Three out of four smiles is pretty good. See below for the one smile and three other goofy faces!
We have a general idea about our summer travels. But first things first. Our generator went out on us at the start of our winter travels. We’ve only ever used it once in our two years of owning it. It is our “back up electricity” as I had to explain to my mom. One cold night, a campground’s power went out for an hour or two – the Electric Company got it going again. About an hour later, the campground circuit breaker went out again for another hour. We were thankful we had our generator to stay warm!
While we were in Fredericksburg for the month, Bill did try to find someone to try to get it started to no avail. While he’s mechanical, he didn’t want to try to fix it. Reluctantly, he pulled out the manual, called Onan (the manufacturer), then went to the RV Geeks YouTube channel to figure a few things out. He managed to change the air and oil filters, which was not so easy since the manual used a pencil drawing, Onan wasn’t much more help, but the YouTube video helped. It still wouldn’t start, throwing an error code 36.
Finally, another wise RV full-timer suggested we go to the Freightliner service center in Gaffney, SC. We’ve heard of other RVers going there so it sounded good. Bill calculated how far away it was and decided to stop half way there overnight in Graham, NC.
On Tuesday, May 2, 2017, we were up early for our departure, hitting the road before 8:30 am (that’s our early). It was a gorgeous travel day! We were making such good time, we decided we’d get closer to Gaffney. I became consumed with trying to figure out where to stop as well as called Freightliner. We learned that they couldn’t “fix” our Onan, only service it. They referred us down the road to the Cummins/Onan Service Center in Spartanburg, SC.
Clear blue skies! This was the only time we had traffic, going through Richmond, Virginia.
Driving through central North Carolina looking for campground wasn’t easy. Finally, a friend and full time RVer, suggested we use the All Stays app. I thought I had enough campground apps, but they didn’t show any campgrounds in Salisbury. Only an Elks Lodge and we’re not members…so I downloaded it and saw three other places. And the middle one turned out to be a real Honey Pot!!! (See our last post about our other honey pots this winter.)
It was easy to figure out Salisbury, NC was at the end of our driving limit. It would get us only two hours away from Atlantic Cummins.
Dan Nicholas Park was created originally with a gift in 1968 of 330 acres of land from Mr. Dan Nicholas, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist.
We feel so at home in a forest!!!
Definitely a forest bath for our home and souls!
We’re on site 70, a nice long pull through. We were practically alone here! But it is packed on the weekends we learned.
This park was so beautiful! The lake is catch and release. We talked to a fisherman who caught a HUGE catfish.
This trail said to allow 2 1/2 hours. We didn’t think it could be over a mile or two, so decided we could do it before it was dark.
This sweet city park has it all! A campground, trails, a lake for catch and release fishing, paddle boat rentals and a family oriented amusement park!
Fancy paddle boats. They were closed during the week.
We loved hearing the merry-go-round!
They also had child sized trains for the children to ride. I couldn’t get close enough for a photo. This is the train depot! So many more fun things to do for children!
AND a water plaza! It’s too cold yet, so it wasn’t flowing. But what fun it looked like!
Next up, what happens when you need your generator fixed and every one is too busy?
Three crazy looks and one Adorable face!
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple. Psalm 19: 7
Follow the Tumble Lees! 
The grandsons are so adorable:) I imagine it was very difficult to leave but glad that at least one of them understands you do return. Sure hope your generator is working finally:)
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Thank you! They are so precious. And yes! Generator is fixed!
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That is great news about the generator! Glad everything worked out:)
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It just cost a little, I mean a LOT more than we wanted. But at least we didn’t have to pay $10,000 to replace it! 😳
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I love your posts. They have the kind of information I really enjoy about parks and experiences on the road. Thank you.
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Aw, thanks Mary! We have to write these up for our old age to remember what we’ve done! I dream of turning them into coffee table top books!
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Life is good!
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Amen! Living it large! 😄
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You guys remind me of Mom and Dad! They are big RVers but had to cut back since Dad’s stroke last year. But I think they’re probably at their cabin in Tennessee right now. Or maybe Kentucky?
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Awww! Hope your dad is doing better! We hope this lifestyle keeps us healthy and fit!!!
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I love the picture of the four of you!!
What precious “grands.”
You really did find a gem with Dan Nicholas Park!! It looks like a really nice place!! 😀
Glad you were able to get your generator taken care of!! Safe travels!!
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Thank you! We are so blessed. They are a handful or four now!!! Dan Nichols was such a blessing-and needed. Loved the forest bath!
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What a jewel of a park! Glad you were able to find a little oasis for a couple of nights. Safe travels!
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Thank you! My husband is good at sniffing out great parks-but thanks to All Stays, I found this one! It’s rare we change our destination while nearly to his pick! 😁
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My groom and I hope to do exactly what you are doing in terms of traveling one day when we become empty nesters. Y’all have fun. God bless 🌹
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It’s a great goal and was my husband’s dream for a long time. It took me a while to jump on board, but once the Lord moved me, it’s been a HUGE blessing. The worst part is not being in your home church weekly. That was what kept me off the road. But then God showed us a way and it’s been wonderful!
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