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Living a nomadic lifestyle
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After two months stay In Grand Rapids, spending quality time with family and friends, along with taking care of some needed medical care, we are back on the road. We left Michigan in the midst of a snowstorm and fiercely cold temperatures with plans for warmer weather. Because it was so cold, we had to winterize our motorhome. It is not a big deal to do and just requires nontoxic antifreeze and following a step by step procedure to make sure all of the water is out of the lines, water heater drained, and the freshwater tank completely drained as well. When we left Michigan, it was still too cold to de-winterize so our first stop, in Indianapolis, was at a hotel for an overnight. It was cold and snowy there as well and we had to wait until we got as far south as Lexington, KY before the snow disappeared and the temps were consistently above freezing. In addition to the heating and AC in the cockpit area we have two gas furnaces for heating the living space along with separate AC and an onboard 4000-watt generator. It makes us pretty self-sufficient, energy wise. Big drawback is running the furnaces for heat takes a lot of propane. When we run just the water heater, oven/stove and duel fuel refrigerator/freezer the propane consumption is minimal. Add the heat and it goes up astronomically.
We finally arrived in Nashville for our stay at an RV resort in Goodlettsville. When we pulled in the owners and staff were out to greet us with over the top southern hospitality. Their warmth and welcoming attitude were duly noticed as a first impression. When we unhooked our car from the back of the coach Janet tried to start it and guess what … it was dead. Thinking it was the battery we pulled out our portable charger, hooked it to the battery and still nothing. Within seconds we had a gathering of the owners, staff and other RVers crowding around the car with enough suggestions and apparent knowledge to have more than enough material for an automotive repair book. After about an hour of no starting luck we decided to call our roadside assistance company. They were at our car in about fifteen minutes and guess what? They were not able to start the car. Fortunately, being under warranty with Chevy we called a local dealership who arranged to have the car towed to their location the next morning. Being without a car sucks as we cannot take the motorhome for a market run … well we actually could but that would mean raising the hydraulic leveling jacks, pulling in the slides, disconnecting the water and black and grey water tank slinky and the shore power electric. If we did all of that and drove to the market, we then would have to find a place to park and once we picked up a few groceries we would drive back and repeat the set-up process all over again. Wasn’t going to happen and a testament to having a car with us. I preface by saying, a car that works. The next morning the car was picked up and brought to the dealership. They sent a courtesy car to pick me up and bring me over to pick up a loaner while our car was being repaired. Being over Christmas it was not easy to get the needed parts, which turned out to be an electric sensor, so, a week later we had our car back. Yeah. Needless to say, we were so happy our car was under full warranty and there were no out of pocket expenses. This was our second visit to Nashville, the first being last year with two weeks of solid rain. This visit was much better, weather wise, and allowed us to do more exploring. Nashville is not called music city for nothing. There is quality music everywhere you go, including nightly acts at the RV resort we stayed at. We enjoyed going to some of the bars on Broadway, downtown. It was fun listening to music, having some drinks and people watching. There is no shortage of people in Nashville and being tourists ourselves, we fit right in. The locals, both at the RV resort and other places we went to are so warm and welcoming. When people are outgoing and friendly is just makes you feel good and feel good, we did. From Nashville we ventured south into Georgia for what we thought was going to be a few hours road trip. That was not the case as we drove much longer that we like. I am good for about three hours behind the wheel with a break to stretch about every hour and a half. Driving a motorhome takes a lot of unflinching attention and not so much physically, but mentally, it wears the crap out of me. I get tired and a little distracted and distracted is something that is downright dangerous when driving a big heavy rig and pulling a tow vehicle with a combined length of over 50 feet. Try doing that in Atlanta and you start to grow chest hair on the inside. We finally made it to Florida and are hanging our hat in the North Central area for a few weeks before we move to Flagler Beach for an extended stay. We like this area, just south of St Augustine because it is a quiet, fun place to hang out without the crazy traffic and over population common with the state. We have some family events up north and having a base camp for a while will make the travel easier. We have pretty much finished up our travel plans for Europe at the end of April and are looking forward to returning to Spain and Portugal with additional stops in France, Belgium, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. We are so grateful to be able to live a life of travel; it is truly our passion. Combine that with our time together, a beautiful family, great friends and hopes of good heath … what more could we want.
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About UsTravel is living life to its fullest. Sharing our journey and adventures create memories that live on as we truly enjoy the passage of time Archives
October 2022
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