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Good evening friends of the Evergreen Travler.  We are now 3 days into our first trip of the year and have made good time, considering it has been 3 very eventful days, ok 2 very eventful days and 1 very long and boring day.  But, we are now safely tucked in at the Clinton, TN KOA where we will remain for 5 nights while we visit Sarah’s family and if we have time, some old friends.

Where do I begin?  The first day out was our longest travel day of this trip, until we start heading home in 2 months.  We covered over 500 miles, way more than we would like but since the travel was in Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas we figured why not.  It should be the day with the least traffic so we can just cruise on at our steady 62 mph and make good time.  Oh, the best laid plans of mice and men….

Day 1:  Traffic, no problem.  Construction, no problem, Truck and RV, no problem.  Mother nature, PROBLEM.  Ya’ know, when you are driving across the open plains and the wind starts to kick up there just isn’t much to block it, except, your big box of a trailer.  We knew there was a high wind warning for Eastern Colorado before we left.  But we left early in the morning (see the pictures of the beautiful sunrise) and hoped we could outrun it.  Well, sort of.  We did get into Kansas before the winds started picking up.  Along our drive we actually saw a few tractor trailers that had been flipped on their side.  I don’t know how many of you have pulled long trailers before, but one of the last things you want to see in your side view mirror is the tail end of your trailer swinging back and forth.  Its called, the tail wagging the dog.

Ok, before you attack and say I was not in my right mind and should have pulled over and waited it out, I did consider it.  But, understand that I write to entertain and while yes, the wind was strong, and yes, my trailer was wagging the dog, and yes, my knuckles were white, it was not all that bad.  We got through it and made it to our first stop, Topeka, KS, just fine.  Oh, along the way we did manage to stop at a Blue Beacon Truck Wash and give both truck and trailer a nice bath.  Actually, it was the first time the RV has been washed since we purchased it last February and with the wind blowing, it dried pretty quickly.

We were quite tired when we got to the KOA so we did not even bother to unhitch the trailer or do any hook ups other than electric.  In fact, once we got inside the trailer, we did not open that door again until the next morning when it was time to get on the road again.

Day 2:  Our goal was Grayville, IL.  550 miles on day one and around 450 miles for day two.  A much easier day, right.  Traffic, no problem, Construction – no problem.  Mother Nature – no problem.  Truck – no problem.  RV – PROBLEM.  About half way into the drive my Tire Pressure Monitor alarmed (by the way, if you drive or pull an RV you must have one of these, they are a life saver).  The display showed that the front passenger side tire had gone from 136 psi to 109 psi in a matter of minutes (slow leak not a blow out).  I immediately pulled over and got out to see what was going on.  Based on a visual inspection, everything looked fine so back in the truck and off we went.  Got about another mile down the road and stopped again.  This time armed with a tire pressure gauge (I know, should have used it the first time).  Yep, it was at 109 for sure.  So, time to get it off the highway and either find a repair shop quick or call for roadside assistance.  We had a full size spare ready to go so overall, I was not that worried.  We found 2 places that claimed to be tire shops right off the next exit.  Neither said they could help until much later in the day.  I even threw in the Cancer card to get some sympathy but no luck.  The last shop told me that one more exit down the highway was a truck repair place that should be able to help.   By now, my tire was down to about 92 psi so I asked if he would air it up for me so I could make it to the next exit.  He did, and off we went.  Sure enough there was a truck repair facility and they agreed to help out.

Oh, did I mention it was raining?  A drizzle really but enough to get ya wet.  Back to the story, I tell the tech that I can use my hydraulics to lift the RV off the ground so he can get that tire off.  Great.  Well, not so fast.  In January I had independent suspension installed on the RV giving each wheel a full 5 inches of travel.  That made getting it off the ground a bit of a challenge.  But up she went and off went the tire.  I figured I hit a nail or something and they would be able to fix it and back on the road we would go.  Not quite.

Seems the problem was not with the tire at all, the wheel had a hole in it (see photo) and that meant it was done for.  So, on went the spare and the bad tire and wheel were locked into the spare location.  Great.  Well, not quite.  It seems that the repair place was having a problem with their air system and while my spare was at 109 psi they could not get it up to the 125 it needed to be.  Since they were only charging me $21.00 for what ended up being about an hour of wet work, (yes I did give them a nice tip, told them to have lunch on me) I was not too upset.  Our next stop was another facility about 100 yards further down the road and they got it aired up properly, no charge.  Back on the road, all is well, and we pulled into our next stop, the KOA in Grayville, IL around 6:45pm.  We did another no unhitch and only electric hook and this time I think we were asleep in about 35 minutes.  In review, we were now 2 days on the road and 2 days with problems.  For sure day 3 would hold the best “problem” yet.

Nope, day 3 was great.  Only 355 miles to get from Grayville, IL to Clinton, TN.  The shortest drive yet.  Short.  It seemed like the longest drive we were both so tired.  Sarah started the day as the driver so I could make calls concerning the broke wheel.  She did an awesome job and ended up driving almost half way to TN. Ok, I want to make sure everyone understands, Sarah drives every day we are on the road. This RV thing is a team effort and, well, you get the picture. I took over right before it was time to fuel up and the rest of the day was as uneventful as it had started.  We got into the KOA and for the first time in 3 days, unhitched the RV, I swear I could hear the truck moan, OY when that weight came off its bed.

Speaking of fuel, ouch.  I know prices are starting to come back down but ouch.  The truck holds 48 gallons and gets around 8 – 10 mpg when towing.  So, figure it was 1,300 miles or so from home to TN and you do the math.  That many gallons and we paid between $4:50 and $5.00 per gallon.  Did I mention, OUCH.

Well, that brings you up to date my friends.  Our plan is to be here for 5 nights before heading on to See Rock City.  Sarah is also taking pictures of ever welcome to a state sign we pass and I’ve made a special folder for them (or will shortly) so you can see them in order.  For this post, I have pictures of the sunrise, Sarah behind the wheel, and various RV pictures.  No selfies just yet. 

I guess that is about it.  Again, thanks for following and I look forward to your comments.

TTFN