Typical Travel Day

We like to get moving before 8:00 A.M. and we able to do so today.  We got up and at 'em by about 6:30 and ate some cereal and oatmeal for breakfast.  I had to unhook the power, wind up the hoses and retract the awnings over the windows.

To leave fairly quickly, I usually pack up most of our things a day or two in advance.  On Saturday I repacked the golf clubs, folded and cleaned the lawn chairs, cleaned the side tables and Pam cleaned the grill.  On Sunday, I emptied the tanks, unhooked the sewer hose and accordion stand and packed them away in the basement.  I unhooked the extra hoses and wound those up and stowed them too.

I also took down the flag and disassembled the flagpole and stand, and took down our "Another Day in Paradise" sign.  I packed them away along with the extra bucket and tray and clothes line we keep folded up.

So this morning I only had to turn off the water, while Pam brought in the the slides and raised the jacks.  I collected the plastic pads and stowed them.   Once the HWH buttons read 'green' we were ready to pull out and hook up the car.  That took about 10 minutes.  We checked the turn signals and brakes and rolled out at 7:29 A.M.

We were leaving Virginia Beach (Ocean Pines Campground at Oceana NAS) heading for Maynardville Tennessee.  My trusty iPhone tells me that is about a 10 hour drive of 535 miles.  Add the need to stop a few times to stretch the legs and to fill up with diesel--and it would be a very long day.

So we decided to make it into a couple of easy days.  We left Virginia Beach for an overnight stop in Greensboro, N.C.  My iPhone says it is about a 5 hour drive and 253 miles.  Sounded like a better way to do it, so we did.

We stopped for diesel at Suffolk, VA.  We found diesel at $3.84/gallon.  I had let the tank get near 1/4 and got the 'Low Fuel' sign on the dash.  Not good.  I have done that once or twice before.  I said, "Never Again!" but this time I mean it.  I know it is not too smart to let it get that low and I hate the stress, so…"Never Again!".

We went to a BP station that was fairly easy to get into.  We ran into gas pump problems.  They were VERY slow.  Three of us in the big truck section were pumping at a trickle.  One guy had been there before and said we all needed to turn off the pumps, go in and tell the clerk and then start pumping again.  Sure enough, somehow the pumps 'reset' and it was filling like it was supposed to.

Our tank holds 150 gallons and we put in 116.  It was a $445 bill but we have paid more for less last summer.  We continued on and stopped across the North Carolina border for a few minutes.  Pam drove a couple hours.  Lunch time came, so I fixed sandwiches while she drove.   And we changed again and arrived at Greensboro Campground about 1:30 P.M.  It is a nice summer day and the pool was very inviting.

After we got set up at a pull-through site, I went over to the pool and enjoyed it for a while.  I met a couple from Pittsburgh who have a Phaeton.  They are in the area dropping their daughter off at Elon University, then heading for Florida.  It was fun to chat with them for a while and take advantage of the pool and nice weather.

Later, we are scheduled to meet some of Kelly's friends for dinner.  They live in Greensboro and said, "Anytime you are in the area, stop by…".  So we called and look forward to seeing them later this evening.

So there is a typical travel day for us.  One more tomorrow and we'll be in Maynardville to see Pam's sister and family for about 10 days.

That's all for now on this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us.   Until next time...