The Hiram Chittenden Locks of Seattle, WA. Yes, I know the locks don't fit the dam classification, but there's a lot power there. 

The impressive and isolated Roosevelt Dam in Roosevelt, AZ 

My favorite dam, the Art Deco styled Parker Dam in Parker, AZ 

Saturday Morning

There is nothing better than to sit quietly in the early morning with a cup of coffee, a warm cat purring away on your lap and the sound of rain drumming on the roof.

Decisions, decisions

I haven't yet turned on the tv to find out if our efforts yesterday to fix our service problem worked. While shopping in Springville we tried to locate a DISH installer at the local Radio Shack without success, although the clerk there did give us a telephone number for the area's installer. Upon calling the number I discovered the service was based in Lockport, which is near where we were located last week. Sigh. And that they wouldn't come out without authorization from DISH TV since we weren't local customers. Fine. We'll work on the problem ourselves.

Back home, we tinkered with the satellite dish, cut off the ends of the cables and installed new connectors, put the dish back in place and we once again had service. This time Denny left the tv on all day so we wouldn't miss the evening news in case it wouldn't work again after turning off the tv. Turning on the tv this morning will be the test.

Having cleared up that problem (we hope), I decided to start routing our travels once again. Checking through our collection of eight (count 'em-8!) campground directories I discovered that many of the campgrounds in West Virginia are in out of the way areas and seem to lack in facilities, so we're giving that state short shrift by staying a week in Pipestem and then we're moving on to North Carolina. A hop, skip and a jump and we'll be in South Carolina the first week of November, hopefully still in time for some fall color and great golf in the mountains of the western part of the state.

The big decision is whether or not to head west after Christmas and we need to make a decision soon because the campgrounds out west fill up quickly for the months of January, February and March. I was leaning towards staying on the east coast to see the seaboard states we've yet to explore, but after hearing from two friends who are currently in Washington and who winter in the same parks we do, I think we'll turn the nose of the truck west after the holidays.

After all, those unexplored states to the east aren't going anywhere, right?

What Next?

The travel gods are still angry with us for taking that two month break apparently. Our DISH tv service has gone on the fritz. At first we thought our loss of signal was due to the heavy rains of Tuesday night, but Wednesday morning after the skies cleared we still had no signal. So Denny removed the satellite dish from its moorings, cleaned all the contacts, replaced and realigned the dish and voila', we had a signal and service. The tv was turned off and we went about our business until dinner time when we watch the evening news. No signal. Denny checked the connections, replaced one of the cables-nothing. I called tech support and we went through all the hoops in an attempt to get the signal. Nothing. We stumped the gal when we got to the point that the system info screen said we had no satellite at all. Find a retail store, she said, and make a service appointment. Ha. The closest one is forty miles away; we are CAMPING, folks!

We are being tested. We will prevail.

What Amazing Video Clips You Can Find on the 'net

What A Clip - video powered by Metacafe

A Really Good Illlusion

While surfing the 'net using the StumbleUpon extension with Firefox (a nice feature) I came across this website and videoclip. I'm not sure of the name of the show but if the quality of the acts are on par with this one, then I should have been watching it.

Head for the hills

It's just starting to get light enough to see that the rain is causing large rivulets to run down the roadway. The weather forecast is for up to two inches of rain today, ending at 11 AM. All I can say is, thank goodness we're parked on a terraced hillside instead of one of the more scenic sites by the lake, because those sites will be bogs by this afternoon.

We did make it to the campground by late afternoon yesterday. The leaking gray water tank was caused by a plastic valve that somehow lost a large chunk of the interior rim, breaking the seal. The staff at Myers RV in Hamburg, NY went out of their way to get us on the road quickly after we told them our situation (the rig is our home, we're not from the area and we're holding a cat hostage in the truck). The service rates are a bit higher than others we've paid, but the service and the friendliness of the entire staff made the experience more bearable.

Naturally we had to look at the newest motorhomes while we were waiting as a time-killing measure. Naturally we found one we fell in love with too. The Fleetwood folks have developed a 2007 Bounder that has a slideout that extends from just behind the driver's seat to the rear of the coach, which means the entire interior is open to view making the rig seem huge. We owned a Bounder from 1994 to 2000 and it was not only a reliable vehicle but it had everything we wanted (except a lot of interior space since it was manufactured pre-slideouts). So if I want to go back to work, I can get one. Hmm, I guess that's not going to happen! But it is a very attractive, well designed and nicely functional rig. I guess it's time to start buying lottery tickets again.

Time to move on

This morning we'll be heading south, although we'll detour to Camping World to have them check out and hopefully repair the leaking gray water tank. Since we may be tied up all day or even stuck overnight (worst case scenario) I'll leave you with The Dacron's flash travel blog which is funny, weird and full of great pictures. Bring your sense of humor with you and enjoy the journey.

I'll update when we're finally settled in at E. Otto, NY.

A Soon to be Rainy Lazy Sunday

It's the last opportunity for the grandkids to swim here at the campground and of course, it's going to rain. Last weekend it was too cold, windy and dreary for them to swim so they were greatly anticipating this weekend. We'll cross our fingers.

Therefore, today's Lazy Sunday post will be of water in its more glorious forms. Stay dry!

Biscayne National Park in Florida is 95% underwater, making it wonderful for those with boats. There is a terrific visitor center for those of us who travel by car. 

The Upper (Big) Manitou Falls at Pattison State Park in upper Wisconsin near Superior. This is the tallest waterfall in the state. 

The long walk through the Flume Gorge at the Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire is well worth it for the scenery alone. The Flume is a waterfall. 

Everyone does the lighthouse shot of Peggy's Cove, but this is Peggy's Cove. 

The Mackinac Bridge, viewed from the Mackinaw City campground. This same view was beautiful at night. 

A secluded cove along Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore on the west coast of lower Michigan. 

The Lockport Locks/Erie Canal Cruise

Over the past couple of years Denny and I have stayed at campgrounds located on either side of Lockport and we've somehow managed to miss going on the Erie Canal Cruise based in the city. This year I told Denny it was time for us to try the cruise. I had long been interested in the Erie Canal after seeing a segment of the canal and a lock at Carillon Park. Ohio's Erie canal system was damaged and large portions destroyed in the early nineteen hundreds after a major flood so New York's Erie Canal was the next best thing to tour.

Digging on the canal started in 1817 (all by hand) and the Erie Canal opened in 1825. Stretching from the Hudson River in Troy, NY to Tonawanda/Buffalo at the Niagara River, the Erie Canal is 383 miles long and when originally built had a series of 83 locks. Today there are 35 locks that aid boats in navigating the 571 foot difference in elevation between the two rivers. When first dug, the canal was 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. That changed over the years as the canal was eventually widened to 80 feet and a depth of 12 feet.

The cruise takes about 2 hours and the captain of the boat explains not only the history of the canal and lock system but some of the local history of Lockport. He points out several areas of interest along the banks of the canal and explains the system of drawbridges that rise straight up from the roadways instead of pivoting from one end.

While the Erie Canal system of locks certainly can't compare with those of Sault Ste. Marie at the Canadian/Michigan border for size and impressiveness, the cruise is a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Autumn might be a lovely time to try the tour as the canal is lined with trees so the fall colors would add to the experience. You might consider also visiting the Lockport Caves at the same time to make a day of it; we're saving that for the next visit.

Here we're waiting for the waters to fill the lock's compartment so we can go to the second lock. We will rise 49 feet by traversing the two locks. 

This shows the gates of the lock starting to close behind us. Note the water line about three feet below the top of the concrete walls; that's how much the water level rose as we sat within the lock compartment.