Moved again - Day 1008 (Year 3, Day 276)

Lexington, NC

Fortunately, not too far - just to the other side of of the campground, although from pack-up time to setting up again, it was 2 hours; most of which time was spent backing into the spot, with the help of 2 people.  Although it's a HUGE site, the actual area where the RV rests is tightly squeezed between the electric pole and a tree, so it took a bit of maneuvering.

The reason for the move was that a monthly site became available unexpectedly (interestingly, we also got a call from a different campground reporting they now had a site as well.  But it's not as nice (no lake) so we decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

We're now in the woodsy section as opposed to lakefront, although very close to the pool which I hope to enjoy a few times before we leave.  I miss the view, but at least the price is about 1/3 of what we were paying on the weekly site, and we can have this as long as we need (the other site we had to vacate on May 25th).  Many people either leave their rvs here all year and return during the season, or they reserve a specific site and retur n to it.  I'm told this coming weekend is opening time, so I guess thepeace and quiet days may be coming to an end.  That's ok - I have this craving to be around people.

Another bird identified - Day 1005 (Year 3, Day 273)

Lexington, NC

This large, graceful bird with a skinny, curved neck, which tends to sit on the dock across from us, I have been calling a crane or heron.

Thanks to the binoculars and a great book that my sis-in-law Doris gave me (Peterson's Field Guide to Birds), I was able to quickly identify it as a Great Blue Heron.  So I apologize, bird, for calling you a crane.

Nice Shabbat - Day 1005 (Year 3, Day 273)

Lexington, NC

It was a lovely, restful, peaceful day as hoped.  The weather was mostly nice (partly sunny, in the low 70s), so we were able to sit outside, facing the lake, to pray.  We both always find it a bit more spiritually uplifting being outside, and even more so when it's in a scenic setting.

Our Shabbat walk was very nice as we explored the campground a bit more.  So many trailers are left here for the year and I expect this place will be hopping in a few weeks when the season opens and folks return.  When we walked down by the lake, we not only saw my turtle, but the rest of the family: baby and parent sitting on a log and the other parent swimming nearby.  We watched the crane (or heron) fly by, and lots of ducks either swimming or walking around.  There are also quite a lot of bird species here.  I commented that it would be great to see them a bit closer and Mitch reminded me that we do own a pair of binoculars!  I found them and used them and had a wonderful time scoping the trees and looking for birds.  So far, I've identified Carolina wrens and nuthatchers, but I know I have more to figure out.

We also have weekend neighbors, who just finished a year long project of a school bus conversion and this was their maiden voyage (they're from Midland, NC, about 50 miles from here):  grandparents, parent and 2 kids.  Thankfully no dogs.  Absolutely beautifully handcrafted inside and out.  They were nice.  We got to talking a little, but didn't really do any hanging out.

Turtle! Day 1003 (Year 3, Day 271)

Lexington, NC

Not a lot to report, but just wanted to remind myself of an observation I made while taking my daily stroll around the lake.  The crane (although it  might actually be a heron) was sitting on the dock, some ducks were swimming around in the water, and then I saw a giant turtle also swimming!!  I've only seen turtles that size at the zoo or aquarium.  I love nature!

I'm currently preparing for Shabbat, which for a while again (except in 2 weeks when we visit Raleigh/Cary for Passover for the weekend), will be spent in isolation.  Mitch is working today (he's trying to work 10 hr days and have Fridays off) so I'm on challah duty.  I'm sure it will taste great, but he's had a lot more practice with the braiding.  At least for prayer time tonight and tomorrow, assuming weather holds out, we'll have a scenic and spiritually uplifting place to sit.

Observing the birds - Day 1001 (Year 3, Day 269)

Lexington, NC

This is the 2nd morning I have woken up to see the sun rise over the lake (the first day, there was also a light mist rising up from the water).  Days and campgrounds like this make the travel all worthwhile and makes me forget about all the dumps we occasionally end up in.

Today I was observing the behavior of the many species of birds around here, although I've only been able to identify a small handful.  In the early morning, the large, black ravens take over the trees and campground.  They fly around (gracefully, with large wing spans like hawks) for a few minutes, then perch on the fences, benches, and tree limbs, all facing the water.  This lasts for about 2 hours.  It gets quiet and then about an hour later, the nuthatches and eastern bluejays (small, cute little things) take up residence in the trees, fences, ground and rooftops.  They don't flock so you really have to watch to find them.  Later in the afternoon come the water fowl - mostly the ducks and gulls, although yesterday I saw a crane sitting on the edge of the dock.  Steve asked me if we heard the owls yet, but we haven't.  Will need to keep an ear out.

Another milestone - RVersary - Day 1000 (Year 3, Day 268)

Lexington, NC

Wow, can you believe today is day 1,000 that we've been living the RV full-timers lifestyle?!!!  Some days it feels like this is all we've ever done, and some days it feels like just yesterday that we hit the road.  Despite the many ups and downs, I'm ready to go at least another 1,000 days.  I don't necessarily enjoy the travel from point A to B (although I probably would a lot more if we could travel where and when we wanted, at our own pace.  It would be great if we passed a sign along the highway for an interesting attraction and could be serendipitous about it: "hey, let's stop there and explore the area for a little while."  However, once we get to a place and settle in, I do enjoy having different views out my window and "back yard," meeting new people and exploring the areas, especially the small towns.  Although we haven't been to the desert yet, I have an affinity for water (being a Pisces, I suppose) and really love being near the beach or on a lake, like we are now.  I could definitely see myself settling down full time near the edge of a lake.

I'm still really enjoying the serenity and quietness of this place.  There are quite a lot of empty trailers/RVs here.  Clearly it's a place where people park their rigs for the year and most likely return during the summer season.  In other words, as it gets closer to Memorial Day, I'm sure people will be returning and this place will get busier and noisier and the lake will be packed with boats (they do rent boats here, including pontoons, and I'm hoping we'll have a chance to do that before we leave).

I've seen and heard quite a lot of different kinds of birds here and am trying to learn to identify them.  I identified a nuthatcher and Eastern bluebird, along with some crows, ducks, geese and a variety of other water fowl.  There was a very elegant crane sitting on the dock this morning.  I captured a photo, but not having a good zoom lens, this is the best I could do (he's at the edge of the pier.  He was a lot closer through my eyes).

Yesterday, we needed some groceries and such, and adventured off to civilization, which is about 10 miles away.  We found the downtown area, which is another very quaint, small town.  I'm hoping we can return on Sunday with our urb-e's to explore further.  Although "civilized," Lexington is still a very small town and despite having a Walmart, Lowes, and CVS, it's not a major big box town, which is very nice.  Not a lot of restaurants; BBQ is big, big, big here so the several mom & pop places around are off limits to us.  Someone did recommend a nice seafood place 2 towns over, so if we're desperate, we may venture out there.

Last night, we had visitors: Steve and Diane, who we met in one of my RV forums (RVillage.com).  They live in the area, are Chapter leaders of the local Escapees club and do a bit of traveling in their RV.  They saw my post that I arrived in the area, so they dropped by for a visit of about an hour.  Very lovely people!  They own a home on the lake and invited us to come over some time, maybe even for a ride on their pontoon boat (which isn't season ready yet).  I hope we're still around when it is.  Either way, I'd enjoy hanging out on their deck on the lake.

Today Mitch went for his kickoff meeting, so hopefully we'll learn if he can work 4 10-hour days and get a gauge of how long we might be here.  I'm fine to stay through the summer or fall, as long as we can get the rig level!  Our jacks are maxed out and we're still a little bit tilted.  Mitch will be buying more wood on the way home to see if we can raise it a little more.  (We're parked on a slope).

Last travel day - Day 998 (Year 3, Day 266)

Lexington, NC

Today, thankfully, we finished the last leg of this 1100 mile trip from Livingston, TX to Lexington, NC.  It was only 150 miles.  Mitch took the first leg of about 60 miles and stopped at the last gas station on the SC side of the border.  We didn't need much gas, but he wanted to have completely full tanks because gas in NC is at least 20 cents/gallon more expensive.  I drove the next 60 miles to a rest area and then Mitch took over the last 30 miles.  We packed, hitched and hit the road at 9:15 am and arrived at 12:30 pm.

It was all fairly flat driving until we had to turn onto the road leading to the campground.  It was only about 1.5 miles but it felt like 50 because it was a very narrow, extremely winding mountainous (steep hills) road.

This campground is really beautiful in a very rustic way.  It is set on a lake, in the mountains.  The roads around the campground are very narrow and winding and it's a little hard to maneuver around.  Also, being on a mountain, none of the sites are level.  We did the best we could, but we'll need to get more wood to put under the jacks as we're still not completely level.

This place has a marina, with a number of boat ramps and fishing docks (even 2 fish cleaning stations!).  There's a pool and snack bar, but they don't open until mid-April.  They also rent a variety of boats.

There is the slight possibility that we may not stay here more than 2 weeks, however.  At the time of booking, it was the only place that had any sites at all, but they didn't have anything monthly, so we're paying the weekly rate, which is about triple.  No other place in the area, even up to 30 miles away had anything else either, but we're on the waiting list at quite a few, so if something monthly opens up elsewhere, we may need to take it.  We shall see.  Can't complain about the site they gave us, though, as it's a double, pull through, so we have 2 picnic benches and 2 fire pits.

After we set up house, we took a walk around (I will surely get good exercise on all these hills!), took a few photos and even had such a serene, romantic moment on the pier!    It is so very peaceful here.  With the exception of an occasional far away motor, the only sounds you really hear are birds singing (or ducks quacking) and the rippling of the water on the shores of the lake.  I've already seen a few different kinds of birds and water fowl - so excited to see wildlife again!

Anyway, here are photos.  Before I share the campground, some things we saw on our travels:

The Atlanta, GA skyline and Atlanta traffic:

  

A beautiful bridge somewhere in GA and the river it crossed:





A giant peach:



And now, photos of the campground, starting with the view out of our front door and bedroom window:



Our campsite and some visitors:

 

More lake photos.  Note the nice private homes surrounding it as well:

 
 
(that last one is where we shared a sweet kiss)

A bird feeder in the tree, a greenhouse, and a wood carved sculpture:

   

A nice swing (we did sit there for a bit), and a beautiful tree in our "yard"

  

I think I like Greenville SC - Day 997 (Year 3, Day 265)

Greenville, SC

This place reminds me a lot of Asheville, NC -- the main drag where the stores are, and the residential areas with narrow, winding, hilly streets.  We saw a glimpse of the downtown skyline but didn't have a chance to visit it yet.  However, we did pick up a booklet at the Visitor's Center and it appears that there's so much to do here!

In addition to that, Shabbat services at Congregation Beth Israel were delightful.  Being a different "denomination" (Conservative vs. Chassidic), it took us back to former times, about 15 years ago, when we were affiliated with a Conservative synagogue.  It was actually a very inspiring service, with a Q&A type discussion.  The rabbi was young and extremely energetic, and there wasn't anyone in the congregation who didn't stop to welcome us!  The only real differences were (1) the prayers are much shorter and fewer here; (2) women and men sit together; and (3) many women wear tallit, are included in the minyan, and are called up to bless the Torah (for my non-Jewish readers, feel free to send me a message if you'd like more information about these words).  This isn't necessarily a good or bad thing -- just different than what we're used to.  If we get to return here, we would definitely feel comfortable being part of this community.

Overall, I'm really hoping that when the Lexington assignment is over, we do get to come back here, although with any luck, have availability at a different campground!

Travel day 4 (settling in for the weekend) - Day 995 (Year 3, Day 263)

Greenville, SC

Last night we were quite warm.  The furnace was set to 55 degrees so we didn't use up all the fuel and we were under 2 covers plus a down comforter.  We put the heat up to 70 before getting out of bed, so we were cozy.

Thankfully, we made it here safe and sound.  Other than the 2 times early in the week when things fell off the backs of trucks right in front of us, the drive has been uneventful.  As mentioned yesterday, this destination is the closest place to Lexington with a shul, which is why we chose to be here (the shul is 9 miles away).

We left at 7:15 am and Mitch took the first driving shift.  We stopped at an alleged truck stop 96 miles away to change drivers.  Yes, I did say alleged.  We use various apps to locate rest areas, truck stops (where there are separate truck gas lanes, as regular car lanes either have canopies that are too low, or it's just impossible to maneuver around the pump aisles).  Anyway, I found this truck stop listed on the app, saying it had 7 diesel lanes, a restaurant, showers, etc, etc.  Perfect place, assuming we could park easily, to even stop for a nice breakfast.  It seems, however, that whoever placed the listing was a bit premature, as it was a small gas station, with a huge facility, still under construction, being built next door.  Apparently a number of other truck drivers weren't aware that this really wasn't a truck stop yet and we all had a rather fun time trying to twist and turn to get out.

Anyway, I drove another 80 miles, and we stopped at a very nice Visitor's Center across the border into SC (from GA), where we switched drivers again for the last 40 miles.  I stopped to look at all the brochures, and added some places to my bucket list of places I want to visit (Spartanburg being one of them).  I wish we were at a point in our lives where we could choose where we go and when.  Hopefully that day will come, when we have enough money to live off of without having to work full time.

We crossed over into the Eastern time zone, thus losing the 2nd hour of time this week (first time was Sunday for Daylight Savings time).  We arrived at the campground at 1:30 pm, which was still actually 5 hours of driving.

I can't say I'm impressed by this campground either.  It has potential, and it's adequate for our purposes, but I would not be happy for the long term.  The spaces are very narrow and all the sites and roads are full of loose gravel and potholes.  Many of the other RVs look like permanent residents and are old and run down.  There is a railroad track at the end of the campground, and I got the creeps when we crossed to the other side -- literally being on the wrong side of the tracks!

The site they tried to put us into was at a very weird angle and after struggling for 1/2 hr trying to line it up, the manager shuffled some things around and decided to give us a pull thru.  She told us to go to one, and we had to drive around the bend several times before we could get the right angle to approach it.  By then, she changed her mind and asked us to take a different site 2 spaces over.  We drove around the bend again, and then she remembered she had a really huge bus coming in and couldn't give us that spot.  So she moved us adjacent to the office.  I'm not even sure this is a real spot, but there's electric, water and sewer hookups, so I won't complain.

I should also mention that I'm very grateful for the amazing weather we've had all week.  With severe storms and blizzards in most of the country, especially north of us, it has been sunny and mostly cloudless.  Although I can't say I'm happy going to an area that is 40 degrees colder than where we left from!  But I guess one can't have everything.

Travel day 3 - Day 994 (Year 3, Day 262)

West Point, GA

First, just to clarify 2 points from yesterday:  1) we did get the electricity working again; and 2) we didn't totally run out of propane.  We have 2 40 lb tanks and only 1 of them ran out.  The concern was that it ran out after 3 hours of use, so if we kept it running without refilling, the 2nd tank would have run out as well.

We left the campground at 8:15.  We were on the road for 5 hours, arriving at our final destination for the day, at a very lovely Welcome Center in West Point, GA, which is literally right across the border from AL, at about 1:30.  We made 2 pit stops: 1 rest area and 1 truck stop to gas up again.  After I did some work, we took a walk around the premises and looked at all the brochures in the visitor center.  Mostly we did that to keep warm.  We miss the 70 and 80 degree days of Texas; the high here is 45 and it will go down into the 20s tonight.  Between needing to run the generator for some electric, and using the furnace to keep warm (the heat pump just isn't efficient enough, and if we need to burn thru propane anyway, it makes more sense to heat the most efficient way), I'm sure we'll use up both tanks overnight.  I just hope we have enough to keep warm in the morning!  Hard to get out of bed in 20 degrees!

We have a total of 385 miles to go to reach our final destination in Lexington, NC.  We could potentially do it in one long day, but we decided to stop tomorrow in Greenville, SC (most likely where Mitch will be working after Lexington), which is 225 miles away.  We chose that area because there is a synagogue there (albeit Conservative, not Chabad, but better than nothing) so we can have a place to rest and observe the Sabbath on Friday and Saturday.  We will then drive the remaining 160 miles on Sunday, which is when we had originally intended to arrive anyway.

We

Travel day 2 - Day 993 (Year 3, Day 261)

Creola, AL

The rest area last night wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It was quite a huge place, so the trucks were well spaced: we didn't have anyone parked on top of us, making all kinds of truck noises.  Mitch, however, wanted to get a very early start in the morning (he was thinking pulling out at 6am, but I convinced him a bit later -- we pulled out at 7:30) so we went into bed at 8:00! (plus, without electricity and not wanting to run the generator too long, there wasn't much else to do). As it turned out, we put the genny on at 6:00 to get some heat, but it shut off at 7:00, one tank being out of propane.

So we pulled out at 7:30.  Mitch took the first shift and drove 81 miles to a gas station (no rest areas on that part of the route to pull over in).  It was a weird traffic design:  from the highway ramp, you had to use a roundabout (traffic circle) to get to either side of the road.  We first tried the Pilot on the easiest side, but there was nowhere easy for us to put the rig (keyword "us", as there were a few places to back into a double truck spot), so we exited, did the roundabout again, and went to the Petro across the street, which had a nice, separate RV parking lot.  We took a bathroom break, Mitch refilled his soda cup, and I took over the driving.  I drove an additional 120 miles to the next rest area in MS.  It was also quite large.  It was now about 11:30, so we decided to take a real rest break and open the slides.  We made a quick lunch (tuna and salad), then Mitch took a nap while I did some client work, then researched where we'd like to settle down for the day.  We decided that since we ran out of propane after having the generator on only for about 3 hours total, we would try to find a campground next -- not only to plug into electricity, but preferably a place that also sold propane.  We found one about 40 miles away, which is where we are now - in Creola, Alabama, where we arrived about 2:00.

I do not like this place at all!!!  The inner roads are very narrow and winding with a lot of trees and difficult to navigate.  Fortunately, they gave us a pull-thru so we didn't have to deal with trying to back up in to a site (which would have been impossible).  We did fill up our propane.  The site only had 30 amp electric, but for one night, that's perfectly fine.  There are limitations since we use 50 amp, but for one night we can perfectly survive (limitations being not being able to use the microwave and heat pump at the same time, or the heat pump in both zones at the same time).  We hooked up to the electric (didn't bother with the water or sewer).  Mitch took another nap and I did more work.

We were fine for about an hour and then.... the power went out!!!  We figure it may have been caused because we had the water heater and heat pump on and that was too much juice.  It is now almost 3 hours later and the campground is still trying to fix the situation, as it's not a problem with our rig, but with the electric breakers.  The campground tech is trying to find a new breaker.  Meanwhile, we're running off the generator again, which kind of defeats the reason we chose to stay at a campground!  They did offer us to move to another site, but given what it's like to navigate around here, I did'nt want to move.  I'm hoping, instead, that they'll maybe refill our propane tank for what we use having to run the generator without charging us.

UPDATE: Richard, the all-purpose guy here, probably had to run out to Mobile, about 30 miles away, to get the part he needed.  He returned at 6:30 pm, installed it, AND WE'RE BACK ON POWER!!!  Yay!  Now we can watch a little tv before bed and all our devices can be charged.

One other note about our travels:  God is definitely watching over us.  Today is the 2nd time in 2 days that a pickup truck in front of us lost something off their truck.  Yesterday it was 2 cars in front of us and we had to swerve into the shoulder to avoid hitting a huge box full of who knows what - lots and lots of stuff.  At the edge of the shoulder was a ditch, and we were inches from going over that (Mitch was behind the wheel).  Today, a barrel fell off a truck (I was driving) directly in front of me.  I saw it falling and fortunately was able to navigate enough to have it go under the truck and rig (although, as soon as we were able, we pulled over to the shoulder to make sure it didn't get stuck somewhere).  Scary!  Why don't people make sure things are strapped down properly???  I guess it's the same reason as all these a$$holes cut RVs and trucks off - by inches -- thinking we can slow down or stop on a dime (no, we CAN'T when we're carrying 20,000 lbs behind us!).  Anyway, as I said, God was watching over us and kept us safe.

So... about 800 more miles to go.  Let's see what tonight without electricity, and tomorrow brings. Sigh.

Travel day 1 - Day 992 (Year 3, Day 260)

Atchafalaya, LA

That's a fun word to say!  We are in a rest stop here.  Very nice one.  Not the nicest I've ever seen, but pleasant enough to spend overnight (despite the noise from the trucks).

We didn't hit the road until close to 10:00.  It took us 3 hours to get ready, mostly because we had a bit too much to drink last night and were too lazy to chop up all the vegetables we planned to take as snack food, or make breakfast and lunch for the road.

Mitch took the first leg of the trip.  We were planning to stop at the first rest area listed as we got onto I-10, right across the TX border in Louisiana, which was 110 miles away.  Unfortunately, it was under construction and literally nothing was there except mounds of dirt and bull dozers.  He drove another 20 miles to an exit with a truck stop.  We were planning to just trade drivers, but they had gas (so we topped off the tank) and since they had a restaurant, we decided to treat ourselves and have lunch there (we both had omelets: me with tomato slices on the side - no bread or hash browns).

I took over the rest of the way until we reached this 2nd rest area, about 120 miles further.  And here we are.

Another attempt at Hamentashen, and my birthday - Day 992 (Year 3, Day 260)

Livingston, TX

Tonight starts the holiday of Purim - a festive occasion commemorating the saving of Persia's Jews from a decree of mass extermination.  Many synagogues have fun, themed celebrations and it is a commandment to hear the story read (and to make a lot of noise to block out the name of the villian-Haman).  He wore a 3 cornered hat, and one of the symbols are triangle shaped cookies filled with some kind of yummy treat -- called hamentaschen (Yiddish word for Haman's hat).

This is our 3rd Purim on the road.  Last year we were fortunate to have a blast in Asheville, NC.  The year before, we were in an isolated area in Arcadia, FL, where Mitch took his first stab at making them.  Here's the link - they came out fantastic!  http://mitcheryl-rv-journey.blogspot.com/2015/03/thankful-hamentashen-day-254.html

This year, being isolated once again, Mitch is making a batch.  He has a super big challenge, however, which is my food plan (very low carb, grain free) so he can't use flour or syrup, and it's hard to find a filling I could eat.  We ended up using the ingredients we use for my "bread" which is mostly almond and coconut flour and he experimented with eggs and coconut milk to get the right consistency.  For filling (thanks to Jessica!), we made a batch of cocoa powder (100% dark choc - hardly any carbs), coconut oil and sweet & low, which came out tasting really good.

They don't look as good as they did a few years ago, but considering the horrible dough consistency he had to work with (if you can call it dough) I think he did a GREAT job!!!  They came out tasting pretty good, too (not as good as the real stuff, but close enough to enjoy).  Challah came out nice as well.

  

As for my birthday (#59) it was made special by all the birthday wishes from friends and family via Facebook and phone (a special call-out to my sister, Linda, who took time out from a wedding she was attending to call me!).  Normally, we would have celebrated with a nice meal out, but that's not possible due to (1) other than a bowl of salad or a nice piece of fish, there isn't much I can eat and I'm not paying $20 for a bowl of lettuce; and (2) there are no real restaurants in this isolated area.  Mostly they are fast food, bbq or chicken joints, nothing fancy.  Not even a diner-like place to get some eggs.  So my special birthday present is having Mitch pamper me, aka taking over the food preparation and cleaning up afterwards.

One last note is we think the part arrived today and if so, the tech will be here first thing in the morning to install it.  Then, with any luck, we can pull out on Monday.  Boss said there was some wiggle room, so we'll get there when we get there.  Not going to push 400-500 miles a day.

No need to lose weight - Day 991 (Year 3, Day 259)

Livingston, TX

We had the rig weighed today.  This involved packing and hitching up and towing to the other side of the campground.  Always a pain in the you-know-what to make sure nothing is in the way of the slides and nothing laying around that might go flying.  Plus unhooking water, sewer and electric.  Plus the added stress of the slides and jacks not cooperating due the pump being on it's last legs.  But we managed to get it all done in an hour.

The good news is that we're not overweight at all and even have a little wiggle room.  We're just a tad below the limit on one of the axles, but we weighed with a full tank (100 gallons) of water, so if we dump some before taking off, we'll be fine.  We also learned some very useful information about inflating the tires  (that we don't use a generic psi from the manufacturer, but base it on the weight on that tire, which was also measured today).

The most impressive part of the day was when we had to bring the trailer back to the site.  It usually takes us an hour or 2 when no one helps us.  Last week, it took Mitch (with me helping) only 1/2 hour.  Today, it took Mitch alone, 10 minutes!!!!!   I am so proud of him.  Maybe we're (ok - HE) is finally getting the hang of this.  I guess we'll see at our next campground!

Meanwhile, regarding the pump, it was ordered last night and expedited service requested.  We don't know exactly what that means or when the expected delivery date is yet.  The tech will call the supplier to confirm and let us know later in the day.  If it arrives on Saturday, he will work over the weekend so we may still be able to pull out on Monday.  But alas, not making any plans!!!

Update on travel plans - Day 990 (Year 3, Day 258)

Livingston, TX

I'm sure you probably guessed that plans continue to be made in bubbles and we're not leaving on Sunday.  Although the tech was here on Tuesday, the warranty company didn't give us the authorization until today (they take 24-48 hours and although I begged them to expedite the claim, all they could do is "their best."  Ha ha).  By the time the tech got the news, it was too late in the day for the shipment of the new pump to go out.  He's going to see how much overnight costs.  If it's under $100, we may split the cost with him.  Of course, if it's several hundred dollars, it'll have to go Ground which means it won't get here until the middle of next week.  Even overnight, it'll arrive on Saturday and we have to hope he'll work on Sunday.  Otherwise we'll leave on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, we'll be having our rig weighed tomorrow morning.  It'll be the first time ever, and I'm feeling a bit anxious that we're overweight.  Guess that means Mitch will have to start getting rid of all the stuff he claims he needs (but hasn't touched for 2 1/2 years).

Check back as the saga continues to unfold.....

That was short lived! Day 989 (Year 3, Day 257)

Livingston, TX

Looks like we'll be on the move again, starting (God willing) on Sunday, taking an 1100 mile trip back up to North Carolina, to a small town called Lexington, which is about 35 miles south of Winston-Salem.

We thought we'd be here for at least a month.  All utility companies, even in the same state, have different protocols and rules.  Apparently, in this little neck of the woods, Mitch not only would need to have an in-person test up in Arkansas, but the company would need to fly someone down at least every 2-3 weeks to monitor his progress.  In order to justify this expense, we would need to stay here until at least the summer.  We decided we really couldn't do this.  Although the campground itself is quite nice (with the exception of the poor water pressure), the cell and internet service is horrendous; at times non-existent which is not acceptable for me to run my business for any length of time.

Meanwhile, we had the RV tech come out yesterday.  He agreed the hydraulic problem was definitely the pump.  We're waiting for him to get authorization from the warranty company to replace it; hopefully this can be finished by Friday so we can pull out on Sunday.

Escapees also offers an RV weighing service.  We've never been weighed (too shy to use the CAT scales at the truck stops since we don't know what we're doing and the truckers would get pretty missed at us for taking so much time figuring it out!).  It's important to know whether we're in range or overweight (driving overweight could be extremely dangerous!)

Well, let's see how the rest of the week plays out.

First weekend in Livingston, TX - Day 986 (Year 3, Day 254)

Livingston, TX

On Friday, I took a little time off work in the morning.  It was a gorgeous day and Mitch was off work (he's actually on stand-by again; may need to go up to Arkansas for live testing first; we'll know this week), so we decided to take our urb-e's out and explore the campground.  We looked at the weekly activity sheet and noticed that at 10:30 they had a "computer group" going on in the clubhouse, so we thought it might be fun to check it out.  Turns out it there were about 6 regulars -- all over the age of 70 (most probably in their 80s) talking shop.  I was impressed with their level of "geek-speak" (aka techno-babble).  Mitch was very in his environment!  I was bored.

Riding around, for the most part, was ok.  It wasn't the smooth pavement as in Houston; it's hard packed gravel so it was a bit bumpy but still rideable.  At least most of the way.  When we got to a certain area where the Activity Center is, it turned to loose gravel.  Mitch was able to ride his urb-e on it, but I chose to walk.  From the end of the road to the AC was the equivalent of about a block.  The CARE center, however, is closer to a 1/2 mile further up that road, so the only way to get there by urb-e is to leave the park and come in through another entrance.

The Activity Center was pretty much a gigantic room with lots and lots of tables set up in the middle and around the perimeter of the room, with a stage at one end.  I guess this is where they have live performances and community dinners (which they have every Thursday night).

The clubhouse (CH) was pretty awesome.  Large one-story wood building which housed a large central area, a closet loaded with all kinds of board games, a separate tv room, 2 small meeting rooms (where the computer group met), a HUGE library and a fairly large video (cassette & DVD) library.  There was a huge tv screen where they show weekly movies, some comfy couches, and a huge kitchen (and a few vending machines).  I didn't see the ping pong or billiards tables.

This is a very aesthetically pleasing park with spacious sites and a lot of grass and trees.  There are mostly deeded lots with homes built on them, but some areas are designated for RVs.  The only complaints I have (other than the entire park not having paved roads) is that the cell and satellite reception here is equivalent to being out in the middle of the desert or in the mountains.  We have 3 wifi systems: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.  T-Mobile has no coverage and the other 2 are extremely spotty.  AT&T is the only service I can get phone coverage, and the bars tend to keep disappearing, with reception horrible (my clients have complained).  Unfortunately, this is due to not having enough cell towers in the area, so there's not much I can do about it.  The park does not offer free wifi, and we're concerned that paying $30/month for the service will yield the same results as we're getting with our own wifi.  We may end up trying it though. It seemed to be free this weekend, and so far it's been working out pretty well.  The only other complaint is that the water pressure has much to be desired.

Saturday, once again, was an isolated Shabbat.  It was also dark, dreary and rainy all day; a great day to be in bed under the covers or curled up on the recliner with a book (and eating lots of hot soup).  It was also quite chilly.  The day before was in the 80s (it was only in the 50s) so we had the thermostat set to a/c.  I didn't check the forecast before Shabbat, otherwise I would have changed it over to heat.  I had to wear 3 layers: a long sleeve shirt and 2 sweatshirts to keep warm.

Today (Sunday) was the same kind of weather day, but we had to venture out as we had a lot of shopping to do.  We learned that there's a woman who lives about 1/2 mile away who has a bunch of chickens and sells fresh eggs, which she leaves in a refrigerator outside with a box for the money (on the honor system).  Unfortunately, I couldn't find it and in the pouring rain, it wasn't worth it.  We bought some commercial eggs and the grocery store and decided when the weather clears up later in the week, we'll take our urb-es there if possible.  I also want to take some photos.

Meanwhile, I have about 40 actionable emails, so tomorrow will be crazy busy (work is always good!)

New location - Day 983 (Year 3, Day 251)

Livingston, TX

Very, very thankfully, we made it from Austin to Livingston without incident.  We left at 8:40 am and arrived around 1:00; 225 miles later.  We only took one quick stop at a truck stop off the highway to get some gas and change drivers (I drove 150 miles; Mitch did the rest). It was a boring ride; not much in the way of scenery.  We did have some trouble closing the slides, and then opening them when we arrived, but since we experienced this problem last weekend, we knew we just had to wait about 10 minutes in between pushing the buttons.  We're thankful that the pump didn't completely die.  First thing we did when we got settled was call a local RV tech, so this will get fixed before we have to move again (unless they move us next week!).

I had quite a bit of work to do once we got settled in, so I didn't have much time to explore.  We did need to go out shopping for some Shabbat groceries (fish, veggies for the soup).  The closest HEB is 7 miles away, and it's a teeny, tiny store compared to what we got spoiled by.  Oh well.  I think this area will be much like Bismarck in terms of isolation.

The campground, on the other hand, may turn out to be a bit different.  It's humongous, and is the headquarters of Escapees, a very well established RV club since 1978.  They do a lot of advocacy, helping with domiciling, and the list can go on and on about what they do.  They have properties all over the country, but Livingston is the headquarters.  One of the many services they offer (located here) is a program called CARE - which is a place where people can come either for short or long term rehab, or hospice; pretty much it's a place where if you need medical care for any reason and can't travel any longer, whether permanently or temporarily, you can come here.  They have volunteers who are either full time (in exchange for a camp site) or part timers.  I'm hoping I can volunteer in some capacity while I'm here.

Parking -- I was very impressed.  We actually made it into our spot in 1/2 hour, with no help!!!  Either we're starting to get the hang of this after almost 3 years, or it was just sheer luck.  Still not zim-zam-zoom like some people do, but not 3 hours either!

As for the grounds themselves, it's a large place, with a pool, clubhouse, activity center, CARE and their HQ building.  I'm hoping we'll have some time tomorrow to take our urb-es out and ride around to explore the place.  We're not too far from the office (w/showers and laundry) and there's a lovely dog park across from there.  I've read that the activity center has billiards, ping pong, and tons of board games.  There's also a lounge with tv/videos and a book lending library.  They have numerous activites every day, including a social every day at 4:00, dinner on Thursdays (we could have gone, but the entree was pork and other than mixed veggies, there was nothing either of us could eat).  They have exercise classes during the day and cards or games at night. 

And as for the area - hopefully we'll have a chance to explore a little more, but it doesn't seem like much.  There's a commercial area about 7 miles away (where the HEB was) and we passed through a little town -- seemingly historic district.  Otherwise, lots of open space with a few nice, small homes dotting the landscape.  No farmland that I can see.  I suppose I won't be too miserable here.