06/13 to 06/19 - Back-Achers Campground

 Back-Achers Campground

Himrod, New York

06/13 to 06/19, 2026

This journey wound up being more like a 5-hour trip with a stop for fuel and folks driving less than the speed limit allowed.

As this is my second time in as many years, the trip along country roads continues to amaze me. The scenery is spectacular. Up long route 17, especially north of Livingston Manor, the road is winding and hilly. Even though the speed limit is 55, precautionary slow-going is the rule no matter how quickly you want to get to your destination. And in a motor home? Even more care is needed. From Watkins Glen, the southern most town on Lake Senaca, route 14 north running parallel to the lake is the most amazing.  Rather than repeat, I'm keeping this blog short and direct the interested to last year's blog that describes the wonders of this region. You can reminisce HERE. You may even see the same scenic shots.

Once off rte 14, the road to the campground once again stirred wonder as I drove toward Seneca Lake... 

...the deepest of the Finger Lakes, over six hundred feet deep and...

...the longest, 38 miles from Geneva, NY to Watkins Glen.

Back-Achers Campground is about midway between and conveniently located in a secluded area on the west side of Seneca Lake on the Finger Lakes Wine Trail.

The sites are back to back here and this year, in site #19, I'm facing north. What I thought was going to be a "packed" campground turned out to be a deserted one by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around. Everyone left by noon. The fella behind me dropped off a bundle of wood he didn't use. What I don't use will be left for the next occupant. By Sunday night, a rainy one, I was one of three RVs enjoying the pitter patter of constant rain on my fiberglass roof. No trees and wide open skies afforded me excellent reception with my Starlink router. So? Steady rain, good Internet service for working on my blogs, a gin and tonic, and good food. I am a Happy Camper. Carlo made sure that I got my protein by supplying me with two dinners from the restaurant. (They had to be divided thus giving me six meals in all. Thank you, Carlo.)

The weather for the week was not encouraging but, if you know me, it made no difference at all. With predictions like this, I looked foward to the pitter patter of rain on my roof day or night. It would be time to continue relaxing, catching up and keeping busy with my blogs. With no Internet service from the camground, I relied on my Starlink mini which provided excellent service.

Thursday, however, things got ugly. The same wind event that swept across the northeast produced tornado warnings twice for my area. Nothing materialized so the wind didn't really affect me at the campground; the power outage resulting from a downed pole elsewhere did affect me. My two coach batteries were overcharged, sulfated and ruined soon after taking the RV out of storage. The smell of hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs) was so strong, I disconnected them and relied on shore power to maintain heating, lighting and refrigeration.  At 6:00 p.m. I was without power. With no power,

A life saver in many "dead battery" situations

I and a camping neighbor, Ed, (an electrical engineer) used my small battery pack  to jump start the propane driven generator. But with only 1/4 tank of propane, using my generator for power was going to be limited. 10:00 p.m., "quiet time" required shutting it off. I awoke to a (surprisingly) bright sky at 4:30 a.m. but still without power. I dare not open the frig. I decided not to wait any longer for power to return but rather take off for the 90-minute ride to Holley, NY and the comfort (and power) of friend, Ray's, driveway. I planned to be there Saturday anyway.

 

Not so fast, my friend. You have to retract your slide before leaving. BUT...that requires the engine running AND POWER from the batteries. Once again the generator had to be powered up. In came the slide and shortly thereafter, the propane tank was empty. I was uncomfortable knowing I couldn't run the generator while driving to Holley, but, lo and behold, on the way, a

Tractor Supply. $20.00 later and with a full propane tank, a running generator the rest of the way, I slipped into Ray's driveway with a big sigh of relief. After hooking up to shore power, the sigh of relief gave way to concern for what I would find in the refrigerator. 

Saga summary: not having very much in the freezer, most things were a step down from frozen but not soft and thawed. And the most surprising for me? (But not for the cringe-worthy, germ phobic, strict "date obsessives"), the half gallow of milk DATED 06/03/26, was still cold with NO SMELL and DIDN'T CURDLE in my welcomed hot cup of coffee. Hard to believe, but I asked AI: Yes, it's possible. The date on your milk (06/03/26) is almost certainly a sell-by or best-by date, not a hard expiration date. These are manufacturer guidelines for peak quality and store rotation, not safety cutoffs. Pasteurized whole milk, when properly refrigerated (at or below 40°F/4°C), can often remain good well beyond that date.

So, to conclude, another page is written that will amuse me in my old age when I read these entries in my diary called a blog post. I know there are those who cannot wrap their mind around the term, "Happy Camper" when obstacles like RVs catching fire, blown transmissions, flat tires, awning or couch replacements, power outages, frequent battery failures, ruined shoes or clothing due to unseen sparks emitted from campfires. Or, when temeratures are too low for effective heat pump operations or too high that ACs can't keep up with the demand and the inside of your RV is 92º; or even, heaven forbid, running out of milk for coffee or ice cubes for my afternoon cocktail.  Perhaps true happiness isn't the absence of these 'bumps in the road', but the quiet defiance of calling myself a "Happy Camper" anyway. One day I'll reread these entries, smile at the chaos I've traveled with and realize the obstacles weren't interruptions to the journey—they were the journey.

Never underestimate the joy of relaxation, unless you're without power.