Got the new back porch done just in time for a photo before we go.
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| Higgens loves the space underneath |
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| Bench is for all the shoes |
Drove from Tallahassee to Venice Monday; first real test of the rig. Everything went well. All you do is feed it $100 worth of diesel and this rig will take you anywhere. The night before I had a mild blast of anxiety as I got on line to find out the correct tire pressures for the trailer tires. I saw a lot of horror stories about this particular brand blowing and causing big damage to the RV. Further research made me feel better but kept me up an extra hour before I was satisfied. The tires are on their fourth year so we might replace them before we head out in March.
So we went slow for the first hundred miles and stopped twice to check for bulges and warmth. Finally reassured, we continued on at our normal cruising speed of 65. After a refueling stop I faced an uphill on ramp with a very short merge lane, so it was time to find out how much power the Dodge had. Turns out, quite a bit. We merged doing 55 at the top of the ramp. Even after our New Years day practice Teri was apprehensive about driving, but after an hour or so on the interstate she felt much better. Backing up is something we are still working on. The fifth wheel is much easier at backing but you still lose sight of the outside of the turn and have to have a ground guide. We will get to practice with the walkie-talkies when we relocate after getting back from Portland. Another source of concern is the 13’-6” height. I have found that trees are not placarded when they are lower than 14’-6” like most bridges.
We are putting the Open Road in a storage yard while we go to Portland and then have two weeks reserved at an RV park on the river nearby after we get back. Here are some photos of R&C’s place in Venice. The Tee marker for the 7th hole is a piece of granite that is far better than most tombstones. The 7th green is right in their back yard. The pond is across the street.
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| The DeJean's Florida estate |
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| The Palm tree growing up through the Oak in the front yard. |
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| Another view of the Palm/Oak |
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| Spooked a 4 ft alligator setting up for this shot. This is the pond right across the street. |
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| The monument to the 7th Tee, all five of them. The green is in R&C's back yard. |
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| All five of the 7th Tee locations, R&C's house is pin high through the trees on the right. |
Once again, we are challenged by the lack of Wi-Fi connection at the DeJeans. They are still working that out, so I will keep working on this and post when I can. The pressure builds to find some sort of plan that will cover us in Alaska and not have download restrictions or limits.
Made it to Orlando and a connection at the Hotel. So here we go.......
Stay safe out there.
