Day #187 – Leaks & Party

Gatlinburg TN

This morning, I found our first leak.  The hot water outlet valve in the bathroom, used to drain water prior to winterizing the trailer, was leaking.  I walk around the trailer every day to just look it over, so I knew this was a new leak.  As soon as I started to crawl under for a better look, Paul came by to help.  We couldn’t find our channel grips (left them in Florida), so Paul brought his over.  Before I could even protest, he’d crawled under and tightened the valve.

Kelly worked on a project for most of the day, aided by Fran.  I provided lunch to them, and later snacks to them and the newest full-timer work camper, Leatta.  While they worked and yakked, I did some trip planning.

I’m having some trip angst right now.  The dentist had told me that follow-up for my gums is crucial to me keeping my teeth.  I’m torn between coming back here in four months to see the same dentist or finding another on the road, and hoping that the new one is as good as this one.  After learning that my prior dentist was apparently not that great, I’ve lost confidence in my ability to judge who’s good and who ain’t.

Kelly wants to aim for Wyoming to visit one of her aunts.  So, I figured out a trip plan that could get us there and back in four months.  It won’t work though – we can’t keep to a schedule to save our lives and this one would be too close for comfort.  At this point, we’re thinking of heading in that direction, then leaving the trailer behind to drive quickly back here for the dental checkup.  We’ll see.

Don, the campground manager had a hankering for steak today.  So, Kelly and Fran took his money and headed to the grocery store.  We made steak, potatoes, and salad for nine people.  I ended up eating vegan because I can’t eat steak.  The alcohol was flowing freely and we got a bit rowdy.  It made me uncomfortable – staff being more annoying than the campers.  But, we wrapped it up by 10 PM.

After washing the dishes, I discovered that our grey water tank had filled and was backing up into the bathtub.  Phew – that smelled bad!  Kelly drained the tank and scrubbed the tub while I dug out our super-duper Fresh Wave (http://www.fresh-wave.com/categories/Shop-All-Products/?gclid=CNmloMev_aECFQrKsgodQm4QGA) pine/lime air freshener that we’d purchased before leaving Pittsburgh.  We hadn’t used it yet because it was so strong, but it did the job!

Day #136 – Leaking Continues

Lake Park GA

We woke up to find the water hose under the kitchen sink was still leaking.  We were both seriously bummed about this because it meant we’d have to take the trailer back to the dealer for repair. 

Getting this trailer ready to move is weird.  Many of the steps are the same as they were in the TrailManor, but executed just a bit differently.  Just different enough to throw us off.  We didn’t arrive at the dealer until early afternoon.

They fixed the leak for us and we headed back to the Eagle’s Roost.  Again, Kelly had to fuss over and over with getting both tires on our site’s pad.  It went a bit easier this time, but was still very frustrating.  Luckily, we had a healthy snack before beginning the task.

Tomorrow, we start our run to Gatlinburg.  We’ll get our first taste of towing this monstrosity on the open road, vying with truckers and other RV drivers for our share of the highway.

Day #135 – Water Leak

Lake Park GA

The last couple days have been a whirlwind of moving stuff around, organizing, and of course, shopping.  The boxes we used to store things in the TrailManor just don’t work in this new trailer.  We are essentially using the bunk beds as shelving units.  If we store things wisely, we won’t have to move objects to the floor before we tow from one location to the next.  Kelly is a genius at this – I try to stay out of her way.

We’ve moved all the camping and kayak gear from the bed of the truck to the pass-through in the front of the trailer.  It’s not neat yet, but it’s safe and dry.  We’ve unpacked lots of boxes into cupboards – books are now on a shelf!  We stored our small collection of cold-season clothes under the bed.  Extra water bottles and knapsacks went under the dinette seat.  We put our games and puzzles in the cupboard under the TV.  Our goal is to have the bottom bunks empty, for use by visitors.  In reality, we’ve put laundry bags on one and the guitar and dulcimer on the other.

This trailer is so much easier to live in.  In the TrailManor, you had to literally get down on hands-and-knees to access the lower cupboards.  In this trailer, there is only one shelf near the floor and there is no need for kneeling.

Today, we discovered a leak in the fresh water line under the kitchen sink.  The dealer’s technician came over to fix it, but we’re guessing it will still be leaking in the morning.