Day 1...the shakedown...somewhere in the catskills.... 9/18, 9pm
The first three or four days of a trip are usually the toughest when the shakedown period occurs, especially the first. Then, all of a sudden, after all the past lessons learned kick in, the trip gets into a stride. Well, if today was one of those shakedown days, it was more like an eartquake than a few trembles here and there. I thought the first day of last year's trip could be beaten. Today's shakedown was far worse. Far worse.
I spent a very pleasant night last night with my friends, Bill and Leslie Wiles in York, PA. Leslie insisted that i take the remaining curry dinner with me. At first i resisted, but decided to take it to show my appreciation for the wonderfu, vegan meal she prepared for me. After a pleasant breakfast this morning i shoved off for the north at 10' just as the threatened skies made good their threats.
If even before i have driven in such foul conditions, i cannot recall. Heavy rain and strong winds, often accompanied by thick fig, followed us the whole trip. My goal was to make it to the Lackawanna State Park north of Scranton by 2pm and spend the night there before moving on to Mongaup State Park in NY, which is where we would set out for my old boy scont camp at Beech Mt. But the randa were so heavy when we got to the exit for Lackawanna, decided to puch on another 125 miles to Mongaup, hoping that the rains would abate. They did not. They got worse the farther north i drove. But hope conquered reality and so we pushed on.
When we got to Binghamton, i checked at the Fedex office to see if the step stool i order had arrived, and it had. After loading it onto the Defender, we drove off. Unfortunately, the rear door had not been secured properly and it flew open on the hiway. Forthnately, nothing fell out, especially the dogs. I had violated my first rule of the trip, but with no serious consequenceas. This is what the shakedown is all about.
The raid was so heavy the 75 miles from Binginham to Livingston Manor, I missed the exit and had to go 30 miles out of my way. This mistake would cayse me to violate another rule, be in a campsite by 5pm. As i drove the last nine miles to Mongaup down a back country road paralelling Willowemec Creek, we crossed at least 30 ad hoc streams, torrents really, which dumped stuff from the mountains onto the road and then took some of the road with them into the creek. As i got closer to the came, i passed three emergency vehicles going in the opposity direction, and wondered what that meant. I soon found out. One mile before the camp, they had set up barriers preventing anyone frm going farther. The road ahead had washed out.
We turned around and headed back toward route 17" hoping to find another camp. Two miles back, several cars were stopped. They could not or dared not cross one ad hoc stream (river, really) that was taking the road we had just come down with it. A truck in back of me passed me and made it across with some difficulty, so i gunnd the engine and also made it across. A truck crossing in the opposite direction just after i did barely made it across. When i asked i driver of another waiting car if there were anymore camps nearby, she said no, but suggested some motels. i'll be darned if i am going to spend the first night in a motel, so i drove on. At a minmm, would spend the night in a rest area on route 17 and then head for Mongaup in the morning, again, with hope that the roads would be passable.
Eventually, we made it to the Russellbrook camlp ground near Roscoe, and i pitched the small Northface tent not far from a bubbling, well, gurgling brook. My hope is that this is not in a flood area vulnerable to flas floods because just afer the tent wa s set up and the dogs fed and settled snuggly inside, my ell phone alarm went off warning of flash floods until 2am, 4 hours from now.
For this terrible shakedown down, i have to give myself credit. My belief that there is a solution for every problem was oncd agan tested and proven right. I hope, anyway. I'll know for sure in the morning. As for now, i have 9 percent left on my ipad battery, so i'll end this posting, and try to send jt. Then i'll see if the dogs want to go for a walk in the rain and turn in for ghe night, to those everr plesant sounds of the pitter patter of rain on the tent and a bubbling, i mean gurgling, book outside my tent. The Defender is parked nearby, just in cace, withe the keys in it.
I am going to try to attached this message to a photo i just took of ghe dogs in this small tent. Things are a kttle tight in here as you can see. When you see is basically what i too see, mostly wet dog fur.
Till tomorrow, i hope.
Ed
PS...sorry for the typos in this message. The ipad's keyboard is not conducive o perfect prose.
Ed Mulrenin
202-747-4704 (mobile)
No comments:
Post a Comment