Lake George Battleground Campground
Lake George, NY

May 2014

No hookup for trailers or RV's

We spent the weekend during the Elvis Festival.  The festival is meant to bring the music of the King to the Queen of America's Lakes. The festival's founders worked with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. to create a world class event respectful to everything Elvis® stood for. Since the festival's inception, it has continued to grow, and is now the second-largest Elvis® Tribute Artist Competition in the world.

Most notables:
Adirondack Pub Brewery & Restaurant;  Shopping; Scenic boat tour of millionaire's row on Lake George

Written by: Shelly Straub

Here's the thing... We bought our travel trailer BEFORE we thought about where to put it when not in use.  Not the best order of things, but that's how we roll.  We get an idea - we get really excited about the idea - we (in this case) go buy the necessary tools to put the idea to bed...  THEN we put into thought, all the ingredients necessary for the idea to work.

So, since our driveway is on a hill, we are onto PLAN B, when considering where to park the new travel trailer.  Luckily, my step dad is a professional landscaper and has ALL the answers... to everything!

End result: Remove all flower beds and stone walkway from the side of the house.  Increase the length of the pipe from the gutter that diverts water away from the house.  Add 2 truck loads of stone.  Tamp.  Wait a few weeks, add more stone and tamp again as the stone will settle.

Total cost of stone:  $300.  Labor $0 DIY with friends and family!

NOTE:  We also have a car port that we purchased ($250) for the winter months so all the northeastern snow we get won't pile and sit on top of the camper for months on end.

For the love of those who travel and do it as often as possible! 

Why an RV?
We have spent the last 4 years traveling states and countries in and out of hotels, B&B's and even a few cabins.  While the experience of each journey was unforgettable, the time has come for us to really get in touch with nature - and take our bed with us when we go.

Which RV?
With limitless options out there, I had specific requirements for our home on wheels. 

1.  I did not want the added expense of maintenance on another vehicle.  Yes, we are a lesbian couple, but not the kind who is able to get dirty under a vehicle and fix things that are broken.  We leave that to the manly men like my brother, my step dad and Lucia's dad, who spent years as a mechanic.

2.  I required a bed with a mattress that was always dressed.  I did not want a pop-up trailer that required assembly to get to the bed.  Every time we started and stopped, I would have to pull out the sheets and make the bed.  No thanks. 

3.  A shower is necessary.  In my younger years, I spent many vacations in campgrounds and showered with many spiders and long legged creatures.  Those days are gone for good. 

With those requirements in mind, Lucia and I were on the hunt for the perfect RV.  We visited several local camper outlets, as well as an RV show with dozens of choices.  We also spent countless hours of online research, reading review after review.  This helped out a lot when we talked to sales people.  Knowing what you want is one thing but knowing what you don't want, makes it a much quicker process when sales people want to show you 30 different choices.

There is a website I found to be very helpful.  It allows you to pick several campers and then gives you a side by side comparison.  http://rvs.findthebest.com/ 

In less than two weeks, we narrowed our choices down to three but what broke the tie was our comfortability level with a layout that we loved.  And the winner is....  drumroll...  The 2014 19' Coleman Expedition travel trailer.

The bed remains in tact at all times, the full bathroom has a shower with tub surround to protect the walls from water damage, the dinette pulls out to another bed for unsuspecting victims (oops, I mean visitors), the sofa also pulls out to a bed, there is an oven, and it feels like home!  Home is where you park.  Or so they say.

Now if we could just get rid of this snow so we can get on the road!

Location: Salem, Massachusetts
Date:  11-1-13
Written by: Joey

TAKE NOTE: This post was written while DJ & Joey were on their RV roadtrip across America. Sadly, their trip ended before it really got started. No worries, Shelly & Lucia are taking the Connextions Out n About Roadtrip to new heights, exploring one RV park at a time!

DJ and I were all set to leave Salem after Halloween.  We needed to be in New York to visit family.  That and the parking permit expired that afternoon…We walked to the local Dunkin Donuts, ordered our coffee and slowly strolled one last time through the quiet and empty streets.  You would never know that just less than 12 hours ago there was about 30-40,000 people filling the streets.

We had one more event to attend before departing.  The local organization Go Out Loud was presenting Sharon Needles with an award entitled The Official Scream Queen of Salem.  You see, the night before on Halloween, Sharon Needles was the Entertainer of Go Out Loud’s Halloween Party at the Hawthorne Hotel.  If you’re not familiar with Sharon, well, then you must have been living under a rock for a while.  Just kidding.  She was the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2012.

The room was filling up fast while we all waited for Sharon to show up…isn’t it like a Queen to make you wait?  I had my camera in hand and I was taking photos of everyone when I turned the same time Sharon was wheeled in on the luggage cart.  I was so startled by her entrance that I had the shakes and I couldn’t stop laughing at myself.  Like I said, Sharon was wheeled in on a luggage cart.  She was wearing a fabulous red wine shear dress, and a glass of wine.  My kinda gal for sure!  I’m sad to say that I didn’t get the chance to get a photo of her on the luggage cart.

Basically there was a lot of hoopla over her and the award.  Mayor Kim Driscoll was there along with a few other city officials.  Sharon ended up walking out with an award from Go Out Loud and another from the City.  Sharon is also just a wee bit of a shock jock(ette).  She was talking about her red wine and someone commented on it being the color of her dress and I told her that a girl MUST accessorize after all, to that Sharon lifted her glass to me and took a drink.

Since she was the Official Scream Queen, an award presentation wouldn’t be proper without actually screaming, so Sharon proceeded to scream.  All I could think of was the B Movies of yesteryear where they hired scream actresses.  It was at this point and 100 photos later that we decided we’d duck out with our friend Steve from Come Out Travel, his friend Terry to grab a drink...While in the bar ordering our Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas we could hear Sharon in the ballroom still screaming…Priceless.  We apparently took too long because when we returned to the ballroom most everyone was gone.  Well, we at least got some great photos and met the boys from Go Out Loud, Chris and Kevin.

Off to our next location…New York and family, here we come.  Or so we thought…

Location: Salem, Massachusetts
Date: 10-31-2013
Written by: Joey

TAKE NOTE: This post was written while DJ & Joey were on their RV roadtrip across America. Sadly, their trip ended before it really got started. No worries, Shelly & Lucia are taking the Connextions Out n About Roadtrip to new heights, exploring one RV park at a time!

Things began to move pretty quickly since we left the photo shoot.  One thing for sure, we couldn’t walk 2 feet without someone stopping Gigi and telling her how much they loved her and how beautiful she was.  One in particular was this young lady, I didn’t catch her name but she patiently waited for Gigi to finish her conversation with Mayor Kim Driscoll.  She was so moved by Gigi’s presence that she had a difficult time explaining how much she appreciated Gigi for her hard work and what an inspiration she was.  I didn’t think much about it then but this would end up happening the rest of the night, random people expressing their love and admiration for Gigi.

We spent the afternoon touring the rest of the city and making our way to Pickering Wharf.  Sitting quietly among the shops and restaurants was a reconstruction of the Sailing Vessel Friendship, a 171-foot three-masted ship built in 1797.  We both stood there in awe of the massive ship.  It certainly was at home in Salem making you feel as if you were standing on the shores of Salem during the 1800’s.

One of our stops at Pickering Wharf was a magical shop called Enchanted of Salem. http://www.enchantedofsalem.com/ Gigi was part of a book signing event along with Laurie Cabot, The Official Witch of Salem.  Gigi and Laurie were featured in a book titled Legends of Salem.  There we were standing in a magical shop full of potions and spells with real life witches.  Yep, we were in Salem and it felt amazing.  Meeting all the witches wasn’t scary; what was creepy was seeing a guy dressed up as a Death Eater from the Harry Potter movies.  I took a couple photos of him but it was a little unnerving and I wasn’t sure why.

After the book signing we headed back to Priscilla to relax before the night’s festivities.  Gigi had invited a friend of hers, John (her Unofficial King of Salem) to join us for the evening.  John arrived, introductions were made and we decided to have some hot tea and hot apple cider to warm us up before venturing out.  After watching some of the revelers we were ready to hit the streets ourselves so John changed into his King costume and Gigi freshened up with a new gown.  Later on I found out two covens were casting a circle for the public and we missed it!

We made our way down Essex Street over to the Bewitched Statue, chatted with people, took photos and began our way to Adriatic Restaurant for our dinner reservations.  We spent a few hours chatting, having a lovely dinner and watching people walk by.  The owner of the restaurant stopped by and gave us shots of Limoncello as a way of saying thank you for coming in.  On our way out of the restaurant we stopped at the photo booth to take group photo.

John had to work in the early morning hours so we decided to make our way back to Priscilla which was about 10 minutes away.  We finally made our way back to Priscilla 45 minutes later.  John changed into his commoner clothes, said his goodbyes and left for home.  Gigi was waiting for her husband to come pick her up.  Once DJ And I were alone we were concerned we made a bad decision to stay downtown with all the ruckus.  There were so many people everywhere! Then something magical happened.  At around 11:00 people started disappearing.  Apparently the train in and out of Salem stops running at a certain time and everyone visiting just so happened to be on those trains!  By midnight, the town was deserted and quiet.  It was like a ghost town…in Salem, Massachusetts.

Location: Salem, MA
Date: 10/31/13
Written by: Joey

TAKE NOTE: This post was written while DJ & Joey were on their RV roadtrip across America. Sadly, their trip ended before it really got started. No worries, Shelly & Lucia are taking the Connextions Out n About Roadtrip to new heights, exploring one RV park at a time!

It’s finally here, Halloween, Salem Massachusetts style.  We awoke to the sound of crews putting the finishing touches on the stage at Salem Common and preparing to accommodate the thousands of people who will be arriving soon.  We had to meet Gigi at Melita Fiore Patisserie (www.melitafiore.com) where she will be presenting them with a Gay Flag sticker for being a gay friendly business.  What a perfect excuse for us to have a coffee and pastry for breakfast!

We arrived at the patisserie to find Gigi dressed in a purple satin gown and a faux-fur jacket.  We quickly dispensed with the introductions, ordered our coffees and pastries and went to work.  First order of business, arrange the window display with an antique couch and a couple of tables.  I mentioned I hoped Melita didn’t mind our “wrecking” her shop to which she replied, “it looks better the way you guys have it.” (We’re gay. Duh…)

The entire time we were taking photos and video, customers were coming in placing orders and asking what was going on.  You know it’s bad PR to not talk to people and answer questions so we stopped to talk to everyone and the ones we didn’t’ speak with were waving and taking photos of Gigi.  We were having a great time until a gentleman came in to order and on his way out made a passing comment to Gigi.  It began like this:  DJ was trying to get good lighting and said he needed to back up more.  This man responded to DJ’s comment by saying something to the effect that he would have to back up a LONG way.  Gigi asked if he was making a joke or being sarcastic.  His reply was “I’m not joking.  There’s one in every crowd” and walked out the door.

Gigi and I stood there with mouths open staring at each other in disbelief.  First of all, she’s the Official Queen of Salem.  Second, it’s freaking Halloween.  In Salem.  We relayed the information to DJ and his response was to leave the shop and chase the guy down.  DJ caught up to him (outside of the man’s place of employment which happened to be the Justice Center) and told him that if he had nothing nice to say to not say anything at all. He asked why he would say something like that in a city that is very tolerant of the LGBT community.  According to DJ, the fellow had no response so DJ told him he had half a mind to walk into his place of business and let everyone know what just happened.  The man gave a half-hearted, mumbled response and went on his way.  The man was correct.  There’s one in every crowd and unfortunately, it was him.

As the photo shoot resumed and we were to putting the Gay Flag sticker on patisserie window, Mayor Kim Driscoll was walking by with a videographer in tow (they’ve been filming here and there for a PBS show).  Perfect opportunity for an impromptu ceremony and additional photo shoot with the mayor!  Not a bad bit of publicity and exposure for Melita Feore Patisserie, Mayor Kim Driscoll, Gigi and of course, the Connextions Out n About Road Trip crew.

Next on our schedule, make arrangements for dinner at Adriatic and enjoy Halloween!

Date: 10/30/13
Location: Salem, MA
Written by: Joey

TAKE NOTE: This post was written while DJ & Joey were on their RV roadtrip across America. Sadly, their trip ended before it really got started. No worries, Shelly & Lucia are taking the Connextions Out n About Roadtrip to new heights, exploring one RV park at a time!

So it’s the night before Halloween and here we are in Salem, wondering what to do with Priscilla, our 33’ road whore!  Our plan was to park her downtown so we could be smack dab in the middle of all the craziness.  Luckily Gigi was able to speak to a few people and she scored us permission to park Priscilla at the bus section between the Hawthorne Hotel and Salem Common, AND a parking permit good through November 1…How awesome!

Since we now had a permit, we decided we better take Priscilla downtown as soon as possible so there aren’t any issues because they block off the roads first thing Halloween morning.  As a side note, it took a good 7-10 minutes for DJ to maneuver her out of the parking lot.  I have video of it too… Anyway, Gigi led the way from their condo to the parking space.  The drive wasn’t just any ol’ drive; it was our own little parade.  We wound our way through the streets of Salem blowing Priscilla’s horn.  We made it past the Chamber of Commerce (and honked), the City Hall (and honked) and a few other places (and honked).  Good thing the Police Chief said we’d be okay…I don’t know who had more fun, Gigi or DJ.  Actually, it was DJ.  You can see it in his face when he has an excuse, uh, I mean opportunity, to blow that horn.  I guess I never should have shown him how it works.  My fault.

Finally we made it over to the parking spot and wouldn’t you know it, there were school buses parked there for a field trip.  Gigi found out they were only going to be there for about another hour so we decided to park Priscilla by the waterfront until then.  Once we were settled in at the Salem Common bus section, DJ and I decided to wander around and take a few more photos. 

What I failed to mention, is that DJ and I were arguing during most of this time because of a stupid misunderstanding.  You see he was trying to surprise me with a wedding in Salem, on Halloween.  I was worried about my family not being there and he wanted to do something special for the two of us and then do something later with our families.  Regardless, the issue was solved when we found out that there is a 3-day waiting period for a marriage license.  Turns out you can get a waiver of the 3-day waiting period IF you pay $195 for the waiver.  So for roughly $500 we would have an official wedding.

We decided to wait.  I loved his “surprise” to get married on Halloween in Salem, and it would have been great to marry my best friend right then and there, however we decided to wait and to find a way to break the news to our family…

And as this blog hits the internet, I guess the cat’s out of the bag…

Witch Trials and Burying Grounds of Salem Massachusetts

Location:  Salem, MA
Date:  10/29/13
Written by: Joey

TAKE NOTE: This post was written while DJ & Joey were on their RV roadtrip across America. Sadly, their trip ended before it really got started. No worries, Shelly & Lucia are taking the Connextions Out n About Roadtrip to new heights, exploring one RV park at a time!

After an introduction to Salem, Massachusetts, we were ready to find food.  We both were craving a burger and fries so we wandered the streets searching for a quick bite to eat.  As luck would have it, we found a nice little pub, ordered burgers and fries, and I opted for Guinness instead of a soda.  It’s cold out and I need to stay warm.  What better way than with liquor?

After our lunch we headed out and started to follow The Heritage Trail, a red line painted on the street and sidewalk that connects the most important stops in Salem.  This trail surprisingly led us to a chocolate shop where we purchased a large chocolate peanut butter cup.  When I say large, I mean large.  It was as round as the circumference of a baseball and as thick as a hockey puck, so thick that I couldn’t bite into it.  I gave it to DJ so he could try but no go.  I worked on the edges and finally broke through the center.  Delicious!  The only problem now was I had to share it…  While eating the dessert, we headed over to a graveyard aptly named The Burying Point.  This graveyard is the oldest burying ground in the City of Salem.  We walked through the graveyard, read tombstones, took photos and then left.  I was having a difficult time walking through the graves because I couldn’t stop thinking of the people buried there and all of us walking over them. 

From the graveyard we headed over to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, a rock wall inspired by the Vietnam Memorial.  The Memorial listed the 20 men and women who were tried, convicted and executed.  Each stone placard listed the accused, their dates and manner of death, most of which were hanged and another that was “pressed.”  As we were reading the names, there was one placard that had a small potted flower on it with a note from her relatives in Maine.  It’s amazing and sad at the same time.  Can you imagine?  Living relatives.  It made me wonder how many others in the memorial had living relatives.  As we were leaving the memorial I read some quotes from the accused.  As I read the two quotes, I could imagine them standing there in shackles denying any wrong doing as tears fell down their cheeks and fear filled their eyes.

Next we headed over to The Witch House, which wasn’t a witch house at all.  No accused witches were ever tried or apparently brought to the house.  So why the name Witch House?  I guess it’s because Salem Witch Trial Judge Jonathan Corwin who presided over 19 of the 20 witch trials owned the house.  The house is the only structure still standing in Salem that has direct ties with the witch trials.  In 1944 the house was going to be torn down and that threat sparked a need for citizens to raise money for its restoration.  We attempted to tour the building but the crowds were outrageous, so we opted to return later. 

If you’re familiar with the movie Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, then you’ll know parts of the film were shot there.  We (okay, I) made sure to take a photo of Salem Common, Phillips Elementary School and Town Hall, which appeared in the film.  We had JUST missed the free showing of the movie by a few days.  That would have been so much fun to watch in the Salem Common.  (There’s always next year…)  If you haven’t watched the film, you must.  It’s great.  I even get DJ to watch it from time to time.

We kept wandering the streets admiring the architecture, the landscape and the feel of Halloween creeping in.  Talk about magical and spooky in a fun way.  We made our way to Pickering Wharf and walked the shops and took several photos of sailing vessel Friendship.  The Friendship of Salem is a reconstructed version of a 171-foot three-masted vessel that was built in 1797.  The original Friendship traveled the world trading spices, sugar and coffee.  You can tour the vessel as well as watch volunteers and staff work on her to keep her “shipshape.”  You would think the ship would be out of place sitting in the harbor in present day Salem but it most definitely isn’t.  Standing there on the wharf you could swear it was 1800 all over again. 

I can just imagine standing next to the Friendship at dusk with the fog rolling in, the gas street lamps lit and the clippity clop of the horse and carriage driving by.