Tuesday, 4/5/11: Travel Day.......FINALLY !!!

The original plan was to leave for Tennessee and the RV-DREAMS rally on Friday, April 1.  That didn't happen.  We discovered a slight problem with a window sill at the house and hired a contractor to fix/replace it.  Unfortunately, weather and other commitments prevented him from completing the job until Saturday, April 2.  After he completed his task, I needed to touch up the paint.  So we decided to postpone our departure date to Tuesday, April 5.

Of course we woke up to overcast skies, wind, and occasional rain showers.  We're still very new to travel days and as we all know, one must learn through personal experiences and through the experiences of others.  Well, we had planned on taking three days to travel to the River Plantation RV Park in Sevierville, TN, where the rally will take place.  What did I learn?  Well even though I was a Boy Scout, I learned that I need to be more prepared.  Before we left, I needed to fuel up the truck... in the rain.  Then I needed to check tire air pressures and of course the truck needed air in two tires.  No problem, I just got out my air compressor and aired them up... in the rain.  Then I needed to unhook the water, cable, electric, and sewer and put all that away... in the rain.  Then I had to hook up the truck to the trailer... in the rain.  Obviously some of that couldn't be avoided, but some of it could have been if I would have been more prepared.  Anyway, we got all hooked up and departed KOA of Ashland about 12:12 PM, and headed for Parkside MHP and RV Park in Appomattox, VA.  The rain had almost stopped by the time we left.  When we arrived in Appomattox the sun was shining, but we did have a strong head wind most of the way.  Traffic wasn't too bad, and all went well.  The total trip took about two hours and three minutes, and we went about 110 miles with about 7.2 mpg due to the strong headwinds.  Parkside is a Passport America member, so we got a site for half price: $16 plus $2 for cable.  We got all set up and had a quiet night watching TV and surfing the net. 





This was the first time Terri followed me in the Honda Element.  She's not used to driving long distances, but she did well and said it went just fine.  We didn't unhook the truck from the trailer, so it should be a bit easier in the morning.  I also had my first experience using my new dish tripod.  Considering it was my first time, it went pretty well.



Stayed tuned.  Wednesday is another travel day to Fort Chiswell RV Park in Fort Chiswell, VA.