June 7 - 12, 2011 "Atlantic City to Florida (NY)"

We departed Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, VA at 10:00 am, hoping to miss rush hour, but that wasn’t the case. Stop and go traffic as we skirted around Washington DC on I-495, it finally broke as we neared Baltimore, but only briefly, and we were once again in the yin and yang of it. Our Garmin Nuvi said it was 169 miles to Atlantic City, with an ETA of 1:30 pm, but we decided to stop for lunch and quench the thirst of Ms. Sol Crucero just north of Baltimore in Aberdeen, MD.

Finding a gas station with easy in and out accessibility for the rig plus toad is always a challenge when you’re pushing 60 feet in length.  Sometimes we get lucky and find one in close proximity to a large parking lot to have lunch, as was the case today.

Back on the road, passing through Delaware and into New Jersey, we finally arrived at our home for the next few days, Chestnut Lake RV Park, shortly after 3:30 pm. After getting set up, we were both ready for an adult beverage, as the temp was 101. Today was a first in our travels; moving through four states in one day.

Since the temps were again predicted to be above the century mark, we decided to enjoy the air conditioning in Atlantic City at Harrah’s. Signing up for a player’s club card entitled us to a coupon book with $10 in free play each, and coupons for free drinks and half price meals. It also contained a free parking pass. This is the first casino I have ever been to that charged for parking, but this is NJ, and these Northeasterners NEVER miss an opportunity to charge for something, that anywhere else, would be free; Capitalism is alive and well in Atlantic City. Did I mention the $50 in tolls we paid to get here from Washington DC? (As usual, click on any image to enlarge)

We managed to play and stay cool for about five hours and after being down $$$, CC hit four aces with a kicker on $0.25 Video Poker, which paid $500. She immediately hit the cash out button, and said to me, “We’re outta here”; Right, no argument from me.

The following day, the weatherman again predicted temps of 100 and above, so after some much needed provisioning and lunch, ventured to Bally’s, another coupon casino, to take advantage of the cool and free play/parking. Today was my lucky day, hitting four aces for $300, we decided it was time to rat hole our winnings and head for the house around 5:30 pm. All in all, we had a hot time in Atlantic City.

Another hectic travel day already? We were both a little nervous about navigating both Newark, NJ,  and The Big Apple, on the Garden State Parkway,  so CC routed us around both on I-287. A wise choice as it turned out, traffic was moderate but no delays, and we managed to make it to our new home at Black Bear Campground, in Florida, NY by 2:00 pm.

Upon check-in, we received a booklet entitled, “Orange County Travel Guide”, and inside the cover were listed the top ten things to do. To my amazement, Orange County Choppers was listed. For those of you unfamiliar with this establishment, they have a TV show, “AmericanChopper “, on the Discovery Channel. 

One of the bikes on display is the one they built to honor the Police and Firefighters that perished on 9/11. There are a total of 20 – 30 bikes on display, but this one has a special place in the showroom, and I can only imagine, in Paul Sr’s heart as well.

This is one that I had not seen on the show, probably because it’s a bicycle, but it does showcase the talent and creativity of Orange County Choppers.

Tomorrow, we are going to The Big Apple to see The Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, The Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Times Square, Ground Zero, Fifth Avenue and The Theatre District (my personal favorite (?). It should be a busy day, as we will be leaving here at 7:30 am and returning around 6 pm.

Until next time, take care and stay well………………………….