"Hocus Pocus", Our Friends Appear

Our drive to our next destination in Salem, Massachusetts, was eventful to say the least.  First, it was a long trip; we would be driving for over five hours, not including stops.  Second, we drove along New York and Massachusetts Highway 2, also known as the Taconic Trail in New York and the Mohawk Trail in Massachusetts.  The road is two lanes, with sharp curves, and sometimes rather narrow.  Third, because of the heat, the altitude, and the constant braking while descending on the hills, our tire monitor warned us on two different occasions that the front tires were getting too hot.  This meant that we had to stop two different times to let the tires cool off.  We made the first stop at a grocery store and took advantage of the stop to get groceries and eat lunch.  We made the second stop at a scenic overlook park with a historic graveyard from the early 1800s.  Indeed, the positive thing about this drive is that we got to see some amazingly beautiful hills, valleys, and rushing rivers along the way.

We finally arrived at our destination in the late afternoon: Winter Island Park in Salem, Massachusetts.  Winter Island Park is situated on the waterfront of Salem Harbor and our RV site backed up to Salem Bay, which is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean.  The RV sites are located in a large parking lot that also accommodates cars and boats.  Our RV site had a picnic table, but no fire pit or grill.  We had water and electric hookups, but no sewer hookup, which meant that we would have to use the park’s shower facilities so we wouldn’t fill up the gray water tank.  

That evening, our friends Tommy and Don, who live in Salem, came to tour the RV, and brought us dinner.  Tim met Don over 30 years ago when they were both in the Turtle Creek Chorale in Dallas, Texas.  Separately, Pat met Tommy in Dallas through a mutual friend almost 30 years ago.  Tim and Don knew each other before Don and Tommy started dating, and Pat and Tommy knew each other before Tim and Pat started dating.  So, there is a lot of history there; including history before either couple started dating.  This makes for interesting conversation.  Tommy and Don stayed with us at the RV until late in the evening so we could have an opportunity to chat, just the four of us, before Don had to leave town on business.

The next day, Tommy and Don picked us up early afternoon and drove us to their new house for a tour.  We had visited Tommy and Don in Salem and stayed with them at their previous home before they moved to Iowa for a few years.  When they returned to Salem, they purchased a new home.  While at Tommy and Don’s home, we did some laundry, and Tommy took us to the grocery store and liquor store.  That evening, we ate dinner at a restaurant called Barnacle in nearby Marblehead, Massachusetts.  Tim had shrimp scampi, while Pat had baked stuffed jumbo shrimp.  

Later that evening, we went to the home of our friends Greg and Jimmy for a Tiki Party.  Greg and Jimmy have been friends with Tommy and Don since Tommy and Don first lived in Salem.  We met Greg and Jimmy on a cruise many years ago when many of Tommy and Don’s Salem friends took the same cruise that Tommy and Don had invited us to take.  Since then, we have been on many cruises with Greg and Jimmy and other Salem friends of Tommy and Don’s.  In fact, Greg and Jimmy were on the cruise we took from Ft. Lauderdale this past February (2023).  At that time, when Greg and Jimmy found out that we would be traveling through Salem, they promised then that they would throw a party to welcome us – and they did!  We had a great time at the party and really appreciated that Greg and Jimmy put it all together!

The next day was our last full day in Salem, and we wanted to invite the whole Salem crew over to the RV for grilled burgers and hot dogs.  We ignored the park rule stating that “public consumption of alcohol is prohibited” – oops. 

We laughed all afternoon with these wonderful guys: Tommy (Don left for a business trip), Greg, Jimmy, Paul, Shawn, Bob & Bob, Jim & Jim, and James.  These are all great guys, and we are lucky to call them friends.  We hope to have many more cruises and other parties with these guys.   

That evening, we cleaned, relaxed, and went to bed early since we would be leaving early the next morning.  We also noticed a small water leak on the bathroom floor near the corner where the sink meets the shower and wondered what was causing it.  We had many theories.  More to come in a future blog entry on the bathroom water leak mystery.

Review of Winter Island Park

Winter Island Park is owned and managed by the historic city of Salem, Massachusetts. It is situated on the waterfront of Salem Harbor, a short distance from the downtown area.  It is the closest campground to Boston, Massachusetts, on the North Shore. The campground offers 22 tent campsites and 28 RV campsites (eighteen 50-AMP and ten 30-AMP RV sites).  All RV sites have water and electrical hookups, but no sewer hookup (the park has an arrangement with the nearby Sewage Treatment Plant for campers to dump sewer for free).  Each RV site also has a picnic table, but no fire pit or grill.  Tent sites are equipped with a grill and picnic table, but no water or electricity.  The front gate locks at 10:00 p.m.; any cars returning after 10:00 p.m. can obtain a gate code before 10:00 p.m. or wait until 6:00 a.m. the following morning to enter.

Amenities include a public beach and a playground. There is also a bathroom/shower facility, which all campers must use since there are no sewer hookups.  We found the bathroom/shower facilities to have really muddy floors since it is also used by those utilizing the public beach.  Otherwise, the showers worked well and had hot water.  

In addition, Winter Island Park provides a number of recreational opportunities for the public including swimming, fishing, camping, and boating.  The Winter Island Office and Store provides basic camping necessities including snacks, drinks, and toiletries as well as Winter Island memorabilia such as T-shirts and sweatshirts.

We enjoyed the beautiful view of Salem Harbor that we had outside of our back window.  We also loved that the park was located close to downtown Salem, and it was not difficult to get an Uber or Lyft from the park (as our friend, Tommy, demonstrated when he decided to Uber to and from our RV site on the day we grilled).  Once in Salem, it is also easy to get a train to Boston.  For these reasons, we would consider returning to Winter Island Park if we find ourselves in Salem again.

Fun on the Lake with Close Friends

We were extra excited to be on our way to our next destination because we would be seeing and staying with our very close friends from New York City, Brad and Tony.  Tim and Brad sang together in the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus for over 15 years.  Tim and Brad hit it off almost immediately after Brad joined the chorus and Tim moved to the Bass section of the chorus.  Tim and Brad made a point of sitting together at rehearsals; and to the dismay of the conductor, making jokes with each other and gossiping throughout rehearsal.  After Tim and Brad introduced Pat and Tony to each other, we all became fast friends.  Brad and Tony own an apartment in Manhattan, but also have a lake house on Great Sacandaga Lake in upstate New York.  When we lived in New York City, we traveled on a few occasions to Brad and Tony’s lake house to spend a long weekend.  This time, we would be parking the RV at Northampton Beach Campground, which is located on the same lake (it is actually reachable by boat from Brad and Tony’s lake house).  We would be splitting our visit with two nights in the RV and two nights at Brad and Tony’s lake house. 

Our drive from Jones Pond in western New York took us south to the Southern Tier Expressway, and briefly into Pennsylvania along I-86, before heading back north again toward I-88, and then north on NY State Highway 30 to Mayfield (we avoid toll roads when we drive).  It started raining about a third of the way into the trip from western New York to upstate New York.  We made stops at Walmart for groceries and at a gas station to fill up on gas.  

The drive was about 6 hours, with stops, but we finally arrived at our destination: Northampton Beach Campground.  Northampton Beach is the eighth state park we have stayed in since we started full-time RV traveling.  Our RV site was dirt/grass with a picnic table and a very nice brick firepit.  The RV site backed up to Great Sacandaga Lake and was nestled under and next to trees, so we couldn’t get a signal on our Starlink.  The RV site was large and there was plenty of distance between us and our neighbors on either side.  Northampton Beach RV sites have no hookups though, so we needed to run our generator to run air conditioning and to keep the battery charged.  We also needed to use our freshwater tank for basic water needs and the nearby shower facility for showers.  There was a dump station located at the campground to dump our tanks upon exiting.  

We spent our first evening at Northampton Beach in the RV.  We were only allowed to run the generator between the hours of 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.  By the time we arrived at Northampton Beach and leveled the RV it was about 6:30 p.m., so we only had a half hour to run the generator and the air conditioning that evening.  It was a little warm trying to sleep through the night, but we made it to the morning when we were able to start the generator at 9:00 a.m.  

Later that morning, on the 4th of July, Brad and Tony came to the campground to pick us up for an Independence Day party at the home of their friends, Bruce and Jay.  First, we gave Brad and Tony a tour of the RV and answered the many questions they had about RV life.  After the tour, we went to the home of Bruce and Jay for the party.  We had the traditional burgers and hot dogs and enjoyed the sunny (and hot) weather.  We met a lot of people at the party, but particularly hit it off with Amy and Patricia (she goes by Pat but for purposes of our blog we will call her Patricia so as not to confuse her with our Pat), who we planned to meet up with the following day.  

Later that afternoon, we went to Brad and Tony’s lake house because we would be staying there that evening.  First, we went by the RV to run the generator a bit and check on the status of the house batteries, which were low (it seems the batteries are not holding a charge as well as before we ran them down in Chicago).  Once at Brad and Tony’s, none of us were that hungry because of all we had to eat at the party; so, we had some cheese and crackers, fruit, and wine, and headed down to Brad and Tony’s boat on the lake to watch the evening fireworks.  One of Brad and Tony’s neighbors is trained in handling the biggest and brightest fireworks, so he puts on a show for the neighbors each 4th of July.  The firework show was spectacular!  Very professionally done, and LOUD, since we were very close. 

After the fireworks, we retreated to Brad and Tony’s home and chatted for hours about our parents, work, retirement, New York City, the chorus, people in the chorus, and many other subjects.  

The next morning, Tony had to work but Brad took us to check on the RV battery, which was running low again, so we ran the generator for a bit to charge up the battery.  We also set the Automatic Generator Start to come on in the afternoon to charge up the battery when we wouldn’t be around.  

Around noon, Brad took us out on the boat to a restaurant on the lake where we could have lunch.  Brad’s friends, Art and Kenny, came along with us and we enjoyed laughing and chatting with our new friends, who also knew people in the chorus.  We had lunch at Sports Island Pub on the lake; Pat had a French Dip sandwich and Tim had the Cardon Bleu sandwich, which were delicious.  After lunch, we rode the boat back to Brad and Tony’s. 

Later that afternoon, we, along with Brad and Tony, met Amy and Patricia for happy hour at the club they all belong to, called The Eccentric Club. 

The club was founded in 1882 and is strictly a social club.  The club has been housed in the same building in downtown Gloversville, New York, since 1908.  The club only started welcoming women about 20 years ago, and Patricia was one of the first female members.  Brad and Tony most recently joined when the club started outreach to recruit “younger” members.  We thoroughly enjoyed our happy hour drinks with Amy, Patricia, Brad, and Tony.  Then, we headed to dinner at a restaurant called Sam's Seafood and Steakhouse; Tim had the surf and turf (sirloin steak and crab legs) while Pat had the crab-stuffed halibut. 

We all had some really deep conversations about sexual identity and loved ones.  We don’t know how it was possible, but we liked Amy and Patricia even more after that dinner.  We hope to see them again sometime.  We spent the evening at Brad and Tony’s lake house.

The next day was our last full day at Northampton Beach.  Brad and Tony took us back to the RV, where we grilled burgers and had fries.  After dinner, they took us to their favorite place for ice cream, called Zippy’s Ice Cream.  Oh, so good.  Sadly, we had to say our goodbyes afterward, as we would be staying in the RV at the campground that evening since we were leaving early the next morning.  It was difficult to say goodbye, because we don’t know when we will see Brad and Tony again, but we made a vow to work on meeting up somewhere within the next year.  

Sleeping in the RV that evening was even warmer, and the house batteries were draining quickly.  Tim got up early in the morning and found the house batteries to be nearly dead, so he tried to start the RV engine to charge up the house batteries.  For some reason, the RV engine would not start at first (we think Tim accidentally flooded the engine), but we did get it started about 30 minutes later and left the engine running until we left the campground.  Onward to see more old friends in Massachusetts!

Review of Northampton Beach Campground

Northampton Beach Campground is in the state park run by New York State and is located on the northwest corner of Great Sacandaga Lake in Mayfield, New York.  The lake was created by impoundment during the 1920's.  The reservoir regulates the flow of the Hudson and Sacandaga Rivers, providing a conservation pool of water, minimizing floods, providing flow at drought stages, and affording recreational boating and fishing opportunities.  

The campground has 223 campsites available for RVs or tents.  Campsites include those that are completely secluded within tall white pines and northern hardwoods, and those that are on the open shoreline.  All campsites have a picnic table area and a very nice firepit.  The campsites do not have any hookups.  There are bathroom/shower facilities, but these tended to be a bit dirty during our stay, given that everyone must use these facilities for their shower (and maybe bathroom) needs.  

Additional amenities include a beach on the lake, a boat launch, and fishing; and rowboat, canoe, and kayak rentals are available.  There is also mini golf and an ice cream parlor about a 5-minute walk from the entrance to the campground.

On the plus side, the campsites are spacious and beautiful.  On the downside, there are no hookups, so campers must rely on generators (or solar panels) and use the restroom/shower facilities provided for showers, which tended to be a bit dirty but were located near to our campsite.  We feel like this campground could rival the best state parks we have visited with a few changes and upgrades but after the difficulties we had with our house battery, we vowed never to stay at a place again that did not at least allow more generator use time.  So, we would not likely return to Northampton Beach Campground.

Two National Celebrations

Finally, our eastward drive took us into New York, our home State for the last 18 years!  We had to stop for groceries and lunch at Chipotle, but we finally made it to our first destination in New York: Jones Pond campground.  Jones Pond is the sixth gay campground we have stayed in since we started full-time RV traveling.  

Gay campgrounds tend to be out in the middle of nowhere, and this one was no exception.  There was a steep downhill dirt road leading to the entrance of Jones Pond; and once inside, there were two very large, unevenly placed speed bumps.  The campground is spread out, with narrow dirt and gravel roads leading to the RV sites (which became muddy as it rained a lot during our stay).  Our RV site was about as far away from the clubhouse and pool that you can get; however, we did have a lot of room at our RV site, which sat upon a hill and had a good distance on either side from our neighbors for a little more privacy.  Our RV site was gravel, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill).  We had electric and water hookups, but no sewer hookups; so, we had to walk a fairly good distance to the shower facilities the three mornings we were there since we couldn’t dump our water.

On a brighter note, we immediately met our neighbors two RV sites down who were from Canada: Kevin and Dave.  That night we went to our first event at Jones Pond: Bingo!  We didn’t win, but we had fun anyway.  Later that evening we went to a dance party at the clubhouse, which is called The Barn and looks like a big, red barn. 

The theme at Jones Pond that weekend was Independence Day and Canada Day because it was the 4th of July weekend and also happened to be Canada Day weekend (Canada Day celebrates the day that the three separate colonies of the United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, became one Canada).

The next morning it was sunny, so we ventured out to the pool to get some rays.  The pool had a limited number of lounge chairs for sunning, but we got two of the last available ones. 

In the early afternoon, it began to rain so Pat decided to do some laundry.  By mid-afternoon the rain had subsided, and Tim went to the Canada Day party at The Barn, where he enjoyed Bloody Caesars (the official cocktail of Canada, which look like a Bloody Mary, but are made with Clamato juice, which is a mixture of tomato and clam juice, rather than just tomato juice).  That evening we had intentions of going to the dance party in The Barn, but it began to rain; and as we established earlier, it was a long walk to The Barn, which we didn’t want to do in the rain.  So, we went to bed instead.

The next morning, Tim had coffee with neighbors Dave and Kevin, joined by their friends Rick, Tim, and Andrew.  That afternoon, the campground had a joint celebration of Independence Day and Canada Day with lunch and drinks provided by some of the seasonal campers at the campground; a silent auction (with some really high-priced and beautiful auction items); and a raffle.  We didn’t win anything, but we enjoyed bidding at the auction and the food was great.  The people were all very nice, so we had fun mingling as well.  In the late afternoon, it rained again, so Tim did some laundry.  The evening brought a fun drag show and more dancing at The Barn. 

After we returned to the RV, it rained all night, but stopped long enough in the morning for us to disconnect the water and electricity and start our drive toward our next destination. 

Review of Jones Pond 

Jones Pond in Angelica, New York, is over 100 acres in size and has 175 campsites with electric and water hookups.  There are no sewer hookups, but there is a sewer dump station located at the campground.  RV sites also include a picnic table and fire pit (no grill).  Most of the RV sites are for seasonal campers; only 19 RV sites are available to reserve on a shorter basis.  RV sites are large and can accommodate large RVs, with very spacious setups at each RV site.  In addition, there are 21 tent sites with water and electric hookups, 8 cabins, a bunkhouse, and 4 rental trailers.  

Jones Pond had recently constructed a new pool area, although the pool area still did not have enough loungers to accommodate the number of people who wanted to lounge at the pool.  Other amenities include restroom/shower facilities and a small laundry facility.  There is also a restaurant (open on weekends only), The Barn clubhouse, a general store for basic items, a lounge with a large tv and pool table, a large outdoor fire pit, and a volleyball field.  In addition, there is the 3-acre pond for which the campground is named and some hiking trails.

Drawbacks include that the campground is only reachable by a dirt road with a steep incline/decline, the roads within the campground are narrow and made of dirt and gravel, and the pool and main party area (The Barn) are near the entrance to the campground and a good walk from the RV sites.  Still, the people who run the campground are very nice; the seasonal campers are happy to offer free food and drinks to make newer campers feel welcome; and the RV sites are spacious.  All in all, we would consider returning to Jones Pond in the future.

Hayes and Gays

We had a few more overnight stops to make in the State of Ohio before arriving in New York.  On the way to our next destination in Ohio, we happily happened upon another Presidential Library that had not been on our list, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.  This presidential library is run by a non-profit organization, not by the National Archives, which is why it was not on our radar; but as we drove through Fremont, Ohio, on our way to our next campground, we noticed signs advertising its presence nearby.  This became the fifth presidential library we have visited since we started full-time RV traveling. 

The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums was the first presidential library, opening in 1916.  It is located on President Hayes’ 25-acre wooded estate, called Spiegel Grove.  Each entrance to the estate is marked with original White House gates, which were used at the White House during Hayes’ presidency and later purchased by the Hayes family to use at Spiegel Grove.  We toured the 31-room Victorian home of Rutherford and Lucy Hayes, and the museum.  President Hayes and his wife are also buried on the grounds.  Hayes was born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1822.  He fought in the civil war and was wounded.  In 1867, he was elected Governor of Ohio, and in 1876, he was elected president (after a controversy with the Electoral College, which led to the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which added to procedures set out in the Constitution of the United States for the counting of electoral votes following a presidential election and was scrutinized during the most recent election.  On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which made changes to the procedures laid out in the Electoral Count Act, along with adding clarifications on the role of the vice president).  During his presidency, President Hayes worked tirelessly to heal the wounds of the civil war and help the newly freed slaves thrive, although pulling troops from the south to ease tensions ultimately backfired as southern governors went back on their promises to implement Hayes' reforms.  His accomplishments include improving relations with Native American Tribes; returning the U.S. to the gold standard; and implementing civil service reforms including prohibitions against politicking on the job in the executive branch. 

The Spiegel Grove tour was much more hands-on (than the museums run by the National Archives) as you can see in the above picture where Pat was able to hold the Hayes State Dinner Service (White House China). 

After visiting the presidential library, we stopped at a nearby Walmart to purchase groceries.  Then, we headed to our next destination: Freedom Valley Campground.  Freedom Valley is the fifth gay campground we have stayed in since we started full-time RV traveling.  Our RV site was gravel, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill).  We had electric and water hookups, but no sewer hookup; so, we would have to use the bathroom facilities to shower, which were located near to our site.  As we finished setting up, it began to rain, so we relaxed in the RV from our journey.  After the rain ended, our neighbors staying across from us in the bunkhouse (Gary, Greg, and Warren) invited us over for a beer.

Gay campgrounds often have themed weekends, and Freedom Valley was no exception.  We discovered that we had made our reservations for the country/western themed weekend.  We immediately regretted that we had left our boots and other country/western costume wear in the storage unit; these two boys who had lived in Texas could not “represent” at the campground.  Nevertheless, we went to the meet-and-greet that evening, which was well attended.  There were free shots and line dancing lessons, and we chatted with our new neighbors and a few others that we met at the meet-and-greet.  

The next day, the sun came out late in the morning, so we went to the pool to take advantage of it.  We stayed at the pool until midafternoon, where more shots were served and there were cowboy themed pool games with big prizes!  We returned to the RV to grill some steaks and bake potatoes for dinner (we also grilled some burgers, which we froze to eat at a later date).  We watched more of LSU in the College Baseball World Series, which went into extra innings and ended late, so we decided to skip the meet-and-greet that evening, which was our second and last night at Freedom Valley.

Review of Freedom Valley Campground

Freedom Valley Campground, located in New London, Ohio, is managed by some very nice guys named Jeff, David, Lee, and Michael.  The campground has approximately 50 sites for RVs, with electric and water hookups (no sewer); along with tents sites that have electric only or no hookups.  The campground also has cabins and a bunkhouse that sleeps eight.

Amenities include a camp store, pool, dance hall (with an outdoor large fire pit), laundry facilities, restroom/shower facilities, and a food trailer called Buckeye BBQ.  There is also a lake for fishing, canoeing, and paddleboats.  Additionally, there are hiking trails and volleyball courts.

We didn’t stay at Freedom Valley for very long, but we met some really nice people and had fun at the meet-and-greet and at the pool.  We really liked that the shower facilities and pool were located near to our RV site, and the dance hall wasn’t too far away either.  We would definitely consider staying at Freedom Valley again if we are in the area.

Museums and a Reunion with Friends

We stopped to fill the gas tank just outside of Chicago, then made our way east to Ohio.  Along the way, we stopped at the RV and Motorhome (MH) Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana.  Elkhart is home to many RV manufacturers.  Part of the mission of the RV/MH Hall of Fame is to honor the leaders in the industry, archive the history of RVs and MHs, and display historical RVs and MHs.  The museum has RVs on display from over 100 years ago to the present, including a 1913 Earl Trailer with a Model T Ford (pictured above); Mae West’s 1931 Chevrolet Housecar; a 1935 Travel Trailer; 1954 Holiday Rambler; 1958 Airstream; and 1967 Winnebago.  We were awestruck by these old, classic RVs and really enjoyed the stroll through history.     

We had a great time at the RV and MH Hall of Fame, which was nice considering that we had another maintenance issue just before we arrived at the Hall of Fame.  As we pulled off the highway onto the ramp for the exit that took us to the RV and MH Hall of Fame, the wooden support that holds the windshield blind came crashing down onto the dashboard.  It blocked Tim’s view of the road, so we stopped in the middle of the exit ramp until we could clear it out of the way and safely proceed.  The cars behind us were not pleased that we had stopped on the exit ramp, but safety comes first.  This all took less than a minute, but now, we would have to find another repair person to fix this new issue.

We drove on to our next destination: Sauder Village Campground in Archbold, Ohio.  Erie Sauder started a woodworking business in Archbold, Ohio, in 1934.  Today, Sauder Woodworking is the largest maker of ready-to-assemble furniture in the United States.  As he grew closer to retirement, he worried that future generations wouldn’t understand the hard work and sacrifices that his pioneer ancestors made in coming to settle in this swampy area in northwest Ohio.  So, he built Sauder Village.  Now you can take a walk through time from 1803 through the 1920s to enjoy engaging stories, demonstrations, and fun activities while exploring historic homes, barns, gardens, and craft shops. 

Sauder Village includes a campground, which is where we stayed.  Our RV site had full hookups, and it was gravel with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill).  On our first night in the campground, we made a few calls and sent a few text messages trying to find a person to repair the windshield blind support to no avail.

We had a number of Amazon packages shipped to Mike and Eric’s home in Chicago and picked them up while we were there, including something called an Ultrasonic Pest Repeller, since we discovered that our mouse friend had not yet left the RV.  It came in a pack of six plug-in devices, and we plugged them in various rooms of the RV on our first night at Sauder Village Campground.  It had an immediate effect as we watched not one, but two mice scramble out of the bathroom and run toward the cab of the RV (where we think they came in originally), but then run back to the bathroom when they saw us.  It took a few hours before they made it to the cab of the RV without worrying about whether we were in the room.  We haven’t heard or seen them (or any traces left of them) since.  Alleluia! 

The following day, we took a tour of Sauder Village.  We enjoyed the museum with the history of Erie Sauder and northwest Ohio.  We stopped in a few of the historic buildings and listened to the stories of the people who reenact history and demonstrate pioneer skills.

We spent several hours in Sauder Village, then headed back to the RV as we were expecting guests.  Specifically, our friends John and Jade drove down an hour and a half from Ypsilanti, Michigan, where they have a home, to meet us in Archbold, Ohio, for dinner and drinks.  They brought John’s twin brother, Jim, and Jim’s wife, Terry.  We had a good meal at the Sauder Village restaurant located just outside of the campground, called The Barn Restaurant.  Tim had fried chicken.  Pat chose the buffet and had a variety of delicious home cooking style food items.  After dinner, we all returned to the RV for drinks and to watch LSU in the College World Series on our outdoor TV (Jade was too nervous to watch).  We really appreciated John and Jade coming all the way to Archbold to visit us, and we had a great time catching up.

Only two nights at Sauder Village, so onward to our next destination.  

Review of Sauder Village Campground

Sauder Village is a great weekend getaway for the family.  In addition to the campground, Sauder Village has an Inn, the Historic Village, the Museum, a General Store, the Barn Restaurant, and the Doughbox Bakery (featuring pies, cookies, donuts, muffins, and more).  

The campground has 77 sites for RVs and 10 sites for tent camping; 55 of the RV sites have full hookups, 11 have electricity and water only, and 11 have only electricity.  Each site has a picnic table and fire pit (no grills).  The campground has bathroom/shower facilities and a laundry facility.  The campground is located near a railroad track and there is some train noise during sleeping hours.

Other amenities campers can enjoy include a splash and spray water park area, indoor pool, and a playground.  There is also a basketball court; gaga ball pit; and areas to play shuffleboard, volleyball, and horseshoes.  Additionally, there are walking trails, a lake for fishing and the Erie Express train which is a detailed miniature replica of the original 1863 C. P. Huntington train, a steam locomotive built in 1863 for the Central Pacific Railroad.

We enjoyed all that Sauder Village had to offer.  We particularly liked that there was a general store and a restaurant located on the property.  We didn’t get an opportunity to hike the trails at the campground, but we understand that these are scenic and fun.  We likely won’t be back in this area again, but if we are, we would consider staying at Sauder Village Campground again.

Iowa State Capitol and Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

Continuing to head east from Nebraska, we crossed the Iowa state line and soon stopped at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa.  This was the fourth state capitol building we’ve visited since we began full-time RV traveling.  

The Iowa State Capitol Building was constructed between 1871 and 1886 and is the only five-domed state capitol building in the nation.  The central dome is constructed of iron and brick, with thin sheets of pure 23-carat gold.  A lookout lantern sits atop the dome and may be reached by long and winding stairs.  The capitol building is set upon a hill and offers a panoramic view of Des Moines’ downtown.  We did not visit the interior of the building, but we walked around the exterior, where there are many monuments and memorials, including a Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument; Bicentennial Time Capsule; Revolutionary War Memorial; and a replica of the Liberty Bell. 

After our visit to the capitol building, we stopped at a Walmart to buy some groceries (Pat also bought some lottery tickets; more about that later in this blog post) and drove to our next RV campground, the Little Bear Campground in West Liberty, Iowa.  We originally planned to camp here only two days and camp at another destination in Iowa for two days, but after the past four one- or two-night stops, we needed a driving break; so, we reserved Little Bear Campground for four nights.  Our RV site was gravel/dirt, with a picnic table and fire pit (no grill).  As we set up, the water started mysteriously working again and we were able to hook up to our city water connection successfully.  The only thing we did differently was shoot a blast of air from our compressed air can into the input hole for the water, but that may have been enough to move the “check valve” to allow water to enter from the outside city water hookup.  Was this what resolved our issue?  We will never really know.

After our arrival, Pat did some laundry and Tim relaxed.  The next day, we were going to take a trip to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, but there was no Uber or Taxi service in West Liberty (the campground manager looked at Tim strangely when he asked about Taxi service).  Instead, Tim did some laundry and Pat made it a day of maintenance by fixing an errant windshield wiper fluid squirting device that was mounted incorrectly (after having the windshield wipers fixed back in January at La Mesa RV) and a kitchen drawer that had come off its tracks (Tim assisted with this repair) and replacing wall hooks in the bedroom that had broken.

The next day it was sunny and warm, and our RV site was next to the pool, so we relaxed by the pool for a few hours. 

It turned cloudy in the afternoon, so Pat took advantage of the cheaper than normal washer and dryer prices in the laundry room to wash some of the other things we needed washed like sheets and towels.  

Our last full day at the Little Bear Campground was rainy in the morning and cloudy and cool in the afternoon.  Tim stayed indoors to catch up on paying bills and emails, and to do some ancestry research.  Pat found more things to wash and chatted a long time with the campground managers (who might have wondered at this point if we were "taking-in" washing for the townspeople).  We thought that the campground managers owned the campground because they seemed to work 12-hour days and did so much around the campground, but they explained that they just started working there after they retired because they used to visit the campground a lot before they retired.  

The next morning, we disconnected from electricity, water, and sewer, and drove to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, Iowa.  This was the fourth presidential library we’ve visited since beginning our full-time RV travels.  

The grounds of the presidential library in West Branch, Iowa, are massive, and include the house where Herbert Hoover was born in 1874 and spent the first 10 years of his life, along with other homes and businesses from that era.  The library and museum provide information on Hoover’s life before becoming President, as well as his life during and after his presidency. 

Hoover’s family were Quakers.  His father died of a heart attack in 1880, when Hoover was 6 years old; his mother died of typhoid in 1884, when Hoover was 10 years old.  In 1885, Hoover went to live with an uncle in Oregon; his uncle was a school superintendent and instilled in him the Quaker’s strong belief in a good education.  Hoover later attended Stanford University and began a career overseeing mining operations in England, Australia, and China; he became known as the “Doctor of Sick Mines” and made a small fortune.  After World War I began, Hoover helped Americans who were stranded in Europe to return home.  He then organized the Commission for Relief in Belgium, which provided food for millions in Belgium and northern France.  Hoover became a Belgian hero for his work and was recognized in America for his work as well, where President Wilson appointed him as the U.S. Food Administrator to coordinate production and conservation of food supplies for Americans during World War I.  Hoover was later appointed the Secretary of Commerce by President Harding in 1921.  He also coordinated relief for the victims of the largest flooding of the Mississippi River on record in 1927.  Because of his notoriety for these accomplishments, he was nominated for President in 1928 (even though he said he wasn’t sure he could govern) and elected President.  

Hoover was inaugurated in March 1929; in October 1929, the Stock Market crashed, and the U.S. entered the Great Depression.  Hoover proceeded to raise taxes on the wealthy and was blamed for ordering federal troops to break up a protest by war veterans who wanted early payment of a bonus they had been promised (it was actually General MacArthur who gave the order).  These events, along with an ever-worsening economy, made Hoover very unpopular and he lost his re-election bid to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.  

Hoover’s accomplishments during his presidency include the expansion of civil service protections for federal government workers (Tim thanks President Hoover for this); ordering federal law enforcement to focus their energies on mob-ridden Chicago (arresting Al Capone); creating the Federal Farm Board to finance agriculture cooperatives that would give farmers more power to bargain for better prices; building dams in Nevada, California and Tennessee, including the Hoover Dam; creating the Veteran’s Administration; and reorganizing the Bureau of Indian Affairs in collaboration with Native Americans.  After leaving the White House, Hoover became a big supporter of Boy’s Clubs and his wife, Lou, became a big supporter of the Girl Scouts.  Hoover and his wife are both buried on the grounds of the library.

We teased earlier that Pat had bought some lottery tickets ($20 dollars’ worth) at Walmart on our way to the Little Bear Campground.  Turned out that one of Pat’s lottery tickets was a $500 winner!  After leaving the Hoover Presidential Library, we stopped at three different convenience stores to cash in the ticket, but none had that much cash on hand.  Pat finally called the state lottery agency, and they directed him to a Hy-Vee Grocery Store, where he finally cashed in the ticket!  Mad spending money for a few weeks!  To celebrate, we bought some groceries at the Hy-Vee.

Review of Little Bear Campground

Little Bear Campground was previously a KOA Campground, so it is a fairly nice campground.  The couple that manages the campground for the new owners work hard to ensure that the campground stays in good condition and are very cordial and talkative.  

The campground is located close to I-80, so it is a bit noisy at night.  Little Bear has 35 RV sites with full hookups and a picnic table and a fire pit (no grills) at every site.  It also has 14 sites for tents and two cabins.  In addition, there are permanent sites at Little Bear Campground.  Amenities include a small laundry room (with very low prices), bathroom/shower facility, pool, meeting room, and game room.  

The town of West Branch is only about a 10-minute drive from the campground, where you can find restaurants and shops; however, there is no Uber or Taxi service, so not convenient for those of us without cars.  Despite this drawback, it was nice to unwind and do nothing but enjoy the pool and do some laundry and minor maintenance in the RV while we were at Little Bear Campground.  We usually have to make time for maintenance anyway, so this was the perfect opportunity.  We probably wouldn’t return to this area again unless we have a car to get around, but if we did return, we would definitely consider staying at Little Bear Campground again.