Two More Days of Delays

Friday, November 30

6:15 am (12 degrees) – This is going to be the day we finally hit the road. We have a few errands to run and we still have some stuff to load into the RV. We also keep finding more and more stuff that has to go into storage. If we hustle, I hope to be on the road by noon.

8:30 am (12 degrees) – We really need to get moving because a big snow and ice storm is predicted for tomorrow. It would sure be nice to get on the road before the weather gets bad. If we can get far enough south, we may be able to miss it completely.

10:00 (13 degrees) – I dropped off four bags of clothes at Doc Jacobs office. He collects clothes for the migrant farm workers in the area. I then went to the office to do payroll and pay some bills. I also had to pickup up the checks and all of the paperwork from the office that I’ll need for the trip. I then went over to the post office to pick up the mail from our P.O. box. When I came back to the office, Kim was there. She’s still working on getting our long distance phone service switched over. It seems like the phone company would make this easier. While I was at the office, I ended up reconciling one of our bank accounts. This wasn’t planned and I didn’t get out of the office until 12:30 pm. At this point, I’m hoping we can hit the road by 3:00 pm.

2:15 pm (15 degrees) – I picked up a couple of things from NAPA. I needed an adapter so we can plug the tow dolly into the RV (for brake lights, turn signals, etc) and I had to get some Sta-Bil to add to the gas we are leaving in the lawn tractor, snow blower, etc. I also decided to get the oil changed in the Envoy. It was stupid waiting this long, but it would be even dumber to not get it done now. It will give me some peace of mind knowing that I’m handing the Envoy over to Roger with a fresh oil change. Things are taking much longer than I anticipated. When I got home, I cancelled our phone service at the house. At least that was easy. I was also greeted with a couple of loads of stuff that needs to be taken to the office. We’re not going to get out of town by 3:00 pm, but I guess it’s not that big of a deal. Even if we leave late tonight, we’ll still get down to Southern Illinois or Kentucky before the storm hits. It’s supposed to be a big one, dropping snow and ice as far south as Champaign, IL.

4:30 pm (15 degrees) – Shelby and I dropped off two loads at the office. When I got home, Kim and I decided that we were trying to pack why too much into the RV. We started thinning things out and now we have a couple of more loads to put into storage. Even though it is going to take more time to take the stuff over to the office, it will be good not having so much weight (and stuff we don’t need) in the RV. It’s already dark outside. I really don’t like this time of year. It will be good to head south into better weather and longer days.

6:00 pm (12 degrees) – I tried to start the RV, but the battery was dead. I hooked up the battery charger and am letting it charge for a while. I hope the only problem is the battery and not something else.

7:00 pm (10 degrees) – We’ve been loading things into the RV for the past couple of hours. The RV is filling up, but it doesn’t seem like the house is really getting any more empty. The cold outside is raw. It’s cold enough and windy enough to freeze you to the bone. As long as you keep moving it’s not horrible, but if you stop you’ll freeze. I just hooked the tow dolly up to the RV and I stood in one place for too long. Now I’m frozen. We decide to order a couple of pizzas. Shelby and I are going to take another load to the office while we’re waiting.

7:30 pm (10 degrees) – The RV started. A switch on the interior was left on and it killed the battery. The battery is now charged and the RV is running. We may get out of here yet tonight.

8:00 pm (8 degrees) – The pizza got here and a few minutes later Roger showed up. He wants to help load the van onto the tow dolly. When he sees the adapter I got to hook up the brake lights, he announces that it is not the right one. I realized this also when I was hooking up the tow dolly. Without brake lights, Kim doesn’t want to leave. I would rather leave now without brake lights than wait to drive in the snow tomorrow. We go back and forth. Kim wins. We’re going to wait to leave until tomorrow morning. Roger and I get the van on the tow dolly without incident. The straps fit over the tires. Hallelujah! We weren’t sure that they would.

9:00 pm (7 degrees) – Roger just called. He lost his cell phone while we were loading the van onto the tow dolly. Shelby, Louis and I look all over for it, but can’t find it.

9:30 pm (7 degrees) – The battery in the Envoy just went dead. What a night. I hook up the battery charger and let it charge for a while. After a few minutes on the charger, the Envoy starts up. Sometimes you just have to laugh when things go so wrong.

10:15 pm (5 degrees) – Shelby and I just dropped off the last of our things that are going into storage. It’s time for everybody to get in bed so we can get up early and beat the storm out of town.

Saturday, December 1

6:00 am (16 degrees) – We’re up and moving some things into the RV. I have to go get the right adapter as soon as the stores open. The rush to get out of town is exciting, but also exhausting. I just want to get on the road. The snow is supposed to start around 9:00 am.

8:30 am (16 degrees) – I’ve tried NAPA and the Agri-Center, but neither place has the adapter I need. When I go over to Tractor Supply, Roger is already there and he informs me that they do not have the right adapter either. However, he has figured out a way to make this work. He’s found some magnetic lights that mount on top of the van. An electrical wire runs from the lights to the plug in the RV and act as the brake lights, tail lights, and blinkers. He’s also found an adapter that will allow us to plug the lights into the RV. Time is growing very short. The storm is on its way. By the way, Roger found his cell phone in his own driveway.

8:45 am (17 degrees) – The lights sit perfectly on top of the van, the wire is long enough to reach the outlet on the RV, but the adapter is the wrong one. I have to run back up to tractor supply to get the right one.

9:00 am (19 degrees) – Tractor Supply doesn’t have the right adapter. It’s starting to snow and it’s not playing around. The snow is mixed with ice pellets and it is coming down heavy. The roads are already slick. We’re not going to get out of town today. Tomorrow isn’t supposed to be much better. Maybe Monday will be our lucky day.

9:30 am (19 degrees) – I’m back home and Kim has moved the last of our things into the RV. She agrees that we should not leave today, but we don’t have anything in the house. We’ll have to move blankets, food, clothes, toiletries, etc. back into the house.

7:00 pm (15 degrees) – The kids have been invited to spend the night with their friends next door. That’s good because they would definitely be bored here in our empty house. We don’t have much food, but Kim whips up a pasta dish that satisfies our hunger. We eat it in our empty living room in front of the fireplace. There’s nothing left to do now but wait for Monday.