It was so wonderful to see mountains up close today under the bluest of skies, until I realized I was about to go up them. In second gear. About 25 mph or so. Going down is actually scarier; blessed be air brakes and the new transmission. Crossing the Hudson River at Bear Mountain was both frightening and awe inspiring. So much beauty, and so many people drawn out to see it. The one park I picked at random to visit was closed.

Some New York roads are as bad as those in Pennsylvania, and I have not been successful securing items stacked behind the driver’s seat despite several adjustments.

Sun warned the bus well enough before noon I could shower and drip dry. I tested solar power by warming up a meal on my portable induction cooktop and was pleased the sun quickly replaced the energy I used. I also checked fluids and added oil. (Why would the oil pressure read fine if it was so low?) As night fell, it got cold in this Cracker Barrel parking lot. The diesel heater is blowing out hot air that does not seem to make it 16 feet to the bed. Right now I’m about to give up on my to do list – half of which are things I should have gotten to my tax accountant two weeks ago – and crawl under the covers with some hand warmers and read for a while. Reading is something I have not done much of, which is both surprising and disappointing … and will hopefully be different on my next trip.