Wednesday in Knoxville

Wednesday

Well I had a pretty good nights sleep.  The room is next to the laundry and the first night an exhaust fan ran all night long.  Last night the front desk guy turned it off for me, much quieter.  The WiFi quit working in the room and I have to go to the small front office to use it, but I do get to meet people that way.  There is a pool here and most of the folks are in late and gone early.  The rest are working on construction projects.  The medical center, Walmart, and Home Depot are just up the road from me.  Lots of places to eat or buy groceries.  I try to eat only one meal a day out and sometimes not even that since I have a M/W.
I am at Freightliner again as I write this.  The drivers lounge is full and since there is a separate lounge for RVers I am in here alone today.  The big hold up is getting the MH into the shop and getting an estimate to the warranty company.  I think I have an appointment for tomorrow and someone told me the service manager is back from training tomorrow and that should help move things along.  this is a busy, busy place.  I am here today trying to find my UPS package that was delivered at 10:00pm but they have not located it yet.  Finally found my Prescription package in parts.

Here is where the MH sits

Trucks awaiting service

More trucks

Another RV waiting service

My lonely RV

Part of the aging process

Its another hot day here but not as bad as yesterday.

Here are a few pictures of the motel

Even have a pool

I hung around the motel most of the afternoon and went down and wondered around Home Depot for awhile.  No purchases.

I heard from Freightliner and they said they looked at the MH today and are waiting for approval from the warranty company.  Hopefully they can order the part tomorrow, two days to get that here and then a day to put it in.  I will drive over tomorrow and see whats up.

I got some maps and info of what to do in the area since it looks like I will be here over the weekend.

Thats about it for tonight.  Thanks for checking in.

Freightliner of Knoxville

Tuesday

Well yesterday we got towed in to here and then the fun started.  They can not look at it right away and I know what part is broken and even called and got them the part number.  But I know they have to present the labor and parts estimate to the warranty company to get the approval to proceed.  In fairness there are a lot of trucks here waiting for service and that is their main business.  So I am sitting in the drivers lodge with good WiFi and using the free washers to do my laundry.  They have made contact with the warranty company so know what needs to be done.

Back to yesterday.  We got here and wrote up the problems.  Then I called Enterprise to come and pick me up.  I had used the national number to make a reservation.  There are multible offices here and they made my reservation at an office that can not come here to pick me up.  Long story short we took a 28 dollar cab ride to get the car.  They were nice and gave me an upgrade, also told me I could drop the car off where they would give me a ride back to the repair shop.

Then I took Bonnie to the airport to catch an 805P flight, she did not want me to wait.  So back to the motorhome and got some clothes and then called about a motel.  It took me many calls and google searches to find an affordable one with a refrigerator.  About then Elizabeth called and said Bonnie's flight had been cancelled and she needed picked up.  So I found a motel and headed the 20 some miles back to the airport.  Picked up Bonnie with her dead cellphone and back to the MH again to empty the refrigerator into the ice chests.  Now remember it is still 100 degrees out.

Then we headed to the motel.  It is modest but the AC worked well and Bonnie did a bed bug check that passed.  We turned down the temp in the refrigerator as it was warm and it cooled down.  I did go to the gas station and got a couple bags of ice for the night.  We slept well as were were both dead tired.

Then we headed to the airport again.  This time Bonnie's flight was on time and she should be in Charlotte as I write this.  I headed back to the MH got my dirty clothes and some other items I needed and then to the drivers lounge at the shop.  Its comfortable and the washer and dryers are free.  I am just finishing up the wash at about 3 so will pack up here and head to the motel.  Still no word on when the MH will be fixed.

Good news Bonnie landed in Buffalo and Elizabeth is there to pick her up and her dead cell phone had enough to allow her to call  Elizabeth!  Guess what when they got to the house they found her cousins there to visit and where do they live, you guessed it Tennessee, how about that.

I decided after oatmeal for breakfast and a ham sandwich for lunch with some cottage cheese I would have some BBQ.  So I went to a local favorite called Calhoun's

Its down on the Tennessee River behind a dam that forms a lake.  This was the view from the table.

People throw bread over the rail from the deck and the Carp and Ducks eat it

Thats all Carp in the center

Here are some shots from below the dam that produces electric as part of the TVA project.  Lots of fishing going on, brings back memories of Arkansas.

Not much water running so the boats are in close

Another view

Lots of transformers, I was surprised they let you get so close

Well its after 10 so I am going to turn in for the night.
Thanks for checking in.

Hanging out in LaFollette, TN

Sunday

We had a pretty good night to sleep.  It cooled off some still a bit humid.  Traffic noise died down after midnight except for the occasional train with super loud horn that they blow all the way through town.  Its now 88 out and after lunch we will walk over to the movies and cool down there during the heat of the afternoon.
Only two choices for the movie Cars2 or Transformers, we saw Cars2.  I enjoyed it and even stayed awake the whole time.  The MH was 101 when we got back, not bad as it is 95 outside and we are parked on blacktop.  We will go out and eat tonight I think and then the sun will be down behind the hill at 8 and then it starts to cool down some.  No pictures today as the internet connection on my phone is very slow.  Hopefully we will be in Knoxville tomorrow and know more.

Monday

A very hot night.  We closed up the MH ran the AC for about an hour and then tried to sleep as best we could.  I moved the MH out of the Eye Clinic's lot since it is small and they open this morning.  So we are behind the bank now next to a tree that will shade us some in the late afternoon if we are still here.  It is to be 95 today so I hope they can get us soon.  I plan to call soon if I do not hear from them. I gave them a call and the girl was on the phone working on our transports.
Right at noon the tow truck showed up they decided we would be to tall on a lowboy, wish they had done that on Saturday.  The truck came rom Chattanooga over 3 hours away.  The driver went right to work.

The stinger goes under the front axle and livts the front wheels

First he put it on the blocks and then he could lift it

Hooked up and just about ready to go, he moved the truck forward a little

Bonnie took it all in stride

There was only room in the truck for one passenger so I had to walk or ride in the MH.  He said there was no law against it.

My view going down the hiway

And then we finally arrived.

A welcome sight

We were quite a long rig all hooked together.

There is a lot more to Mondays story but I will save that for Tuesdays Post.
Thanks for checking in.

Crossville, TN Part II and visit with family

Thursday

We were able to visit 4 properties this morning and then around 1pm we headed to Manchester, TN to meet our Son and his family, we really were wanting to see them and visit with them.  So we each drove about the same distance and met at a state park.  Here are a few of the pictures.

Bonnie went straight for Reagan

Gracie, Bonnie, Reagan, and me

We took a walk on the loop trail with the kids and visited

The wind broke off this huge tree recently

Gracie

Reagan Happy to be on the loose

Then we found a nice simple German restaraunt and ordered a sampler plate of food that more than filled us up and it was really good.  We both headed for our houses then and made it home just about dark.  A long good day.  Some of our neighbors were out and so we visited with them and their dogs for a few minutes and then in for the night.  Now its time for some sleep.

Friday

Not much to say about today, this was our last day here and we looked at a few more houses and then talked a little bit about the area and the process of buying a house here.  We found some really nice houses but I would say not the perfect house.
I started to get the MH ready for the trip north tomorrow.  Tanks are dumped and unhooked.  We will not hurry in the morning but we hope to be on the road before 9.

Saturday

Well I picked up a tick in our travels,  Bonnie did a good job of removing it this morning.  So it looks like it is time to pull out and head north.
We pulled out at 8:50 central time.  We headed East on I-40 and then north up TN62 to miss going to Knoxville.  Then jumped on I75.  Then we ran into a traffic backup that turned out to be a blessing.  We got off the interstate and let the GPS route a detour for us.  Well lots of cars were doing that and at the next exit the Interstate was closed.  The MH started to drive different and we thought it was the road.  I did pull into a church lot and looked things over but everything looked ok.  We got back onto the road and made it to LaFollette, TN.  Bonnie wanted some Mexican for lunch so we pulled in and parked out of the way at the Eye Center to the rear of the restaurant.  Now it looks like we will be sitting here until Monday.  Our roadside service can not find a lowboy that is able to tow us.  They exist but everything seems to be closed until Monday, so here we sit.  So far we have run the generator and are keeping cool, not sure about tonight.  The roadside assistance called the police and let them know we would be staying here and I checked also and it seems to be ok and safe.  So we will have a good story to tell when we get home.  At least there is a shopping center here and we have food and water.  It just will be hot tomorrow.
Here are a few pictures of where we are and our problem.

This is the good side nice and centered

The bad side is shifted to the rear

I took some pictures of the trailing arms and it shows the crack, you might have to zoom in to see it, its about 1/2 inch.

Its just left and below of center

Stuck here until Monday

Small shopping Center

So thats about it for today it is hot and we can not run the generator all the time so hope it cools off when the sun goes down.

Thanks for checking in.

Crossville, TN

Monday July 4th


We are currently in Bluff City, TN but will be leaving around noon for Crossville, TN.  This is where we stayed Sunday night.

Our site close but level, clean, and friendly folks

The showers and office building

On the way out this morning

We finished up the laundry this morning and went to the office to register and pay, we even got late check out which was normally 11am.  We actually pulled out just before noon.  We had a nice trip until we left Knoxville.  Big really big gust of wind I thought it was going to blow me off the road.  We could see the rain coming from straight ahead.  Boy did it rain for about 15 or 20 miles.  The speed limit is 70 here and all the traffic was going about 25.  The nice thing about heading west is you are driving into the storm not with it so it ended as quick as it started.  We pulled in to Homeless Hill at the Gardens RV Community around 2:15 Crossville time.  Its a little humid today but not too bad.  I started hooking up and called the realtor here in the Gardens.  He said come down to the the office in a while and we can register.  We went dow and talked to him and he gave us the tour today which gives us two free nights here.  We toured the community and saw his house and the one next door that is for sale.  I have liked what I saw but Bonnie is not sold on the concept of the community.  I also am not sure about the value of what you get here.  This project started as modular houses with a RV garage attached to them.  It is now luxury houses with an RV garage attached to them.  Tomorrow we will see some of the area and we get our rental car in the afternoon.  Thats about it from here for today.

Tuesday
I was up by 6am this morning but we are an hour early here.  After breakfast we met Joyce our realtor that is going to show us around the area.  We were able to look at four houses in the Lake Tansi area  today but I am pretty sure none of them are keepers.  We had a nice lunch at the golf clubhouse of the one area called Lake Tanzi.  Then around two oclock we picked up our rental car and made a stop at WalMart on our way back to the  MH.  I am ready for a quick map.  Then we have the packet of 14 or so homes that we are to tour tomorrow.  Here is where we are staying.

Homeless Hill

Our setup and Rental

I laid down for a quick nap and heard it start to rain.  I figured I better see if a storm was coming.  By the time I got to the front of the coach I saw the wind catch the awning and take it skyward.  Luckily it did not bend and Bonnie and I went out in the now pouring rain and got it rolled up and stowed.  As quick as storms come in I guess we should do that when we leave for a few hours.

We worked on the printouts for the houses we are going to see tomorrow and then went out for dinner.  I checked the reviews and we ended up at China One.  It was so so not a lot of real good flavor.  Then we took a ride to the county line going north on route 127.  It was dark by the time we got back to the MH and now are heading to bed as we will start looking at homes at 9am mostly in the Fair Field Glades area.

Picked up my Tennessee Volunteer hat today.

Wednesday

We were up this morning and at the realtors office by 9am.  We spent the day looking at about a dozen different properties in Fairfield Glade.  Of that there was one that interested us, but we also found out that we do not care that much about finding a house in that community.  The lakes are small and the prices on the water are really high for what you get.  We looked at one property out in the county and found that you get a lot more value there.
I guess the highlight of the day was lunch at a place called Lefties, BBQ.  It was really good and its a place we will go back to.  The afternoon brought a few thunderstorms and as I right this another just went past the MH.
So tomorrow we are looking at properties out in the county in the morning.  Then we are heading for Manchester, TN and meeting my son and his family to spend the afternoon together, they live in Huntsville and this is about halfway between us.
Looking at houses is hard work and I am ready to get some rest so I will post this and relax a little before bed.

The dock at the house we liked

The view out toward the main lake

View toward the end of the inlet

Thanks for checking in.

Ready to Volunteer at Creation Fest NE-updated Friday

Monday
Up this morning and packing the last few things into the MH for the trip.  We want to pull out around noon.  Dish washer is running and we are tying up the loose ends we can think of.  I have backed up the compute and hopefully packed all the cords and chargers we may need.
One last check, oops almost forgot Bonnie's clothes still in the bedroom (note to self put all the totes in one area).  Time to pack up the computer put the bedroom slide in and fire up the diesel.
We pulled out of the driveway right after noon and I forgot to shut the engine doors but Elizabeth got my attention while still in the driveway and we fixed that.  Then we got on the old 17 in Salamanca and that is a bone jarring ride.  It jarred the screws out of the door that covers the fuel tank and that started flapping in the breeze.  I pulled into an ATV shop and they gave me a couple screws and a screw gun and we were back on the road in 20 minutes.

Just finishing up the repair

  The rest of the trip was uneventful, except we pulled into a Sheetz and they did not have diesel.  But we found a station nearby and filled up 3.99 here in PA.
Arriving at Creation Fest we were sent to our site and assigned a nice level lot.  I had to go to the staff tent and register and then we finally ate after dark.

Not much of a back up and this is just staff

The campground gets quiet at midnight and I had a pretty good nights sleeps.  I am having problems uploading Pictures.  I finally got the system to let me upload pictures.

Tuesday
Woke up to the sound of rain this morning, just a gentle rain.  Breakfast is underway and then we turn the generator off for most of the day  Well it turned into a very hot and humid day.  No events were planned for today so everyone got their wrist bands and then we took it easy.  I worked one of my shifts keeping traffic moving where everyone turns off the highway from 4pm until 10pm.

This was my crew and our shelter

Here are just a few of the campers ready to turn off the highway

We enjoyed the sunset

Then came back and the campground quieted down around 1230 and it cooled off enough to sleep pretty well.

Wednesday
Got up this morning and after breakfast and a bit of relaxing I went on shift again with traffic control.  Again lots and lots of cars.  The once empty fields are filling up fast.  I got off at 4pm and tried to upload pictures again but no luck.  The girls are all in the arena and the bands have starting to play.  Its a ways a way and I can pretty much hear every thing they are saying.  I will post this just to update, so glad I got the pictures to update.  I will try to update more often this week and next.

Thursday
I slept good last night nice and cool and quiet since we could shut the windows.  The folks here are pretty well behaved, I think they are tired by the end of the day also.  Music started at 9am this morning but not as loud as last night.  My shift today starts at 7pm and is a roving patrol.  My shift went well and the groups were fun to listen to.  I was a long way off and it was still loud.  We had a few lost teens and children but by 11:30pm all had been reunited with their family.  Its been hard to connect to the internet but I will keep trying.  Here are a few pictures from today (I hope).

This was the girls view in the afternoon

You can see about half the people in this shot plus the woods are full under the trees

This was my view from the area I patrolled

The girls headed over in the afternoon.

Friday

When technology lets us down it is hard to keep up.  The sheer amount of people here is overwhelming the cell phone systems.  The companies brought in COWs (Cell on Wheels) but even so over 60,000 users swamp the system.  But I will do my best.  I have taken it easy today and will be in the arena again tonight from 730-1130 to watch and report.  This certainly has been an experience.  The weather has been great.  Its was a bit humid the first day but thats it.  Tomorrow is to be in the 90s so that may be a little much, but we can pretty much staying the shade and my volunteer duty ends tonight.  the nights have been cool so we are able to sleep well.  Now if the water in the MH holds out and the holding tanks don't fill we will be in good shape.
The Skillet concert ended well after 11 and we still had about 6 people missing, but by 1145 everyone was reunited and we were off duty for the night.  Again a cool night and we slept good.

Saturday
I was able to sleep in until 9 this morning and it was still quiet in the campground.  Today is the last day of Creation 2011 here in Shirleysburg, PA.  Not many pictures because its all mostly people, tents and campers.  The weather has been dry and it is now very dusty with so many people walking around.  We have enjoyed our time here and tomorrow we will head southwest for Tennessee.
Once the tent dried we took it down and then it really got hot.  It was up to 91 in the shade and of course very humid.  I played an Amish game with Alexus and then read some.  Then we all started a game of Trivial Pursuit.  Then it started to sprinkle and the then a downpour.  We stayed dry and it did not last long.  Elizabeth decided it was too wet to stay for the concert and so left for home around 6, its about 5 and a half hours.  We had supper and Bonnie decided to take one last walk around the grounds.  Oh we ran low on water today so we carried 5 or 6 gallon and dumped into the tank for the trip tomorrow and have been conserving most of the day since then.  It is starting to cool down so we should be able to sleep well tonight after a quick shower.

Liz cooking lunch

Part of the Extreme games area they had a climbing wall also

Chill-in after lunch

Sunday
The girls made it home safe last night so we slept better after hearing from them.  Around midnight the festival was closed with fireworks that we were able to sit under our awning and had a perfect view.  Enough of the campsites around us cleared out by 9:15 this morning and we were then able to back out and head down the road.  We cut across the mountain and some pretty narrow roads to connect to I 81.  We made a brief stop at a Food Lion to resupply.

Resupply

Then we were on I81 and headed for the Cracker Barrel near Christianburg, VA.  We had plans to meet our long time friends Frank and Shirley.  Frank and I met when we first were in the Navy and Basic Electronics School.  We have kept in touch over the years and now hope to be able to RV some together.  We met them around 4:30 and had dinner and it was like we had seen them last week instead of several years ago.

Frank, Shirley and Bonnie

Frank and I

After Dinner we high tailed it for Bluff City, TN and the Lake View RV Park.  We arrived around 8:45 and had to hurry to get hooked up before dark.  While I hooked up Bonnie did some wash.  At 9:40 there was a nice fireworks display down by the lake put on by the campground.  I belong to Passport America for discount camping and this full hook up site was on $19.00 on the night before the 4th of July, you can not beat that.  We are just a mile or so from the Bristol Motor Speedway and this campground was build for the race weekends.  It is really nice and it is very clean.
Tomorrow   its already the 4th.  Happy birthday America.

Thanks for checking in.