Month: February 2020

We arrived at HH just a couple of hours ahead of a major, and fairly violent cold front. We had a few hours of warm, sunny weather before the crash, though, and put it to full use – cocktails on the patio and then Mexican Food at a place with a fantastic Guitarist.

Put us in JUST THE RIGHT MOOD for a week or so of more of the same!

Having just been on the Outer Banks, we were struck by the differences between the two, essentially vacation destinations. The OB was Protected dunes with few trees to break the wind, interspersed with mostly crowded vacation houses built right on top of each other, and MANY tacky souvenir shops. Beautiful Beaches, and an interesting history, to be sure, but these felt overwhelmed by vacation excess as the wind dominates the sand. Crowded and unappealing, frankly.

HH, on the other hand, is very densely treed, and there are strict requirements about leaving the trees alone, and honoring setbacks and density requirements when building. The result is you don’t SEE the houses, Condos and other developments except in small doses. There is also lots more infrastructure — Grocery Stores, Hardware Stores, Restaurants, Golf Courses, etc. But even tho most of these are in malls and commercial strips, the zoning requirements make them “feel” understated.

Our time on Hilton Head included a couple Farmer’s Markets and some spectacular walks on various beaches, as well as Bike Rides on the same beaches. HH is completely covered with Bike Trails. You could easily get to the center of the Island and then bike everywhere! We did several bike rides over the days we were there – usually with a rest-stop at a peaceful and delicious restaurant or watering hole for lunch.

We also spent a day at nearby, historical Beaufort.

And another day wandering the streets of Savannah.

It is a BIG PLUS that biking makes Hilton Head Island so accessible, because the Traffic there is ABYSMAL. Really – as bad as rush-hour-Chicago! As nice as the island is, I think that would be a deal-killer for us, if we were even considering having a “base” or a “pad” in the area as the McDowells do. But the traffic is only a problem if you have to be in it. We found a new way mostly NOT to be in evening rush-hour … after our first meal out, we prepared most of the rest “in” or over the fire ring, which our site was conveniently equipped with.

We had to figure out a bit of red-neck engineering to retrofit the fire ring with a cooking grate, but once we did, Dinners included Pork Tenderloin – an easy favorite, and a NEW and EVEN EASIER Grill/Fire favorite – Paella! And LOTS of Kale.

And, even Lassie-bread, a delicacy consisting of bread, butter (lot’s) and molasses which we learned in Newfoundland last year! From cocktail hour onwards — all of it traffic-less and yummy-fun-relaxing – if not the Holy Trinity, at least the trifecta!

We still had to get to the Grocery Store daily to acquire the raw materials for the above, which COULD have been easily managed without massive exposure to traffic if we had we not found ways to forget key ingredients each trip! One night, with pasta planned, we went to the store TWICE for one ingredient or another, but forgot Pasta each time. I guess that is the other side of the “Senior Discount” coin!

After a week of too-much-food-and-fun, it was time to press onwards. Our initial plan was to take a few days to drive to our planned next stop – a Bluebird Rally in Vidalia Mississippi. However, we got a message from Steve Florer – friends we had met earlier in the year and bonded over a jeep-trip-from-hell. Most people would find it unusual to call someone a friend who recently tried to kill you, but they did that in such an Iowa-Nice way…. Knowing we were heading to the same rally, Steve wrote to invite us to Valentine’s Day Dinner at their coach – it seems they were planning to get to Vidalia a few days before the rally and wondered if we could as well.

Well, that would involve arranging to book our campsite a few days early. I called; it was NOT available. With some machination, the park could give us a different spot for a couple days, so that worked out (we thought). Checking the map of the park, that spot was grass – and it had been raining A BUNCH in Vidalia, we knew. I called, and they somehow moved us to a cement spot. Problem solved!

Thje other challenge was that we still had to drive WAY MORE than our usual 4 hour max for 2 straight days to get from hilton head to Vidalia in time for Valentines Dinner at the Florer’s, but that also worked out. We arrived with an HOUR TO SPARE for dinner; and a GOOD THING, too! We were in line to experience one of the MOST FANTASTIC things yet or possible!! That was extricated from the Florer’s freezer: IOWA INCREDIBLE SWEET CORN.

Now, I have had a lot of corn in my day. Some or which I thot at the time was good and sweet. This stuff was SERIOUSLY better than anything I have had before. I know everyone reading (which, excluding the Florers themselves and my mother, who passed last year, is probably three people) is thinking, “Yeah, right. More of Dan, waxing philosophic about mundanity ”

But I am NOT EXAGGERATING. The Burritos under the “L” in Chicago are the best ever, and the Florers’ corn is not even in the same category as the rest of what I now know is merely slightly improved field corn.

In mid-euphoria, I discussed this with Steve. Apparently, “Incredible” is not just an adjective to describe the corn. If it was, it would need several other helper-adjectives. In fact, It is the trade-name of the particular cultivar. And, Steve disclosed, you need to be LICENSED to buy seed for it! Apparently, like highly addictive narcotic drugs, the “007” of Corn is just plain too dangerous to be available over-the-counter to the untrained masses.

I asked about what sort of extensive training might be required to safely handle this substance (we wanted, no NEEDED MORE, like any narcotic). Steve (and Cindy) reaffirmed their invitation to spend a week or two on their farm, where we might begin our edumacation. They also mentioned the Iowa State Fair, which is the week before the Minnesota State Fair to which we are already committed – and a plan is beginning to come together! The only question: can we survive until August without INCREDIBLE?

In the meantime, we have some serious rallying to undertake. More on that in the next post!

Our meandering took us next to a place that was best (for us) visited during the off-season. For a whole variety of reasons.

I am speaking about the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This is a skinny spit of sand that shelters the Atlantic coast, but is itself anything BUT sheltered. Amazing to me that there could be permanent structures on this wind-blown, unstable, seemingly ephemeral real estate.

What we discovered is the truth of this – there are parts of the Outer Banks that were decimated by hurricanes last year, and have not yet (and may not ever) recover(ed). One place that seemed interesting to visit was Oracoke Island, which has (had) an RV Park and can be reached only by ferry. However, there is basically nothing left of what little infrastructure there was prior to the hurricane, so we stayed instead near Nags Head.

Nags Head reminded us quite a bit of Cape May, NJ, only with a lot more sand, mosquitos and no-see-ums. That is, a place with vacation villas elbow-to-elbow, lots of t-shirt shops, tacky beach bars and other evidence of a horrible (for us) high season. Since it was NOT high season, we were able to appreciate some of the historical underpinnings of the area. Our base for the days we were there was a really nice little RV park, nearly empty, off the main track in the town of Kill Devil Hill, but hard up against the Wright Memorial Park – more on that in a minute.

Opportunities for appreciating the “real” outer banks abounded in the absence of tourists. Our first excursion was south, down to the tip of Cape Hatteras. The road runs along beach on both sides and is often overblown with drifting sand. In the town of Hatteras, we spent some time in the “Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum,” which documents the seafaring nature of the area and the myriad of shipwrecks that happened barely offshore due to the changing sands bars, barrier islands and reefs.

We followed this with a really nice seafood chowder at the only bar/restaurant open in town during the off season. It had just opened, and was trying out the menu and training new staff on the few travellers and fewer local residents that passed by. The staff had plenty of time to talk to us, which was delightful. Among the topics, we learned that the 1,000 or so permanent residents see 150,000 visitors PER DAY in the summertime. YIKES.

The proprietor of the RV park suggested that we might want to drive NORTH from Nags Head — that we would see the “fancy” part of the island, and eventually could drive on the beach up to where the wild horses can be found. Let me just say that the closest we came to the latter was wild horse apples. Fresh evidence of their existence but no sightings.

As for the “fancy” parts – VERY MUCH SO. Really spectacular homes, all vacant during the off season. Including some homes built past the end of the paved roads, which means accessible ONLY by 4-wheel-drive vehicles on the beach. All I could think of was how could they get the construction material on site for the building of such palacial part-time homes?

And, actually, driving up the beach was, for us, a bit of an adventure. Not quite as adventurous is the jeep ride in Arizona last year with our now friends, the Florers. But still an adventure!

When you reach the end of the pavement, there is a BIG SIGN saying 4-wheel only (I get the sense that they rescue more than a few tourists who drive their 2WD rentals a ways out and then sink to the axles in soft sand) and that deflating tires to 15-20 lbs is recommended. I shifted our jeep to 4 wheel Low and pissed air from all four corners for a bit to the requisite pressure. Then we embarked – about 10 miles – all the way to the Virginia Border, actually. Passing pickup trucks with construction materials – obviously contractors paid to maintain the houses on the dunes during the off season.

Anyway, the Jeep made it up and back magnificently – never once felt the “thrill” that the Florers had exposed us to! But a thrill was coming!

We got back to the end of the pavement, where the town of Corolla has an free air filling station to put your tires back to road-pressure. I pulled out the hose, and IMMEDIATELY snapped off a tire valve in my hand. Soon, ALL the air was out of my tire! It was getting dark, it was windy, and would soon be raining. About then, one of the aforementioned locals in a Pickup Truck pulled up, the driver looked me in the eye and said, “Best if you leave 15-20lbs IN the tire before you go on the sand…”

As I was trying to decide if they hate tourists THAT MUCH here, or if he was just being a wise-ass  He winked, grinned, and then asked if we needed any help; so I had my answer!   I said we did not – had a fully functional spare and a Lifetime Road Hazard Warranty from Walmart!

Of course, I KNEW that Walmart could not replace the valve stem on the tire pressure sensor, most likely. It would need possibly a new sensor but for sure a compatible stem. SO after we got back to the bus, I went on Amazon and bought a new sensor (on sale for $15 including free shipping).

A couple weeks later, we pulled into a Walmart, where the service writer CONFIRMED the road hazard warranty covered the valve. But, she also told me, “We CANNOT replace the sensor with yours – it has to be programmed, we will have to sell you a sensor…and that is NOT free…” All service-writer reasons not to have anything be “free.” 

Instead of getting mad (I knew it did NOT need to be programmed and I had one in my hand @$15 vs. the $80 one she might have to order), I asked if I could go out in the shop to help the mechanic move the bike rack so he could get to the spare. Once there, I slipped the new sensor to the mechanic. He winked, took the valve stem off of it, put it on the sensor in the tire and sent us on our way – problem solved for $0.

I will say one thing about the Outer Banks — It is rare to stand in the very spot where the world changed; the feeling of epic change is usually VERY evident in such places. I think, in all our travels, there may be only a handful of places we have visited that took our breath away in this way: Cape Canaveral and the NASA Space Center in Houston. Los Alamos, NM AND Hiroshima, Japan (two places inextricably linked). You can add Fermi’s Squash Court near the University of Chicago to those two. The Liberty Bell and Buildings in Philedelphia. The Lorraine Hotel in Memphis (and Sun Studio in Memphis – a town with TWO!). Most of Washington, DC, though the bloom is off that lily these days.

The Sandy flat just next to Kill Devil Hill, NC is one for sure!!! Unlike most pioneer aviators of the time, Orville and Wilbur Wright believed the secret of flite was in the controls, not (entirely) in the development of more powerful engines. So here, because of favorable and consistent winds they built and tested gliders to perfect their control mechanism.

Then, based on their experiments, ON THIS SPOT they re-assembled the aircraft they had designed and built back in Ohio and set about to, then succeeded in, changing the world.

The Park Service has created a very understated memorial on the spot – Recreations of the sheds where the Wrights Lived and puttered, a rail to reflect how and where the Flyer was launched, and 4 granite rocks showing where each of the first flites ended.

Seriously amazing that such short distances could in fact begin the transition from horse and carriage to intercontinental travel in hours vs. years; and everything else aeronautical and astronautical that has happened since.

I still get goose bumps, weeks later, reflecting on standing there…

Putting the Outer Banks behind us, we headed south towards an appointment with destiny. Or should I say with Los McDowell. Longtime friends who also travel extensively – they by Airstream Trailer – we try hard to cross orbits a couple times a year at least. They stay often at a small RV Resort on Hilton Head, so we decided to book a week at the same place and see what mischief we could get into. Too far to drive in one shot from the Out Banks to Hilton Head, and with a couple of days to spare before our McDowell-event, we decided to spend a few days in Charleston.

We passed a funky old Fire Station for sale in the Outer Banks town of Manteo. Hmmm….

Our way south offered us a chance to spend a few days in Charleston, SC. We had heard this was a Fantastic old city with its own “feel” as most old cities have – different from everywhere else. We found an RV spot in the James island County Park convenient to town, and set about to enjoy.

First day we drove down towards Charleston’s Old Section and City Market. The City Market was a nice mix of “stuff” and food, and was good for an hour or so. We found a coffee place for refreshment; then, we spent several hours wandering to and fro and up and down streets in the Historic District with random abandon. There were plenty of historical plaques to read, and the spectacularly preserved old houses, Live Oaks and Spanish Moss made a great backdrop.

One day we drove down to the National Park Center for Fort Sumter, where the first “official” shots of the Civil War were fired. There is a ferry that takes visitors out to the Fort itself, which sits strategically at the mouth of Charleston Harbor. Once out there, there were several fantastic Ranger Talks on the geography and economy of Charleston and the Old South, and the significance of the whole area, and of course the shots fired on the specific spot. There is not much left of the Fort itself – time and weather as much responsible for this as Confederate and later Union Shells.

Next we went over to the waterfront park containing the U.S.S. Yorktown Aircraft Carrier, which is set up for a FANTASTIC self-guided tour. Several, actually – I think five circuits travelling throughout the ship. We did them all. Also several films and displays that place Yorktown #2 (the first was sunk at Midway) in historical context.

The ship is HUGE – to tour it properly requires hours, which we had and spent. There are two more ships – a Destroyer Escort and a Diesel Sub adjacent to the Yorktown – interesting to wander through those, as well.

We discovered another thing in Charleston, which we hope and know will happen more and more as we go along. It seems the “Senior” age is 55 or 60 there in most places, entitling BOTH OF US to 10% discounts. And, we discovered a really nice sort of Motown, Soul Brunch on Sunday at an outdoor spot called the Charleston Pour House.

Next after Charleston was our long-anticipated intersection with friends Fran and Mike McDowell. Over the years, we have always found ways to connect – usually on the road as they often travel as we do, though in their case with an anchor (called “Grandkids”) back in Pittsburgh. Always fun when we connect, usually in a place known for history, geography, food, drink or culture (and often most or all of the above).

Past intersections have included: Our VERY FIRST TRIP in RV WHERE YET to a State Park near Cleveland, Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, Chatauqua Institute in Upstate NY, Sedona Arizona, Huntington Beach, CA.  We had collectively noted several weeks ago that they spend February in Hilton Head, and we would be nearby. AND, we had never been there!

DONE!

We booked a spot immediately adjacent to them and headed to The Head for a full week of debauchery!

Our next stop as we headed south was Raleigh, NC. A place where RV WHERE YET’s Left-lean would not be noticeable…and another place we had heard good things about, so, time to explore!

The first thing we discovered was a GREAT RV Spot at the North Carolina Fairgrounds. This is close-in to the rest of Raleigh and relatively inexpensive. And, it turns out, REALLY NICE. Both for the camping itself, and for all the activity at the fairground! This included a Horse Jumping Competition, a Flea Market and a Dog-Agility/Racing show. These require some comment…

With regard to the Horse show – we know very little about horses, and even less about Jumping Competitions. As near as I can tell, here is how it works: A horse comes into the arena, randomly jumps over several (but not all, and not in a defined order) obstacles. At the end, people clap, and an official announces something totally unintelligible over the PA system. After which people clap some more. I am sure there are more details that were not apparent – I can appreciate after this experience how our international friends feel about baseball!!

The Dog Races were a LOT more approachable. These are apparently a new “thing” called “Flyball.” I looked “FlyBall” up online – you cannot make this shit up!!

This is, we learned, a 4-dog RELAY RACE. Teams of dogs (often mutts – no special breeding involved) race up and down a track against the clock and another team. There are several jumps and a sort of tennis-ball launcher at the far end. Dog must run down, over the jumps, push a pad to launch the tennis ball, catch the ball and bring it to the handler at the other end (over the jumps in reverse). After returning, the next dog in the relay repeats.

That the 4 dogs on a team can stay focused on the race and not get distracted by the hundreds of people and the other dog team (8 dogs in total on the track) is SPECTACULAR and IMPRESSIVE.

We spent 4 nights in Raleigh, and there was other stuff, beyond the fairground offerings to appreciate… We are feeling very aculturated, Southern-wise, after our NASCAR time in Charlotte, but CLEARLY we still have things to learn. Which is good, because as soon as we STOP learning, we’d have to move on!

Our southern edumacation, at least in the realm of gourmet comestibles, continued at “Pam’s Farmhouse.” This is a local favorite serving southern, “Comfort” food. In this case, a fully tatted and pierced Southern Belle (she actually WAS charming and soooo friendly) offered me several versions of the standard side-Grits with my eggs. I have not figured out the whole “Grits” thing, yet.  She asked me if I wanted plain, Cheese or Red Eye Gravy on them – I asked her to ‘splain the latter.

Red Eye Gravy is created from ham grease and coffee, she said – just what everyone needs to get their motor running! YIKES.   She said “It comes on the side, — A Little goes a long way!”

On the fence about this, I sent a pic of these particular Grits to Cajun friend and College buddy Keith Cambre, who’s only comment was, “I don’t think we ever do them like that in Louisiana – GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!”

As it turned out, Red Eye Gravy did NOT come on the side, but rather in the middle, in a cup that made the dish look like one panel of an Andy Warhol sunny-side-up egg.

And, it was not nearly as bad as you would think – of course, how could it be? At the end of the day (and the dish – I ate them all!), this yankee has still not fully boarded the Grits Train.

And, while we are on the subject of HEALTHY southern fare, I should discuss our experience at Coopers BBQ (since 1938) in Downtown Raleigh. The BBQ was quite good, but it was the sides that struck us. LITERALLY, if you ask Liz’s cardiologist! With the generous portion of French Fries, that accompanied the BBQ Samich, there was a added pile (a side-side?) of what I know as CHICHARONNES.

Just to be sure we had enuf oh-so-healthy, fried stuff in our diet!

And, we discovered a divide MORE significant than that between Republicans and Democrats; between the North and South during the war of northern aggression; between Cubs and Sox Fans – The GREAT BBQ SAUCE DIVIDE.

It seems the State of North Carolina is irreconcilable over that MOST significant choice: whether BBQ Sauce is to be made with Tomato or Vinegar. I have to say, I have a greater appreciation for the Tomato variety, but that’s because I GREW UP WEST OF EVEN WESTERN North Carolina. I am starting to appreciate the vinegar option, tho.

The Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Wake Forest area is pretty amazing for a lot of reasons. More PHDs per square mile (and per capita) than almost anywhere else – including Silicon Valley. This is due in great measure to the presence of 4 significant insitutions of higher learning within a 50 mile radius – Duke, UNC, NC State and Wake Forest. And the gravity of these attracted and continues to attract high-tech industry and associated highly-educated employees. And a generally progressive (liberal) political orientation in the immediate area, at least. And even not just a “regular” Microbrewery, but an “Experimental Taproom.”

We endeavored to experience the “vibe” of the various campi. Our first impressions, which may well need further research and confirmation: UNC (Chapel Hill) wins, hands down. BEAUTIFUL old campus (The oldest State University in what was the fledgling USA when it was chartered). Lots of activity on a Sunday Afternoon. Students studying, of course, but also bars hopping, and people just wandering.

Duke, on the other hand, was unapproachable – literally! We could not find a free parking spot anywhere NEAR the campus – even at the visitor center. Mind you,  it was not CROWDED,  there were just MANY signs exclaiming the need for a permit sticker to avoid an inevitable tow.  UNSUBTLE.  I guess they don’t want people around who aren’t meant to be there – whatever that means. Or who can’t play basketball.

We did notice the not-necessarily-tongue-in-cheek rivalry at UNC. Most of the stores on the commercial street alongside the campus featured variations on “Duke Sucks” memorabilia. I ASSUME that the same sort of mechandise (in reverse) also exists in the Duke area – however since we were made to feel unwelcome there, we’ll never know!

Perhaps a little class divide, too. Tuition at Duke $51,000/yr. In-state Tuition at UNC: $8,800/yr.

Made me think about my own Liberal Arts Education at Carleton College, way back when and getting way-er back every year! AT the time, and thru much of my life, I felt College was instrumental in forming my rational and social morals and character. Would I feel so positively about it at $50k/yr? To be honest, I now feel the trajectory of my life was affected more by the people I met and friendships I still continue to enjoy, more so than the institution that collected us together and the curriculum it offered .

I feel like that pricetag may skew the ability to attend across a diverse group… If I went to school today, would I want to only associate with folks who can somehow manage $50k/yr for the privilege? We meet OUTSTANDING people every day – many without two nickels to rub together. I think it would be hard to justify $50K per year. And, PARTICULARLY since I question the relevance of the actual, “traditional” college education that tuition buys in today’s “just-in-time” and online learning world. For many, Trade Schools or even apprenticeships make a lot more sense and probably would for me if I were matriculating today!

As an extra treat,  the aforementioned College Buddy,  Keith Cambre said he had an Uncle living in Durham.   The other Uncle-of-Keith’s that we know (L.C. Cambre) has entertained us several times on our way thru Louisiana;  Keith said Ned would appreciate a beer and a story, and perhaps tell a few of his own (if we were willing to meet him, Keith said).  Turns out that was a SUPREME understatement.  Not the appreciate part;  the story part!  Ned has worked overseas repeatedly for MANY years — for Honeywell,  for The European Space Agency, as an engineer and as a Professor, and more.  From Japan to the Netherlands and had several hours worth of stories to tell!  

Its always the people, even more than the places, that we enjoy!

And, finally, we discovered again the kindness of strangers. It turns out that the Bus’s air-suspension was NOT acting right after the freezing experience at the Burdettes. One of the Air-valves was definitely bad – stuck open, so the bus was leaning badly. MAYBE a coincidence; maybe NOT a result of freezing OR the Burdettes at all!!! These valves fail, and I carry a couple spares. The fix is easy, but getting under there is hard, so I went online to find a truck place to do the work. I found that, and more!

The closest place was called “THE TRUCK SHOP” and was only a couple miles away. I made an appointment with the proprietor, Jim Matthews, for first thing in the morning on departure from Raleigh. I knew this repair could not even take an hour with a lift. When I showed up, we got WAY MORE than I expected!

Turns out, Jim is a retired Firefighter, and the TRUCK SHOP is sort of a hobby-garage. He does work on trucks, but not really to make a living! He took a look at RV WHERE YET, and motioned to a bay with a pit – said I was WELCOME TO CHANGE THE VALVE MYSELF. He could do it, but really didn’t what to…

Most places won’t even let customers IN the shop,  much less in the pit, with a wrench!

This is an easy repair – just hard to safely get to that valve parked in an RV Campsite. Over a pit, EASY TO REACH!!! I said I would change to my grubby clothes and get right on it! (Or, more accurately, UNDER IT!).  Jim said: “You don’t need to change – no grease back there!” I told him he had NO IDEA how easy it is to get dirty under ANY PART of RV WHERE YET! And I set about to prove it!

An hour later, I was done, and unrecognizable under the grease and dirt my clothes were covered with!

But wait,  there’s more!!!  While I was in the process of changing the valve, Jim came down into the pit to see Whassup (RV WHERE YET is in fact “UP” from the pit’s perspective!). He noticed a missing bolt on the PANHARD Rod.

For reference, this is the ONE PART that RV WHERE YET shares with 200mph NASCAR machines (about which I am now an expert, having visited the Hall of Fame). It is a suspension part that keeps the rear axle and drive shaft in place under the frame.

That bolt has fallen out before and I even carry a spare! So I replaced it. TWO PROBLEMS SOLVED, one I did not even know about.

As I was getting ready to pull out, I asked Jim what I owed him. He waved dismissively. I gave him $50.

Next destination: the Outer Banks of North Carolina!

Our next stop was added to our “plan” by realization that we were within a few hundred miles of My Aunt Marilee, who lives in WashDC.

You may recall several previous “Marilee-Audiences” here in these pages (2017   and again in 2018) . We are acutely aware that Marilee is 107 Years Old.  We are not worried about HER; she actually hasn’t changed much in all the years I have known her! But WE are not getting any younger. So if we find ourselves nearby, we find a way to stop and visit.

Our first step in visiting DC is to find a place to roost. Once, we stayed in front of friends Laurie and Paul Wilner’s place in Potomac, Md. Another time, we stayed in Williamsburg. But, this time, we had a NEW and BETTER option!

Fellow Bluebirdbrains Linda and Randy Burdette live in Fredericksburg, Md. [Thanks, Randy Burdette! for catching my ooops! I know and knew that Fredericksburg is in Virginia not Maryland, but my fingers are even more independent than my wife!  And for becoming one of our loyal readers! ]  Which is 45 minutes only from DC. Each time we’ve seen them, they’ve offered a spot for RV WHERE YET and some local knowledge and fun. Our paths last crossed in Albuquerque this past October, where they AGAIN insisted we swing thru someday… so we decided to take them up on the offer! 

(Liz wants me to remind everyone that this is what happens if you mention a parking spot within earshot of me!)

Unfortunately, our visit-timing was not really the best. The week we had been in Charlotte, the temperatures were in the 70’s  each day. As we contemplated heading north, the inevitable cold front loomed with record LOW temps at night predicted in the mid-teens (that’s Farenheit for our foreign readers).

This made us VERY uncomfortable due to the water systems in RV WHERE YET. The issue is the waste tanks –we can keep the living space nice and toasty with our propane furnaces, so we knew all the fresh water pipes and tanks ABOVE the floor would be fine. However, the waste tanks essentially hang out below the bus, fully exposed to ambient. I worried at the predicted temps these might freeze and crack.  If they did, replacement would be a HUGE problem – they are not very accessible.

Bluebird shipped Wanderlodges with heated mats under these tanks (as well as heated pipe-tape above the floor), and ours has them. HOWEVER, these are considered by smarter and more experienced Bluebirdbrains than me to be fire hazards — wires and insulation likely to be brittle after 40 years. I gingerly turned on the switch for these — no fire or even smoke, but no appreciable heat, either. So, we were on the horns of a dilemma – to go or not to go?

I spoke with Randy and Linda about this dilemma – REALLY hated to miss the opportunity to see Marilee AND experience Burdette Hospitality, both!! Discussing options, we learned that they’d be parking us next to their hangar (they live on a private airfield), with a 50amp electric connection.  And that hangar has a full (and heated bath). This would allow us run our propane furnaces and even a supplemental electric heater if necessary AND, more importantly, to NOT use RV WHERE YET’s Waste Tanks at all!

They offered to clear space indoors next to their Bluebird or their Cessna 206, but that was OVER THE TOP gracious, and we decided unnecessary. We had a solution – so we emptied and poured antifreeze into the waste tanks; then headed north…

For the record, there’s Frozen, and then There’s BURDETTE Frozen!

It got every bit as cold as predicted — 20F or below every night for a week —  but the Bus Furnaces kept us nice and toasty for a week inside. The short 20’ from the door of the bus to the door of the hangar was more than a little chilly, but we managed it as necessary. So it all worked out.

Until we fired the bus up to leave. More on that, below.

Our visit to Marilee (and daughter Joan) was planned for the weekend, but even more weather challenges were anticipated. SNOWMAGGEDDON! For several days before, the weatherheads on TV were broadcasting alerts about the abysmal weather anticipated. What ended up happening was a tiny bit of sleet followed by rain. Note to self: Credibility in weather forecasts must be calibrated to the latitude of the forecaster.

Although, as Linda Burdette pointed out – its always about the OTHER GUY’s reaction to a snowflake that really matters!

Long-story-short (well, actually, Long-story-long, which is more my style!), we made it to DC with no issues whatsoever. We found a parking spot right outside Marilee’s apartment, and had a DELIGHTFUL visit spanning a couple of days. Marilee continues to amaze.

At the age of 107, she is busy preparing for her next Gallery Opening…

If anyone is interested, she has an exhibition at STUDIO GALLERY (2108 R Street, NW in DC) from May 20 to June 13. Marilee will be at a reception there on Saturday 23 May. If you tell her you are a friend of ours, she will get a kick out of it. Or kick you out. Or possibly both!

While in DC, we stayed overnight with friends Laurie and Paul Wilner in nearby Potomac. We shared a couple of meals, a flight of Bourbon and a LOT of conversation – even with Paul! The last 2 times we passed thru, it was in early April or October – Paul is a Tax Accountant, so in our previous visits we never had an actual Paul Sighting. This time, MULTIPLE MEALS and FULL EXPOSURE to his wit and wisdom!!!

Our second meal with the Wilners was added because Liz almost ordered Crab Cakes at the first. Paul stopped her – forbade it, in fact! Although we were at the Wilners favorite restaurant, and they had excellent Crabcakes, Paul said the BEST in the world were at a little diner in Maryland, not far from Annapolis. We took this as a sign – that we should spend an afternoon IN Annapolis, followed by another dinner with the Wilners. Neither disappointed!

I should also mention that our time in Fredericksburg on either side of DC was fabulous as well! Linda took us on a history tour, which featured a colonial Doctor’s office. There, we learned about the various remedies of the day, which included lots of bleeding and weird poultices. It is not hard to understand why lifespans were shorter back then!!

We also shared a few meals – one cooked by Linda and one by us. One at a local Waffle House, where the manager threatened to conscript me!

I also helped Randy install a new Router for Internal Wifi in his bus – a pretty cool device that either routes through a park’s Wifi or uses a built-in SIM for making a cellular hotspot. We may have one of these in our future (Winegard Air+360 with Winegard Gateway).

Eventually, despite the hospitality it came to be time to leave. This is where we FULLY understood why we don’t do cold weather as a matter of routine in RV WHERE YET. The Bus’ air suspension would not fully air -up. I suspected a little bit of ice in the air lines…what to do?

We could wait for warmth,  but I got the sense that Randy was nervous about us in situ,  indefinitely.  He immediately (way TOO fast!) suggested that he had a couple of kerosene torpedo heaters used quickly heat his hangar and/or airplane engine; one of which could be used to heat the air system under our bus. Implicit in this offer:  …AND ASSURE OUR PROMPT DEPARTURE!  About 10 minutes and whatever was frozen was not…more or less!

We were able to depart, but eventually it became clear that the problems caused by ice were not completely resolved. Let’s just say that RV WHERE YET was leaning left (and I am not talking about politics). You’ll have to read on to know more about that.