The Big “E” and Gettysburg!

100' up!
 

Here we are again traveling the byways of this great country. One of the biggest differences on this trip is that I am modeling our heroes Gordon and Angela White, publishers of Truck Camper Magazine. What exactly are we modeling?  In a past article in TCM, Gordon wrote an article about having a fender bender with their truck camper. I believe he backed into something and scratched the camper. He said he was so mad that he told Angela to drive. The rest is history. Angela has been doing the bulk of the driving since. Hence this is a major change for us Boomers. Helen is now driving at least this first leg of our journey down to West Springfield, MA. For the very first time, I am writing the blog “live” in the passenger seat of the truck. It feels great!
The weather is damp and appears that showers had proceeded us. A quick stop at McDonalds for a senior coffee and a restroom break and Littleton, NH was behind us. Writing as we go does present a new challenge for me. Present, past and future tense seem to be intermingled, but it’s fun to write nearly live as we go touring down the highway.
The time is now 9:20 am and Wells River, VT is our location. Being in the passenger seat, I am able to view so many things that were not possible behind the wheel. The river that meanders down from the mountains is full of water falls with ponds that fan out before the next drop.

Two Pumpkin Heads having a good time!

Hartland, VT is our present location. Another stop at the Interstate Rest Area for a needed restroom stop, (all that coffee). Helen pulled into the truck parking area, parked and as we started for the restroom. She notice this guy walking out. It was Tim Eastman, a local truck driver from our hometown area. Tim is hauling a load to Fredericksburg, PA. very close to Gettysburg. We exchanged driving directions and talked about our truck camper for a few minutes. He departed and so did we. It is a small world as we always say. The sun is starting to break through now. Helen is doing very well behind the wheel. She is getting used to all of the truck controls and feel of the heavy truck handling.
In Brattleboro, VT, we stopped for lunch and a two mile side trip to Truck Camper Warehouse to say hello to Bill Penny, the owner. He wasn’t there, but the side trip wasn’t wasted as we talked to this lady who was buying a truck camper and planned on heading New Mexico alone. She also owns a tag along trailer, but didn’t want to toe it across country. We also bought a “donut” or a boot seal for between the truck and camper.

The “Big E” …. With many signs pointing us in the right direction our arrival time was midafternoon. The attendants at gate 9 (main gate) soon pointed us to our area for overnight camping. We wasted no time to enter the Exposition. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent checking out the hundreds of exhibiters. I spotted several things that I might build when I get back home. When I see an artist, I am fascinated not with art, but with how it was made. I would ask questions like “how did you bond that glass crystal to that brass?” How did you carve those letters, with a template?

That is what we saw and did!