The past few days went by quickly as we enjoyed time with our Escapee chapter friends, old and new. Each morning, we had a group breakfast, and happy hour every afternoon. There were two group dinners at restaurants, and one pot-luck dinner. This morning it was time for hugs and handshakes as most of the group headed out in different directions.
Today, we drove 60 miles east to Tom Johnson's Camping Center in Marion, NC, where we've been many times before, to have some maintenance work done (oil change, fluids changed, etc.) and a few other items looked at. There is an American Coach rally being held at the Rally Park across the road and one Raleigh RV couple is there, so we spent some time this afternoon visiting with them.
We expect to be here at least two days, and maybe more, depending on how the service works out. This place has a great cafe/lounge area where we can pass the time while Little House is in the service bay. (campground layout)
Our life on the highways and byways of America.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
WAYNESVILLE, NC; Escapees Gathering
On another beautiful spring day, we pulled up the jacks and headed for the NC mountains and our destination - Creekwood Farms RV Park, Waynesville, NC . This is a large campground surrounded by mountains with a scenic mountain stream on one side. Free cable tv and good Wi-fi are provided. We are here for the NC/SC Escapees Chapter Fall Rally along with about 25 other RVs in our group. Our site is #98. Tonight we went to Bogart's Restaurant for great food and service to match.
We'll be here until Sunday.
We'll be here until Sunday.
Monday, April 21, 2014
LINWOOD, NC: Familiar Place on the Road
It was a beautiful spring day for the 2 hour drive to Crosswinds Family Campground near Linwood, NC. If this sounds familiar, it's because this campground is where we spent 4 nights about 10 days ago. Since it was on our way to our next destination of Waynesville, in western NC, and provides us with nice extras like free WI-fi and cable tv at a discounted rate, we decided to spend two nights here. We'll be leaving here on Wednesday morning to continue our trip.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
RALEIGH, NC; One More Day
Our time in Raleigh has gone by quickly.
Wednesday was devoted to various errands in the Raleigh and Fuquay-Varina area.
Hank spent half of Thursday working with the set-up crew for the Raleigh Hamfest to be held on Saturday. We went to lunch with Chuck Littlewood, did some more errands in the area and met with some of our camping friends for dinner.
On Friday, Hank continued to help with hamfest set-up, and Selene helped with preparations for a club-provided dinner to be held on Friday evening. After helping with dinner cleanup, we were both ready to call it a day and night!.
Saturday started very early and very wet as the doors opened at 6 A.M. for more hamfest setup by dealers and flea market sellers. Since all activities were held inside, the rain was not a big problem. The event seemed to run smoothly and closed around 3 P.M We had dinner with several other couples before heading back to Little House.
Today, Easter Sunday, has dawned dry but windy, and partly sunny. We have a few more errands to take care of today before having dinner with Mike this evening.
Tomorrow (Monday), we'll be on the move once again.
Wednesday was devoted to various errands in the Raleigh and Fuquay-Varina area.
Hank spent half of Thursday working with the set-up crew for the Raleigh Hamfest to be held on Saturday. We went to lunch with Chuck Littlewood, did some more errands in the area and met with some of our camping friends for dinner.
On Friday, Hank continued to help with hamfest set-up, and Selene helped with preparations for a club-provided dinner to be held on Friday evening. After helping with dinner cleanup, we were both ready to call it a day and night!.
Saturday started very early and very wet as the doors opened at 6 A.M. for more hamfest setup by dealers and flea market sellers. Since all activities were held inside, the rain was not a big problem. The event seemed to run smoothly and closed around 3 P.M We had dinner with several other couples before heading back to Little House.
Today, Easter Sunday, has dawned dry but windy, and partly sunny. We have a few more errands to take care of today before having dinner with Mike this evening.
Tomorrow (Monday), we'll be on the move once again.
RALEIGH, NC: Good Thing We're Flexible!!
When we last posted on Monday, we were preparing to leave Linwood, NC and head east to Raleigh. However, Little House decided it needed some attention. When Hank turned on the motor to start the process of bringing the slides in, there were none of the usual status lights and the dashboard gauges and meters were not operating. Then the dashboard light display started cycling. There was definitely a problem! Hank started checking fuses, connections, wiring, etc. with no solution. A call was made to technical support for both Freightliner (chassis) and coach (Fleetwood) with the diagnosis being a loss of data connectivity to the Multi-Module-Data-Computer (MMDC) that drives all of the diesel motor's instrument display - speedometer, fuel gauge, air pressure, etc. - and Hank described it as driving a 16ton go cart down the interstate. We needed to find a certified Freightliner repair center to correct the problem.
After several hours calling various businesses, and being told that it was safe to move the RV, Hank made arrangements to be in Charlotte early on Tuesday. So we spent another night in Linwood, and headed southwest at 6:45 A.M. Tuesday morning for the 40 mile trip to the Charlotte Truck Center. While Little House was undergoing various tests, we toured around Charlotte doing a few errands. The problem turned out to be a corroded fuse, and we were back on the road headed northeast by mid-afternoon through heavy rain and high winds - not a very pleasant drive. The campground on the NC State Fairgrounds behind the horse complex was a very welcome site when we arrived about 6:15 P.M. We quickly set up, cleaned up, and made it to a radio club board meeting nearby.
Wednesday we enjoyed sleeping in after our long day and late night on Tuesday, before heading to Fuquay-Varina to take care of various tasks. Thursday will be more of the same. We plan to be here until Monday morning.
After several hours calling various businesses, and being told that it was safe to move the RV, Hank made arrangements to be in Charlotte early on Tuesday. So we spent another night in Linwood, and headed southwest at 6:45 A.M. Tuesday morning for the 40 mile trip to the Charlotte Truck Center. While Little House was undergoing various tests, we toured around Charlotte doing a few errands. The problem turned out to be a corroded fuse, and we were back on the road headed northeast by mid-afternoon through heavy rain and high winds - not a very pleasant drive. The campground on the NC State Fairgrounds behind the horse complex was a very welcome site when we arrived about 6:15 P.M. We quickly set up, cleaned up, and made it to a radio club board meeting nearby.
Wednesday we enjoyed sleeping in after our long day and late night on Tuesday, before heading to Fuquay-Varina to take care of various tasks. Thursday will be more of the same. We plan to be here until Monday morning.
Monday, April 14, 2014
LINWOOD, NC: Another Great Camp-Out
As usual, we had a great time during our Good Sam Chapter Camp-Out at Crosswinds Family Campground in Linwood, NC.
Friday, the group went to the North Carolina Transportation Museum in nearby Spencer, NC. This is a large facility that has played a very important role in the railroad steam engine era, and now is a repair and restoration facility for railroad cars and engines of all kinds. We started our visit with a train ride through the property while we got an overview of the facilities that were available. Our tour guide then spent two hours showing us through the main restoration building while sharing his extensive knowledge of trains and their operation. Volunteers and donations are the main source for what is accomplished there, and the results are very impressive.The group returned to the campground where we all enjoyed a pot luck salad and dessert supper, followed by Dominoes and conversation.
Saturday was a little more relaxed for us. The day started with a BYOC (bring your own cereal) breakfast that also included breakfast breads, followed by our chapter meeting. We made an excursion out into the surrounding country side to locate a post office where we could mail our taxes. Saturday night, the group went to the Ocean View Seafood Restaurant in nearby Lexington for a delicious dinner, then returned to the campground for time in the clubhouse for more conversation and Dominoes.
Sunday, almost everyone hit the road. The camp-out hosts were staying one more day and we decided to do the same. Hank was able to get some more computer work taken care of. We spent a pleasant evening with Linda and Philip Hayes under the pavilion, again playing Dominoes, until after 11 P.M.
This morning, it's time to get the wheels on Little House moving again, as we head back east to Raleigh, where we'll spend the next week.
Friday, the group went to the North Carolina Transportation Museum in nearby Spencer, NC. This is a large facility that has played a very important role in the railroad steam engine era, and now is a repair and restoration facility for railroad cars and engines of all kinds. We started our visit with a train ride through the property while we got an overview of the facilities that were available. Our tour guide then spent two hours showing us through the main restoration building while sharing his extensive knowledge of trains and their operation. Volunteers and donations are the main source for what is accomplished there, and the results are very impressive.The group returned to the campground where we all enjoyed a pot luck salad and dessert supper, followed by Dominoes and conversation.
Saturday was a little more relaxed for us. The day started with a BYOC (bring your own cereal) breakfast that also included breakfast breads, followed by our chapter meeting. We made an excursion out into the surrounding country side to locate a post office where we could mail our taxes. Saturday night, the group went to the Ocean View Seafood Restaurant in nearby Lexington for a delicious dinner, then returned to the campground for time in the clubhouse for more conversation and Dominoes.
Sunday, almost everyone hit the road. The camp-out hosts were staying one more day and we decided to do the same. Hank was able to get some more computer work taken care of. We spent a pleasant evening with Linda and Philip Hayes under the pavilion, again playing Dominoes, until after 11 P.M.
This morning, it's time to get the wheels on Little House moving again, as we head back east to Raleigh, where we'll spend the next week.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
MONCURE TO LINWOOD, NC; Time to Move On
Our stay at Dickens RV Park in Moncure, NC had been great and we enjoyed meeting up again with Mike and our friends. Today we left Dickens at 1 P.M. for the 95 mile trip to Crosswinds Family Campground in Linwood, NC just off of I-85. We are here with our local Good Sam chapter for their monthly camp-out - another chance to spend time with friends we haven't seen for awhile. We stayed at this campground several years ago when they first opened. They have added a nice meeting room, and will be adding some more sites. Each site has full hookups, free cable tv and WI-fi, and they give a half-price rate to Passport America members, which we are. Six rigs arrived today and we all enjoyed a nice dinner at the Barbecue Center in Lexington, NC, including their famous large banana splits big enough for two or three people. After dinner, we returned to the campground, where some of us took a long walk around the campground to work off the ice cream! We enjoyed visiting outside under a star-filled sky until about 9:30.
We'll be here until Sunday.
We'll be here until Sunday.
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