2014-7: Driving the US Counterclockwise - Folly
There is a saying, “Stupid is as stupid does,” and today I resemble that. Yet before I fess up and share my stupidity, an update of our journey.
So on to Phase 2: drive to Quantico VA, a 5-day trek from Siesta Key FL, to spend some time with my son. After looking at the route, we decided that if we were to push it the first 3 days we could get in a side trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. That meant we’d drive over 800 miles in 3 days, a goal that would have been easy prior to Marilyn’s back surgery, but one that now stretches the limits.
.heic)
Saying goodbye to Aunt Gret Sunday eve, we were packed and on the road before 7:00 Monday morning heading North on I-75, a freeway that travels up the middle of Florida. Marilyn found a “shortcut” just before Gainesville that gave us a glimpse of rural Florida and some beautiful horse farms. We noted a sign to the home of Marjorie Rawlings, author of the 1938 novel The Yearling.
Living in the arid San Joaquin Valley of California, I can say that driving through pine forests, crossing numerous waterways, made me wish I had my inflatable kayak. Then I reminded myself that they do have alligators and water moccasins, so perhaps my hard shell kayak. Yet the green is so grand.
We did well the first day, pushing our driving goal of 300 miles to almost 400 and arriving near Savannah GA and a campground.
Tuesday morning we were again off, and my trusty navigator proposed getting off the freeway and seeing the coast. We encountered a bit of stop-and-go traffic, but once beyond Savannah, I was smiling being amongst so much green. We never did get a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean—it was always just over there.
Had we had a couple extra hours we would have enjoyed visiting Myrtle Beach SC, yet that too shall be on the list for next time. I mean Andrew will be in Quantico for three more years, so we have ample reason to return.
Just when my body said it was time to stop and walk a bit, up came a sign in Wilmington NC that the World War II battleship the USS North Carolina was at the next turn-off. Though we arrived after the tours were closed, we were able to get out and admire this monster of the sea, with her 16-inch guns. Literature at the site stated that she joined the Navy in 1942, was active in the Pacific throughout the war, and was decommissioned in ’47. It is interesting to note that her sister battleship, the USS New Jersey, was returned to duty until the end of the Vietnam Conflict.
At the end of day two, we were 350 miles further down the road. Around dusk we arrived at a private campground near Jacksonville NC. What to say besides the shower was very adequate, but the rest, well “take your own toilet paper” is not high on my list of amenities.
On Wednesday morning we realized we were almost a day ahead of schedule, so Marilyn called and changed our next day ferry reservation to 1:00 PM that afternoon. We secured the MRV and hit the road.
Driving down a 4-lane road, we all of a sudden heard a crash followed by a "Woosh!" A quick check found no control problems, yet the wooshing continued. I pulled over, and Marilyn went back to check things out. After a moment of silence, to my horror she said, “The emergency window is gone!”
.heic)
Now did I say we secured the MRV? How about, “I thought we secured it”? I had opened the window during the night to get some additional ventilation and forgot to check it. I got us headed back the way we had come and soon saw a black object in the other lane. I flipped another U-turn, stopped and ran out into the road and picked up the window frame—sans safety glass. Besides the absence of glass, bouncing down the road had tweaked the frame in a couple places. The theme from the play Black Orpheus came to mind, “A Day in the Life of a Fool.”
For those of you who have heard me talk about my dumb phone (now put to rest) and phoo-phoo smart phones, I again eat crow. Marilyn promptly pulled out her iPhone 5C, put in “glass shop,” and voilà, one came up about 6 miles down the road, Southern Glass and Mirror in Swansboro, NC. She then put the address in the phone and down the road we went.
I must say I was immediately put at ease as I interacted with a smiling and professional staff. The ladies in the office, Mandy, Alicia, and Angela, did not laugh when I explained my predicament but quickly got Jeffery to look at my folly. He explained the glass was safety glass and he would have to order it, meaning 5 to 7 days. I was already seeing a duct tape and plastic covering where the window was no more, when he said, “I could do plexiglass.”
So now we sit in a coffee shop, while the glue bonds the plexiglass, before heading for the ferry at Cedar Island, NC and a 2-1/2 hour ride to the southern tip of the Outer Banks.
Another voilà and in 1-1/2 hours the refurbished window was installed. I cannot say enough about the great service I received from Southern Glass. Once again I was reminded that something good comes out of something bad. Tim, the manager of Southern Glass, attempted to order a new window for us, with the idea that it would be shipped to Quantico, yet it seems that there are many versions of this, each with its own uniqueness. We will hopefully just enjoy the plexiglass replacement until we get home and then have Rick at RV Express in Visalia order a new window.
We had both checked out the MRV before leaving, and the emergency window appeared closed. The Editor is now preparing a Departure Check List. Stay tuned for further adventures and follies. We still have a lot of weeks to go.
Hoopetedoodle
1. Have found gas prices ranging from $3.19 to $3.79, still less than the $3.99 at home. The MRV on the open road can get close to 15 mpg and while meandering can get as low as 12.5. The highest I got was 16.5. Yep, but then I must add that I was running East on the New Mexico border pushed by a major tail wind.
2. The demise of the Roadside Diner: One of William Least Heat-Moon's quests, about which he muses in Blue Highways, was finding the perfect diner. He concluded that the more calendars hanging in the diner the better the food, 6 calendars being stellar. Today even a 1-calendar diner is hard to find. It seems that the fastfood chains, many with drive-throughs, have sprouted up to feed the stressed, hurried citizens. Gone is the local diner with the small counter where I could sit and enjoy a decent meal while listening to the locals in the booths around me talk about the dealings in the area. Do I sound old? Perhaps, yet I so enjoyed getting the flavor of a town by the conversations I heard, irrespective of the number of calendars on display.
—Doug
So on to Phase 2: drive to Quantico VA, a 5-day trek from Siesta Key FL, to spend some time with my son. After looking at the route, we decided that if we were to push it the first 3 days we could get in a side trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. That meant we’d drive over 800 miles in 3 days, a goal that would have been easy prior to Marilyn’s back surgery, but one that now stretches the limits.
.heic)
Georgia: Trees hung with Spanish Moss.
Saying goodbye to Aunt Gret Sunday eve, we were packed and on the road before 7:00 Monday morning heading North on I-75, a freeway that travels up the middle of Florida. Marilyn found a “shortcut” just before Gainesville that gave us a glimpse of rural Florida and some beautiful horse farms. We noted a sign to the home of Marjorie Rawlings, author of the 1938 novel The Yearling.
The Green!
The Water!
Azaleas & green!
Tuesday morning we were again off, and my trusty navigator proposed getting off the freeway and seeing the coast. We encountered a bit of stop-and-go traffic, but once beyond Savannah, I was smiling being amongst so much green. We never did get a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean—it was always just over there.
So much green!
Had we had a couple extra hours we would have enjoyed visiting Myrtle Beach SC, yet that too shall be on the list for next time. I mean Andrew will be in Quantico for three more years, so we have ample reason to return.
Just when my body said it was time to stop and walk a bit, up came a sign in Wilmington NC that the World War II battleship the USS North Carolina was at the next turn-off. Though we arrived after the tours were closed, we were able to get out and admire this monster of the sea, with her 16-inch guns. Literature at the site stated that she joined the Navy in 1942, was active in the Pacific throughout the war, and was decommissioned in ’47. It is interesting to note that her sister battleship, the USS New Jersey, was returned to duty until the end of the Vietnam Conflict.
USS North Carolina, Wilmington, NC.
At the end of day two, we were 350 miles further down the road. Around dusk we arrived at a private campground near Jacksonville NC. What to say besides the shower was very adequate, but the rest, well “take your own toilet paper” is not high on my list of amenities.
On Wednesday morning we realized we were almost a day ahead of schedule, so Marilyn called and changed our next day ferry reservation to 1:00 PM that afternoon. We secured the MRV and hit the road.
Driving down a 4-lane road, we all of a sudden heard a crash followed by a "Woosh!" A quick check found no control problems, yet the wooshing continued. I pulled over, and Marilyn went back to check things out. After a moment of silence, to my horror she said, “The emergency window is gone!”
.heic)
Our pals hanging out on the empty window frame. Flamgo: "Whaddya think they did NOW?" Guard Lamb: "I dunno, but sitting in the sun's better than being squished behind her neck or on that shelf."
For those of you who have heard me talk about my dumb phone (now put to rest) and phoo-phoo smart phones, I again eat crow. Marilyn promptly pulled out her iPhone 5C, put in “glass shop,” and voilà, one came up about 6 miles down the road, Southern Glass and Mirror in Swansboro, NC. She then put the address in the phone and down the road we went.
Southern Glass & Mirror, Swansboro, NC, saved our bacon!
I must say I was immediately put at ease as I interacted with a smiling and professional staff. The ladies in the office, Mandy, Alicia, and Angela, did not laugh when I explained my predicament but quickly got Jeffery to look at my folly. He explained the glass was safety glass and he would have to order it, meaning 5 to 7 days. I was already seeing a duct tape and plastic covering where the window was no more, when he said, “I could do plexiglass.”
Waiting at Java Port for the new window to bond.
So now we sit in a coffee shop, while the glue bonds the plexiglass, before heading for the ferry at Cedar Island, NC and a 2-1/2 hour ride to the southern tip of the Outer Banks.
Java Port.
Another voilà and in 1-1/2 hours the refurbished window was installed. I cannot say enough about the great service I received from Southern Glass. Once again I was reminded that something good comes out of something bad. Tim, the manager of Southern Glass, attempted to order a new window for us, with the idea that it would be shipped to Quantico, yet it seems that there are many versions of this, each with its own uniqueness. We will hopefully just enjoy the plexiglass replacement until we get home and then have Rick at RV Express in Visalia order a new window.
Plexiglass window to replace the glass one that flew out.
We had both checked out the MRV before leaving, and the emergency window appeared closed. The Editor is now preparing a Departure Check List. Stay tuned for further adventures and follies. We still have a lot of weeks to go.
Ready to hit the road again with plexiglass window repair.
Hoopetedoodle
1. Have found gas prices ranging from $3.19 to $3.79, still less than the $3.99 at home. The MRV on the open road can get close to 15 mpg and while meandering can get as low as 12.5. The highest I got was 16.5. Yep, but then I must add that I was running East on the New Mexico border pushed by a major tail wind.
2. The demise of the Roadside Diner: One of William Least Heat-Moon's quests, about which he muses in Blue Highways, was finding the perfect diner. He concluded that the more calendars hanging in the diner the better the food, 6 calendars being stellar. Today even a 1-calendar diner is hard to find. It seems that the fastfood chains, many with drive-throughs, have sprouted up to feed the stressed, hurried citizens. Gone is the local diner with the small counter where I could sit and enjoy a decent meal while listening to the locals in the booths around me talk about the dealings in the area. Do I sound old? Perhaps, yet I so enjoyed getting the flavor of a town by the conversations I heard, irrespective of the number of calendars on display.
—Doug
Comments
Post a Comment
We love hearing from our readers! If you wish your comment not to be "Anonymous," you can sign into your Google account or simply leave your name at the end of your comment. Thanks!