We are down to our last 3 camping stops of the trip: Ithaca, Niagara Falls and then Ohiopyle in PA. We’ve had a bit of a rough time lately. Phineas has been struggling with the confines of the camper and the lack of consistent routine. We’ve been back and forth as whether we need to fly him home to stay with my parents while we finish up the trip. We bought a ticket and were set to drive him to the airport today but then he decided to stick it out for a few more days. It helps that Ithaca is a bigger town with a game store to play some magic. And yay for COVID-era flight flexibility.

Jake’s back has also been hurting. He had a bad bout of sciatica due to a bulging disc a few years ago and it’s starting to flare up again. The physical demands of setting up camp, hitching and unhitching the trailer and loading the heavy electric bikes into the truck are definitely not helping.

I’m starting to worry about the pile of work waiting for me when I get back. My plan was to work a couple hours everyday to stay on top of critical things but I’m finding that even if I’m able to carve out the time (which is not easy) I’m way less efficient working in small snippets, and it’s really hard to dig into harder tasks. Internet access has been spotty and the ergonomics of working from the camper, or a chair outside, are way less than ideal. I keep telling myself that I’ll get to x,y, or z when I have a better setup or I get home, but that list is growing and growing!

Penelope is being an absolute trooper. But I’m sure she’d prefer that everyone be a little less grumpy (and that we have better internet access)!

On the upside, we’re staying in Robert Treman state park in Ithaca, NY and it’s beautiful. I’m heading out on a solo hike to take in the beauty and clear my head. We’re all looking forward to exploring here!