Sunday, November 4 – We again pulled out of our campsite at first light. We switch to Central Time Zone and dropped Daylight Savings Time yesterday so that was a two-hour time change for us. To say we were up early and ready to go is no surprise.
We are in a “sprint mode” having left our home base a month later than we intended and wanting to get to Houston to catch-up with our daughter. We normally try only to drive 3-5 hours per day or about 300 miles. Our first day on the road we covered about 400 miles.
Today we drove 475 miles in about nine hours.....way to long! But we arrived in Benton, Arkansas with no problems and in pretty good moods – Paul didn't find anything to get all riled-up about... :<)
Our drive was uneventful. We noticed that the leaves haven't all changed colors and dropped off the trees, like up in Ohio.
The Ford F350 on board computer did let us know it was “Cleaning the Exhaust Filter” during our trip.
Paul had read about this and was expecting it. It has to do with the DFT and Ultra Low Sulfur diesel fuel required in today's diesel engines. Periodically, the engine runs at a higher temperature to burn the pollutants rather than exhaust them to the air. We didn't notice any change in the engine running but we imagine our MPG decreased slightly, but we don't even want to look at those figures.... :<(
We are at J.B.'s RV Park and Campground in Benton, AR. A very nice campground. The owners are wonderful, friendly people. The area is wooded, very long gravel sites, full-hookups for $23/night. A little over our target of $20.
Marsha is standing at the end of our Site #14. It is huge.
A little closer look.
From the back. The motor home next to us looks close, but it isn't.
Looking right.
Looking left.
After arriving and getting set-up (We're getting experienced at setting up...only took about 15 minutes.), Paul sanitized our water system. The 5th wheel was winterized when we took delivery, and we didn't want to change that until we got to a warmer climate. We did run water through the system last night but didn't drink any of the water. We'll leave the bleach solution in the fresh water holding tank while traveling tomorrow to sanitize everything. Then we should be good to go!
Bella was a little fussy again this morning. She never meows. She's very quiet! But the last two mornings, she meows for about two hours until she tiers herself out, then she settles down and crashes (sleeps like a drunk kitty) for the remainder of the trip. Crazy!
By-the-way.....this time change is killing us. Here we are at 6:30 p.m. and it feels like bedtime. It gets dark before supper, and it's hard to stay awake till 10 p.m....but come 5 a.m. guess who's up and ready to roll....LOL
Tomorrow we will arrive in Livingston, TX – our “official” home. We want to get the 5th wheel weighed, pick-up our mail, and on Tuesday we want to cast our ballots. So glad this election business will be over.
Stop back and check our progress. Everyone be SAFE out there!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!
That is one long day on the road! Nice looking Park.
ReplyDeleteWow. . .what a beautiful Campground. . .that double whammy time change was kinda unfair. . .oops! You'll catch up eventually. . .LOL!
ReplyDeleteJanice
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Just stay on the old time and you won't notice the difference until you get to your destination. Glad everything went smooth and you've moved out of the cold weather into a place a little more pleasant.
ReplyDeletegorgeous campground....sure sounds like you got the hang of things with the fiver...poor bella..have you considered 'rescue remedy' its all natural and is a calming essence...be safe!!!
ReplyDeleteSeems to be an easy learning curve going from the motor home to the fifth wheel. Long days, yes...but the anticipation of seeing your daughter makes it worthwhile!
ReplyDeleteIs it not as tiring to drive the fifth wheel? Hope Bella adapts soon
We're running an 09 Lariat 4X4 DRW Crew Cab as well and need to run static straps. The Alternator you're running is either a 200 amp. unit or larger. If you are as tired after the drive like you said, tend to get motion sickness, start falling asleep while driving or get shocks when you touch the metal part of the door, then you need to install some form of Static Straps. They work and you'll enjoy your trip more and be safer.
ReplyDeleteIt's about time.
Well, shoot! I was hoping to be in Livingston when you passed through there but I'm still in Austin learning my new RV and getting little things taken care of so you'll be moving on to Houston before I get there. Oh well, another time.
ReplyDeleteGood going.
ReplyDeleteLong days - not fun. Sunshine and warmth - definitely wonderful. Poor Bella. Hope she settles a little bit tomorrow for you.
ReplyDeleteLong days - not fun. Sunshine and warmth - definitely wonderful. Poor Bella. Hope she settles a little bit tomorrow for you.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are really in the giddyup mode. Good to hear you guys are 'old hands' at that setup procedure.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably very different for Bella being in the cab of a truck rather than being in a house on wheels. Perhaps a carrier would temporarily make her feel more secure. Some cats like small places where they can feel they are hiding. I used Rescue Remedy on Rusty (dog) and it helped him some but not a lot.
ReplyDeleteWhen you've got to sprint to get to your goal, you sprint ... the slow days are just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your taking right to the 5ver. I found that driving the mh was more tiring then pulling the 5ver. Do you think you get to Florida this winter?
ReplyDeletePoor Bella. Do you think she could be car sick? Maybe a cat carrier would help her feel safer. Our kitties travel inside their carriers and hate going in, but settle down right away and go so sleep.
ReplyDelete475 miles driving and Paul wasn't grumpy....that's a good thing!
It seems like no time at all when the message pops up that it's time to add the solution to clean the exhaust. In fact this week it popped up again. The first time we bought it was at the Ford dealer - almost $50.00 for the 5 gallons it requires.
ReplyDeleteWe now get it at NAPA, etc. where it costs about 1/2 than at Ford. We've been looking for it at Walmart. Finally we found it. It takes two 2.5 containers. They had only one. We asked if more was in stock. They looked at the computer said one on shelf (we took it) and one on order. What???? They only stock one 2.5 container at a time???
Yup, those 400 mile days can be tiring.
Glad to see you had a good day and are getting accustomed to the new 5'er. These new vehicles are pretty smart with all their messages and warnings now.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking camp site!
Have a good drive today!
I'm tired just reading about how long your day was! So glad that you were finally able to leave Ohio before the winter weather sets in.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've got a good case of PDD (Paul Dahl Disorder). :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a long day! Sure glad that Paul didn't have the grumps! Our Vet gave us kitty dose of Valium for Noah. He was much mellower. Now, he does not need it at all.
ReplyDeleteBoy, those are some loooong days. So how do you like the 5th??
ReplyDelete