Loading up the van before we head out With less than a week from Cathy’s return before heading out in our van, we had to make daily progress toward readying the van to move and the Cougar and truck to stay put for several months. And we were on a schedule, because we had a graduation to attend.
All buttoned up for the summer Closing Things Down
We hadn’t left the fifth wheel or the truck for longer than a few weeks before, and never for an extended time in the Florida summer. So, we had some work to do to ensure there would be no surprises when we returned to them in the fall.
We hadn’t left the fifth wheel or the truck for longer than a few weeks before, and never for an extended time in the Florida summer. So, we had some work to do to ensure there would be no surprises when we returned to them in the fall.
A trickle charge will protect the truck's batteries from completely discharging Dave had a list of precautions for the truck. He ran the fuel in the tank down so he could replace it with a full tank of non-ethanol gas. After an oil change and small repair to the driver’s side mirror, the truck was ready to be covered.
The only challenge was to keep the truck dry, since the cover should not be applied to a wet surface. However, after weeks of little to no rain, the two days before our departure were becoming a wash out. On the morning we were to head out, Dave drove the truck around to “blow dry” the exterior. After a wipe down, the sun did the rest.
One last thing to be done was attach a battery charger to keep a trickle charge on the batteries. With all in place, the cover went on and was secured. Our fingers crossed that all will be well when we return.
The only challenge was to keep the truck dry, since the cover should not be applied to a wet surface. However, after weeks of little to no rain, the two days before our departure were becoming a wash out. On the morning we were to head out, Dave drove the truck around to “blow dry” the exterior. After a wipe down, the sun did the rest.
One last thing to be done was attach a battery charger to keep a trickle charge on the batteries. With all in place, the cover went on and was secured. Our fingers crossed that all will be well when we return.
Non-perishable food stored for the summer As for the fifth wheel, it needed to be cleaned out of any food. So, the fridge was emptied and defrosted and all of the non-perishables moved to tubs in a nearby building until fall. The drains were cleaned to keep them from smelling badly. All the tanks, including fresh water, were completely emptied and the hoses stowed. And then the slides were brought in.
Inkbird app monitoring the RV temperature To ensure the RV’s inside temperature didn’t soar in the Florida summer heat and introduce a lot of moisture, Dave installed an Inkbird remote sensor to monitor the temperature. It would sound an alarm on our phones if the temperature went too high. We could then attempt to turn the AC off and back on via the In-Command app, which often is the solution. But in order for us to be able to monitor and control the systems remotely, we needed the internet to stay on. Dave had a solution for that as well.
Our internet modem would be plugged into a device that would allow him to reboot it remotely (another app) in the case that it stopped working, which has happened occasionally. And in the event that all of our technological solutions failed, we had another backup – a human one.
The church custodian, Jose, agreed to check on the RV once a week. We showed him how to restart the AC and what to check to ensure the RV was staying cool enough and dry. He had one more tool at his disposal. He could turn on a Blink camera and show Dave what was happening in the RV. So, we left him a checklist of what to check each week and left our home for what would likely be 4 months.
Our internet modem would be plugged into a device that would allow him to reboot it remotely (another app) in the case that it stopped working, which has happened occasionally. And in the event that all of our technological solutions failed, we had another backup – a human one.
The church custodian, Jose, agreed to check on the RV once a week. We showed him how to restart the AC and what to check to ensure the RV was staying cool enough and dry. He had one more tool at his disposal. He could turn on a Blink camera and show Dave what was happening in the RV. So, we left him a checklist of what to check each week and left our home for what would likely be 4 months.
We received these handmade nets as a Thank you present, and they fit perfectly. Setting Things Up
Getting the van ready to go was about more than just shoehorning all of our stuff into its much smaller space, although that took a bit of time and reorganizing in our last few days at Faith. We hung nets and bought more tubs to make better use of the space.
To ensure all of the van’s mechanics were in good shape, Dave took it in for an oil change and had the Ford dealer check for anything that might need attention. In their assessment we were good to go.
Except . . .
Getting the van ready to go was about more than just shoehorning all of our stuff into its much smaller space, although that took a bit of time and reorganizing in our last few days at Faith. We hung nets and bought more tubs to make better use of the space.
To ensure all of the van’s mechanics were in good shape, Dave took it in for an oil change and had the Ford dealer check for anything that might need attention. In their assessment we were good to go.
Except . . .
Dave keeps tabs on the workers installing the new tires Perhaps the biggest concern left on our list was the age of the tires on our new van. The Ford Transit that the 2025 Coya was built on was a 2022 and the tires were manufactured early in 2021. That made them 5 years old. We have had many problems with tires that were otherwise fine, but were 5 years old. See our update from January for the most recent example. Dave had several discussions with Ford about this. They were finally able to come to an agreement that we would replace the tires on our own dime and bring those taken off the van to a nearby Ford service department to be assessed for a possible warranty claim.
Out with the old, in with the new So Dave worked out a deal with Discount Tire, and we had 4 new Michelin tires installed one afternoon the week before we headed out. He dropped the old tires off to Ford, not sure if anything more would come of their assessment. One additional advantage of the change was that the intermittent tire pressure warning that would pop up erroneously just disappeared.
The cord on the right is held to the wall by 4 separate cable mounts. On a more annoying level, we were struggling with the cord for the Setpower fridge that sat on the long slide in the van’s rear compartment. As the slide moved in and out, the cord was getting caught on the slide or the plug was getting pulled out. While we had an Inkbird in each compartment to monitor the temperature, it was too easy for the Setpower to lose power due to the cord getting tangled. We added more cable mounts to keep the cord high enough to prevent it from tangling with the slide itself. This worked pretty well.
We are getting creative in using pool noodles We then tried using a couple of pool noodles mounted either side of the plug to protect it. They wouldn’t stay in place and were actually causing more problems with plug when they came loose. To keep the fridge from sliding over and knocking the plug out of the wall, we put a strip of pool noodle foam at its base to keep it away from the wall. But there is a large tub that sits behind the fridge on the slide. We needed to keep this away from the plug. Once again using a pool noodle, this time we wrapped it around the base of the tub to keep it away from the wall. So far, this solution seems to work.
With the van nearly fully loaded, we took it to top off the fuel and then to check its weight. We had checked this in January, but we had added more things and removed a few, so we were anxious to know if we had enough payload left for the last essentials – like our clothes. And we had almost exactly 200 lbs of headroom with a full tank of gas. Guess we don’t have to go on that diet as soon as we thought.
With the van nearly fully loaded, we took it to top off the fuel and then to check its weight. We had checked this in January, but we had added more things and removed a few, so we were anxious to know if we had enough payload left for the last essentials – like our clothes. And we had almost exactly 200 lbs of headroom with a full tank of gas. Guess we don’t have to go on that diet as soon as we thought.
Saying Goodbye
While we were preparing all of our vehicles for travel or storage, we needed to tie up loose ends at Faith. Dave ensured the last of the computer updates were done and attended his last in-person Trustees meeting for a while. We held our last BBQ Thursday and transitioned the smoker to Pastor Michael for the summer so the weekly feasts could continue. And we joined a small celebration for Barry’s last radiation treatment at Cracker Barrel. We even got to spend some time reconnecting with Pastor Rigo and Fermin one afternoon, as Rigo’s family had traveled up from West Palm Beach for Mother’s Day weekend.
But just before we left, we had one more surprise task that put us on our knees replacing a toilet at a church member’s house. We were running out of time, so we breathed a sigh of relief when the new toilet went in smoothly and no leaks were found.
So, we bid our goodbyes and felt pretty good that we were ready to head out.
While we were preparing all of our vehicles for travel or storage, we needed to tie up loose ends at Faith. Dave ensured the last of the computer updates were done and attended his last in-person Trustees meeting for a while. We held our last BBQ Thursday and transitioned the smoker to Pastor Michael for the summer so the weekly feasts could continue. And we joined a small celebration for Barry’s last radiation treatment at Cracker Barrel. We even got to spend some time reconnecting with Pastor Rigo and Fermin one afternoon, as Rigo’s family had traveled up from West Palm Beach for Mother’s Day weekend.
But just before we left, we had one more surprise task that put us on our knees replacing a toilet at a church member’s house. We were running out of time, so we breathed a sigh of relief when the new toilet went in smoothly and no leaks were found.
So, we bid our goodbyes and felt pretty good that we were ready to head out.
Hitting the Road
We had a plan to leave Wednesday the 13th by mid-day and spend 3 nights on the road, arriving at our daughter’s house by Saturday. However, that plan changed on Tuesday, when we learned that she had tickets to allow us to attend our grandson’s graduation Friday evening. So, our leisurely drive north was going to be accelerated. For weeks, Dave had made clear that his first stop would Creekfire RV Resort and its lazy river.
With some iffy weather leaving Jacksonville, and only one night to stay at Creekfire, we didn’t commit to our stay until we pulled into the driveway. By that time, the skies had cleared, and taking advantage of the lazy river seemed certain. It took little time to set up in our site and we were off to the grab our tubes. But this was mid-May, not mid-June when we had last taken a dip here. So, the water temperature was a bit colder than last time. We made a few trips around and then made our way back to the van.. Just as well, we were beat and didn't need much convincing to crash early.
We had a plan to leave Wednesday the 13th by mid-day and spend 3 nights on the road, arriving at our daughter’s house by Saturday. However, that plan changed on Tuesday, when we learned that she had tickets to allow us to attend our grandson’s graduation Friday evening. So, our leisurely drive north was going to be accelerated. For weeks, Dave had made clear that his first stop would Creekfire RV Resort and its lazy river.
With some iffy weather leaving Jacksonville, and only one night to stay at Creekfire, we didn’t commit to our stay until we pulled into the driveway. By that time, the skies had cleared, and taking advantage of the lazy river seemed certain. It took little time to set up in our site and we were off to the grab our tubes. But this was mid-May, not mid-June when we had last taken a dip here. So, the water temperature was a bit colder than last time. We made a few trips around and then made our way back to the van.. Just as well, we were beat and didn't need much convincing to crash early.
As we made our way further north, we took advantage of an option that the van allows more easily than the 5th wheel. We spent our 2nd night on the road at a hotel. It was the same price or less than many of the campground along our route, and had the added advantage of being right next door to Burney’s Sweets, home of the filled, glazed croissants. We had them for dessert that night and for breakfast the next am. And we picked up a dozen to share with family. They are that good.
Troy with his many honors decorating his robe proceeds to the stage to receive his 2nd diploma Celebrating the Graduate
It was our grandson’s 2nd graduation in less than a week. Having completed a 2-year Governor’s School program, he received his Associates degree in Science from the Southside Virginia Community college the week before. We were able to watch that one online. However, we arrived in Virginia in time to see his high school graduation in person, which was ironically his second trip across the stage.
It was our grandson’s 2nd graduation in less than a week. Having completed a 2-year Governor’s School program, he received his Associates degree in Science from the Southside Virginia Community college the week before. We were able to watch that one online. However, we arrived in Virginia in time to see his high school graduation in person, which was ironically his second trip across the stage.
Cathy’s sisters drove up from NC to join us for the event and made it just before the doors closed and the procession began. There were a lot of enthusiastic parents and family members that managed to squeeze into the high school gym. We were privileged to be able to be part of the celebration.
Parting Shot
Arriving back in Jacksonville a few days before Mother’s Day, Cathy returned from Virginia to find some lovely roses greeting her. It was a rare treat and certainly made her feel special.
Arriving back in Jacksonville a few days before Mother’s Day, Cathy returned from Virginia to find some lovely roses greeting her. It was a rare treat and certainly made her feel special.
