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Published: April 18th 2015
Utterly Unbelievable! We readied our RV and pulled away from the Statesville, NC KOA. Not the finest place we have stayed but it worked for what we wanted. Drove past my favorite JR's that is all abandoned now.....why?? I will miss that place. Singing and humming and tapping our toes (except for Lulu = no toes) as we roll along merrily (like lambs to slaughter). Blue skies and smooth sailing....or so we thought!
BEEEEP!!! BUZZZZ!!! What the heck....what now? I am putting an airline barf bag next to my seat from now on. The first feeling that flows over you when you hear the horrible, bad beeping buzzer alarm sound is nausea! Wants to make you puke! The read out gauge is flashing: Low Coolant: Check engine! Nooooooo- we have seen that once before on this challenging journey. The alternator gauge looks ok. There is an exit ahead 1 mile off this major highway 77. You can make it, Cory! Go! Even if we have to hand drag it off the exit. No more towing wanted! Whew...made it off and found a Valero gas station to pull into. Whew! It's small and no truck repair -- only a couple semi's
Closed Up JR's
It makes me so sadparked out back on a muddy, slanted pathway. Rats! But the adrenalin kicks in now: fight or flight. Wishing we could actually fly but knowing we had to figure out our own problem....this is called RV life. The games begin: Cory checks the oil: good. Coolant level looks to be okay but just in case, we added some to the first, front container....cap wouldn't come off second one. I suggested to Cory maybe we should ask one of the truck drivers what they thought. He wasn't thrilled with this idea but relented. First trucker rolled down his window......he was a super, ginormous black man eating a banana. He mumbled something and shrugged us off. Gosh o' golly. Cory went back to the RV and I wandered down to the next truck. I tried to explain our dilemma .....obviously poorly so he jumped out of his truck and walked to our RV. A very nice, older man..looked like that guy who just won the best actor award (did commercials for State Farm Ins.). He checked our coolant tanks...looked okay...in medium range. Told Cory how to reset our dash gauges which he did. It was "good to go" so we went. All
seemed fine and dandy but we still had an anxious feeling in our bodies from this undesired, nerve-wracking experience. The giant mountain on the border of NC & VA. loomed ahead. We stopped at the Rest Area to let the RV rest & cool before attempting the major hill climb.....just as a precaution. Okay...here we go. Taking it nice easy. Whew! Made it over the mountain....just like the bear! It was butt cheek squeezing time the whole way though. Lulu could just stare...no butt there to squeeze. Ah, a sigh of relief and we're rolling one more time.
Holy God!! Say it's not so!! The dam alarm is buzzing AGAIN! ..same dumb readout! Puke, barf, hurl! #%*+^¥€£#..... It's only been 20 minutes but most of it was climbing that big mountain. In Elvis's words "Lord, You Gave Me A Mountain!" 11:00 AM, April 18th, we are now at a Gulf Truck Stop on exit 14 off highway 77. It's a bigger place and more truckers around to maybe help us if we need it. Cory bought more coolant...said it was a better kind. This time we added it to the bigger coolant tank. Got the cap off our tank
with W-D40....gotta love that stuff. Again, everything reads out fine. Cory reset gauges again. Getting gas while we are here. I am in a holding pattern with this documentation......have to wait and see how far we get down the road before I can move on to the next chapter. Sit tight, folks....focus on what you can control. And kept holding your breath!
It's early in the game right now but I am going to try to carry on with this blog. I certainly hope you have everything crossed that you can for us for luck....we need help. You know things happen in three's - so I am saying we have had our 3 episodes: fan belt and these 2 bummers today. Looking through our half-full glass, we aren't considering 3 events in ONE day...no way! Right now: gauges good- no buzzers going off (seems like I said that earlier in the day). Please old (2008) RV, stay this way! Hopefully, twos a charm. And lucky you.....I didn't take any videos of these horrific happenings. Throwing up does not make for a pretty picture.
Remember in yesterday's blog, I spoke of a nice surprise? Let me tell you....It wasn't
Better now
We're exhausted these dreaded mishap surprises with the RV I was talking about. That's for sure.
Return to last evening when we were with our son, Cory, and grandson, Shenen. It was so good to be with them....even if it was for just a very short time. We miss them a lot. After eating at Applebee's and going to Best Buy, we headed next to Target. I'm trying to find my special, low calorie chocolate milk that I love. Cory (Bucky) and Shenen headed off to the dairy aisle while Cory Fritz and myself got a cup of coffee. We were just going to sit down to chat and catch up on things when a young woman approached us. I know her!! As she says "You probably don't know me but" ---- I do know you.....you are Jill Swarthout. What a small world ( I've said that before also). What a surprise! Cory and I were thrilled and excited to see her.
Here's the background: when we lived within the town of Wellsville (now we live outside Wellsville) on Pine St. (1969-1972), we rented a house next door and from Phil & Gladys Swarthout. They had two children : Jeff
& Jill. Jeff was the same age as our Kim; Jill was the same age as our Cory (
@1 1/2 years) when we moved here from Belmont. Needless to say, our kids grew up together, played together, went to to school together and remained friends forever. We have home movies with the kids playing on our old metal swing set, attending birthday parties together and more....what fond memories. Jeff & Jill were such cute kids! Jeff went to college, married and lives in Rochester, NY as does our Kim with the same scenario. They still see each other when their Wellsville group all go out for an evening. Jill and Cory followed the same path: college, marriage but they both settled in North Carolina. Jill said she and her husband and two children live on Lake Hickory. Cory and family live in Conover and he works in Hickory. Small World stuff, again. They were always going to contact each other but you know how it goes sometimes. Cory said it was in the late 1980's when he saw Jill last. She is just beautiful and still the sweetest little thing you can imagine. We met her nice husband, Bill.....a lucky, lucky
man. Of course, Cory and Jill could relate to places they both know in the Hickory area. What a grand encounter this was.....right in the middle of Target! Of course, I had to take pictures.....the shoppers all giving us double looks: some good, some disgusted. We were taking up a large area in the aisle. But it was a fantastic brief time and we were relishing every moment of it. I told Jill we always thought of her when driving through the area....always wondering how she was. Now we know. She is pretty and very fine. Shout out to Phil & Gladys: you raised two wonderful children! Sad to say goodbye but happy to have had this surprise encounter. I hope they can stay in contact with one another.
Our goodbyes with Cory & Shenen ( Rachael was just returning from college, Fox just got his car out of the repair shop so we didn't get a chance to see them which we missed....Jennifer was at the house) are always the hardest. We just don't want to let them go. Cory said they will plan to visit us in June so I am marking that on my calendar right
My bug bite!
How critical is it? now! Only a couple months away. I'll count the days.
It's
1:00 PM now. All's well for the moment. Wood knocking like a woodpecker and I'm not going to write/ speak too loud! The scenery is beautiful in Virginia. But we want to be able to keep moving through it. No stopping! Lulu keeps asking when will we stop again...she likes to stretch. I told her to "ferme la bouche". She speaks two languages ....but not much and not well. Not sure where we will sail into port today. Just happy to keep moving without any more incidences. We'll keep going for as long as we can and then just stop - hopefully not sooner than planned.
Oh by the way, I forget to update you on my bug bite I got that first night on the road. It's not better...only worse but localized. I think if it were a bite from the brown recluse spider I would be dead by now. What do you think? Live or die? Our sweet son Cory has poison ivy on his arms...from grass mowing. Like mother, like son - with dermatological problems. I'm beginning to think this has been a ride from hell traveling home. What do you think? Hush Up, Lulu...I can hear you....she's says it's been lots of fun but she's a head off-- literally.
And yes, thanks for all your support and assistance. Could not have made it without all of you. Merci!
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