Beyond Liberty (Part 2)

After that short visit with Dake: Maine led to New Hampshire (and a little shopping in North Conway). New Hampshire led to Vermont and finally the rain seemed to be gone. I still hadn’t found propane and I was now two weeks into the trip on on the one small tank that I’d gotten filled before getting to St. Felicien. Late afternoon had me looking for places to camp and on the list of possibilities was Bald Mountain CG. It sounded familiar so I headed there. Turns out that’s where the Wet River Westies will be held in a few weeks, I’ve heard it’s a great VW campout and now that I’ve camped there I can see it’s a great spot to have one. I hope to get the timing right next year. At least I can say I was there!

The Berkshires seem dreamlike…

I had time in the morning so I started digging into the problem I’d been having with my stereo (dead), interior lighting (dim) and inverter to charge computers, etc (errors and alarms). My house battery was basically dead, only putting out around 6 volts and not capable of running anything. So a new mission! I looked on the map to find the nearest places I thought would have something and picked Bennington VT. I started by trying to find the same make and model battery as was currently there and after a few strike-outs I asked for help (on the Vanagon list). I quickly got some good suggestions, although while exploring my options I’d made my way south into Massachusetts. Still not finding the same battery I took one of the suggestions and looked for a Sears Auto centre. In the parking lot I took the cockpit apart (had to remove the drivers seat and the swivel mount to get at the battery), then got a “PM-2” marine battery that I was told would fit and worked on getting it in. I also cleaned up the wiring and added an extra 12V outlet while I was at it. When it was all back together it actually felt good to have accomplished that.

The mountain man look only lasted until I got to New York

Heading into the Catskills on Van Winkle Brodge

 Still no propane though…
It was now late afternoon and I wasn’t too far from my destination so I looked for a place to camp in NY and came up with Blackthorne. It was only about 10 miles from Windham and suited my needs. I camped off in a corner by myself and settled in for the night. Come the morning I was glad to see the fridge was still chillin’ and that I wasn’t out of propane yet. I was also thrilled with the fully functioning electrical system thanks to the new battery. Next up was coffee and a shower and then on the road to search for propane before getting to Windham for the weekend. It was now Friday morning and I knew I’d be camped in the same spot for 3 days so I didn’t want to risk running out.

Blackthorne Campground

I headed to Cairo based on the suggestion of the campground hosts however the place I stopped at there didn’t have anyone who knew how to do it… and sadly my mat that I put down for the folks who fill the propane got left behind there. I will try to swing by to get it (I didn’t make it). As it turned out I got to Windham without filling up. I got my media credentials and then talked to some locals about where I might get propane. The good news was that it was just down the road at a building supply company. The tanks was close to empty as they put in 10 lb (it’s only a 10lb tank) and I was all set. Back up to find a place to park for the weekend (took 2 tries until I was satisfied) but it was all good.

And then it was time to get ready for another bike-filled weekend.

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