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Late May - On the Road Again

5/31/2022

Back in Jacksonville after our quick trip north, we began working more seriously on plans for travel north with the RV. Once we had some reservations in place, we felt confident to head out. So shortly before Memorial Day, we were on our way.

On our site in Hinesville GA

Escaping the Heat?
While we had many reasons to want to head north, the most pressing was the desire to escape Florida’s rising temperatures. However, we were not initially very successful. Our first stop was in Hinesville, GA, which is a bit off the beaten path being 20 miles west of I-95 and an hour south of Savannah.

Antique switchboard at the ITPA Museum

Once settled into Happy Acres RV Park, we looked around at things to do. Home to the army’s Fort Stewart, the town was large enough for several large chain stores, but as for tourist attractions, we had to dig a little deeper. And we found one in the Independent Telephone Provider’s Association Museum. Looking at a map of telephone providers in Georgia over the last century, we were surprised to learn that a patchwork of many small companies had managed the state’s communications networks. From watching the innerworkings of a switch as a call was placed, to seeing the evolution of phones and switchboards, the museum was an interesting review of how phone communication has evolved.

Lake City SC

Our 2nd stop was the Crossroads Coach RV Resort in Lake City. Another small town a bit off the beaten path, Lake City had seen many cycles of boom and bust over the last 200 years. Situated at a crossroads between Florence and Charleston, the town once boasted the largest bean market in the world. However, it has most recently reinvented itself as an artist’s community. Our campground was a short walk to the downtown area, which was decorated with murals, lovely gardens with sculptures and galleries. We took in their small Farmer’s Market, ate some ice cream at Snax and had some of the most amazing BBQ at Slabs. And we had some wonderful facilities at our campground. There were 4 individual bathroom/showers that were spacious and luxurious, along with free laundry at the campground. If our travels take us back that way, we would definitely stay there again.

Cypress Bend Vineyard near Wagram gave us a tour and tasting

Our next stop moved us one more state north, just over the border into NC. We had only recently joined a Boondockers Welcome organization, which is an affiliation of individuals who offer a place to stay to RV’ers on their property. Our first stay was in Wagram, between Laurinburg and Southern Pines. Our gracious hosts made our stay stress-free from beginning to end. We exchanged stories about sailing and RV’ing, and they let us cool down our RV with a welcome power hookup. We couldn’t seem to leave the record-breaking heat behind, and this stop was no exception. We did poke out for brief walks before sunset and a lovely tour and tasting at the local Cypress Bend winery.

So, although we didn’t escape the heat, we were still enjoying ourselves as we made our way north.

Color tire pressure monitor

RV Stuff

So, it had been 6 months since we had pulled in at Faith, so we had a laundry list of prep tasks to get moving again. Adding water to the batteries, regen the water softener, top off propane, secure the bikes, wash and waterproof tire covers, get an oil change for the truck, and more of the same. However, there were a few improvements we made as well.

Our TST tire pressure monitoring system reports the trailer tire pressure and temperatures while underway. The monochrome display that we had been using was difficult to read, and we decided to upgrade to a color display. We had also given our son the back-up camera that we had mounted in the truck to focus on the hitch in the truck bed. So, we installed a new one in its place.

Finally, we added a new device to the RV that would sense when it was level and report it on an app. The app would then tell us how much to adjust the height, whether front to back or side to side. It would help us decide how many boards to use under the wheels and whether the automatic levelers would be able to handle the difference in height.

And, while it didn’t really have anything to do with getting ready to go, we swapped our ATT cell phones for T-mobile. To our delight, the reception on them has been fine and our T-mobile internet has been good enough to reaffirm our decision to switch.

Parting Shot

Just before leaving Jacksonville, this local favorite opened a branch nearby the church. We had to check it out of course.

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Early May - Up and Back

5/15/2022

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Amtrak trains on the platform in DC

We spent much of the first 2 weeks of May making a marathon trip north to Virginia and then PA and back. Our main purpose was to deliver a car, but we saw some family before catching a train back to Jacksonville.

Cabin work supplies at Pocahontas

Trip North

We took a couple of days to drive to Richmond to drop off our son’s car. While in the area we visited with the grandkids and our daughter Bonnie. We took a few hours to stop by Pocahontas State Park, to review the impressive progressive on this year’s group cabin sites and to sort out some supplies. While there we met Michelle, the new volunteer coordinator and checked in with Twila and Becky in the office.

Dave, Mom and Diane in PA

Our next stop was Whitehall PA to visit with Dave’s mom, Diane and Pam. We took a one-way rental car north and arrived for a few days visit. We helped out with a few chores around the house, like clearing a clog in the hot water heater drain that had been preventing Diane from doing a monthly clean-out. Fifteen gallons later, we finally decided the water was clear again.

T-Mobile Internet

We assisted with some technical challenges as well. In the process of working on a cell phone upgrade, we managed to upgrade their Internet as well, saving money in the process. The upgraded phone was a hit, but through working with his mom on its configuration, Dave discovered a problem she was experiencing with her hearing aids, which had a default volume level that was too low. On a trip to Costco, Dave was able to explain the problem, and after adjusting the volume up, the hearing aids work much better and Mom is much happier.

Pam and Molly

Cathy made herself useful as well, but not without making a few missteps. The first morning, she stepped on a scale in the bathroom, that unknown to her, was communicating with Pam’s doctor. Oops! A call from the nurse, and she was busted. Later she started working to clear Pam’s computer of malware and other apps that were slowing it down so much that it was becoming frustrating to use. Even printing a document was an exercise in extreme patience. Well, after the clean-up it worked a lot better, but Cathy’s purge was a little too thorough. She deleted the games program that Pam had been using for years. Oops again.

Diane Mom and Dave

With us along as backup drivers, Diane felt confident to take the long drive up to see their aunt and mom’s sister, who lived a 2 ½ hour drive north in New York – something she had not attempted since a serious accident just before Christmas. On a beautiful spring day, we headed out and got within 10 minutes of our destination when we received a call from Dave’s cousin and Aunt Phyl’s daughter. Aunt Phyl was in isolation and couldn’t receive visitors. (Really? And why didn’t the nurse tell Diane that last night when she called?) At any rate, we turned around and headed home. To console ourselves after 5 hours on the road, we drowned our sorrows in some local Penn State ice cream.

Our roomette on the Amtrak Silver Star

All Aboard

We’ve taken several train trips in the past, but our trip south from Pennsylvania this time would be our first time in a “roomette”, basically a small sleeper car on Amtrak's Silver Star route. Still trying to social distance, this seemed to be the safest way to travel by train. However, the first leg of the trip would be by bus – from Allentown to downtown Philadelphia. We were relieved with the large bus had only 12 people on board, including us and the driver. We double-masked and relaxed for a 90 minute ride.

Amtrak Lounge at Philadelphia's 30th St Station

Arriving at the 30th St station almost 3 hours before our train was scheduled to depart, we checked our bags and made our way to the Amtrak lounge. Access to the lounge was a perk we got with our roomette tickets. From the lounge’s glassed-in balcony, we could people watch and take advantage of some complimentary refreshments. However, since we would be sitting for much of the next 24 hours, we decided to explore a bit. The lounge concierge suggested we walk along the Schuylkill Trail on the river opposite the station. She even led us to the street exit that was closest to the access point. We walked along the river for about an hour, passing lots of locals out for a morning run or bike ride.

Dave on Schuylkill Banks

After we returned, the lounge began to fill with fellow travelers, but was never too full. When the Silver Star pulled in, we took elevators from the lounge directly to the tracks, escorted by a Red Cap Amtrak employee. We were directed to our car and found our room with the help of the car attendant.

Lunch is served on Amtrak

Departing just before 1, we ordered a late lunch, which would be served in our cabin. Unlike many train routes, the Silver Star doesn’t currently have a chef on board, so although the meals are served hot, they have been pre-packaged. They were still good, and our time aboard allowed us to enjoy our lunch, a dinner and breakfast the next morning. The car had 2 seats facing each other, which would turn into a lower bunk later. There was storage for our bags up above, a mirror, a sink and a toilet. We had a thermostat for the AC as well. While our car had a shower, we were told that the cars ahead and behind us were newer and had nicer showers, as well as a couple of restrooms.

On the platform at DC's Union Station

An interesting note was that our engine from Philadelphia (actually from NYC) to DC was an electric engine. However, once we left DC, we would have a more traditional diesel-powered engine. Our stop in DC was a longer one, so we were able to stretch our legs on the platform, watching the many trains come and go. When bedtime came, our car attendant made up both beds and lowered the upper bunk. This made the compartment pretty tight, so we kept our moving around to a minimum at this point. In the morning, the attendant moved the beds out of the way, something that become more important with our delayed arrival, 9am instead of 7. We received a gracious offer of a ride from Susan, a member at Faith, who dropped us off at the RV by 10, a little tired, but glad to be home.

All in all, we enjoyed our trip on the Silver Star in our “roomette”, and would consider doing it or something similar again. It would be more fun post-Covid to enjoy time in the Dining car or an observation car on the routes out west.

RV Stuff

Having some first hand experience with the T-mobile internet at Mom’s house, we decided to try it for ourselves and we’ve been very pleased. It’s very reasonably priced and the internet speed is great and reliable. We’ll see how it functions as we travel.

Just before we left Jacksonville, we noticed that the RV’s interior temperature was rising even though the AC was on. The RV’s In-Command system showed the AC to be on, but the current temperature was registering 80 degrees, even though the AC was set for 74 degrees. To fix it, all we did was turn the AC off and back on. And the AC kicked on as expected. Since we were going to have some hot days while we were away, we decided to activate a feature on the In-command to allow us to monitor and control the RV’s systems remotely. By hooking it up to WiFi, we could check an app on our phone while away and ensure all was well. And it worked as designed. Luckily the AC stayed on while we were away.

Parting Shot

This lovely flower was blooming outside our hotel near Richmond.

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