At 9:00 am we started calling about our truck. Is it ready? When will it be ready? Can we come now? :)
After three phone calls, we determined that it would be ready at 1:30. We started going through our departure checklist for an afternoon move.
We called Taylorsville State Park and made reservations. Linda was concerned about getting a spot for July 4th weekend, so we went ahead and made our reservation through the 5th since they had availability.
The plan was to pick up the truck, then Linda would fill her Mom's van up with gas while I stopped to get diesel. Then we would drop off her Mom's van, and I would stop by the house to load up all the stuff we haul in the truck. Then back home for a quick load and launch.
We arrived at the body shop exactly at 1:30 - we were a tad anxious. :) We inspected the truck and it looked great. The big test was whether our bed cover still fit.
You see the trailer damaged the tailgate (which we were able to repair and reuse) and it spread the truck rails out. If everything was repaired properly, the cover should snap back into place.
We got the cover snapped all along the sides - perfect! But then we could not get it snapped across the tailgate. Huh? The truck grew in length? What?
We finally were able to stretch it into place and get it snapped. Maybe the heat and humidity shrunk the cover while it was rolled up and not stretched out? Who knows, but it's going to be tight with the rig hitched .... if we can get it snapped at all.
Linda suggested we take it to the awning shop where it was designed. Add that to tomorrow's list of errands.
We paid the cool two grand for the repairs which included replacement of our driver's side mirror. Had we not been in Louisville and had we not gotten a pretty big tax refund check for last year, I'm sure we would have handled this whole situation differently. But now it's done. We didn't turn it in to insurance. We have a fairly high deductible anyway, and those insurance companies do not like single vehicle accidents that are your fault when looking at your premiums. :)
Back to the plan for the day. As I stopped for diesel I knew all was becoming right with the world again. "How ya like that 6.0? I got the 7.3 and I'm not crazy about it. I heard the 6.0s are real good. What kind of mileage ya gettin'?"
Conversation about the truck at the pumps - yep, gettin' back to normal. :) We exchanged "nice talkin' to ya" remarks, and he crawled back into his truck lamenting the fact that his wife won't let him get a new truck - poor guy.
On with the story. Oops. A glitch. Linda's Mom's road was being paved and we could not get to her house. Oh well, we still have errands to run tomorrow - we'll get the rest of our stuff then.
Back to the farm. Fortunately, it looked like things had dried out enough that getting out of the field would not be a problem.
My parents came out to send us off and help us stop traffic long enough to get out of the driveway - someone flying over the hill would get a HUGE surprise if we didn't run interference. :)
Since a little storm cell popped up out of nowhere, Linda went into a bit of a panic trying to make sure we got out of the field before it rained. She was right of course - no time for chit-chat or sentiments at that moment.
We got out of the tight driveway without damaging anything and were on our way. Shortly we noticed that the truck bed cover was flapping. We didn't snap it down since there was nothing in the bed to protect. Linda just wanted to get moving while I wanted to take time to secure it.
We stopped twice to try to get the thing secured, but we were still in a hurry because it was clear the storm was moving in. We were only driving about 30 miles to Taylorsville State Park, and we did not want to set up in the rain which seemed to be moving in that direction.
Having visited the park and campground a couple weeks earlier, we knew exactly where we were going. We knew the sites were large and the roads were wide. Linda says knowing where we are going and what we are facing reduces her travel anxiety a lot. That's nice sweetheart, but I'm afraid we can't scout out every campground in advance. :)
We arrived at 5:00, found our site, and were set-up in no time. These are nice, big sites, with lots of room in between. Here is our home for the next two weeks.
Oh, it's so nice and quiet and out away from everything. The rain was minimal. Everything is in place and set up. The peace and calm is coming back already. Ahhhhh.
The only problem we had was that the zipper on our bed cover broke off on the way. Guess we really do need to stop by the awning place - we will never drive again without it secured. But at that moment, neither of us cared much. :)
I was in desperate need of a shower since all of our work was done in 90-plus temps with a heat index in the 100s with the humidity. We don't have sewer hook-ups and I knew it was going to be a long shower. So I rode my bike - yay! a bike ride - to the bathhouse.
After my lingering shower, I coasted back down the hill to the rig enjoying the coolness of the air against my skin. Linda informed me that we already have hummers - cool. We had a light dinner of a pineapple avocado salad (don't ask me, Linda made it up) and cocktail shrimp.
I sat out under the awning in my lounger as Linda went to get her shower. Ahhhhhh.
That didn't last long as another thunderstorm rolled in. It was a bad one and we had to remain inside for the evening.
But even the storm couldn't dampen our spirits. We are well on our way to getting back to normal. Ahhhhh. :)
now that is a very nice camping spot! a little out in the open, but what a nice spot!
Posted by: Chad | Friday, June 23, 2006 at 09:55 AM
Glad your back on the road. I can sit here and feel what you are describing.Those feelings of freedom, peace, and calm. Ed and I are hoping to experience those feelings SOON, we hope. WHEN THE HOUSE SELLS. Hope to see you two on the road some time.
Posted by: Marilyn | Friday, June 23, 2006 at 10:30 AM
Howard,
What is your trick solution to feed hummers, I cannot seem to attract them. ???
Jeffrey Ebert
Posted by: Jeffrey Ebert | Friday, June 23, 2006 at 01:09 PM
Just curious the site looks nice but no sewer? Glad you're back on the road. Sounds like you had a nice time while at your parents. Next time the two of you are in the Jacksonville area we will get together. If we are still here???????????? Linda and Mossey O'Carroll
Posted by: Linda O'Carroll | Friday, June 23, 2006 at 07:56 PM
Jeffrey, it sounds like you need a Ho-Hummer feeder! http://www.rv-dreams.com/bird-feeders.html :) The perfect mixture is 4 parts water and 1 part sugar. Bring water to a boil, turn off heat, add sugar and stir until disolved. Let cool before you fill your feeder. Never add red food coloring to the mixture. It is not needed and may be harmful for our tiny friends. In hot weather, make sure you change the nectar every other day. I only put a small amount of nectar in my feeders each time and then store the remainder in the refrigerator for up to a week. Always clean your feeders thoroughly each time you change the nectar.
Here is a great source for Hummer info. I am a member of this group and highly respect their wisdom on Hummers. http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/
Good Luck!
Posted by: Linda | Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 07:51 AM
Linda & Mossey,
No, we do not have sewer here at Taylorsville Lake, but we rarely do at state parks. With a few exceptions, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida state parks do not have sewer hook-ups. Many Alabama state parks do. It varies state to state.
It would be nice to have sewer, but we would rather have the state park atmosphere. Before we started, we thought sewer hook-ups were no big deal. Once we started, we thought they were a very big deal. Now that we have some experience and have learned our tank capacities, sewers are not as big a deciding factor anymore.
Posted by: Howard | Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 09:48 PM
Howard, My wife and I were on site 21 next to you this weekend and both noticed many Humming birds on the back feeder. Your new signs on your truck worked, I just had to look you guys up. Great site and we do plan to follow you guys via the net. I hope you enjoy your full time RV-ing as we plan to do the same in a very few short years. But for now its every weekend. Good luck and we hope to run into you again
Posted by: Stewart Fortney | Sunday, June 25, 2006 at 09:13 PM