S2 E70 NJ wineries NJ Devil and family trip MWAH BOO - a podcast by Paul Sebastian

I met Gina in Albany NY, who runs a non profit that brings yoga and mindfulness to first responders and front line workers . That account is @courageouswarriorcoalition
Changed the oil on a motorhome and the two cars. We got the rig loaded up for a 11-day trip through New Jersey. We have reserved a campground for two nights at 2 different wineries through Harvest Hosts. And five nights at 2 different Boondockers Welcome locations. Both have electric and the last one has a dump available, yay. On the way South we hopped on the garden State parkway and was very confusing about where motorhomes were allowed and weren't allowed. So we emailed the New Jersey turnpike authority and asked about any restrictions for a 30-foot motorhome towing a jeep and they responded back "no restrictions".
So our first stop is old cedar Campground. We are picking up our grandson and taking him there for a haunted Halloween Walk and trick or treating.
Pulled in plugged in progressive Industries EMS and our post had 136 volts. So the surge protector did what it was supposed to do. But that meant we didn't have electricity. And so they moved us to a vacant spot even though they were full. We picked up Trish's grandson went back to the rig and had T bones on the grill. Then we did a spooky walk in the campground, what fun ! This was our 1st Halloween in a campground. Then we lit a campfire and relaxed. The next day we played miniature golf, pool and such. We then walked from the campground to the local winery. Then out for dinner and back to the rig we played cards and read in the rain.
The next morning we talked to the campground to see if we can leave the rig there for a while while we drove our grandson home. They said sure no problem. I then disconnected and noticed our water pump was not working. I checked the fuse that wasn't it I took out the wall panel to get at the pump. I can hear the pump pumping but not very loudly so I figured it must be a clogged filter on the pump turned off the pump closed the water valve took out the filter and voila that was the problem. So after we get back to the rig we drove a full half hour to Bellview Winery for a Harvest Host stay. Here's a is a link to a discount for Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, solar equipment and RV mattresses
https://relaxrv.org/discounts-to-help-lower-your-stress/
On the way we drove through Vineland and Trish noted Vineland is the largest city in New Jersey. We bought a bottle of wine and a sangria and sat and enjoyed a glass. Then we drove over to Parvin State Park for about four and a half miles. Then back to the ring set by the vineyard and enjoyed a glass of their wine and sandwiches Trish had made, but it was too cold and we went into the rig to eat and put refectix in the windows. It was 42 degrees Sunday night. Next day we hooked up and drove an hour to Natali Vineyards in Cape May Court House, NJ. for another night at a Harvest Hosts location. But on the way, we hopped off the GSP and drove along the NJ shore and visited Sea Isle City. But to get there we had to go over a drawbridge and while we fit there was only about 2 in on each side of the rig. It was a little out of my comfort zone. We got to Natalie Winery checked in bought bottle of wine and a and a dark chocolate covered biscotti. Unhooked the Jeep and drove over to the Cape May park and zoo. https://www.capemaycountynj.gov/1148/Plan-Your-Visit
They have free admission and some nice trails it was a nice way to spend a chilly windy afternoon. On the way back to the rig we stopped at
Jessie Creek winery, then to the rig for dinner.
The next day we drove north to the Pine Barrens, to a Boondockers Welcome host location. Apparently the Pine Barrens is known as the "Blueberry Capital of the World".
https://www.jerseysbest.com/community/how-the-pine-barrens-became-one-of-the-blueberry-capitals-of-the-world/
and there are a lot of cranberry Bogs here. Apparently most of the cranberries go to Ocean Spray.
We were here for 2 nights and the host offered 15amp. To get here we avoided the GSP and took local roads which was nice. We got set up and drove into the pine barrens. We drove in about 3 miles and then hiked for 4 more miles. Went back to rig and cooked dinner on the grill. Our hosts invited us to join them at their fire pit. Where we had a nice conversation exchanging traveling experiences.
The next day we drove 15 miles through the Pine Barrens to Batsto Village https://batstovillage.org/ .
A very interesting piece of history. We then drove back into the pine barrens and hiked for 3 miles. We then went to Valenzano Winery, where we had a glass of their wine. We stopped at Russo's fruit and vegetables farm. Wow what a huge place. We bought a few different items. Then to the rig for salmon on the grill.
The next day we headed north to Princeton, NJ. To another boondockers welcome host location. We chose this location for two reasons one is close to Trish's aunt and cousins. Any other reason is it's close to where my brother Mike and his wife Jen used to live. We pulled in. Met our host. We plugged in but our EMs gave an error code of reversed polarity. And talked to our host he said he's never had an issue and pulled out of voltmeter everything was wired correctly. So perhaps the high voltage reading at the campground earlier the week was false. We completed an online warranty claim for progressive Industries and we'll see what happens.
We then headed over to the D&R canal hopped on or tandem bike and road for about 5 miles, stopped and had sandwiches and a glass of wine and rode back to the car. We then drove to The Tigers Tale restaurant and bar. Why? This was the place that Mike and Jen frequented. Trish and I had visited them years ago before they moved to Florida and they brought us there one evening. So we wanted to visit #tigerstaleprinceton @tigerstalenj
#tigerstale and toasted Mike and Jen. It was bittersweet. We met a bunch of the staff who knew them and they shared wonderful memories of them with us. ❤ Love you guys ! https://tigerstalenj.com/
The next day we visited Princeton University. We walked around for over 3 hours looking at the architecture and such. Beautiful. We got fantastic crepes at Jammin Crepes, YUM. We then went to a local Winery but saw their prices of wine we hopped back in the car and headed back to the canal path for a short walk. Then back to the rig we cooked shrimp and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. Yum again. The next day we visited with Trish’s aunt and cousins. A great time catching up with everyone. The next day we packed up and headed home. We took local roads which added 15 mins but saved us $12 in tolls. Gotta love the north east.

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