We got into New York State and headed to Bloomfield to stay with our friend Karin. Since we approached from the Southern Tier, we got off I86 and drove over back roads which we took hundreds of times to our houses in Naples and Canadice as we headed for Bloomfield. It was very weird; we knew the roads and always knew exactly what was coming, but we were also sort of lost and weren’t quite sure where we needed to turn. I suddenly understood why dogs need to shake when they’re uncomfortable, because that’s exactly how I was feeling after not traveling on those roads in over 15 years. We tried to drive by our old house in Canadice, but missed the turn because it was just so different…but also the same. I guess you have to experience this feeling to understand it, because I don’t think I’m explaining it very well.
Anyway, we found our way to Karin’s, where we spent a few days catching up with old friends, I got to ride with Karin which always feels like coming home, we took some nice walks, and got some things done on the camper. We also purchased a heater for the camper, since we got our first taste of weather in the 40s, with the accompanying dampness which is the norm for New York. While we were there, we started looking into our next steps, and suddenly found that many of the services around Acadia National Park, our next major stop, would close over Columbus Day, or whatever we’re supposed to call it now. So, we put all of the other visits we planned to make on hold, and headed northeast.
We were heading up to Vermont to spend a couple of days with my brother, and our timing turned out to be excellent since he was off work for the two days we would be there. And, we managed to meet another old friend for lunch in Syracuse, before doing an evening tour of the New York Capitol area in Albany.
Anyway, we found our way to Karin’s, where we spent a few days catching up with old friends, I got to ride with Karin which always feels like coming home, we took some nice walks, and got some things done on the camper. We also purchased a heater for the camper, since we got our first taste of weather in the 40s, with the accompanying dampness which is the norm for New York. While we were there, we started looking into our next steps, and suddenly found that many of the services around Acadia National Park, our next major stop, would close over Columbus Day, or whatever we’re supposed to call it now. So, we put all of the other visits we planned to make on hold, and headed northeast.
We were heading up to Vermont to spend a couple of days with my brother, and our timing turned out to be excellent since he was off work for the two days we would be there. And, we managed to meet another old friend for lunch in Syracuse, before doing an evening tour of the New York Capitol area in Albany.
The New York Capitol building and the surrounding area was different from the other Capitol plazas we have visited. First, there are no domes. Second, it’s in the downtown area of Albany, but in an obviously old and very considerately developed area which is very pretty. We were a little surprised that so few people were out and walking around, but it was also sort of chilly and getting dark. We thoroughly enjoyed our walk around the Capitol building.
We left Albany after dark and headed for Vermont. Our original plan had been to drive to my brother Matt’s house and park for the night, but the roads were very dark, and the number of deer AND moose crossing signs made us more than a little paranoid. So, we decided to stop for the night at the Walmart in Bennington and do the last couple hours of driving in the light in the morning.
While we’ve overnighted at a number of Walmarts, the Bennington Walmart was the first where we were parked with a number of overnighters. There were, I think, at least half a dozen other campers, which were mostly vans. A couple were from Canada, but other than those, and us, the rest were from the US - although one was from Alaska, which may have been as long of a drive as our drive from Belize.