I'll take you back to Hallowe'en night for the rest of the story.
We did check out the Cracker Barrel as a kind of reward for surviving a really difficult day. (forgot to mention that the car repairs will hopefully be covered by the original car warranty.)
when we arrived back at the motel, i got karl to check a sore spot on my ear that just wouldn't settle down. a really close look revealed a "bug" embedded in the top part of my ear!!! ugh, yuck!! don't know whether anyone recalls how i feel about bugs, but, i was not impressed! karl, bless his heart, calmed me down and effectively removed the thing from my ear with a pin. phew, but short lived, because we found another on the back of my neck. this one could not be budged! at this point, i started remembering the stories i'd heard about "ticks" picked up in the bush in the north east USA and why you "don't" want one of them to find you.....
So, after 11 p.m. after a long and challenging day, we discovered that the folks from our travel insurance (through OTIP) are wonderful too. they called the local hospital and arranged payment (we hope). all i needed to do was get there - only one cab company and one cab for 2 or 3 local towns, but it worked. everyone at the hospital was great, and 2 hours later, minus the second tick, prescription in hand, i arrived back at the motel, around 1 a.m.
then, just in case, i checked karl for the ticks as well, and guess what i found?? between one more trip to the ER and a taxi driver in high demand, poor karl arrived back about 5 a.m., tick free, but tired! we did manage a few hours sleep. several calls later, after setting up the rental car and a convincing but effective plea to be picked up, we were on the road again!
less than an hour on the road and we received a text from my cousin marcia telling us that she and aunt elaine, coincidentally driving for Roadtrek in the vicinity, had broken down not 10 min drive from where we were! we came, but couldn't do much to help. the van needed to be towed in for service, elaine was arranging that. meanwhile, marcia had a plane to catch tomorrow morning in pittsburgh (on our way). so... marcia hitched a ride with us and we left poor elaine! we left pittsburgh around suppertime
the drama ended at 1:30 am when we arrived home. lots of excitement this trip, phew! but, also lots of fun and new respect for CAA and OTIP!!
just a postscript! while we were trying to come up with a plan, we knew that marcia and elaine would be driving right by where we were. they were willing to take me home, bless their hearts!! it didn't work out because max couldn't ride in the van and karl would then have been left imprisoned in a motel room in princeton for a week, but it was still nice to have an option, thanks guys!
Sunday, 2 November 2014
October 31st, Going out with a bang!
Our day started on a wonderful note. there were new campers from South Carolina who had come to the mountains for Hallowe'en just loving the clean crisp air and hoping to see snow tomorrow! we tried hard to appear enthusiastic but secretly hoped to avoid any of it. little did we know!!!
we lost Max just a few minutes before we were ready to head out and followed the sound of laughter to one of their coaches. max was sitting up on his hind legs (paws up) trying to convince the lady cooking breakfast to "share" with him!
So..... we set out with the intent to get half way home by late afternoon. we stopped at a rest stop a few hours later and noticed a rather large pool of oil under the car .... and a trail of oil that went on and on! Karl checked and the dipstick was dry, but the car had been running fine to that point, no problems and no oil light on!?!?
Thank goodness for CAA, because even out in the middle of nowhere, a tow truck arrived within 40 minutes and towed us, trailer and all, to a Hyundai dealer in Princeton, about 30 min. away.
Happily since we didn't try to drive the car, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. after what felt like hours, the problem turned out to be a lower seal and a pressure switch near the top of the engine. parts need to be ordered and won't arrive until next week tues at the earliest!!! we were told that it will take up to 2 days to do the work, sigh!
long story short, after numerous phone calls, some with frustrating results, the CAA came to our rescue again and set up a car rental for us to go home until the work is done. as pretty as it is in the mountains, we just couldn't handle the idea of sitting in a motel for a week ..... even with a Cracker Barrel restaurant just next door.
So it sounds like our problems were solved, but not quite - come back tomorrow for the "rest of the story"!
we lost Max just a few minutes before we were ready to head out and followed the sound of laughter to one of their coaches. max was sitting up on his hind legs (paws up) trying to convince the lady cooking breakfast to "share" with him!
So..... we set out with the intent to get half way home by late afternoon. we stopped at a rest stop a few hours later and noticed a rather large pool of oil under the car .... and a trail of oil that went on and on! Karl checked and the dipstick was dry, but the car had been running fine to that point, no problems and no oil light on!?!?
Thank goodness for CAA, because even out in the middle of nowhere, a tow truck arrived within 40 minutes and towed us, trailer and all, to a Hyundai dealer in Princeton, about 30 min. away.
Happily since we didn't try to drive the car, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. after what felt like hours, the problem turned out to be a lower seal and a pressure switch near the top of the engine. parts need to be ordered and won't arrive until next week tues at the earliest!!! we were told that it will take up to 2 days to do the work, sigh!
long story short, after numerous phone calls, some with frustrating results, the CAA came to our rescue again and set up a car rental for us to go home until the work is done. as pretty as it is in the mountains, we just couldn't handle the idea of sitting in a motel for a week ..... even with a Cracker Barrel restaurant just next door.
So it sounds like our problems were solved, but not quite - come back tomorrow for the "rest of the story"!
Thursday, 30 October 2014
Fancy Gap, Day 2
Today the plan was to have a lazy day and do zip, zilch, nadda. And it started out that way. When we got up it was 3C outside but our little heater kept us nice and toasty. So the morning was spent reading, writing, yakking, and walking the dog. A very nice break.
In the afternoon we chose to go for a "short" hike on one of the many local mountain trails. Nearby is one called the Devil's Den, a half-mile walk down the mountain on a narrow steep rocky pathway to the den, which is a cliff/cave formation that goes deep into the mountain, and we were warned numerous times to not go in cuz they usually have to call 911 to get people out. So, we found it, and it truly is a marvellous structure!
What they didn't tell us was how steep this trail is! By now dead tired, we had to climb back up the steep rocky mountain path to get out! Some kinda tired when we finally got back! However, beautiful mountain scenery, cliffs, trees in colour, etc. A great afternoon, great weather, and wonderful fresh mountain air at the right hiking temperature.
Tomorrow we hit the road again with the intent of getting home Saturday evening. It'll be nice to sit in the car and recover from the mountaineering adventure!
In the afternoon we chose to go for a "short" hike on one of the many local mountain trails. Nearby is one called the Devil's Den, a half-mile walk down the mountain on a narrow steep rocky pathway to the den, which is a cliff/cave formation that goes deep into the mountain, and we were warned numerous times to not go in cuz they usually have to call 911 to get people out. So, we found it, and it truly is a marvellous structure!
What they didn't tell us was how steep this trail is! By now dead tired, we had to climb back up the steep rocky mountain path to get out! Some kinda tired when we finally got back! However, beautiful mountain scenery, cliffs, trees in colour, etc. A great afternoon, great weather, and wonderful fresh mountain air at the right hiking temperature.
Tomorrow we hit the road again with the intent of getting home Saturday evening. It'll be nice to sit in the car and recover from the mountaineering adventure!
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Fancy Gap, VA
Kinda bittersweet! This morning was beautiful and warm ... we spent some time watching the mist rise off the lake, had a relaxed breakfast, and wandered away from Savannah.
We are taking turns driving again, that way neither one of us ends up exhausted at the end of the day, but, I somehow ended up driving through Charlotte. just like the Washington incident, BUSY city, lots of traffic, ramps, lanes, etc. and as usual, Karl slept through it!
We stopped at a cute rest stop for lunch and feasted on wraps and leftover hamburgers. It really is amazing what you can whip up in the trailer ... even without water and electricity, we still have gas!
As the miles have turned, so have the leaves turned colour. It's fall again here and we reluctantly dug out our sweaters .... sigh!
But, on the "flip side" I just looked up to see mountains covered with coloured leaves. We are 15 min from tonight's campsite - another KOA. Perhaps this will be a good place to hike a bit and check out things close up!
Arriving at the campsite, wow!! It's just a little KOA carved into a mountainside, and the extra-large sites are on numerous levels. Lots of trees, shade, and nature. Incredibly quaint. We've decided to stay here an extra day to do some slumming and maybe a little trail walk. Gotta do it tomorrow cuz the Saturday forecast includes the "s" word.
Gotta go, looking for sweaters, sox, mittens, etc. This sure ain't southern like Savannah!
We are taking turns driving again, that way neither one of us ends up exhausted at the end of the day, but, I somehow ended up driving through Charlotte. just like the Washington incident, BUSY city, lots of traffic, ramps, lanes, etc. and as usual, Karl slept through it!
We stopped at a cute rest stop for lunch and feasted on wraps and leftover hamburgers. It really is amazing what you can whip up in the trailer ... even without water and electricity, we still have gas!
As the miles have turned, so have the leaves turned colour. It's fall again here and we reluctantly dug out our sweaters .... sigh!
But, on the "flip side" I just looked up to see mountains covered with coloured leaves. We are 15 min from tonight's campsite - another KOA. Perhaps this will be a good place to hike a bit and check out things close up!
Arriving at the campsite, wow!! It's just a little KOA carved into a mountainside, and the extra-large sites are on numerous levels. Lots of trees, shade, and nature. Incredibly quaint. We've decided to stay here an extra day to do some slumming and maybe a little trail walk. Gotta do it tomorrow cuz the Saturday forecast includes the "s" word.
Gotta go, looking for sweaters, sox, mittens, etc. This sure ain't southern like Savannah!
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Savannah part 3 - Tybee Island
Our campsite backs onto a little lake. Picture looking out at dawn to see mist rising off the lake and a dozen swans swimming gently around. Wow!
We are more and more in vacation mode by the day! on our last official day in Georgia, it took us til after 9 to load up and wander in the direction of Tybee Island.
The town resembles Grand Bend, but on a larger scale. We would have loved to shop at the souvenir places, but after all, how much "stuff" you fit into one little camper? So, we settled on hitting the beach. Since Tybee Island does not allow pets on the beach, we took turns swimming. There was a covered gazebo about half way along the boardwalk to the beach, so one of us stayed with Max and the other went swimming. Turns out there was an older couple also sitting in the gazebo watching for a US Air force plane to drop several paratroopers into the ocean on a scheduled training flight. We spent some time talking to them. They were really nice, typical Southern people. Told us lots about their lives - ex airforce, both of them with lots of stories.
While Karl was swimming, I saw a dolphin in the water swim within 20 feet of him!! Too bad for me because I had been in the exact spot the dolphin swam not 15 min before!!
We had heard so much about a seafood restaurant, the Crab Shack, so for lunch, we rerouted more than once to try to find it! But boy was it worth the hunt! It was done up like a Tiki Bar, but also had all kinds of other neat signs etc. and a pond (fenced in of course) with dozens of small alligators. There was a sign in the restaurant (open air overlooking the bay) that said "please don't feed your children to the alligators, it makes them sick"
They let us take Max in. He sat under our table and glared at the cats who had free roam of the place.
We asked a German couple at the next table to take our picture. Turned out they were on their way back to Berlin in a few days for their wedding and then planned to leave on a year long world tour, sheesh! He couldn't have been more than 50! Told us they flew into Atlanta a few days ago and were driving a rented corvette convertible. We are rubbing elbows with jet setters, woohoo!!
Well tomorrow we start our journey home. We have definitely loved Georgia. 😍
We are more and more in vacation mode by the day! on our last official day in Georgia, it took us til after 9 to load up and wander in the direction of Tybee Island.
The town resembles Grand Bend, but on a larger scale. We would have loved to shop at the souvenir places, but after all, how much "stuff" you fit into one little camper? So, we settled on hitting the beach. Since Tybee Island does not allow pets on the beach, we took turns swimming. There was a covered gazebo about half way along the boardwalk to the beach, so one of us stayed with Max and the other went swimming. Turns out there was an older couple also sitting in the gazebo watching for a US Air force plane to drop several paratroopers into the ocean on a scheduled training flight. We spent some time talking to them. They were really nice, typical Southern people. Told us lots about their lives - ex airforce, both of them with lots of stories.
While Karl was swimming, I saw a dolphin in the water swim within 20 feet of him!! Too bad for me because I had been in the exact spot the dolphin swam not 15 min before!!
We had heard so much about a seafood restaurant, the Crab Shack, so for lunch, we rerouted more than once to try to find it! But boy was it worth the hunt! It was done up like a Tiki Bar, but also had all kinds of other neat signs etc. and a pond (fenced in of course) with dozens of small alligators. There was a sign in the restaurant (open air overlooking the bay) that said "please don't feed your children to the alligators, it makes them sick"
They let us take Max in. He sat under our table and glared at the cats who had free roam of the place.
We asked a German couple at the next table to take our picture. Turned out they were on their way back to Berlin in a few days for their wedding and then planned to leave on a year long world tour, sheesh! He couldn't have been more than 50! Told us they flew into Atlanta a few days ago and were driving a rented corvette convertible. We are rubbing elbows with jet setters, woohoo!!
Well tomorrow we start our journey home. We have definitely loved Georgia. 😍
Monday, 27 October 2014
Savannah, part 2 -checking it out!
Wow!! Another hot day, full sun, 85F. Woo-hoo!!
After breakfast we headed into Savannah to see the town. Discovered that city tour busses are big business here, so we decided to take a 90-minute bus tour thru the old, historic part of town. Wow, there's a lot of history here. You could easily spend a month here and still not see it all. beautiful old buildings and a story inside each one. The downtown core is the historic area, very much comparable to a mini version of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Then a little walking tour. There are two touristy market-type streets, one called "Market Street" (imagine that!), the other down by the docks, with the souvenirs, snacks, restaurants, etc. Watched a huge ocean freighter steaming up the river while we were at the dock. Treated ourselves to an ice cream cone which Max loved.
Got 'home' around 5 pm totally exhausted and dehydrated. Nice cuppa tea by our pond, watching the 22+ swans that live here, then a marvellous fish dinner (cod) in the trailer.
If you don't yet have Savannah on your bucket list, I suggest you put it there!
After breakfast we headed into Savannah to see the town. Discovered that city tour busses are big business here, so we decided to take a 90-minute bus tour thru the old, historic part of town. Wow, there's a lot of history here. You could easily spend a month here and still not see it all. beautiful old buildings and a story inside each one. The downtown core is the historic area, very much comparable to a mini version of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Then a little walking tour. There are two touristy market-type streets, one called "Market Street" (imagine that!), the other down by the docks, with the souvenirs, snacks, restaurants, etc. Watched a huge ocean freighter steaming up the river while we were at the dock. Treated ourselves to an ice cream cone which Max loved.
Got 'home' around 5 pm totally exhausted and dehydrated. Nice cuppa tea by our pond, watching the 22+ swans that live here, then a marvellous fish dinner (cod) in the trailer.
If you don't yet have Savannah on your bucket list, I suggest you put it there!
Sunday, 26 October 2014
Savannah GA
We're back on the road! Myrtle Beach was a great place to visit and definitely one we would like to come back to! Love the KOA park, very family oriented; a large pillow like trampoline, a little amphitheatre for a magic act and several playgrounds, PLUS a river and tons of trees!
Today Suzie (GPS) is taking us on a back roads tour of South Carolina. We are actually passing cotton fields and thinking of the history attached to them - before the civil war. So many churches and all of them seem busy - this is after all, the bible belt!
We made it it Tybee Island -finally and went to check out River's End Campground - happily we had not paid in advance, it looked like a parking lot with a Rec hall.
Our plan B was another KOA campground in Savanah, which turned out to be beautiful! We had a quick glimpse of Savanah on our way to the KOA, this is definitely a place we want to check out!
So..... we went to the Savannah South KOA, and got site #12 ... it's right beside the water - a gorgeous little lake with bush all around, swans, ducks and oh, a few alligators, so "no" swimming allowed!! Oh well, they have a pool and we are so close to the ocean, we will find a way to swim!
Today was a totally sunny day with temps up to 85F. Woo-hoo!! So nice and warm, it feels like we turned the clock back to July!
A spaghetti supper, a nice walk around the park and another day is gone. Nite all!
Today Suzie (GPS) is taking us on a back roads tour of South Carolina. We are actually passing cotton fields and thinking of the history attached to them - before the civil war. So many churches and all of them seem busy - this is after all, the bible belt!
We made it it Tybee Island -finally and went to check out River's End Campground - happily we had not paid in advance, it looked like a parking lot with a Rec hall.
Our plan B was another KOA campground in Savanah, which turned out to be beautiful! We had a quick glimpse of Savanah on our way to the KOA, this is definitely a place we want to check out!
So..... we went to the Savannah South KOA, and got site #12 ... it's right beside the water - a gorgeous little lake with bush all around, swans, ducks and oh, a few alligators, so "no" swimming allowed!! Oh well, they have a pool and we are so close to the ocean, we will find a way to swim!
Today was a totally sunny day with temps up to 85F. Woo-hoo!! So nice and warm, it feels like we turned the clock back to July!
A spaghetti supper, a nice walk around the park and another day is gone. Nite all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)