So let's back up a few steps to before we left Bay Meadows.
Everything that could go wrong went wrong. First I had 2 teeth with cracked or missing fillings that needed repair. I kept putting it off but now they were hurting and I didn't want to leave for "our big trip" with bad teeth. So I went to the dentist in Trenton (the nicest guy ever and really good dentist with an equally good assistant) and after taking numerous x-rays, he discovered that I also had a cavity under another filling. We do have a dental plan but the whole thing cost us more than $300 out of pocket.
Then it rained for 2 straight days after which we discovered 3 leaks in the truck cab. The corners in the back and the corner on the passenger side were drenched. Again, we thought we shouldn't leave it like that so off we go with the truck to the Ford dealer in Belleville because the Trenton one was rude to us and didn't care. That cost us $300. And while we were in Belleville waiting for the truck it snowed like crazy! I couldn't believe it! It made me very anxious to go south.
My laptop, which used to be Glen's laptop, had loose USB connections that started to act up. You have to understand that ALL my stuff is on an external drive since the memory on the laptop was nearly full (Glen keeps ALL his pictures - the good, the bad and the ugly) so I started having problems accessing my pictures or documents. We took the laptop to a repair guy who honestly told us to go buy a new laptop as even if he repaired it, it would break again in a couple of months. So off we go to Best Buy and get a new laptop. Cost? We were lucky to find one that does the job for $400 after tax.
But all those things add up to $1300 that wasn't in the budget! On top of that we had to buy our US phone plan up front ($300) and our health insurance while in the States ($1300). Needless to say that we left Canada deeply in debt.
Our trip included an overnight stop near Scranton NY and I had chosen to find something free. So we stopped at a truck stop. Man! It was so busy there was no parking available except backing between two large rigs which I wasn't ready to attempt. So I parked our rig on the side of the entrance road. We couldn't open our slides because they would have been on the road. Everything that we have outside the trailer (deck chairs, small table and 2 bicycles) has to come in to travel and everything that could fall during the trip has to be put in baskets which stay on the floor. With the slides closed it leaves no room to walk! We made sure to be able to access the bathroom and our bed. Now it gets interesting.
We have been having problems with our trailer battery not keeping the charge when we travel. It should get charged when the truck is running but instead we leave with a fully charged battery because we were connected to shore power and arrive with an almost dead battery. So we used the camping lantern for light and didn't use any electricity at all except we had to fire up the propane furnace as it was very cold. That lasted for 3 hours after which the battery was too weak to fire the furnace. So now we had no heat. Thank the Lord that our pets are used to sleeping in bed with us so we were all cozy under the blankets and actually slept well. We woke up the next morning to a trailer that felt more like an icebox than a home. The temperature outside was -3 C! So we quickly got ready to leave and stopped for gas where we bought 2 horrible muffins and a chocolate milk (anyone who knows me will understand why I had to have chocolate milk). We had fed the animals but couldn't make the cat use her litter box so she had to go the whole 6 hours on the road holding it. We now have to have the truck looked at to see if it actually has a hot wire that will charge the battery as if it doesn't the problem will persist. More $$$.
The whole ordeal made us realize how lucky we were to have such good animals. They were both really good travelers and put up with all this nonsense without holding a grudge.
We arrived at our present destination which is Chesapeake Bay Park in Gloucester VA tired, dirty, disheveled (that was me) but happy to be able to hook up to power, water and sewer.
It's amazing all that we take for granted. Like electricity. When there is none, so many things don't work anymore. If we have no water, it affects our life in another way. Yet we think nothing of leaving lights on or letting the water run while we brush our teeth (not me as I lived on a well for 31 years so know about not wasting water). So be grateful for your house with all the comforts it gives you. There are people somewhere freezing at a truck stop and wondering if they're having fun yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment