My 26-day road trip.

[kklowell]

I left Florida on my birthday (June 7) to head north. My plan was to go only about 3 hours to Warwick, GA and camp at a power company campground. I had rear reviews that said that it was a decent place, with the sound of the water close by...and all of the older reviews said it was free, but the locals filled it up and partied all night. The newer reviews were just the opposite, saying it was clean, quiet and pretty. Those reviews were all posted since the power company started charging a $5/night fee. Those reviews were quite accurate...it is a pretty place, it was very clean, and it was certainly quiet because I was the only camper there![font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][/font][/font][/size]
I stayed just the one night, and got up about 6:30 am. Took a nice hot shower, cooked breakfast and hit the road.
I drove about 40 miles to the Andersonville Prison national park. I liked the park. It was not overdone, but managed to instill those feelings of sadness I always get in these Civil War parks. I find myself imagining the smell, the noise, the smoke and the horror. The prison was probably not much different than most of the POW camps at that time, but Andersonville is the most famous of those camps.
Most of the stockade has been removed, but the north entrance and one corner remain, or possibly were reconstructed. Going through the gates of the entrance I couldn't help but think of the prisoners walking through them for the first time and seeing the terrible conditions of that place. For many, it would be the only time they would pass though those gates alive. [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] [size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][/font][/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]There are cornerstones and wooden posts that delineate the the original location of the stockade. The wooden posts are in two rows, an inner and an outer row. The outer row is labeled "Stockade", the inner row is labeled "Deadline"...so named because a prisoner who wandered in the area between the deadline and the stockade was shot by one of the guards manning the stockade towers. [size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][/font][/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]A large percentage of the men who were imprisoned there died there. Most of disease brought about by the crowded conditions, the lack of food and water [size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]polluted with sewage. The cemetery there is large, and the markers from those days are only a couple of inches apart. I shot video as I drove through there, but didn't shoot any still shots.[/font][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size]
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=small][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I recommend visiting this national park if you're a history buff and in the area.[/font][/font][/size][/font][/size][/font][/size]

 

[kklowell]

My planned destination after Andersonville was Athens, TN. to visit a cousin who seldom sees anyone in the family. It was a good visit that make her quite happy, so I was really glad that I had taken the time to go there. I could have saved a few miles and a couple of gallons of gas, but seeing the smile on her face was worth far more than a few bucks and a couple of hours.
I was there a couple of hours before I hit the road again. Truthfully, I had no real idea where I was going from there. This was when I decided that before my next road trip I'm going to buy a Rand Mcnally road atlas. I ended up driving to the Bass Pro Shops store in Kodak, TN where I bedded down for the night at about 11 pm or so.

 

[Cammalu]

Kklowell. You are pretty close to KY now. I have a camping space here that’s nice near Beaver Dam if you get thru this area. Mammoth Cave isn’t very far and Bowling Green and Owensboro are both about 30 minutes. I’m very near the green river if you want to borrow a kayak.

 

[kklowell]

Well, thank you, Cammalu, that's a great offer. I'm actually back home in Maine now and won't be venturing out that far for about 16 months. My next road trip will be to Texas, as that's the only state I have not yet been in. That's going to be a nice long trip... from Maine to Texas and home through Florida and Georgia (assuming that my son is still stationed at Fort Stewart.) I'll have a budget of whatever I can save from now until then, and unlimited time as I'll be quitting my job (which is only two or three days a week anyway) when I leave. I'm already excited for that trip!

 

[kklowell]

I had a great visit with my cousin, but now I get daily pictures of her grandson in my FB messenger. Maybe I should send back daily pictures of my seven grand...or pictures of the ultrasound images of the 8th one coming in January. LOL
The rest of my trip home was quite uneventful. I was really pleased with my truck as it got pretty good gas mileage, leaked no oil, and kept on keeping on. I had one unpleasant night though...the weather had changed and it was only about 60 degrees when I went to bed. It had been raining all day so I was happy to get off the road. However, I wasn't happy when I discovered that both ends of my bed, my pillow and my blankets were soaked! I ended up sleeping quite tightly curled up with two sweatshirts as blankets, and my arm as my pillow. Needless to say, I didn't sleep many hours.
I should have fixed the couple of leaks around my windows sooner I guess. Leaving the camper in the heat and constant rain (I did have it covered with a tarp but the air was very moist) allowed some mold to develop on the riser board under the front window, which is where the worst leak was. I'm going to have to unbolt the back end and remove it, then unbolt the riser and cap so I can slide them back. At that point, I should be able to remove the front window and reseal it, and replace the molding board and install a new PAINTED one. I'll also be putting several containers of DAMP-RID in there.
While I'm doing the repairs, I'm also modifying the counter so that I can install the mini-fridge I bought (for $10) last week and an inverter to run it, and probably a 15 amp shore power port. Might all be wasted effort though as I plan to build a super light weight pop-up slide in next spring. I'd do it this winter, but for the first time EVER, I'm going to be a snowbird this year...we're closing the house up and going to my wife's home...Puerto Rico.

 

[kklowell]

I think I'm just about "done" with my changes...for the moment.
Over the past few days I have fixed the window leaks, killed the mold with bleach, painted the unpainted wood inside, modified the counter, installed the mini-fridge, fixed a plumbing leak I didn't know I had, sealed around the back with canned foam, trimmed and painted that, tinted the door window, replaced the weatherstripping between the cap and the bed rails, changed the bed from a one-piece lid of plywood to three lids...much easier to access the storage areas now! I also added some moisture-absorbing canisters from the dollar store.
I'm ready for a road trip! Wish I had one to make. LOL
Ooops...just remember another mod... I'm getting a roof vent tomorrow.

 

[kklowell]

I don't think I've ever mentioned what this build cost me...
Owing mostly to getting the truck topper for free... I have just under $250 in this thing. LOts of fun for that small amount!

 

[TravelingZombies]

Sounds like you're having some great adventures and fixing up your rig.

 

[kklowell]

Yep, with more to come.

 

[Oldwolf]

I admire your spontaneity! I just found this thread and was looking forward to seeing how it ended!

 

[abnorm]

^ Ken has moved from Maine to Puerto Rico..........He joins VL CHAT every Tues Evening ! Stop by........