November 30, 2022 - We Made It To Florida!!!

We left Dalton, Georgia at 8:00 a.m. after the storm passed through. The Baymont Motel breakfast was awful for me. I’m on a flour-free and sugar-free diet so the only thing I could eat was buttered grits (yuck) and yogurt. They had no eggs, no sausage, just biscuits and gravy, waffles and toast. Lots of cheap carbs!

As we headed South we had to watch the storm ahead. We drove through a little light rain most of the day and surprisingly flew through downtown Atlanta. There was a lot of traffic but it kept moving. I’ve found the drivers there to be very good about letting you  I’ve into the correct lane as you navigate the multiple Interstates down there. We just took our time to let the storm pass through before we got there. 

Our second stop was Lake City, Florida. I saw a billboard for Comfort Suites with truck parking. Much appreciated. I got Marge parked on the lot before we registered. Here she is sitting proud this evening with the big boys.

This motel is a LOT nicer than the Baymont but much pricier as well. They even have a breakfast menu!

The front desk lady gave us a list of several suggested restaurants for supper. We picked a seafood place and headed there. Kelly started off with a beer to celebrate our arrival in Florida.

I ordered a seafood platter and got much more than I bargained for but I managed to get most of it down.

We could have split my entree but Kelly wanted a bowl of clam chowder and the crab cake appetizer. She said the clam chowder was in the top ten she has ever tasted (and believe me she is particular about her clam chowder). Mama was happy and that’s always a good thing. In the morning we have a 3 1/2 hour drive to the RV park. The rain we were expecting upon our arrival has been called off and we can expect cloudy and 78 degrees when we arrive. I’ll need to break out my shorts in a hurry!

November 29, 2022 - Departure Plans Changed Because of Weather

Our plan was to leave at 8:00 a.m. for a seven hour drive day. The weather indicated a major storm could affect our travel so we left at 6:30 a.m., hoping to get ahead of it. I’m not real fond of hooking up the trailer in the dark but I did it this morning so we could get on the road. A bonus for setting out in the dark is getting to watch a nice sunrise as you drive. Kelly took this picture around 7:00 a.m. while driving down I-55.

Traffic was not bad. There was one spot near Nashville where traffic slowed to 10 mph for three miles for no reason that we could see. South of Nashville I pulled off to head into a Cracker Barrel for lunch. We stop at Cracker Barrel often because they usually have RV parking in the back. When I pulled off the highway at this location it was apparent there was no way I was going to get on the lot. There was a driveway next to the car parking. I thought maybe it led to RV parking in the back. As I pulled in I quickly realized that was not the case. It was a dead end. There was a driveway entrance to a warehouse building on the left. I turned in there looking for a place to turn around. The further I went the worse it got. The lot was also a dead end. I was in a bind. I ended up having to jackknife the trailer and jump two curbs to get out of there. When I pulled around Kelly was out of her car and by the door waiting for me. I blew the horn several times to get her attention and headed back onto the highway. At the next town we stopped at another Cracker Barrel. It didn’t have any RV parking either but there was a huge vacant asphalt lot next door. We finally had lunch.

Our destination for the day was Dalton, Georgia. We lost an hour with the time change and arrived around 4:00 p.m. The Baymont Motel had room to park the fifth wheel so we got a room. The place isn’t the Ritz but it isn’t bad. I’m glad we decided to stay at motels on the way down because a major storm is headed this way. Luckily we are just on the edge of it. High winds, possible hail, etc. Not bad campground weather. Here is the radar. The coming storm is all over the news. It should be over by morning. We are the blue dot. Hope breakfast is good!

November 28, 2022 - Dangerous Issue with Marge That Needed to be Repaired Today

Today we loaded all the food in Marge for the trip to Florida tomorrow. While doing so Kelly said she smelled something like glue or nail polish remover. I hadn’t used anything in Marge recently so I couldn’t imagine what it was she was smelling. After all the food was loaded I pulled all the slides in for traveling. I opened the front compartment to get out the folding step which I use to reach the fifth wheel hitch lock in the bed. When I opened the compartment I immediately saw what Kelly was smelling - gasoline.

The generator and fuel tank are in that front compartment. Yesterday I put five gallons of gasoline in the fuel tank and ran the generator for its monthly exercise. There was no gasoline leak. Today gasoline was dripping steadily from the right side of the fuel filter. Tightening the clamp did not help. Here is a picture of the filter after I pinched the hose to stop the gas flow and wiped it all off to see what was up.

I loosened the clamp and pulled off the hose. The hose was cracked. I cut off about an inch of the hose. I tried to put the old filter back on but in doing so the stretching of the hose caused it to crack again. This section of the hose has been in a severe bend for some time. I think that lead to its cracking in conjunction with the fuel filter fitting being larger and stretching the hose more than normal. I checked the rest of the hose and it was good. I couldn’t make it crack anymore. I decided it was a good time to change the filter so I drove to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts and bought a new filter with a smaller diameter fitting and installed it. Here is a picture of the generator running with the new filter and no leak.

I’m really, really, glad this happpened before we left home. Marge is going to be sitting overnight on a couple of motel parking lots on the way down to Avon Park. Leaking gasoline would not have been a good thing!

In the morning I’ll unplug the electric, hook Marge to the truck, and off we will go for another winter adventure!

November 9, 2022 - First Repair Getting Marge Ready for the Trip South for the Winter

Last week we brought Marge home to get her ready for the trip South for the winter. 

There are always items to address with RVs, whether from being used or from sitting. Last winter I noticed that one of the light bulbs in the electric fireplace had burned out. I took it apart today to replace that bulb. While doing that learned how the "embers" and "flames" are created. The fireplace uses six candelabra-type light bulbs. The top two bulbs can be dimmed to create the ambiance you want. The bottom four bulbs light up the logs from below to create "glowing embers". 

After taking the cover and the glass off I quickly found the burned-out bulb on the top right side. I had some candelabra bulbs and put a new one in. The new bulb is either a little more wattage than the old one, or the other bulb has just lost some intensity due to aging, or both. Here is a picture. 

Here is a picture of the bottom bulbs, all of which are working. They light up the logs from below but do not dim.

The logs are made of three pieces of sculptured Styrofoam screwed together. The entire log unit just lifts out. I took the opportunity to clean the logs, especially the reflective areas on each that create the ember effect. Here are pictures of the logs together and apart.

   

The "flames" are made by a slowly spinning rod, with bent aluminum pieces attached. The rod stretches from one side of the fire box to the other behind an opaque second glass pane. The rod is turned by a motor on one end, which can be slowed down or sped up, again for the ambiance you want. The aluminum fins are different in shape and bent in different directions to make the flames "dance" as the rod turns. Pretty cool. Here is a picture of the aluminum fins. 

Since the shaft makes a little noise as it turns, I took the opportunity to oil each end. Surprisingly the unit was pretty clean even though it is sixteen years old. After cleaning where I could reach, I put everything back together for a picture.

The fireplace is not just for looks. It also has a 1500 electric space heater built in. We use it almost daily in Florida to take the morning chill off the living area. Good for another season!