Chapter 4 – Caverns, Canyons & Country (music) 🎵

By the time we returned from our third trip with RV we’d spent a total of 82 days living with decor typical to campers: brown, woody, and a bit on the dark side with finishes that help to hide the joints, gaps and other minor imperfections that are inherent to their manufacture. Since we plan to spend a lot more time living with this space we decided to redecorate so during this last period at the home base we dove into a few projects to bring the interior design in tune with our tastes, those being both lighter and more modern.

We got home from trip #3 on February 12th and our original plan was to head back out the 3rd week of April. No problem, that gave us a bit over two months to do the renovations that we had in mind: epoxy countertops (FYI neither of us had any prior experience pouring epoxy), a new backsplash, and a new floor. Now as great as it would have been to hit the ground running, it did take about a week to get unpacked, completely clean RV bumper-to-bumper inside and out, something we do after every trip, and just generally get back into the routine of being home. Then, of course, we actually had to figure out what epoxy we wanted, which flooring would look good, find a backsplash, and get it all ordered. That took about another week … or two … or three. Although we got the flooring handled fairly quickly (after ordering a couple rounds of samples), it wasn’t until March 18th that we finally ordered the epoxy and I wasn’t going to put in the new floor until I’d finished spilling epoxy all over the old one. The epoxy arrived two weeks later and, if you’re keeping score, there was now 26 days until departure. It was about this time that Laura found out that she’d have to be in San Francisco the week we were going to be in Nashville. Well, no problem, we’ll just change our reservations to spend two weeks in Tennessee and leave a week early. Done and done. Still counting? We’re now at T-19 days and the only thing I’ve accomplished thus far is to pull off the decorative trim around the pop-out and remove the window coverings – because why not epoxy the trim and while I’m at it build and epoxy new window valance boxes to match the countertops?

On March 31st I got started in earnest but before that, I snapped a couple “before” photos:

At 16 days till we leave, the epoxy goes on. The epoxy that takes a week to fully cure. At least I can get started on the floor:

A week later the epoxy (and it’s 3 coats of urethane) have cured and RV has been re-assembled. We can now see that what was supposed to be white & grey with blue hilites has become white & blue with grey accents. We both like blue so it’s not a big disappointment but the brown walls & cabinets now really don’t work at all. T-6 days, let’s go shopping we have time to paint the dinette side of the pop-out. T-5 days, light grey walls and cabinets. T-4 days, light grey walls and medium grey cabinets. T-3 days, light grey walls and slightly darker medium grey cabinets and there’s still time to paint the bedroom side of the pop-out.

The backsplash doesn’t quite work but it’s still pretty cool and we definitely need to look at fabrics for reupholstering and new window blinds but we’ll live with this for the next 4-1/2 months:

T-2 days, we should probably pack … and start the engine because the battery seemed a bit sluggish the last couple times. It didn’t start. So I hooked up the battery tender and let it sit overnight. T-1 day, since we’re going to be away for the bulk of hurricane season I spent the morning putting on the shutters and securing the house. Guess I should check the battery … the doors wouldn’t unlock and putting the key in the ignition didn’t result in the usual servo-clicking noises 🤨. Checked the tender and the big green light said “Charged!” unfortunately the little red light said “Bad Battery” 😒. Well it is the original battery so bit of a bummer but it it what it is and the auto parts store had one in stock. At least it happened at home and not on the road.

T-0, packed the last few items and spent the remaining few hours in the quiet twilight of the hurricane-shuttered house.

Finally, shut off the water heater, turned off the water, set the thermostat to a balmy 80 degrees, and we’re off … Todd and the pets in RV and Laura following in the car. We decided to try something new this time. Because we’re not quite ready to get a tow-behind (or toad in RV lingo) and since it’ll be far more convenient to have a car this trip we’re taking the Niro. With it’s 50 miles-per-gallon hybrid efficiency, it turns out that it’s actually cheaper than renting when we get to each place and saves the hassle of picking-up & dropping-off a rental car.

We spent the first night at the Huguenot Memorial Park campground in Jacksonville. And even though we had to drive an extra 45 minutes through the rain because Google maps decided to mess with us, it turned out to be a nice park with huge spaces and tiny noseeums that liked us so much that several of them wanted to spend the night with us in RV.

Saturday morning dawned a little moist and we continued north. Soon enough we had made it out from under the rain and had a pleasant drive to Summerville SC where we stopped for a very good lunch with Todd’s niece Tiffany. It also gave us a chance to get our picture taken at the birthplace of sweet tea (the Champagne of the South)! Although they freely admit they have no idea where the first cup of sugar was poured into a pitcher of tea, they’re staking their claim and milking it for all it’s worth.

Now thoroughly exhausted by our tea experience, we continued north towards our evening layover in Rocky Mount, NC.

When we last left our intrepid explorers, they were heading North on I-95 …

After setting up in the dark the night before, we were looking forward to an earlier arrival and relaxing evening. Unfortunately, 2 hours before we had the chance to unwind – “beep … beep … beep” – the low tire warning went off in RV. Fortunately, we have installed pressure sensors on all of RV’s tires (this one). Unfortunately, I thought it was the low battery warning on the walkie-talkie (we use these tell each other it’s time to stop for gas or “Hey!, Look at that!”). By the time I figured out that it was the tire, it was completely flat. Fortunately, it was one of the rear duallys and double-fortunately, it was the outer tire.

Our fortune continued as this all occurred just a couple of miles from our next gas stop at one of the many Loves travel centers along the Interstate and as Loves bills themselves as RV-friendly I felt confident that we could get the flat swapped with the spare and be on our way without overmuch delay. Fortune, however, being fickle thumbed it’s nose at us along with the folks in the Loves service center who assured us that not only could they not work on an RV but that we also could not use their lift or jacks to assist in our cause. Apparently the extent of Loves RV-friendliness is maintaining small, and in many cases rather nasty, fenced areas for puppies to poop and selling crappy fried food.

Thwarted in our attempts at a quick and easy resolution we started examining our options which were to either call for help via our RV Roadside Assistance or simply change the tire ourselves – after all, I’ve changed many a tire in my life and, although I’d never dealt with a dually or an 11,500+ pound vehicle, I felt confident in my ability handle something this basic and really didn’t want to sit waiting for someone to come and do what seemed like nothing more than helping me keep my hands from getting dirty.

Ah Fortune … you bitch! Turns out that jacking up the rear of a class-c RV is something that I hadn’t considered. The first challenge was that the only jack I had access to was one of the two that I use to stabilize the rig and keep it from bouncing around every time someone takes a step or a dog lays down. These jacks each have a 5,000 pound capacity and, fortunately, enough rise distance to get the tire off the ground. Unfortunately, they’re not pump jacks but rather the screw type. This in and of itself isn’t an issue as I usually just put a socket on my battery-powered drill which is able to provide enough torque to secure the jacks with enough pressure to keep us from rocking about. The drill wasn’t going to cut it this time though. And if just screwing of the jack up wasn’t enough, Fortune decided that the only point on the frame that was suitable for jacking was a foot-and-a-half beyond the side of the RV and framed about with various drain pipes and the undersides of storage cabinets. We’ll knuckles be damned, I set to raising and eventually had enough clearance to get the tire off.

Fortune, was not to be beaten so easily however … Did I have a lug wrench? Yes. Did I have a lug wrench that would reach 13 inches to get at the lugs? You know I didn’t. But someone, something, fate, karma, luck, providence, clean-living, whatever decided that it was time for Fortune to take a kick in the teeth and as it turned out, dare I say fortunately, there was a Harbor Freight directly across the street! Laura hopped in the Nero and sped off to get an adequately sized lug wrench. But Fortune although down, was not out. Ironically “out” would also be the term one could use to describe Harbor Freights supply of deep-set lug wrenches.

I was, however, determined to win this fight and so I journeyed myself across the street of fate and lo, it no longer mattered that they had not the tool for which we quested as I would put myself forward and search deep into the stocks. And I did come to the shelves of sockets and of bars extension. And I then builded me a wrench of lugs supreme. And I took it back to the battle and was victorious.

And Fortune was defeated.

And I was filthy.