Our First Trip 2/18/06

We were not able to leave home until 11:00 pm on Saturday, which meant that our schedule was going to be really tight with Rick starting work on Tuesday.

We stopped at a Petro to sleep, and in the morning as we were getting ready to go, we found out the monitor to the computer/cameras was not working. After checking at every cable inside the dash (behind the monitor), I remembered we brought our monitor from home and told Rick to try that. We were able to hook up our own monitor, hold it on with Velcro where the original one was, and hit the road. This whole thing took about an hour.

Rick got off the interstate to take a break and eat some lunch and saw that there was a Dairy Queen there, so he went in. It turns out there was only one way in and out, and no way to get out without backing up, which meant unhitching the car. Rick unhitched the car, only to find out the battery was dead. They had installed the pump and break assist and everything, but now we were going to need a battery disconnect (which he had been trying to find out from Pontiac for days, with no luck). Rick didn't remember where he put the jumper cables, so we found someone with a car and a pair of cables and charged the car. While Rick did that I got the kids some ice cream. There was not enough space in that parking lot to hitch the car, so I drove it to an empty lot across the street, where we hitched it again, and then Rick ate his lunch.

We finally made it to Winston-Salem (where my brother lives) at around 10:30 pm to drop off the dog. Rick had to get all the dog stuff out of the car, but the trunk wouldn't open with the battery dead, so, again, we had to take the bikes down, jump start the car, and then take the dog things out of the trunk, load the bikes on again, and continue to Raleigh (where my mom lives).

We made it to Raleigh at about 1am, stopped at the Food Lion parking lot across from my mom's neighborhood, and went to sleep.The next morning, my mom came over to take the bikes and some things we were leaving at her house, and, of course Rick had to spend a while charging the car again to open the trunk and get the bikes and the things out.

Well, around 10:45 am we start driving to Virginia. The drive was mostly uneventful. As we were driving, the dishwasher flung open. Apparently the plastic hooks either came off or broke. After looking at a few manuals and trying to figure out where the hooks went, we gave up, put a piece of velcro and kept going.

We went non-stop other than stopping for fuel, and made it to the campground. When we go to register, they ask what are we doing in the area, and ignorant as we are, we said working. The guy said, oh well, you can't stay here then. He said they have a strict rule about not allowing "workers" to stay and there was no amount of pleading that would change his mind. He gave us a list of other campgrounds in the area, and we headed out for the closest one. On our way there I called, and was able to make a reservation. This time, and from now on, we are NOT WORKING!!! ;-)

Well, we made it to the park at 6 pm, and stopped at the dump station and water station to empty and fill the tanks. By the time we were heading out to our site, it was dark. Rick did not want to unhitch the car, because he knew it would be dead, so he tried to get in the site with car and all. BIG MISTAKE! Although it was a pull through, there was not enough room to maneuver. In trying to get out of the wrong site, and not hit a tree, Rick hit the marker post with the side of the rig (only scratched the paint). I was out there in the cold and dark with a flashlight trying to guide him. We decided to unhitch the car, and then push it into place. Rick asked me to go in the car and hit the breaks just in case. I thought I could do better than that, and put it in park. When I told Rick he said NO!, now we can't put it back in Neutral without turning it on, and the battery is dead!Oh well, to our rescue came the couple that works the park security, and jumped started our car, used their two trucks to light our site, and guided Rick as he parked the rig.We were finally set up.

I made a wonderful steak dinner, and we had a great evening. We are taking the car Saturday morning to Camping World to have the battery disconnect installed.Last night we made a bonfire and had smores. And this morning it snowed. The kids had a blast!

It is an adventure! And we are loving it!

We are hanging in there and dealing with things as they come.