We left Virginia four days late. We had a wedding to attend in less than a week. Racing southwest, we concentrated not on visiting the places we passed through, but on getting to know our new RV.
As with any adventure there were joys and troubles.
Because we hadn't yet de-winterized the motor home (flushed the anti-freeze out of the water lines), we didn't have running water. And the temperatures outside were dipping into the 20's at night. So one of our first joys was the unlimited hot water that our very first campground, Dixie Caverns Campsites, had in the bathhouse. As it turned out, all the subsequent campgrounds offered this benefit; one even had in-shower bath gel dispensers.
Another happy experience at this and all the campgrounds our first week was sites level enough to need only the auto-level stabilizers, without additional physical levelers. It made our arrivals much easier, as we drove until after dark every night. While late arrival was completely not recommended by experts and friends, we felt confident enough because we were only hooking up our electric power, and had done that often in the dark in our own driveway.
We also appreciated the easy availability of campground sites at this time of year, letting us decide each day how far we could drive and where we would need to stop. Our AllStays Pro membership helped us find campgrounds that felt safe and comfortable and had the amenities we needed. And each campground had its own charm: a rushing river at Dixie Caverns Campsites in VA; a walk in snowy woods at Belle Ridge Retreat in TN;
a chattering flock of grackles as the moon set and the sun rose at Memphis KOA in AR;
and ducks and a great blue heron at Shady Lake RV Park in TX.
(Wondering what the fifth state was? Driving around Memphis, we passed through a tiny bit of Missouri.)
Another joy was everything that went smoothly this first week: driving down the interstate, the furnace and refrigerator operating properly, having the propane tank refilled at Tractor Supply Company, and slowly de-winterizing the rig from campsite to campsite (drain the anti-freeze; fill the system with water and sanitizer; drive for a day; drain the system; fill it again with water and sanitizer; drive for a day; drain the system; done!)
But of course an adventure also includes setbacks, or "opportunities for learning":
1. Before we left Virginia, we discovered that the "M" in our branded "Jayco Greyhawk 29MV" decal had disappeared off the side of our rig. As a somewhat OCD personality, this bugged me more than it should, until I made myself let it go. (But not entirely - I probably still will call Jayco at some point to request a replacement letter decal.) Lesson: Don't sweat the small stuff.
2. Pulling out of a short, steeply sloped driveway after picking up Hershey from pet boarding, we bottomed out the rear hitch and also tore the trailer wiring connector. Fortunately, since we're not towing a trailer or vehicle, this is not an urgent fix. Lesson: A steeply sloped driveway is not our friend.
3. On our way out of Virginia, we drove onto a CAT Scale to review our total weight and individual axle weights. Oops - 200 pounds over our GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 14,500 pounds. Lesson: Downsizing doesn't stop when you move into your RV. We will soon begin a month-long stay with my mom, and will work on shedding more of our stuff, especially paperwork. We were not as choosy with what we cleaned out of our home and offices as we obviously needed to be!
4. On our drive through Tennessee, we experienced the low clearance of the installed auto-level stabilizers (confirmed through a web search of owner forums). Upon checking into our campsite, we discovered that we had lost our rear passenger-side SnapPad. Lesson: Watch out for low clearance risks on the road, such as speed bumps, potholes, and road dips.
5. Also in Tennessee, on a rural road, the driver got distracted by something falling over inside the rig, and didn't notice an upcoming bump in the road, which caused more things to fall over. Fortunately, the only casualty was some potting soil from a plant. Lesson: While driving, leave the interior rig oversight to your passenger, or pull over and inspect it safely if traveling alone. Lesson 2: Everything except steady interstate driving requires slower speeds and more strapping down than you think it will.
6. Related to that, we found that where we were placing one of our e-bicycles inside the rig cracked the slat on the furnace intake vent. Lesson: Just because it looks like wood doesn't mean it's sturdy enough to stand up to a 50-pound object bumping into it. And review item placements for where they can shift to, not just where they are.
7. We stop periodically to take Hershey for a walk, often at gas stations and travel centers, and of course we walk him at the campground. We have discovered that there apparently aren't enough doggie poop bags in the world to clean up all the dog poop that has been left in grassy areas. Lesson: Watch where you walk.
8. At one campground, we hooked into the wifi with our Roadlink wifi amplifier, only to find the next morning that our Roadlink password no longer worked. Software glitch? Hack? Lesson: Whether you're at home or on the road, immediately upon activation, personalize the SSID and password of any computer network devices. We reset the Roadlink to factory settings and then personalized it.
9. Our VIAIR portable air compressor works great for topping off four of our six tires to the recommended PSI for our rig's weight. Unfortunately, the 45-degree extended reach chuck was not the right angle for our outside dually wheels. Lesson: You may need extra accessories for your situation (such as a 60-degree chuck!). Lesson 2: The mechanics at the TA TravelCenter service plaza in (I think) Arkansas were so nice and so helpful to show us how to remove the Dicor hubcaps to get at the valve stems and to air up our two remaining tires for us.
10. Our Truma AquaGo Comfort water heater was not completely installed, and we aren't able to (or don't understand how to) get it to work even at a basic level of heating water. Disappointing! But once again, thank goodness for the comfy campground bathhouses. Lesson: Just as with a sticks-and-bricks home, not everything is going to work perfectly when you first move in. Roll with it as you work on a solution!
11. Our motor home is not only long, it's tall. While at a travel stop, with one of us driving and one of us working at the dinette, we hit a low hanging roof that we just hadn't seen and knocked off the Roadlink dome. We picked up the dome, backed out to the open parking lot, and climbed up onto the coach's roof - in a cold, pelting rain, of course - to inspect the damage. Two circuit boards had been knocked loose, but no real damage was evident - all the boards and wires looked intact. (Which is not to say that the impact and rain may not have shorted it out or otherwise broken it.) We reseated the boards and Gorilla Taped the cracked dome back on. We're waiting for an available time and sunshine to climb back up and see if it is salvageable. Meanwhile, we're connecting through campground wifi and cell phone hotspots. Lesson: Off the interstate, both the driver and the passenger need to apply all their attention to the immediate surroundings. Lesson 2: Remember to look up as well as around! Lesson 3: Stuff can be fixed or replaced; don't sweat the small stuff (throwback to the very first lesson in this adventure). Shout out to our friend Randy for reminding us that it's all small stuff!
We've had a lovely time in Austin, attending the wedding of the daughter of good friends of ours. (Eric was the best man at our wedding, Doug was the best man at his wedding, and now here we are celebrating with the next generation!) We also had a beautiful relaxing day at Becker Vineyards, with a picnic lunch, fascinating tour of the winemaking process, and a wine tasting for our wine-enjoying friends.
Tomorrow we get back on the road. Destinations: RV repair, baseball, and the beach!
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