RV Parts & Repair Recommendation

Lorenson Industries

If you are in Kansas and need parts or repairs for your RV we heartily recommend this place. They were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. They also have a good stock of parts and reasonably priced.

A big thumbs up from us. Support the little guy!

Good News and a Minor Accident

Yesterday Ric saw his Vein Doctor in Topeka. 2 years ago he was diagnosed with 80% blockage in one of the arteries in his neck. Then 1 year ago he was told somehow it had reduced to 50%. Yesterday he was told it was around 39%. The Heart and the Vein Doctors have no idea how this happened. Usually, the only way a blockage reduces is when some of the calcified matter breaks off, but if that happens it goes into the brain and causes a stroke. Ric has not had a stroke, so the doctors are flummoxed.
Today we got more good news from his Kidney Doctor who said all his readings were normal and  he was doing well. Last week the Doc was worried that Ric might be heading for type 3 renal failure. He adjusted Ric's cocktail of meds and this week all is back to normal.
He also kindly signed Ric's prescription for new diabetic shoes, so those will be on their way to us soon. And the lady who measured his feet for his shoes said his feet were not just healthy-looking, but that he had pretty feet too.
Then we visited his Heart Doctor who was also pleased with his progress. So medically all looks good for our trip, thank the Lord for His grace.
We had another fine day today - after a near pass from a tornado yesterday, and a hail storm. Unfortunately the hail damaged the dome plastic roof over the shower in the RV, but Aiden went up on the roof and fixed it until we can get a replacement.
Not everything went so well, sadly. Ric was moving the trailer but didn't wait for me to get out of the way, and the loading ramp caught me across the top of my right foot. It scratched the tops of my toes and ripped the nail off my big toe.

No gory photos, just my big toe bandaged up.

It was then that I discovered that the only bandages in the house were for sprains, and not for cuts. Good thing I found out now so I can restock my first aid kit for the trip.
So necessity being the mother of invention, I covered my toe with Germolene, and wrapped it in a sanitary pad, held on with tape. I did the job pretty well.
And I have learnt that I should not get close to the trailer when it is being moved wearing flip-flops.
I will probably lose the toe nail on that toe, but then it will be a match for the nail less big toe on my other foot.
Just let me add here, Germolene is an amazing healing cream. We use it in the UK all the time, but don't get it in US except by mail order from Amazon. So if you are accident prone, I recommend it. It is antiseptic, and has anesthetic in it, so it helps take some of the pain away.

Working While The Sun Shines

Today we have a nice day, the weather is kind to us and we have got a lot done this afternoon. Aiden worked on the roof of the RV, sealing the cracks around the roof vents and air conditioner. Then with Manuel's, they sanded down the tow dolly and got the undercoat on. Thank you boys for your hard work!

Tomorrow we are promised more thunderstorms and rain, so any work will have to be on the inside.

American Civil War places we would like to visit

Appomattox is about 1 hour 20 mins away.

Virginia Museum of the Civil War is in New Market about the same distance from Sherando Lake.

Fredericksburg is about 2 hours away. Manassas is about 2 hours 40 mins away. Petersburg is just over 2 hours away. Chancellorsville is a little under 2 hours away. And Richmond is 1 hour 45 mins. The Washington and Lee University in Lexington is about 1 hour away

Harper's Ferry is about 2 hours 30 mins and that is only about an hour from Ellicott City, Baltimore.

Those are just a few of the places to visit.

Some Places We Might Like To Visit While We Are In Virginia - Skate Parks etc. links

The Watermine - Reston VA

Lake Fairfax Skatepark

This is about 145 miles from Sherando Lake, on the outskirts of Washington DC, so definitely a place to go to by car not in the RV. I have traveled around the outskirts of Washington in an RV in 2003 and it is not an experience I want to repeat.


Charlottesville Skate Park, VA

This one is a bit closer, only about 39 miles away. The link shows Saturday, April 20th marked the official day the skate park opened in Charlottesville.

Planned Itinerary

This is our initial plan for the trip, where we plan to stop each day. Of course the plan may change, but we trust in the Lord to get us where He wants us to be, on His schedule.

Day One
Leave Junction City heading East on the I-70
                        We will probably stop for a break at Oak Grove, Missouri which is on the far side of Kansas City, and about 153 miles from home.
                        We plan to stop for the night at Tri-City Community Lake, at Columbia, Missouri where there is free RV parking.
Total journey:  252 miles.

Day Two
Leave Columbia and continue on the I-70 East
                        We will take a break at Wentzville, Missouri, about 83 miles from Columbia, and just before we reach St. Louis. At St. Louis we change from the I-70 to the I-64.
                        The night stop is planned to be at Hilltop Public Campground, Grayville, Illinois.
Total mileage for this day: 255 miles
Total journey: 507 miles

Day Three
Leave Grayville and continue along the I-64 into Indiana.
                       Lunch stop will probably be at Corydon, Indiana, about 109 miles from Grayville. We than will enter Kentucky and drive along the Ohio Riverfront in Louisville.
                       That night we plan to stop at Cabela's in Lexington, Kentucky.
Total mileage for this day: 209 miles
Total journey:  716 miles

Day Four
Leave Lexington, keeping on the I-64 East.
                       As our original plan meant we would be doing this section on Memorial Day Monday, we didn't know how bad the traffic was likely to be. So we planned a short trip (70 miles) to Paragon Dispersed Camping Area a few miles north of West Liberty, Kentucky. However, with the rain we have had, and seeing that this site already has flood warnings posted online, we will probably not take a seventeen mile detour off the I-64 to this site.
                     Instead we will stay in Lexington until the afternoon and visit Berry Hill Skatepark.
                     Then head back to the I-64 and spend the night at Morehead, Kentucky which is about 63 miles from Lexington.
Total mileage for this day: 63 miles
Total journey:  779 miles 
             
Day Five
Leave Morehead and drive East along the I-64, and enter West Virginia.
                    We plan to stop at South Charleston, West Virginia for lunch, beside the Kanawha River, which is  about 121 miles from Morehead.
                   Then we will travel on to Beckley, West Virginia and spend the night at the Tamarack Visitors Park.
Total mileage for this day: 182 miles
Total journey:  961 miles 

Day Six
Leave Beckley and head on down the I-64 and up into the Appalachians and into Virginia.
                    We will probably stop for lunch near the highest point on this bit of road, possibly Covington, Virginia, which is about 84 miles from Beckley.
                    The last leg of our trip down into the Shenandoah Valley and across to the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, finally leaving the I-64 and reaching Sherando Lake where we will be staying for the next three months.
Total mileage for this day: 169 miles
Total journey:  1130 miles 

We plan to be there by 31st May, so with this schedule we will need to leave Junction City on Sunday 26th May at the latest. If all goes well with the RV and the trailer we might leave as early as 24th, and have a day or two at Sherando to settle in and find our way around.
                     

Preparation for the trip

We still have a lot to get done before we take off for Virginia in about a week. Sadly the rain storms we have been having have messed with our schedule. So now we are deciding what must be done before we leave and what can be done after we get to the campground.

We bought a tow dolly so we can tow the Malibu with us, but it needs a little work and we are waiting for the parts to arrive. It also needs a coat of paint which may get done before we leave.

We want to get the roof resealed on the RV, and we need to replace the two roof vent covers which got holes in them in the last hail storm earlier this month. We need to get the tires checked and extenders for the tire air valves so we can blow them up easier. As there are 4 wheels on the rear axle, it is hard to reach the inside wheel to check the pressure.

The rubber hose connecting the fuel filler to the fuel tank has a split in it so when we fill the tank some of the gas leaks, so that hose needs replacing before we leave. And we have a faulty seat belt for the passenger seat which we need to replace. We have bought a new mattress as the one in the RV was the wrong size and got wet from the broken roof vent cover letting in rain. But until the leaks are fixed we don't want to put the new mattress in only to have it soaked in the next storm, which is due this weekend.

So it is going to be a busy week for us.

Summer 2019 - Sherando Lake Recreation Area

Information about Sherando Lake Recreation Area

A video of Sherando Lake Recreation Area

Forestry Serice web site for Sherando Lake Recreation Area

Google map for Sherando Lake Recreation Area