Preliminaries

March 9 - March 31, 2017

We finally got the RV back from the repair facility.... 6 months is a long time to wait for a relatively simple repair to be completed!  Steve spent the last couple of weeks badgering the company to get the RV finished so we could leave on our trip on time.  Well, after going to get it 3 times we finally got it home.  They said it was ready... only as we were loading our supplies we didn't have heat nor a blower for the front window heat and air conditioning.  Giving up on the RV service company, we went to a local repair business with a good reputation, and we hoped that this time it would be charmed. We were supposed to leave on our trip March 15th to Texas and beyond.  But this didn't happen. Not only was our RV not fixed, Mother Nature picked that very week to begin the winter season in earnest, with 2 feet of snow falling the day before our hoped for departure. I guess we were not fated to leave on the Ides of March.... et tu Brute?

Parts needed to be ordered, and there were delays due to all the snow in the East.  4 days later the part had come in, the repair was completed, and we planned to leave. We turned on the heat in the RV to warm it up, and left it in our friend's driveway overnight. Disaster struck! Apparently the originally mentioned RV repair facility thought it was a good idea to fill our water tank for us, but neglected to tell us about it. Overnight temps were below zero, daytime highs in the teens, and early the next day our friend Bob Jackman called to inform us we had water leaking under the RV.

After multiple phone calls from Steve without a return call, he finally just drove the RV back to the original repair facility. They were very apologetic, but the water in the tank had frozen solid  and the damage was done. They repaired the leaking valve, and said the rest looked good. But Sue was feeling very pessimistic, and was sure the entire water system was compromised. Unfortunately, her prediction proved to be correct. On the road, we had to stop 2 more times for repairs for leaks, the last one in the yucky black water line. A technician admitted to us that we could probably expect continued leaks, unless the entire system was replaced. And even the parts just to fix the present leak would not be in for 5 days.

So, that day we sold our Forrest River 3, and bought a new Tiffin Allegro Open Road, a 37 footer. We love it! New features include a bath and a half, central vac, fireplace, recliner, very comfortable master bedroom mattress, large Queen sized pull out sofa, passenger seat foot stool, power mirrors, full sized refrigerator with freezer, washer/dryer, 4 television sets (neither of us watch much TV!) and loads of storage space. And a very acceptable deal. We transferred all our stuff from one RV into another, and spent the first night right on the RV site we purchased it in Knoxville, TN. Our trip really began Sunday, March 25th, as we carefully pulled out of the lot.

Anxious to make up for lost time, we needed to cut back on some planned stops. We spent a couple of nights in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and drove through the (free) Vicksburg National Military Park, using a smartphone app as our auto tour guide. This park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863.  Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's armies eventually won this stronghold on the Mississippi River, the Confederacy was effectively split in half, and the river was opened to Northern traffic along its entire length.

Our next stop was in Lafayette, Louisiana. We stayed here 3 nights, caught our breaths, and caught up on chores. We LOVE our new W/D!  Did 4 loads of laundry, without leaving the RV. Ran the vac,  and did grocery shopping. We organized and reorganized, and then frantically searched for where we might have put something. A game without ending, although we wish it would! At least 10 times a day Steve is back looking for one of his 4 sets of keys.

It wasn't all work, though. We spent a very pleasant afternoon touring the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, and learned of the Acadians, descendants of the original French settlers in the northeastern region of North America, including present-day Cape Breton, where we visited last summer. In 1764 approximately 11,500 Acadians were expelled, many of them to eventually settle in Louisiana. They are the ancestors of present-day Cajuns.

We also walked around  Vermilionville, a living history museum and folklike park, situated on a 23 acre site on the banks of the Bayou Vermilion. It includes 7 restored homes from the period 1765 to 1890, and has local artisans that provide demonstrations on crafts performed during this period.

We ate at a Cajun restaurant, and Sue loved their Gumbo, especially the seafood version. Steve enjoyed Hush Puppies and Shrimp Etouffee. And okay, if we're honest, we'll admit we went back there another night and tried Crawfish, Catfish, and more Gumbo!

We had severe thunderstorms one night, with hail the size of marbles and.... a tornado watch. Apparently a tornado warning is much worse, but anything with the word tornado preceding it scares the bejesus out of Sue, sitting ducks as we are in a RV. Steve went right to sleep, while Sue sat glued to the local weather reports, watching the scary bright red colors on the weather map get closer and closer. She laid out her sneakers, rain jacket, purse, cellphone and charger near the door, and estimated how fast we (she!) could sprint in the downpour and hail to the cinderblock laundry building at the other end of the campground if necessary. Or perhaps she just roll up into a fetal position and pray? Fortunately, we never had to find out, and the really good news was there were no dents on either our new RV or the new KIA we are towing on this trip. Sue thought we had survived the worst of it. That is until the next morning when she was talking to the owner of the KOA (Kampers of America). The owner told us we had nothing to worry about, the really bad storms are in Texas in the spring, with hail the size of grapefruits. Huh.

Guess where we're headed to next.