It is our first outing in the new (to us) RV. We have chosen Atlanta as our destination so that I can attend my granddaughter's second birthday celebration. Our son, Adam joined us from Baltimore along with Trini, his seven month old Bernese Mountain Dog. Our daughter, Emily, was unable to juggle her work schedule, so she didn't join us for the maiden trip.
The trip started out normally enough. We thought we were well prepared since we put 6 new tires on the RV and replaced the alternator. Add to that the fact that we had to live in the RV for a few days due to a power outtage at the house. Thing went well until just inside the Georgia line. That's when the "new" alternator started to fail. So....we managed to make it to the campground (Twin Lakes in Cumming, Ga.) and I began to try to locate a rental car to get me to the birthday party. Of course, it's Saturday and the closest rental car is at the Atlanta Airport, which is nowhere close to Cumming, Georiga and the campground.
I called Chris to let him know that we would likely not make it to the party, sat down and had myself a good cry. I don't get to see my granddaughter very often, but that's for perhaps another blog entirely; so I was looking forward to spending a little time with her and I was to say the least a little disappointed. Add to that the fact that Adam had come from Baltimore just for the birthday party and we were all a little bummed out.
The next thing was to try to nurse the RV to an auto parts store, buy a new battery and hope we would make it to my son's house before the party was over. We managed to limp to the store and Adam and Tommy replaced the battery in the parking lot. We arrived at my son's house just at 5:00, when the party was ending. Since my relationship with this child is tenuous to say the least, I was certain that I would get little time with my granddaughter. My son suprised me by inviting us to go to a Japanese Steakhouse with them for dinner. Tommy stayed behind and replaced the alternator. Adam bummed a ride with a girl at the party to pick it up.
After dinner, we left Chris' to begin our trip back to the RV campground. Of course, the dash air doesn't work on the RV, so we use the generator to fire up the interior air. The generator has been a little hard to crank, but nothing to worry about until we try to crank it to drive back to the campground. It turns, runs a few minutes and shuts down. We head back to the campground in an RV that feels like a sauna!
When we get back to the campground, we can hook the RV up to the power on the site and run the ac and the other equipment we needed to make our stay comfortable. Mission accomplished, so we all lay down for the night. About 2:30, I wake up to the most ungodly noise I have ever heard coming from the main A/C unit. It is a SOLID BLOCK OF ICE! No more A/C in the RV and no generator to run the a/c on the way home should it thaw out! So, we ride back to North Carolina in a sauna!
The RV is in the driveway and the air is running hooked up to the house electrical system, but there is definitely an issue. Hopefully it is just the thermostat because that can be easily (and cheaply) replaced. The generator appears to have a stopped up fuel line, so that is minor also. Hopefully, everything will be in good repair by Labor Day Weekend, which will be the subject of my next blog entry.
A few notes about the RV park. It was a very nice place to stay (Twin Lakes at Cumming, Ga if I didn't say that already). Definitely a good home base when I want to visit with my granddaughter on my own terms!
Stay tuned for more "adventures in the motor home".
