'22/#26 A New Twist On The RV Life

 We are four days from leaving Bar Harbor Maine and it is definitely time to leave. We have had a great time this summer even with the issues in New York. We still spent time with our friends at Darien Lake and then got to make new ones here in Maine. We have exchanged info with locals, transient workers, and the J-1s and are keeping in touch with those who have left already. 

Now the new twist I mentioned. This is the latest we have stayed at a summer job in our workcamping career and have decided it won't happen again. We had planned a tentative route south but now is the time to nail down the particulars such as overnight stops, miles per day, fueling stations, etc. Well we were surprised by how many RV parks and campgrounds had already shut down for the winter. They do need to clean up after the tourist/camping season and winterize the facilities in preparation for the opening of the 2023 season and all this takes time. There were not many options for us until we reached the Carolina's. It just never dawned on us that we wouldn't find places to stop, but that is the case. If a park is open they are charging some steep rates due to supply and demand. But we have a solution.

Working at the Hampton Inn, which is part of the Hilton Hotel family, we are eligible for an employee discount. We can pay as little as $40 dollars a night at most Hilton/Hampton hotels. The big question, and the emphasis is on big, is can we park our RV in the parking lot of the hotel? Hotels don't usually have 60' parking spots but a big enough lot will allow us to park away from the building. 

Well our plans are made, all the reservation are in place, and we will be staying in hotels all the way to Florida while our RV sits in the parking lot. Forty bucks a night, no hooking up, and free breakfast? I will never again laugh at people who are at a hotel with a perfectly good RV sitting in the parking lot. I'm sure each situation is different but everyone has their reasons.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow we will be getting everything in and around the rig ready to travel. We will work until November 1st and hit the road the next day on the strangest RV trip we have ever taken. I will end this blog to start those preparations to our home in Bar Harbor because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'22/#25 Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock

 No, it's not the croc from Peter Pan. It is the clock counting down the time we have left in Maine. On the calendar it is just three more weeks. On Mary's calendar it is just twelve more work days. In my mind I am already on the road. Hitch-itch is settling in, and one form or another is running rampant through the hotel. It is almost, dare I say it?, an epidemic! The hotel shuts down for the winter on November 1st and everyone is looking forward to heading out on their next adventure. Some are going home, some are going to other jobs, and some are just traveling before another leg of their journey through life.

The J-1's from overseas have already left and are seeing some of America before their visas send them home. We got to know them pretty well and are staying in touch.  It is good to see them having fun at a lot of the places we've been to and some that are still on our list. We miss them and they miss us also but our adventures continue and usually on different paths. Maybe we will see some of them in the future but we will have social media to keep in contact.

Around the rig we are getting things cleaned up and stored for travel. Mary is also cooking and freezing meals for the road. If we start now we will be ready on D-Day. "D" is for departure! 

Well that is enough for now from our home in Bar Harbor because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary