He only spends about a month or two a year in the city, but Charlie Rossi still calls his native Peekskill home sweet home.
On the road approximately 10 months a year in his recreational vehicle (RV), Rossi recently met his goal of visiting all 48 states in the continental United States.
Last year, the 82-year-old realized that he was missing nine states on his bucket list, a count he began 10 years ago when he bought his first RV and started traveling the country.
Rossi, a Peekskill High School class of 1960 graduate, is a retired Hendrick Hudson biology teacher and computer coordinator. He listed the states he needed to see: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
“I was sitting outside my RV where I have a map of the United States and noted all the states I’ve visited,” says the affable Rossi. “I noticed there were nine states blank, mostly along the norther tier, and that’s when seeing those became a bucket list item.”
From New York to Washington and back
So he got his 25-foot 2018 Winnebago View – which he fondly calls “Winnie” — on the road in 2024 for these nine states. Reading from an Excel itinerary, the highly organized Rossi recounts his trip: He left Croton Point Park Campsite for Watkins Glen, Holly, and Niagara Falls, NY, making his first trip to see the falls. He then met another RV couple, who was traveling to Grand Forks, ND. He followed them through Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and arrived in Grand Forks, ND, where he spent a week. He departed from his friends and went to South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, stopping to tour Yellowstone National Park and Craters of the Moon National Monument. After stops in Oregon and Washington, he began driving back east, meeting other RV friends in Pennsylvania’s Amish country, before heading home to Peekskill.
All in all, Rossi estimates stopping in 30 campgrounds in 2024.
He classifies his travels into summer trips, which run from June through October, and winter trips, from November to May, with a month or two usually spent at home at his co-op in Peekskill. “I’m usually home May and October,” he recalls. While home in Peekskill, he spends time staying in Winnie at the Croton Point Park Campground with RV friends and members of the Hudson Islanders RV Club.
When the Peekskill Herald caught up with Rossi, he was ending a week of camping in Delray Beach, Florida, enroute to spend the holidays with his son in West Palm Beach.
“I normally winterize the RV in November, and store it until the spring, but last year I decided not to do that, and keep traveling. Now, I won’t be home till May,”
Does the divorced father of two grown children get lonely on the road? He answers an emphatic “‘No!’ My kids are starting to worry about me on the road so much, but my motto is: Death and old age can’t hit a moving target. But the reality is that the day is coming when I can’t do this, but fortunately my health is good, I’m alert, and I can navigate traffic.”
Never Lonely; Always Busy
Having driven cross-country four times, Rossi says there’s no time to be lonely on the road. “I like the saying, ‘You’re never alone when you like the person you’re alone with. I’m never lonely. What-ifs and suppose-ems never cross my mind.”
He continues: “There’s so much to do. As a biology teacher, I’m soaking in nature. I research the area for the highlights, take photos, write, and I’m a foodie. If I can get to a restaurant I’ll blog about the food. “I cook now and then. Mostly quick stuff and pasta. I also have frozen meals; I’m a Trader Joes guy.”
Rossi likes to travels with other RVers and members of the club, and once in a destination, he visits with local friends and family. He spent Thanksgiving, for example, with loved ones, who frequently host him at their homes, take him out to a meal, or tour him around the area. He recently spent time with a granddaughter, a marine biologist for Dade County, Florida, during one of his trips.
A lot of time, he says, is spent blogging about his travels, in a commentary called Winnie and Me. “I love to write,” said the prolific author, whose blogs showcase photos, maps, campsite plots, restaurants, and local trivia. He says his blog is followed by approximately 100 readers.
Paying bills online, staying current with mail, and running his life from thousands of miles away from Peekskill keep him busy.
“My mail is being tended by a neighbor,” he says, and he also monitors the U.S. online postal site. “If any bills or checks come, I have my neighbor open them and I pay everything online.”
Estimated Travel Expenses
He estimates travel expenses at about $8,000 for campsite fees and another $3,600 on fuel for 10 months on the road. “Then there are groceries, dining out, entertainment attractions, propane, repairs, and miscellaneous to consider, but many of these would be expenses while at home, as well, so I don’t count those.”
After the holidays, he’ll back track from Florida through Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey to New York, and is looking forward to taking the RV on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry for the first time. “I’ll wind up in Peekskill at the end of April, and I’m anxious to see my neighbors and friends.”
He also was anticipating the June rally with the Hudson Islanders Club at Croton Point Park.
“In a sense, with the amount of time I spend, I consider Winnie a home, but my true home is Peekskill,” he says with a smile.
He attributes his wanderlust nature to being single and free. “I don’t want to call myself a hermit; I’m a Gemini and a people-person.” But he adds that after about two weeks in one destination, he’s ready to move on.
“I’m often asked, what’s your favorite spot. I’ve concluded that they’re all fantastic. But what’s important is the journey, not the destination. I’ve seen great things. It’s a beautiful country. I have a lot of wow moments looking at the oceans, the mountains, the farm lands.”
“Once you get out and see what’s out there … oh my goodness. Especially the people you meet along the way.”
“Charlie’s a real happy camper. If I was any happier, I’d be two people. it’s all good, and as long as I can do this, I’ll do it.”
He’s making plans for a summer 2025 trip with fellow RVers to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
