RV Adventure

Greg and I haven't used our RV in a long time ~ mainly because it was where one of our sons lived for a year and a half after we moved to GA.  But he moved and it was time.

Greg made us reservations at the state park where Amy is getting married in the fall.  Its a beautiful park and we wanted to explore it some. 

He got off work early on Friday and we set out (just the 2 of us) on our grand adventure.  We had food, bottled water, drinks, snacks, movies for the dvd player, etc.  We stopped on the way to fill up the propane tank for heat since it was supposed to get cold on Saturday night.....and it did.

We got to the park and set up camp.....this is where the adventure part begins.....

We didn't have the plug for the hot water heater ~ so no hot water

The water line for the running water was split ~ so it spewed water whenever turned on ~ so no running water

The lights dimmed when we turned on the tv ~ we ran a cord from the power source outside to the tv for our 2 movies we watched

We couldn't lite the oven ~ don't know why. Stovetop worked fine.

Got up Saturday morning to 2 flat tires ~ argh

Mom came and rescued us and we went home to get the air compressor for the tires. The park is an hour from our house.

Greg pumped up the tires and it seemed to work good.

We ended up with hot dogs and chili for supper cause it was fast, warm, and easy. And no oven required.

Finished watching Sound of Music and then watched Gregs new Jason Bourne movie.

Went to bed....and got so cold!  That full tank of propane and our heater blew out cold air all night long.  We had an electric blanket but there wasn't enough power to heat it ~ and no, I did not jump out of the cold bed into the colder air and run the electric cord through a crack in the window into the rv for the blanket....for the record, Greg did "ask'!

Greg repumped the tires, we explored the park and then drove home ~ thankfully, a safe and uneventful drive.

The weekend wasn't a complete disaster (just seems like it), we went on our first RV trip with no kids, we did enjoy most of our time together ~ nothing like freezing with your best friend, we found a couple of great picture spots and rehersal dinner spots for the wedding.

We are not giving up on RV trips ~ I did tell Greg I was willing for us to drive it to Hilton Head (after its fixed of course) and camp on the island! 

We are very thankful for ~

safety
blankets
distractions (the movies)
a long, extension cord
finding a nearby shop to take it too this weekend
time away

What we learned ~

to check everything, no matter what
that laughing is better than complaining
that we are not cut out for "off grid", not w/out a lot of preparation~!!
that Ma & Pa Ingalls and Mama & Daddy Walton were tough!  Not sissies like us!
Have some easy food to prepare for "just in case".

lovely little waterfall in the park

ceremony venue

the ceremony will be in here!

beautiful craftsmanship

can't wait to see "long and white" draped over these stone steps!

RV Trivia

Longest trip we've been on - 2 1/2 weeks on our western adventure

Most unusual place we have camped - on the strip in Vegas, there was a KOA in a hotel parking lot.

Scariest ride in the rv - taking Old Route 66 to a "ghost town" out west - no road maintenance in decades, hairpin curves, and no guard rails.  Lots of parting going on that day! 2nd scariest would be the same trip, but through an expressway shutting down Dust storm.

Wondering if we could get through there ride - that would be driving the rv through Cades Cove in the Smokey Mountains.  We made it fine!

Hottest place we've camped - Oklahoma on our mission trip

Most uncomfortable night or nights - running out of propane in the middle of the night in TN.  We were freezing and so were the water pipes - they all busted!

Most redneck place - Atlanta Motor Speedway - I wasn't there but heard the stories.

Place we want to camp again - Fort Wilderness at Disney.

New places we want to go - Yellowstone, Sanibel island, Hilton Head (they have  two rv parks!), Maine, wind through Kentucky.

RV Redo

Several years ago we bought an RV ~ used.  We've taken it out West, to the Outer Banks, to Disney World, to the mountains, on a Mission Trip to Oklahoma, and to the MS coast.  Its even been to a Nascar race.

We noticed that the "skin" on the outside was coming loose ~ that got the redo ball rolling.  The window on the inside of the bedroom part had a leak ~ most likely the water leaking caused the skin to pull apart, and the wood to rot inside the structure.  Greg pulled the inside of the wall apart to replace the rotten pieces, is caulking it inside and out, and has screwed the skin back to the rv side and into the new wood. 

We pulled up the nasty carpet in the bedroom and the bathroom (WHO ever thought carpet in a bathroom was a good idea?).  The bathroom will be just stick on vinyl tile ~ easy to keep clean, and we are talking about a very tiny space, calling it a room is generous.  The bedroom flooring is still up for a decision.  We thought about the vinyl tile that looks like wood ~ but that is about 3 x more expensive that the manufactured wood flooring that we put down in our bedroom. 

The walls are getting a nice coat of paint ~ yes, over the wallpaper.  Read how to do it on Pinterest (duh!).  I've got a new quilt ready for the bed and enough fabric to recover the valances.  The blinds were shot in there and I think we are going to replace with just the simple pull down blinds from Walmart.

Oh, the "theme" is going to be beachy.  Neutral floor and walls & then fun accents and accessories ~ many of which we already have.  We have rejected the idea of the floor covering being Sand ~ yuck!

And we are planning some trips.  Greg wants to do some Nascar races.  Several are within a days driving of our home ~ Texas, Talledega, and Atlanta. He would also love to drive up through Kentucky in the fall ~ won't happen this year but maybe next.

Our RV's name is Buddy.  Appropriately named since we went with our buddies camping.  One buddy has gotten married and moved away, and our other 2 are now working.  Greg and I may be each others buddy on many trips ~~~~~ we've never done this alone. 

A new adventure!