QC41-01 A Start South

December 30, 2013 (Mon) Home to Winchester, VA (293/293 miles) ??/40° - Our start was considerably more complicated this year than it has been in the past (not an especially good way to begin an extended trip) but we seemed to have pulled it off without having forgotten anything important - we don't think. We've had carpenters with us for several days making repairs and improvements to the old homestead - in fact they were still there when we left and will probably be there tomorrow finishing up. It's not an ideal situation but we trust them.

We finally got off at 9:30am after touching base with our contractor (the boss) and crossed the state line into PA at about 11:15. An hour later Q's odometer turned 90,000. He's getting on in miles but is as spry and energetic as he was in his youth. He could use a good bath though.

One of our favorite fast-food restaurants, whether at home or on the road, is Chipotle Mexican Grill. There's one in Winchester near the Walmart where we planned to spend the night. After splitting a Chicken Fajita (I think that what they call our combo of choice) bowl for a late lunch/early dinner at 4:30, we pulled into the Walmart parking lot and transformed Q into a home (by moving into the cabin).

Sometime early in the trip on Monday Mark decided that the electrical umbilical between Q and Lamont should be below the the tow bar rather than above it - less chance of wear on the cable insulation. When we checked the integrity of the connection after making the change, we noticed that neither Q's nor Lamont's tail lights were working, although the brake and directional lights all worked. A check of the appropriate fuse revealed no problem. There must be another fuse somewhere - or a loose connection under the dash. Since we were in a busy truck parking rest stop with 18 wheelers coming and going, a cold wind was blowing and we didn't plan on traveling after dark we decided that further troubleshooting was neither desirable nor necessary. A more extensive investigation when we got to the Walmart revealed nothing new - except that Lamont refused to shift into either reverse or park!! Oh boy. Now we're in real trouble! Nothing to do in a cold, dark, windy parking lot except go to bed. So that's what we did.

Q090164 Camp Walmart, Winchester, VA
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December 31, 2013 (Tue) Winchester, VA to Mars Hill, NC (395/688 miles) 27/39° - Most readers of our travelogue may remember the chronic problem we've been having with Lamont's battery going dead while under tow. One solution posed by many experienced RVers is to pull the fuse that protects the CRV's accessory circuits - a fuse nearly impossible to reach way up under the dash. This summer Mark installed a switch on the dashboard to disable (pull) it. Well, it turns out that this switch also disables Lamont's ability to shift into reverse and therefore park. With that problem resolved but the tail lights still inoperative we got back onto I-81 and continued south.

We haven't said much about the actually being on the road again. It really was wonderful to be traveling again. For us there is nothing better sitting back in our comfortable seats with a cup of hot coffee watching the beautiful scenery pass by. Even the problems we were having with our vehicles seemed to fade into the background. The Appalachian Mountains down through Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina were especially beautiful. The fog, which might be hazardous if in the roadways, made the mountains stand out in vivid relief.

Bob and Pat had invited friends Colleen, John and Marty for dinner and celebration tonight. It was great to see old friends again and to share the excitement of seeing in a new year - even if for us it came early. We were in bed by 10:30.

January 1, 2014 (Wed) Mars Hill, NC (2) 24/40° - Happy New Year! It is a new year but a problem from the old one remained. At 40° it's not really warm but the lack of the wind, persistent the last few days, and the sun in a cloudless skies makes it seem almost balmy - a good day to tackle a puzzling problem. The dark tail lights turned out to be a faulty fuse. It looked good and tested good with an ohm meter but it wasn't allowing electricity to flow. A new one fixed the problem. Other than that and Joy's and Pat's quick trip to a grocery store, it's been pretty much a relaxing, do nothing day - a welcome change.

Q090559 Bob and Pat's driveway