THIS IS NOT A BOAT!

Well.
We made the drive.
We made the decision.
We made the offer.
We transferred the money.

And then came the wait.

Buying our new Free N Clear from an independent party took longer than buying it from a dealer... a lot longer.

First there was the loan company who had to get paid off... then there was the wait for the title to be released...
Not bad I 'spose, spending a bit of time on South Trail in Michigan, visiting with the family, watching Buddy and Bailey making friends...  feeling the temperatures drop... the threat of snow/ice on the horizon...

Had we been thinking we would have/should have grabbed the manuals to occupy our time.  But we didn't.

We took possession on a Friday afternoon.  Made it to the Secretary of the States for temporary tags before closing.  Made it to Acme Bedding for our new mattress before closing.  Opened the slides to assist the old out/new in... and... couldn't close the slides.  Didn't have any tools, or the right tool (storage-Florida), it's dark, it's a bad area of town, it's Friday night.  Called my brother, and of course by the time he arrives - with the necessary tool for the manual over-ride - the slides are in and we practice our best ''chagrin''.

Mike's phone rings, he answers, he says "Yeah, they are trying to operate it without reading the manuals."

The next day we accessorize!  Batteries, a ladder, sheets, comforter, a can opener - you name it, we had to have it!  Close inspection revealed some broken welds on the trailer hitch, so that needed repair...

Finally, Tuesday morning we load up the last of the bags, attach the tow dolly, strap on the Cute Little Kia Soul and at 11:45 we head out of town.

Anticipating rain for the next 4 or 5 days I asked Lew if he thought the wipers worked.
Hmm.
Turned them on, and yes, they did work!... as we watch the rubber peel off...  A quick stop at NAPA, first time use of the new ladder, and we were on our way!

Remembering that we are heading south out of Michigan, in December, where the temperatures are close to (if not there already) freezing... the rig has been winterized.  All the tanks and tubing have been filled and flushed with 'the pink stuff'.  In Michigan all the RV parks close in November... which means no hot showers until we reach the lower latitudes!

First stop:  WalMart in South Bend Indiana!
It's raining.

Next day we make it to Grandma's RV Camping in Kentucky where we fill and flush all the water tanks, hook up the electricity, turn on the heat, turn all the switches on and off.

It's still raining.
Next morning we start out again.
Still raining.

Thinking about our next WalMart...
stop for lunch...
and NO WATER!

What???
(One might not notice the tanks draining almost as fast as we are filling them if they are emptying on already saturated ground...)

Cherokee Campground -- Here we come!
Located 'just off' of I65 just south of Birmingham Alabama, they have room for us!  An easy 1 1/2 hours left on the road!

Except...
Rush hour stopped traffic through Birmingham.
The GPS gives the wrong address.
A wrong turn ends up heading us higher and higher up a winding mountain road surrounded solely by gated communities (read that as not a single block to turn around).  Higher and Higher (remember that we are 38 feet plus a tow dolly [as in don't back up] and a car).  Tighter and tighter the curves.
We're stuck. We un-hook the car.  We finally squeeze out a turn.
I'm in the car.  Lew is in the rig.
Another wrong turn and we are heading down a narrowing one lane road.
It's still raining.
I see a couple of gents sitting on their porch shaking their heads.  I roll down my window.
Are you lost?  Oh yeah, I'm lost!  Is that big bus with you?  Oh yeah, he's with me.  Well, you know this here's a dead end street and there's no turn aroun's and that lady at the end has some bad ass dogs!  OMG!  I start flashing my lights, Lew stops!  We un-hook the tow dolly. The gents help.  Lew backs up.  It's still raining.

The story goes on.
It involves passing the same Chevron station about 5 or 6 times, turning around in a small (occupied) church parking lot, missing the left turn before the hill, the right turn after the pink and blue daycare building (did anyone notice the sun set a long time ago?) (and it's still raining!)
But we arrive.
At last.
Southern Hospitality, you gotta love it!  The man at Cherokee offers us a free night for our troubles.
We stay an extra day.
We read the manuals.