2021 quick trips

We’re on the road again—by taking baby steps. Since it’s February and cold in Georgia, we decided to head south toward the coast to Brunswick. But first we had to pick up the RV after the fiberglass issues were fixed. Then Barney had to get the water lines ready for use after a cold winter.

This is our goal: set up and enjoy being outside!

Why “quick trips” for a title to this group of posts? I need to get monthly shots for a bone density problem, and until we can figure out how to get these expensive shots while traveling, we’ll need to get back home on a regular basis. The upside of this limitation? We’ll get to explore the southeast more!

fiberglass fix

Our fiberglass fix to the damage from a fallen branch during a wind story last October was done at Hewatt’s Collision in Cumming. Ours was the only trailer in the shop, but lots of cars were here in various stages of repair and painting. They did a great job on the RV and worked well with our insurance coverage. We recommend them if you need fiberglass work done in North Georgia.

Bob Morton, the manager, did a great job of fixing the trailer and staying in touch with us during the process.

RV fixes

The rest of the fixes from the damage from the wind storm were done at Mark Tuggle RV Center, also in Cumming. (Remember our posts showing the damage from last fall?) We’ve been at this shop for all of the repair help we’ve needed. They’re busy folks and have a good reputation for trailer repair.

Some seams needed a final sealing after the fiberglass work was finished, so back to Mark Tuggle’s we went.

overnight stay

Our first night on the road was only about 10 minutes away from where we store our RV with friends in Cumming, Twin Lakes RV Campground. Usually this is our last stop on a trip before dropping off our RV at our friends’ since we can dump the tanks for only $10.

Why stay here for a night? Since the RV had been winterized for the winter, Barney needed to get the water system ready for use. We decided to do it here so we could set out early the next morning for a drive to the coast. While Barney worked outside, I started cleaning inside.

They put us in a lane of trailers really close together. Most of the spots at the campground have a lot more space associated with them, but they’re more expensive.

Of course not everything went smoothly. Barney had bought a new water filter for inside the RV. What we discovered is that if we needed to use water without being hooked up to a water source, turning on the water pump would also fill the hot water heater. When Barney tried to install the water filter, that water from the heater started draining out where he was working. What a mess.

We were able to clean up this water, but the rubber seal at the top of the water filter would no longer make a tight seal. Barney drove to an ACE Hardware that was close by, but they didn’t have the size seal he needed. Then he started remembering something his dad had done when working on a plumbing problem. He’d use waxed twine to fill up the space so a seal could fit tightly. Luckily Barney had some of this twine and knew where it was in his tools. It worked!

We were so close to our neighbors that Barney had to back out to empty parking spaces behind us before turning onto the road to drive out.

Blythe Island Regional Park

The coast of Georgia is roughly 110 miles and includes 15 barrier islands, 4 are accessible by car and have become popular resort destinations (Jekyll, St. Simons, Sea, and Tybee). The rest of Georgia’s islands require transportation by boat and are virtually unspoiled natural escapes.

In case you’re unfamiliar with coastal Georgia, here’s a screenshot. We live just north of Atlanta shown by the blue dot. The shared state line with South Carolina is just north of Savannah. The shared state line with Florida is just north of Jacksonville. We’re among the southern islands along the Georgia coast.

Our destination for our 1-week trip is Blythe Island Regional Park just outside of Brunswick, a town along the coast just north of Jacksonville.

The park’s office is on the right, and an open sitting area is on the left. It never got warm enough to sit on the deck while we were here. At least it was warmer than at home.

The trailers are nestled among oak trees covered in Spanish moss. So beautiful.

One afternoon it was warm and sunny enough that we could sit outside and enjoy a snack. But the warm only lasted about 20 minutes when the sun started setting.

We started seeing white and black rabbits whenever we were outside. The park manager said they’ve been dropped off after Easter each year and have enjoyed making their home here. Campers feed them so they’re not at all afraid of us. In fact, they hop toward us hoping for a snack and are disappointed when we don’t stop to feed them.

One notable feature of this park is that we’re camping on sand; it’s everywhere. We had to stamp our feet on a rug outside the RV to loosen the sand from our shoes and then use a whisk brook on the soles before coming in. Needless to say, our shoes stayed by the front door all the time.

exercising

One of the agreements Barney and I have made with each other is that we want to keep working out while we’re on the road, something we had gotten out of the habit of doing.

One day we did a workout on the mat in front of our house, and another day we did a favorite workout inside: Deck of Cards. Each suit has a movement and we do as many as the number on the card.