I took the long way home

Seven strikes and your out, I have sworn it off, and never plan to take that route again. What am I rambling about now? The George Washington Bridge or GWB is what I am whining about. I have sat in traffic for hours before rush hour to have it morph into rush hour. I have tried to sneak across in the middle of the night without success. I have even tried it in broad day light. Each and every time I am delayed at this crossing of the Hudson. I am there fore launching my champaign, "GWB, HELL NO!" No longer will I try and cross the Hudson on the GWB. I am not paying $9 per two axles for the privilege of waiting in traffic any longer. I will simply take the road less traveled or the long way around. Enough about my tirades, On to the recoveries. Yes two in one day.

The first place my client sent me was to Connecticut. When he said "I need you to go to a town called Bethlehem" I thought how quant a sounding town. All the Bethlehems I have ever been to were always quant, well groomed towns. The people were all friendly and lived in nice houses. Every town in Connecticut I passed through was a postcard. Then I got to the address of where the trailer was. All the house numbers were on the boxes, but for some reason 207 skipped. Surely 207 was not up that long abandoned logging road. That is the driveway folks you see in the picture. It went almost straight up from the road and looked like, well, an abandoned logging road. I ventured up into a junk yard in the woods serviced by an abandoned logging road.

The owners must had been a set designers for Mad Max or Escape from Thunder Dome. There were about 50 cars up on blocks just like this one. Most had every door and hatch wide open. Many were cut up and tortured looking instead of parted out. Everywhere you looked was garbage. Not good garbage that might serve a purpose someday, this was pure trash that could not be burned. At the top of the hill were three mobile homes(I am being generous in my calling them mobile or homes). As I pulled up, literally every window on all three trailers had two fingers part the mini blinds and an eyeball peered out at me through the slit. I honestly contemplated throwing it in reverse and backing down the road as fast as I could. In my head I could hear banjos dueling and pigs squealing. But I could see what I had come for parked in the only open ground. The door opened and out came the seller before I could run away. Who am I to judge how people live? Not sure, but if you went there, you would be judging too.

I grabbed what I had come for, this 1965 Globetrotter. This rig is in surprisingly good condition compared to everything else on the property. I hooked on and ran. No tow lights, no tag, and no "see ya up the road" instead I was set to "beat it on down the line".

The Globetrotter had been purchased on Craig's List and the new owner wanted it taken to a safer location. I only had to tow her a few miles to the local storage yard. Very easy move to make, but what a pick up location. I should have taken more photos there. I could put them on the wall and look at them as a reminder of how not to become with the saving of trailer parts.

I then went up to Massachusetts and picked up this 1954 front kitchen Safari. My client had out bid me on this one. I placed my bid and let it ride, hoping no one wanted it but me. I was out bid and was fine with it. Now instead of picking her up for me, I was being paid to pick her up for someone else. We headed West now to avoid the GWB and to go to Central New York.

Crossing the Hudson was very smooth on I90. I was actually the only vehicle on the bridge while crossing. The entire return trip was a nice drive back. You need to realize, for me, the tow is the best part. I love tooling down the road with a trailer in tow. I love seeing the landscape from my rear view, especially when there is a thirteen panel Airstream following my truck.

When most people think of New york they think of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the megapopulous of New York City is what pops in their heads. Little do they know, New York is a huge State with very rugged landscape. A Landscape that is very agricultural, wooded, and undeveloped. New York is truly fabulous State. New York is a fine State to tow in, well, until you pull up to the pump and find gas is $.45 more expensive than anywhere else. I had a mission though and I was heading to Sherburne to pick up the interior of a 1961 Ambassador. You have seen the bathroom for this trailer before. It is the bathroom I did for Client #0001 a while back. The fancy cherry one. I am doing the rest of the interior now. To make it easy on him, I came by and picked it up. In return, I got to spend the night and was taken out to dinner.

In little towns the people tend to appreciate each other much more than in the city. John(right) took me to his favorite restaurant New York Pizzeria & Restaurant. Frankie Baio(center) is the owner and chef. He and his wife Betsy were so wonderful and the food was spectacular to say the least. We were treated like total VIPs the entire night and what a great time it was. If ever passing through New Berlin stop in and say hello. I highly recommend this restaurant. I am sure I will find an excuse to pass by very soon.

John's wife Laurie kept John and I from getting out of control with all the hospitality being served us. Glad we had her there to keep us grounded and to brighten the table.

Another side trip I took was over to Baker's Acres of Chenango. Since this is the site for The Birthday Bash this summer we wanted to walk the field and figure out where we were going to locate all 79 trailers. We also wanted to figure where we would be erecting the water tower, and where the main tent would go. For those interested in this camping rally, get ready for a great time. Slots will go on sale Jan 1.

And just to make the trip a real fun time, I met up with snow at the Pennsylvania line. It made for a fun drive home. I backed the trailer into the parking spot and unhooked. A long 30 hour trip it was, but what a great time it was. I love going out on the road like this. You just never know what you might see or what might present it's self to you. See ya down the road(except you folks living in the junk yard in the woods of Connecticut. I hope we do not cross paths again)