, but without getting into the city. Another Hwy 206 was running parallel with the I-95 and offered a much better protection from the wind.

After getting through Trenton, traffic got really heavy. We followed the I-95 along the eastside of the Hudson river. This is a route we had once taken with our motorhome. We crossed the Hudson on the George Washington Bridge. And I had to shake my head over and over again. How can ANYBODY be living in such a congested area with such unbelievable chaos in traffic? We had to cross on the upper level as campers and trucks are not allowed on the lower level. (No idea why)

We went onto the I-87, then I-287 and finally the I-684. This is NOT a good route. Traffic is crazy there, and gas stations can only be found miles off of the highway and usually they are tiny places with extremely little space to get in and out for a camper rig like ours. One station we tried had a price for regular almost up to $6.00. I got out of there, but had to back out into traffic as the way forward was too narrow. 

A short distance from Danbury, we got into really heavy stop-and-go traffic. It was past 5pm and time to call it a day. Lucky us, we found a rest area and pulled in there for the night. It's full of trucks but we had an exhausting day and are dead tired. So, I guess, we'll sleep anyway.

Across the Chesapeake Bay

Coming up from the south, one has the option to fight traffic through WashingtonDC and Baltimore or take the outer route via Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel-Bridge, which offers a scenic trip along some pretty pristine landscapes.

Great view along the bayside beach

Needless to say we chose the Chesapeake route. Now, I must admit that Suffolk/Norfolk are some pretty cities and sure have a lot of traffic as well, but it is all worth it once you have entered the bridge. 

The entire Bridge-Tunnel route is 17.6miles long. 

They are currently building another tunnel hole

It is an enormous experience to drive right out into open waters and then, all-of-sudden, take the dive into a tunnel in the middle of a lot of blue water. And there are actually two tunnels one has to drive through. The weather was of the best possible as well.

Stunning view towards the bridge

Wildlife sanctuary Fisherman's Island - closed to the public 

It just felt like a beautiful summer day and we would've loved to take a long walk along the white beach, but of course, after about 30 minutes at a look-out, we had to continue towards Lewes, Delaware, from where we have booked a spot on the Cape May Ferry tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately, Google maps led us through umpteen little villages and towns, each blessed with its own traffic problems. And there was road construction just about everywhere. Arriving in Lewes, we steered right along into the Henlopen State Park. Staff had already gone, but we found a spot for the night.