Whaddaya Mean No Internet!!

Accord, NY, is nestled between two mountain ranges, one of which is the Catskill Mountains. It is a beautiful area, and we enjoyed the tranquility offered by this stop. Though the campground had internet access that could be purchased for $5/day, it didn’t reach out to the area where our site was, and there was no Verizon service so we weren’t able to use our air card. This also meant our Verizon phone didn’t work either. Each day we’d drive 7 miles down the road to an old strip mall parking lot where our Verizon card worked so we could quickly check our e-mails for anything important. Just a few years ago not having internet access was no big deal. Now we’re lost without it! We had both planned to do some internet research this week but so much for the best laid plans. That big Verizon network they brag about in all their commercials is definitely not in DeFuniak Springs, FL, or Accord, NY.

No internet service meant we had more time to catch up on some projects like re-staining the spice rack, and visit more with folks. About 9 a.m. our first morning at Rondout Valley Camping Resort we were outside, and Monty from next door saw our FL plates and stopped by to ask what part of FL we were from. Turns out he’s from Hollywood, FL, and as we chatted Tom from a couple sites down came over and introduced himself. We all sat at the picnic table getting acquainted and soon Richie (Tom’s neighbor) joined us. Monty is a retired dentist, Tom a semi-retired truck driver, and Richie a retired elevator construction technician….all very interesting people. In no time at all, it was noon, and we hadn’t eaten any breakfast!

The next week was going to take us to Frosty Acres Campground outside of Schenectady, but Tom told us it wasn’t a very desirable campground, very muddy and hilly. In fact he suggested we talk to Vince a couple sites on the other side of us since they had just come from there and arrived with their wheels covered in mud. Around 5 p.m. we left to take the dogs for a walk and found Vince and Leslie sitting outside so we stopped to chat. They showed us the Frosty Acres campground map and gave us suggestions on the best location. It had poured while they were there, and they said if it didn’t rain, we’d be fine. Before we knew it, two hours had past! Shortly thereafter Tom stopped by to invite us to bring our drinks and sit around the campfire he was building. So Leslie, Vince, Monty, Tom, Russ, and I spent the next couple hours doing what we had read about before starting this grand adventure that so many folks do in this lifestyle….sitting around a blazing campfire on a starry night sharing drinks, stories, and experiences.

About 45 miles from Accord is the West Point Military Academy (http://www.usma.edu/), and that is where we headed on Fri. morning. Driving the back roads took us through part of the Catskill Mountains….beautiful scenery and very winding roads.













We arrived in time for the 2 hour tour, and while we waited for the tour to begin, we viewed many of the displays at the visitor’s center. Unlike Annapolis, this tour was primarily by bus with only a couple stops. The first stop was at Trophy Point, a beautiful view overlooking the Hudson River. Here our tour guide, Ed, gave us some history on the area as we viewed the tall granite monument dedicated to those Union soldiers who fought and died during the Civil War.

We walked across the street to the parade grounds where each year the graduating cadets parade before faculty, family, and friends and is said to be quite a moving experience. The incoming class of 2012 had arrived 2 weeks earlier to begin their training so not only did we see some of the cadets marching around the perimeter of the field, but across the street other cadets were working on maneuvers. Evidently they haven’t been issued guns yet as you can see in the photos!



















The next stop was a walking tour of the cemetery. Only West Point graduates or those who have served in the Army can be buried here along with their wives and dependent children, though on occasion exceptions have been made. One of those exceptions was the women’s basketball coach who died suddenly at the age of 28. You’ll notice the stones on top of her headstone as well as on others in the cemetery. Ed explained that it is typically a Jewish tradition that has been picked up by many others as well. Flowers wilt and die, but stones last forever. The football-shaped headstone belongs to Earl "Red" Blaik, head football coach 1941-1958 and Dir. of Athletics from 1948 until his death in 1959.

As we entered the cemetery, immediately to our left were the graves of those who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq including the first women from West Point killed in those skirmishes. Really brings the war close to home.









We stopped near the gravesite of Gen. Westmoreland and as Ed spoke about him and some of the surrounding graves (i.e. astronaut Lt. Col. Ed White who was one of three killed on the launch pad), one man from our group, unseen by most, walked over to the general’s grave, placed a stone on top, stepped back, and saluted. A very touching and moving sight.

Also buried at West Point is Gen. George Custer. Well, at least we think he’s buried there. Ed explained that Gen. Custer had been buried in a mass grave at Little Big Horn, but when it was decided to re-inter him at West Point, they dug up what they believe was Custer’s body and delivered it here but no one seems 100% certain it’s his! On either side of the headstone is a goat’s head sculpture which signifies he was last in his class at West Point. It’s not that he wasn’t smart, just that he preferred to pursue other interests more than study. The tradition of the last in the class being called the goat continues today as does the tradition of everyone else in the class giving “the goat” $1 on the day of graduation in thanks for them not being last. With a class size of over 900 that can be quite a nice little sum!

The last grave we stopped at before re-boarding the bus was that of Martin “Marty” Maher and his wife, Mary, who gave many years of service to West Point and on whom the movie The Long Gray Line was based. We had just watched that movie a couples weeks ago on TNT, and if you haven’t seen it, it’s an excellent movie and well worth watching.

The final stop on our tour was the Cadet Chapel on top of the hill, another beautiful church. As you can see in the photo below left, the fact that it is a military operation is evidenced by the bibles and hymnals being perfectly aligned all the way down to the front of the church! It is home to the world’s largest church organ, and as in Annapolis, one pew is set aside for the POWs and MIAs with a large candle that is lit everyday, and no one may sit in this pew.

As at Annapolis, only a Bachelor of Science degree is offered, and graduating cadets are required to give 5 years of service in exchange for their four years of school, and any student who furthers their education is required to give additional years. For example, a cadet who completes medical school is required to give 12 years of service. Some famous graduates besides those already mentioned include Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George Patton, Omar Bradley, Douglas MacArthur, astronauts Frank Borman and Buzz Aldrin, and Norman Schwarzkopf.

Once back at the visitor’s center, we briefly walked through the West Point Museum located next door. Though a beautiful campus and filled with tradition, Russ and I both felt we enjoyed the tour at Annapolis more. Perhaps because it seemed more personal, and we were able to go into so many more buildings. We could have even gone back to any of those areas we had toured whereas at West Point we could not have gotten back past the security gate.

Located not far from the campground is Kelder’s Farms, and twice a week they drive a tractor to the campground pulling their produce wagon behind, driving up and down the rows of campers with fresh vegetables from their farm for folks to buy. Since we had stocked up before leaving NJ, we didn’t need any produce when they came by on Sat., but what a great idea.

We saw Monty nearly everyday we were there and finally met his wife Elaine Sat. night. Though not fulltimers, they have traveled many years and are on their 5th RV. Monty is full of knowledge about RVing, and he and Russ spent many hours talking. He’s also a computer whiz and shared a couple programs with us on mapping trips and photo organization. Elaine used to sing but has nodes on her throat and is unable to now, but we chatted for some time about our love for music and me filling her in on Sweet Adelines. Though having heard of it, of course, she never realized what an “organization” it was and said she learned something new. They left a couple days before us and will only be about 8 miles down the road from us in Schenectady, so we plan to get together for lunch or dinner one day. As it turns out, Vince and Leslie will be about 18 miles away so will try to get together with them, too.

Mon. morning we decided to take a drive about 45 minutes away to the quaint little town of Woodstock as seen on the left. In one sense it's sort of a tourist trap, and though not where the concert was actually held (or even near the location), it’s still a cool town with lots of groovy shops.

Yesterday (Wed.) we arrived at Frosty Acres Camping Resort outside of Schenectady arriving about 1 p.m. Seems to be an interesting place, nothing fancy, definitely hilly, and you can see where parts of it could be quite a quagmire if it pours. Hopefully we won’t get stuck!

From here we’ll head to Cooperstown to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, another on the list of things to see before I die. Since we will be there the day of the 2008 induction ceremonies, we may take the opportunity to attend. We then head to Niagara Falls, a place neither of us has ever been, and then continue on our way to St. Louis.