Head West not so young Man

[ronjhall]

Drew take care in your travels. Like your reports.

 

[texasjohn]

Yep, I've learned that when driving a trailer, the entire rig has "sweet spots" which are the best for speed, RPMs, engine temps, etc. Certainly as speed increases so does wind resistance....as an exponential function of wind speed. Also, in hilly country, I speed up downhill, sometimes significantly, so that I can make it to the top of the next hill without loosing too much speed. On multiple lane roads I choose the lane which will keep everyone safest...meaning I don't like to change lanes or slow down abruptly...so I try to maintain rear mirror awareness and allow more nimble/anxious cars to pass, either on right or left. Driving is an art of judgement made more complex when in a long, heavy rig. Stay safe out there! Am enjoying your travel reports and photos!

 

[MacLawn]

I'm getting the feeling that taking ye VW off is a bit of a chore. How hard is it? I thought you could just unhook a few things then drive it off.

 

[Pixguy]

Folks like to use the car caddy because the car that they own cannot be towed 4 wheels down or don't want to put a tow bar on their car. Some have complained the caddies are another thing to deal with at the campground or store at home but there are plenty of them still being used and some swear by them but it seems to be a chore to unstrap them to use the car.
Either way, it's nicer to do without rain.

 

[daugen]

and it is pouring at the moment...
got in ok, drove in a lot of rain, but it let up for about half an hour and I got set up before wind and rain returned.
Very pretty area, currently in Penhook.

my car is fwd, which requires a dolley. The challenge is the dolley sits very low to the ground, the vw sits low on the dolley, and I have to wrap straps around the front tires, like snow chains, and cinch them down. Then I also have to attach safety chains. All requires going flat on the ground, though I brought a foam mechanics pad just for that. Yeah, the straight tow is much simpler, but requires installing a faceplate on the car, which I did not want to do. Not a big thing, but not something I want to do in pouring rain at the moment. Think I'll take a hot shower and a nap.
will check out the Lake dam Buppies mentioned too later.

 

[daugen]

I am sitting in what looks like it used to be the South Forty, down the hill, from a gorgeous white fenced farm belonging to the campground's owners. About six large rvs here, nobody is going to be out in a tent tonight if they are smart. The site is fine, but drops off five feet off the driveway, and I almost had a real joy ride down the hill while hooking up the hoses. Rural, very rural...but has all I need.

I'm still thinking about the Winnebago Journey 40 that pulled in besides me in Staunton. Same/nicer color scheme, very luxurious looking, and spotless. Might have been new. Cost more than triple mine... And I bet those folks are not feeling their motorhome move around in the wind, as I am right now. ever so slightly, and feels utterly natural to an old boater. Hey, it is my land yacht... Without jacks down, I'm on the suspension and it has a very slight amount of give to it, as expected. So it sets up these gentle motions, very gentle, and usually coincides with the howl of some gust of wind outside. And it is blowing and raining at the moment. And the temp is dropping fast, fifteen degrees since I pulled in. Boy, if I wake up with snow on this thing tomorrow morning, that will be a real Kodak moment for sure. All said, I am quite comfortable here.

I put my little space heater back on, it keeps the front toasty. The heated mattress pad keeps me equally toasty in the rear. And then the heat pump kicks on if it gets below 65. Or I could use the propane furnace, except maybe I'm such a cheapskate when the electric is free, but that heat pump is a noisy beast, and I like to avoid it. I'm likely being stupid, should turn the gas heat on. It's really nice, quiet, and it heats up the floor. So the inevitable trip to the bathroom sometime during the night greets me with warm floors. In another week I'll be on the beach...
these are the hard decisions one must contemplate when one is happily doing utterly nothing but watch and listen to the rain come down.
And those folks in that nice diesel pusher I was drooling over? Their floors come heated standard. Sigh. really roughing it huh?

this may seem pretty different to anyone who hasn't lived in confined spaces, like an rv or a boat. I lived aboard for three years on a boat, so the rv is very familiar feeling. And it has the benefit of brakes...

the rain is just beating down on the fiberglass roof, what a pleasant sound.

 

[texasjohn]

Bring that rain to Texas...we need it....6 inches below for the year so far...extreme drought...

 

[daugen]

Now TexasJohn, you are going to have to get FarmGirl to do one of her rain dances.
I certainly don't want my motorhome to get too dusty when I get out to you, and I know that's high
on your list of concerns....

Many places are getting three or four inches of water from this system. Sorry, I may be a windbag but I don't have that much air to blow
it back to you...but here's a pic looking out the windshield, of the rain, which keeps coming down. There are dandelions in the grass in front of me and a very pretty flowering tree off my "port bow". Marvelous drainage here, I don't see anything pooling up anywhere. Maybe the ground still hasn't had all it wants to drink.

thank goodness for an included 3 dollar plastic bullseye level. Works like a champ. With three leveling boards down, I got it right in the center.

 

[Pixguy]

That rain sounds loud on the skylight above the shower, with noise bouncing around that acrylic stall at 2 in the morning. Even worse is the acorns bouncing off the roof in the fall. Ahhh, life in a RV. :acorn:

Sounds terrific, Enjoy

 

[MacLawn]

Beautiful view daug! That looks like plum blossoms. Does that level stick to ceiling of ye RV?

 

[daugen]

Beautiful view daug! That looks like plum blossoms. Does that level stick to ceiling of ye RV?

good question. No, I put it on the front dash,which Winnebago made level, how nice,and also the kitchen counter mid rv. As long as I get close, I'm fine. Frankly I can eyeball it from outside pretty well, and there were two spots here and with permission I hogged a bit of the other site and wound up pretty level anyway. But I don't want to stress the electric motors that move the slides. I've heard horror stories of slides not coming in, and having to find a tractor with an FEL to gently (??) push them in. Now I know there is a half inch bolt somewhere I can put a power drill to and that should retract them manually. Much as I might want a little more seat time on a tractor...can't imagine that not wrecking the slide going in.
But hey, you can't move with them out...maybe someone was running out of beer and just had to go...

an unpleasantly cold 27 degrees here, at least the sun is coming up and it should be a nice day. 30 degrees at home in PA so not much different.
First thing I did when I woke up was see if there was snow or frost out there....no Kodak moment.

The owner's wife told me of a great local greasy spoon for breakfast, if I can find it nearby, Karls. She gave me directions that went right over my head...oh just down at the end of the road. Uh, what road? Ok, let's see if Karl's has an internet presence....maybe not.

First I have to get the car off the dolley, and after breakfast I am going to Smith Mountain Lake Dam. Really a cool story for the hydroelectric plants nearby, two plants, a big one here and a smaller one downstream that pumps the water back up to the bigger lake during the night when power is not needed. I'll take lots of pics. I worked for a company doing electronic monitoring equipment in power plants for two years helping a friend grow his business, and I spent a lot of time in hydro plants, some a hundred years old. This one is fairly modern, boy flooding that valley must have made a lot of friends....talk about eminent domain. Yes, the fishing is great over your old farm...

 

[murphy1244]

Drew, When you write in can you post the city and state above your post? Great thread keep im coming.

 

[joemd11]

Drew, When you write in can you post the city and state above your post? Great thread keep im coming.

I agree. Drew could be a modern day Charles Kuralt!

 

[daugen]

thanks guys. I am a little concerned about posting all these pics due to storage costs, but I wrote mgmt and they didn't seem to mind. Well, they didn't answer, a bit different. Boy we do like our pictures..., I'm in Penhook VA, at the bottom of Smith Mountain Lake, which was man made to create the hydro electric plant I'm about to take off and visit.

But first, breakfast. I really hit the jackpot. Had read about pork tenderloin sandwiches in Indiana and Illinois, but clearly they are enjoyed all over, just not up North for sure. Home made biscuit, I couldn't even eat the whole thing. Funny little place, gas pumps out front labeled 100% real gasoline. No ethanol? Just the nicest people, locals eating ham eggs and grits at the counter. Didn't get to chat though.

 

[MacLawn]

Looking good daug, looking mighty good! Going slow, finding local places to eat, that's it. Just start talking to the locals, they'll love hearing about what ye're doing. Especially the further south ye come. Minnesota nice in Minnesota, and just good ole boys down here who usually don't meet a stranger. Ok, we're with ye.

 

[daugen]

that sandwich was likely a heart attack on a plate, but I wanted to try one. Now I find the walking trail here for sure. Maybe too cautious but I packed a small pepper spray container that fits in my pocket easily. Not people I'm worried about, dogs or other things while I'm walking in a woods I know nothing about. I grew up with 70 acres of woods behind my house, so I like the woods. Black bears, nice gentle critters, right? Like a big furry dog. I'm sure I'll just go up and pet one and they'll sit there nicely. Near their cubs. I do know better... It's their woods, not mine. End of story.

 

[Citydude]

I'm excited for you daugen. Thanks for sharing your adventure!

 

[3930dave]

thanks guys. I am a little concerned about posting all these pics due to storage costs, but I wrote mgmt and they didn't seem to mind. Well, they didn't answer, a bit different. Boy we do like our pictures..., I'm in Penhook VA, at the bottom of Smith Mountain Lake, which was man made to create the hydro electric plant I'm about to take off and visit.

But first, breakfast. I really hit the jackpot. Had read about pork tenderloin sandwiches in Indiana and Illinois, but clearly they are enjoyed all over, just not up North for sure. Home made biscuit, I couldn't even eat the whole thing. Funny little place, gas pumps out front labeled 100% real gasoline. No ethanol? Just the nicest people, locals eating ham eggs and grits at the counter. Didn't get to chat though.

Real food and real gasoline in the same spot !

Post their GPS coordinates, and with the following of this forum, you'll likely boost their Summer tourist traffic by 50% :thumbsup:

I had a good breakfast today, but that pic is making me hungry already !

Rgds, D.

 

[MacLawn]

Drew, When you write in can you post the city and state above your post? Great thread keep im coming.

Oh yeah murph, that's a great idea! We want to keep up with ye.

 

[wotalota]

Real food and real gasoline in the same spot !

Post their GPS coordinates, and with the following of this forum, you'll likely boost their Summer tourist traffic by 50% :thumbsup:

I had a good breakfast today, but that pic is making me hungry already !

Rgds, D.

When I first came to NH the sign said "Eat here and get gas"