Full Time RV Maintenance–This is Getting Old Fast

Well. . .as beautiful as it is. . .and as much as I love it. . .the “Beast” is acting beastly this week. . .

and is really starting to get on my last nerve!

A week ago Saturday, the master cylinder starting going out, and the brakes were mushy. 

Now of course this happened on a day that we had the RV attached,

and were halfway to a new destination, and of course the repair shops are closed on the weekends,

so we very carefully, and prayerfully continued on our way to Crystal River FL. 

Bright and early Monday morning Dave presented himself and the Beast at the local Ford Dealership.

A new master cylinder, new brake pads on the front, grind the rotors, yada, yada,

and a boatload of cash later, all was well, and we had an entire week to explore the Nature Coast of Florida. 

The Beast was performing beautifully, took us everywhere we wanted to go. . .not even one hiccup. . .

A week later, moving day again. . .get the RV all attached, headed for Pensacola. . .

get about thirty miles down the road, horrible, horrible shimmy.  What on earth?  

My first thought was, just having had front brake work done, that something was bad out of alignment,

or a tire was out of balance. . .it was that sort of vibration.  Stop. . .check everything. . .

no bubbles on any tires. . .nothing loose. . .weird. . .continue on.

Dave thinks it seems like a vacuum hose is off. . .since the next town has a Ford Dealership that is ACTUALLY open on Saturday. . .we decide we will stop by there. . .but alas, they only do oil changes on Saturdays. 

Ahhh. . .but you know how charming my hubby can be. . .he convinces them to just run a diagnostic. . .just so he’ll know if there’s a major problem.  Those guys were so nice. . .they dragged their laptop all the way out to where the truck was, since we couldn’t get it and the RV into the service bay. . .and determined that some electronic module thinga ma jiggy, which controlled the fuel injectors probably needed to be replaced. . .BUT. . .they assured us that it was not going to hurt to drive it, and that he was sure we would not get stranded on the side of the road.

Being the weekend, not wanting to be stranded in a podunk town in Florida, needing to be in Pensacola to meet up with our nephew on Monday, we decided to continue on. . . and here we are, thankfully without incident in beautiful Pensacola Beach FL. . .

Here it is. . .another Monday morning, and once again,

Dave has presented himself and the Beast at the local Ford Dealership. . .

oh Lord, please let it be something simple.

Now, I have no problem understanding that the Beast is almost 10 years old. . .that things must be replaced. . .

and Lord knows. . .a repair is still cheaper than a truck payment. . .

but please, if you could just have your temper tantrums when the RV is NOT attached. . .

that would be so great. . .really!  I promise we’ll get you whatever you need. . .

but being stranded on the side of the road with a big ole’ fifth wheel attached is just NOT a fun proposition. . .

been there, done that!

But on a brighter note. . .here we are in a campground on Gulf Shores National Seashore. . .across the street from a gorgeous beautiful,  white, sugar sand beach. . .crystal blue water. . .just fantastic.

Dave’s nephew Nick, his beautiful bride, Lindsey, and our two great nephews, Caden, 3 1/2, and Ashton, 6 months, will be here for lunch. . .Caden will be so grown up, we haven’t seen him since his first birthday,

and we will have the privilege of meeting Ashton for the very first time. . .it’s going to be a great day.

The last time we were in Pensacola,  my grandson, who is now seventeen,

wasn’t too much older than Caden is now. . .here’s a flashback. . .

My grandson Jordan, his Pa, and his Great Grammy, my wonderful mother in law on the beach. . .

right down from where we are staying this trip. . .

now. . .THIS is what I’m talking about, when I say I want to go to the beach. . .

Safe travels everybody,

Janice

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle.

Connect with us on our FACEBOOK Ready To Go Full Time RVing Page. . .where you’ll meet lots of other RV’ers just like you. . .traveling and enjoying this great adventure.

If you would like to receive our blog updates, just enter your email in the top right corner.

We respect your privacy, and never share your email address

Full Time RV Travel– Exploring Myrtle Beach South Carolina

As the name implies Myrtle Beach is a beach town. . .60 miles of beautiful beaches divided into basically three sections

 

North Myrtle Beach – laid back, quiet, mostly condos and private homes along the waterfront – nothing really exciting, and not too terribly many places to eat.  You almost need to go up to the main thoroughfare to find restaurants or fast food eateries. . .but free parking, and plenty of beach access. . .bring a picnic, and your own beach supplies, and enjoy a great day at the beach on this end of town.

Since Hurricane Irene was coming in, a news crew showed up while we were having lunch at one of the little beach dives on North Beach.

Our little waitress was having a fit.  She says, “Here come the vultures, blowing everything all out of proportion, and scaring people away.”  I can’t really disagree with her theory, and I’m sure when things like this affect your livelihood, it’s rather difficult to just sit back and watch.    As you can see, the beach was still pretty busy at this point.

Grand Strand – is where the Beach Boardwalk, the tourist shops, and lots of excitement is. . .

Since we are not huge beach enthusiasts, this is where we spent most of our time. . .just watching the magnificent Atlantic Ocean. . .

while having a fabulous shrimp and oyster po’boy at Dirty Dons.

Just so you know, we only saw paid parking in the Grand Strand area. . .you could park at the meters, or you could use the parking lots with the paid attendants. . .pretty pricey, but worth it if you are going to make a day of it.

South Beach – if you are here with kids this is probably where you will want to be.  All sorts of go cart rides, parasailing opportunities, mini golf,  sorry, didn’t think to get any pics of this area, since we just passed through.

Overall, we enjoyed Myrtle Beach, but would probably choose a less populated area when we return.  You know. . .it’s one of those things. . .you’re that close, you gotta go see it!

See the rest of our pics in our Myrtle Beach Album

Myrtle Beach Discount Card – we didn’t purchase one of these as we were here in our RV, so did not did not need a discount on accommodations, and did not do any tours. . .but I’m sure if you are here with your family, and will be doing kids activities such as go carts or mini golf, and if you will be eating out often. . .it might be worth checking out.

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle.

Connect with us on our FACEBOOK Ready To Go Full Time RVing Page. . .where you’ll meet lots of other RV’ers just like you. . .traveling and enjoying this great adventure.

Full Time RV Travel–South Carolina - Hunting Island State Park andLighthouse

I had read that I would be able to climb to the top of the Hunting Island Lighthouse. . .and I was looking forward to it.

Only 129 more steps to go.

Thankfully, I could stop on each landing and read. . .and breathe!  Just kidding, it wasn’t that bad. . .

although I can’t imagine having to tote this all the way to the top

Can you imagine the manpower it took to move this thing all those years ago. . .

The view from the top was really great!

This was the foundation of the Lighthouse Keeper’s Home.  It was designed to house three families, who were stuck out in the middle of nowhere. . .so were basically required to grow and hunt their own food.  Supplies were only brought in periodically.  As beautiful as the entire place was, I don’t think I would want to live there year around with only a boat available to reach civilization.  I guess after the third time the home burned, they decided not to rebuild it.

A storm was blowing in the day we were there, the wind was really whipping the sand around, and the surf was up. . . but the South Carolina Beaches were really beautiful. . .and reminded me a lot of the beaches in Hawaii. . .being rugged, remote, and natural. . .loved it!

Loved seeing the sea turtle nest. . .I’ve read so much about them, so it was great to see one up close. . .the only thing that would have been better, would have been to see the little turtles scampering towards the ocean. . .maybe someday!

On our way home. . .looking out over the marsh. . .and seeing the shrimp boats. . .just beautiful!  They look so much prettier here than they do in our part of the country, where we only see them up close at the dock.  I know these hard working guys provided us some good eatin’ while we’ve been here in the Low Country!

Low Country Boil (Frogmore Stew) at the Steamer Oyster and Steakhouse. . .so great!  Reminded me of a Cajun crawfish boil. . .but I like shrimp so much better!

And of course we always want to pay honor to the hard working men and women who keep us safe. . .thank you so much guys for the jobs you do. . .

Hunting Island State Park | Davis & Strother
Hunting Island State Park, located a short drive from Hilton Head Island just outside Beaufort SC, is South Carolina's most popular state park. The Hunting.
Publish Date: 09/06/2011 12:33
http://www.davisandstrother.com/Blog/?p=1044


Fun Hands-on Learning Activities at Hunting Island State Park ...
Hunting Island hosts the only lighthouse open to the public in South Carolina. Campers can readily see the lighthouse if they take a short walk from the campsites to the beach and peer to the right. Children may think they are ...
Publish Date: 04/16/2010 1:13
http://katrenawells.suite101.com/fun-hands-on-learning-activities-at-hunting-island-state-park-a226218


Nature spots: Hunting Island and the sea
The Hunting Island Lighthouse, though no longer operational, is open for visitors to climb to the top and take in beautiful views of the islands, salt marsh and ocean. It's located on Hunting Island State Park, currently ...
Publish Date: 04/17/2011 11:31
http://nature-spots.blogspot.com/2011/04/hunting-island-and-sea.html

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle.

Connect with us on our FACEBOOK Ready To Go Full Time RVing Page. . .where you’ll meet lots of other RV’ers just like you. . .traveling and enjoying this great adventure.

If you would like to receive our blog updates, just enter your email in the top right corner.