Still in Fishkill

We are still in Fishkill, but now at the Sam's Club (map). Of course, the Sam's Club is adjacent to the Wal-Mart, but we figured we overstayed our welcome there, having been parked in the same spot for two nights.

Speaking of which, we chatted at dinner last night about the seemingly large number of people on RV bulletin boards who can not tolerate those of us who choose to stay at Wal-Mart. There are many "reasons" advanced why it simply should not be done, running from how dangerous it must be, to how rude, to how inappropriate for those who have spent hundreds of thousands on a motorcoach to "avoid" paying an "appropriate" fee to a campground.

Yet here we are, just a couple miles from the service facility which we needed, and I can't imagine where else in Fishkill we might have parked. All the state parks and even the commercial campgrounds within any reasonable radius are closed for the season. As I wrote a couple days ago, we had to do some serious research to even find a place to dump our tanks. But beyond that, we find our spot here to be nearly perfect: we have been able to run into Wal-Mart two nights in a row to pick up some needed items (to the tune of $30 each time -- so much for "freeloading," as the nay-sayers like to call it), and there are no fewer than six restaurants in walking distance of this spot. We had a nice prime rib Monday night, found a great Italian place last night called Casa di Pasta Ristorante (which, in spite of the name, had many non-pasta entrees on the menu as well, and a friendly and smooth house Chianti to boot), and tonight are planning on heading over to the Chinese buffet, which comes highly recommended, and was packed both times we passed by.

It seems that it is often thus. Even when commercial campgrounds are available, they are miles from anywhere. When we want to be miles from anywhere (which is often), we also do not want to be 25' from another RV. When we are passing through town, or even have business in town as we did today, all we need is a parking lot, and having some services nearby such as a store and a few restaurants is a big plus.

I don't expect my rant here will change anything. I certainly understand and appreciate people who feel the need for the services a campground offers, such as hookups, or even the perception of security such a place offers. I would not presume to change those people's minds or behavior. I just wish the vocal minority crusading against those of us who feel otherwise would mind their own business. Or else put their money where their mouths are, and buy out Wal-Mart so they can set a different policy. (I don't suppose it would even occur to those people, though, to even do something as simple as boycott Wal-Mart, with whose policies they seem so opposed).

In any case, this morning we left Wal-Mart and pulled into the shop at Chappaqua Transportation, where we spent the majority of the day. They tracked down most of the coolant leaks, most of the oil leaks, and found at least a couple of the air leaks. They also installed the new tag steering damper, though it turned out that the damage to the old one was largely cosmetic. We also learned that our hubs are in good condition, and that the low-speed front-end shimmy we are experiencing may, in fact, be attributable to the Equal dry polymer we are using to balance the wheels. Chappaqua has a lot of experience with these coaches, and I again learned a few tips and tricks.

It was already 4:00 when we rolled out of the shop, and we decided to return here for one more night, rather than fight our way into rush hour traffic, only to continue in the dark. In the morning we will head down to my folks' neighborhood near the Jersey shore, where our mail awaits us.