ST MARY'S, GA: Alarms, Delays, and Destinations

Wednesday:  It was time make our way further south, and we pulled out of the Fairgrounds campground about 10:30 A.M.  We have a portable Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) that tracks the pressure and temperature of the coach tires, and the car tires while towing.  As were were nearing the I-40 ramp in southeast Raleigh, the TPMS alarm sounded showing the  car's  left front tire temperature was very high. We stayed on city street's until we could find a place to check things out.  The tire was almost flat, and it appeared that overnight someone had stolen two of our wheel covers, damaged the valve stem and removed two of the TPMS monitor covers while trying to do their mischief.  The TPMS definitely paid for itself today and without it the results could have been much worse. A call to AAA promised a wrecker with ETA of 45 min, and they would not be able to bring a tire, or make repairs, but would mount our "space saver" spare.  So while waiting on the wrecker,  Hank unloaded the back of the HHR and piled the contents on the side of the road - ladder, case of bottled water, bin of misc supplies, umbrellas, etc and removed the carpet covering the tire storage compartment, then removed the cover itself and removed the lug wrench, jumper cables, and small tools, then removed the cover allowing access to the bottom section so I could remove the tire.  The wrecker arrived just as he was finishing up. (A neighbor lady did stop and ask if we needed some help!)  Luckily there was a tire store nearby with access for the coach and car so we didn't have to unhook and we got a good used tire and new valve stem.  We finally got on I-40 about 1:30 P.M, only to be stopped 30 minutes later by a huge traffic tie-up due to a semi wreck several miles ahead of us. Another 30 minutes went by before we could get to an exit where we could get past the accident and get back on I-95 .

 About an hour later into our drive we heard another alarm beep, but saw no indication of a problem.  A few minutes later another beep sounded and this time there was a yellow alarm on the dash for the HEST (High Exhaust System Temperature).  We knew from experience that this was not unusual - it is a result of the diesel engine literally burning exhaust particulates by injecting fuel directly into the exhaust.  This process takes 20-30 minutes during which time the yellow alarm (yellow means informational) stays illuminated and you need to keep driving, but previously there was not any BEEP associated with the process.   After about 10 minutes of worrying, Hank was able to determine that the beep was actually coming from the TPMS because it was not getting any signal from the damaged TPMS sensor which was currently resting quietly in his pocket and not transmitting any status updates.  The HEST indicator went out about 25 minutes after it had started. 

 After that, the rest of the day's journey was carefree.  We made it to the  I-95 SC exit 57 and the Walterboro, SC Walmart about 6:30 P.M  for our overnight stay.  This Walmart is known in the RV world for allowing overnight parking, and by morning there were at least 10 other RV's and a couple of trucks keeping us company.

Thursday:  There was no need to hurry on our way, so Selene did some shopping before we headed south on I-95 once again.  After a lunch stop and a fuel fill-up, we arrived at A Big Wheel RV Park in St. Mary's, GA where we'll be until Monday.  The park is small (35 sites), and is set in a wooded area.  We parked in the tent area on the pond shore until our site became available today (Friday).

We always say each day is a new adventure!