Travels with Stargazer

Our first stop was Rhode Island. We staid with Greg’s mother, Jane, better known as Bella. She celebrates her 91st birthday in June. Jane still lives on her own and remains as John Kirby once said “the great lady.” Keith, Kris and Matt joined us for dinner. Alycia and Tommy were in Alabama visiting Tommy’s parents. After a White Mountain Vodka or two, Keith was off and rolling. Most interesting were stories about his company, Imperial Designs, recent business success….

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Stargazer is packed and ready to hit the road. Our bed is made, water cups full, and music synced. On Thursday we head out for seven+ weeks traveling the U.S. We are excited about visiting national and state parks and connecting with friends and family. After visiting with Jane, Keith and other members of the Marsello Clan in Rhode Island and then stopping by DC to see Ralph & Gang, we head south to Sanibel, Florida pausing along the way…

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Tuesday afternoon we arrived back in Jackson, NH. For the drive from Connecticut north we took Route 91 straight up Vermont. No traffic and great views. The ride from upper Vermont through Crawford Notch, NH included 4-5 inches of snow on the ground, but once we passed over the Notch, no more snow. Jackson is still waiting on a first snowstorm. During the trip we listened to The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. A perfect tale for a long drive,…

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On Saturday we drove 9 hours from Asheville to Washington, DC. Easy drive with great views along the way. Stargazer has been a dream to drive and we have learned lots about operating and caring for a RV. Besides the heat issue, Stargazer has been a trooper. Our time in DC was short, but lots of fun. The changes in Ralph since September are extraordinary. He has had challenges with colds as he transitions from home care to a child…

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Tori and Chris taught us a great new card game called Hand & Foot. You play in teams of two with six decks of cards. We learned it was a great help to have an automatic card shuffler in order to get the best shuffle possible. Chris has developed an excellent online Hand & Foot Scorecard and points can be generated by a perfect 22-card draw when you start, producing dirty and clean books (a clean book has only cards…

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Since my last post there has been lots going on: 1. Otto and I discovered multiple Asheville parks for walks and new smells. Richmond Hill Park was our favorite. Included is a Frisbee Golf Course utilizing lots of the Park’s wooded area. 2. Tori and Melinda have been working on knitting and quilting projects. They visited Friends & Fiberworks, a 4,000 square foot building/store with rows and rows of knitting resources. 3. I watched Chris cut the lawn. While driving…

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Stargazer arrived safely in Leicester, NC (outside of Asheville) at the home of Tori and Chris Masaki. We will be staying with Tori and Chris for the next week and we look forward to catching up and having lots of fun. They are great friends we met in Jackson and served as our COVID pod buddies. Earlier this year they purchased a house in Leicester and have done an incredible job making it their home. The view from their living…

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The last two days were spent in the Great Smoky Mountains. Both days were perfect weather, but a little hazy. As noted by the Cherokee, the haze in the Smoky Mountains often takes on a blue appearance. The reason for this is that the vapor molecules released by the mountains’ vegetation scatter blue light from the sky. Another reason for haze is human-made air pollution reducing visibility by up to 80 percent. The first day we both went on a five-mile…

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Today we explored the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. NRG is the most recent National Park and has not yet been visited by Frank and Gail Perretta. Unlike Letchworth State Park, NRG is not an enclosed Park. You travel throughout the countryside visiting various Park locations. The back roads to many locations are quite tight for Stargazer, but we made it without an incident. We got a much better feel for West Virginia and Appalachia. One of…

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Many times you visit a location with high expectations, only to be disappointed. That is not true for Niagara Falls. The power and beauty of Niagra Falls is breathtaking. Our visit was on a perfect day with sun and limited winds. We are so fortunate to have all the State and National Parks to visit. We will never catch Frank and Gail Perretta but we are doing us best to ensure Stargazer stops at as many as possible. Even on…

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