Letchworth State Park

Once we left the Hershey area, we headed into New York. Route 15 was a pretty good road and the drive along the Susquehanna River was quite scenic. Had we not been on a bit of a timeline, it would have been tempting to spend a couple of nights relaxing by the river.

We were visiting family in western New York, approximately an hour southeast of Buffalo. We stayed in the campground in Letchworth State Park. We stayed in Loop 800, which had some nice long spots for the rig. The park service had online photos that helped tremendously with site selection. Loops 500 and 600 had some sites along the gorge, but I was glad we didn't have to take the big rig through those loops. They had some elevation changes and some tighter curves.

The sites are electric only with water spigots throughout the loop. They have three dump stations, which helps with those long lines at the end of a weekend. Regrettably, most of the sites were pretty muddy when we were there. I didn't bother with the patio mats or any outdoor chairs. We didn't do much at the campsite anyway. Oh, one more thing about the NY state parks. They have pet and no pet loops. I love it.

I remember visiting Letchworth State Park as a child and later, seeing photos of my cousin's wedding there. The Genesee River has cut a deep and narrow gorge that is quite impressive. There are three sets of falls. The upper and middle falls are located pretty close together. The lower falls are a bit further down the river. Wow, are they beautiful.

We've already decided that we want to go back to that area. Not only are there lots of trails we didn't explore on this trip within the park itself, there are other places to see within an hour or so of driving. We'd like to visit the Corning Glass Museum, Niagara Falls, and more of the Finger Lakes. There's even a Jell-o Museum that we've decided that we should check out.

Upper falls with new train trestle

Middle falls

Lower falls

Down river from lower falls

Down river from archery field overlook

AACA Museum

Our first Harvest Host experience was at the AACA Museum in Hershey, PA. We spent the night in the parking lot. We were quite thankful that there weren't any other big rigs around. Since we're towing with a dolly, we can't back up. We needed every inch of that space to make a giant u-turn to be facing the right way when we left. However, it was a great spot, quiet and peaceful, and beat a Walmart parking spot hands down.

We purchased museum tickets and spent a couple of hours wandering through the exhibits. Unbeknownst to us, it was the first full day of the Studebaker exhibit. The cars were quite impressive and the museum was creative in their displays. Wow, did those cars shine. Buses and motorcycles were on display as well. It's worth a visit for those interested in autos.

Ready to Roll

Even though we knew we would be making a test run this summer, we ended up feeling a bit rushed in preparation. Harold was checking things out mechanically. Getting the autogen start to work and the tire pressure monitoring system installed were two important items on his checklist. Autogen start is a function where the generator will automatically start when batteries reach a predetermined low level.

Meanwhile, I was emptying the house of anything I thought I might need on a full-time basis. Winter clothes, extra set of sheets, cleaning supplies, small kitchen appliances, all had to be loaded. It was a bit aggravating to know that I’d be unpacking most of it when we returned. However, we wanted to get a realistic coach weight, and we wanted to figure out just where things would be stowed. Already we're making a list of things we forgot or things we might not need.

As I selected shoes, I was reminded of the lady who told me that her husband limited her to 10 pairs of shoes. She sat in the middle of the bedroom floor, surrounded by her shoes, and cried. Well, I didn’t cry, but I think I have 11 pairs of shoes.