The weekend was filled with troubleshooting and sightseeing. Saturday we again began having trouble with the ice maker. On to You Tube we go and it looks like a relatively simple fix, provided I can come up with parts needed once I solve what’s wrong. My guess is either the solenoid outside or the ice maker mechanism itself. Either way, doesn’t look to be to terribly difficult. Since I’ve gained a bit of confidence in repairing the generator, I’ll report back on that issue. Also have discovered I’ve got the wrong hose and regulator to run our gas griddle, so will be grabbing a new one at the local hardware store.
Explored the 3rd Oldest Farmers market in the nation. Didn’t realize Lynchburg has that designation. Wasn’t as cool as the Detroit Market, but there were some wonderful fruits and vegetables as well as baked goods. There were also very nice crafts all hand made. The interesting aspect of this market was that there was not purchase and resale of stuff anywhere in the market. No junk from China. Lots of fair trade materials which made for interesting displays.
We also enjoyed going to Appomattox Courthouse. It was awe inspiring walking on the same ground Lee and Grant did over 150 years ago. You could almost feel the presence of those two men and what they were doing and what it meant to our nation. Seeing pictures of the room where they signed the terms of surrender and then actually being in the room was an eerie experience. Walking up the same (rebuilt in 1930) steps as General Lee and wondering how he felt and the burden he carried. Not knowing if he was going to be arrested and hung as a traitor, having to surrender his army, and how his army would react to their ultimate surrender. As we heading out of Appomattox Courthouse we saw the “American Civil War” museum outside the park. Thought that might be a stop for tomorrow. But after looking for tickets on line and researching a bit, discovered it was more of tribute to the confederacy rather than a museum.
I’m going on a bit of tangent here, but why does the South think they won the Civil War? And why on earth do we allow for the elevation and memorialization of Traitors to our then forming nation. This isn’t wokeness, this is simple fact. These men may have been honorable, but they supported an institution which not only enslaved humans, but created a caste system which is in no way what the United States is supposed to be about. It angers me to see the confederate battle flag flying here so prominently. The confederates were a defeated army and all of its officers were technically traitors. After WW2, you don’t see alot of Nazi flags flying in public, as they lost. Statues of Hitler, Goering, or Goebbels in public squares don’t exist, but since the 50’s there have been memorials to Davis, Lee, and Jackson. I’m very gratified the services have finally figured out to rename all the confederate forts, bases and ships to heroes of other wars rather than for traitors. Grant took an amazing step toward healing the country when he paroled all of Lee’s Virginia army after the surrender rather than holding them as prisoners of war. This continued attitude of the south shall rise again is once again tearing this country apart. We must look at history, all history, good and bad, then make judgements based on all persectives and first hand accounts, not rumor and inuendo. The confederate flag, the memorials, the statues belong in one place, a museum, not on the public square. They should be on display to be studied in a museum so that we are reminded of a dark past, but as a nation grew stronger and must become aware of all people which make up this nation. But that just one man’s opinion.
Tuesday, we headng to Tennessee. The 1000 Trails did not deliver on re-gradng the road and I’ll be taking pictures to send to corporate to show the potential for damage to rigs if they don’t do something. But that’s just my grumpy old man get off my lawn moment. Other than that, we’re still loving retirement.
Day 77
Our final day in Virginia was everything one could have hoped for. Excellent weather in terms of sunshine and an easy departure as we headed toward Tennessee. The drive through the Appalachian Mountains was incredible, even on the interstate. Filled at a Flying J and I must say it again, Fly J’s have there poop in a group when it comes to accommodating RVs. Separate specific pumps makes filling up so much easier and with a 10 cent discount with an app, life is pretty good.
Day 76 was a great day as well. On a whim I decided to call our friends from Texas, Robert and Christy Stillwell just to check in. After the usual bit of catching up, discovered that we are going to be in Las Vegas approximately the same time, so adjusted our arrival time and lo, not only are we going to get to see family, but also see friends in glitter city!!! How cool is that. Had to pick up a few items at Food Lion after getting the new hose for the gridle and to our surprise our groceries were almost free. We bought a bag of onions and some ginormous beefsteak tomatoes and the bill came to $9.38. A bit pricey but, hey, inflation hits us all. I then entered our phone number from our Food Lion app and the checker said $.38. We both thought it was the discount, but we were wrong. The total bill was $.38! The discount was $9.00!! How cool is that?!? The rest of the day Vicki and I couldn’t stop talking about it!!
We’ve arrived at Warrior State Park and although the park is beautiful, the camping sites are tight. The rig barely fits and there is a steep drop off on the drivers side of the rig. There will be no dark drunk walking!! The dogs look at us and just say why?
Will be heading to Pigeon Forge Tennessee which is only 90 miles down the road, so will have a very leisurely breakfast this morning. Still having issues with the generator, so will have to call Onan and get some help with troubleshooting as to why it only runs for about half an hour. Other than that, still loving retirement!
Day 80
Two days in Pigeon Forge Tennessee was definitely interesting. Our next door neighbor was Little Ozzy, a tribute band made up of little people to Ozzy Osborne. How cool was that. Even came by and borrowed our air compresser to fill his bicycle tires. He has a documentary coming up on cable that’s six episodes, so keep an eye out.
Pigeon Forge is definitely the Las Vegas of the East. Not only is there Dolly Wood, but lots of ancillary amusement activities from ropes courses, to mountain roller coasters and of course a ginormous ferris wheel. We did do some shopping and stocked up at the Lodge Cast Iron store on two different occasions. We ended up getting some trivets, cleaning scrubs, and two cast iron pots with lids. Although they are heavier that the pots they replaced, they are definitely going to outlast them and can be used on the induction plate. Also did some grocery shopping and found the most important item on our list, Tim Horton’s Coffee!!!! We are good for yet another month! The Lodge store was very cool, but would hate working there. Can’t imagine trying to unload a pallet of cast iron frying pans! Also went to the Smokey Mountain Knife Emporium with the expectation of getting a couple of kitchen knives. They advertised they have every kind of knife in the store, so when we looked for the medium chef’s knife, guess what? They didn’t have it!!! Are you kidding me! A store with three floors of knifes and not one medium chef’s knife, That definitely rates an ESPN…C’mon Man!!! At least we saved ourselves around $100.
Called Onan to describe the issues with the generator. They were about as much help as a truss made from a cactus! They said we need to bring the generator in to have it looked at by a technician. Hello?? McFly??? Full time RVers! This is our house, don’t have time to bring it into a shop, need a mobile repair guy. Do you know how hard those are to find? Any who, made some calls and got some advice from a shop who had a three week waiting list, so hopefully that will solve our problem. We’ll know when we get back on the road.
Day 80 also sees us as we celebrate 45 years of marriage together. It has been a wild ride and have loved every minute. The furr babies are doing well although the steps are getting steeper and higher for both of them as we take them on their daily constitutionals. I can certainly appreciate their discomfort as my right hip has been acting up as well. Today after we clear the traffic of Pigeon Forge we’ll head down the road to Chattanooga where we’ll spend the next week. Should be fun with lots to report. As of now, still loving retirement.
Arrived in Chattanooga unscathed after a 150 mile drive from Pigeon Forge. You would think that trip would take a little over 3 hours in a coach. Not so much. Tennessee has definitely developed a serious traffic problem. The first scenario we encountered was trying to get out of Pigeon Forge. Took over 1/2 an hour to go 15 miles to the Interstate with the weirdest damn interchange I’ve ever encountered. Our lanes were on the left side of the road after a crossover from the right side. Are we back in England? Knoxville was also crazy busy and took nearly a hour to get through due to an invisible accident. Was reminiscent of the 405 in LA. Snarled traffic for 5 miles and then nothing! Finally hit traffic again in Chatanooga, but since it was around 2 pm, the traffic was mild. I’m sure Memorial Day weekend had a huge influence but all was good. We are staying at Raccoon Mtn RV park for the next week and looking at revisiting Chatanooga after a 25 year absence. Celebrated our 45th with delivery pizza and we had a huge thuderstorm down pour as we watched TV. So loud in fact we had to pause our stream and just watch and enjoy the rain. Will let you know what we’ve discovered in our next post. But for now, still loving retirement.
