Equinunk, PA

The first stop on my trek was to visit friends in Equinunk, PA – on the Delaware river.  Less than 300 miles from home, it was the perfect first leg for my little truck and camper to attempt.  I was anxious and white-knuckled through much of the drive, but arrived before dark and a NASTY thunder and lightning storm.  The only casualties were half a bottle of bourbon (no, I wasn’t drinking and driving – it toppled in the cabinet during the first 15 minutes, giving my camper the stench of a distillery), and a pane of glass in the camper that got poked out by my truck racks while trying to park the thing in the driveway.  I will say I parked like a champ up a hairpin turn on a dirt road (in the boonies!).

I slept like a baby.

Very early the next morning, Kinsley and Eva left for work at a nearby farm, so I made some coffee on my camper stove in my stove-top percolator and settled down to do some writing.  Not 10 minutes into my blogging, the power went out.  I thought I had overloaded the circuit and was chastising myself for breaking their house.  They don’t get cell phone reception and after checking the circuit breakers, I gave up and headed into town where I hoped to get a signal for my phone and make some calls to try to get everything fixed.  The last night’s storm was the culprit.  My drive into town was obstructed in several places by downed trees and workers trying to restore power – whew!

SIDENOTE:  During my first full day in Equinunk, I set up my portable solar panel to charge my power inverter battery pack.  It works like a charm and I am totally self sufficient in my camper.  There is enough charge to power my lights, laptop, and other essentials through the night!

In preparation for my trip, I had purchased a heavy-duty under-mount trailer hitch that I should have installed on my truck before I embarked, but of course I ran out of time and didn’t – figuring my factory hitch would do.  It didn’t.  I found a garage in Callicoon, NY (with power) and had them install the new hitch.  Roche’s Garage hooked me up in a jiffy and made sure I had all the parts I needed for a safe journey.  The waiting room of the office was filled with memorabilia of Roches past and present in addition to myriads of Ronald Reagan “pin-ups”.

Thanks Roche’s Garage!

My first task as Handyman was to make flower boxes for the patio –

Later that afternoon, I visited Willow Wisp Organic Farm, where Eva and Kinsley work.

And on to trail-blazing along the Delaware River.

The next day, we went thrifting and foraging in Caliicoon, NY.

Love this place and it’s “family” owned…

Callicoon Supply had the replacement plexi for my camper window, and then we went on to the farmer’s market in Callicoon Center.

Party time!

Thanks, Kinsley, Eva and Buddy, for an incredible start to my journey!