Troy used his drone to capture this aerial shot of us by our RV While we have traveled some over the last couple of months, our plans for the next few months are to cover much more ground. So, we took some time to make some improvements in the RV while still at Pocahontas. And since we won’t be back in the park until October, we made every effort to ensure we had things lined up for Cabin Work Week.
Dave inspects the tires as they come off the RV New Tires – Already?
We had picked up a screw in one of our trailer tires at Janes Island last month. The repair made by a local shop had not been done correctly. So, Dave decided we needed to replace the tire, since the bad repair could not be fixed. He than began the search for a replacement tire. The search led him to quickly decide that , rather than replace this tire with an equivalent, that we should replace all of our tires, even though the RV is only 6 months old, with Goodyear Endurance tires. These are better quality and will give us more confidence as we travel many miles over the summer.
The local Discount Tire was willing to give us the best price, and it would be an easy in and out with the trailer. The tires were installed with high pressure valve stems to prevent the problems we had had with the boat trailer tires. And, since our tires were in such good shape, our son-in-law was able to use them on his trailer. It’s all good.
We had picked up a screw in one of our trailer tires at Janes Island last month. The repair made by a local shop had not been done correctly. So, Dave decided we needed to replace the tire, since the bad repair could not be fixed. He than began the search for a replacement tire. The search led him to quickly decide that , rather than replace this tire with an equivalent, that we should replace all of our tires, even though the RV is only 6 months old, with Goodyear Endurance tires. These are better quality and will give us more confidence as we travel many miles over the summer.
The local Discount Tire was willing to give us the best price, and it would be an easy in and out with the trailer. The tires were installed with high pressure valve stems to prevent the problems we had had with the boat trailer tires. And, since our tires were in such good shape, our son-in-law was able to use them on his trailer. It’s all good.
Backup Camera display What’s Back There?
Hand signals, walkie-talkies, cell phones, and just yelling at each other. We use whatever works to get the RV parked without running into something. Cathy stands at the rear of the RV with Dave in the driver’s seat while she tries to communicate how to hit just the right spot in the campsite. Sometimes it works well. Sometimes not so well.
Hand signals, walkie-talkies, cell phones, and just yelling at each other. We use whatever works to get the RV parked without running into something. Cathy stands at the rear of the RV with Dave in the driver’s seat while she tries to communicate how to hit just the right spot in the campsite. Sometimes it works well. Sometimes not so well.
Dave installing our new backup camera Our new Cougar RV came pre-wired for a backup camera. While it was designed for a Furrion camera, Dave’s research confirmed that other brands could be installed successfully. He settled on an Amtifo A8 FHD that had the capability to display more than one camera on a 7” screen. While the camera could be mounted in the pre-wired location on the back of the fifth wheel, it would communicate wirelessly with the display in the truck. The hardest thing about installing the camera was the awkward position needed to install some very tiny screws on the mount. (And the time needed to find them when they fell on the ground.)
The resulting image was clear and, while it hasn’t completely replaced Cathy’s guidance behind the RV, maybe it will in time. It also helps fill the blind spot when traveling down the highway, showing the cars that are close behind us.
The resulting image was clear and, while it hasn’t completely replaced Cathy’s guidance behind the RV, maybe it will in time. It also helps fill the blind spot when traveling down the highway, showing the cars that are close behind us.
More RV Stuff
A strange metal washer lay on our patio mat after retracting the awning one afternoon. Luckily Cathy saw it and we were able to locate the pin on the awning arm that it was supposed to be holding in place. After calls to Lippert and Keystone to confirm the part number we needed, a new one arrived in the mail. Thanks to the internet, we confirmed how to install it, and managed to get the washer to lock on to the pin. The awning opens and closes without incident, and we will be keeping an eye on those pins from now on.
We’ve been using our water softener for at least a couple of months since we reactivated it, so it was time to regen it again. That required 3 pounds of salt and about 20 gallons of water. Since the salty water would damage anything growing, we used the portable waste tank to collect it, so we could dump it along with our holding tanks. Once regened, the water tested perfectly, and tasted sweet. So, we are good to go for another couple of months.
When boondocking, we want to have the option of running our A/C if the temperatures start to soar. To ensure this, we purchased a Champion generator 2 years ago that now rides in the truck bed. It has a remote-start feature that makes it easy to start or stop it from inside the RV. However, the battery had been drained and needed replacing. Rather than order the very expensive battery that Champion recommended, Dave replaced ours with another battery that fit the space and specs. Once in place, he pressed the remote and . . . it started right up. That will make our life easier off the grid.
Cabin Work
A strange metal washer lay on our patio mat after retracting the awning one afternoon. Luckily Cathy saw it and we were able to locate the pin on the awning arm that it was supposed to be holding in place. After calls to Lippert and Keystone to confirm the part number we needed, a new one arrived in the mail. Thanks to the internet, we confirmed how to install it, and managed to get the washer to lock on to the pin. The awning opens and closes without incident, and we will be keeping an eye on those pins from now on.
We’ve been using our water softener for at least a couple of months since we reactivated it, so it was time to regen it again. That required 3 pounds of salt and about 20 gallons of water. Since the salty water would damage anything growing, we used the portable waste tank to collect it, so we could dump it along with our holding tanks. Once regened, the water tested perfectly, and tasted sweet. So, we are good to go for another couple of months.
When boondocking, we want to have the option of running our A/C if the temperatures start to soar. To ensure this, we purchased a Champion generator 2 years ago that now rides in the truck bed. It has a remote-start feature that makes it easy to start or stop it from inside the RV. However, the battery had been drained and needed replacing. Rather than order the very expensive battery that Champion recommended, Dave replaced ours with another battery that fit the space and specs. Once in place, he pressed the remote and . . . it started right up. That will make our life easier off the grid.
Cabin Work
 Paspahegh Lodge steps before . . . |  . . . and after power-washing. |
Fundraising tasks aside, we focused on actual work on the cabins for the time we had left in the park.
In order to finalize the wood order, we inventoried our current wood supply. Also, with the help of Ethan from the Park’s interpretive staff, Cathy reviewed some original blueprints of the cabins to learn more about the shutter construction that was used in 1936 ( since there at least 2 styles used at the Paspahegh cabin site). Confirming that the style using battens was original, she submitted the order for the rough-cut lumber. Now, we could turn our attention to preparing for the first of what we hoped would be monthly work days with local volunteers. We power-washed decks, trimmed trees, purchased and organized the painting supplies and met with the new volunteer coordinator to introduce him to the project.
Over the last 2 years, we had started to better understand the process for repairing screens. With over 100 windows in each cabin site, the volume of materials required for repairs added up quickly. While the volunteers reused what they could, the thin molding strips that hold the screen in place rarely survived the disassembly process. That meant that we required hundreds of molding strips about 3ft long for each site. After paying 50 cents a foot for molding that we purchased in prior years, we decided it made more sense to make these strips using scrap wood from shutter repairs – something that was readily available. Given the volume of screen repairs ahead, we needed hundreds of strips. Over a couple of days, we made over 150. These would need to be primed and painted before being installed, so these would be available for the volunteers to paint on the work day as well.
In order to finalize the wood order, we inventoried our current wood supply. Also, with the help of Ethan from the Park’s interpretive staff, Cathy reviewed some original blueprints of the cabins to learn more about the shutter construction that was used in 1936 ( since there at least 2 styles used at the Paspahegh cabin site). Confirming that the style using battens was original, she submitted the order for the rough-cut lumber. Now, we could turn our attention to preparing for the first of what we hoped would be monthly work days with local volunteers. We power-washed decks, trimmed trees, purchased and organized the painting supplies and met with the new volunteer coordinator to introduce him to the project.
Over the last 2 years, we had started to better understand the process for repairing screens. With over 100 windows in each cabin site, the volume of materials required for repairs added up quickly. While the volunteers reused what they could, the thin molding strips that hold the screen in place rarely survived the disassembly process. That meant that we required hundreds of molding strips about 3ft long for each site. After paying 50 cents a foot for molding that we purchased in prior years, we decided it made more sense to make these strips using scrap wood from shutter repairs – something that was readily available. Given the volume of screen repairs ahead, we needed hundreds of strips. Over a couple of days, we made over 150. These would need to be primed and painted before being installed, so these would be available for the volunteers to paint on the work day as well.
Dave making screen molding On Saturday the 22nd, we had 9 volunteers that painted porch ceilings and stained decks at Weyanock and Paspahegh. By the end of the day, all of the decks were stained, the porch ceilings and most cabin fronts had been painted at Weyanock, and 3 decks had been stained at Paspahegh. About 1/3 of the screen molding strips were primed as well. Mary and Angie came to volunteer on this day and were returning as park hosts in June. Since they would be leading the next Cabin Work Day, we gave them a tour of the inventory of supplies and showed them how to make the molding strips as well.
Cathy takes a break from installing screen knobs at Appamattuck. Back in Appamattuck and Chickahominy, we managed to install another 100 knobs on screens we had repaired over the last 2 years. Maybe there will be less screen repairs needed as a result.
The news that we were finalists in the Lowes 100 Hometowns program was exciting, but to receive any funding, we would need to do some more work. Dave spent hours answering questions, collecting necessary forms, and soliciting information from the Friends and the park. Once done, the word came that the site visit could be scheduled. That meant there was a slim chance that we could be here to give the tour. Dave was able to schedule it for the day we were originally scheduled to leave. The park allowed us to stay the extra day, and we spent a couple of hours answering more questions and touring this year’s work sites along with those from the last 2 years. She took pictures of the work and even our the building where the supplies were stored. All seemed to go well, but we won’t hear about the final decision until later in June.
The news that we were finalists in the Lowes 100 Hometowns program was exciting, but to receive any funding, we would need to do some more work. Dave spent hours answering questions, collecting necessary forms, and soliciting information from the Friends and the park. Once done, the word came that the site visit could be scheduled. That meant there was a slim chance that we could be here to give the tour. Dave was able to schedule it for the day we were originally scheduled to leave. The park allowed us to stay the extra day, and we spent a couple of hours answering more questions and touring this year’s work sites along with those from the last 2 years. She took pictures of the work and even our the building where the supplies were stored. All seemed to go well, but we won’t hear about the final decision until later in June.
Celebrating Time with Family
Time with family is a cause for celebration at any time, but even more so when we get to celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday together. Although the weather didn’t cooperate on her actual birthday, we gathered a couple of days later on a beautiful Memorial Day to enjoy her dad’s smoked ribs, a campfire and some birthday cake.
Time with family is a cause for celebration at any time, but even more so when we get to celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday together. Although the weather didn’t cooperate on her actual birthday, we gathered a couple of days later on a beautiful Memorial Day to enjoy her dad’s smoked ribs, a campfire and some birthday cake.
Jayden watches Droz try on Grandpa's shoes. We were surprised one night by a visit from Droz and Jayden, who came bringing dinner with them. Droz left with several pairs of Dave’s shoes. Dave’s podiatrist visit had told him that his feet were getting bigger, which was the cause of some discomfort in his feet. So, most of his shoes had to go. Jayden’s feet had already grown bigger than Grandpa’s so he was out of luck.
Parting Shot
Over 4 days in May, much of the road through the older section of the campground was repaved. Little did the road crew know that what they were really doing was creating a huge chalkboard.
But the kids that camped the next weekend understood it that way.
But the kids that camped the next weekend understood it that way.
