The End of My 2019 Winter Adventure

Only on paper was today's drive four hours. In reality, it was a five hour day of driving. A quick change of plans eliminated a stop. Awakening to a bright sunny day and a call to Leslie at Croton Point Park triggered the decision to get back on the road and eliminate the stop in East Stroudsburg, PA. The sun was bright, the clouds puffy with a blue sky background as I drove toward Croton Point Park (CPP) 293 miles to the north.  The familiar landmarks were once again part of my drive: by-passes around the large cities, the Key Bridge, Baltimore Memorial Bridge, New Jersey Turnpike, I-95, I-80 and finally, I-287. A break for a fill up on the Jersey Turnpike was all the rest I needed. I chose to drive the “Cars Only” lane on the Turnpike and I found very light traffic, if any. It was a pleasure to drive averaging 65-70 mph most of the way. With such light traffic I spent a lot of time thinking of what lies ahead for me in terms of upcoming appointments and the growing “to do” list. I thought of people. Lots of people; those I’ve visited and spent time with, those I look forward to seeing once again upon my return, those I miss and even some I’ll never see again. To break up this reverie, I was slapped back into reality when the “Check Engine” icon lit up for me…again. The cursing wasn’t so bad this time as I had a “been there, done that” attitude. A call to Sal at the Mercedes dealer in White Plains resulted in a March 14th visit for the diagnosis. It’ll be interesting to see what it is this time.

When speaking to Leslie I asked whether or not my site 49 had been plowed to make my arrival and setting up easier. She assured me it was and when I arrived it was an easy back in…albeit wet and muddy. No matter, I won’t be entertaining or spending any time outside.

The seven (6 shown) feral cats by the dumpsters
seem to be doing okay in this cold snap.
Chubby and furry, they are eating out a pan
so someone's watching over them.

As I concluded my 2,900 miles journey south and back, I arrived at CPP and was greeted by a landscape that was blindingly white and untouched; what I consider a photographer’s dreamscape, so pristine. The snow appeared wet and heavy, just the right ingredients to cause the widespread power outages in the county that I read about. But, clinging to branches and trees it had to make for a beautiful scene. Prior to my arrival, the 40+° temperature was taking its toll in making thing melt; until tonight, that is. The Arctic blast is due to arrive and hang out until Saturday. Tonight, temps will dip down to 17° and surely freeze everything and create havoc on the road. The concept of “black ice” is not yet a phenomenon most drivers have grasped.

Thanks to neighbor, Diane, who picked me up at CPP and drove me home, I now began attacking the “To Do” list.  First item on the agenda: get my Caddy up and running...if it'll start after sitting a month. Surprisingly, it started.

A 20 minute job right off the bat. Maybe it was
wet and heavy when it fell but with time and
the Arctic blast, there was a top layer of ice.
And no, I did not shovel anything, I 'bulldozed'
right through it.

           

Peekskill got its fair share

Once in my apartment, the next item of business was to confirm the weight loss I felt. I jumped on the scale and voila, seven (7) pounds lost. A shower, two loads of laundry, one month of mail discarded, a dental appointment, shopping and restocking Winnie with items from my apartment and back to CPP to spend the night, all completed by 7:00 pm. I accomplished a lot and felt terrific about the weight loss. With my Caddy I’ll now be able to go back and forth to Peekskill, run errands, dinners at Sakura and visit my mother up in Fishkill. The routine is back in full swing. Temperature currently at 24° 

So this concludes my 2019 Winter Adventure. I'm "celebrating" with a trip to Hastings this evening for a long awaited sushi dinner. Now begins my 2019 Summer Adventure. CLICK THIS LINK for a view into my future as it stands as of this writing; or click on the link in the upper right menu items but don't forget to return to this blog with your browser's back arrow should you care to make comments.

Until then, take care and have fun along the way.