Camp Freightliner … We Survived

Wednesday, 10 July
En route to Cross Hill, South Carolina

Our two days in class passed in the blink of an eye.  At the moment, we are on our way to Cross Hill, South Carolina for a month-long stay at Lake Greenwood.  But that’s for another blog post.  Now that we’re on I-85 South, I have about 75 miles (120 km) in which to write about our chassis class.

Camp Freightliner is designed for RVers who have motorhomes built on FCCC chassis — in our case, an X-CR (pictured to the right).  By the way, FCCC stands for Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, which is owned by Daimler in Germany.

Attending Camp Freightliner was high on our list once we began fulltiming.  In fact, we initially scheduled it for March of this year.  When Mui’s sister announced that she would be in New Orleans in March, however, we shifted our plans around and re-scheduled for July instead.

The two-day class is held in Gaffney, SC … home of the only Freightliner-owned service center.  Our initial plan included having the Phaeton serviced and weighed here as well.  When we postponed the class to July, we canceled our service appointment to stay on track with our regular maintenance schedule.  We did keep the four-corner weighing appointment, which was taken care of in one of the six service bays while we were in class on Monday.

I’ll digress for a moment and admit that we had a bit of a scare when we got the weight results back and saw that we were slightly over our rear-axle limit.  Then we remembered that we had a full-tank of fresh water on board for our stay in Freightliner’s electric-only campground.  A full tank for us is 90 gallons, which equates to 750 pounds (340 kg) … not something we usually carry around.  Add to that some stuff that we had moved from the car into the rear of the coach, and that explained the overage.  We’re back to our normal weight now — phew!

On with the class …

The table and the floor around it has Mike Cody’s show-and-tell props.

The class ran from 8:00a to 4:30p on day one, and until 6:30p on day two — we had a lot of questions and wanted to make sure we reviewed the new annual maintenance lists before calling it quits.  The good news — no more M1-M2-M3 service for us; we’re on the new schedule.

Each day had a morning and an afternoon break, as well as a 30-minute lunch break — catered, in our case, from Firehouse Subs one day, and Zaxby’s Chicken the next day … both with very yummy chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Dinner at the end of the first day was included in the cost of the class — BBQ chicken and pork with sides.  The cost: $175 for one; $225 for two if the co-pilot attends.

If you’re having service done, or if space is available, you can stay free at the service center campground on site for the duration of the class.  Otherwise, the KOA nearby gives a 10% discount to Camp Freightliner participants; shuttle service provided by Freightliner.  Since space was available, we stayed on-site for the three nights that we were there.

We joined eight rig-owners in the classroom.  All but three of the drivers were attending with their co-pilots, so we had a full class of 15 participants.  We had a mix of coaches — one other Tiffin, a couple of Winnebagos, Fleetwoods, and Thors, and a Newmar.  Model years ranged from 2006 to 2013; some with DEF, others without.

Each rig-owner received a generic binder, which we customized as we went through the material during class.  The binder included a section with pictures of just about everything to do with the chassis and whatever Freightliner installs on it before delivery to the builder — such as the engine, the dash, the wheels and tires, the shocks, the air system (which operates the brakes and suspension, etc.), and the fuel and DEF tanks.

Camp Freightliner instruction materials …
the keychain and “I Survived” pin were our graduation gifts.

We each also received a sheet with information specific to our vehicles (based on the VIN), such as: the actual build date for the chassis — important for the maintenance schedule; engine make/model; transmission make/model … and on and on.  We referred to this information throughout the class to customize our binders.

At the conclusion of the class, each rig-owner was given a CD with e-versions of the binder content.  Once we confirm that we do indeed have everything on the CD, we’ll recycle the binder.  After all, we don’t need the added weight of a couple hundred sheets of paper in the rig ;-)

The class is taught by Mike Cody.  If you have a Freightliner chassis, you’ve probably heard his name sung in high praise.  It’s well-deserved.  He is a walking encyclopedia for all things related to the chassis.  If I recall correctly, he’s been with Freightliner for 17 years.  Though Mike spent a chunk of years in California, his drawl (not to mention his humor) gives him away as a southerner.  All this came out quickly during the first part of day one, when we made the round of introductions.  His instruction style made the class fun — no dry and boring lecture here.

Mike and Mui talk about the coalescing filter maintenance requirements.

Following introductions on the first day, Mike went through a list of parts, and what he suggests every rig-owner should carry — whether you intend to use them yourself or have them handy in the event a technician doing work on your rig doesn’t have the right part (or the cost is exorbitant).  This is done early in the class so that any parts you wish to order can be brought over before the end of class on the second day.  Mui already had most of the things on Mike’s suggested carry-list, but we did order a few additional items.

Then Mike got into the meat of the material, and continued with it through day two.  As he discussed various aspects of the chassis, he pointed out who in class had similar components so that we could “chat” on our own later, and share tips and tidbits.  The discussion was punctuated with frequent questions from the students, and he patiently answered — and re-answered if warranted.  He took us through “Access Freightliner,” the website where owners can look up information on their rigs based on VIN number and find detailed schematics and parts information.  Mike also ran through an LBCU simulator to show us how to program it to meet our own needs — three years of owning the rig and we had no idea that the LBCU (light bar control unit [located in the dash]) was programmable!

Throughout the two days, Mike dropped useful hints to make us all better drivers.  From how to use the mode button effectively; to keeping the engine in optimum RPM range by downshifting for best fuel economy; to long idling in some states becoming a ticketable offense, and how to get around that if you do idle for more than 10 minutes … just to mention a few.

In researching Camp Freightliner, I’d read that some co-pilots opted not to attend, or left after sitting through a small portion of the class.  I’d also read that some co-pilots found the information overwhelming, or boring, or difficult to comprehend.  That had me a bit concerned at first.  Having been through the class now, I am glad I opted to attend the full session.  I can’t say that I “got” everything Mike explained.  I didn’t, and I wasn’t there to get it all; that would have been too overwhelming.  My goal was to have enough of a familiarity with the material to be able to carry on an intelligent conversation with my driver.  During class, I found that tuning out when Mike was talking about information not-specific to us, gave my brain a rest and I was more alert when he discussed specifics with us.

That Mui, as the primary driver, “got it” is what matters in the grand scheme of things.  He did comment when we were discussing the class last night that he’s glad he didn’t attempt to take the class before he had some hands-on familiarity with the coach.  By waiting to take it after owning the Phaeton for three years, he felt he “got” more out of Mike’s instruction.

Another graduation gift ;-)

To wrap up our Camp Freightliner experience …

It’s not that the information Mike shared with us is not available elsewhere.  It is … in owner’s manuals, websites, etc., etc.  But the class environment brought it all into one place, making it easier to find and use.  All of that was well worth the cost of the class!  As for the un-written tidbits that Mike shared with us … priceless.  Attending Mike’s class is well-worth the price of admission in our opinion, and we would recommend it to anyone who owns a rig built on an FCCC chassis.

You would think that after two days of all things Freightliner, we would be ready to high tail it out of dodge.  Not so.  After a good night’s rest, we got up this morning, prepared the coach for departure, and then locked it up and went off to do one last thing on our agenda — a free tour of the Freightliner plant a few miles down the road from the service center.  Not surprisingly, many of our classmates had the same idea.

Wearing our “new” uniforms, we felt at home at the Freightliner Plant.
Thanks for the t-shirts, Mike.

The plant in Gaffney has three production lines to build chassis for walk-in vans (think UPS, FedEx), school busses, and motorhomes.  Currently they are averaging 100 chassis per day, with capacity to increase should the number of units ordered warrant the hiring of additional techs.

After collecting our visitor badges and viewing the safety video, someone from the marketing staff took our group of 12 around the small plant, stopping periodically to explain over the din of production what we were seeing and answering our questions.  It was interesting to note that all the chassis rails are manufactured in Mexico.

The initial work on the chassis is done while it is upside down on the production line.  Once the under-chassis work is completed, it is lifted, rolled over in the air, and placed right-side up to complete the installation of such things as the engine, DEF tank, etc.  We were in time to watch the roll-over process and see several units come off the line in preparation for the next step — putting the chassis through rigorous testing in the dyno room (which is not part of the tour).

From the galvanized rails, I might guess that this is a UPS walk-in van being turned right-side up.
(No photography allowed inside the plant.)

The tour was interesting, and we’re glad we went.  Buuuuuuuut … having been through the Tiffin plant and paint shop tours, where you can wander on your own, take pictures, and talk to the techs to have questions answered, this tour fell a bit short of our expectations.  That said, the Tiffin tours are an anomaly, so we’re glad we spent the 1½ hours to check out the Freightliner plant to wrap up our Camp Freightliner experience.

Greetings from Gaffney

Sunday, 7 July
Camp Freightliner — GAFFNEY, SOUTH CAROLINA
Temps: Lo 69F / Hi 83F (20.5C / 28C)

We left Virginia Beach yesterday morning and are in Gaffney, South Carolina now.  But before I get to the reason why we came here, a few words to wrap up our last week in Virginia Beach.

the Navy (left) and Marine Corps trainees marched by Sea Mist, our campground at the
Dam Neck Annex, NAS Oceana.  Early birds that we are, their cadence calls did not
disturb us when they came by around 7:15a daily.

Not much to write about since our plans for our final week at Sea Mist were mostly rained out.  The rain wasn’t constant, but we got light drizzles and downpours with no warning throughout the day … almost every day — until we hit the 4th of July.  Independence Day turned out to be a gorgeous day with lots of blue sky and puffy clouds — but it was too hot to be in the sun.  So, we made the most of our shade curtain and the light breeze that was a constant at our site to sit outside and enjoy the patio.

No birds to entertain us at Sea Mist … but plenty of dragonflies.

Our 23-day stay at Sea Mist was our longest in one place since getting on the road in December.  We weren’t very active physically, but I think we expected that.  After all, neither one of us much cares for heat and humidity.  So why not turn the wheels north or go up into the mountains where it might be cooler?  That was the plan, but we had to jiggle and wiggle, and move things around earlier this year, so a hot summer it shall be for us this year.

Looking back on our stay in Virginia Beach, it could have been much worse.  I didn’t think I’d be able to spend any time outdoors.  As it is, thanks to the breeze we got every day, I managed to sit outside for hours on end most days.  And the bonus was that I made considerable headway with the details for our fall vacation.  I even managed to process photos and put up several Two to Travel posts to catch up on last fall’s trip to Turkey.  A few more entries, and I’ll be done with that trip and can start thinking about how I am going to stay on top of blogging during this year’s much longer vacation.  I probably need to just accept the fact that’s not going to happen.

So, I’ll move on from Virginia with a fitting …

“The End” offered by one of the many blue darters that visited us daily.

… and move on to South Carolina.

We began our 404-mile (646 km) trek from Virginia Beach to Gaffney shortly after 8:00a yesterday morning.  The shortest route was on I-85 South, which meant that we were once again limited with campgrounds for our mid-point break.  In the end, we decided to overnight at the Greensboro Campground — the same place we stayed at on our way north to Ashland, Virginia in early June.  It’s not a destination campground, and we again had difficulty getting level, but it was fine for an overnight stay.  (My review from our earlier stay is here.)

404 miles (646 km) in two segments takes us from Virginia to South Carolina,
with an overnight stay in North Carolina.

Since today’s segment was only 148 miles (237 km), we weren’t planning on leaving Greensboro early.  But … we were both up at 5:30a.  We tried some tactics to delay our departure, taking time to not only have a healthy breakfast, but also going for a walk around the campground.  Our efforts were for naught, however, and by 8:30a, we were heading south on I-85.

A fruit bowl for breakfast is part of our new healthy-eating plan.

So, what’s there in Gaffney that we put it on this year’s Phaeton journeys?  Not much.  Even the city website lists only three things to do — visit the farmer’s market … our schedule doesn’t mesh with when the market is open; check out the visitor center/art gallery … it wasn’t open today, and the hours are wrong for the rest of our time here; and finally, explore the Cowpens National Battlefield … sorry, too hot and humid to go wandering around outside — even if we could fit it into our schedule.

This doesn’t look like a destination campground, does it?

So why did we come here if we’re not going to do any of the suggested activities?  We’re here to attend a two-day class for RVers who own rigs built on Freightliner chassis.  We were going to do this in March, on our way back up north from the Tiffin Service Center in Red Bay, Alabama.  But when Mui’s sister sent us a message that she was going to be in New Orleans in March, we switched things around so we could spend time with her instead.  Hence the odd-looking first-year travel map (inset in the map above).

Nine of the twenty sites at Camp Freightliner are now occupied, including two of
the three pull-throughs next to us that were empty when I took the photo.

We arrived at Camp Freightliner around 11:30a to find only 4 of the 20 electric-only gravel sites occupied.  We could have just taken one of the three pull-through sites  (the empty ones to our left in the photo), but decided on a back in site that looked more level to us.  With only a power cord to hook-up, we were settled in no time.

Next on the agenda was a quick stop at Wal-Mart, so we drove the 1.5 miles into downtown Gaffney.  While at it, we managed to sneak in a bit of sightseeing when we spotted a quaint log cabin near City Hall.  Turns out the cabin was built in 1804 by an Irishman named Michael Gaffney.  If I interpreted the signage accurately, he is the founding father of the city.

Arriving in the area in 1803, Gaffney purchased 805 acres of land for $600
and built this log cabin in 1804.

From the nearby signage:

Michael Gaffney was born in Granard, Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1797.  After a short period in New York, he set sail for Charleston, South Carolina.  He departed Charleston for upstate and arrived at Smith's Ford on the Broad River on December 17, 1800.  There he met and married Mary "Polly" Smith, daughter of John Smith, on July 21, 1803.  Gaffney purchased 805 acres of land from Jon McKie on January 20, 1804 for $600.  He then constructed this home, store and trading post at the corner of present day N Granard Street and Baker Boulevard.  This intersection was a Native American trail and wagon road.  It became known as Gaffney's Crossroads; later Gaffney's Old Field. Michael and Polly's first child was born June 1 1804, most likely in this log home.

The hand-hewn boards are all original to the cabin, which was moved here
from where it was initially built a few blocks away.

The cabin was locked up, and the windows were shuttered, so we had to make do with just seeing it from the outside.  Thus completing our sightseeing, we returned to the campground to rest up for two-days of classwork.

As I write this post, Mui’s busy making money?  How?  He’s working his way through an online driving course that will net us a $25 gift card when he completes it.  The offer came to us from USAA, with whom both our vehicles are insured (the RV is with Progressive, but under the USAA umbrella).  The Drivesharp program, which is worth $89, is being offered for free to USAA members age 55 and older (you must have an active USAA auto insurance policy in the US).  Look into it if you qualify (click the word Drivesharp above to get to the website).

Looks like Mui is playing an online game, doesn’t it?
Actually, he’s taking an online driving course.  He has successfully made
his way from Acadia NP to Shenandoah NP, and is now navigating the Smokies.

When we initially signed up for the March session of Camp Freightliner — the class, not the campground — we intended to have the M3 service done here as well.  Those plans changed when we postponed the class to July.  We had the service done at Bay Diesel while we were in Red Bay, so we cancelled the appointment here.  However, we are going to go ahead and get the four-corner weighing done.  Freightliner will take care of that while we’re in class tomorrow.

The RV parking at the service center is free for those who are having their rigs serviced; trainees like us can stay here as long as space is available.  We’re up to nine rigs now, one a fellow-Phaeton.  We are hoping that there will be plenty of space for us to stay here through the end of our two-day class.  If not, there is a KOA nearby that offers a 10% discount for those who are in Gaffney for the Freightliner class.

Neither of us has been in a classroom setting in quite some time, so the next two days ought to be interesting.  Stay tuned to find out if we passed with flying colors ;-)

The VA Beach Boardwalk

Sunday, 30 June
Sea Mist RV Park — NAS Oceana, Dam Neck Annex — Virginia Beach, Virginia
Temps: Lo 74F / Hi 83F (23C / 28C)

Figured out another plus to the new awning curtain (post here) — to some extent it acts as a rain barrier — assuming the wet stuff is light and the wind isn’t blowing.  We’ve had on and off rain since I last posted four days ago.  Even then, when the temperature and humidity allowed it, I was able to sit on the patio without getting wet — or more importantly, without getting the laptop wet.  That’s a good thing ;-)

We’ve been busy, even if it wasn’t to go out and explore the area.  Only one of our planned walks happened; the others were rained out.  We could have gone to a museum or two, I suppose, but with beach activities curtailed, we figured they would be crowded with visitors looking for alternative fun.  Besides, we’re not all that into museums.  So, we focused our attention on other things instead — most of them not blog-worthy.  We expect to be particularly active during the September-December time frame, so we see nothing wrong with having a couple of slow summer months to make sure our batteries are fully charged before we go on our sea-air-road vacation.

Where did we go on that one walk that didn’t get rained out?  To the Virginia Beach Boardwalk — rightfully designated a “Great Public Place” in 2009.  It wouldn’t be my cup of tea when it is choc-a-block people, but early on a weekday morning, it was a great place for an easy walk.  (All of the photos in today’s blog are from the boardwalk.)

To beat the heat and humidity, Thursday morning we left home shortly after 6:00a and drove the 7.5 miles (12 km) from our campground at Dam Neck Annex to the south end of the boardwalk.  We arrived just in time to nab one of the two remaining parking spots near the boat channel that are free until 10:00a.  With our to-go-breakfast and a couple of bottles of water stowed in Mui’s daypack, we started our 6-mile round-trip walk shortly after 6:30a.

The sun was still low on the horizon; the temp was already at 75F (24C), but with a low humidex; and a light breeze was coming off the ocean to keep us comfy.  In other words, perfect walking weather.

While I wouldn’t describe the boardwalk as deserted, it sure wasn’t crowded.  Fishermen had their poles in the water at the south end of the boardwalk … surfers were trying to catch a wave or two — not very successfully since the ocean wasn’t cooperating … people were sitting on benches, sipping lattes and reading books or newspapers … bikers were spinning up and down the bike path that parallels the pedestrian-only boardwalk … strollers and speed-walkers, and runners and joggers were giving their feet a workout … guests at hotels and condos were chatting quietly on balconies warmed by the rising sun … here and there shop owners were raising shutters and setting out displays to attract buyers.

A short ways up the boardwalk, we sat on a bench to eat our breakfast and do some light-people-watching.  A little further along, we stopped to take a look at the Old Coast Guard Station that is now a museum.  Had it been open, we would have gone in to check out the exhibits, but we were three hours too early.  So, we took a gander at pieces of a shipwreck (top right in the collage below) exhibited outside and moved on.

Found in December 1993 near the shoreline following a winter storm, the wreckage is thought
to be part of the the barkentine Nettie, which sailed from the West Indies to Norfolk with a
cargo of salt and wrecked 1.5 miles south of the Little Island Life-Saving Station on January 7, 1894.

The next stop on our route was at the Naval Aviation Monument.  It was a short stop.  Not because it wasn’t interesting, but because the temp and humidity were rising, and we still had a ways to go to get to the end of the boardwalk and then make the return trip back to the car.

Top Left: The Homecoming … the family reunited.
bottom left: The Team … the modern force - Naval Aviation in the 21st Century.
center: Pilots man your planes … the Greatest Generation - Naval Aviation in WWII.
Right: Where It Began … the Birthplace of Carrier Aviation.

It was 8:00a by the time we finally got to the north end of the boardwalk.  By then the breeze had died down, and the humidity had increased to make us feel sticky and uncomfortable.  As luck would have it, a big cloud moved in to veil the sun for nearly the duration of our walk back to the car, affording us some relief.

Not feeding the parking meter.  Rather, trying to feed the “donation” meter.
Alas none would take our coins.  They were either jammed or not yet operational.
[click the photo on the left for a more legible size]

A stop at the bank; another one to check out Ocean Pines, the off-base military campground at NAS Oceana, and we were back home in time for lunch.

(As an aside for those readers who are eligible to stay at military campgrounds: While Ocean Pines seems like a decent campground, we didn’t care for its ambiance for a long-term stay … too many sites seemed to be occupied by homesteaders.  An oddity at this campground — the sewer hook-up is in the middle of the pad!!!  That said, if we needed a place for a night or two, and wanted to be closer to the commissary and BX than we are at Sea Mist, we would definitely consider Ocean Pines.)

So far the forecast for the first week of July has more rain and overcast than sunshine.  The likelihood of getting out and doing something blog-worthy is small, but you never know — stay tuned.

Let There Be Shade!

Wednesday, 26 June
Sea Mist RV Park — NAS Oceana, Dam Neck Annex — Virginia Beach, Virginia
Temps: Lo 74F / Hi 94F [feels like 109F] (23C / 34C [43C])

Another hot day here at Sea Mist.  A little cooler than yesterday, but with a much higher “feels like” temp thanks to the 59%, humidity.  We still have that nice breeze blowing to keep us comfortable in the morning, but once the temp rises, the breeze also warms up, and it does little to keep us cool.

Today we managed to sit outside until 1:30p before we had to throw in the towel.  At that time, the thermometer was reading 91F (33C).  How did we manage to stay out that long?  With the help of some man-made shade!  Specifically, our new ShadePro awning curtain.  Actually, the website refers to it as a Vista Shade for Electric Awnings.

We have a screen shelter, but it’s mostly to keep the bugs at bay.  Besides, we can only use it if we’re not on concrete.  Here we are on a double-wide concrete pad, and even if we were allowed to put it up on the grass between us and the neighboring site, we’d be far too close to them — and to their sewer hook-up.  That we have an east/west oriented site means that the screen shelter would not do us much good anyway.

Affectionately known as the half-lime, this is the screen shelter we purchased in
Waveland, Mississippi after an unexpectedly strong storm blew through the area and
decimated our previous shelter.  It works great on a soft surface; not so much on concrete.

I started looking at awning curtains soon after arriving at Sea Mist.  Found a couple of options that would work for us.  Then I noticed that our driver-side neighbors had exactly what I was looking for.  After talking to them about the curtain, I was sold — especially since it was specifically made for 12V RV awnings.  The bonus — a 10% off sale and free shipping; and — though stilll pricey — a heck of a lot less expensive than the ones I’d been looking at.  By the end of the day, measurements taken, we had a 19 feet wide x 9 feet tall (~ 5.8 x 2.7 m) curtain on order.

With the auto-retract feature off, the awning curtain is installed and ready for us to use.

The best way to describe the fabric is that it’s like our black MCD shades — think a breathable vinyl mesh.  The website claims that 85% of the light is cut off.  Can’t say anything about the % claim, but we’ve been able to sit outside far longer with the curtain deployed than we would have been able to without it.  I’ve also been able to read without having to wear a hat to cut down the light glare — be it on screen or a paper book.  Don’t even need sunglasses, although Mui caught me with them on in the photo below because I had just returned from a walk.  Mui likes the anti-glare feature since it makes using the outdoor TV more feasible during the daytime.

The curtain is see-through, but still affords privacy.  I actually like that it is not solid.  Not just because it would block out all the light and breeze, but also because from a security perspective, it’s always good to not be surprised by a visitor — regardless of intentions.  I can see out more than people can see in; that’s a good thing, too.

Compare this to the third photo from the top, which shows that it’s not as easy
to see in as it is to see out.  (That photo was taken from the neighboring site.)

The curtain comes in two parts.  The body is 6 feet (~ 1.8 m) tall; that’s standard.  If you need a bigger drop, the insert, which is stationary and rolls up with the awning, makes up the difference.  The two pieces are zipped together to give you the total length you need.   No stepladder needed to reach the zipper when installing the body — important for a shorty like me.

I will say that threading the insert through the narrow groove on the roller was a bit of a bear.  It’s a two man — or one man, one woman — job; and you need a stepladder to do the job right.  Having a picnic table handy as a scaffolding of sorts is good for the person pulling the insert along as the other feeds it into the groove.  Once the insert is in place, the rest of the installation is a piece of cake — just zip the two pieces together, and stake the curtain to the ground.

Top left: the insert is fed into a groove on the back side of the roller tube;
a strip of velcro on either end secures it in place.

Bottom left: a closer look at the zipper used to attach the body to the insert.

Right: the curtain comes with guy ropes and four stakes; we opted to use bungy cords
for faster removal of the body in the event of sudden high winds or an emergency.

KEY tip here is that you must disable the auto-retract when you want to use the curtain.  You don’t want the awning to start retracting should the wind exceed the speed to which you’ve set the controls.  In our case, deactivating auto-retract is just a matter of flipping the power switch from the middle to the down position rather than the up position.

We never leave the patio awning deployed overnight or if we are away from home.  That means the curtain has to be taken down every night, or whenever we go off somewhere.  Not a problem — remove the bungy cords; unzip the body; fold it and and store it in the bag that was included with the purchase; and retract the awning.  I think it took us all of 3-4 minutes to do that this afternoon.  One person could do it; but it is easier to fold if two people work together — especially with a wide curtain.

Zipping off the body from the insert is easy.

With the body removed (top left) the insert rolls into the awning fabric (bottom left),
and is stored inside the casing along with the awning.

The ordering process for a standard-size curtain was simple, and the shipping of the product was quick.  We received our order Monday afternoon, and threaded the insert into the roller tube that evening.

Granted we’ve only been using the awning curtain for two days, so perhaps I should have waited to write about it after using it longer.  But I just love having it, and I couldn’t contain my excitement.  Besides, it’s not like I’ve got anything else to write about at the moment.  Be assured I will come back and let everyone know if any downsides to it crop up.

Without this shade curtain, our time on the patio on these increasingly hot days would have been severely curtailed.  I’m glad we have invested in one.

And for those wondering … no, I am not getting paid a dime by ShadePro for this enthusiastic review — although I should probably call them and ask for a discount for the free advertising ;-)

Nearing the Two-Week Mark at Sea Mist

Tuesday, 25 June
Sea Mist RV Park — NAS Oceana, Dam Neck Annex — Virginia Beach, Virginia
Temps: Lo 74F / Hi 95F [feels like 101F] (23C / 35C [38C])

A routine of reading on the patio, walking and sitting on the beach, triking around the base, and going to the movie theater twice doesn’t really provide anything exciting to write about.

Nonetheless, here is a bit of this and a bit of that from the days past.

One of our goals for retirement was to change our diet to include more plant-based foods and less animal-based foods.  We implemented that change a week ago and Mui’s been fixing up a storm of delicious dishes for us to try out — including yummy frozen treats for after dinner … our favorite so far has been a chocolate cherry concoction.  It hasn’t been difficult to make the change since we’ve always enjoyed salads, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and the like.  Not becoming vegetarians, mind you … just leaning a little more in that direction.

Not much in the way of wildlife to keep the camera clicking around here.  Except for the smallish black snake I saw slithering under our coach a few days ago [double shudder] — which I had no desire to photograph.  Mui managed to shoo it back to the dunes from which it came by using a stream of water from the hose to nudge it off the patio.

The ospreys, on the other hand I am always happy to see.  There are plenty of them nesting here at the Dam Neck Annex; some with chicks.  Alas … no photos as I had no desire to get into trouble by pulling out my camera in a restricted zone.

Dragonflies are plentiful here — especially these black saddlebags.

We’ve been taking advantage of our proximity to the beach at this campground.  A short walk to one of the two access points puts us on a wide stretch of sand fronting the Atlantic Ocean.  We — I, actually — have been walking out on the beach in the mornings when there is seldom anyone else about.  Mui has gone triking instead, although he has joined me on occasion.  We’ve gone over with our chairs and beach shelter, but the north/south orientation of the beach makes it difficult to escape the sun until later in the day.  By then, it’s too hot to be on the beach.  Unfortunately, the ocean has been too rough for swimming.  Mui did manage to go in for a dip yesterday, but it was more playing in the surf than swimming.

Looking south (left) and north … scenes taken within seconds of each other.

The waves might not look like much, but the undertow is very strong.

The only birds I’ve been able to photograph in the past ten days have been on the beach.  And they have not been around in great numbers.  In fact, we saw the terns one morning as we walked by the enlisted beach; and then they disappeared.

The only royal terns we’ve seen showed up on the beach on a day of strong-wind,
which swirled about the mist from the Atlantic Ocean.

Digging around the edge of the surf nets this boat-tailed grackle a tasty ghost crab.

When I said there wasn’t much in the way of wildlife here, I forgot about the ghost crabs.  They are quite abundant on the beach — and they seem to come in all sizes.  The really big ones came as quite a surprise to me.  For some reason, I always thought they were teeny-tiny.  Watching them dig their burrows has been an ample source of amusement for me.  I posted my favorite ghost crab photo at the beginning of this blog entry, but here’s another one that I really like because it shows how disproportionate the claws are.

The claws are actually the fifth pair of legs, which — in conjunction with the
other four pairs of legs — allows a ghost crab to move in any direction.

I guess I should come out of the “shoe closet” and admit that I hopped on the Oofos bandwagon this week.

After hearing about them first from Sherry and then from Sue, I decided to buy a pair.  After all, who could resist Sue’s description: “…kind of like falling into one of those Memory Foam beds, only for your feet.  Luscious.”

I’d describe them as cushy without being soft … if that makes sense.  I love the arch support, and the toe-thingy is not at all uncomfortable.  If I didn’t need to wear thick socks during our partly-cold-weather vacation this fall, I’d take the flip-flops with me.  As it is, I will probably end up getting a pair of the clogs to wear as slippers on our off-the-road trip.

When we booked our stay at Sea Mist, we anticipated hot and humid days, and not much time spent outdoors.  We were wrong — even with the change in weather a few days ago.

Our first ten days here were pretty wonderful, even if some of them were mostly cloudy; and we did have a deluge with thunder and lightning one day.  On the other hand, we had low-to-no humidity to speak of, and the mornings were cool enough for long pants and a fleece jacket while reading on the patio.  The afternoon hours did warm up, but it really wasn’t bad until this weekend when the temps started to rise dramatically.

Thanks to the almost-constant breeze — and our man-made shade (more about that in the next post) — I was able to sit outside this afternoon until the thermometer hit the 88F (31C) mark.  One thing I have noticed is that there’s always a breeze in this section of the campground.  That’s not necessarily the case in the older section, where the breeze is blocked by the trees and vegetation.  The forecast is for increasingly hot temperatures, so the breeze may not help much in the days ahead … we shall see.

Surf Lace

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that we’ve been to a couple of movies here on base.  At every military installation we’ve been on, we’ve checked to see if there is a movie theater.  NAS Pensacola had one, and we went to a show while we were there.  NCBC Gulfport had free DVD screenings, and we caught one of those as well.  All of the other installations have had to close their movie theaters — for a variety of reasons, but mostly due to lack of funding.

We were thrilled to find that NAS Oceana still has a theater — and a big one that seats 900.  I imagine it is used for all-hands-on-deck meetings as well as entertainment.

Of the movies being screened, we opted first for The Big Wedding, a romantic comedy.  It was entertaining, but would have been better without so much potty-mouth language.

Next we went to see Star Trek: Into Darkness, which was a James Kirk meets James Bond space adventure.  We enjoyed this one as well; Trekkies will easily see the plot similarities to some of the original Star Trek movies.  (Click the posters for info about the movies.)

What happened to exploring the area?  We’ve in fact talked about doing something almost every evening, but that’s all it’s been — talk.  When morning rolls around, we get too comfortable on the patio and postpone our plans to another day.  Part of the reason we’ve been not-so-enthusiastic about visiting the nearby sights is because we’ve been to Norfolk and Virginia Beach before, and it’s all “old news” to us.  We’re still hoping to get out and do some sightseeing, however.  Hopefully we haven’t entirely missed the “sightseeing weather” window.