Home again - #51-12

February 21, 2005 (Mon)
Quails Run Condominium 3

Not a lot to talk about. The last couple of days has been a time to "catch up", Joy with her mother and sister, Mark with the finances, and both of us with the mail. The mail didn't bring any surprises but it was good to get it and know we weren't being sued or anything. Quicken needed to be brought up to date, reconciled really as it about takes care of itself if we keep up with it. Tomorrow we start for home.
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February 22, 2005 (Tue)
Walmart Parking Lot, Savannah, GA

Englewood, FL - Savannah, GA (398 miles) Q011456

Again we said good-bye to Bom and Frannie. This time it was harder because we won't be coming back as soon. We got off at 8:25 (68.9°) and headed North on US-776. Our first stop was a Publix on Jacaranda Blvd. to pick up a few needed supplies then to I-75 and North. A stop at Camping World on I-4 lightened our wallets by $135 and generated a pledge not to ever stop there again then Lazy Days is having a "Super RV Show and Sale". Not only were all the parking spots taken but all the non-parking spaces were as well. We had about given up when we found one. It was a car sized space so our rear end and step stuck out into the road but we didn't care. Others were doing worse things. The Flying J (gas station) next door was also over crowded but we "lucked out". A pump opened up just as we selected that particular line to wait in.

We had lunch at a rest stop on I-75 just before getting off to pick up US-301 to I-95. This Wamart is about 1/3 of the way home and seems to be a good place to spend the night. Also there are 3 large class A motor homes from Oregon over-nighting here. They were at the Daytona races over the weekend and are on their way to a NASCAR race in Nashville this weekend. There was also mention of another race or two between here and Oregon. I guess they must be car race junkies. Anyway, one of the fellows was very interested in Q as he and his wife are getting ready to down size. He was very impressed.
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February 23, 2005 (Wed)
Flying J parking lot, Ruther Glen, VA

Savannah, GA to Ruther Glen, VA (534 miles) Q011990

There were six other rigs and a small pick up (with a cloth thrown over the windshield) around us when we woke up this morning. But it was a nice quiet night and we felt perfectly save. We would definitely recommend Camp Walmart in Savannah.

We got up at first light and watched the moon set as the sun rose. Beautiful! After a quick breakfast we hit the road again (7:20 - 59.9°). About 30 miles up I-95 we hit some heavy fog. Not so heavy that it slowed the traffic much but it was a concern. It cleared after 50 miles or so, though, it was mostly sunny the rest of the way to Richmond, VA.

One of the things Henry does well is find specific commercial establishments for us. Unfortunately he doesn't bother giving us any indication of value. Neither of the two Wamarts he found in the Richmond area are any good for parking lot sleep-overs. Both were crowded with stores all the way around so there were no remote sections. There were no other RV rigs there either. So after wasting a couple of hours and putting our relationship to the test, we got back on I-95 and headed 20 miles North to a Flying J Travel Plaza. That's where we're spending the night. It seems to be quieter than most so should work out well. We were sorely in need of some comfort food and it's available in great quantities in the Country Market Restaurant and Buffet (associated with the Flying J). The South Beach Diet and comfort food aren't compatible but we didn't care.
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February 24, 2005 (Thu)
Maryland Welcome Center parking lot

Ruther Glen, MD to Centerville, MD (140 miles) Q012130

We slept, last night to the roar of big diesel trucks coming and going and although the shower availability announcements were few and all but inaudible, we were awake and ready to get up at 5:30. It was a cold (30°) dark 6:00am departure and visibility was poor because of the snow - flurries at that point - so we were glad to see a McDonalds restaurant within the first mile. It was Egg McMuffens for breakfast!

As I write this I can see a sign that says "2 hour parking maximum". We've been here now for several hours and we'll probably spend the night - most of it anyway. There's a snow storm going on out there. From what we're hearing on the radio it's due to dump as much as 6" on NJ by the time we get there so we've decided not to try to make it home today. There's no real reason to. When we asked the man at the information desk if it would be all right for us to stay he said, "I didn't see you come in and I won't see you leave." We took that to mean that we probably wouldn't be bothered. So We've been sitting here reading, playing RummiKube, and doing what we can to keep from being bored or get on each others nerves.
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February 25, 2005 (Fri)
Home

Centerville, MD to Home (164 miles) Q012294

We slept pretty well considering our "unsafe" location and the sound of trucks roaring past on both sides - the welcome center is located between the North and South bound lanes. We half expected a Maryland Highway Patrol officer to come knocking but we were undisturbed. It was supposed to stop snowing around midnight but it hadn't by 3:00am. It looked to be cloudy at 6 and we were treated to a spectacular sunrise as we ate breakfast at 6:40. Our thermometer recorded a low of 22° last night but it was up to 27° by the time we got on the road at 7:12. Our heated seats gave welcome warmth until Q's heater could take over. The bicycles are completely coated with ice and salt. They'll need a thorough cleaning when we get home. The roads were clear and even dry in some places but the traffic was very heavy. Our windshield washer fluid ran out just as we approached the Delaware Memorial Bridge - seeing signs and avoiding other vehicles became a real challenge especially since we were headed into the sun.

We stopped at the Flying J Travel Plaza, got gas and broke one of the holding tank valve handles trying to dump. The valves were frozen shut! There was a Chinook Glacier (27' with slide out) - purchased from the dealer where we got Q - in the Camping World parking lot when we stopped for repair parts. There were no customers in the store so we didn't get to share experiences. We stopped to see Shane - boy has he grown and gained confidence in his walking - and Jennifer on our way through Freehold and got home at about 12:30pm. Unpacking and putting Q back into winter mode again was exhausting. We were glad when we could finally sit back and relax.