Adjusting to the demands of the road

June 18, 2011

We are into our 6th day on the road. Thus far we have been pre-occupied with wedding details and unloading the items we brought to distribute amongst the kids. We haven’t time to really consider how the Coachmen is weathering the trip. This will be the big weekend for the family. The rehearsals were Friday and we all had a great dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Today everyone is hyped and anxious about the wedding. We will be getting ready early this morning to head out to see the girls by 11:30 a.m. The ceremony is set for 2:00 p.m. When there are three sisters involved, and one is the bride, time is of the essence as they say.
I sense tomorrow will be the proverbial day of rest for all of us. We have been in high gear since Monday when we left work to start summer vacation. We will seriously take to our chores list starting Monday as we also reconsider our time line for returning. Our original stay here in the Michigan area has been extended by almost 4 weeks. Because we have family members reading our blog, we cannot reveal the reason for our extended stay, but we are excited to stay for the additional time and wouldn’t miss it for the world!!
Between July 5 and July 15, we may get to see Shipshewana, Indiana area during this trip. My brothers have told us about several RV “junk” yards that deal in almost new parts and furniture. Since we have installed the new floor, we will be looking for a new taupe or beige sofa and possibly a television mount as we look to relocate the TV above the entrance door or the window next to it.
Our plans are to head back east by July 26. We will stop at Gettysburg for a few days then turn south to Richmond / Appomattox to see a few more sites.

Tim and Mary
Brighton, Michigan

Will it fit, do we need it?

Today we start the task of stocking the 5er with essentials.  Taking the stuff we have in the house that we have doubles of and placing it in the Coachmen.  We have quite a bit in our plastic tubs and the time has come to sort it, keep it or donate it.  Yard sales are fine and all, but we do not thionk they have as much an attraction here in the Sandhills of North Carolina--unless you live in an old farn house and folks think you may have some undiscovered treasures.
We dropped the Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel at the transmission shop here in Lillington for its evaluation.  The owner seems to know what is up concerning the Dodge 47re automatic transmission and their original short comings with low pressure, weak torque converter and sloppy bands / clutches.
As we are sorting through what is left of our stuff, we wonder what to do with ALL the Christmas decorations.  Will we decorate the 5er during Christmas?  Mary's sister told us about a great park in Charleston, South Carolina where ALL the campers do a light show and everyone from miles around drives through the park.  http://ccprc.com/index.aspx?nid=68  We have plans to go Christmas 2011.  We will have pictures on our web site http://www.blueroadblogger.com/ right after the holidays.

Tim and Mary