Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!!!
This has been a good day!
After Judy and Mary Ellen got home from the Sunrise Service, we visited for a while. Mary Ellen’s daughter, Jean, was up and about, so we got to meet her too. She's a sweet girl. We all got to know each other a little bit more.
After a while, Mary Ellen decided to go back to bed to try to catch up on the sleep she missed last night. She had trouble sleeping, since she knew she had to get up so early. Judy and I headed back to our rigs.
My refrigerator and freezer were badly in need of cleaning. The freezer needed to thaw. Mary Ellen said I could stash my food in her refrigerator while my refrigerator was off. Unfortunately, it’s a long process. The ice in the freezer took a long time to thaw and it will take a while for the refrigerator to get cool enough, now that it’s clean. It sure feels good to have this taken care of though. A bag of frozen strawberries that probably thawed too much before they went in the freezer had leaked all over, then the bag froze to the freezer shelf. It took me a while to figure out why there was sticky red stuff all over everything in the refrigerator when I first headed off on my trip. What a mess!
While everyone was resting, Jean was working on some carrot soup. After a while, we were invited in to have a bite to eat. I contributed some guacamole and chips. Judy brought some Baklava that she bought at a Farmer’s Market yesterday morning down by the beach. Everything was yummy! Southern hospitality is the BEST!
I headed back to my rig again. I was still working on the fridge and I had some other cleaning to do. I rested a little bit too.
After a while, Mary Ellen came out and asked if I’d like to go to a spring where she used to dive. There are underwater caves there. She explained that it looks much different today than when she dived there. There are stairs leading down to the water now, whereas she and her friends had to climb up and down the rocks back in the day. These SoloTrekkers are certainly an adventurous bunch. I don't know how I got mixed up with them.
Being that’s it’s Easter Sunday, it was quite crowded there. The weather was nice and all the families were enjoying the beautiful clear water. Mary Ellen, Judy and the two dogs waded past a platform to a quieter part of the beach, but Lacey and I stayed behind. I knew I'd end up in the water or something, if I tried to follow them. Lacey got very excited because she thought some children nearby were playing with her. She went splashing through the water. When the children moved away, she came and sat down. I think she was a little disappointed. She kept looking for some kids to play with. Actually, dogs are not allowed there, so these three were the only dogs around.
After a while, the others returned and we moved to the other side of the spring. Mary Ellen showed us where the cave is. I imagine it would be a beautiful place to dive. She says the cave goes on and on.
By this time the dogs were pretty wet and dirty. We decided to give them a dunk to clean them off, then carry them back to the car. Judy decided it would be fun to throw Lacey in a few times. She swam to the shore each time, but I don’t think she was enjoying it. She’s nice and clean now though. I won’t really know how she felt about it until we go near some water again. I hope she will remember it as an enjoyable experience. She has always loved water, but this is more than she has ever experienced before. Usually she just plays in her water bowl or any muddy puddle she can find.
When we got back here, I got my things and went into the house to take a much needed shower. Lacey stayed in the van to finish drying off.
When I came out of the shower, Judy and Sandy were eating some soup that Jean made before she left. She was invited somewhere else for supper. It was nice of her to leave a delicious dinner for us. Obviously, she is a good cook. She told me this morning that she enjoys cooking when there are some extra people to enjoy it. That's lucky for us.
After dinner, Mary Ellen’s friend stopped by to watch a TV program with her. It was going to start at 9 p.m. I said good night and headed back to the Roadtrek. I fixed Lacey some dinner, which she finally ate, and got to work on this. Soon I will go to bed. I’m getting my hair done tomorrow. Believe me, it’s long overdue.
After my hair appointment, I’m going to take care of some more chores. I will probably do some laundry and I might even wash the van, if I see a “do it yourself” car wash. The van is filthy. I’m sure the other Roadtreks at the rally will be very spiffy.
I also need to find a place to buy some flea and tick medication for Lacey and get to the Fed Ex office to get the package off to Verizon.
After all of that… I will drive to Crooked River State Park in Georgia where I will meet up with Judy. There may be some other trekkers there with us a day early. We’ll see.
After Judy and Mary Ellen got home from the Sunrise Service, we visited for a while. Mary Ellen’s daughter, Jean, was up and about, so we got to meet her too. She's a sweet girl. We all got to know each other a little bit more.
After a while, Mary Ellen decided to go back to bed to try to catch up on the sleep she missed last night. She had trouble sleeping, since she knew she had to get up so early. Judy and I headed back to our rigs.
My refrigerator and freezer were badly in need of cleaning. The freezer needed to thaw. Mary Ellen said I could stash my food in her refrigerator while my refrigerator was off. Unfortunately, it’s a long process. The ice in the freezer took a long time to thaw and it will take a while for the refrigerator to get cool enough, now that it’s clean. It sure feels good to have this taken care of though. A bag of frozen strawberries that probably thawed too much before they went in the freezer had leaked all over, then the bag froze to the freezer shelf. It took me a while to figure out why there was sticky red stuff all over everything in the refrigerator when I first headed off on my trip. What a mess!
While everyone was resting, Jean was working on some carrot soup. After a while, we were invited in to have a bite to eat. I contributed some guacamole and chips. Judy brought some Baklava that she bought at a Farmer’s Market yesterday morning down by the beach. Everything was yummy! Southern hospitality is the BEST!
I headed back to my rig again. I was still working on the fridge and I had some other cleaning to do. I rested a little bit too.
After a while, Mary Ellen came out and asked if I’d like to go to a spring where she used to dive. There are underwater caves there. She explained that it looks much different today than when she dived there. There are stairs leading down to the water now, whereas she and her friends had to climb up and down the rocks back in the day. These SoloTrekkers are certainly an adventurous bunch. I don't know how I got mixed up with them.
Being that’s it’s Easter Sunday, it was quite crowded there. The weather was nice and all the families were enjoying the beautiful clear water. Mary Ellen, Judy and the two dogs waded past a platform to a quieter part of the beach, but Lacey and I stayed behind. I knew I'd end up in the water or something, if I tried to follow them. Lacey got very excited because she thought some children nearby were playing with her. She went splashing through the water. When the children moved away, she came and sat down. I think she was a little disappointed. She kept looking for some kids to play with. Actually, dogs are not allowed there, so these three were the only dogs around.
After a while, the others returned and we moved to the other side of the spring. Mary Ellen showed us where the cave is. I imagine it would be a beautiful place to dive. She says the cave goes on and on.
By this time the dogs were pretty wet and dirty. We decided to give them a dunk to clean them off, then carry them back to the car. Judy decided it would be fun to throw Lacey in a few times. She swam to the shore each time, but I don’t think she was enjoying it. She’s nice and clean now though. I won’t really know how she felt about it until we go near some water again. I hope she will remember it as an enjoyable experience. She has always loved water, but this is more than she has ever experienced before. Usually she just plays in her water bowl or any muddy puddle she can find.
When we got back here, I got my things and went into the house to take a much needed shower. Lacey stayed in the van to finish drying off.
When I came out of the shower, Judy and Sandy were eating some soup that Jean made before she left. She was invited somewhere else for supper. It was nice of her to leave a delicious dinner for us. Obviously, she is a good cook. She told me this morning that she enjoys cooking when there are some extra people to enjoy it. That's lucky for us.
After dinner, Mary Ellen’s friend stopped by to watch a TV program with her. It was going to start at 9 p.m. I said good night and headed back to the Roadtrek. I fixed Lacey some dinner, which she finally ate, and got to work on this. Soon I will go to bed. I’m getting my hair done tomorrow. Believe me, it’s long overdue.
After my hair appointment, I’m going to take care of some more chores. I will probably do some laundry and I might even wash the van, if I see a “do it yourself” car wash. The van is filthy. I’m sure the other Roadtreks at the rally will be very spiffy.
I also need to find a place to buy some flea and tick medication for Lacey and get to the Fed Ex office to get the package off to Verizon.
After all of that… I will drive to Crooked River State Park in Georgia where I will meet up with Judy. There may be some other trekkers there with us a day early. We’ll see.
Live Oak, Florida
Happy Easter!!!
Today we are in the beautiful small town of Live Oak, Florida. It’s near the Suwannee River. I drove here from Destin, FL yesterday. That’s about 250 miles. I got here sometime after 7 p.m. We gained another hour somewhere in Florida, maybe at Tallahassee.
Judy’s friend, Sandy, put us in touch with her friend, Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen is another Roadtrek owner. She had very kindly offered to let us stop at her place on our way to Crooked River State Park in Georgia, where we will be with a small group of Trekkers for two weeks on a rolling rally along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.
Judy had gotten here a little bit ahead of me. This fantastic home is hidden behind a lot of trees. Judy had a little trouble finding it, so she and Mary Ellen were waiting out in the road for me to come along. Mary Ellen directed me to a covered area where her Roadtrek usually lives.
After I got tucked away, she helped me hook up. We were not sure whether or not I could turn on the air conditioner, but I gave it a try and I haven’t had any problems. I sure didn't want to blow out her electrical, even if it is easy to remedy. I only needed air conditioning for part of the night, but it was great to have it. It’s pretty warm and sticky here. Luckily, I’m starting to adapt to the weather (as long as I don’t move).
Lacey was delighted with her new “home” away from home. Even though I still haven’t taken care of putting some flea and tick protection on her, I let her off the leash to run around… and around… and around. There are lots of leaves on the ground and she loved running through those. Strangely, she found the garage to be the most intriguing place. I suppose she could smell the other dogs that live here. They were still inside the house waiting to meet her.
At one point, Lacey disappeared. Judy and Mary Ellen assured me that she’d come back, but I wasn’t as sure. She is not very good about coming when I call her. I imagine she could be enticed to run off, if she discovered a rabbit or a squirrel. As it turned out, she was only in the garage.
Finally, Lacey got to go inside and meet Mary Ellen’s dogs, Casey and Penny. Casey is an elderly Golden Retriever and Penny is a three year old Dachshund. Casey is a very sweet old girl. She seemed a little uncomfortable with the sudden change in her household, but she enjoyed the attention. Penny is a Mama’s girl. She growled at Lacey and kept her distance. Lacey didn’t take the hint for a long time. She kept trying to get close to her. Finally, Penny gave up and went to bed. Casey found a cool place to relax and Lacey settled down.
Judy and I got a chance to visit with Mary Ellen for a while. She told us she has lived here in Live Oak for over thirty years. Fifteen years ago, after losing her husband, she had this house built. She was born and raised in South Carolina, where she lived until she went away to college.
At the time, Mary Ellen’s daughter is living here with her and her brother has added on a suite to the house. Apparently, he visits from time to time. It’s a very nice suite with a bedroom and bathroom. It doubles as a guest room. It was difficult to pass up Mary Ellen's offer to sleep in a real bed, but since I have Lacey, it's best for us to stay in our own little place.
After visiting for a while, about 10:30 p.m., we all headed off to our personal quarters. Lacey hated to go back to her tiny little dog house, but I eventually convinced her that it was time for bed. She curled up on the seat and I curled up on my bed. We had a very restful night. Judy and Mary Ellen had plans to go to an Easter Sunrise Service, but I opted out of that. I didn’t even wake up until they were already gone.
Today we are in the beautiful small town of Live Oak, Florida. It’s near the Suwannee River. I drove here from Destin, FL yesterday. That’s about 250 miles. I got here sometime after 7 p.m. We gained another hour somewhere in Florida, maybe at Tallahassee.
Judy’s friend, Sandy, put us in touch with her friend, Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen is another Roadtrek owner. She had very kindly offered to let us stop at her place on our way to Crooked River State Park in Georgia, where we will be with a small group of Trekkers for two weeks on a rolling rally along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.
Judy had gotten here a little bit ahead of me. This fantastic home is hidden behind a lot of trees. Judy had a little trouble finding it, so she and Mary Ellen were waiting out in the road for me to come along. Mary Ellen directed me to a covered area where her Roadtrek usually lives.
After I got tucked away, she helped me hook up. We were not sure whether or not I could turn on the air conditioner, but I gave it a try and I haven’t had any problems. I sure didn't want to blow out her electrical, even if it is easy to remedy. I only needed air conditioning for part of the night, but it was great to have it. It’s pretty warm and sticky here. Luckily, I’m starting to adapt to the weather (as long as I don’t move).
Lacey was delighted with her new “home” away from home. Even though I still haven’t taken care of putting some flea and tick protection on her, I let her off the leash to run around… and around… and around. There are lots of leaves on the ground and she loved running through those. Strangely, she found the garage to be the most intriguing place. I suppose she could smell the other dogs that live here. They were still inside the house waiting to meet her.
At one point, Lacey disappeared. Judy and Mary Ellen assured me that she’d come back, but I wasn’t as sure. She is not very good about coming when I call her. I imagine she could be enticed to run off, if she discovered a rabbit or a squirrel. As it turned out, she was only in the garage.
Finally, Lacey got to go inside and meet Mary Ellen’s dogs, Casey and Penny. Casey is an elderly Golden Retriever and Penny is a three year old Dachshund. Casey is a very sweet old girl. She seemed a little uncomfortable with the sudden change in her household, but she enjoyed the attention. Penny is a Mama’s girl. She growled at Lacey and kept her distance. Lacey didn’t take the hint for a long time. She kept trying to get close to her. Finally, Penny gave up and went to bed. Casey found a cool place to relax and Lacey settled down.
Judy and I got a chance to visit with Mary Ellen for a while. She told us she has lived here in Live Oak for over thirty years. Fifteen years ago, after losing her husband, she had this house built. She was born and raised in South Carolina, where she lived until she went away to college.
At the time, Mary Ellen’s daughter is living here with her and her brother has added on a suite to the house. Apparently, he visits from time to time. It’s a very nice suite with a bedroom and bathroom. It doubles as a guest room. It was difficult to pass up Mary Ellen's offer to sleep in a real bed, but since I have Lacey, it's best for us to stay in our own little place.
After visiting for a while, about 10:30 p.m., we all headed off to our personal quarters. Lacey hated to go back to her tiny little dog house, but I eventually convinced her that it was time for bed. She curled up on the seat and I curled up on my bed. We had a very restful night. Judy and Mary Ellen had plans to go to an Easter Sunrise Service, but I opted out of that. I didn’t even wake up until they were already gone.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tornadoes
I just read an email from my friend Terri asking me to let you all know that we are safe. We haven't been within a tornado warning area so far, but Judy is keeping an eye on the weather for us. She has satellite TV and radio, so she is able to access information easier than I can. I'm listening to the radio rather than my iPod as much as possible, so I will hear the local news, just in case.
We are also concerned about the people who DO reside in the tornado areas. It seems that we have barely missed a few. We had planned to go through Clinton, MS, but it would have been well before that town was hit by a tornado. It IS scary! I don't want to think about it too much or I will have to run for home.
We are also concerned about the people who DO reside in the tornado areas. It seems that we have barely missed a few. We had planned to go through Clinton, MS, but it would have been well before that town was hit by a tornado. It IS scary! I don't want to think about it too much or I will have to run for home.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Capri Court RV Park
Finally, I set my GPS for Houma, LA and we headed that way. Judy suggested that we stop and check out Lake Fausse Point State Park. We thought it might be a great place to kick back and relax. Since it was a Saturday, we knew they might not have any campsites available, but we wanted to check it out anyway. We figured we could use their dump station while we were there, if nothing else. The last campground didn’t have a dump station, so we needed to find one somewhere.
This state park is a ways off the beaten track, but it sounded like a nice place. We’ve had very good luck with the state parks on our trip.
The girl at the front office confirmed our suspicions. They WERE completely booked for the weekend. She also informed us that we needed to be registered to use the dump station and there was no way to pay to use it. Judy had already asked if we could take a look around, so the girl gave us a map. We had the impression that she wasn’t opposed to us using the station, she just couldn’t give us permission. We went ahead and dumped. On the way out, Judy took in a donation from each of us. We were glad to get this task taken care of, just in case we ended up boondocking (dry camping) for a night or two.
The road to the state park does not go through, so we had to drive out the way we came in. It wouldn’t be too far to go on to Houma, LA or we thought we might find another place along the way.
On the way to Houma, which wasn’t all that interesting for the most part, Judy spotted a city park with RV hookups. We pulled in and took a look. It seemed like a nice park next to a golf course, but the RV section was basically a parking lot with hookups for $30, so we went on.
When we got past Morgan City, a relatively big town, we decided to get off the main drag to check out some of the campgrounds. We saw a few very similar places. They looked like properties that had once been large farms or plantations which were now making ends meet by transforming themselves into RV parks. It appeared that these were mostly long term parking or RV storage. The place that caught our eye was Linda’s RV Park. Even though it seemed like a pleasant enough place, it didn’t have much appeal for us, so we headed on to Houma.
Once we got into Houma, we pulled off the road to look up the address for Capri Court RV Park, which offers a Passport America discount. It turned out that we should have put the address in sooner, since we were now about nine miles from the park. Oh, well!
This state park is a ways off the beaten track, but it sounded like a nice place. We’ve had very good luck with the state parks on our trip.
The girl at the front office confirmed our suspicions. They WERE completely booked for the weekend. She also informed us that we needed to be registered to use the dump station and there was no way to pay to use it. Judy had already asked if we could take a look around, so the girl gave us a map. We had the impression that she wasn’t opposed to us using the station, she just couldn’t give us permission. We went ahead and dumped. On the way out, Judy took in a donation from each of us. We were glad to get this task taken care of, just in case we ended up boondocking (dry camping) for a night or two.
The road to the state park does not go through, so we had to drive out the way we came in. It wouldn’t be too far to go on to Houma, LA or we thought we might find another place along the way.
On the way to Houma, which wasn’t all that interesting for the most part, Judy spotted a city park with RV hookups. We pulled in and took a look. It seemed like a nice park next to a golf course, but the RV section was basically a parking lot with hookups for $30, so we went on.
When we got past Morgan City, a relatively big town, we decided to get off the main drag to check out some of the campgrounds. We saw a few very similar places. They looked like properties that had once been large farms or plantations which were now making ends meet by transforming themselves into RV parks. It appeared that these were mostly long term parking or RV storage. The place that caught our eye was Linda’s RV Park. Even though it seemed like a pleasant enough place, it didn’t have much appeal for us, so we headed on to Houma.
Once we got into Houma, we pulled off the road to look up the address for Capri Court RV Park, which offers a Passport America discount. It turned out that we should have put the address in sooner, since we were now about nine miles from the park. Oh, well!
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| Capri Court Campsite |
This is an interesting place. I had read a review or two and we were a little skeptical about what we might find, but it’s a nice enough place.
As soon as we drove in, a nice young man came running out to check to see if we had reservations. We didn’t because we called the day before and found out that they had plenty of sites. We weren't sure that we would make it this far. He explained that the office was closed, but he was the owner. He had one bathroom key in his hand which he gave to Judy and he went back to his house to get another for me. He said we could either leave the fee in an envelope available by the front door or see the office clerk on Monday morning. Campground folks are very trusting. We have found that again and again.
This young man grew up here in one of the houses on the property. His grandparents have passed away and they left him the property. Near the front, there are very nice houses. This also looks like it was probably a large farm or plantation in the past. There are a lot of horses a couple properties away. I like to see the horses grazing there.
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| Alligator Lookout |
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| Warning |
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| Bayou |
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| Relaxing! |
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| Mobile Homes |
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| Restroom, Laundry, Club House |
It’s a quiet place, except for the pump that filters water for the whole mobile home park and campground. The bathroom is nice and the laundry room is okay. The doors in the bathroom are odd. They’re short. We couldn’t figure this out. Maybe people feel safer if they can see under the doors. There’s a sign posted in the bathroom. It says that there has been a lot of vandalism and if it continues, they’ll have to close the bathrooms. One gets the impression that it is not a completely safe place, so I have been a little bit on my guard. Lacey makes a lot of noise, but I don’t know if she would really scare anyone off.
We’re going to spend the day relaxing today. We have a lot of blogging to catch up on and we have a WiFi connection here, so it will be easier. I also need to pay some bills and busy work like that. I like these kick back days!
Cafe Des Amis, Breaux Bridge, LA
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| Breaux Bridge |
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| Zydeco Band at Cafe Des Amis |
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| View Through Front Window |
Parking was a challenge, as one might expect. Judy found a place right away. She’s very skilled at parking her larger rig, while I’m a wimp and have to find an easy spot to get into. Eventually, I found a place a few blocks over on a residential street. The weather was nice, so I walked the few blocks back to the restaurant without any problem. It was actually a pleasant walk.
In the meantime, Judy called to say that the wait would be one hour, but I "NEED TO see this.” When I got there, I didn’t find Judy, but the little café was jampacked with people having breakfast and a crowd dancing on the small dance floor. What a fun place!!!
I watched for a while, then tried to confirm that Judy had put in our name. This was an impossibility, because one could not be heard above the music. Just then, Judy showed up with our little blinky light thinger, which meant we had our name on the list for LUNCH, not BREAKFAST.
While we waited, we looked around in some of the nearby shops. When we were finally able to get a table, the music had stopped and lunch was about to be served. I’m glad we were around for a little of the music while we waited. Had we known that they would stop at noon, we would have stuck around for the entertainment while we could.
We had a very enthusiastic waiter who told us about their delicious crab cake appetizer and turtle soup. The turtle soup sounded good, but I opted for the hamburger on a croissant. He explained that they mix barbecue sauce into their meat and it makes a very yummy burger. He also said the “homemade” curly fries were delicious. I was ready for a break from Cajun seafood entrees.
The turtle soup that Judy ordered was delicious. The hamburger was only so, so and the curly fries were pretty much the typical curly fries we get in California, so not very good at all. The homemade lemonade I ordered was tasty. I wanted more, but I wasn’t going to pay for refills. I settled for my water. We should stop eating out so much, but there are so many great opportunities.
After lunch, we headed back to our vehicles. Judy was considering a Louisiana crawfish welcome flag when I headed back to my Roadtrek. Lacey was glad to see me, as usual. We went for a walk.
Dead Battery.... Again
Judy and I left Poche’s Fish and Camp RV Park in Breaux Bridge, LA yesterday morning AFTER dealing with my dead van battery.
I have a Battery Brain installed. It’s supposed to shut off the battery before it dies. I was perplexed when I found that my battery was dead, to say the least. I had this device installed last summer and I had a lot of trouble with it after it was first installed. I suspected that it was installed backwards. Dan Neeley confirmed that this was true. It was a confused Battery Brain for a while. Dan fixed it when we were in Zion.
A few days before leaving on this trip, the Brain turned off my battery after I had been driving for a half hour, which didn’t make any sense at all. Since I don’t have ANY mechanical know how, I wasn‘t able to troubleshoot the problem. That was the last problem I had with the battery until Friday.
The Battery Brain saved me a couple times on this trip. I usually travel with my lights on during the daytime, as well as nighttime. Since the alarm doesn’t ring when I go out the side doors, I often forget to turn my lights off. I thought this would be a good device to have. Actually, I still think it is.
To further complicate things, I took my van into Dodge a while back, in response to a recall notice. The recall notice stated that the gear shift does not always go into park or slips out of park. I had very little trouble with that until I got it “fixed”. Now it rarely goes into park without me making several attempts. If I get distracted and forget to verify that it’s in park, it will let me turn it off while it’s in reverse, which should NEVER happen. The backup lights will stay on. This is a problem for a number of reasons. Still… the battery should be protected by the Brain.
Judy was going to jump start my battery, but I opened my hood a while before she got her van into position, hoping to snag a helping hand from someone in the RV park. Sure enough, just as we were trying to do this “man’s work” along came two couples in golf carts who offered to help. They hooked up Judy’s cables and she fired up her engine. When we checked after a few minutes, my engine still wouldn’t turn over. LUCKILY, one of the men noticed that some wires were loose. I had some handy dandy tools and he tightened up the bolts holding the wires in place. After that, the engine started right up. This explains the Brain’s inability to do it’s job and the previous incident when the battery failed at an unexplainable time. The battery couldn’t charge without it’s lifeline and the Battery Brain couldn’t operate either. I was very lucky that this happened when we were in civilization and that I didn’t have to have the battery evaluated by some greedy automotive person who probably would have taken the opportunity to sell me a new battery, if not more.
This put a damper on our plan to go into town to eat breakfast and listen to zydeco music at a small cafe called Café des Amis. We had been hoping to leave by 8 a.m., but we actually left about 9:30. However, we were both able to get out of the campground completely, which is almost a record breaker for us. Our original plan was to return to the campground to close up shop after going into town in Judy’s Roadtrek.
I have a Battery Brain installed. It’s supposed to shut off the battery before it dies. I was perplexed when I found that my battery was dead, to say the least. I had this device installed last summer and I had a lot of trouble with it after it was first installed. I suspected that it was installed backwards. Dan Neeley confirmed that this was true. It was a confused Battery Brain for a while. Dan fixed it when we were in Zion.
A few days before leaving on this trip, the Brain turned off my battery after I had been driving for a half hour, which didn’t make any sense at all. Since I don’t have ANY mechanical know how, I wasn‘t able to troubleshoot the problem. That was the last problem I had with the battery until Friday.
The Battery Brain saved me a couple times on this trip. I usually travel with my lights on during the daytime, as well as nighttime. Since the alarm doesn’t ring when I go out the side doors, I often forget to turn my lights off. I thought this would be a good device to have. Actually, I still think it is.
To further complicate things, I took my van into Dodge a while back, in response to a recall notice. The recall notice stated that the gear shift does not always go into park or slips out of park. I had very little trouble with that until I got it “fixed”. Now it rarely goes into park without me making several attempts. If I get distracted and forget to verify that it’s in park, it will let me turn it off while it’s in reverse, which should NEVER happen. The backup lights will stay on. This is a problem for a number of reasons. Still… the battery should be protected by the Brain.
Judy was going to jump start my battery, but I opened my hood a while before she got her van into position, hoping to snag a helping hand from someone in the RV park. Sure enough, just as we were trying to do this “man’s work” along came two couples in golf carts who offered to help. They hooked up Judy’s cables and she fired up her engine. When we checked after a few minutes, my engine still wouldn’t turn over. LUCKILY, one of the men noticed that some wires were loose. I had some handy dandy tools and he tightened up the bolts holding the wires in place. After that, the engine started right up. This explains the Brain’s inability to do it’s job and the previous incident when the battery failed at an unexplainable time. The battery couldn’t charge without it’s lifeline and the Battery Brain couldn’t operate either. I was very lucky that this happened when we were in civilization and that I didn’t have to have the battery evaluated by some greedy automotive person who probably would have taken the opportunity to sell me a new battery, if not more.
This put a damper on our plan to go into town to eat breakfast and listen to zydeco music at a small cafe called Café des Amis. We had been hoping to leave by 8 a.m., but we actually left about 9:30. However, we were both able to get out of the campground completely, which is almost a record breaker for us. Our original plan was to return to the campground to close up shop after going into town in Judy’s Roadtrek.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
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