Little accident - Day 431 (Yr 2, Day 64)

Asheville, NC

Everything is fine, hopefully, and for a change it didn't involve a vehicle.  Mitch was out on a job and he slipped and fell, bending his arthritic knee backwards a little (it was a choice of walking down a wet, slippery grassy incline or down a concrete path strewn with papers.  He didn't realize the papers were of the glossy, brochure type which made them just as slippery as the grass).  He was able to get up and walk around, although it felt very sore, so we spent a few hours at the urgent care center.  Dr. took x-rays and didn't see anything out of the ordinary (he did see a lot of missing cartilage and bone spurs, and gave him a referral to an orthopedist, which he's wanted to do anyway for more Efflexor shots).  Anyway, the outcome of the visit was it's probably just a twist and he should stay off of it for a day or 2, keeping it elevated and iced as much as possible.  He can return to work on Wednesday.  His boss is being extremely generous: rather than docking his pay, he said he will be "in training."

Meanwhile, the location of the urgent care center took us in a direction I haven't been through yet -- Biltmore Village.  Apparently this is also a very historical area as well.  It reminds me quite a lot of Forest Hills, NY where all the buildings are Tudor style and very upscale.  I'm hoping to get some time to walk around that area too, as it's very different from the downtown area or the arts district.  At some point, I also hope to go to Hendersonville or the Black Mountains for the gorgeous nature settings which the area is really known for (not to mention the Biltmore Estate and Winery).

Meanwhile, the High Holidays are looming right around the corner.  Our friend from shul (Morgan) is alone so we invited her to spend a holiday meal with us.  I have a lot of cooking planning to do!

Updates & Downtown Asheville - Day 430 (Yr 2, Day 63)

Asheville, NC

Sorry I haven't written all week, but I hate to write the "same old, same old," and there wasn't much to report on that was different or out of the ordinary or that I haven't already written about.  Although I can see this is going to be a very long post!

We're still enjoying the lifestyle.  We both especially love spending time outside in the "back yard" overlooking the river.  A few times this week I set my laptop up at the picnic bench and worked outside.  We even made a campfire one evening.

We did meet a few interesting folks as well.  In general, there seems to be a huge turnover here - people generally come in just for a few days.  For instance, we met a lovely couple - Joe and Chris - who live in Spring Hill, FL.  They've done a lot of traveling in their Keystone Cougar (with rear entrance).  They were planning to spend about a week here (never been to Asheville before), but there is a potential hurricane heading to FL and they wanted to be home, just in case.

Another extremely interesting couple arrived in their bus conversion - a 1948 Greyhound!  If you look closely, you can still see the words and the dog in the metal.  But let me tell you - this is as much a hippie bus as the 60s Volkswagens!  Mark is the owner and he invited me in to take a peek (ok, I invited myself).  Again -total hippiedom!  He said he bought it about 9 years ago specifically for the purpose of Burning Man, and has traveled the entire country 7 times since then.  He's in Asheville, actually, for a meetup with a bunch of Burning Man friends.  They've rented a huge house in the mountains, but the bus won't fit up those hills so he's leaving it at the campground.

Another interesting couple who pulled in yesterday, Kurt and ?? (I didn't get to meet his wife yet) own a 1970s Airstream - one of the originals.  It's quite a beauty, even though I'm not sure I'd be happy living in it.  They just started full timing a few months ago (from this area).  His wife is an occupational therapist.  They'll be here until mid-Sept. so I'm hopeful we'll get to know each other better.

Now to the updates... we did have an mobile tech come and look at the freezer and a/c - which, by the way, haven't been leaking again.  The a/c is probably better because of the diversion Mitch created.  The tech said it was a gasket that needed replacing, which is covered by the warranty, so we'll get that done next week (I'm sure it's something Mitch can do, but since it involves removing the a/c unit, he'd rather pay the deductible and have a professional do it).  Regarding the frig leak, it all seems to be fine since we shut off the water supply to the ice maker.  That's not something the tech wants to do because he doesn't feel there's enough space to remove the unit and he doesn't want to cause any damage to the counter.  He suggested that if it's still a problem, to take it to a shop that will have more liability.  For now, we're grateful that we had a year of luxury of an automatic ice maker, but decided to invest $5.00 in a few ice cube trays and a small container to hold the cubes.

And now for today - the first time since we arrived here (on Aug. 3rd) that we actually went out and did something besides shopping and chores.  The plan was to go to the downtown area and walk around a bit.  There were 2 things that seemed enticing: the pinball museum (play old fashioned pinball and video games for a flat admission fee) or a music & beer tour (Asheville is known for its many, many craft breweries).  Mitch really wasn't interested in the standard historical trolley tour, and neither of us are interested in the haunted tour.  There was also a comedy tour and a few different beer tours.  Anyway, we figured we'd just play it by ear when we got there.

As expected, it was very difficult to find a parking spot.  After riding around the city a few times, we finally found a lot that had 1 space in the back corner that would accommodate our truck.  I think next time we'll take a bus and our urb-e's (http://www.urb-e.com) (which, by the way, are finally starting to ship, so with any luck, maybe we'll have ours by the end of September)  Don't freak at the price -- we bought ours when it was part of the Indigogo campaign so it was about half the price.  It folds up real compact and can be put in the back seat of the truck or taken on a bus or train.

Got off the subject there.... anyway, we parked and found we were just a few blocks from Pack Square Park - a large park in the center of the city where they hold a lot of events.  It turned out that this week was the "Organicfest" - loads of vendors with green or organic products -- everything from handmade fabrics and soaps, to farm grown shitake mushrooms and honey (one vendor brought a hive), to lots of awesome vegetarian / vegan foods. Best of all, all of the vendors are local.  I didn't realize just how health conscious a town this is, although initially I did observe it was a very hipster town, thus a healthy lifestyle would make a lot of sense.  Our take-aways (purchases) from the fair were:  dark chocolate coconut, shitake mushrooms, 5 different styles of homemade tempeh, and sesame and smoked sea salt.  We also sampled pear and bourbon based hard cider, shared a thai tempeh veggie wrap for lunch and a delicious goat milk gelato for dessert.  It was a blast and I was in heaven sampling all this good stuff.  We learned of about 5 vegetarian & vegan restaurants in the area as well; can't wait to try them.  I noticed that the area really doesn't have a focus on southern food which is mostly BBQ joints.  I'm sure that's easily found outside of Asheville.

One thing I noticed -- I don't know if I'm just so out of the fashion world and don't see these things, or if it's limited to Asheville, but watching people I felt like we were in the 60's with all the tie-dyed prints and psychedelic colors.

The city itself is very quaint.  Although not the River Arts District (a tour for another day), it is a very creative town with a lot of painted murals all over the place.  Even the graffiti is very artistic.  Stores are very mom & pop.  I don't know the history of the architecture, but some of the buildings are very beautiful.

And now, the photo tour:


This is a 3D mural directly across the street from where we parked.

Sample graffiti:

A very interesting diner:

I never heard of this before today - the "Before I Die" wall (http://beforeidie.cc/site/about/).  After reading about this, it was great to have participated in something so much bigger than myself.  This was awesome!  We actually met the man who maintains it daily (sadly, he says that some kids come and write nasty things or draw mean pictures).  Basically you fill in the blank next to "before I die I want to...."

I posted my message:  "Before I die I want to do more to help others."  How very interesting that within about 1-2 minutes after I wrote that, a homeless woman approached me and asked if I could help her buy something to eat (of course we gave her a generous donation).  I think the Universe heard me!

Some examples of how "hippie" the town is.  These 2 stores are very typical of most of the ones we passed:

Another thing going on in Asheville is a brass sculpture collection (http://www.ashevillenc.gov/Departments/ParksRecreation/CulturalArts/CulturalArts-PublicArttheUrbanTrail/UrbanTrailWalkingTour.aspx)  We didn't do the whole tour but we did come across one small park (Pack Square Park).  The placque tells of how this area was a crossroads for drovers of turkeys and hogs.

Monument to a Confederate war hero:

Some views of buildings and streets.

There was never a lack of entertainment and street performers.  Here are guitar players, a mime statue (I really thought it was a statue until he moved) and some hula dancers.  I took a video of them dancing, but it didn't come out very well.

And now for some of the things we saw at the Organicfest fair:

Bike race.  Participants were treated to a free massage!

Live entertainment

 Even something for the kids:

This one for Jessica (I was thinking about you when I saw this.  We didn't go inside for fear that we might buy something, or a lot - that we don't have room for.

Closer look at logo on truck:

Around town - Day 423 (Yr 2, Day 56)

Asheville, NC

First, I have to say that I hate fruit flies!!!  We seem to be infested with them again.  I'm able to drown a few in a glass of wine vinegar, but not enough of them.  I suppose it could be worse (like roaches or snakes!)  Still - just so annoying!

This morning Mitch was up on the roof trying to figure out the cause of the leak thru the light fixture in the bedroom.  It was confirmed that it's directly under the a/c.  He's pretty sure he needs to remove the unit as he didn't see anything around it to caulk.  Just like with the frig, he made a diversion system so any water coming from the unit will be redirected off the roof.  Meanwhile, I did call a mobile RV tech but they may not be able to come out until next Friday.  I guess we'll just have to survive without ice and a/c in the bedroom for a few days.  Then again, the bedroom leak isn't that great so I can probably run it for a little while.

Today we visited the WNC (Western No. Carolina) farmer's market, which seems almost equivalent to the other state run one in Raleigh, although I think Raleigh is a bit nicer aesthetically.  One building was dedicated to private vendors and little shoppes, most of who sold either crafts, cheese, wine or canning jars of jam or peaches or relishes or sauces.  Then there was the huge area where the farm stands were.  It must not be full growing season yet, as the predominant produce (90% of what was there) were watermelons and peaches, with a few tomatoes and peppers.  I was a little disappointed that there wasn't all that much to choose from.

We then found a Dollar Tree nearby, in a section called Asheville Outlets - a large indoor and outdoor mall with all the upscale mall type stores.  It looked like a nice walking layout, but not my cup of tea.  I prefer more rustic, locally owned mom & pop type stores in the area.  The arts district and downtown area are like that.  Hopefully we'll (or should I say I because Mitch works in those areas) get a chance to explore further.  I know there's a trolley tour downtown which we're hoping to go on.  Maybe next Sunday?  Ah, we all know about plans!

Update on the frig - Day 421 (Yr 2, Day 54)

Asheville, NC

Mitch's homemade remedy of Seran wrap and tape worked well to divert the flow of water to the outside of the rig rather than through the seams into the inside.  However, the leaking seemed to have stopped and by the morning the towels were still dry and there was no sign of water on the plastic.  I noticed there was about 1/2" of ice inside the freezer, so I'm thinking that must have caused the air flow to stop or at least had a lot to do with why it was leaking.  I defrosted the freezer this morning and so far, so good.  I called an RV mobile tech but they said it would be hard to diagnose the problem if they couldn't actually see a problem; it was better if it was still leaking so at least they could see where the leak was coming from.  So I guess we'll count our blessings for now and keep a close eye on it.

Oddly, I also felt a drop of water from the ceiling under the fluorescent light in the bedroom (while I was folding laundry).  I think that's right under where the a/c unit is.  I turned the a/c off for a while and it was fine.  I think I will have Mitch go up on the roof on Sunday and clean out the vents as I'm sure it hasn't been cleaned in the 8 years of the rig's life.

We were going to invite a friend from shul over, but I decided to give her a rain check.  I explained that although it was shallow and insane of me, I felt it was too much pressure to get the house ready (scrubbing, vacuuming, etc) for guests, in light of how much work I had to do and not being sure what the water situation would be like.  Now I feel very bad.  I mean, I could care less what other people's homes look like - the messier, the more lived in!  So why do I demand perfection of myself?  I know people won't judge me if there's a little clutter laying around or if the floor isn't perfectly swept or mopped (in fact, I bet most people wouldn't even notice).  I guess that's one more character trait I need to work on.  But one thing at a time.  So far I've come a long way with needing to plan things to the minute, and I've gained about 75% patience.  Ok, maybe only 50%, but still a bit more patience than I used to have.

Although it was hard, I managed to open the day shade all the way (needed to tape it to keep it from falling.  One of these days we'll have to move the couch out so we can get to the mechanics and tighten it).  Anyway, our back window faces the river, and it's really lovely to have this great view whenever I walk into the downstairs area.  Sorry the photo isn't that great.  Hopefully it's enough to get the idea though.  Eh, maybe not - you really can't see the river with all the glare in the photo. Guess you'll have to trust me that most of the white area is actually running water.

Will this ever end? - Day 420 (Yr 2, Day 53)

Asheville, NC

We made it back (thank God, safely) to Asheville from Marion.  Once again, Critter helped us back into the spot right before a torrential downpour.

Two mechanical problems today:  first actually happened yesterday -- the horn on the truck got stuck on.  The only way to get it to stop was to remove the fuse.  We tried a few tricks we found on the internet but nothing worked so we had to take it to a mechanic (it is very dangerous to drive without a horn, especially when towing 20,000 pounds).  They checked under the hood and the dashboard but didn't find anything.  They said it was probably something within the steering column, but they would need to take it apart and we'd need a rebuild kit to they could put it back together.  There goes another grand.

Then, tonight, we discovered water leaking out from under the refrigerator.  Recall the big flood we had last year?  We think it could be the freezer compressor.  For now, we put lots of towels down on the floor, shut the water flow to the ice maker and since the pump and hoses are actually outside the rig (and the water is leaking through into the rig), we put together a make shift diversion of seran wrap and tape so the water would flow to the outside.  Praying it works for the night, until we can get a mobile tech to come out tomorrow (this, at least, should be covered by the warranty company).


At least I have a beautiful view of the river again.

Smaller quarters - Day 418 (Yr 2, Day 51)

Marion, NC

Work on the rig is well under way.  Looks like it's been gutted to get to the waste tanks; should have taken a picture.  Good news is they didn't find anything wrong with the generator; must have been a loose wire somewhere which got corrected when they moved things around.

The manager (Mike Gunter) has been very accommodating.  For one, he pushed the schedule around so that they would work on the rig Monday and Tuesday instead of Monday and Wednesday.  Also, although the tech assured us we could probably stay in our rig while they were working on it (at least at night), there is no way this could be possible:  for liability purposes, we can't stay inside the locked bays, and with all the guts out, they can't move it outside (not to mention there's no sewer system).  Mike felt bad, and not wanting to ask us to stay in a hotel overnight, or possibly for a few days, he worked something out with their sales department and got us a loaner rig, which is parked in the adjacent campground.  Ok, it's way, way smaller quarters than we're used to (a Class B - basically a van with a galley, water closet, bed and table), but we're still very grateful for the service.  All things considered, it's rather luxurious for this class of RVs.  It really is an excellent vehicle for weekend camping (a Fleetwood Pulse, if anyone's interested.  This is a 2008 unit). 

Our temporary living quarters

It was a scramble to get some stuff, though.  The bay closes at 5 and I was only told about the loaner at 4:30.  The service area lent me a golf cart to get to the bay area (I could have walked the 1/10th of a mile, but knowing I'd be carrying a lot of stuff with me, not only back to the lounge, but then to the campground, I needed a way to carry it all).  Not having much time, I just grabbed a few necessary items like clean clothes, some toiletries and a few beers (oops - forgot the chocolate!).  I decided to forego bringing pots & pans and other food, which is a good thing because there's really not a lot of room to cook or wash dishes here.  We still have some $ left on the insurance claim so we'll just eat our meals out and get reimbursed.

Someone from service gave me a ride back to the site so he could take the cart with him.  I entered the trailer and the reality that this isn't a full service hotel hit me - nothing is provided (duh!!!)  I forgot linens and pillows.  I made a mad dash back by foot to the bay (more like 1/4 mile from the site).  Sweating and out of breath, I was lucky to have found an employee entrance still open (all the bays were closed).  I entered and was even luckier to find my mechanic still there, so I ran in and grabbed what I needed.  Even luckier is that Mitch called me at that moment to tell me he just arrived "home" and was looking for me in the lounge.  I told him where to find me (mechanic even opened the bay door for him) so I could get some help bringing the bulky pillows back.

Of course, quite a few more things were forgotten to be packed in our haste besides the chocolate and extra charging cables; namely, toilet paper and towels.  Too late now to go back to the rig.  We used our used t-shirts for hand towels (and will hold off on showering for one day until I go back later to get some), and I found a neighbor outside and asked him if I could borrow a roll of tp (he literally saved our asses!)

So now it's a question of whether everything will be finished by the end of the day or if we'll be here longer.  Mitch believes it will be longer.  My gut tells me he's right, although since they scheduled work on 2 days, reason would tell me they would stick to their schedule and get it all done.

It's really too bad that there's nothing local around here because it's such a lovely campground.

UPDATE:  we will be here one more night but looks pretty good that it'll be ready tomorrow and we'll return to Asheville on Thursday morning, as originally planned.  I took a walk back to the bay to get the rest of the stuff we needed.  Looked like Santa carrying a huge bag over my shoulder!

Travel day - Day 416 (Yr 2, Day 49)

Marion, NC

Not a drive I really enjoyed.  It was only about 40 miles, but 10 of them were down a 6% grade (trucks limited to 35 mph with 3 runaway ramsp on it -- and you're not supposed to use your brakes!), and the next 10 was on a 1 lane, winding road, also with many hills.  We took it real slow, and at once point we could see about 14 cars lined up behind us - no doubt pretty pissed off that they couldn't pass us!  Too bad, though.  We do what we need to feel safe.

Anyway, the reason for our travels (I'm sure I mentioned it in previous posts) was to return to the repair facility that replaced our slide back in May.  There was other work to be done, such as replacing the gray tank and figuring out why the generator doesn't work (probably a loose wire somewhere).  We were waiting and waiting for the parts for the gray tank, and after 1-1/2 months in Raleigh, staying with the kids and in hotels, we decided enough was enough.  We knew Mitch's job would take us to Asheville (40 miles away) at the end of the summer, so we told them we'd take the rig back and return when the parts came in (recall the story -- the day we were going to pick it up, we had the blow out on the truck, which put that in the shop for another 2 months.  The RV place was kind enough to deliver the rig to us in Raleigh at no charge).

Of course, the backing up was, as always, a nightmare.  I wonder if we'll ever get the hang of this!  It's a large campground, the sites are huge, it is almost empty, so it's almost like trying to park in a parking lot.  Three people offered to help, and we finally agreed, after an hour and a half of trying ourselves, to let them.  One of them was a truck driver, but he confessed that it's much harder to guide someone in then it is to do it himself (Mitch, although he accepted the help to guide him, would not relinquish the driver's seat).


They need 2 days to work on it, and they didn't have 2 consecutive days, so the plan is Monday and Wednesday.  They told us we'd be able to stay in the rig during that time, but honestly I don't see how that's possible, especially if they're working on the tank (we won't have any place for the water from the sink or shower to go), unless they can finish that all in one day.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Mitch will commute the 40 miles into Asheville and I will set up shop in the customer lounge.

Truck in shop again - Day 412 (Yr 2, Day 45)

Asheville, NC

Our exciting day was spent sitting at the Ford dealer service area from noon until about 5:30.  While Mitch was idling, the truck stalled and then wouldn't start for about 5 minutes.  Knowing that we have a trip on Sunday, towing the rig down a steep mountain grade, we didn't want to take any chances.

Unfortunately (?) they didn't find anything wrong and couldn't recreate the problem.  The explanation they gave (which sounded like gobbelty-gook to me) had something to do with the sensor looking for some notches in the piston to align.  They couldn't find evidence that the notches weren't aligned and thought it was just a faulty sensor, which they cleaned.  At least I think that's what they said & did.  Seems like it was just a weird glitch.  Fingers crossed!

Business has been a bit slow lately and I've decided that when it gets like this, I need a hobby since I can't get off the campground.  I think I'm going to learn how to crochet.  There are a lot of projects I can do, starting with a new blanket.  Now I just need to get to Walmart to buy the supplies.

1st Weekend in Asheville - Day 410 (Yr 2, Day 43)

Asheville, NC

We were surprised to learn that Asheville actually has a fairly well-established Jewish community, with synagogues of various affiliations (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Chabad).  There's even a very large, active JCC (Jewish Community Center - equivalent of the YMCA).  We chose to go to Chabad (it's amazing that if you mention any rabbi's name, everyone knows everyone else! I guess that's because they all started out their training in the same place - Brooklyn NY or Morristown NJ - and are then sent all over the world to establish synagogues).  The shul itself is located in a storefront in a tiny shopping strip, but outside looks can be deceiving (isn't that the truth in every aspect of our lives?).  The inside was amazingly spacious and nicely decorated.  There was a very nice turnout for Shabbat services - maybe about 30-35 people, which is a lot for a weekend in the summer.  Some of the tunes they used were a bit different from what we're accustomed to, but I caught on quickly.  One thing they do differently (which I don't particularly like) is that when it's time to read from the Torah, instead of talking & teaching about it at that time, they wait until during lunch.  Ok, on one hand the services end a bit sooner, but on the other hand, I like to schmooze during lunch (which is what I was doing), so I have a choice to either socialize OR learn during lunch.  Still, not something to really complain about.  I'm very grateful that there's a community we can belong to while we're here.

Side note: one day during his inspections of residential meters, Mitch met the homeowner (Morgan) and they were chatting (Mitch loves to chat!).  She was complaining about feeling isolated and looking for things to do.  Mitch asked her if she belonged to church and if they could help.  She replied that she was Jewish (not something he expected).  She also mentioned that she goes to Chabad, so we were happy to meet her there and spend some time.  Very interesting lady!

When we returned from services, after our nap, we sat outside watching, waving and even talking to people who were rowing and floating down the river.  Very peaceful and serene.

Sunday was errand day, so we did a lot of driving around.  I've also been having anxiety attacks all week regarding getting in and out of the campground again, so we not only rode around to try to figure out how to do this, but also checked out 2 other campgrounds in the area.  We found that it won't be that bad leaving and getting onto the highway (there is a left turn we can make), and there are 2 possible places where we can more easily turn around when/if we return here.  I really did like one of the other campgrounds because it was much more centrally located and extremely easy to get in and out of (even had a pull through site).   But it's also very small, the sites are very close and not as spacious as these (they are pretty much only pads with enough room to put a chair on the side.  No place to set up a table for the grill or a fire pit), and nothing to really look at when walking around the campground.  Mitch feels very strongly that the tradeoff just isn't worth it and he's confident getting back here won't be a problem.

Besides shopping, I needed to get a haircut and buy some hair color (CVS).  There is a bathhouse in the campground where I could color it (I don't want to ever do this inside the rig as it makes too much of a mess that stains).  We also needed a Walmart to replace my step stool which was left behind one day when Mitch took it out of the truck.

So all this riding around town, I got to see a bit of the area.  It's a very artsy, hipster area but not at all friendly to driving big trucks. Roads and streets are narrow 1 lanes with a lot of hills and curves; at least the area we're in (called the River Arts district), although the downtown area and past there where the shul is, is pretty much the same.  I really don't know how Mitch manages to bring the truck all over (and I suspect I really don't want to know!)

My office for the day - Day 407 (Yr 2, Day 40)

Had some beautiful weather so I decided to set up the laptop at the picnic table in the back.  Lots of folks going down the river in rafts, kayaks and canoes (and a few standing on what looked like surf boards).

Unfortunately, because of my restriction of not to put my body in a 90 degree angle, I'm unable to sit in a raft or kayak.  Maybe if I can find a canoe with a bench....

Change of scenery - Day 406 (Yr 2, Day 39)

Asheville, NC

We did actually leave on Monday, although we didn't pull out of the campground until 11:00 -- two hours later than I wanted.  Ford reinstalled the tires the correct way so that Mitch could reach the valve stems.  They explained that they didn't give us the H rated tires because they were discontinued (it would have been nice of them to let us know that!)

Fortunately, it was an uneventful drive and although we stopped at every rest area along I-40 (4 of them), we made it in 5 hours, arriving at the new campground in Asheville at 4:00.  The only thing I didn't like about the drive was the 20 mile stretch going through the Pisgah National Forest area.  Although the speed limit was 55, we couldn't get the truck to go over 30, despite being in tow/haul and putting it in a lower gear.  I'm told this is perfectly ok, as long as the rpm's are in the normal range (which means the engine and transmission aren't straining).  After all, we're carrying about 22,000 pounds behind us.  Still, until I get used to it, I don't like how it feels.

Getting into the campground was another story.  Below are some photos of the entrance.  There was just no way to make that tight a turn from the highway exit, which meant going down the road to find a place to turn around.  We found a park with what seemed like a big parking lot.  It would have been a no-brainer to make a K-turn if there weren't cars in the lot.  Remember, when we go in reverse, the trailer goes in the opposite direction of how you turn the wheel and it doesn't turn immediately, so making a K-turn in a tight space is 1000% harder to do than in a car.   It took us about 20 mins, but we finally did it.  We'll need to do this again in 2 weeks (bringing the rig to Marion to finish up the work started in May: the gray tank and generator), so in the meantime we'll try to scope out a better place to turn around, or even find a different campground now that we're learning the lay of the land.

In the picture above, red arrow is like a little jughandle, yellow is where oncoming traffic comes off the highway, blue is where you have to turn to get to the campground entrance.

This photo shows what we'd need to do if we came off the exit.  Way too sharp a turn to make with a big rig, so the only option is to go a ways down the road, turn around somehow, and come up to the jughandle.


Backing into the spot was, as always, a challenge.  The sites are fairly decent sized and there's plenty of room to pull forward.  It should have been an easy job for someone with experience, but after an hour, someone came and helped us (he pulled into the spot in seconds).  I swear, I just don't know how people do this!!!

Now I can tell you now that since Monday, it's been one glitch after the next.  Thankfully, nothing major - just a lot of big inconveniences.

Glitch # 1 - Mitch's boss called (while we were driving) to tell him that the email he sent on Sunday, which was supposed to contain his time and expense reports (which he worked on preparing for several hours on Sunday) didn't have an attachment.  "No worries," Mitch explained.  "I'll resend it when I arrive at my destination."  Ok, so we get settled.  Mitch turns on the computer and lo and behold - no file!!!  Not only the file he worked on was missing, but the directory it was in.  Absolutely no clue what happened. He spent several hours Monday trying to find it, but gave up at 9:30 and realized he'd have to recreate it on Tuesday.

Glitch # 2 - Tuesday morning, 3 times the electricity went out.  I complained to the owner who said that the system was new and it would take some time to get the electrician out to fix it (there's a problem with the breaker box).  He suggested to either move to another site or hook up into the 30 amp service (we're using 50).  I did that and it worked for a few hours, then went out again (while I was on a call with a client, of course!).   Mitch came back about an hour later, so we hitched up and moved to another site.  What a production to move a few feet!  Took about 20 mins to get unhooked and hitch the truck and another 1/2 hour parking. We had our new friend direct us, and finally let him take over because parking it (for him) is much easier than giving directions.  It's a nicer site as well because it's on the river side.  Here is some pictures of our "back yard" and the campground:

Back yard

Campground looking left

Campground looking right.  The space in the center is just for bikes and pedestrians

Glitch # 3 (today) - Got a flat tire on the truck.  Fortunately, it was just out of air because the sensor was leaking, but the tire was completely ok (thank goodness for that, since we just paid $350/tire!).  Mitch had to lose about 2 hours of work waiting for roadside assistance.


Anyway, back to the campground (Wilson's Riverfront RV Park).  It's a small place, maybe about 35 sites.  It's right off the highway so there's a lot of highway noise.  There are a lot of trees, so although you can hear the cars, you can't really see them.  Because the place is small, it's very intimate as well.  There are a lot of families with kids and all day and evening, I see people riding bikes or jogging.  Within the campground, and attached to it is a greenway with biking and hiking trails along the French Broad River.  Next door is a boat rental place, so I also see a lot of folks on the river, or walking back to the campground in their boating clothes.  And if they're not doing any of this stuff, they're sitting outside and just enjoying the air.  Most folks I've met here so far are very friendly.

Picture of the highway - mostly heard but not seen:

There is one very interesting person here.  He is known as "bottlecap man."  After a bout with cancer about 10 years ago, he took up a very interesting and unique hobby - collecting odd and classic bottle caps and covering his truck with them, including a large toy truck that's mounted on top:

On Wednesday after work, we took a trip into the downtown area where pretty much all the stores are, to go to Mellow Mushroom for dinner and then to Trader Joe's for some groceries.  This MM had some of the most creative and amazing decor I've seen yet in any MM restaurant.  I'll have to go back with my camera.  The town is mostly mom & pop stores and is very artsy-crafty.  I'll also look forward to returning during the day to check it all out.  Unfortunately, the streets were narrow, congested and not at all easy to park the truck - like any downtown area.

Oh, and the electric went out again last night.  It was fine all day but then a new RV pulled into the site next to us at 9:30 pm (how courageous to park in the dark!) and then it went out at 11:00.  I suspect there is a problem with the electric grid in the entire campground.  Fortunately today is cloudy and cool so I won't need to worry about running both a/c's.  Another PIBE (play it by ear) situation.  We leave here a week from Sunday (going to Marion for the repairs), and may need to find another campground when we return.

Problem Du Jour - Day 402 (Yr 2, Day 35)

Raleigh, NC

While Mitch was checking the tire pressure and filling the tires, he discovered 2 problems.  Unfortunately, since the truck went straight from Ford to the collision place, he didn't have the opportunity to discover this until now...

1)  they didn't install the extension valves correctly.  This means that in order to access the stems on the inside rear tires, he has to crawl under the truck, as they're on the wrong side!

2)  they didn't install the tires he asked for.  He wanted H rated and they put on G rated.  The difference is in the load capacity.  H's are a bit safer.

Unfortunately, Ford is closed today and if he tries to take care of this in the morning, we may not be able to hit the road on time.  In order to reach our destination by 4:00 latest, we must pull out of the parking lot by 9.  I just don't see that happening if he goes to the Ford dealer to complain in person (and especially not, if they actually do the work on it).

His boss can extend arrival in Asheville - reluctantly - for only one more day, so getting the tires replaced is out of the question.  But the question really is whether we should take the extra day and get the valve problem fixed, or if he should just deal with it and have another tire place do the work (we have to go to a tire place in Marion when the rig is in the shop Aug. 17th for new tires on the trailer anyway).  I guess the bottom line is whether Ford screwed it up, or if they just didn't do the work at all.  If the latter, it won't really matter where we get it done, as it would be considered new work.  If the former, we should stay around and have them make good on it.

So the plan is that Mitch will go the Ford dealer by 7:00.  If he's not back home by 8:15 so that we can pull out by 9, we will stay another day.

Stay tuned for solid plans or bubble plans.....