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Oh, the People You’ll Meet…

19/10/2015 By Eric H. Doss Leave a Comment

On our first RV trip, we were blown away by the kindness of other RVers. In fact, the opportunity to meet interesting and unique people was one of the influences that lead to us buying an RV. Not only was the RV consistent with our philosophy on travel, but we knew it would give us an opportunity to meet an interesting array of people.

We recently returned from a month-long trip in Harvey the RV, including time visiting family and friends in South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, and New York, before heading to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It will probably take me months to get all the details of that trip written, but I wanted to share the highlights of the trip. Not the highlights of the Cabot Trail, or visiting Cheticamp and Ingonish, or the great seafood, or the amazing hiking, or the visit to the Larch factory, but the highlights of the people you’ll meet.

Fellow South Carolinians:

We arrived at Cheticamp Campground very late on our first day, so it was the next morning before we met any neighbors. Wallace did his part, flying out of the RV first thing in the morning, no leash or collar, and heading to meet another dog a few sites over. Thankfully, the dog was mostly friendly and the owners much more so. Robert and Kathy are probably 60, maybe 65. Both recently retired and from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, just outside Charleston and close to our (now former) home of Beaufort. In retirement, they have decided to downsize and have sold their house and are moving to Asheville, North Carolina, but not before taking a few months to explore. They have a wonderful A-Frame popup that has a surprising amount of room.

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After a day or two, Robert and Kathy departed Cheticamp and we said our goodbyes. They were heading across the island to Ingonish, our next destination, but the timing was off and we knew we wouldn’t see them again. So, goodbyes and best wishes exchanged, they headed out.

Imagine our surprise ten days later when, as we broke camp in Camden, and who do we run into but Robert and Kathy. We had a great chat, found out they didn’t love Ingonish as much as we did, and were having a great time heading south and back to Asheville. Of course, running into them didn’t come as a huge surprise…

Bruce:

We met Bruce on our second or third day in Cheticamp. We headed out to the lighthouse on La Pointe and noticed a VW minibus parked on the side of the road. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes, learned a bit about Bruce, the driver. Bruce is from California and had been traveling for a few months across the US and Canada. We recommended the campground to him and hoped to catch up with him later. Unfortunately, Bruce slipped in and out of the campground pretty quickly, so we never had a chance to chat.

Bruce

Fast forward another week or so, and Heather and I pulled into the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound to grab lunch after a day in Acadia National Park. As I get the RV parked on the shoulder, I hear a frantic honking and a VW bus swerves to the side of the road and parks in front of us. My first thought was, “Great, now we have some lunatic who doesn’t like my parking…” but I noticed a familiar logo on the spare tire.  Of course, it was Bruce… We spent a few minutes chatting on the side of the road, Bruce shared his blog with us so we could follow his trip, and we headed inside for a great meal.

I’ll have to write again later this week with the story of Margie and Larry and Greg and Jackie, two couples that we also met while on the road. Larry and Margie are longtime GMC owners and have an identical coach to ours, while Greg and Jackie are Cape Bretoners who we met in Ingonish. Greg is a commercial fisherman and was camping at Broad Cove with Jackie as a staycation after the fishing season. Look for the updates soon!

Filed Under: Canada, Destinations, Details, Nova Scotia

So, We Bought an RV…

11/01/2015 By Eric H. Doss Leave a Comment

So…

Last summer, Heather and I borrowed a RV from a close friend and headed west for a little adventure. The Rialta is built on a Eurovan chassis and, at 22 feet, is a small, nimble vehicle, perfect for first timers. So, we left Beaufort, Heather and I and Wallace the terrier, on a two-week journey to the Great Lakes. We figured either we’d kill each other or we’d love the RV life.

Well, we’re all still alive and the trip was amazing. We visited the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the UP of Michigan and the Quincy Mine (where my grandfather taught mining classes for Michigan Tech), and even fit in a stop at New River Gorge for some hiking on the way home. Most of all, we loved the people we met RVing. You would be hard pressed to find better folks than RV’ers. Everyone we met had stories of their first RV trips, how they caught the RV bug, their favorite campgrounds, and more.

We returned to Beaufort and batted around the idea of buying a RV, starting by looking at Rialtas, but the prices, even on a twenty year old vehicle, were just too much for our budget. So, we started combing eBay and other websites, looking for something we liked that was in our budget. We began to toss around the idea of a vintage motorhome, something with a retro look and, maybe more importantly, within our limited budget.

Fast forward a few months and I came across two vintage RVs in Beaufort, just off the bike trail I frequently use. Heather and I made a trip out one Saturday to find out some details about the rigs and if, just maybe, they were for sale. Well, a quick trip turned into an hour and a half lesson on the GMC Motorhome. We met Paul, a retired aircraft mechanic who was restoring one of the RVs. He was more than happy to show us around the rig, though it wasn’t for sale, and give us a ton of tips on finding the right GMC. Remember what I said about RV people being kind? Paul was no exception.

Before we even pulled out of the parking lot, it was clear that if we bought an RV, it was going to be a GMC.

We had a few false starts, including a trip to Tallahassee to see a beautiful GMC, though it required too much work to be the right one.

On the way home from that trip, we discovered a great GMC close to Nashville, where Heather’s parents live. With a trip coming up, we made plans to see the Nashville rig.

I didn’t get more than halfway down my checklist before I realized we would be hard pressed to find a better deal. A quick trip to the bank to get some cash, a few signatures, and Heather and I were the proud owners of “The Pickle”:

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Overall, Harvey, as we’ve re-christened him, is in good shape.  The interior has been updated and while it is not exactly what we would do ourselves, it is well done and quite functional.

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We have a few problems to sort out, including a permanent solution to a transmission fluid leak that I developed on the way home from Nashville. The previous owner was transparent about the issues the vehicle has, including a nonfunctional furnace, broken dash AC, some issues with the air suspension, and a few other smaller problems. We’re planning on heading off for a “shakedown cruise” in the next few weeks, as soon as the weather is a bit better and we have some free time. I’m sure the list of repairs will only grow…

Filed Under: Details Tagged With: GMC, Harvey the RV, New way to travel

Entering and Leaving Israel and Palestine

03/07/2014 By Eric H. Doss Leave a Comment

We recently returned from a 10 day trip to Israel and Palestine. This was our second trip to the Holy Land, our first being in 2005. What set this trip apart was the size of the group we led; a total of 29 people of all ages, from their early 30s to almost 80. Thankfully, we had a very uneventful entrance and exit, but it is not always that way. Entering Israel is almost as easy as any European country, but leaving can be more…complicated.

Entering Israel

Most importantly, if you’re coming from the US, UK, and many European countries, you will not need a visa. Of course, you should check the requirements to be sure. This article assumes that you are entering and leaving through Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Entering and leaving via Jordan and the Allenby Bridge can be more complicated and is a topic for a different article.

One thing you’ll notice throughout your experiences with Israeli border security and immigration folks is that they are very professional, but polite. That is, they strive to be polite, but are clearly on a mission. Entering Israel isn’t much different from entering a European country: you arrive and proceed to passport control. The officials will ask you if you’ve visited before, the purpose of your trip, and possibly details of your lodging accommodations. It never hurts to mention, if it’s true, that you’re there for a pilgrimage. One member of our group did have a little difficulty because of a misunderstanding about where we were staying. Politeness and persistence will pay off, as will having the contact information for your hotel or guesthouse.

On our first visit, Israel still stamped passports, but would stamp a card instead if you asked. This may seem odd, but many middle eastern countries will not allow you to enter if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport and the Israelis are well aware of this. Now, the passport control folks printed a small card that you keep in your passport. I recommend taping this into your passport so you don’t lose it. You’ll need this slip to exit.

Once you clear passport control, you head out to grab your bags from the luggage carousel and then proceed to customs. If you have nothing to declare, that’s it for you. You’ll be able to walk out of the international terminal and to your transportation.

Traveling between Israel and Palestine

Border crossings between Israel and Palestine are complicated. For ease of understanding, just imagine that the crossings between Israel and Palestine are international borders. Some technically are and some are not. But, for the sake of simplicity, just imagine. The situation at crossings is fluid and can change multiple times during the day. Generally, you will have less trouble entering Palestine (the West Bank), than returning to Israel. On our last trip, we entered Bethlehem via Checkpoint 300 without issue. We were traveling via bus and the border guards let us right in. However, when we tried to leave that night, Checkpoint 300 was backed up because of increased security. We tried another crossing and it was closed to buses, so we had to travel to another crossing before finding our way out that night.

When we traveled to the Dead Sea, we had almost no security scrutiny when we left Israel, but upon returning later that day, our bus was boarded by two IDF soldiers. They were polite and moved quickly, but it can be surprising to find two armed soldiers on your bus. After sweeping the bus, they checked the luggage area underneath and allowed us to enter.

If you are traveling by foot, you’ll likely find the entry and exit process very simple. I walked to Bethlehem one night with a friend and we had trouble even finding the guards inside Checkpoint 300. When we did, they seemed quite uninterested in us, both going and coming, and basically waved us through. Sometimes it pays to have a US passport.

Leaving Israel

Just as traveling between Israel and Palestine is pretty unpredictable, so too is leaving Israel via Ben Gurion Airport. Generally, you’re going to want to get there early. I recommend three hours before your flight. You’ll quickly notice that security here is very different than in the States.

First, you’ll likely be questioned before you even exit your vehicle. As with all government and military officials, answer politely, efficiently, and skip the schtick. More importantly, answer completely, but do not offer a lot of additional information. If they want to know more about your trip, don’t worry, they’ll ask. The more information you give, the more interested they’re going to be in your travel.

When you get to the airport, you’ll notice that the ticket agents are beyond security. You’ll find out what departure hall you’re going to (A, B, C, or D) and head over to the security line. Your carry on and checked baggage will be scanned right away, while it’s still in your possession and your passport will get a barcode sticker. This sticker will determine what your next step is. Some people will be allowed to proceed to the ticket counters, while others will have been selected for additional screening. Of course, I was selected.

Picking up my bag from the scanning machine, I headed over to the inspection counter. After a short wait, a young woman waved me over and told me to open my bag on the table. She carefully searched my entire bag, pulling a lot of gear out, examining some things, asking a lot of questions about my trip and the items in my luggage, and apologizing for the depth of the search. To her credit, even though the search was invasive, she was very nice and we chatted a bit about her wanting to visit the US and how she was saving money to do so. During this time, she asked a number of questions about my travels, who packed my bags, if anyone had handled my bags, and some general questions about my trip.

Once the inspection was over, she helped me repack my bag and guided me to the ticket counter. The upside of this level of security was that I was escorted to the front of the ticket line. I actually headed to the station manager’s counter where he quickly printed my tickets, checked my bag, and had me on my way. The security agent was responsible for escorting me to this point and making sure I kept moving, so with her job done, she wished me a safe trip and I headed into the next layer of security. For some people, however, this isn’t the end of security. On our first trip, we then had to go to a private screening area where we were carefully inspected, subjected to more questions, and even had to partially disrobe for security screening.

From here, you’d recognize the security procedures. Stand in line, go through the x-ray machine, open your carry-on, answer more questions, and then you’re done. This process was a little slower and less efficient than the first layer of security, but still not as inefficient as you’re likely used to in the States.

A final note, as you board the plane, there is another small security check. Generally, this is just a quick glance at you and your bag, but you’ll have to toss any beverages you have, so be prepared.

 

Filed Under: Details Tagged With: ben gurion airport, border crossing, customs, Israel, palestine

Your Traveled Guides

Eric and Heather Doss Heather is literally a "born" traveler; she was born abroad to military parents. Her love of traveling has taken her across the United States, to Central America, southern Africa and the Middle East.

Eric's international adventures began shortly after meeting Heather when they traveled together to Israel and Palestine. In addition to enjoying travel to Germany, Italy, Hungary and the Middle East, Eric is the default driver for their cross country road trips.

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