To the North Atlantic Provinces

8/27/2019 -  Now for a little history on the beginnings of the Vanderbilt fortune: Cornelius Vanderbilt Sr. (they called him the Commodore) came to Staten Island, New York from The Netherlands, penniless.  He talked his mom into lending him $100 at the age of 16 so he could buy an old boat.  He saw a need for a way for people to get to and from Staten Island.  He set up a ferry route and began making money.  He bought more boats paid his mom back.  Later on, he sold the Staten Island Ferry and reinvested in railroads.  When he died in 1877, he had turned that $100 into $100 million.   His son, William, inherited the entire estate.  When he died in 1885 (only 8 years later), he had turned the $100 million into $200 million (at that time, he was the richest man in America).  In today dollars, that would be about $6.4 billion. That was the beginning, from there William had four sons (and 4 daughters).  His oldest son wa...

08/27/2019 - Up early and drove the Jeep (with all 3 dogs) to the campground in Asheville where Trish, Susan, and Bev were parked.  It was about 45 miles.  We were supposed to be there also, but we were in Marion, NC instead (getting repairs done on the RV).  We left all the dogs with Bev, as she did not want to walk the tour.  The four of us headed to the Biltmore where we had 10:00 a.m. tour tickets.  The Biltmore was built in 1889-1895 as the permanent residence of George Washington Vanderbilt, younger brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt  II (who built The Breakers in Newport R.I. 1893-1895).  They had another brother, William Kissam Vanderbilt, who built 660 5th Avenue in New York City, and Marble House in Newport R.I.   It seems these men were in a great competition to see who could build the biggest and the best. The Biltmore was, and still is, the largest private residence in the U.S. It has 178,925 square feet of floor space (13...

08/24/2019 - Just a short drive today to visit with Tom and Dorothy Young in Shelby, North Carolina (135 miles).  We met them in 2017 on our caravan tour through the Canadian Yukon and Alaska.  Tom said that if we were ever in N.C., we should look them up, so we did.  I actually contacted him before we ever left home in June, and he was very welcoming, asking us to come and visit with them at their home. We left Misty Mountain campground around 10:00 am and drove to Shelby N.C.  The weather had turned much cooler, and we were very happy about that.  When we got to their home, they greeted us with open arms.  We sat outside and talked for an hour or so.  Tom got on the phone and got an appointment with a Newmar dealer in Marion, NC (on our route to Asheville,) to help us with the dash A/C on our motorhome.  Dorothy invited all 5 of us (Trish, Bev, and Susan too) to appetizers and drinks at 5:00 p.m. Their home sets on a large piece of land, wit...

08/18/2019 - We only drove 109 miles today to Circle M Campground in Lancaster County, PA  (Amish country).  Tom and I were here in 2015 and loved the park.  It has a lovely pool and laundry facilities.   And, best of all, it is a Thousand Trails Campground, so we get to stay free. Got settled.  Trish, Susan, and I went to the shoe store and Dress Barn.  I bought 3 pairs of Vionics, as they were half price.  We came back to the RV overheated (it is really hot and humid), so we put our suits on and went to the pool.  The kids go back to school tomorrow, so it was full of kids.  I counted 54 people in the pool, but OOOOH it felt so good!  Later we had dinner and went to bed. 08/19/2019 - Our day was almost consumed by a trip to Hershey Chocolate World.  We all 5 piled into the Jeep and drove about 26 miles to Hershey, PA. Hershey's Chocolate World We took the Historical Trolley ride through the city of Hershey.  We...

08/15/2019 - We drove to Middletown, Rhode Island at the Meadowlark RV Park.  Not a very nice campground - no water, and the spots were not level.  The Office was up a long flight of stairs.  Trish almost got stuck between trees and other cars parked everywhere.  I was probably at fault as I was directing her, but we finally got her parked on a downhill spot on the grass.  Still not level, but too tired and hot to try for another spot.  The weather here on the East Coast is sticky, about 87 to 93 degrees, and lots of humidity.  You only need to be out in the sun for a short bit, and you are soaked with sweat.  The heat/humidity got to me more than once.  So, I am being more careful now. We rested, had dinner, and went to  bed.  tomorrow is a big touring day. 08/16/2019 - Today, Trish, Susan, Tom, and I took off in the Jeep for the Newport Mansions, specifically we are going to tour The Breakers, the summer cottage of Cornelius ...