Leaving Hinesville, Ga heading for Gunter Hill Campground, Montgomery, Alabama

(We are currently in Foley, Alabama but have been without internet for the past few weeks. I will continue posting my blog posts in order, posting a few a day until I get caught up. Sorry for the long dry spell. ~laugh~

Location: Gunter Hill Campground, Montgomery, Al

(Post from Jan 6, 2017)

After a noise start to the day around 4:30 a.m. when a big rig pulled in beside us and started unloading with lots of shouting, beeping, diesel clanging, and things slamming, so we were packing up at 7 a.m. We had a light breakfast of yogurt and granola before we finished packing up the inside of the Igloo. A quick little 5 minutes outside and we were ready to roll by 7:30 am.

The day started off trying to be sunny but failed. We were stop and go for a while getting out of the small city but soon we were rolling along. I need to do some work with Phoebe (RV GPS) as she takes us off of great roads to route us to narrow, back roads with just one lane each way only to put us back on the original road a few miles down the road. I would prefer to stay on one road and maybe go a few extra miles than to do all this left turn, right, left turn stuff.

Green leaves in January, just doesn't seem right some how.

We progressed at a steady pace for most of the morning, although the small towns and slow downs were time consuming and after a while they got to be tough on the nerves. Speed limit of 50 mph/80 km and all of a sudden there is a light at the top of the hill or at the bottom of the hill. They don’t give you a lot of time on a yellow light either. So it’s pretty intense trying to get this rig stopped with only a short runway, if you know what I mean. Rain, drizzle, heavy rain, drizzle…stop…. drizzle, rain, heavy rain, drizzle…. stop, repeat. All day long it continued. At times we thought we were driving out of it as the rain would stop, the sky would look brighter but around the next corner it was back again.

Holly Berries/Bush growing just about everywhere down here. 

No rest stops in the state of Georgia except ONE and it was closed. From 7:45 am to 10:15 am there was no where to stop unless you actually got off the road and into a town/service station. As we approached the ONLY rest stop we noticed that it was closed with no indication of the distance to the  next one. Crossing the state line didn’t provide a welcome center either, so we ended up stopping at large truck stop. We put the cat in the Igloo so she could use the litter box while we took a walk into the store/restaurant to check things out. Back at the Igloo we grabbed the cat, some snacks and made our way to the pumps to fill up. After the fill up we were back on the road again. Lots of rolling hills today, plus the rain,the spray from other vehicles, stop lights, speed changes and small towns. All in all it was not one of the more pleasant drives I’ve had. ~laugh~

We arrived at Gunter Hill,  Corps of Engineers Campground at 3:12 pm this afternoon. Which was actually 4:12 pm (Georgia time) but crossing the state line we gained an hour as the clocks slid back. A quick stop at the guard shack to sign in and we were on our way into the park within 2 minutes of stopping. Spot 55, is a pull thru that I  had reserved.

This guy had trouble standing upright, not sure if the weights are too heavy, he had too much to drink or the wind was too strong but something seemed to keep him on his backside.

Still raining, we finally wind our way down the long park road and find our spot, I had to pull in twice (made a second loop around the place) as I didn't get over far enough on the first try.  We managed to get the feet down, the chocks in and slides out in short order. Riley took the cat inside after the slides were out. While she sorted out the inside I was outside in the rain hooking up the power and the water so we could at least have a shower and get the heater going. We immediately realized we had no internet connection and a trip to the guard shack revealed there is NO internet here, so we’ll have to go to Verizon to fix that issue. After such a long drive we just kind of sat down to rest a bit and take our minds off the drive. We watched a movie and enjoyed a quick dinner while watching the movie. (no dinner pics tonight) Turkey burgers on toasted English muffins, Spanish rice and a couple of cookies to finish off dinner. Movie over we decided to wash the dishes, after all it’s been a couple of hours and the water heater should have heated water by now right? Turn on the tap, NO water, not hot or cold, just none at all. Outside in the rain to ensure I turned it on, it’s on. Nothing. It’s the ‘pull up the handle - pump kind of thing’, I’m certain the handles up, nothing, handle down, nothing. I disconnect the hose and try again, both positions. NOTHING. Hmmmm….I wonder if they shut it off due to the forecasting of cold weather? Called the office. No it isn't turned off. We have no water. We can move to another site of our choosing. I don’t want to move in the dark and the rain. She suggests that maybe someone has turned off the ‘spigot’ at the bottom of the pipe. I didn’t see one but I go out to look again. NO spigot and still no water. She told us we can move to one of the open pull thru sites across the road from us in the morning and just let her know which one we move into.

This fella greeted us upon our arrival at Hinesville, Ga. Seemed pretty happy to see us. ~laugh~

Heated water to do the dishes, not a big deal but it means no showers tonight unless we go to the bathhouse. Bummer. Still raining though, I could take my soap and shampoo outside and shower but it’s pretty cold. Just above the freezing mark at 34F/1 C.

We played a game of Yahtzee. I won, but didn’t roll a Yahtzee!!

After that Riley was off to bed, she’s pretty tired from the drive and I’m heading off to bed myself after I finish this post. I can’t post it but I’ll write it and post it when I have a wifi connection.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. Until next time…be safe, take care…..

Solar Panels on the roof.....

(We are currently in Foley, Alabama but have been without internet for the past few weeks. I will continue posting my blog posts in order, posting a few a day until I get caught up. Sorry for the long dry spell. ~laugh~ )

Our Location: Coastal Solar Parking Lot, Hinesville, GA
(Jan 5, 2017 Post)

A nice evening last night, not cold but cool enough. I slept well, the place is pretty quiet and except for a few noises but I didn’t hear much.

This  morning at 6:00 A.M. the morning wake up call at the nearby military base was loud enough for me to hear and cause my eyes to open. We’ve heard different ‘timed’ military base notes throughout the evening yesterday and today. On my drive to pick up some diesel today I actually drove past the base, it’s not far away, maybe a mile at the most.

Jason (orange sweater) and Cody (?) on the roof of the Igloo laying out the panels

Bright blue skies with a few white wispy clouds were the order of the day. The temps reached into the mid 60’s F/15.5 C by this afternoon. Warm enough to keep the big door open all day.

Our morning started off with me cleaning out a closet in the front of the Igloo to allow cables to be run down the inside so as to keep them hidden. After that we were up, chores complete, breakfast finished and a bit of reading in before 8:15 am. I had the door open for a bit as it was warmer outside than inside. Jason from Coastal Solar was here bright and early to start work. He appeared with a smile on his face and a fantastic attitude that never left him all day. He is an extremely conscientious young man, very polite, very knowledgeable and a truly happy person. I felt very much in good hands with him doing this work.

 

Looks like they know what they are doing, doesn't it?

Riley and I left for a walk just as he was getting started. Nothing worse than someone looking over your shoulder when you’re trying to work, so I felt it was in HIS best interest at the time and MY best interest in the future for me to leave the area and let him do this thing. Riley and I walked for a couple of blocks West but had to retrace our steps as we ended up on a dead end street. We turned around walking back those same couple of blocks, adding a few more until we had completed a small loop of the area.

Jason and his buddy, (I think he said Cody) spent a bit of time on the roof top laying out, installing the 4 panels (100 watts each), running the cables, and fastening everything tightly. After a very quick lunch only Jason returned to finish up and to do the dreaded drilling of a hole to run the cables into the Igloo. Jason is from the Northwest regions of the USA where it rains a great deal, he worries about water leaks and I think drilling the hole was probably the toughest part of the job for him.

Monitor panel (black box), Charge controller (silver box) and connection from batteries to charge controller (left under black box)

Various times throughout the day folks dropped by to see how the install was progressing. One or two climbed up on the roof to have a look, take some pictures and just to ensure things were going well. All great people that work here, friendly, knowledgeable, warm, and generous.

There are 4 of these up here, 100 watts each, should keep us in power with no problems. 

I don’t have a lot of pictures of the actual work or each step taken, I felt it was more important to stay out of the way and leave the man alone to do what I asked him to do than it was for me to document each step. I will over the next number of months learn more about the entire system and give updates as to how I like the system, how well it works to cover our needs, any extra we add on and I’ll add pictures of the various pieces and parts of the system. I truly won't know much until we get back to Canada and actually start using our new system. 

Suzanne was a huge help as well. An extremely nice lady, more than understanding about things, friendly with a ready smile, she adds a certain zest to this team.

I can’t say enough about the fantastic way we were treated, how professional, friendly, knowledgeable, and kind the people of Coastal Solar here in Hinesville, Ga have been to us. I would not hesitate to recommend them for any of your solar needs. They do mostly much bigger installations but were more than happy to do our small job. We were the first RV install for them, and I think the first install of the new year as well. We wish them continued success in the years ahead.

I told you I had 4 of them!!!!!

After Jason finished the install, Riley and I spent some time putting things back in order (the closet), enjoyed reading our books and just relaxing. Around 5 pm we headed outside to hook up the Dogsled, and get everything outside secure for our travels tomorrow. We are heading to Gunter Hill Campground near the city of Montgomery, Al. According to Phoebe (RV GPS) we are 345 miles away, which should be 6.5 hours but i think it will be more likely to be about 8 hours drive time.

Dinner tonight was spaghetti with oregano chicken and veggies. It was excellent, easy, and quick. Dishes finished, some reading and then it’s time to head off to bed. As I write this in bed, it is less quiet than last night but still nice.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. Until next time…be safe…take care.

Welcome to Hinesville, Ga.....

Our Location: Coastal Solar Parking Lot, Hinesville, GA

A nice night for sleeping, a bit cooler than the previous couple of nights but still very nice. The day has been sunny and blue with some wispy white clouds high in the sky with temps running around the mid 60's F/18's C. 

Christmas Decorations in the many small towns

We were outside finishing the last of the packing up by 8 am this morning. With some help to watch the fenders I managed to get kitty corner into the spot and hook up the Igloo. Some helping hands to direct me around the electric pole/water/sewer on the left and the picnic table/cement pad on the right, I had the Dogsled pushing the Igloo backwards out of our spot thanks to the guy in spot 2 that we couldn't get around. Hugs and goodbyes with Steve, and Roger, we were on the road at 8:35 am. I was extremely happy about this great shove off time. 

We meandered around the country side following more or less a pretty straight line to Hinesville, GA, about 150 miles away. I will say that my new RV Garmin GPS worked very well. We call her Phoebe. She takes into consideration our length, height, and weight to determine which roads are safe for us to travel. I have an 'auto' GPS that we call Bella, she is good only in the USA. Then there is Taz, strictly a Canadian girl, showing nothing south of the border. Phoebe has dual citizenship and can be used in either country.

 

Look at the palm trees behind. Not natural for us.

We drove along some amazing country side today. Scenes from cotton fields to hardy green winter crops, bright light green/yellow winter canola crop, empty farm fields, a wrecking yard that went on for at least mile with every conceivable kind of 'motorized' vehicle being represented. We passed thru numerous small towns that gave us a small glimpse into small town USA living. Many places still had these cute Xmas decorations attached to the light standards. It was odd to see these decorations and realize it's Jan 4 when everything is green, bright, cheery and palm trees swaying in the background.

Hard to call him Frosty in this weather.

 With no rest stops because it wasn't an interstate we managed to pull off safely so Riley could grab a ready made sandwich and some snacks for herself. We also managed to use the ladies room as mine is available even with the slides in. Always important to have access to the bathroom, fridge, stove and dishes. 

Small town decorations still up.

The temps stayed pretty consistent as the afternoon approached and we were happy that the wind wasn't blowing too hard. We moseyed along about 50 -55 mph/ 80 - 85 kph for the entire trip. A nice speed with the stop and go possibilities due to traffic lights in the small towns.  The speed limits were always going up and down so it was hard to use cruise today.

Handsome, isn't he?

Fuel wise we filled up before we left Albany and arrived here in Hinesville with just over a third of a tank of fuel. Not bad for the kind of driving we did. 

We passed thru towns such as Pearson, Jesop, Ludowici, Wilacoochee, Enigma, Alapaha, Tifton, Sylvester, Blackshear, Waycross, Offerman, Screven, Doctortown, and Walthourville. Each with a stop light or two, a railroad track every other town, and of course the requisite Advanced Auto Parts, Piggly Wiggly, Family Dollar and General Dollar. Package stores (liquor) were in abundance as well. Pick up trucks with spot lights on the roof, gun racks in the back window, grill guards and huge tires were the norm, while old beater cars with multi coloured fenders, doors, hoods, trunks and missing hubcaps were also seen in large numbers.

For sale.....want the number?

  Some towns were very busy while others were very quiet. Some had run down, messy, needing repairs and paint store fronts and houses, while others were well manicured, nicely landscaped, well maintained businesses and homes.

Cotton waiting for shipment.

We noticed fewer pecan orchards that around Albany, but the ones we seen were better tended. We seen only agricultural farms, no livestock, no big bales of hay or barns anywhere. Although we did see a tractor trailer full of pine straw bales.

Canola crop

We noticed a few watering machines in some of the fields, huge tires, long arms and usually an irrigation pond near by. Numerous tractor dealerships just randomly sitting in a field in the middle of no where. Although the towns are pretty close together, so maybe middle of no where isn't quite accurate. ~laugh~  

Of course some form of Walmart was present in some of the bigger towns but not all of them had a super center, some were only markets (groceries only) and some looked like they had seen better days and were in need a face lift on the outside at least. 

Irrigation pond with the house in background

Grocery stores ranged from Piggly Wiggly to Harvey's (a chain here in Georgia) with the odd Kroger thrown in and often times a small local mom and pop kind of store. The regular fast food chains such as MacDonald's, Hardee's, Burger King, Subway, and Sonic could be seen in the bigger towns along with Chick-fil-a, Church's Fried Chicken, and KFC also in attendance. 

Snow in Georgia. Naw, just cotton.

We've seen very few police in our travels, but those that we did see were usually busy with customers and weren't interested in us. Although I tried to convince Riley they might be looking for her. She wasn't buying it. ~laugh~ 

We arrived in Hinesville to be greeted by this fella on the left. Not sure if he was bowing or jumping, he seemed pretty intense though. ~laugh~ 

Arrival time was just after 1 pm. We pulled into the lot with some doubt as to our proper location. Coastal Solar was tucked into the far corner with the U-Haul sign. Our tech Jason wasn't available but a nice fella whose name escapes me, was more than happy to inform Jason of our arrival. We explained we were early and would just go to the Igloo and have lunch while waiting for Jason to arrive. I had intended only to find out where to park and leave the man alone as our appointment is for TOMORROW. We were informed by no less than 3 people that we are safe in the parking lot as the owner of U-Haul/Coastal Solar owns the parking lot and his brother is the sheriff, who followed in pa's footsteps and grandpa's footsteps, as they had both been sheriff before him. I think we're safe here. ~laugh~

Jason rode with us to our parking spot behind the building, climbed on top of the roof and with the help of a nice young man from the business next door took the panels up to lay them out how he wants them. Back down the ladder, looking at the battery compartment, the inside closet for running wires and offered to find us any information we wanted regarding things to see and do in the area.

We thanked him, met the folks in the office and then proceeded to level up the Igloo so we could unhook and get things settled for the cat. Before we had a chance another fella came out and started chatting. Wanted to buy the truck. ~laugh~ 

Leveled up the Igloo, unhooked the Dogsled and took off to find some groceries that we realized we needed. Still looking for a fuel stop before I hook back up though. We stopped at Ollie's Bargain Barn after our grocery run but before we got back home again. He's in the mall next to this one. Also a Verizon Wireless across the street from Ollie, which I want to pop into tomorrow for some Internet information. Back home to the Igloo and set about getting ready to make dinner. As we are not plugged into any shore power we are once again dry camping, no problem for us but after tonight it will be much easier to manage on these longer dark nights with more battery capabilities. 

Found some free wifi and am able to do my post. It's been a good day. Dinner tonight was a garden salad with some chopped up oregano thyme chicken breast. I put the chicken on after I took the picture. ~laugh~ 

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the trip. Feel free to comment. Until next time...be safe....take care......