forum.HappieCamper.com

[Ron]

Week 2: Ending 11/24/2002
When we last left you, our faithful readers, we were snoozing in our driveway. When we woke up, we were confronted with the aftermath of an ice storm. As we pulled in Sunday night, in the rear view camera Ron saw a limb down behind the RV pad. He didn’t think much of it as our mature weeping willows are constantly self pruning small to medium size limbs. By light of the morning we saw that several large (one about 12 inches in diameter) weeping willow tree limbs had been taken down by the storm.

Of course we don’t have any tools or a chain saw anymore (great yard sales!), so all we had to work with was an old Black and Decker circular saw that had been used by it’s previous owner to cut concrete (there’s a perfect tool for every job?) Long story shorter, 2 hours later most of the mess had been cut up and cleaned up, save for the biggest limb, which we left for the ants to gnaw on for a while.

Off to New Jersey! We drove a few hundred miles on Monday, bought some fuel in a truck stop (run by the state) in New Jersey, and pulled around looking for a spot to stay in. None to be found. Back on the road. Next stop we found a place, ran the generator all night to run the heat pumps and slept less than perfectly.

Tuesday, several more hundred miles till we came to our first destination: Timberlane Campground in Clarksville, New Jersey. Nice place. More about it in the “Accommodations” section of the forum.

Wednesday, Camping World to have tow brakes installed in our 1995 Chevy Tahoe dinghy. We chose the BrakeMaster system because Ron wanted proportional braking, and we chose Camping World to install it since 1) they install them frequently , and 2) they are a large chain (30? Stores) so we hope if we need help and/or service they’ll be relatively close by. The installation took about half a day, which is about half a day shorter than usual, since they were a little slow, and two people worked together on the job. Excellent workmanship. They really know their stuff there in the workshop! I can highly recommend them, at least for installation of a supplemental tow braking system.

Back on the road, dinghy braking diligently behind us, more confidence behind the wheel, at least Ron had more confidence. Drove a few hundred miles and stayed Wednesday night in the Richmond, Virginia Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot. We ran the generator to keep the heat pumps running and to keep us cozy.

Thursday was another diving day, several hundred miles of leisurely travel, and Thursday night we stayed in a Latta, SC truck stop. The weather was warm enough not to need any heat, so no generator usage… Yay! We’re finally in the warm, warm South!

Friday we motored on to Cornelia Georgia, and parked the rig in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Unhitched the dinghy and headed out to meet our friends Rand and Linda, and their very special rescue Doberman Pinscher, Chili. We had a marvelous time enjoying a little Southern Hospitality. Good food, great company (Honey, another adult to talk to!) a playful young dog to keep our old timer Jake happy (Look mommy! Another dog to talk to!) and a spectacular home! Nestled into the wilderness, alongside a wonderful fly fishing river, Linda and Rand built our dream house. Now, if we can get them to trade for our motorhome, we might have to end this journal a little bit early. Negotiations didn’t go very well, but we’re still hopeful.

What happened to the warm, warm South??? It wasn’t just cold Friday night, it was so cold that our heat pumps wouldn’t function, and the propane furnaces were on all night. Rand told us that the forcast was for 28 degrees, but by about 10PM the heat pumps had shut down. Did I mention that they shut down at 24 degrees? Did I mention this was only 10PM? The Georgia hills were cold that night, and the other “campers” in the Wal-Mart lot were probably kept awake by the chattering of Jake’s teeth. Actually, we were quite cozy, at least INSIDE the motorhome.

Off to Birmingham Alabama, with the intention of visiting with relatives Uncle Hershey and Aunt Edna. The HappieCamper with Dinghy (all 60 feet of us) headed west for a few hundred miles, through Atlanta to arrive for a Saturday night stay at the Leeds, Alabama Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot. It was cold again, but not as cold as the previous night. Called Uncle Hershey to let him know we were in town, and he graciously invited us to his home Sunday afternoon.

Well, that’s where we are right now as I type this, sitting in the parking lot of the Leeds, Alabama Wal-Mart Supercenter. Off to visit in about an hour!