You Got to Move it Move it

Sunrise at Bella Terra

We skirted the edge of Hurricane Irma and arrived at Bella Terra RV resort in Foley, AL.  We signed up for their three-night stay and play marketing event.  We wanted to see what the amenities are like and evaluate the property for a possible investment.  The facilities were fantastic and people were very friendly.  However, we don’t think it is the right investment for us at this time.  We enjoyed the area and were able to visit with my cousin in Mobile and some new friends staying at Bella Terra before departing.

From there we headed to Ft Benning, GA to Uchee Creek Campground.  This has become our safe haven for helping family in the area.  This time, it was Pattie’s sister that needed help moving from Atlanta to New Hampshire.  If I had to pick a theme for The Jones RV in 2017, it would be moving.  Here’s the run down:

April 2017	Moved son’s friend to Delaware
May 2017	Moved Mom to live with my sister
	Moved some stuff to my bother-in-law’s house
	Moved some stuff to our storage unit in Auburn, AL
Sept 2017	Moved Pattie’s sister to New Hampshire
	Moved stuff to brother-in-law’s cabin
	Moved stuff to niece’s house
Pending	Move son to new post college home
	Move Pattie’s Mom to retirement community

We don’t mind helping family and friends move.  We moved 12 times in the 24 years I served in the USAF and have learned a few tricks.  Pattie is quite the trooper helping out. 

 

Pattie is an expert packer

While Pattie traveled up to new Hampshire, I spent time doing maintenance on our son’s place in Auburn and practicing some firearm skills at the Ft Benning range. 

Once she returned, we headed north to Gaffney, SC to have service perform at the Freightliner Oasis near when The Bus’ chassis was built.  We have heard nothing but good reviews and many people just make an annual visit here to have their motorhome serviced.  We were able to stay at the service area campground overnight before and after our service.  I showed them what I have had done to The Bus and they filled in the worksheet with everything else we needed for the 60K mile check-up.  I asked them to perform corner weights and recommend tire pressures based on actual values.  They came back with a recommendation that I replace the front tires with H rated tires since we are over weight on the front axle for the G rated tires.  Ugggh!  I put new tires on in 2015 and assumed the place was replacing the originals with like rated tires.  Since a steer tire blowout is something I would rather avoid, we arranged for two new tires to be installed on the front axle. The tire place gave us credit for the ones they took off which helped a little.

Onward to Elizabeth Island, NC where we were able to sit still for a week and get caught up on cleaning and rest.  We drove over to the Outer Banks and visited Kitty Hawk, NC where the Wright Brothers first demonstrated controlled powered flight.  It was great to be standing on the very spot of this historic event. 

We decided to head south to Savannah and spend a few days visiting the old city.  However, the campgrounds were full for some reason so we diverted west to Augusta, GA and made camp.  We toured Augusta and took a historic ride on the canal boats.  We learned about the industrial development associated with the canal that made Augusta an important manufacturing center for the south before, during and after the Civil War. 

Civil War gunpowder plant

When we leave Augusta, we plan to head west to see a play put on at the Auburn University Theatre where our son Chris has earned a lead role.

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!

RV Tip:  Keep a large container of ant spray with you and spray across the entire parking area before you park on dirt, rocks, pine straw.  This will help keep the ants from entering your rig.  In certain times of the year down south, the ants are very aggressive and repeat applications of the pesticide will be necessary everywhere the RV contacts the ground (sewer hose, water hose, power cord, etc.).