
Our days in Jacksonville for this season were coming to a close, and we made our best efforts to tie up as many loose ends as we could at Faith before heading out of town. We also had to plan our trip north a little more quickly than usual. Since we had a date to spend time in southern Virginia mid-July, we wouldn’t be going north too fast.

Finishing Up
With the arrival of Faith’s new pastor, Dave spent time with him ensuring his office was set up with the connectivity he needed. And one of the more unusual tasks was to mount an axe on his wall. It was actually a plaque recognizing his years of service as a chaplain to the fire department.
Dave finished his work on the office computer by establishing a cloud backup, and resetting the old computer so that it was available in case it would be needed. As we continued to research a puzzling drop in internet speed, Cathy was able to improve it by putting a new end on an ethernet wire and replacing a switch. And our computer work wasn’t limited to the church. A member was having difficulty having the bulletin read to her due to something that had changed on her computer. With her sight severely impaired, she couldn’t identify the problem. We spent some time working with her and fixed her computer so that it began reading again as it used to.
With the arrival of Faith’s new pastor, Dave spent time with him ensuring his office was set up with the connectivity he needed. And one of the more unusual tasks was to mount an axe on his wall. It was actually a plaque recognizing his years of service as a chaplain to the fire department.
Dave finished his work on the office computer by establishing a cloud backup, and resetting the old computer so that it was available in case it would be needed. As we continued to research a puzzling drop in internet speed, Cathy was able to improve it by putting a new end on an ethernet wire and replacing a switch. And our computer work wasn’t limited to the church. A member was having difficulty having the bulletin read to her due to something that had changed on her computer. With her sight severely impaired, she couldn’t identify the problem. We spent some time working with her and fixed her computer so that it began reading again as it used to.

Since most of the keys given to the Nomads were not being used, Cathy used the time to evaluate which ones worked in which locks, creating a grid to ensure those that were not as effective were identified. Maybe in the fall, they can be modified to work better.
The other ministries on campus generate a few requests that land on our plate as well. Kim reported that the church bus wasn’t starting. It turned out to be a frustratingly intermittent problem. Dave and Sandy took the bus in for service and luckily found it was just a broken battery connection. Beyond 90’s clients use a bathroom that was having problems with a slow drain. We spent time working to clear it. And perhaps the most difficult task was helping solve an AC problem on First 90’s RV. The RV is only used in emergencies when arrivals come with short notice. In this case, Pastor Green notified Dave on the evening of their arrival that there was a problem. Even though it was long after dark, the temperatures were miserable inside, and the root cause wasn’t clear. After his efforts to restore the AC failed, Dave facilitated a contact with First 90 and the family was moved to a hotel to escape the heat. Through the efforts of First 90 staff and volunteers, the apartment became ready for the family the next day.
So, as we pulled out on Monday, we knew there would be occasional phone calls, but we felt we had done what we could to leave with as many loose ends tied up as possible.
The other ministries on campus generate a few requests that land on our plate as well. Kim reported that the church bus wasn’t starting. It turned out to be a frustratingly intermittent problem. Dave and Sandy took the bus in for service and luckily found it was just a broken battery connection. Beyond 90’s clients use a bathroom that was having problems with a slow drain. We spent time working to clear it. And perhaps the most difficult task was helping solve an AC problem on First 90’s RV. The RV is only used in emergencies when arrivals come with short notice. In this case, Pastor Green notified Dave on the evening of their arrival that there was a problem. Even though it was long after dark, the temperatures were miserable inside, and the root cause wasn’t clear. After his efforts to restore the AC failed, Dave facilitated a contact with First 90 and the family was moved to a hotel to escape the heat. Through the efforts of First 90 staff and volunteers, the apartment became ready for the family the next day.
So, as we pulled out on Monday, we knew there would be occasional phone calls, but we felt we had done what we could to leave with as many loose ends tied up as possible.

RV Ups and Downs
We made our usual preparations to clean up and pack up the RV, so by the day of our departure, we felt we were in good shape. That is until Dave climbed up on the roof to look for any debris and happened to take a closer look at our slide toppers.
We made our usual preparations to clean up and pack up the RV, so by the day of our departure, we felt we were in good shape. That is until Dave climbed up on the roof to look for any debris and happened to take a closer look at our slide toppers.

There were long breaks in the fabric. Upon closer inspection the material was falling apart. It was brittle, and would crack with the slightest pressure. Also, the threads which should have been embedded within the fabric, designed to give it strength, were now laying on the surface and coming apart like spiderwebs, floating away in the breeze. We were about to start a trip where we would open and close the slides every few days. If we did nothing, they would certainly fail at a really bad time. Maybe we weren’t as ready as we thought.
So, we decided to apply tape to the weak spots. Not knowing how long it would be before we could get a replacement installed, we decided to buy white gorilla tape that would match the color of the awning. But we would need a lot of tape. Dave found a single roll at the nearby Walmart, which Cathy began applying. It became clear that 25 yards was not going to be enough. So while she laid the strips down, Dave went to Lowe’s to find more. The tricky part about applying the tape was applying it firmly enough to adhere, but without making the holes bigger. Also, with all the wispy threads on the surface, a thin hole had to be covered with a wide swath of tape to get to a solid piece of the fabric. By the time we were done, working in the sweltering Florida midday heat, most of the 12ft awning was covered with tape.

Despite our taking time for the last-minute repairs, we were ready to hookup just after noon. It having been over 6 months since we had moved the RV, we were a little rusty about hookup procedures. Cathy set the RV height a little too low and chewed up the plastic lube plate that sits on the hitch pin. Luckily, we had a spare, so we quickly replaced it and finished hooking up. We finally managed to pull out a little later and made our way north. Our new brakes performed well, and we had only a short drive to a park near Savannah for the night.
As we moved and put the slides in and out, our temporary repairs seemed to be holding which would give us some time. But we weren’t done with unexpected repairs. When we arrived at our 2nd stop, it was after 3 on another hot day. The temperature inside the RV goes up fast when we are on the road, so Cathy turns on the AC as soon as she can once we are plugged in. Only this time, it didn’t go on. The pedestal had power and our watchdog device confirmed it was good power. After some checking, we found that the shore side of our power cord had a loose wire, and the casing was broken.
As we moved and put the slides in and out, our temporary repairs seemed to be holding which would give us some time. But we weren’t done with unexpected repairs. When we arrived at our 2nd stop, it was after 3 on another hot day. The temperature inside the RV goes up fast when we are on the road, so Cathy turns on the AC as soon as she can once we are plugged in. Only this time, it didn’t go on. The pedestal had power and our watchdog device confirmed it was good power. After some checking, we found that the shore side of our power cord had a loose wire, and the casing was broken.

So, we made our best effort to repair the plug. While not perfect, it would hold for a while. But shortly after finishing, Dave discovered we already had a replacement plug in our spares. So, we undid our repair and put the new plug on. An hour later than when we started, the AC began to purr and cool down the RV. Thank heavens for power, a handy spare, and someone capable of installing it.

Cooling Off
In looking for stops as we made our way north, we looked for ways to cool off. Our first stop was at Creekfire RV Resort, which had the attraction of a lazy river. It was a great way to cool down each afternoon. And on our first evening, they had a little carnival with karaoke. There were some hilarious renditions of popular songs by several singers, most of whom were pretty young.
In looking for stops as we made our way north, we looked for ways to cool off. Our first stop was at Creekfire RV Resort, which had the attraction of a lazy river. It was a great way to cool down each afternoon. And on our first evening, they had a little carnival with karaoke. There were some hilarious renditions of popular songs by several singers, most of whom were pretty young.

Our next stop was at an Army Corps of Engineers site, Camp Petersburg, on Clark Hill Lake near Augusta GA. This time, we had a beach nearby that was cool and relaxing. It was amazingly empty given it was Father’s Day weekend.
We had a large site with shade and its own path to the lake. But because we had made our reservations so late, we had to change sites for our 3rd night there. Luckily, we took time to check out the site we had reserved before we actually had to move. There was no possible way we would have been able to maneuver into it. Instead, we found a site that was one of the best in the campground right next door. It was available, and we made a quick change to our reservation. This campground had some of the largest sites of many we have visited, and most of the pull-through sites were “scoop”, semi-circles off the camp road. Very nice.
We had a large site with shade and its own path to the lake. But because we had made our reservations so late, we had to change sites for our 3rd night there. Luckily, we took time to check out the site we had reserved before we actually had to move. There was no possible way we would have been able to maneuver into it. Instead, we found a site that was one of the best in the campground right next door. It was available, and we made a quick change to our reservation. This campground had some of the largest sites of many we have visited, and most of the pull-through sites were “scoop”, semi-circles off the camp road. Very nice.

Navigation Tool
With our new Chevy truck’s larger display, Dave wanted to be able to see a route on the screen that was planned with our RV’s dimensions in mind. That meant it needed to work with Android Auto. Our existing RV navigation software would not do this. So, we decided to buy another tool called RV Life. It’s Trip Wizard would take into consideration low bridges and weight limits and direct us accordingly. And it would display full screen in the truck. It seems to work pretty well. We can actually plan our entire route over the course of weeks in stages, and just bring up today’s route when we are traveling.
We are still learning, but we’ve been satisfied enough to rely it to do most of route planning.
With our new Chevy truck’s larger display, Dave wanted to be able to see a route on the screen that was planned with our RV’s dimensions in mind. That meant it needed to work with Android Auto. Our existing RV navigation software would not do this. So, we decided to buy another tool called RV Life. It’s Trip Wizard would take into consideration low bridges and weight limits and direct us accordingly. And it would display full screen in the truck. It seems to work pretty well. We can actually plan our entire route over the course of weeks in stages, and just bring up today’s route when we are traveling.
We are still learning, but we’ve been satisfied enough to rely it to do most of route planning.

Parting Shots
We were invited to Nelson’s high school graduation, which we were delighted to attend. His family couldn’t be more proud. Since he will be attending college in Jacksonville, he will still be in the AV booth each Sunday, which makes us happy as well.
We were invited to Nelson’s high school graduation, which we were delighted to attend. His family couldn’t be more proud. Since he will be attending college in Jacksonville, he will still be in the AV booth each Sunday, which makes us happy as well.