Day 4 - I hate Murphy!

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Well, things started off bad and only got worse. The shortest route from the campsite to Rose Creek Mine turned out not to be the fastest route. We ended going up and down every hill and mountain in the Smokey Mountains to get to the mine. On top of that, they were also having a biker rally and the roads were filled with fast driving, crazy passing, and obscene gesture-giving bikers. Not all was bad though. All the Harley riders seemed to be behaving themselves. Just after we got down the mountain, the motor home seemed to be going a little slower than it should be going. Turns out the brakes were overheating and were locking up. After we pulled over for a while, let the smoke clear, everything was back to normal. Once we got to the mine, it turns out they are not open on Sunday! Doh! Teach us not to call ahead. So back on the road it was again.

Before we could even get out of the town of Franklin, where the mine is located, we got stuck behind an accident. Everyone was shifting into the left lane to get around. By the time we got in the left lane, they opened up the right lane for traffic to pass through! We couldn’t win! The rest of the day was pretty much wasted driving across the state of Georgia and getting stuck for only a few minutes behind an accident on I-75.

So far, we’ve managed to spot 27 state license plates, Washington D.C., and Ontario. Some good news: I was able to rig the fridge and get it to work, but only when we are plugged into an outlet. Turns out that the fridge control board or thermister is probably bad. Talked with the RV Doctor and I have a couple of things to try when we get to our campsite in Valdosta, GA.

We ended the day at 8:30PM, after traveling 451 miles today. To date, we’ve traveled 1,340 miles of about 4,000 miles.

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Photos

Cheap Gas
The only good thing to happen all day: finding really cheap gas!

Brakes-Down!
A nice view when the brakes locked up.