On Our Way Again – November 2024
Our baby (Pivot) had been put too bed for her long winter’s nap and after a myriad of medical appointments and coach prep, we were ready to hit the road.
We had a specific schedule because we had an appointment at Spartan Chassis in Charlotte, MI, on November 11th for general maintenance. Leaving RI on November 6th, it would be a series of one night stays so we could arrive in Charlotte on November 10th. Planning a trip in November is a little challenging because many of the campgrounds have already shut down for the winter so there are not a lot of choices.
It was an uneventful drive to our first stop, Tri-State RV Park, a campground we had stayed at many times before. Although it doesn’t have much to offer, it is located near the highway, making it an easy and convenient place to stop. Site #42, a large pull thru, would be our home for that first night. Not much else to say about our stay here.
Probably the highlight of our fast paced journey to Michigan was our next stop, Bald Eagle State Park in Howard, PA.
Located on 5900 acres near the base of Bald Eagle Mountain, the park has two campgrounds with 97 campsites (40 full hookup), three cottages, two yurts and the 1730 acre Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir which offers boating, a marina with 369 slips, fishing, swimming, four picnic areas, 11 miles of hiking trails and wildlife watching.
For those who do not have an RV, other accommodations are available at the Nature Inn, an award-winning eco-lodge, which offers a blend of comfort and sustainability with stunning views of the lake and surrounding forest.
Fortunately we arrived at the park just before 2:00 p.m. so once we were settled into our site #M108, we had time to explore the park.
The reservoir was created by the Foster Joseph Sayers Dam, which was completed in 1969 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This earth fill dam stands 100 feet above the streambed, spans 6,835 feet in length and has a storage capacity of 99,000 acre-feet and controls a drainage area of 339 square miles. Since its completion, the dam has prevented more than $212 million in flood damages for downstream communities.
In addition to having the dam named after him, there is a memorial park honoring Foster Joseph Sayers who was born on April 27, 1924. He enlisted in the U.S. Army from Howard in March 1943 and served as a Private First Class in Company L, 357th Infantry, 90th Infantry Division during World War II.
Tragically, on November 12, 1944, near Thionville, France, Sayers exhibited extraordinary bravery when he advanced under intense enemy fire to position his machine gun just 20 yards from German forces. Recognizing the need to divert enemy attention to allow his company to maneuver, he charged directly into hostile fire, killing 12 German soldiers at close range. His engaging of the enemy enabled his company to secure the hill with minimal casualties but he was killed by concentrated return fire during this action. For his selfless heroism, Sayers was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration for valor. His citation highlights his “indomitable fighting spirit, aggressiveness, and supreme devotion to duty.”
Since we were very impressed with this State Park, another visit is probably in the cards at some future date.
Located in Cortland, Ohio, Mosquito Lake State Park was our next overnight stop. The lake is one of the largest lakes in Ohio with more than 7,000 acres of surface area and the surrounding parkland covers 2,483 acres of mature woodlands and expansive marshes. Boating and fishing are two of the top outdoor activities here, but the park also offers hiking, horseback riding, and snowmobiling in winter.
Initially we had planned on stopping at the Indian Meadows Service Plaza where they offered 10 pull thru RV sites on Saturday night. But after doing research and driving through the Service Plaza we determined that these sites are limited to 40′ so we decided to push on to Spartan.
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