Mud, Glorious Mud!

I planned this trip so that we would NOT arrive anywhere in the dark! Hah! (Our 43ft rig is challenging enough to back into sites in the daylight let alone when it is dark.) Guess what? For the last two days, we have arrived at unfamiliar campsites in the dark! The first night wasn’t too bad as the sun had only just set. We should have arrived in daylight but an accident on I44 meant we crawled for quite a while and then took a detour. Google may be an asset but being able to read a road map is still a definite needed skill! Of course, you have to have a road map on hand to be able to do this! I am very much a book person, preferring to have a real book in my rather hands than a phone/Kindle. Yes, I have adapted to modern technology (somewhat) and do read books on my Kindle BUT a physical road map of the USA is lodged down between the seats of the truck. Took it out and found that the exit Richard took off was a good one and the detour was pain free allowing us to get to our campsite easily 🙂

Yesterday, with the engine troubles, we didn’t leave until 12 noon! No, we couldn’t get the truck looked at. Every dealer we called was 2 to 4 weeks out! However, they did tell us that as the light wasn’t flashing, it wasn’t urgent so to carry on driving. We have had issues with the air filter “throwing” the ‘check engine light’ on in the past when towing so Richard changed that. (It was dirty!) It helped for a while yesterday but then came back on. We found favor later in the day when calling around the Cleveland area. We drop the truck off at 8am on Monday morning. They are going to fit us in as we are traveling. Not sure yet, but we will probably get a hire car for a couple days as Richard’s first pre-op appointment is 7:45am on Tuesday so we can’t be stuck at our site with no means of transport! (The dealer will drop us back “home” and pick us up again but they don’t have any loaner vehicles.) The truck is still under warranty so if it is anything major, we shouldn’t get a bill.

Let me encourage you again….. if you purchase a new vehicle etc. GET the EXTENDED warranty. We did that for both the fifth wheel and the truck when we purchased them in 2017. Yep, it has been that long! It has been SO SO worth it! The repairs that have been done to both have out-paid the cost of the warranties by a LOT! This Ram 3500 dually has been a workhorse! Our camper is NOT light as it is our home so loaded down. It pulls that thing like a dream. Now, we have also looked after it well and done all the regular maintenance on it that has been required. (Maintenance is NOT covered under the warranty but we believe that the Lord provided us these rigs so it is our responsibility to do our due diligence.)

300 miles a day is our personal limit no matter what time of year we are traveling. 5 hours sitting is enough! We all want to get out & move. Yes, we stop for bathroom breaks, diesel etc. but 5 hours is still plenty. Yesterday was our longest day at 300 miles! We also lost an hour (now on Eastern Time) so ended up arriving at the campground in Indiana at 7pm. Darkness was fully in for the night! Thankfully this was a pretty easy site to back into so we were soon settled in with the heat on.

We have noticed a BIG difference in Hovis (parrot) on this trip. She is SO much better behaved now. Yes, she still wants attention but will also sit contentedly on her “perch” i.e. the bench seat for long periods of time. Late yesterday afternoon she was even closing her eyes, she was so tired!

Today, we get to Zanesville, OH. It is a shorter day and I am hoping we can get out of here at a decent time i.e. by 10:30 to 11! Time will tell.

The weather has been damp all the way. Everywhere is muddy, hence the pic! We are definitely leaving tracks! NO complaints though as we will take this weather over snow and ice any day!

Have a fantastic Saturday,

Liz