Why Georgia?

Greetings from Georgia

About a year and a half ago I wrote a blog titled Why Florida? (link) Six months earlier, we had packed up everything we owned, loaded a truck (or 2) and trekked 400 miles south, rented a house, and became residents of Florida. About six months later, we sold our old house in Georgia. Carol had moved away from the only town she had ever really lived and, that I had lived for over 45 years (you can read the blog I linked above to to see why we moved.)

But the main reason why we moved to Florida has now changed. Because Florida wasn't ever going to be our permanent home, we had to make a decision of where we would live next. We are blessed to both be retired and honestly, we can choose to live anywhere we want. But, no matter where we live, we need it to be a place that can be "home." Back in 2012, when our daughter and son-in law were living in Korea, I wrote a blog titled Where's Home? (link) While the idea of moving to some exotic place sounds tempting... the beach, the mountains... some foreign country (I loved the idea of living in Ecuador,) the truth is, no matter where you live, you still have to wake up on Tuesday morning and live your life. In most cases, people choose where to live, during their working years, by where the job takes them. When that is not an issue, what is the appropriate criteria of where to live?

So many beautiful places in America

Based on my own travel experiences, if I wanted to live where the overall weather was great, I'd live in San Diego. If scenic beauty was the priority, I might move to Breckenridge, or Sedona, or Bar Harbor, or Naples, or... (honestly, there are way too many to list.) If I wanted to live where the overall surroundings and lifestyle are appealing, I'd live in Blowing Rock, or Asheville, or Charleston, or Knoxville, or Chattanooga. If I wanted to live in a place that is vibrant, I'd live in Nashville, or Athens, GA (or most any SEC college town for that matter... but not Gainesville...can't live in Gator country.) There are so many places where I have loved spending time... San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, but... I wouldn't want to live there.

We have two beautiful grandchildren. We loved living near them when they were here in Florida. But, they are now in NE North Carolina. We could always move there and remain just a few minutes away. That idea was very, very tempting. But, just like our last move, we didn't know a soul (except our kids and grandkids) here in Florida, and we wouldn't know a soul in Moyock, NC.

So, we've decided, despite the difficulty of the decision, that it is time to go "home" ...back to the area where we previously lived. In 2016, Carol was diagnosed with some memory related challenges (although she is still doing remarkably well.) My first priority was and is to do what is best for her. Our son lives in Augusta and will be getting married in November. We'd like to be nearby as he and our daughter-in-law embark on the beginning of their married life. We have a church in Augusta that we have been a part of since 1984. We have all of Carol's doctors in Augusta. Carol's sister and her husband are nearby. And there are some other important people in Augusta. As her husband, I can serve in many capacities for her... but there is one thing I cannot be...her girlfriend. She (and I) have some very special people in our life that, for decades, we have called friends. I think it is important for Carol to have her girlfriends nearby. I mean, she needs someone to whom she can complain about her husband!!

HaRVy- our 38 foot home on wheels, pulling Dolly and Taurus

If you follow or occasionally read my blogs, you know that we purchased a motorhome. Our daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids live 450 miles away from Augusta. Since traveling has become more difficult for Carol, we discovered that traveling by motorhome, allowing her to wake up in familiar surroundings (albeit smaller,) makes it easy for us to visit and spend time away from where our house is.

So, while we are now officially renters in Evans, GA... we will keep our motorhome HaRVy busy as he takes us to reuinite with our other family members and with friends as often as I can afford to put gas in him.

Where we belong

Why Georgia? Well, it just seemed like that is where we are supposed to be.

Stretching Our Legs- On the Road With HaRVy

Prior to a couple of weeks ago, our RV trips were limited to a quick camping trip in Florida (1 hr from where we live) and a couple of trips to Georgia. But, our most recent trip saw us stretching our legs a bit. Our final destination was to visit my sister and family in Ft. Wayne, IN. This trip involved several firsts for us.

• First time not towing our car... the morning we were to leave, there was a severe thunderstorm and the rain was heavily pouring down. I didn't think it would be safe to try to connect the tow dolly and load the car in such terrible weather so... we left Dolly and Taurus behind.
• First time the dogs accompanied us. Our two 70 lb dogs rode with us from Florida to Georgia where my son was going to dog-sit them while we traveled. The 9-hr trip to Georgia confirmed that our MH is just not big enough to share with 150# of furry love.
• First time driving the motorhome through the mountains (more on this below)
• First time at a full hook-up campground... we could shower for as long as we wanted!
• First time we have driven HaRVy in SC, NC, TN, KY, OH, or IN. So, we can now fill in 8 of the lower 48 states if we had one of those fill-in, sticker thing maps.
• First time finding out why it is important to have 75 ft or more of fresh water hose with you. The distant water connection we shared with about 10 other campers looked like Clark Griswold's electrical connection in "Christmas Vacation." There were Y fittings on Y fittings. Surprisingly good water pressure nonetheless.
• First time buying Hemp Oil (more on that below)

The morning we left I was actually relieved when I made the decision to leave the car at home. I freely admit, I had some concern with HaRVy's ability to negotiate the steep grades of the Blue Ridge Mountains. By "negotiate," I mean get up the hill and not kill us going back down the hill. Anyone that has traveled on I-26 between Columbus, NC and Hendersonville, NC has experienced Howard Gap and the Green River Gorge. There is actually a maximum grade allowed in the construction of the Interstate Highway System of 6% (with some exceptions made in certain terrains for 7%.) This section of I-26 is one of those exceptions.

My concerns of whether our 12-year old 496 cubic inch engine/ Allison transmission powertrain was going to get us over the "hill" as we crossed the Eastern Continental Divide were unfounded. HaRVy downshifted as needed and we topped the steepest grade in the center lane doing 55 mph. Good boy! I'm sure if we had been pulling the car we would have been doing more like 45 but... it would have been just fine. All the while, my engine temperature never moved even with the AC running.

We spent the night at a state park just off I-75 in TN and left the next morning to push towards the Kentucky bluegrass and the cornfields and wind turbines of Ohio and Indiana. Crossing the Ohio River from Kentucky into downtown Cincinnati was pretty cool despite traffic coming to a complete halt/ slowdown for a few miles due to an accident. I guess it was an accident... it was all gone by the time we got there. The fun of interstate traveling.

Morning stillness at Johnny Appleseed Park.

Ft. Wayne's Johnny Appleseed Park campground was teeming with campers due to the week long Three Rivers Festival scheduled to start that weekend. But we were there for only 2 reasons... to spend some time with my sister, her family, and her darling grandchildren.... and to see our favorite Russian band in concert. More on them here.

Our "almost" Plan B overnight stop at Cracker Barrel

After 3 days in Ft. Wayne, it was hugs, goodbyes, and time for the return trip. By now, we had logged 1100 miles. I would say we had definitely stretched out legs a bit. Our next
overnight stay in Kodak, TN at Dumplin' Valley Farm RV park almost didn't happen because I could not reach them late on a Saturday afternoon and had to leave a message. In the meantime, we stopped at Cracker Barrel to eat and to see if we could overnight there as Plan B. All the other nearby campgrounds were full and it was getting late. Our view would have been the rear of Cracker Barrel. While we were eating, Dumplin' Valley called me back and said come on.

The picture at the top of this page (and these here) show why I wanted to spend the night at Dumplin' Valley. It was beautiful. I set up in a soft rain as the sun went down and when we woke up the next morning, we soaked in the beauty of this working farm.

We arrived in Augusta, GA later that day after "negotiating" the I-26 grades again and were reunited with our son and dogs. We made a stop along the way at the Farmer's Market in Asheville where we purchased some hemp (aka CBD) oil. Why? Because one of our two dogs experienced some anxiety on the original drive up. While in Augusta, we also purchased a crate which she seems to like during times of stress. The morning we left for the return leg to Florida, I gave her some oil and got her comfortable in her new crate. Not sure which helped the most but, she did much better on her 2nd time in the motorhome.

2200 miles covering 8 states. It was a great trip and hopefully, is just the start of some leg stretching in the future. It felt pretty good! Next trip? August 5th to visit the grandkids in their new home in NE North Carolina. Can't wait!

Adventures with HaRVy- Dump Your Tanks!

We experienced our first long-distance, extended-stay trip in our motorhome. HaRVy is our 2008 38ft Damon Challenger Class A. HaRVy pulls Dolly and Dolly carries Taurus (the Bull) so that we have transportation at our destination.

She must trust the driver- she's napping

Last week, we drove 420 miles up to Georgia and camped for 8 nights at Mistletoe State Park in Appling, GA on Clarks Hill Reservoir. The 71,100 acre lake was formed in 1954 when the dam on the Savannah River, now named for J. Strom Thurmond, was completed.

Back in our tent and pop-up camping days, we stayed at a couple of the nearby Corp of Engineer campgrounds-- Petersburg and Winfield but, I wanted to try the state park this time. We reserved a pull-through site which turned out to be an excellent choice. We have a 50 amp motorhome but, we were unable to get into one of the relatively few sites that have 50 amp service. That simply means that, with only 30 amp service, we would be unable to run both AC units at the same time. Fortunately, our AC is a ducted system which means that cold air comes out all of the vents even when only one unit is running. We also had water hook up but not sewer hook up (if we had a sewer hook up, it would be considered a "full hookup site.") By not having it, we would have to visit the nearby dump station when exiting the campground.

If you are familiar with bigger RVs, you are familiar with the terms "fresh water, gray water, and black water." This refers to the onboard holding tanks. We can carry 65 gallons of fresh water. This is water that is provided to the sinks, the shower, and the toilet (for flushing.) We also can hold 47 gallons of gray water. This is the water that goes down your sinks and shower drains. We also can hold 47 gallons of black water. This is the result of what goes down the toilet. Because we were hooked up to the campground's water supply (a drinking water hose connects to the motorhome essentially like your garden hose,) fresh water tank capacity was a non-issue since we had an endless supply of pressurized water. However, when camping for an extended period, you have to remain mindful and periodically check your gray water and black water tank levels. We have an electronic display on the hallway wall where we can check our levels. At some point, hopefully not before you are ready to leave, you need to dump your tanks. Judicious use of water down the sinks and shower is important since we don't have unlimited tank capacity. We take "Navy showers" (turn on the shower, get wet, turn off the water, soap up and shampoo, turn water back on, and rinse.) 47 gallons sounds like a lot but, over the course of 8 days, it accumulates fast. Using the campground's bath house for showering helps to not fill up your gray tank prematurely.


I'll save for a later blog the actual process at the dump station. I'm sure you will be on the edge of your seat waiting on that one.

Tank dump valves. The least popular compartment under the motorhome.

I was thinking about those three tanks while camping this past week and began to see an analogy (like all analogies... it is not perfect but, stay with me.) We start out life with that life-giving, crystal clear, suitable-for-drinking, fresh water. But, because we are human and imperfect, that clean water, which comes in contact with our life, turns gray. All the dead skin, soil, and grime that runs off of us as well as the soapy, decaying particles that go down the kitchen sink turns that clear water to gray. It stops looking like what we started with. You may say it is just soapy water but... that's understating the condition of the water. I think the gray water can be like the everyday mistakes and ways we are disobedient... no longer pure and no longer clean. Because it is like the water most people are producing, we don't consider it THAT bad. That's our take on it. But it isn't clean. You would never want to drink it. It's not the best water we have to offer. But we look at everyone else and say that it's not so bad. (Some campgrounds even let you drain your gray water directly to the ground in designated areas.) Then there is the black water. Sometimes, how we live our lives can be such that we produce something that is toxic. It can make things (and people) it comes in contact with sick. It stinks. Nobody wants to be around it. Throughout our lives, we are generating smelly, soiled gray water and even some really nasty, disgusting black water. Regardless of whether gray or black... both are bad water. And both have to be dealt with... it needs to go. Yes, my tanks can hold tens of gallons of gray and black water; but, why would I want to continuously carry that around with me?

God's intention for our lives is to live in the crystal clear, fresh water that He has provided. Our attitudes, our disobedience, and our behaviors (especially towards others) stinks up what God intends for us. But, there is good news.

Because of what God has done for us (because He knew we would disobey and soil and stink up what He provided) we are allowed to dump those tanks. Because of the saving work of Jesus, we get to eliminate all that gray and black water in our lives and let it go. As I live, I am going to continue to accumulate more gray and black water. Since God provides me the way to be rid of it, why would I want to hold on to all that nasty stuff when I have been given the opportunity to let it go? The ability to dump the tanks, leaving me with only that beautiful fresh water I started with. I need to dump my tanks. I need to start anew with a fresh start. Every day. I need forgiveness, I need mercy, I need grace. I need to allow God to take away all that nastiness that I produce. Dump your tanks.

On The Road With HaRVy

HaRVy is an RV

We have an addition to the family. His name is HaRVy. At least, that's what we have decided to call him. HaRVy is an 11 year old Damon Challenger 377 Class A motorhome. He's almost 38 feet long built on a Workhorse W-22 chassis and is powered by an 8.1 liter gas engine (that's 496 cubic inches for those of you still unwilling to embrace the metric system) mated to an Allison Series 1000 6-speed transmission. He's rated at about 340 horsepower @4200 RPM and 455 lb.-ft. of torque at 3200 RPM. HaRVy has three slideouts, has twin Carrier A/C units, hot water heater, 5500 watt generator, a queen size bed, 20 inch TV in bedroom, dining room table that seats 4, kitchen with refrigerator/freezer (that runs on propane or AC power,) gas stove and oven, microwave oven, full-size kitchen sink, bathroom with toilet, vanity and shower, living room with sleeper sofa, recliner, and a 32 inch TV. Outside, there is a powered awning that runs 20 ft down the length of the motorhome.

I should mention that we also added another to the family. Since we need to be able to go places when HaRVy is in his camping spot, we now have Taurus the Bull that HaRVy pulls along behind on a tow Dolly. Taurus is a couple of years older than HaRVy.

You may be wondering why two 60-somethings, who have already raised 2 kids (now 30 and almost 33 yrs old,) would, at this stage in their life, want to be adding to the family.

Well, here's the deal. We have two grandchildren (and their parents) who live about 10 minutes away. We like that. Thanks to the Coast Guard, they will be moving in a couple of months to a small town in northeastern NC (in fact, only about a mile and a half from the VA border.) That being the case, Carol and I will be leaving Florida (this was only ever a temporary gig) later this year. But where to go then? Our home prior to coming to FL in 2017 was Augusta, GA. Our son and his fiancee live in Augusta, GA. Nearly every friend we have lives in Augusta, GA. But... our grandchildren don't live in Augusta, GA. Hence, the dilemma.

To add to that dilemma, over the last 3 years or so, it has become harder for Carol to travel. I won't get into all the specifics but, I will say that staying in hotel rooms or even in the homes of family members has become more and more difficult because those surroundings are now a bit disorienting to her and staying in what are becoming less familiar surroundings is stressful. We still want to be able to go places, especially go to where our daughter & her family live as well as to where our son & fiancee live. One of those places will be where home #1 is.

So, that's where HaRVy comes in. HaRVy's role in the family is to be rolling house #2 that can allow Carol to feel "home" regardless of what city we are visiting. This allows Carol to have her bed and her bathroom with all of her stuff in a familiar spot... no more packing suitcases and makeup bags, which is also a high stress activity for her (HaRVy is now fully equipped with all the things that would typically need to be packed whenever Carol would travel... both our house and our house-on-wheels are fully equipped with duplicates of her stuff.)

We took HaRVy out last weekend for the opportunity to get to know him a little better and see how well he (and his dad- the driver) behaves. It was also important for me that Carol and HaRVy have a real bonding experience. We booked a couple of nights at Colt Creek State Park campground a little over an hour from our house. I didn't want to get too far from home... just in case. The drive from our storage lot to the state park was pretty uneventful (thank goodness!) Carol was a little nervous riding for the first time in a big Class A motorhome with a rookie at the wheel but, both HaRVy and I were able to assuage her fear. Set-up at the campsite went perfectly. This is a nearly new campground with only about 36 sites so, we enjoyed some peaceful relaxation.

      

(Click here to open in YouTube)

I am happy to report that Carol truly grew to love HaRVy over the course of our two-night stay. In fact, on the day we were to leave Carol said, "I wish we could stay here a few more nights." I'd call that a good first step in the relationship. Exiting the campground included a stop at the dump station to experience the nitrile gloved-up sewer hose hook-up to drain the contents of our onboard grey and black water tanks. Fortunately, I had no Robin Williams-in-the-movie-RV moment so, all was good. On the return trip, Carol also got to experience our first fill-up at a gas station. Bear in mind that the total length of HaRVy and Taurus is about 60 feet. And, with Taurus in tow, there is no backing up (I remove Taurus and the tow dolly before backing up HaRVy into a campsite.) $162.00 later at the Flying J, we were back on the road heading home. Like most large motorhomes, HaRVy is a thirsty boy...he drinks a gallon of gas for every 7-8 miles he runs.

Next weekend, Carol, HaRVy, Dolly, Taurus, and I will head out to spend 8 nights at Mistletoe State Park near Augusta to take care of some routine semi-annual doctor appointments. I'm optimistic that the bonding that began last weekend will continue and that we will confirm that this new way to travel is all that we hope it will be. So... I plan to blog about our adventures on the road with HaRVy. This isn't just about having a motorhome. This is an important thing for our family. I know that some of what I have written is a bit cryptic but... you'll just have to try to understand that some private, family stuff will remain private, family stuff. Thanks in advance for understanding.

Here are some pics from our first time out with HaRVy and Taurus the Bull.

plenty of room with these spacious sites

this guy walked up while we were eating dinner

all the comforts of home...

happy wife- happy life

75 gallon tank... this is gonna hurt

beautiful scenery; lots of hiking trails

Carol and HaRVy bonding