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Borrego Springs, CA

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

A shaky start finished well

It was a tad bit windy as I took Emma for her first outs this morning.  That always makes me a little wary on a scheduled departure day.  I checked the forecast before packing away the computer, and the gusts were forecasted at 20 mph, so I decided to head out.  Were the gusts in the 30-40 mph range, I would have waited a day.  I don’t like driving in high winds.

As I finished up my preps for departure, I noticed that the steps were not retracting all of the way.  Phooey!  Even though I’m about eight miles away from the nearest salt water sound, the rain and dew from the last three months had obviously had a salty effect on the outside of the rig.  I unpacked a can of silicone spray and lubed up all movable parts.  After putting the stairs in and out several times, it seemed to do the trick.

I hooked up the toad, and just made it past the electric fence before the leveler alarm starting going off indicating the levelers were still down.  Obviously, I stopped immediately.  After retracting the levelers before I drove off the alarm had shut off.  It turned out that the back two levelers were mostly up, but not quite.  They had about an inch to go.  Luckily, George was still around so between the two of us we got them fully retracted.

Okay, so a half hour later than planned I finally made it out to US 64.  About a half mile down the road as I looked in the outside rearview mirror on the driver’s side, something was not right.  Ugh!  I put on my hazard lights and tried to pull as far as possible to the side of the road.  There are no shoulders on this section of the highway.  Somehow the cover over the hot water heater had worked loose and was hanging at a 90* angle out from the side of the rig.  I gingerly made my way out into the roadway on foot, and managed to get the cover secured while only one truck had to go around me.  Phew!  What next?

Thankfully, the rest of the 135 mile drive went smoothly and I arrived at Kampers Lodge Campground in Wilson, NC, in one piece.  What a friendly place this is!  One of the things that I really appreciate when arriving at a private campground is being escorted to my site.  Not having a navigator along, it’s sometimes hard to keep my eyes on the roads as well as the map of the campground to figure out where to go.

70 On the way to Okefenokee, 2012I have a nice long pull-through site with 50 amps and full hook-ups.  As the lady (Mouse) left in her golf cart after leading me to the site, the owner walked over to help detach the toad, and hooked up the water and electric for me.  I’m not used to such service!  They both stressed to me that I should let them know if there was anything else they could do for me.  They think of their campers as family.  In addition to the tent and RV sites, there is a swimming pool, miniature golf course, playground, horse shoe pits, and cool fire rings.  It’s a Passport America park, so two nights cost me $35.

70 On the way to Okefenokee, 20121

After settling in and getting everything set up, Emma and I went for a little walk around the campground.  That’s when we visited the four donkeys in a very large penned area on the south side of the park.  The donkeys are quite friendly and came right over to me and a slightly leery Emma.

_MG_0823

We continued our walk around to the front so I could get a picture of the entrance.  I was standing behind that batch of pampas grass and Emma was out in front of me.  I was watching a beautiful horse and rider across the road when a group of four ladies by the office started calling to Emma to get her to come to them.  When I stepped out from behind the greenery they all clutched their chests were your heart is.  It turned out they were all worried that Emma would run into the highway since they couldn’t see me standing behind the tall grass.  Sorry ladies, but it was nice to know they were so concerned about what they thought was a loose dog.  Smile  Like I said, it’s a very friendly place.

_MG_0828Later, as I was sitting out at the picnic table at my site with Emma, a couple walked up and asked if we were Judy and Emma.  Jan and Bill Maas then explained that they had been reading my blog for a couple of years, and wondered if I would be stopping at this same campground in Wilson.  These kinds of encounters always amaze me.  They have been fulltimers for 12 years, come from Minnesota, and have their residency in South Dakota just like I do.  Before going on the road they lived in Owatonna, MN, only about 30 miles from where I owned my house.  What are the chances that we’d cross paths in Wilson, NC??  Crazy!

So even though I had a rather rocky start this morning, the day turned out remarkably well.  What a hoot life is!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

31 comments:

  1. One thing I do not miss from the last motorhome is fooling with those jacks!

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  2. Sounds like the end of the day was much better than the beginning. Maybe once a year our steps give us trouble. Roger takes the motor off and cleans it and then the steps work just fine. Guess the motor etc. gets a lot of road dirt going down the highways.

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  3. Glad your rocky start ended well. Isn't it fun meeting "old friends" in unexpected places? What a treat!

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  4. Just enough excitement to make the "landing" in the afternoon even more sweet, eh? Looks and sounds like a really nice park. Hope you enjoy your two nights and have a quiet "liftoff" when you head on down the road!

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  5. Looks to be a great campground. Will have to put it on our "maybe" list for our East Coast trip next year.

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  6. If something didn't go wrong you would probably be waiting for it, and now you can relax.

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  7. Glad you 2 made it. How cool to meet people who already know you!

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  8. Boy that was some send off you had there. Glad it all worked out well.

    What a great campground with a guide and "full service for hookups" at $17.50 a night. I don't think that can be beat. I've put it on my list for sure. Thanks for the tip!!

    If you see those burros again, give their ears a scratch for me. We owned two of them for 25 years and better, self sufficent, low maintenance friends you cannot find. Just LOVE them!

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  9. It seems the longer we sit in one spot the more issues we have when we first start out. I've usually forgotten something even using our list. Always nice to get that first day over with and you finished yours in grand style. What a wonderful campground.

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  10. Sounds like a great park and the price is just right. Relax and enjoy.

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  11. Great service and a good price, sweet!

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  12. Glad that you ended you day on a high note. Nice people. Loved the pictures of the donkeys.

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  13. I'm looking forward to getting my Passport America information. Although we won't be traveling again until Christmas, I' m hoping to make use of it in Spring.

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  14. glad you landed safely after the 'rough start'!..nice to be welcomed like you were!!!

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  15. And hitchy start turned into a great day. I like that park.

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  16. Turned out to be a beautiful day after all for you and Emma. I am curious as to the benefits of having your residency in Idaho? I have been dropping hints to the kids about the RV being all I need to live in. So far it hasn't gone over too well :-/

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    1. ...and have their residency in South Dakota just like I do.


      Your residency in Idaho - where did that come from????

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  17. How ironic. We may be staying at Kampers Lodge this weekend.

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  18. It seems that 'all's well that ends well.' Glad to hear your day ended better than it started. I know with my project work the first day always has something go wrong, usually some piece of equipment I forgot to put in the car. I'm enjoying your blog and storing up places to see once I hit the road.

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  19. I'm proud of you, grabbing that silicone and fixing your steps. They do need a little TLC once and a while. While you have that silicone out, next time spray your leveling jacks and you shouldn't have any problems with them retracting all the way. I do it often and especially after I've been sitting in one place for a long time. The seal on the jack gets a little dry and the silicone makes the jack a little slippery.

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  20. Thanks for telling us about this campground in Wilson, it sounds great! One thing I do that seems to work okay is to exercise our engine, jacks, step, etc… about every 2 to 3 weeks when we are sitting for a prolonged period of time. When I remember to follow my own advice, I find that I know of any maintenance issues early and along with keeping the equipment running smoothly; it also gives me some peace of mind.

    John and Ellen
    connectedtothevinephotography.blogspot.com

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  21. What a wonderful way to greet a single traveler...help with the toad and hook up. Sounds like a very safe place to rest your head.

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  22. So glad to hear about this wonderful campground. What a small world we live in. Can't wait about your next adventures.

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  23. Glad your problems weren't worse and you found a great place to settle at the end of your travel day. I'm becoming more and more anxious on travel days due to our continued tire problems. Hopefully, now that we've replaced all of them, we'll have better travel days ahead!

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  24. It wouldn't be rving if it were not for the "little issues" that we encounter as we travel down the roads. Soundslike you found a friendly campground to stay at.

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  25. Glad to see all your issues were small ones and easily resolvable. Looks like you found a nice, friendly campground too.

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  26. I would love to stay in that campground - and they even have burros! Enjoy your time there.

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  27. Glad the rest of your trip was good.
    I pick up my rig on Friday cant wait :):)
    I am itching to hit some of these
    great CG's I keep hearing about
    donna

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  28. Sounds like a great place. Isn't it fun meeting blog friends?

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  29. Glad everything worked out...I sooooo give you the high five for traveling solo.

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