Event Log

Updated:  05/03/2021 09:04:35 AM

     We hit the road right after work on a Friday night, got a little south of Raleigh and was getting tired... happen to drive by a Cracker Barrel with a couple of RV's in the lot... so I turned around and headed there for the night.  I had a small disability that day as I accidently got bleach in my eyes earlier in the day and was fighting that a little bit still.  In the morning we had a nice breakfast... hmmm I wonder where...
     So our friend Dan picked us up from the RV park... and he got to see the new toy first... and we toured the downtown area. 

     Did have some minor issues with the water heater igniter, but found a long grill lighter would get it going.

     The wife and I did have a fun time at the RV park with some mixed drinks and then collapsed inside the RV.

     The next day we took the City Bus to downtown.  Toured the railroad park and got to each lunch in a train car... and then spent some time on the shuttle that circles the city.

     Then had some real fun trying to find the bus stop for the city bus we needed to get back to the RV park. I am starting to think that having a "toad" would be good.

      Eventually made it back home with no problems with the RV.  The Maiden Voyage was successful!

      I purchased a Blue Ox tow bar and base from ebay and craigslist and installed in on my Jeep that I use to pull my boat.  Did a few test runs around my town before taking on a long trip.

     I had also added some tire valve extenders to the RV tires so it would be easier to check air pressure more often. (ok here it comes)   

   About an hour or so down the road on a turn out of Wilmington my driver side hub cap goes flying off... nut came off.  I did retrieve the hub and got it back on.  Then further down I start to notice the RV kinda pulling to the right slightly... so I pull off on a country road and see the driver side wheel losing air from the new extension I put on.  I pull off the extension and hook up the little air compressor I have on board... that get it back up a little... I need a better air compressor.  I get to the nearest gas station with an air hose (not easy to find) and we are fine after that.

     We decided to take a long weekend and head down to Myrtle Beach, SC and try out the Pirateland RV Park.... the big attraction was the Lazy River for the wife. 

I did make the reservation pretty late, so we would have to change sites for one day... which was kinda neat as the first one was just grass and the other was a concrete pad.  The girls liked the pad during a rain storm.

     The staff at Pirateland were very friendly with a newbie.   Nice maps and directions, and did warn me about the golf cart parade that was going on.  Our site was near the main beach road, we had to slip into the cart parade to get to our street and then get backed into it on a very dark night.  Some nice RV'ers across from us helped guide us in and miss hitting the wooden shelter.

     Had some issue with the electric hookup, couldn't get power to the RV.  Did several checks and post had power, and it seemed to come into the RV breaker box... but then nothin.  Eventually started up the generator and got power, then shut it down and shore power came on... the auto switch did switch properly the first time.  Also found some rain leaks while we were there by both A/C units... I fixed those in later months.

  The kids had fun roaming around the park on their own, and we hit up Broadway at the Beach and the MagiQuest game there.

April 16-20, 2014

Decided that we would head up to the Outer Banks for spring break... we were going to meet up with Jean's brother, but they had to drop out at the last minute.  Found a decent campground www.obxcampground.com , basic but nice. 

We added a bike rack and bikes to the trip this time.  A little tough getting the bikes on it, especially bikes that did not have a top bar.  May have to look at a different bike rack.

Had a little issue with the heater, as it was a little chilly at night... the heater fan bearings were going bad and would screech when running.  We ended up going out and getting nice sleeping bags for the kids.

We did a BBQ rib night at the site... got a little messy but fun.

We had dinner one night at Awful Arthurs, where Jean and I had gone for our honeymoon. 

We hit up the Kitty Hawk kites shopping area and got fudge and ice cream.

We also tried our hand at hang gliding... the winds were strong but we still did it.  Everyone seemed to enjoy a new experience. 

We then hit up this pizza place that Christina absolutely loved called Pizzazz Pizza http://www.pizzazzpizza.net.

The weather started picking up towards the last day when we went to the Wright Memorial.

We had to pick up our youngest daughter from Sailing Academy from Charleston, SC and her friend, then wait the weekend down there and drop her off at the Citadel for ROTC Leadership training on Monday and then head back to New Bern with her friend.

We took off after work on that Friday and drove until we were about an hour away... as we had to be on-time to pick them up at the Sailing Academy graduation. 

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for the night, and had breakfast there... gotta pay the camping dues!

I was a little concerned about the drive into the academy, as I remember the road there being small, bumpy and lined with low hanging trees.... and how would I turn this rig around (with Jeep in tow).

 I did look at a map and had a plan (which did work well!) to turn on a road to the right which would point me in the right direction in order to leave the camp. 

Funny part is that the road to the right went right thorough an RV camp... funny.

[Christina and her friend Taylor]

After Graduation we headed to the campground Lake Aire Campground

 http://www.lakeairerv.com/ . 

This was a very nice campground.

 We got a spot right next to the lake and close to the pool and shower house. And had a nice shade tree next to our site.   The only issue is the Canadian geese and the ducks.   They will come close to you (uncomfortably) and there are droppings everywhere.   The first thing we did is to shovel up the campsite... it was fine after that.

I know this sounds like a repeat or tradition, but we made BBQ ribs and corn again... it is still good... and still messy.

Didn't have many issues with the RV:
1. The front A/C unit is old and needs a recharge or replacement.
2. Check the breaker on the Generator when going from Generator to Shore... it trips sometimes.
3. Turn the amp button on for the Over the Air TV Antenna to work. (Ya think I would remember that... I work in TV)

Christina and I went to Camping World near by and had fun touring their indoor showroom... the new RV's are always so nice... but have too many zeros next to the price.  For a $7,000 RV we are happy with what we have.

We then picked a night to visit the Hwy 21 Drive In Movie Theater http://hwy21drivein.com/ ... yes they still exist!  Got to see How to Train your Dragon 2 and Maleficent.  The kids had a great time. 

We took the Jeep (I was temped to take the RV :-) )

Had two kids laying on the roof, and three in the back.

The next morning we packed up and headed out to drop off Christina at the Citadel for ROTC Leadership training.

I had also scoped out a map ahead of time to figure out how and where to park the entire rig and not get stuck. 

My planning paid off, had no problem parking and leaving.  The Citadel is quite intimidating, especially for a cadet that has never had this kind of boot camp. 

She came back after a week a stronger and more experienced person... and she passed! 

August 22, 2015 - sold RV.  Wife said she could not live full time on it.