Stop #18 today! I can't believe how quickly this trip is clicking by. Today we pulled chocks at Camp Perry promptly at 0659 hrs. We drove 321 miles around the southern side of Lake Erie and through Buffalo NY to a small campground on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, called Daisy Barn Campground.
We pulled in at 1344 hrs, 6 hrs 45 minutes after we departed. That is a long travel day for us. We normally shoot for 250 miles max. Gotta blame the planner (me) for this one! It was not a bad drive, though.
Mostly all interstate or four lane roads. We are here throughout the week, departing on Saturday 8 June.
Daisy Barn has many full hookup sites, many pull-through including ours. It appears a good portion of the campers here are season, meaning they leave their RV here all summer, but there are plenty of sites for transients like us.
Daisy Barn is located right on Lake Ontario. This afternoon we walked down to the shore after we got all set up.
Tonight we walked back down towards the shore and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and the lights of Toronto in the distance.
Doreen compiled a long list of "to-do's" while we are here, but we have visited this area before, in 2016. We've seen most of the lighthouses, Niagra Falls, etc etc. The one big one on our list is reconnecting with a great friend and military comrade Matthew P. Steffan, aka Captain Zap. Matt lives in northern Buffalo, just a half hour from the campground.
I was at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi MS July-December 1973 attending technical training school for electronics fundamentals and radio repair. Matt was there also and we were both assigned the same barracks bay. His room was right across from mine. On Friday nights there was usually a poker game in his room with adult beverages and cigars, all allowed in the barracks back then. On occasion he would dress up as a "super hero" called "Captain Zap" and race through the halls of the barracks.
After tech school I was assigned to Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine, where we are headed on this trip. Most of you know the history. I showed up there in January 1974, came home on leave in March and married my high school sweetheart Doreen. I contacted Matt and sure enough he flew into Cedar Falls and attended our wedding!!
After the wedding Doreen and I returned to Loring to continue my Air Force career, start our married life and family. Matt ended up stationed in England I believe. Over the years we have stayed in touch and he will join us for dinner here in the campground on Wednesday evening!
Stats: This is campground #18 of 42
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