The fulltiming adventure begins

[Phil/Edee]

So where exactly are you right now???

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Phil/Edee

So where exactly are you right now???

We are currently located on the far South end of Punta Gorda, but that will be changing much sooner than we expected. Look for us in an RV park North of Tampa, hopefully for the remainder of the Winter season. I'll let everyone know which park once we settle on one, they seem outrageously expensive there.

[sd90mac]

Hellllooooo,

I need a score card to keep up with all that has happened. I am hiding out in my sisters office hijacking her internet so I can say Hi.

Sugarfoot and all of the rest we met in Hiawassee, It was wonderful seeing and meeting all of you, I truly enjoyed the pie. I really must have the recipe!

We will be relocating to North of Tampa the almost end of the month, and my job is transferring me, so I don't have to hunt for one. Like it would be a problem since I'm a nurse!

Stay tuned for more adventures of Bertha and her staff. Not to mention cookie the wonder dog.

Marie

[Phil/Edee]

Why don't you guys try about 80 miles north of Tampa on the coast??? We were in Crystal Isle last year and it was great ... on the water via canal... but lots of no-see-ums This year we're spending Jan-Mar at Rock Crusher Canyon across the highway!

It's a great area. Still not too much traffic like farther south and it would be great having more ASers there!!

Phil & Edee

[overlander63]

We will be at the Quail Run RV resort near Wesley Chapel starting next Sunday, where they allegedly have wi-fi. One of only two spots open for long-term camping, and, of course, a "10 year rule".
The conversation went like this (again):
(me) "I'd like a site for long-term."
(them) "Is your trailer less than ten years old?"
(me) "It's an Airstream."
(them) "Enjoy your stay with us."

[overlander63]

Now that we have a more stable internet connection, here are some photos of the trip. There are more, just they are on the hard drive of the laptop that did a flameout on my lap, and I will only be able to retrieve them when I get a more sophisticated laptop than the one I am currently using.

[overlander63]

I'll try again. My stable internet connection suddenly became as unstable as Charles Manson...

[CanoeStream]

Terry, your attachments must have been afflicted with the dreadlocked Florida silicon termites. I was able to recover only this trip picture from cyberspace:


[yes, I had connectivity issues too. Some bump in Dallas-Ft. Worth I figure.]

ps. I see aluminum tanks in one pic. What are we seeing?

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

Terry, your attachments must have been afflicted with the dreadlocked Florida silicon termites. I was able to recover only this trip picture from cyberspace:
Attachment 49953

[yes, I had connectivity issues too. Some bump in Dallas-Ft. Worth I figure.]

ps. I see aluminum tanks in one pic. What are we seeing?

I had a nice little blurb all written up describing the pics, and it all went *poof*...Stay tuned, right now I'm just trying to get the pics to post, and I'll add descriptions in another post.

[overlander63]

Okay, in the order they are shown:
A pic of the circular drive around the main loop of the rv park, and a pic of one of the new '08 F series diesel duallie. Nothing spectacular, but I managed to get it to post, so I'll take it...
Next is a pic of the rec hall and office, complete with tubing supplies and canoes.
Then there is a picture of a couple of the cabins available for rental, and finally, a picture of Marie and Scott (son) at the mother-son dance portion of the reception.
There were more reception photos, I''ll try to post them when these get done loading...

[overlander63]

Next, I hope, are a few photos of the happy couple, and my creative solution to a cold and clogged chocolate fountain. The other guests were not amused by the idea of heating the chocolate up with a propane torch. No sense of humor...

[katzklaw]

and is that a picture of the lovely Bertha that i spy in the final picture?

very nice photos! horay for internet connection!

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by katzklaw

and is that a picture of the lovely Bertha that i spy in the final picture?

very nice photos! horay for internet connection!

That would indeed.
Now, for, as Paul Harvey would say, "the rest of the story".
We had owned Bertha for over 6 months at the time of our trip, with several camping trips behind us, as well as living in the trailer for the better part of a month. While we were enroute to the mountains of North Carolina, we had passed over some very rough Interstate in South Carolina. When we stopped for fuel, I noticed a faint whiff of propane, but not more than a whiff. Thinking it was just a momentary thing, we proceeded on our merry way. Parking and setting up that night was uneventful, but the following morning I awoke with the mother of all headaches. Advil and Tylenol wouldn't touch it, and I woulnd up spending most of the day in bed with the headache. About 2 o'clock or so, the father of the bride and I had to travel to Asheville to get our tuxes, so I gathered myself, and staggered out the door to ride with him.
On our way, we passed by Moonshine Junction, home of the famous RichardT, and stopped for a few minutes. By the time we left there, I was feeling markedly better, and by the time we got the the tux store in Asheville, the headache was nothing more than a very unpleasant memory.
When I got back to the campground, I opened the door, and was nearly knocked over by the rotten egg smell of raw propane. The father of the bride, who also is the park manager, and I started nosing around trying to find the source of the smell, after opening all the windows. In 40 degree weather. I finally found the source of the smell.
Remember, we've owned this trailer for months, and lived in it for weeks, with many successful camping trips under our belts, and no propane leaks. The cause of the leak was----The copper propane line that originally supplied the oven, which had been long gone when we got the trailer, was simply lopped off, and open to the atmosphere. It had been that way all the time we had owned Bertha, with no leak. We are very lucky we didn't take a somewhat longer nap than we had planned, and simply not awoken. Failing that, a stray spark could have made us the first Airstreamers on the moon!
Sometimes, you have to wonder what people are thinking when they perform a task, especially one as potentially lethal as leaving an open LP line in a living space.
We had been all over the trailer, and found no leaks, before we went anywhere. I had seen the open line when I had the sink out, but with it not leaking, why cut it out and leave an open hole for rodents to enter?
I crawled under the trailer, removed the line, and capped the fitting. Problem solved, but what a potential for disaster!
Probably everyone, especially ones with older coaches, should check to see where that old copper line, or wire, or pipe, goes, and make sure it really is disconnected.

[Sugarfoot]

That's scary! Thanks for the warning Terry, and thank goodness you and Marie didn't explode, or worse.

The photos of the wedding are great. I think your chocolate fountain remedy was totally appropriate!

[Phil/Edee]

Wow!!!!! What a story! Glad you're all ok.... you probably could have taken several other campers to the moon with you if conditions had been right when the spark hit the line!

When I worked at the hospital in Bemidji, I helped admit a couple who had been staying in a cabin where the gas refridgerator leaked. I'll never get the picture of the woman out of my mind!! She had her hair in curlers and she was just thrashing about moving her head from side to side. She ended up not coming out of it.... the little boy died... and the husband survived. (If that's the proper term in those circumstances..)

Very glad you were spared!!

Edee

[richinny]

talk about having gas! i hope a detector is on the shopping list.
so, did you solve the fountain problem with a compressor? LOL

[Chuck]

I'm confused....

how does an "open" propane line NOT leak??? was it plugged with dirt, or something, that finally worked its way out?

you also said that you had found this "open" line before...and removed it, and capped it off. ????

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Chuck

I'm confused....

how does an "open" propane line NOT leak??? was it plugged with dirt, or something, that finally worked its way out?

you also said that you had found this "open" line before...and removed it, and capped it off. ????

It was open, and did not leak. Nothing was found around the end of the open line to indicate anything had ever been in it, other than propane. I had seen the open line before, and opted not to remove it, since it was obviously not connected on the other end (not leaking), and had been that way for god knows how many years before we got the trailer.

[Chuck]

oh...I must've mis-read.

still, though...far out that propane wouldn't have constantly poured out of that line, from the moment you turned on your propane tanks. (There must've been a mud-dawber nest in there, or something?). nevermind the hazzards of propane exposure...it would have emptied the tanks rather quickly, if it wasn't plugged somehow.

[Boondocker]

Hey Terry, now that you have been in the 31ft for a while now I was wondering what your thoughts are for full timing trailer choice: if it were today and you were given the choice would you stick with a 31 ft narrow body or opt to change to a wide body 25ft?