Our new Chevy truck After a 2 year search, we finally found and purchased a new truck. It was a 6 hour drive away, but over a long weekend, we drove out and back to get it. By the next weekend, our Ram was sold as well. As we pulled out for the trip, our grandson joined us in his recently-acquired conversion van, which needed a few more upgrades to make it more like home.
Truck News
Dave has been researching a change in our truck since shortly after we purchased our Cougar RV. His interest in switching to a 4-wheel drive truck stepped up a notch after our 2-wheel drive Ram was stuck in the mud at a campground in Indiana the next summer. And while we had accepted a longbed truck in 2018 when we were desperate for a truck, we never liked its lack of maneuverability and the space it took up wherever we went.
So, we were serious enough about switching that we ordered not 1 but 2 trucks in December of ‘21. They didn’t arrive until late July of ‘22 when we were 1200 miles away. Not surprisingly, we let those go. Successive attempts to order another truck last fall didn’t go well either. As the market was changing, we decided to start looking for trucks on the lot. Dave also had zeroed in on the 2024 GM trucks which weren’t becoming available until early summer.
Dave has been researching a change in our truck since shortly after we purchased our Cougar RV. His interest in switching to a 4-wheel drive truck stepped up a notch after our 2-wheel drive Ram was stuck in the mud at a campground in Indiana the next summer. And while we had accepted a longbed truck in 2018 when we were desperate for a truck, we never liked its lack of maneuverability and the space it took up wherever we went.
So, we were serious enough about switching that we ordered not 1 but 2 trucks in December of ‘21. They didn’t arrive until late July of ‘22 when we were 1200 miles away. Not surprisingly, we let those go. Successive attempts to order another truck last fall didn’t go well either. As the market was changing, we decided to start looking for trucks on the lot. Dave also had zeroed in on the 2024 GM trucks which weren’t becoming available until early summer.
The long road to Clintwood VA All summer long, Dave looked at dealers along the east coast, rarely finding a ¾ ton truck on the lot, and few that met our specific criteria even in the ones en route to dealers. So, in September we started calling dealers in Florida to see about ordering one now to be delivered before we left Jacksonville in the spring. It was then that Dave stumbled across a truck that was here in Virginia that met almost all of our criteria: short bed, 4x4, 5th wheel prep, double cab, with the large screen and cameras. But Virginia is a very big state, and we discovered this dealer was about as far west as you could go in the southwest corner of the state near the Kentucky border. Never mind the drive. We talked to the salesperson on Friday morning and were on the road toward Clintwood VA on Saturday. Stopping in Abingdon Va for the weekend, we took some time to sightsee in the area before heading out early Monday morning for the 90 minute drive to Clintwood.
Bracing ourselves for the day-long ordeal at the dealership that we experienced in 2018, we were shocked when we were given a quick review of the costs (no dealer prep or other add-ons), took a test drive and had a short session of signing papers. We were on our way in about 2 hours, which included time to walk to the nearby bank for a cashier's check.
Leaving before noon, we set out in both trucks to head back toward Pocahontas. (Since we had planned to sell our Ram to a friend, we didn't trade the old one in.) We stopped a couple of hours short of the park for the night to break up the trip.
Leaving before noon, we set out in both trucks to head back toward Pocahontas. (Since we had planned to sell our Ram to a friend, we didn't trade the old one in.) We stopped a couple of hours short of the park for the night to break up the trip.
Dave gives final tips to Jim on the Ram Now that we had the new Chevy, we just had to sell our old 2018 Ram. This transaction had more drama than it should have. We discovered that we had an electronic title in Florida. This would have to be turned into a printed title to complete the sale in Virginia. And the only way to get a printed title was to show up personally at the Florida DMV or to give someone in Florida an original signed Power of Attorney document to request it for us or wait a couple of weeks for the mail to catch up. Pastor Barry agreed to make the trip to the DMV, and we calculated that with next day mail each way, the documents should arrive a couple of days before we needed them.
Not so fast.
The southbound POA document was mailed overnight mail on Friday morning, but didn't arrive in Jacksonville until Tuesday evening. Hmm. . . Isn’t that 4 days? Barry wasted no time and had the title in the mail before 2pm the next day. This time, our “next day” mail arrived 2 days later on Friday. Luckily the buyer had delayed his arrival until Saturday morning, and the local DMV had Saturday hours. Of course, he drove through Ophelia’s fury to pick up the truck, but other than that all went well. And 2 days later, he was on his way in the truck on a long trip to Wisconsin.
It all worked despite the nail-biting about late deliveries.
Not so fast.
The southbound POA document was mailed overnight mail on Friday morning, but didn't arrive in Jacksonville until Tuesday evening. Hmm. . . Isn’t that 4 days? Barry wasted no time and had the title in the mail before 2pm the next day. This time, our “next day” mail arrived 2 days later on Friday. Luckily the buyer had delayed his arrival until Saturday morning, and the local DMV had Saturday hours. Of course, he drove through Ophelia’s fury to pick up the truck, but other than that all went well. And 2 days later, he was on his way in the truck on a long trip to Wisconsin.
It all worked despite the nail-biting about late deliveries.
Droz helps Dave install our running boards Fitting out the New Truck
The new Chevy had 4-wheel drive, but that meant it was even taller than our 2-wheel drive Ram. And one of the things not already installed on the truck were running boards. After only a few rides hauling ourselves into the truck, we had some running boards on order. Our grandson Droz was staying with us and provided some helpful extra hands to get them installed. They went on pretty quickly and make the first step up not so challenging.
The new Chevy had 4-wheel drive, but that meant it was even taller than our 2-wheel drive Ram. And one of the things not already installed on the truck were running boards. After only a few rides hauling ourselves into the truck, we had some running boards on order. Our grandson Droz was staying with us and provided some helpful extra hands to get them installed. They went on pretty quickly and make the first step up not so challenging.
The new hitch installed One of the challenges of finding the right truck was finding one with enough payload rating to support the pin weight of our fifth wheel when it is loaded. Even with a good payload rating, we are still trying to be conscious of the weight in the truck. So, we took this opportunity to switch our hitch from a Reese to a B&W Companion. The Reese was heavy enough that we would never attempt to remove it from the bed. Also, to take advantage of the “puck” system (pre-drilled holes that accept and lock in a 5th wheel hitch) on the truck, it required a large metal square rail to adapt it. The B&W Companion would connect directly to the puck system and was significantly lighter. With Droz’ help to both remove the old hitch and install the new one, the installation went smoothly.
Plenty of clearance with the RV hooked up However, the real test was to hitch up to the RV. The truck bed was higher than the Ram, and the hitch looked like it was sitting higher in the bed than the Reese did. Would we even be able to raise the RV up high enough to hook up? Despite all of our concerns, the RV connected easily and was within a fraction of a degree of being level once connected. Droz was especially happy, since it meant he didn’t have to take the hitch apart to adjust its height.
Newly-stained deck at 3rd Branch Cabin Work
While the rain and wind that came with Ophelia made for a rainy day to sell our truck, it was a mixed blessing. That same weather caused us to cancel a planned workday that was scheduled for the same time that we were to meet Jim. However, the next week we were joined by one of our local volunteers, Kevin, staying in the park for the week. He helped us tie up some loose ends from last year’s project by staining a deck in the 3rd Branch cabin group that had been built during the final days of last year's project, and painting the back of another building that had repaired in the spring, but needed some touch up.
While the rain and wind that came with Ophelia made for a rainy day to sell our truck, it was a mixed blessing. That same weather caused us to cancel a planned workday that was scheduled for the same time that we were to meet Jim. However, the next week we were joined by one of our local volunteers, Kevin, staying in the park for the week. He helped us tie up some loose ends from last year’s project by staining a deck in the 3rd Branch cabin group that had been built during the final days of last year's project, and painting the back of another building that had repaired in the spring, but needed some touch up.
Teen group painting boards And we had another workday scheduled for the next weekend. So, Kevin and Droz moved enough boards to from storage to the work site to ensure the local teen volunteers weren’t likely to run out of painting work. Unlike the previous weekend, this Saturday was warm and dry. And we had enough volunteers that we not only had them priming boards and screen trim, but cleaning some of these very dirty cabins.
With the responses coming in from recent emails and social media posts, we managed to increase our numbers of volunteers for Cabin Work Week. And the work on other fronts continued as we planned activities, purchased supplies, and continued other preparations for the main event at the end of October.
Droz and Grandpa work on a project. Sharing Space
After a summer of delays, our grandson was finally able to get his conversion van out of the shop and made a trial run in it to stay for a while with us at Pocahontas. We spent time together, helping him understand some of the ins and outs of living in an RV. We helped modify his mattress to fit the space, and Grandma made a cover for it. Grandpa helped him plan an electrical system for the van and mapped out the parts he would need. Then there were some leaks that Ophelia’s rains helped expose, and with some of Grandpa’s help were mostly sealed.
After a summer of delays, our grandson was finally able to get his conversion van out of the shop and made a trial run in it to stay for a while with us at Pocahontas. We spent time together, helping him understand some of the ins and outs of living in an RV. We helped modify his mattress to fit the space, and Grandma made a cover for it. Grandpa helped him plan an electrical system for the van and mapped out the parts he would need. Then there were some leaks that Ophelia’s rains helped expose, and with some of Grandpa’s help were mostly sealed.
His help was appreciated when we had to clear out the bed of the Ram and assemble and install running boards and the new hitch. And we enjoyed having some time together, whether it be over dinner or around the campfire.
Cathy outside the Birthplace of Country Music Museum Parting Shots
We did some exploring over our weekend in southwest Virginia, crossing into Tennessee to see the Bristol Caverns and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
We did some exploring over our weekend in southwest Virginia, crossing into Tennessee to see the Bristol Caverns and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.
