MONDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

Good morning. Oh yeah, yesterday's excitement!

We were driving 157 South through Alabama ... nice road ... having a fine trip. Mark checked the tires on the driver's side with the mirrors. He noticed the rear tire on the 5th wheel was out of alignment with the forward tire. "Oh oh!" he thought. I noticed he had swerved ever so slightly and said, "What are you doing?"  

"Nothing, why?" (Mark didn't want to alarm me but was watching for a place to pull over and check the tires.)

"You were swervin' Mervin for a second there." (30 seconds later ...)

Mark said quietly, "Oh no. We just lost a tire on the rig and it's rolling and catching up to us!" 

Well, the tire followed us for a long way before bouncing into the ditch, still following along. Mark pulled into a closed roadside business without a problem and we surveyed the situation. 

Yikes! We need a new axle! The entire spindle was gonzo!

There was a little body damage, but nothing too bad.

I made a call to our Good Sam Roadside  Assistance membership plan. What we expected and what we got were two different things. :-( we carefully explained the situation and damage to the agent. Expecting a tow vehicle, we were content to sit and wait a couple of hours. After calling them back twice, we found out they had "no way to tow a fifth wheel with a damaged axle." WTF ... if it was towable, we already had a tow vehicle! Duh. What Good Sam did was send out a mobile repair service man. He had quite a time finding us, and charged double because it was Sunday. When he finally arrived, he got out of his truck and said "holy shit ... I can't fix that! You need a low-boy tow truck!!!" 

I phoned Good Sam again and the service man explained the damage and the situation. Madison Mobile repair left the scene. We were on our own. Mark truck to the representative and the tow truck operator. The operator said there was no way to move so Mark asked what he should do with it ... Put a for sale sign on it and leave it?  It was a ridiculous situation. It could not be fixed on location, and it could not be towed. What the heck were we to do.

Mark dug through our truck box and found a strong steel cable and Master combo lock. 

It took an elevator man to rig it. 

Redneck Trailer Sales was 25 miles back. The Madison repairman thought if we could make it there ...

Well, we limped along the shoulder of the highway for 25 miles to get back to Redneck where we spent the night in their parking lot. At 8 o'clock when they open, we got the bad news that they don't have workers there; they supply axles. But, of course, they didn't have the axle we need it. That, according to them, would be custom made and take at least two weeks. Bobby, at their counter, gave Mark two other companies to phone for possible help. One of the numbers, no one had come to work but the receptionist gave Mark the number for Jerry's Mobile RV. It turned out to be the best solution for us although it was another 5 miles down the road! 

It appears that the bearing exploded out through the center! (???)

The good news was that Jerry thought he could have an axle within the week. Also, he is an authorized Thor and Lippert dealer. 

So, we left our Grand Junction in Alabama to wait for repairs and headed to Florida in the Dodge truck. Jerry's seemed trustworthy, so I hope we will not be disappointed. 

Perhaps our luck has changed. At a fuel station on 180 in Alabama, the store clerk gave Mark free coffee and two bottles of water because he's such a nice Florida guy. Yay. 

Tonight, we found a hotel near Perry, Georgia that takes pets for an extra $10. Perfect. Done. We will be on I 75 and a straight run home tomorrow! Yay. 

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

It was chilly overnight with temperatures dropping to 50. I set the furnace at 60°, but it didn't come on during the night. Pam suggested going for breakfast today, but it was such a distance, Mark offered to cook ... we took him up on it. We had scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and toast. Perfect! 

Pam loaded her Nissan Rogue and left at 11 o'clock with a 13 hour drive to Minneapolis ahead of her. We decided, since everyone was on their way home, we'd pack up too. By noon we were on our way. We will get through Birmingham ahead of MONDAY morning rush hour traffic. While we're traveling, I'll post a few more photos from the beautiful wedding yesterday. 

The Groom with his mates. 

Casey & Derek Hobson, twins ... Groom's cake behind. 

No peeking ... before the ceremony. 

Olivia discovering "something blue". 

Southern charm. 

Mother in law & Daughter in law ...

Beautiful bride, Olivia. 

Well, it was an exciting travel day for us. Tomorrow, I will post the results but, it wasn't great. Ta ta til tomorrow!

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

A fine day is forecast for Olivia & Derek's wedding at 6 o'clock tonight. 

Lovely, eh. 

We were all in bed by 11 o'clock last night and Pam slept until almost 9 this morning. She needed it! Of course I had my usual few hours at a time, and got up to drink pineapple juice and play solitaire a couple or three times. 

Yesterday, we had lunch at the only restaurant we could find ...

"Living large" at the Junction Inn, Grand Junction, TN. (It was the only place open.) 

(Our RV is a Grand Junction.)

Today, we lazed around and Mark cooked us breakfast and later barbecued brats for lunch. Pam walked down to the pool and relaxed in the sun for an hour or two. An RV "neighbor" walked past with a goat on a leash! It was well behaved and very affectionate. When the man was out of sight from his goat, collecting firewood, the goat was bleating. 

We left for the wedding about 5 o'clock and got there 15 minutes before the ceremony. The stately antebellum home was resplendent with its manicured lawn and rose petal aisle. 

Mr. & Mrs. Hobson. (Olivia carried a photo of her mom in the locket dangling from the rose bouquet.)

A beautiful evening ... 

Olivia married into a large, lovely family! 

Back home, Robbie was happy to see us  by 9:35. It is going down to 45 tonight! Brrr. 

Ta ta til the morrow. 

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

We will never forget. 

Good morning from Tennessee!  A little rain moved through a few minutes ago ... but a nice day is forecast. 

Pam arrived at noon ... armed with boxes of wine and a jug of rum! Welcome! Haha. She'd been driving since 10 the previous night but got her 2nd wind and rallied for the day!

Pam and I were texting with the bride, Olivia, and trying to drop off wedding gifts. (Mark didn't hear the entire conversation with GPS chatter.) Our thoughts were to scope out the wedding venue to pick the best route for tomorrow evening. Olivia thought she'd have enough  time to drop by and open the gifts at the RV park. Okay ... keep the parcels with us. 

Mark, Pam and I found a cute spot called Railway Junction in the town of Grand Junction and went in for lunch. The food was good; then we continued onto Derek's aunt Lynne and uncle Terry's home in Michigan City, Mississippi. After a pass down the road, we found it and went into the driveway. It's a lovely OLD home with manicured lawn. Pam and I were looking out the truck windows and wondering aloud "what will be where".  Mark obviously had enough of our musings and went to the front door. No answer! Next thing we knew, he had disappeared around the back. Minutes went by while we sat and yakked.

Mark found Terry doing last minute prep in the backyard and brought him around front to get the wedding gifts. 

Meanwhile, Pam and I were discussing WHY Mark would have disturbed Terry when we were JUST doing a "drive by".  Haha. I introduced myself and told the men we'd JUST gotten a text from Olivia and she would pick the gifts up at the RV park. LOL.  

On our return to the RV park, we tried a Google Maps shortcut. Well, 45 minutes later we came to a boggy road and turned around. At one point Mark was trying to drive with the GPS talking and 2 Google Maps yakking. Oh boy! Once we arrived back at the RV it was Wine:30. 

The next fun was Savannah, Marshall and Debra discovered the log cabins weren't as advertised ... NOT EVEN CLOSE. LOL. We invited them for wine. While we were chatting, Savannah arranged other accommodations for them and the wedding photographers. 

They were scheduled at to the rehearsal dinner so were on their way. 

Olivia's gown with a surprise! Savannah had a heart-shaped piece of Marcy's scarf sewn into the bodice. 

For "something blue" Savannah arranged for this phrase in remembrance of Olivia's mother. Lovely!

Pam went to shower while I prepared her room and Mark cooked pizza in the convection oven. It was a grand day with good laughs. 

Our Nashville plans changed ... we're going to Stone Mountain in Georgia on Monday! Years ago we were there with Matt and hoped to "camp" there one day!

Ta ta til tomorrow. 

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2015

Good day, y'all ... we're in the "south"! It rained overnight with a few thunderstorms off and on but we slept okay. We were on the road, chores done, at 7:15. 

Sue and Wayne left their overnight spot quite early heading to Paducah,  Kentucky. 

We saw some pretty countryside this morning with rolling hills. There was plenty of morning traffic going into Birmingham. Pam starts her drive from Minneapolis tonight ... Savannah & Marshall start tomorrow (5 am) from Candler, NC. 

We arrive to Cherokee landing in Salisbury Tennessee about 130. This is a lovely, well-maintained, natural park. There are plenty of trees, an Olympic size swimming pool, lodge and cabins for rent. The RV park is huge, unless you want full facilities.  If you want full for Sillinti's, which include sewer, you're only 18 sites. Luckily, we are now in Site 1.  

Our homestead for the next four nights! Not too shabby. 

We had hot dogs and salad tonight ... and a lovely fire. 

Good night ... sleep tight ... and tomorrow, a moment of silence for those lost 14 years ago on 9-11. 

TRAVEL DAY - 9/9, 2015

Good morning. We were up and on the road at 7:15 AM. We stopped for fuel at Love's in Georgia. The front pumps were out of diesel, so around the back we went to fuel up beside the big rigs. A couple pulling a U-Haul got to the open pump first. He spent 15 or 20 minutes fumbling around trying to get the pump to work. We left and went a mile down the road to a Pilot at exit 60. Fortunately, that was uneventful and we fueled and were on the road within 15 minutes.  As we were merging onto the highway, Mark saw a truck and trailer trying to get to the shoulder. Next, Mark saw the left trailer wheel fly off and cruise down the highway, crossing two lanes and eventually hitting the median barrier! The tire flew up into the air and nearly into oncoming traffic! Fortunately, it bounced back and continued rolling down the left side shoulder. This trailer was carrying a load of hot tar! I am sure glad we were ahead of it as will likely be a huge mess. Otherwise, the weather has been good and the trip uneventful so far. ;-)

Today, Randy and Dawn are flew to Winnipeg for their three-week jaunt.  At the same time, Sue and Wayne are heading south from their cottage in Canada. 

At a rest area in Wisconsin, Sue and Wayne saw someone wearing, perhaps, Randy's coveralls (sold on eBay.) I guess this truck driver thought no one could see him watering the tree hidden behind his truck. Sue and Wayne's coach is very high ... 

LOL. They planned to reach Effingham, Illinois tonight. (Gee, I'd like to know how that name came about! Haha.)

We passed one confederate flag flying high in Georgia, cotton fields on both sides of the highway, and a few tobacco fields.  Hmmm ... 

Passing through Atlanta was adventurous today. Our GPS said to stay on I 75 N ... BUT to take the next exit on the right. Well, I 75 N signage had us stay on the main highway in the left lane, not going right and transferring to I 20 W on to the right. At the last possible moment, we decided we must follow the I 75 N. As it turned out 50 miles down the road, either way would've gotten us onto I 20 W. Egad, there's one of those exits on every trip! 

Today's bad driving award goes to the dumb young lady in the red Volkswagen who was texting and chewing gum in the hammer lane. Now I don't want to judge, but some folks shouldn't even people walk and chew gum at the same time! Second-place went to the man driving the silver Honda Civic who was reading a pocketbook while in the hammer lane! Third prize was to the driver of the blue Peterbilt hauling a 54 foot trailer who was writing a report balanced on top of the steering wheel at 65 miles an hour. Asses, all of them. 

We arrived, no scratches, at 4:45 CST (local) time. Within a ten minutes the A/C was on, we were in our recliners with wine in hand! Cheers. 

Tonight's supper plan was simply my favorite ... Kraft Dinner! Mark adds peas, onions, whatnots and chicken. 

Oopsie! Haha. There's the "whatnots"!

We were waiting to hear from RanDawn, before publishing this ... so, I shall add a note later when we hear. 

Ta ta. 

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2015

Good morning. Oh, there are so many last minute things to be done for our road trip! 

Mark took our two eBay sales to the post office. This was the quietest sales weekend ever. Actually, we hope it stays rather quiet while we are enjoying the wedding! 

Sue and Wayne crossed the border yesterday on their RV trip, heading home. They may stay a night in the Duluth, Minnesota region to avoid a big rain storm moving through south of there. 

Here at home in Florida, we're expecting a sunny and hot day with scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Just a regular Florida summer afternoon!  Tomorrow, a drier air mass moves in. 

This afternoon, it was game day at Pat's home. She has a beautiful, timid, English Springer spaniel. Of course I will have a great visit with Sadie ... but, Pat and I are going to look at a possible renovation on her bathroom. She wants ideas, and everyone knows I have ideas. LOL. (Poor Ken!)

Isn't this a fantastic photo of the sons of the greatest band ever, the Beatles!

Imagine the music these six might create with the genius genes they inherited!  If only…

This afternoon I learned Rummikube ... sort of. We were all talking and kept wondering whose turn it was. I spotted a few mistakes and out of turn play, but whatever! Haha. It was a fun time!

I noted three people tripping on scatter mats this afternoon. Sue and I noticed that problem with mom tripping on mats. I mentioned it, but will have to talk with the gals about it later. Area rugs seem OK, but the scatter mats are so easily doubled up and tripped over! 

Mark and I finished the RV prep and I made sandwiches for the road trip. I think we're ready! Yay. 

Dawn's son Brandon is picking them up tomorrow at 8:45 for the drive to Orlando airport. Their flight doesn't leave until early afternoon, but they want to be there and have lunch at the airport. We are going to miss seeing them and hope they have a wonderful visit with Randy's family. 

Sue and Wayne arrived at Ho Chunk Casino in Wisconsin about 7 o'clock! The weather looks good. 

This is in the beautiful Wisconsin Dells area! 

That's it for today. We're going to relax this evening and try and get to bed a little earlier than usual! Ta ta.