THURSDAY |
TRAVEL DAY |
Leaving Gold Head Branch State Park this morning we experienced more problems with ROVER, specifically the air shocks, again. When we arrived last Thursday I completely forgot about the fact that the shocks did not want to release the 65 pounds of air we put into them to level out the truck when towing THE POD. We went ahead and finished setting up the campsite and then about 20 minutes later the shocks let out the air without any further action from us. It was fine all week so I forgot about it, until we hooked up THE POD again today and put air back into the shocks. It only takes about 10 seconds for the shocks to fill from 10 pounds up to 65 pounds of air, but this morning the pump was running well over a full minute. It maxes out at 100 pounds of pressure and I assumed that is why it eventually stopped. I tried to let out some pressure but once again it wouldn't do it.
While we were still in the campground at the dump station, I called the company up in Michigan to ask them what they could do for my situation. After relaying a few error codes for them that appeared on the remote controller they said they could ship out a new compressor to me, free of charge. I asked how long it should be before I receive it and they said three days, so we located a 4X4 truck accessory company in Ocala who can replace the compressor and had it shipped directly to them, with my name on it. So one day next week I will have to drive the 45 miles into town and wait to have it installed.
The first compressor lasted two months. It was their cheapest entry level compressor they offer but I was told it was up to the task of raising my truck and keeping it level with 700 pounds of tongue weight on the rear of the truck. When it failed they claimed it was due to the excess weight I was carrying in the bed of the truck. So I upgraded to the heavy duty compressor they offer. I was refunded the full price of the first compressor but had to pay for the parts and labor fees (in Virginia) for installing the upgrade because I was unwilling to return to the original installers location (in Miami). This time I will once again have to incur the labor fees for swapping out the compressor because once again I'm unwilling to travel back to Virginia and will now be getting the replacement installed in Ocala.
I thought life on the road was going to be simple and less complicated!
FRIDAY |
WORK DAY FROM THE POD |
Today is a work day for Tricia and since she has Verizon cell phone coverage inside the campground she can work from the comfort of THE POD. However, my AT&T phone has no service, so I drove 17 miles into the town of Palatka. From town I was able to get a phone call out and made an appointment to get the air shock compressor replaced on the truck next week. Also while in town I found an Ace Hardware Store to pick up some needed hardware to finish up a project on ROVER. I will reveal that project when it's done.
Next to the Ace Hardware there was a vendor selling boiled peanuts from a roadside stand. Since they have been on my bucket list of things to taste I bought a small $4 bag of Cajun Flavored and brought them back to the trailer. This new life of ours is all about trying new things and seeing new places. Well I tried the peanuts! Let's just say, they are not my new favorite! I don't like the flavor or the texture and won't be buying them again. Tricia says she can make homemade peanut butter out of them. I'll try that too, but I'm not sure that is going to make any difference to me liking them or not.
Have you tried boiled peanuts and did you like them?
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One other surprise I ran across on my trip to town, I bought gasoline! I know what you're thinking, big deal, you bought gasoline. But I bought gasoline for $1.99 a gallon! We keep track of such mundane things, so we know our previously low gasoline purchase was $2.16 a gallon while in Southern Georgia and our highest price paid was $2.90 in Gatlinburg, TN. Over the last seven months our overall gasoline costs averaged $2.56 a gallon, so $1.99 is a big deal!
SATURDAY |
WORK DAY FROM THE POD |
Tricia spent her day working and I spent mine polishing some new features and the format of this blog. At lunch time I went outside to chat with our neighbor and found out he and his wife live part-time in their 5th wheel trailer and part-time in a duplex they own. When I asked him where home was I found out his duplex is about three miles from the townhouse I owned for 33 years down in Hollywood, FL. Once again, it's a small small world!
SUNDAY |
GROCERY SHOPPING DAY |
Today is all about food! Tricia has a couple hours of work to do this morning and then after lunch we'll get showers and head into town for groceries. There is a Publix Supermarket (our favorite) in the center of Palatka where they sell Tricia's new favorite breakfast item, Publix Premium Greek Yogurt - Vanilla Coconut Mango flavor. Last time at Publix we grabbed a handful of her previous favorite flavor and one of her new favorite flavor got mixed in by accident. Hey, they all look the same to me! I'm not sure how many of these 5.3oz containers we can fit in our small fridge at one time, but I have a feeling today we're going to find out!
We also need to buy groceries for the next week because once again our plans have changed. Instead of moving over three sites to the right here at Rodman Campground tomorrow, we are heading down the road to our next destination where grocery choices are very limited. While groceries may be hard to come by there, cell phone signal is not, hence the reason for the change of plans.
COMING SOON - OUR "RV FRIENDLY" RECIPES
We intend to start sharing our current recipes here in the blog. Around the end of each month we'll post a new one for you to try out, because even if you're not RVing (yet) these recipes make cooking and clean up quick and easy. Hopefully you'll find them delicious too!
You may be wondering what is a "RV FRIENDLY" RECIPE?
Well in our opinion it has to meet several important requirements:
1.) The ingredients can't take up a lot of space in the refrigerator/freezer.
A lot of RVs only have a 7 cubic foot refrigerator or smaller. So items either need to be fresh from the market or preferably from your pantry items.
2.) There can't be a lot of dishes to wash when the meal is over.
Our grey water tank (where the water from our sinks and shower goes) holds less than 40 gallons of water. That may seem like a lot but it fills quickly over 7 to 10 days without dumping.
3.) It can't take all day to cook.
When we aren't hooked up to electricity (which will happen more often when we go out west) we cook with propane and also use it to heat the trailer. Even though THE POD carries 60 lbs. of propane (again that may seem like a lot) we don't want to spend all our time cooking. It's not so much about the cost as it is about the ability to find a place to refill the tanks when we are out in the middle of nowhere.
4.) The recipe should provide at least 4 to 6 servings.
(this last one is not a requirement but it sure helps)
This way we only have to cook once and can eat several meals with just reheating leftovers. It also doesn't hurt if the recipe is at least marginally healthy to eat!
Do you have a "RV FRIENDLY" RECIPE you'd like to share?
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Who will be the first to correctly guess our next location?
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