Creekfire RV's lazy river We had one week to go before heading out from Jacksonville, and it was busy with preparations in the RV and last-minute jobs around the church. And while it was hot in Jacksonville, we were about to head north into even hotter weather as the heat dome settled over the east coast. Great timing on our part.
Dave adds some bleach to clean the water softener Clean Water
After a month of sitting unused in the Florida sun, our water softener was in need of maintenance. It is designed to be used regularly. At a minimum, it needed to be “re-genned”, which simply means flushed with saltwater. However, we were concerned with the heat in Jacksonville, that it needed to be sterilized first. After researching various ways of doing this, we decided a small amount of bleach would not damage the beads inside. After adding the diluted bleach solution, we let the softener sit for several hours, and then flushed it with fresh water.
After a month of sitting unused in the Florida sun, our water softener was in need of maintenance. It is designed to be used regularly. At a minimum, it needed to be “re-genned”, which simply means flushed with saltwater. However, we were concerned with the heat in Jacksonville, that it needed to be sterilized first. After researching various ways of doing this, we decided a small amount of bleach would not damage the beads inside. After adding the diluted bleach solution, we let the softener sit for several hours, and then flushed it with fresh water.
But we decided to take one more step before doing the re-gen. Apparently, the beads in water softeners can become less effective over time due to iron buildup. So, we purchased a bottle of Iron Out which is made to dissolve the buildup. Adding some of this chemical to a gallon of water, we poured the solution into the softener. We were now ready to re-gen.
The re-gen simply requires a couple of pounds of plain salt, some time to sit and a slow rinse with fresh water until the water tastes good. With this maintenance complete, we felt comfortable putting the softener back in service. Just in time for our summer travels to campgrounds with unknown water hardness.
The re-gen simply requires a couple of pounds of plain salt, some time to sit and a slow rinse with fresh water until the water tastes good. With this maintenance complete, we felt comfortable putting the softener back in service. Just in time for our summer travels to campgrounds with unknown water hardness.
The RV at Faith Preparing to Move
To beat the heat, we spread out our work readying the RV to move, spending a hour or so each morning outside before the temperatures rose. Dave topped off the batteries. We re-loaded the truck bed with the smoker, our leveling boards, the spare tire. And then we had some boards under the RV, which our mobile repair guy had used when fixing our floor that had to be stowed. Our lockers needed to be put back in order, getting the tools back into their traveling location.
As the hour grew later and the temperatures rose, we could spend time on inside tasks: planning our route, making reservations, cleaning and stowing loose items. And then we had to make sure the truck was ready as well. Dave took it in for an oil change while we had easy access to a service department we knew.
To beat the heat, we spread out our work readying the RV to move, spending a hour or so each morning outside before the temperatures rose. Dave topped off the batteries. We re-loaded the truck bed with the smoker, our leveling boards, the spare tire. And then we had some boards under the RV, which our mobile repair guy had used when fixing our floor that had to be stowed. Our lockers needed to be put back in order, getting the tools back into their traveling location.
As the hour grew later and the temperatures rose, we could spend time on inside tasks: planning our route, making reservations, cleaning and stowing loose items. And then we had to make sure the truck was ready as well. Dave took it in for an oil change while we had easy access to a service department we knew.
Installing the new ignition switch on the golf cart Final Tasks
As he was helping Jose push the golf cart back to its parking space under the carport, Dave realized he might be taking on one more task that wasn’t on his to do list. During his check of the cart's systems, he had Fred on the line to pick his brain. A new ignition switch seemed to be a possible cause of the problem. It arrived the day before we were heading out. Unfortunately, the new switch didn’t fix the problem. But the good news was that there was still a working golf cart for Jose to use.
Cathy helped finish some new direction signs that had been started by Jim. We installed one by the sanctuary to direct visitors to the office, which seemed to be a constant point of confusion for those unfamiliar with church campus.
As he was helping Jose push the golf cart back to its parking space under the carport, Dave realized he might be taking on one more task that wasn’t on his to do list. During his check of the cart's systems, he had Fred on the line to pick his brain. A new ignition switch seemed to be a possible cause of the problem. It arrived the day before we were heading out. Unfortunately, the new switch didn’t fix the problem. But the good news was that there was still a working golf cart for Jose to use.
Cathy helped finish some new direction signs that had been started by Jim. We installed one by the sanctuary to direct visitors to the office, which seemed to be a constant point of confusion for those unfamiliar with church campus.
Georgia
Once underway, we didn’t travel very far up the highway. After taking some time to run across the scales at a nearby truck stop, we were reassured that the trailer hadn’t gained any weight since its last weighing. And then we were on our way to the Creekfire RV Resort, near Savannah. This was a return trip. With the soaring temperatures, our focus was the resort’s lazy river. Late in the afternoon each day, we would float for about an hour to cool off and give the RV time to cool back down.
Once underway, we didn’t travel very far up the highway. After taking some time to run across the scales at a nearby truck stop, we were reassured that the trailer hadn’t gained any weight since its last weighing. And then we were on our way to the Creekfire RV Resort, near Savannah. This was a return trip. With the soaring temperatures, our focus was the resort’s lazy river. Late in the afternoon each day, we would float for about an hour to cool off and give the RV time to cool back down.
Richmond Hill Historical Society Museum We did a little exploring as well, spending one afternoon in the Richmond Hill Historical Society Museum. For more than 2 decades, Henry and Clara Ford spent much of their winters in this community, originally called Ways, and later renamed to Richmond Hill after the Ford’s estate. Purchasing large tracts of land, the Fords poured money into the community in the form of charitable efforts and business enterprises.
Henry and Clara Ford portraits at the museum The museum is housed in a former kindergarten built by the Fords and contains exhibits about the Fords, the businesses that they built in the area, the research that Henry Ford was doing in his local lab and the schools and clinics that they built to support the local community.
As former Kodak employees, a unique invention of George Eastman’s for the Ford company caught our interest. Named the Illustravox, it was an early attempt to put sound to moving pictures. In this case, it was for training Ford employees – from mechanics to the sales force. Films in canisters were loaded into a projector along with a record containing the audio for the film’s training subject. The machine played both, keeping them in sync to play for the trainees. Titles such as “Wheel Alignment” and “Seven Stepping Stones to Sales” were in canisters next to the machine.
Bailey Carpenter's Barber Shop The museum’s second building housed Bailey Carpenter’s Barber Shop, with much of its original equipment in place. Henry Ford gave Bailey Carpenter the barbershop, built near his estate with a professional barber chair. Ford charged no rent for the shop and continued to pay for his haircuts at 10 times the going rate.
By Friday, we needed to move on. We would be spending the weekend in Lake City SC.
One of many murals in Lake City Lake City
Lake City has a campground near downtown called the Crossroads Coach Resort at the ROB. It has long, concrete full hookup pull-through sites, beautiful shower rooms and free laundry. It is a short walk to downtown, which has a number of public art installations throughout. Our only problem with enjoying more walks into downtown was once again the brutal heat.
Lake City has a campground near downtown called the Crossroads Coach Resort at the ROB. It has long, concrete full hookup pull-through sites, beautiful shower rooms and free laundry. It is a short walk to downtown, which has a number of public art installations throughout. Our only problem with enjoying more walks into downtown was once again the brutal heat.
BBQ tray at Slabs While here we made a point to re-visit a local BBQ restaurant called Slabs. The portions were enormous, the quality of the barbecue was excellent, and we had several days of leftovers from our “Bo Jr” platter.
| | The campground is across the street from the railroad tracks which then runs through the middle of town. We can hear the train whistles as they pass through, and went to watch Amtrak’s Palmetto train pass by on route to NYC. |
But it’s STILL Hot
While we liked the campgrounds at Creekfire and Lake City, their one big drawback was the lack of shade. And our RV’s AC unit was not keeping up with the afternoon heat. And on days we had to move from one site to the other, the temperature would soar and take hours to cool down once we were plugged back in.
While we liked the campgrounds at Creekfire and Lake City, their one big drawback was the lack of shade. And our RV’s AC unit was not keeping up with the afternoon heat. And on days we had to move from one site to the other, the temperature would soar and take hours to cool down once we were plugged back in.
The ICW at Myrtle Beach. So, we decided to purchase a portable AC unit. Looking around the area, we found one on the shelf at a Target in Myrtle Beach. It had 5000 BTU, and its power requirements were manageable. On the Saturday before the 4th, we made the drive to Myrtle Beach just ahead of all the holiday beach goers to pick it up. Our trip back passed over the ICW, and then past miles of cars making their way to the beach.
Back at the RV, we set up the AC in a couple of spots. Finally, we decided It would sit in the living room and vent through the back window. Since our windows are not like standard home windows, we had to fashion a sleeve for the vent to pass through. But once in place it made all the difference.
Back at the RV, we set up the AC in a couple of spots. Finally, we decided It would sit in the living room and vent through the back window. Since our windows are not like standard home windows, we had to fashion a sleeve for the vent to pass through. But once in place it made all the difference.
Parting Shots
We joined Barry at Ikea for a Swedish Midsummer buffet on the summer solstice. It had some more unusual items on the menu that we gave a try.
We joined Barry at Ikea for a Swedish Midsummer buffet on the summer solstice. It had some more unusual items on the menu that we gave a try.
