Cathy and Bonnie enjoy some time outdoors after her surgery. After taking a few days to move south from Pennsylvania to Virginia, we made our way to our daughter’s house in southern Virginia to be available during her recovery from surgery. We would be providing shuttle service for our grandkids and spending time with the family during our extended stay.
Dave removes the flat tire that conveniently waited until we were parked to fail What’s that Hissing Sound?
Heading out from our Kutztown campground on the morning of the 18th, we had only a general idea of our destination for the night. We did know that we wanted to avoid travel through the DC corridor, so we made our way west to I81, then south to Virginia.
Winchester seemed to be the logical place to stop, so we pulled into Candy Hill Campground on the west side of town. After getting a little too much “help” from the staff to maneuver into our site, we had just disconnected when we heard a loud hiss from the driver’s side of the RV.
The rear driver’s side tire was leaking at the valve stem. So, it looked like we had some work to do. Using the leveling jacks, we raised the RV enough to remove the damaged tire and mount the spare. Concerned that this could be the first of several tire failures of the now 4-year old trailer tires, we took the tire to a nearby garage, Omps, recommended by the campground. It took only a few seconds for the service man to assess the tire to say it was a broken belt not just a faulty valve stem that was the problem. He didn’t carry our trailer tires, so we needed to look further for a replacement. Since there was a Discount Tire 30 minutes north in Hagerstown MD, and we have had good experience with them (having purchased our trailer tires from them), we made the drive to get our replacement tire.
Heading out from our Kutztown campground on the morning of the 18th, we had only a general idea of our destination for the night. We did know that we wanted to avoid travel through the DC corridor, so we made our way west to I81, then south to Virginia.
Winchester seemed to be the logical place to stop, so we pulled into Candy Hill Campground on the west side of town. After getting a little too much “help” from the staff to maneuver into our site, we had just disconnected when we heard a loud hiss from the driver’s side of the RV.
The rear driver’s side tire was leaking at the valve stem. So, it looked like we had some work to do. Using the leveling jacks, we raised the RV enough to remove the damaged tire and mount the spare. Concerned that this could be the first of several tire failures of the now 4-year old trailer tires, we took the tire to a nearby garage, Omps, recommended by the campground. It took only a few seconds for the service man to assess the tire to say it was a broken belt not just a faulty valve stem that was the problem. He didn’t carry our trailer tires, so we needed to look further for a replacement. Since there was a Discount Tire 30 minutes north in Hagerstown MD, and we have had good experience with them (having purchased our trailer tires from them), we made the drive to get our replacement tire.
Dave installs the new tire before heading out. He gets to use his 1/2" impact wrench. The shop was incredibly busy. And arriving late in the day, we were told our tire would be done after regular business hours. So, we decided to come back early the next morning to pick it up. And arriving just as they opened, the tire was ready and waiting for us. We headed back to the RV and had it mounted and ready to go by 9am. And the good news was that the tire did not fail from wear alone, but had impacted something to weaken it. So, maybe we had time before we needed to replace more of the trailer tires.
Joe replaces his golf clubs after our dinner trip. Waystations On Our Way South
While we only had one night to say in Winchester, we connected with Joe who was spending his summer with family there. We met up for dinner after dropping off our tire. The campground’s rules were very particular about guests, unless they were just “picking us up”. So, we had him drive us to the restaurant, which involved some shifting his stuff in the car, including some golf clubs.
While we only had one night to say in Winchester, we connected with Joe who was spending his summer with family there. We met up for dinner after dropping off our tire. The campground’s rules were very particular about guests, unless they were just “picking us up”. So, we had him drive us to the restaurant, which involved some shifting his stuff in the car, including some golf clubs.
On Dave's park bench at Pocahontas We spent our next 2 nights at Pocahontas, enjoying some relaxing time in the park when the temperatures suddenly dipped into the low 80s, starting a trend that would last for much of the next 3 weeks. Maybe we didn’t come to southern Virginia too early.
Four bikers and four bikes after our ride. Family Time
Arriving the day before our daughter’s surgery, we parked the RV in our “usual” spot at the house, and went over the schedule for the next few days. We would be driving the kids to and from school, which involved two round trips in the morning and 1 in the afternoon – a 35 minute round trip, starting each day at 6:20. And the final pickup could be any time from 1pm to as late as 6, assuming there were no cross-country meets or volleyball games. That would make it more like 7pm. But it was still a good job to have for a couple of weeks.
Arriving the day before our daughter’s surgery, we parked the RV in our “usual” spot at the house, and went over the schedule for the next few days. We would be driving the kids to and from school, which involved two round trips in the morning and 1 in the afternoon – a 35 minute round trip, starting each day at 6:20. And the final pickup could be any time from 1pm to as late as 6, assuming there were no cross-country meets or volleyball games. That would make it more like 7pm. But it was still a good job to have for a couple of weeks.
View of the James River from Chippokes State Park Visitor Center As Bonnie’s recovery made progress, we took a couple of different trips. The first was to Chippokes State Park on the James River. The State Park was established on land donated in the late 60’s by the Stewart family, who were the last owners of the historic plantation. With many acres still farmed and supporting cattle, it is the oldest continually farmed site in the country. It has a mansion and several outbuildings that can be toured, along with many miles of trails and a beach on the James River.
Dinner at Q Daddy's Stopping for dinner at Q Daddy’s in Wakefield on the way home, we enjoyed some good BBQ and then made our way back to Jarratt.
Or at least most of the way there.
As we were exiting I95 at the Jarratt exit, we got a phone call. “Hi. This is Chris. I’m calling for David Dieter. I have your wallet here at Q Daddy’s.” Whoops. We were less than 10 minutes from home and 45 minutes from Q Daddy’s. Letting them know we were on our way back, we returned to the interstate heading back north and drove to the restaurant. The wallet had been found in the parking lot, and all of its contents were intact. Dave expressed his gratitude and offered a reward to the person who found it. Breathing a sigh of relief, we then retraced our steps, arriving home 90 minutes after we had planned.
Or at least most of the way there.
As we were exiting I95 at the Jarratt exit, we got a phone call. “Hi. This is Chris. I’m calling for David Dieter. I have your wallet here at Q Daddy’s.” Whoops. We were less than 10 minutes from home and 45 minutes from Q Daddy’s. Letting them know we were on our way back, we returned to the interstate heading back north and drove to the restaurant. The wallet had been found in the parking lot, and all of its contents were intact. Dave expressed his gratitude and offered a reward to the person who found it. Breathing a sigh of relief, we then retraced our steps, arriving home 90 minutes after we had planned.
Preparing for our ride on the Capital Trail The next day, we pulled the bikes off the RV to take a ride. The kids had new bikes that they wanted to try out, so we loaded all 4 bikes in the truck for a trip to the Capital Trail. Riding east from 4-Mile Creek Park, we rode out and back for a total of 15 miles. Testing the kids’ enthusiasm, we checked to see if they would do it again or had we worn them out. They were pretty enthusiastic about wanting to take another ride, so we were glad we had chosen this trail to try out their new bikes.
New slip covers Parting Shot
Dave loves his recliner chair in the RV. So much so that it is showing the wear. So, Cathy pulled out the sewing machine and some of the material salvaged from the old cushion covers to make slip covers for the head rest. They almost look like they came that way.
Dave loves his recliner chair in the RV. So much so that it is showing the wear. So, Cathy pulled out the sewing machine and some of the material salvaged from the old cushion covers to make slip covers for the head rest. They almost look like they came that way.
