Wednesday, 12 June
Americamps KOA — Ashland, Virginia
TEMPS: LO 69F / HI 91F [feels like 96F] (20.5C / 33C [35.5c])
The bad news is that there is a big storm heading in our direction. We were going to stay two more nights at the Americamps KOA, but have decided to leave tomorrow morning instead. (The campground refunded the fee for the fourth night; that’s a bonus we were not expecting.)
We considered heading south, but we’d have to drive 400-450 miles (640-720 km) just to get out of the red zone (bottom half of the collage). Not only would we be risking getting caught in the storm while still on the road, but the storm is projected to cover much of South Carolina by Thursday night, so we’d be in the same boat.
No worries about tonight (top photo); we’re outside the red zone … can’t say the same about tomorrow night.
So, even though Virginia Beach (near Norfolk) falls in the highest risk area, we are going to head there. I can hear the gasps and everyone thinking we must be nuts. Not so … at least at Naval Air Station Oceana, where we have campground reservations, there will be a real shelter should the worst happen. Oceana is only 120 miles (192 km) from where we are now, so we should get there well in advance of the storm.
But enough about the storm. We have a plan in place; borrowing trouble in the meantime isn’t going to do us any good. After all, there’s still a good chance the storm will weaken as it crosses the mountains.
Tuesday, 11 June …
We came to Ashland primarily to have solar panels installed on the roof. We expect to take periodic vacations from our life on the road and wanted to have the means to trickle-charge the house batteries in our absence. Solar panels seemed like a good option, with the added bonus that they would allow us to boondock in mild-climates without being entirely reliant on the generator.
From top left: specs; a solar panel awaiting installation; the regulator;
back of the solar panel showing the branch connector and positive/negative cables.
After doing considerable research, Mui consulted with RV Service of VA, the company that worked on our satellite dish last December. They helped him figure out what we needed, and at our request, ordered three solar panels and a digital solar regulator from GoPower. The install went smoothly, and by the end of the day we were “solarized.” Provided we have a tree-free site at Oceana, we’ll put the panels through their paces and make sure they are operating as expected.
Solar install completed.
The digital solar regulator showing the batteries are fully charged.
I’m not going to include a whole bunch of technical specs in this post. If you have an interest in that information, drop us a note and Mui will be happy to provide details and answer questions.
Back to Today …
The second reason for returning to Virginia was to stop by our storage unit in Winchester. Having been on the road for 6½ months now, it was time to purge some stuff from the coach and return them to storage. More importantly, we needed to pick up some Arctic gear for our off-road vacation this fall. We debated driving to Winchester with the Phaeton and staying at a campground in that area for a couple of days. In the end, however, we decided we would make a day trip in the toad instead.
120-miles (192 km) each way is faster to drive in the toad than it would have been in the Phaeton.
We were both up early, so we had breakfast at home and headed north shortly after 6:00a. Traffic was minimal — a pleasant surprise. Listening to radio reports of traffic jams further north on I-95 and delays due to accidents in the area where we used to live in Northern Virginia were all too familiar. Luckily, none of those problems had any impact on our drive and we arrived at the storage unit around 9:00a. An hour to take care of things, and we were back on the road by 10:00a … and back at the campground by 1:00p. A long drive to be sure, but a productive one … and one we don’t anticipate repeating any time soon.
Following four busy days since leaving Lake Greenwood — three of them driving in either the Phaeton or the toad — we had hoped to chill tomorrow. But thanks to the forecasted storm, we’ll be driving to our next campground a day early. I guess we’ll just have to chill after we get there.
We were through there just a week ago. Hope you stay safe and dry. These storms are really something this Spring.
ReplyDeleteJust baton down the hatches, I guess.
ReplyDeleteOr is that batten? ;)
ReplyDeleteWe too are heading out tomorrow up I 81 so we will be in THE RED ZONE. Here's hoping we both are spared damage. It's hard not to worry isn't it even though there is not one thing we can do. We had new awnings and slide toppers done at RV service of Virginia. Those solar panels look great on your Phaeton's roof. I know David will want to talk to Mui about what you did. I love boondocking but the generator not so much.
ReplyDeletewell good grief. . .I had no idea about the weather issues. . .other than all the storm notices due to the tropical storms. . .I guess this is still some of the aftermath. . .stay safe. . .we'll be in St Louis tomorrow. . .which is in the edge of the red zone. . .but should be done by midnight tonite. . .if I am reading correctly. . .my goodness. . .I need to stay a little better informed I guess!
ReplyDeleteBetter informed without panicking. Unless you have other alert mechanisms in place (i.e. alerts received through smartphone apps), look into a weather radio and set it up when you get to each campground. It's one of the first things we do after hooking up.
DeleteI'll be wishing you well as you ride out the storms. I like the idea of a military camp with a shelter. Now with that solar setup, I can just picture the Phaeton boondocked in a place like the Alabama Hills, or near Hart Mountain. We don't yet have solar, but might try it someday. Will definitely talk to Mui about installation if that time comes.
ReplyDeleteNice solars! But I'm lusting over those vent fan covers.
ReplyDeleteTravel safe, hunker down, should be sunny by the weekend.
Drive carefully! Hope the storm doesn't come your way. Thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteSince the campground does have a shelter, I believe we would head that way also. Good luck with this storm. We will be watching the forecast and praying for the best.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the campground has shelter ... and the base would have even better shelter should we need to evacuate. Hoping we won't have to avail ourselves of either.
DeleteHope there are no trees at the FamCamp, I know there are too many at the Ashland CG, we stayed there several times. I'm more concerned about damage from falling trees and branches than rare tornadoes.
ReplyDeleteLove the solar set up. Looking forward to seeing it in person one of these days. It certainly opens up lots of options for out of the way places to stay. :c)
The SatView from Google Maps shows the new campground with no trees ... we shall find out for ourselves shortly. Agreed that the trees are a bigger concern than the rare tornadoes.
DeleteThat looks like a lot of solar - did you add some batteries? When we sit in the winter, Ron actually covers our two panels or the constant charge (with no usage) is bad for the batteries. That's a lot more than a 'trickle.'
ReplyDeleteWe have six AGM house batteries. The 30A regulator, which we purchased in addition to the solar panels, monitors the batteries and if they are full, cuts off the charging so that they don't overcharge. Yes ... much more than a trickle, but we figured if we're going to do this, might as well get it done so that we can boondock when we get west and enjoy some of those places you guys have been enjoying ;-) I guess I'd better start noting down the GPS coordinates you have posted for some of those out-of-the-way places.
Delete