Tuesday, July 9, 2013

A Trip Cut Short - Winterizing Adventures

This episode is being written a full month after the events...

Back at the ranch, park, or whatever it is in Tampa, it continued to be warm.  We were enjoying the park in general and being somewhat lazy, or at least I was.  Gin tends to be more active and need things to do.  Me, I like to start slow and then taper off.

In reference to the mild physical discomfort mentioned in the previous blog, it began to play a major role in our plans.  It had gotten so that I was experiencing mild angina from minor exertion and decided to tell Gin about it.  I had not mentioned it previously because of believing that I was just out of shape from not exercising regularly due to foot problems and so on.  When we discussed it finally, she correctly, as she does so often, pointed out that a phone call to the cardiologist was in order to get some professional advice rather than trying to figure out what was going on ourselves.

I called the office of the cardiologist and explained the symptoms to the medical assistant.  She consulted with the doctor while I remained on the phone and came back with saying that the doctor wanted to see me at 2:30 that day.  "Uhh, I'm in Florida on an RV trip."  She replied, "Ohh."  After a three way conversation that included inquiring whether I needed to go to an emergency room or not (it was not nearly that kind of problem), we were urged to get back to Baltimore as soon as possible and that a week from that day would be the time to see the doctor.  More to come...

We stayed another two days with the admonition from the doctor to "take it easy."  Now this is the kind of advice that I can really take and run with - figuratively speaking of course because running was strictly not allowed.  We continued to enjoy the time there and left a day early than we had reservations for.  We had been planning to visit the east coast of Florida to visit Cape Canaveral and the vicinity, but with the change in plans, our trip was effectively cut about three days short in Florida and possibly one or two on the way back home.

Impending weather was an issue for the trip.  There was a severe weather warning for Jacksonville and the east coast and there was essentially no way to avoid it.  We had tried to avoid traveling in rainy weather, but had no choice.  Onward and forward....

We got to Jacksonville on the first day and it looked like we could skirt the severe weather with good timing and actually got further than we planned for the first day.  See the previous blog about planning and the universe laughing - there was a complete stoppage on I95 above Jacksonville.  We ended up staying at the rv park previously stayed at on the way down.  It was okay because of the familiarity of the facility.  The rain battered our rv.  With the tornado warning, it was kind of exciting, frightening, and so on.  Being in a powerful rain storm in an rv is like being in a tin can beaten by hyperactive marimba musicians that have od'ed on Red Bull, well at least close to that.

We took off the next day with no problems.  Out goal was to get to northern South Carolina, but we went further and ended up at the infamous South of the Border.  Gin wanted to shop there.  We had been once before and I can only describe this place as being so bad that it is good.  We got there and were directed to a site that was basically under water on one side.  We went to another site with the permission of the rv park office and it was not appropriate either.  Another site proved to be fine, although we had only thirty amp service.  That proved to be no problem with our handy, dandy adapter.

I wanted to take a shower, so for the first time ever in an rv park, I used the public bath house.  Other than the mold on the wall, IT WAS THE BEST SHOWER I'VE HAD EVER.  Ever since the federal/state laws have put limits on volume of water from shower heads, taking a shower is a wimpy experience at best.  This baby pumped out water in a stinging, hot spray that was practically like a power washer.  It was good, good, good.  My kingdom for a shower like that at home...

It had been sunny when I went to take the shower.  Did I mention what a great shower it was?  Anyhow, at the time we had decided to go shopping at Pedro's South of the Border, the sky clouded up and it poured rain.  No shopping, no Pedro, no schlocky merchandise to pore over.  Oh well, plans and all of that.

The next stop was above Richmond for two reasons.  We wanted to get relatively close to home for a short drive the final day and there was an rv dealership near the campground.  Now for our adventure in winterizing.  By coming back early to Baltimore, we faced freezing weather, which is a huge hazard for the water lines and tanks in the rv and potentially disastrous for the water damage to the rv.  I had read up interminably on the web about how to winterize the rv, so no problem, right?  Got the antifreeze, spent an hour figuring out how to get it into the fresh water tank, and put the suggested two gallons in.  The water pump would not pump it into the water lines as so universally stated in many web sites.  Could I have interpreted the information wrong?  You damn betcha!  Or the info was wrong.  Anyhow, back to dealership for more antifreeze.  This time, a man overhearing my request for more antifreeze said, "I sure hope that you didn't put that in the fresh water tank."  Gulp!  He proceeded to sell me a simple pump for installing the antifreeze in the water lines through the city water outlet.  Problem solved - except for the antifreeze now in the fresh water tank.  Stay tuned for that adventure that has not happened yet.

We got home the next day, put the rv in storage, and got ready for the visit to the cardiologists the next day.  Friday, the doctor, Monday at University Hospital, another stent, and home the next day.  A persistent mystery of how my cholesterol has been so very low throughout my life and still getting clogged arteries is bugging me and my doctors.  It is what it is.

Since then, it has consistently been freezing temperatures in the mornings.  Winterizing into April is a must.  Have to remember that in the future.

Stay tuned for our Virginia trip to Jellystone Park RV camp and Luray Caverns in Virginia - and dewinterizing the rv...




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