Head West not so young Man
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daugen
Epic Contributor
you guys are reaaaallllly good. shut it off, couldn't pull the battery, I guess battery doors are now a thing of the past, and let it sit, after pulling out my cordless mouse gizmo. Voila. I'm happily yammering away as usual now! :dance1:
Now if I could reboot my computerized leveling system so easily....
No, didn't make it to the Parthenon or see that huge Athena statue inside. But I did study it online...Took too much time looking at cars I guess...and Mac, that "stew" is my home made vegetarian spaghetti sauce just full of veggies with added leftover sausage and chicken bits. And boy oh boy was it good. Those Louisiana boys are going to have to work hard to beat it...and the sauce went over vegetarian pasta that promised me two veggie servings(?) so I did get my green stuff, hidden as it was. The tomatoes for the sauce came from my garden, frozen and the last ones left, for this trip, and I knew I was going to make a nice sauce. With a good bit of acidic bite from the fresh tomatoes, mellowed by the meats added. Yes, it was that good. And I had a slice of buttered home made bread with it. And two leftover dinners all wrapped up. No I am not suffering...
A fine Sunday cooking in Nashville. I almost went to the Quaker Meeting here but saw online they had a big luncheon shindig after Meeting that I knew I'd get sucked into, we have the same "meet and eat" lunches at home. I really wanted to, and frankly had to do maintenance on the rig instead. Changed the oil in the gen, a big no no for doing repair work on premises, but I used a Big Boy suction tank and did it very quietly. The gen is small and uses a basically high quality lawn mower engine without an oil filter, and a fifty hour oil change interval. Now that would be a serious pita if I were dry camping, but I only run the gen when the rv is on the road. It only uses about a third of a gallon an hour at most so it keeps the fridge and freezer running, and all the times on appliances stay the same.
The auto transfer electrical box is fast enough so I don't have to reset the clocks which is really nice. Took me a while to figure out how to get the right sequence. Luckily it has full safety nannys and I can't do it wrong. But I never pull that AC supply cord out without throwing the breaker box switch first nor do I plug it in without making sure the breaker is off. Boats and rvs are very bad on surging electronics, even though I have everything I can plugged into a surge protector. Learned that on boats. Shore power can send nasty power surges into the rv or boat, not supposed to, but then its not supposed to come in your house either. A guy at my last stop pulled in with a big fancy diesel pusher and he was just shaking his head. No AC power. No DC power. His electrical system shut down for some reason.
Must be quite a business for repair folk coming out to frantic travelers. Wonder how his ice cream made out...
time to get moving. Have my longest drive today, over four hours, going down the Natchez Trace Parkway to just below Tupelo MS. Getting to the beginning of the Parkway should be interesting, the gps wants to go on a bigger highway.
The Parkway is supposed to be hilly in the beginning and then level out, a very old friend just drove it and reported on it to me with pics. He stopped all over the place in his car, I can't.
I am now noticing that the campgrounds have shelter info right on their instruction sheet. I study that thing as soon as I get settled. If a bad storm came, I think I would pull the slides in, turn everything off, and just take a paperback with me to the shelter. Biggest concern are the trees in the campground, they would surely do some damage to the inhabitants if something big went through here.
But nice clear weather for the week,turning to stormy weather when I get to the Gulf. I may be seeing New Orleans in the rain, but it's one day at a time anyway.
So I am off to Shannon MS, just below Tupelo, and the campground is right off the parkway so that should be easy. Already have my neck warmer on for trip prep. My C6 neck vertebra is getting increasingly unhappy, being located under the 3,4 and 5 which got fused together last summer with three inches of titanium. So now all the bending that would have been done over three vertebra is concentrated on one. This is why I have to limit my driving. Slow and steady wins the game.
well,that is quite enough exercise for this newly functional keyboard. Later.
Now if I could reboot my computerized leveling system so easily....
No, didn't make it to the Parthenon or see that huge Athena statue inside. But I did study it online...Took too much time looking at cars I guess...and Mac, that "stew" is my home made vegetarian spaghetti sauce just full of veggies with added leftover sausage and chicken bits. And boy oh boy was it good. Those Louisiana boys are going to have to work hard to beat it...and the sauce went over vegetarian pasta that promised me two veggie servings(?) so I did get my green stuff, hidden as it was. The tomatoes for the sauce came from my garden, frozen and the last ones left, for this trip, and I knew I was going to make a nice sauce. With a good bit of acidic bite from the fresh tomatoes, mellowed by the meats added. Yes, it was that good. And I had a slice of buttered home made bread with it. And two leftover dinners all wrapped up. No I am not suffering...
A fine Sunday cooking in Nashville. I almost went to the Quaker Meeting here but saw online they had a big luncheon shindig after Meeting that I knew I'd get sucked into, we have the same "meet and eat" lunches at home. I really wanted to, and frankly had to do maintenance on the rig instead. Changed the oil in the gen, a big no no for doing repair work on premises, but I used a Big Boy suction tank and did it very quietly. The gen is small and uses a basically high quality lawn mower engine without an oil filter, and a fifty hour oil change interval. Now that would be a serious pita if I were dry camping, but I only run the gen when the rv is on the road. It only uses about a third of a gallon an hour at most so it keeps the fridge and freezer running, and all the times on appliances stay the same.
The auto transfer electrical box is fast enough so I don't have to reset the clocks which is really nice. Took me a while to figure out how to get the right sequence. Luckily it has full safety nannys and I can't do it wrong. But I never pull that AC supply cord out without throwing the breaker box switch first nor do I plug it in without making sure the breaker is off. Boats and rvs are very bad on surging electronics, even though I have everything I can plugged into a surge protector. Learned that on boats. Shore power can send nasty power surges into the rv or boat, not supposed to, but then its not supposed to come in your house either. A guy at my last stop pulled in with a big fancy diesel pusher and he was just shaking his head. No AC power. No DC power. His electrical system shut down for some reason.
Must be quite a business for repair folk coming out to frantic travelers. Wonder how his ice cream made out...
time to get moving. Have my longest drive today, over four hours, going down the Natchez Trace Parkway to just below Tupelo MS. Getting to the beginning of the Parkway should be interesting, the gps wants to go on a bigger highway.
The Parkway is supposed to be hilly in the beginning and then level out, a very old friend just drove it and reported on it to me with pics. He stopped all over the place in his car, I can't.
I am now noticing that the campgrounds have shelter info right on their instruction sheet. I study that thing as soon as I get settled. If a bad storm came, I think I would pull the slides in, turn everything off, and just take a paperback with me to the shelter. Biggest concern are the trees in the campground, they would surely do some damage to the inhabitants if something big went through here.
But nice clear weather for the week,turning to stormy weather when I get to the Gulf. I may be seeing New Orleans in the rain, but it's one day at a time anyway.
So I am off to Shannon MS, just below Tupelo, and the campground is right off the parkway so that should be easy. Already have my neck warmer on for trip prep. My C6 neck vertebra is getting increasingly unhappy, being located under the 3,4 and 5 which got fused together last summer with three inches of titanium. So now all the bending that would have been done over three vertebra is concentrated on one. This is why I have to limit my driving. Slow and steady wins the game.
well,that is quite enough exercise for this newly functional keyboard. Later.
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MacLawn
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Oh no daug, ye might pass me by while I'm down at Biloxi! Shannon is about 35 minutes north of me! I have work down there this week so won't be around to meet ye for coffee! Ye're moving a bit faster than I thought. So, ye're coming down 45 through Columbus, then 82 west through Starkeville? Right by me house here off hwy 45! Oh well, I'll still keep up with ye trip! Oh, another great place to eat is Newk's in Starkeville, or several other places in Mississippi. It's wha' I call a "woman" food place (no offense to ye ladies), sandwich, salads, soups, pizza (there's a bit o' man food!), but it's very good. The tomato basil soup is my favorite.
Forgot, Tupelo has a great car museum too, and a Newk's.
Forgot, Tupelo has a great car museum too, and a Newk's.
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
Tupelo MS, south of...closest burb Shannon
In a tiny rv spot off the Natchez Trace Parkway.
what a day.
Just got in.
a/c is cranked, it's 87 degrees here. If I'm in Mississippi, no one can argue I'm anywhere but the Deep South.
turns out getting to the Parkway was not as hard as I thought, but I followed some wrong signs off it and then got utterly lost...I think they were signs for the NTP Museum...which I passed somewhere in the middle of my nowhere.
Went South for about twenty miles first on the Parkway and it is the windiest thing imaginable. I was doing 35 at times due to sharp turns not lack of power. Very pretty, like driving down a lush country road, all green and wildflowers/weeds blooming like carpets of color along the road.
In fact it turned so many times I wasn't exactly upset I got off by mistake...but then I followed the gps way West to Jackson on 40, then left/south to 45 South all the way to just North of Tupelo where I got back on the Natchez Trace for ten miles or so and the campground is just off the Parkway. Six hours is way too much for me. Not going to do that again. I think I earned a cold beer...
Jackson looks like a busy town, lots of industry here, some high tech that I could see. The land got flatter as I went further South but not as flat as I thought it would be. Just staying one night here, then on to Pelahatchie for two days and then Bay St.Louis.
sure didn't have much time to take pics. I'll check later to see if anything came out. First a rest, and then out comes the portable aluminum stepladder I brought to use to get several thousand of Tennessee and Mississippi's finest bugs off my windshield. A wasteland of bugs, which hopefully with a soft scrubbee and some Sparkle glass cleaner will come off. I had to chuckle, 3 dollar charge for washing rv, 2 dollars for washing car, or say one third the going rate. And when I turned on the water and it had useless pressure for washing, I can see why the pricing could be considered fair. I doubt on full stream if the water would get up twelve feet to the top.
I run off my tank water and rv tank pump, which I seriously upgraded, which has better pressure than any of the campgrounds. Probably due to several water pressure restrictors installed on the way to avoid damage to lightweight rv plumbing from street pressure. But for washing the rv, some of these campgrounds had serious pressure, and it was fun to use, albeit without wasting it.
good to sit here and not be moving. Just like after coming in from a long stretch on the water.
Time for that beer.
In a tiny rv spot off the Natchez Trace Parkway.
what a day.
Just got in.
a/c is cranked, it's 87 degrees here. If I'm in Mississippi, no one can argue I'm anywhere but the Deep South.
turns out getting to the Parkway was not as hard as I thought, but I followed some wrong signs off it and then got utterly lost...I think they were signs for the NTP Museum...which I passed somewhere in the middle of my nowhere.
Went South for about twenty miles first on the Parkway and it is the windiest thing imaginable. I was doing 35 at times due to sharp turns not lack of power. Very pretty, like driving down a lush country road, all green and wildflowers/weeds blooming like carpets of color along the road.
In fact it turned so many times I wasn't exactly upset I got off by mistake...but then I followed the gps way West to Jackson on 40, then left/south to 45 South all the way to just North of Tupelo where I got back on the Natchez Trace for ten miles or so and the campground is just off the Parkway. Six hours is way too much for me. Not going to do that again. I think I earned a cold beer...
Jackson looks like a busy town, lots of industry here, some high tech that I could see. The land got flatter as I went further South but not as flat as I thought it would be. Just staying one night here, then on to Pelahatchie for two days and then Bay St.Louis.
sure didn't have much time to take pics. I'll check later to see if anything came out. First a rest, and then out comes the portable aluminum stepladder I brought to use to get several thousand of Tennessee and Mississippi's finest bugs off my windshield. A wasteland of bugs, which hopefully with a soft scrubbee and some Sparkle glass cleaner will come off. I had to chuckle, 3 dollar charge for washing rv, 2 dollars for washing car, or say one third the going rate. And when I turned on the water and it had useless pressure for washing, I can see why the pricing could be considered fair. I doubt on full stream if the water would get up twelve feet to the top.
I run off my tank water and rv tank pump, which I seriously upgraded, which has better pressure than any of the campgrounds. Probably due to several water pressure restrictors installed on the way to avoid damage to lightweight rv plumbing from street pressure. But for washing the rv, some of these campgrounds had serious pressure, and it was fun to use, albeit without wasting it.
good to sit here and not be moving. Just like after coming in from a long stretch on the water.
Time for that beer.
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
I am always amazed when something comes out of the little handheld camera that I just face away from me. No way I can take my eyes off the road, and yet some of these come out. Look how close and cozy the Natchez Trace Parkway is up near the top below Nashville.
When I got really lost, I had to pull over and there was this huge dirt parking lot with all kinds of strange stuff out front, like a super large garage sale except it didn't move. Saw a bunch of them. Well, I sure appreciated his big turnaround while I went back to the paper maps and zoomed the gps in and out until I had a good idea where I was. And I was so pleased with his parking sign I just had to show you.
perhaps should add the pic of the Parkway sign was taken at a pull off where I made a needed rest stop and got the photo op they surely planned for me. and I just realized that I have both a full size and mini tripod that will fit either camera. Might figure out how to rig up something. Still need to keep looking forward and one arm locked on wheel. Almost zero traffic on these roads, the first part of the parkway I literally had all to myself. I wondered where everyone was. Some bike riders went by huffing and puffing.
Not an overly safe place for them to be with all the blind corners for sure.
But for fifteen minutes I drove with no one behind me, so I could slow down and gawk at scenic stuff. I let one guy go by in a passing zone by slowing down with my right turn signal on where there was no place to turn and he got the message and went around.
And then he must have customized his lights because they lit up in a thank you dance I just hadn't seen before. Nice flashies...guys do like their trucks.
When I got really lost, I had to pull over and there was this huge dirt parking lot with all kinds of strange stuff out front, like a super large garage sale except it didn't move. Saw a bunch of them. Well, I sure appreciated his big turnaround while I went back to the paper maps and zoomed the gps in and out until I had a good idea where I was. And I was so pleased with his parking sign I just had to show you.
perhaps should add the pic of the Parkway sign was taken at a pull off where I made a needed rest stop and got the photo op they surely planned for me. and I just realized that I have both a full size and mini tripod that will fit either camera. Might figure out how to rig up something. Still need to keep looking forward and one arm locked on wheel. Almost zero traffic on these roads, the first part of the parkway I literally had all to myself. I wondered where everyone was. Some bike riders went by huffing and puffing.
Not an overly safe place for them to be with all the blind corners for sure.
But for fifteen minutes I drove with no one behind me, so I could slow down and gawk at scenic stuff. I let one guy go by in a passing zone by slowing down with my right turn signal on where there was no place to turn and he got the message and went around.
And then he must have customized his lights because they lit up in a thank you dance I just hadn't seen before. Nice flashies...guys do like their trucks.
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murphy1244
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Enjoying the pics Drew, just did a 15 hour drive myself from Bonify Florida Home to NE Ohio.
MacLawn
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Ye in Jackson already? If so, you passed by some great Indian mounds off Natchez Trace.
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
Is that why I have this ghostly looking Indian in full headdress sitting on my couch?
I am pleased to report that all the bugs are off the windshield in preparation for tomorrow's batch. Windshield washer is useless on these things, I swear, some have epoxy in their blood... but Sparkle glass cleaner did a great job cleaning my cracked windshield. Which remarkably is behaving itself. Stopping cracking. One for the good guys.
First time I had tried out my lightweight (12 pounds) 6 foot step ladder that was classed IA and really safe feeling.
Very well designed and of course I didn't look at the brand name. And just tall enough for me to get almost up to the last inch of the windshield. I could get it if I stood on the top step but hanging on to the windshield wiper to keep from
losing my balance quickly convinced me to get off the top step, legal or not. If I fall off a ladder I'm cooked. Safety first, particularly when you get older. And if those bugs want to commit suicide above my line of vision, go at it. It's the giant splat and then the trail of gook off in one direction, right where you want to look. One of them is currently no more.
Big rig pulled in right beside me. Time to go for a walk and see who else has pulled in before the 5 or 6pm cutoff time in many places. One thing for sure, I don't think I'll hear any trains tonight, and boy have i heard the Norfolk Southern plenty of times.
MacLawn
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Good one, daug! Know wha' ye mean about these epoxy blooded bugs! I'll have to try that Sparkle. Right about safety first! Be careful on that ladder! And driving of course. What's ye route from now?
OP
daugen
Epic Contributor
quiet morning here, still takes some getting used to to see the sun up before 6am. No matter, I'm up anyway.
91 miles south on the Natchez Trace, 35 South to 25 South to campground, should be much easier than yesterday.
91 miles south on the Natchez Trace, 35 South to 25 South to campground, should be much easier than yesterday.