Back to Clayton, NC

We left the dealership campground at 9:30 this morning and had an uneventful, though long (8 hours) drive back to central NC.  We're back in Cooper RV park in Clayton, NC and will be here until Wednesday, August 8 when we leave on our next adventure.  In the meantime, we'll be busy at the house most days, while we continue to get the Tahoe fixed up, and get more things settled in our Little House on the Road.

Rockwood, TN: Thriteenth Night - Decisions Made

The last few days have been frustrating as we've been waiting for final approval on the repairs from the extended warranty company.  There were communication issues between the dealership and the warranty people, as well as the time required for the process to go forward.  Nothing seems to move fast in the RV world, unless you're driving one down the interstate.

Today our patience ran out, and Hank had talks with the warranty agent and the service manager.  The outcome is that tomorrow the final repairs will be done , except for the broken awning, and if finished by day's end, will enable us to hit the road on Saturday.  If repairs go on into Saturday, we'll leave on Sunday.  The awning repair will be addressed once we get back to central NC. We're happy that at least there is now a schedule in place and we won't have to spend another week here.....waiting.

The drive back to the Raleigh area is 8 1/2 hours and we'll decide whether to make it in one day or two. But that decision can wait until we actually get our Little House on the Road back on the road once again.

Rockwood, TN: Tenth Night

We're still waiting on warranty approval and repairs, and now think it might be the first of next week before we can make it back to central NC.

Rockwood, TN; Sixth Night

Friday was an interesting day.

Overnight Thursday, there was lots of rain which proved that the slide still wasn't keeping water out.  Luckily we woke up and found the leak and pulled the slide back in.  Yesterday, after reporting this to the service people, and 2 visits from techs on site, Little House was again taken in for further study.  It was found that the leak was around the rear 'lock' mechanism on the long wall slide, and after more repairs, we moved back to the campground.  After extended periods of rain last evening and overnight, the problem seems to be fixed, so we're once again living in our fully extended RV.

Yesterday while the Discovery was being cared for, we took a drive to Rockwood via the back roads down the mountain and through the hollows to pay our respects to the local Walmart.  We followed that with lunch at Shoney's, checked out a laundromat, and headed back to reclaim Little House.

Two couples new to RVing came into the campground yesterday after purchasing new campers.  Dad was able to help both of them with "first-time" issues and questions.  There's a lot to learn when you enter this lifestyle, whether it be full or part time, and we've been on the receiving end of timely advice many times, and it's nice to be able to help others we meet.

We're still waiting on awning parts and repairs and a small toilet repair, so we'll probably be here until at least the middle of next week.

Rockwood, TN: Fourth Night

We came to Rockwood on Sunday to get items for the Tahoe from the previous owner, but more importantly, to have some repairs made to the motor home that we felt were the dealer's responsibility.  The main problem were some leaks in the long wall slide that appeared when central NC finally got some rain about 10 days ago.  We've been living with the big slide closed since then, and although that can be done, it's very crowded in the bedroom. Our door awning also quit working last Friday, and the auto-leveling jack system was alarming for no reason so we wanted those to be looked at as well.

The first two days of  this week were taken up with lots of talk and looking at the problems, then administrative chores of deciding who was responsible for what, and then getting the process started for some of the work to be covered by our extended warranty. Things move slowly in the RV repair business. Today, the slide leak was fixed (we hope) as well as a leak under the sink.  Now we wait on parts which means we'll be here until at least early next week.  There is a positive side to all of this - we're on an extended camping trip with free hookups, some free food, free repairs on some items, and covered repairs on the others except for a relatively small deductible  and a chance to get some of our questions answered as we continue learning to live in the motor home.

It has rained every day this week, so I don't think this area is still in a drought. Hope to get some more rain in the next couple of days so we can make sure the slide seal is fixed,  and  that we'll continue to stay dry in our Little House on the Road.

Rockwood, TN: First Night

This morning it was time to say our farewells to our camping club members in Marble, NC and head to Rockwood, TN where we purchased the motor home.  We need some repairs and have some things to pick up there.  The 3 hour drive took us through some more rafting country, with beautiful scenery, and 26 miles of narrow, winding highway,  with some rain thrown in just to add a little more challenge to the trip.  We added a rest stop for lunch and made it to Rockwood about 4:15 P.M.  After talking to some of the staff about our repairs, we made arrangements to get settled into the campground across the street.  We've had a late supper, and are ready to call it a nght, and look forward to tomorrow in our Little House on the Road.

Marble, NC: Fourth Night

We started our day with a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, cinnamon rolls and pastries prepared by several of our chapter members. The mobile RV tech arrived and removed the non-closing door awning.  The rest of  the afternoon was spent talking, and using computers.  The group went to dinner at Rib Country  down the road in Murphy, NC - the closest town of any size to the campground.  The food and service was good. After returning to the campground, we enjoyed the nice evening outside visiting with friends.  Tomorrow, most of the group will return home, while we will head to Tennessee for repairs to a few items in our Little House on the Road..

Marble, NC: Third Night

Our camping group has grown to include 8 rigs.  Yesterday was a day of relaxation, talking with those already here and watching the others come in.  Last night we went to Brothers Restaurant with another couple and had a great meal - big portions at reasonable prices.  We also made a Walmart visit before heading back to the campground.  We visited with another couple until after 11 P.M., so another good day ended.

Today there was more talking, a walk around the premises and down to the river that flows around the campground.  This afternoon, Selene made a Cheesy Corn crock pot dish and Dump Cake for tonight's pot luck dinner. The campout hosts provided beef and ham steaks, and we had various salads, vegetables, and several wonderful desserts.

Our plans had already changed from last week in that we're now taking the motor home back to the dealer om Tennessee on Sunday to fix a leak in the long slide on the driver's side, and tonight the door awning would not come in.  Tomorrow a mobile RV technician is due to at least get it stable for travel, and we'll have that addressed at the dealership as well.  Our arrival back in the Raleigh area will depend on how fast these repairs can be made.  We're not extending the big slide, so we're getting use to living in close quarters, but we can still access everything we need to.

Tomorrow, there are several activities planned, so it will be another enjoyable day.  The weather has been comfortable in temperature, but there have been frequent rain showers interspersed with the sunshine since our arrival, and there's probably more on tap for tomorrow.

Marble, NC: First Night

The last few days have been busy ones. We found out we still  need more paperwork to register  the RV and Tahoe in NC.  Hank passed his Class B Driver's Test so he's now legal to pilot the Discovery in all states (still has to get a doctor's certificate for those states that might require one).  A friend helped with replacing the motor home's rear view camera (the original stopped working on the trip from TN.

Today we made the long trek of 350 miles or so from Clayton to Marble, NC.  We're camped at the Peace Valley KOA http://peacevalleycampground.com/459/dsp_agent_page.php/1912 way down in the western NC mountains.  Today's drive offered new challenges for Hank -{ construction zone stoppage (30 minutes), I- 40 shutdown and  resulting detour through Morganton, NC (1 hour), lots of rain and some fog, steep climb up Black Mountain, handling Little House on  curvy, narrow mountain roads) but after 9 hours, we were warmly welcomed and shown to our site.  The campground is quiet tonight, in spite of two Boy Scout troupes in the tenting area, and many sites filled.  The wi-fi so far is top-notch.  We are here for a weekend campout with our local Good Sam Chapter, and we're the 3rd unit to arrive from that group.

It's been a long day, and time to call it a night!  Best wishes from our Little House on the Road.

Fourth of July, 2012

Our Little House is still parked in Clayton.  We've gone to the house everyday to do sorting, purging, and disposal of our belongings. Item are brought to and taken out of the motor home as we decide how to best use the storage areas we have.  The Tahoe is with a mechanic getting repaired so we can get it inspected and licensed in NC ( it is currently licensed in Oklahoma).  Certain administrative tasks are slowly getting done in the areas of insurance, registrations, taxes, and in Hank's case, studying for his necessary license upgrade written and road tests required to legally drive the Discovery in NC.  We have acquired a mi-fi unit to help with internet access (the park's wi-fi is sometimes inadequate), and Hank is researching a new phone as he's had more problems with his current one. All of these tasks take time to investigate and carry out and our days go by quickly.

The RV/mobile home park we're in is quiet and well-maintained.  It certainly meets our needs at this time as a place to park the coach. Our rent includes free wi-fi and garbage pickup at the site, as well as sewer, water and electric hookups.  Walmart and other shopping venues are about a mile away. It's about 20 miles from the house, but closer locations didn't appear adequate, or didn't allow for long-term occupancy.

Happy Fourth of July!