Tuesday moring, we pulled out of the KOA in West Chester, PA and headed towards Connecticut. We travelled into New Jersey, took the New Jersey Turnpike toward New York and then headed north on the Garden State Parkway. Lots of tolls but no issues with height restrictions anywhere. We then entered New York and finally into Connecticut.
Shortly after merging onto the Connecticut Turnpike, a driver motioned to us about some difficulty. We stopped at the very next rest stop to discover again that we had burned up the bearing on the right side of the tow dolly. I had brought along some parts from last year's similar event on the same side of the tow dolly but this time the damage was more extensive. Good Sam Club sent out help but it took them over two hours to arrive. In the meantime, a Connecticut State Trooper stopped to check on us and to advise us not to spend the night in the rest stop.
We felt very protected by the Trooper's visit and were treated well by the men who arrived to help. Since it was nearing a holiday weekend, we were concerned about the availability of parts. We had already taken the Chrysler off the tow dolly and finally decided with the mechanics that they would tow the tow dolly back to their shop and try to obtain replacement parts. We headed on to Mystic, CT with Sue driving the Chrysler and me the motor home.
We arrived at the Mystic KOA to a great surprise. This is possibly the nicest campground we have ever stayed in to date. Our site has a large patio, a very nice tall table and four swivel chairs, a rocking loveseat and a very nice Weber gas grill. After we settled in, we had wine and cheese on the patio and them prepared dinner with me cooking chicken on the gas grill. All in all a delightful end to a hard day.
Wednesday morning, we were up early as we had reservations for a tour of Newport, Rhode Island at 10:00 am. We found our way to Newport and found our tour guide. We enjoyed a two hour tour of the island, saw the grounds for one of the mansions and saw a number of places that we intended to see in the afternoon after lunch. At the end of the tour, we began to walk through the City.
At the recommendation of our tour guide, Peter, we stopped for lunch at the Brick Alley Pub on Thames Street. We had a wonderful lunch. While dining, a rain storm moved in. We delayed our departue from the restaurant, but the downpour continued. We finally decided to head back to the car and then back to the campground. As it turned out the storm stayed located over the region for most of that day and into the night. All in all there was more than 6 1/2 inches of rain. We made the right decision to come back to the camper.
Yesterday, we slept in and then headed off to visit Mystic, Connecticut. We had lunch in the original Mystic Pizza, "a slice of heaven," made famous by Julia Roberts first movie and then wandered around town taking pictures and dropping into shops. It was a beautiful afternoon. We then headed back to the Silver Lady to walk Pooh Bear and prepare for our evening saling trip.
Heading back into Mystic, the sun was shining and we were looking forward to a wonderful evening. In the less than 20 minutes it took to arrive back in town, fog had moved in and the temperature chilled. We arrived at the dock for our sailing trip on the two masted scooner, Argia. She was manned by a crew of young -20 something- ladies who were very experienced and were very willing to answer any questions. Leaving the dock, we went throught the Mystic drawbridge dating to 1922, past a railroad bridge that swung open to permit our departure and out into the outer reaches of the Mystic Harbor. Sails were hoisted, the diesel engine was shut down and we were sailing. I was thrilled and even helped hoist one of the sails. What a great experience. I was even permitted to captain the ship for a brief period as we returned to port.
After the trip ended, we stayed in Mystic to have dinner at the S and P Oyster Company. I ordered oyster stew that was unlike any I had had before and very delicious. After dinner, we returned to the Silver Lady and quickly fell asleep.
This morning, we need to pack up the unit and break camp as we are heading for Foxborough, MA. Sue will drive the Chrysler and I the Silver Lady as our tow dolly is not fixed yet. We will only drive about 75 miles today to Normandy Farms Campground. We've been told it is also very nice.
Shortly after merging onto the Connecticut Turnpike, a driver motioned to us about some difficulty. We stopped at the very next rest stop to discover again that we had burned up the bearing on the right side of the tow dolly. I had brought along some parts from last year's similar event on the same side of the tow dolly but this time the damage was more extensive. Good Sam Club sent out help but it took them over two hours to arrive. In the meantime, a Connecticut State Trooper stopped to check on us and to advise us not to spend the night in the rest stop.
We felt very protected by the Trooper's visit and were treated well by the men who arrived to help. Since it was nearing a holiday weekend, we were concerned about the availability of parts. We had already taken the Chrysler off the tow dolly and finally decided with the mechanics that they would tow the tow dolly back to their shop and try to obtain replacement parts. We headed on to Mystic, CT with Sue driving the Chrysler and me the motor home.
We arrived at the Mystic KOA to a great surprise. This is possibly the nicest campground we have ever stayed in to date. Our site has a large patio, a very nice tall table and four swivel chairs, a rocking loveseat and a very nice Weber gas grill. After we settled in, we had wine and cheese on the patio and them prepared dinner with me cooking chicken on the gas grill. All in all a delightful end to a hard day.
Wednesday morning, we were up early as we had reservations for a tour of Newport, Rhode Island at 10:00 am. We found our way to Newport and found our tour guide. We enjoyed a two hour tour of the island, saw the grounds for one of the mansions and saw a number of places that we intended to see in the afternoon after lunch. At the end of the tour, we began to walk through the City.
At the recommendation of our tour guide, Peter, we stopped for lunch at the Brick Alley Pub on Thames Street. We had a wonderful lunch. While dining, a rain storm moved in. We delayed our departue from the restaurant, but the downpour continued. We finally decided to head back to the car and then back to the campground. As it turned out the storm stayed located over the region for most of that day and into the night. All in all there was more than 6 1/2 inches of rain. We made the right decision to come back to the camper.
Yesterday, we slept in and then headed off to visit Mystic, Connecticut. We had lunch in the original Mystic Pizza, "a slice of heaven," made famous by Julia Roberts first movie and then wandered around town taking pictures and dropping into shops. It was a beautiful afternoon. We then headed back to the Silver Lady to walk Pooh Bear and prepare for our evening saling trip.
Heading back into Mystic, the sun was shining and we were looking forward to a wonderful evening. In the less than 20 minutes it took to arrive back in town, fog had moved in and the temperature chilled. We arrived at the dock for our sailing trip on the two masted scooner, Argia. She was manned by a crew of young -20 something- ladies who were very experienced and were very willing to answer any questions. Leaving the dock, we went throught the Mystic drawbridge dating to 1922, past a railroad bridge that swung open to permit our departure and out into the outer reaches of the Mystic Harbor. Sails were hoisted, the diesel engine was shut down and we were sailing. I was thrilled and even helped hoist one of the sails. What a great experience. I was even permitted to captain the ship for a brief period as we returned to port.
After the trip ended, we stayed in Mystic to have dinner at the S and P Oyster Company. I ordered oyster stew that was unlike any I had had before and very delicious. After dinner, we returned to the Silver Lady and quickly fell asleep.
This morning, we need to pack up the unit and break camp as we are heading for Foxborough, MA. Sue will drive the Chrysler and I the Silver Lady as our tow dolly is not fixed yet. We will only drive about 75 miles today to Normandy Farms Campground. We've been told it is also very nice.
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