Day #9 – Broken Tail Light and Clip

Friday December 4, 2009 – Day #9
Saint Helena’s Island SC to Saint Mary’s Island GA

We are starting to get a routine together for getting ourselves on the road. Kelly works on the inside of the trailer, packing and stowing, while Suzie works on getting all the hoses and electrical connections unconnected, cleaned up, and put away. Things this morning were going particularly well so we folded our trailer down and tightly secured the latches that hold it closed. We then connected the trailer to the truck and tested the lights, brakes, and signals. Crap! We discovered that the passenger side tail light wasn’t working. We decided there wasn’t much we could do about it and planned to look for an auto store when we got to our next location so we could buy a new bulb. We left Tuck in the Woods Campground on time and we were feeling pretty good about our start. We were off! Whoo Hoo!

There was a light rain in the morning but nothing too crazy. Arriving at the Georgia border welcome center we were singing “Georgia, Georgia… the whole day through…” and after unplugging the rig, we went in, collected a few maps, and went back to the truck. That’s when we noticed it. One of the latches we so carefully and tightly connected was gone! It was totally blown off the rig. Oh and that light rain. It was gone too. It was now a heavy storm.

Now cursing the weather, we headed on. We managed to find an Auto Zone store and went in to get a bulb, and to see if they had any latch-type thingies. They didn’t. But they gave us directions to a nearby RV store. Feeling like our luck was about to change, we purchased the new light bulb, removed the cover of the tail light, installed it and PRESTO…. Nothing. Twisted and turned the thing and still nothing. Crap. Still feeling slightly hopeful, we went on the RV store, and guess what? First, they knew what a TrailManor was! Second, they had latches AND valves! Oh yeah, Baby! The staff was quite helpful and had the correct type of valve IN STOCK and latches too! We bought two latches and two valves – one each for the immediate need and one each for a spare – you know, just in case.

The rain had eased up and we were feeling much better about things in general. We continued on to our campsite at the Country Oaks Campground in Kingsland, which is located just a few miles from the Georgia/Florida border. We arrived without further incident, and were cheerfully greeted and directed to our campsite. We quickly hopped out of our truck and begin to set up camp with Kelly inside unstowing and unpacking and Suzie outside connecting anything that needs it. Just when things were feeling brighter and sunnier, the skies opened up and showered Suzie with lots of love. She looked like one of those photos you see of a kitten climbing out of the goldfish bowl. She even had the same expression on her face.

Well, as the saying goes, tomorrow gives us fresh new hope.