Hello From Montgomery, Alabama!

 

Here we are, on Halloween, getting ready to pull out.  We had a late start since check in at our next place wasn’t until 3.  So it was about a quarter to 11 when we pulled out.  

For the first 20 or so miles, it was all backroads through Georgia.  Have you ever driven the back roads of Georgia?

It was gorgeous!  Well, except the little towns with little roads that we had to go through!

We saw so many vultures too! They were everywhere!  As was a lot of road kill.  It didn’t matter where the road kill was, the vultures were there.

Before going into Alabama, there was a huge KIA factory.

The factory is huge!

This is our welcome to Alabama sign!  Now, it’s time to move the clocks back one hour.  Lord help me.  

Here is our set up until Thursday.  We didn’t have any mishaps and we had a smooth ride some of the way.  The weather is nice, low 70’s, and down to the mid 50’s at night.  This park, The Backyard RV Resort is huge with 105 sites, huge lots with lots of grass for pups.  We are going exploring tomorrow, maybe even eat dinner out!

New Pair of Shoes! A Continuation Of China Bombs!

 

Here is another photo of our blow out.  I am still in disbelief of how bad these tires really are.  They should be outlawed in the great US of A!

Right now I have such a great relief of our upcoming travels, and that relief comes by in the name of A Plus Commercial Tire Service.  (Jackson, Georgia).

I honestly didn’t think that there were companies out there that do what these guys do.  We are full timers in our fifth wheel.  How big of a problem will it be to get the cats in their carriers, pack up our house, slides in, to travel to a shop the get new tires put on?  Just typing those words give me anxiety! 😂. Low and behold, this company comes out with every tool that they need to lift up each tire an inch, take off the tire and rim, take tire off of rim, put new tire on rim, then put back on trailer axle.  Slides are still out, and I was continuing to do laundry!

These guys are awesome!  Tony! Tone! Leo! And the main guy - Noel.  Noel is training his brothers to take over the business.  Changing 5 tires, 4 of them on a fifth wheel, gave them great training.  We are so glad to be able to help Noel!  😂

The guys didn’t need all that much direction from Noel.  When Noel saw someone doing a job, and he knew a faster way, he would step up and show them the way….

Take a look at this.  Notice when Noel steps up to show how better to get the tire on the rim, he is talking on the phone, and he does the job one handed.  This guy has a whole lot of experience.  And the best part?  He is funny as hell! 

So, we have all new tires on our home!  You know, I could carry a china bomb without any problem.  They are so light weight.  The new ones are called Uniroyal, MADE IN THE USA!  I could not even lift one!  And I’m strong! 😂  

Brenda, the owner, drove up in her cart to drop something off at her home.  Look who is waiting for her. 😁  Tully met this huge dog yesterday morning and I can’t remember his name.  He is the greeter to everyone and very sweet.  145 pounds!  He was watching the going ons at our place!

Our 3 Hour Trip Took 8 Hours Yesterday!

 

Here we are, getting ready to pull out of Barnyard RV Park.  We were walking around the trailer like we normally do, checking to make sure all the lights work, all the doors are locked, and etc.  While we were in front of the tires, I said to Road Hog that when we arrive at our next camp site, to please check the tires.  I have never liked our ‘China Bombs’ which are made in China.  I have heard so many horror stories with these tires.  The brand name is Westlake.  

God Bless America!

We were about 1 1/2 hours from our destination, when Road Hog told me to look in the rear view mirror.  I did, and I saw nothing but black and blue smoke following us!  We immediately got over to the side of the road and stopped.  Well looky here! We had a blow out!  I’m not sure when this happened, because for one, pulling with a dually, we didn’t even noticed that we had a blow out.  We also didn’t have any damage to the side panel of the fifth wheel.  I immediately called triple A.  We have Texas triple A, with RV.  (One of the best things we have done!)  We have been triple A members for 27 years!

Yes, we waited. Thank goodness it wasn’t raining, and thank goodness it wasn’t 100 degrees!  We were in the low 70’s, and the truck was mostly in the shade.  We also had plenty of water, and thank goodness for fifth wheel bathrooms!  

Two triple A guys showed up. We were standing there talking, looking at the flat tire, and I looked at the big guy and asked him if he worked on a flat tire on a fifth wheel before.  He says, “Ma’am, this isn’t my first day on the job, but it is my first fifth wheel.”  I looked at the smaller guy and he says “Same.”

Oh oh.  Are we in trouble or what?  What these guys had was muscles, and our fifth wheel manual, and, most of all, my nerd of a hubby, Road Hog.  With some help from above, we’ve got this!

Just look at that tire!  Yes, we had a spare.  A full size spare at that.

A lot of the tire was wrapped around the axle.  That took a lot of muscle to get off.

It took from 11 a.m. until about 5 pm to get back on the road.  We were so appreciative of these guys, willing to work, and learn at the same time. I just don’t see that a whole lot these days.

The best thing?  These guys were so proud of the work that they did!  I know the photo above is had to make out, but they are showing us their muscles. 😂  They left with a good size tip, and a tool the Road Hog has been carrying around the last year and has never used!  😁  How lucky were we?!  

We finally arrived at Forest Glen Estates, Jackson, Georgia.  We were set up by a little after 7 pm. What a long day!

Today, we contacted a tire repair shop recommended by the park, and we are buying 5 new tires, (including spare), and they are on their way out here to take the old tires, put the new ones on our rims, and put them on our trailer.  (Not Westlakes!)  We also have TMS, (tire monitoring system) that we will add to the new tires.  We have contacted Vanleigh to let them know that we had a blow out on a tire with less then 3,000 miles on it.  

We were so lucky that nobody was hurt.  We are thankful for our dually ford, our home and our animals.  We live life on the road, with a couple of bumps thrown in.  Isn’t life exciting?! 😂

On To Forest Glen Estates Tomorrow!

 

Today is our last day here at Barnyard RV Park.  We went in to Columbia this morning to do some shopping at Camping World to pick up some things we couldn’t live without.  Thank goodness we didn’t have to drive right to the middle of the city.  Look how big that city is!

We have been taking Tully on her walky walks and she was able to see some geese and ducks.  This park is pretty big with 129 sites, but you sure can’t tell it is that big.  There are a lot of full timers, but they have an area for short timers, pull through camps with lots of room for a big rig and truck.  Each site has a picnic table and patio.

It got up to 77 degrees, which is nice since there is always a cool breeze coming through.

Tomorrow we are on our way to Forest Glen Estates in Jackson, GA.

Then on Monday, Oct 31, we will be traveling to Montgomery, AL.

We have been on the road for 16 months!  Is it time to find some land and settle down?  We’ve been talking about it, but we haven’t settled on ‘where’.  We have been checking out real estate as we travel, but no hits yet.  16 months really isn’t all that long.  We have a lot more to see!

Made It To Lexington, South Carolina!

 

We left Mebane around 9:30.  And yet another beautiful day for traveling.

The freeway wasn’t at all busy until we passed through Charlotte.  What a huge city!

I think it would have been worse if we had to drive through it instead of beside it.  Still, traffic had a lot of stupid drivers!  Where in the heck is everyone going?

We see this store everywhere!  Somehow I don’t think it’s a religious store.

Welcome to South Carolina!  I’m already missing the Phan’s!  (Hi Ang, Ly, and Murphy!)  We had such a great time with them and we miss them lots!

South Carolina is sure pretty!

Tully and Road Hog relaxing!

We are staying here at Barnyard RV Park here in Lexington.  It is gorgeous here.  It was about 77 degrees, and low 40’s tonight.  Perfect.  Anything is better than the rain coming down in the PNW!

It was a champagne evening here, with a little chambord added.  After that drive, alcohol was surly needed.  I tell ya, the roads meeting the bridges have a lot to be desired!  I’m surprised we didn’t blow a tire!  Why can’t it be a smooth transition? I know it can be done…come on DOT…fix the roads!!

Shout Out to Dianna Deaver!

 

We recently got word that our niece, Dianna, had surgery to implant a defibrillator.  She has two kids, a very cute daughter named Desi, and a son, Michael, who was born February of this year.

Dianna, I don’t have an updated photo of you. I thought just putting Dwayne, Desi and Michael out here on my blog will show you just how strong this family is.  I have seen you work at being a mom, and you should be so proud of all of your accomplishments.  The support that you receive from Dwayne and Terri, and your siblings should tell you just how much you are loved!  Now add all of your aunts, uncles and cousins to that list!  You are such a strong woman, and all of our love is coming from all over!  If you need anything, please do not hesitate to contact us!  That goes for your dad and mom too!  We love you so much!

Too Busy To Blog!

 

We have been so busy!  On Wednesday, we met Ang at Duke College.  Duke has 55 acres called Sarah P. Duke Gardens…5 miles of allees, walks and pathways.

It was such a beautiful day to walk through all the different gardens, and check out all the different trees.

It took us a couple of hours, and we were planning out what Angela and Ly need to plant in their backyard.

The trees were magnificent!!  

We got there pretty early, so there wasn’t a whole lot of people there.  Even so, the place is huge so everyone was doing their own tour.

One of the trees that Ang needs to plant is the magnolia tree.  I didn’t realize that there are so many different types of magnolia trees!  That is the trunk of one in the above photo.

And here is the tree itself.  Beautiful!  I bet they are even more beautiful when they are in bloom!

The gardens also had a huge koi pond.  Huge koi!!

Most of the different plants and trees were marked as to what they were, and what states that they could be found in.

There were so many places to sit, and you can tell that a whole lot of work was put into these gardens.  In fact, we passed a lot of workers taking care of the plants, and raking leaves, transplanting, and probably moving a whole lot of plants inside before freezing weather.

Another thing that the garden has are bird houses, owl houses, and even places for the mason bees!

Here is Ang and Road Hog.

Us three!  The sun must have been in Angela’s eyes! 😎

Ang and Road Hog walking on water.

Today, we met Ang at a garden center and plant nursery.  They have a field with cute goats and a handful of peeps.  

Aww, is this a fuzzy heart, a fuzzy butt, or a chicken butt?  How cute are these peeps? 

Ang and I bought a lot of plants and containers. Yes, I have plants in my trailer.  Freshens the air.   We do have one cat, Lucy, who loves my plants, so I am always thinking of ways to discourage her.  She can be sneaky. She has met her match!

We are leaving Monday! I wish I could stay longer!  We have really enjoyed our time with Ang, Ly and Murphy!