Heat, Power, and Protection

We headed out from Front Royal at nine o’clock and by quarter after ten had been in four states; Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania – ya gotta love it!!  It was a short drive for us, just under three hours with us pulling into the campground at Jonestown, Pennsylvania just before noon.

It’s hotter than Hades here with the heat index hitting 105*.  Ya gotta move slow and drink lotsa water.  For dinner, we marinated a chicken breast in Zesty Italian Salad Dressing and then grilled it on our Foreman Grill.  After it cooled, we cut it up and mixed it into our garden salad made with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, fresh green peppers, fresh cucumbers, carrots, and some red onions - a great meal on a hot day.  We topped it off with some Hershey’s Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream covered in Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce.  Do we know how to live right, or what?

It was just after dinner that Ol’ Heck broke loose.  I had been monitoring the electric meter all afternoon and as more and more rigs arrived, cranking on their air conditioning units, the power level continued to drop.  All of a sudden, the power went out.  At first I figured it was our Surge Guard Power Protection Unit cutting out due to low voltage, however, that was not the case.  The campground circuit breaker that services a couple of rows of sites had “popped”. 

Once the power came back on I took some voltage readings I discovered that we are only getting 104 volts into the coach; our Surge Protection Unit will cut out at 103 which it did about 15 minutes later.  Something tells me that this is not going to be the best weekend to be “camping” in this campground.  It’s at full capacity and with everyone running their A/C’s the campground power system isn’t going to be able to handle demand.  This is not a good thing with the heat index predicted to be even higher this afternoon.

We have a Honda 2000 watt generator and a Cobra 1000 watt inverter but neither will run either one of our air conditioners.  This is the first time in five years of RVing in this unit that we’ve needed a larger generator.   Actually, over the past four years of fulltiming, we’ve very seldom used our air conditioners but, we’ve used them almost continually this year over the past two months.   We may have to purchase another Honda 2000 with a parallel adapter kit which would give us 4000 watts; you need at least a 3000 watt generator to run a 15k air conditioner.

Things began to stabilize and the voltage reading went up to 107 volts which is barely sufficient; I don’t like to see any readings under 110.  If you don’t have a power surge protection unit you should seriously consider purchasing one soon.  Be sure to get one that has surge protection as well as automatic over and under voltage protection.  Ours, also, checks the power pedestal for damaging mis-wire conditions with a warning indicator for reverse polarity, dangerous current on ground wire and/or pedestal mis-wiring.  All of these issues can raise havoc with your appliances.  

Well, that’s more than enough “techy” stuff for today.  This morning we’re going to do some sightseeing before the temperatures get unbearable.  So, thar ya have it for today, see ya tomorrow.

The Long Travel Day

Well, it was a long travel day for us, just a little over six hours.  Generally we like the 2-2-2 plan (two hundred miles, off the road by 2:00 PM, and stay two nights) but, ‘cause we took the day off Wednesday we needed to make up some time – lobstahs are awaiting, ya know.  So we pressed on for a 325 mile run from Bluff City, Tennessee to Front Royal, Virginia.

It was another uneventful travel day with beautiful views as we traveled through the Shenandoah Valley surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east.  With Mary and Joel moving to Virginia within the next couple months, we are looking for a volunteering opportunity in this area for sometime next spring or summer.  So much beauty, so much history, who could ask for anything more.  However, we are only staying here for one night this time.

Today we’ll have just a short jaunt to the Hershey, Pennsylvania area where we will stay for two nights.  Judy looooves chocolate and says, “Okay, Just Give Me Choklate And Nobody Gets Hurt!!”  So, next to A&E Fabrics, Hershey will become her second Mecca.  They say that you can actually smell the chocolate in the air – too bad I can’t smell a darned thing.  Okay, time to rock and roll.  So, there you go!!!

Sightseeing East Tennessee

Guess who wasn’t born on a mountain top in Tennessee?  You’re right, Davy Crockett.  That means that good ol’ Walt got it all wrong; well, maybe not exactly all wrong.  But, he did embellish the truth just a little, something that you’d never catch me doing; unless, of course, the truth, in and of itself, wasn’t quite good enough.

Anyhow, Davy Crockett was born in Limestone, Tennessee along the banks of the Nolichucky River which is actually a fairly flat area in a valley with the mountains being approximately 12 miles (as the crow flies) due east from his birthplace.

The Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park is home to a museum dedicated to Crockett, a replica of the cabin that the Crockett family lived in, and a monument to Davy Crockett that contains stones donated by each state.  The cabin sits only a few feet from where the original cabin stood with one of the actual cornerstones still remaining on the site.  The inscription on the monument reads:  “Davy Crockett, Pioneer, Patriot, Soldier, Trapper, Explorer, State Legislator, Congressman, Martyred at the Alamo, 1786---1836”.

The highlight of the day was our visit to the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site located in Greeneville, Tennessee.  The tour includes a replica of Johnson’s birthplace, his tailor shop which has been preserved, the Johnson’s “Early Home”, and the Johnson Homestead.  We began with a short movie at the visitor’s center that introduced us to President Andrew Johnson.

After the movie we began our tour which began at a replica of the house where Johnson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Having seen pictures in the Visitor’s Center we can tell you that the original house wasn’t anywhere near as attractive.  Next on our tour was the “Early Home” of the Johnson’s which is actually right across the street from the Tailor Shop.  The Tailor Shop still stands on it’s original site, however, it has been enclosed inside the Visitor’s Center/Museum.

 

Ranger Sarah Bell was our guide for the tour of the Johnson Family Homestead which is located two and a half blocks from the Visitor’s Center.

 

The tour of the Homestead began with President Johnson’s Bedroom which is the first room on the right coming in the front door.

 

The Parlor was the first room on the left as you entered through the front door.  The Dining Room is located in the el on the back of the house and the Kitchen is in the basement under the Dining Room.

 

Most of the rooms in the house were bedrooms as several of the Johnson children and their families lived there as well.

We were very fortunate to be able to sit with President Johnson himself in the garden and listen to him tell his story from the time of his birth up until entering local politics in Greeneville, Tennessee.  Here are the highlights of that visit as well as some additional details about his political career.

 

Andrew Johnson was born to a poor family in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1808.  His father died when he was only four and at the age of 10 his mother apprenticed him and his brother as tailors.  At the age of 15 he ran away traveling throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee and eventually settled in Greeneville, Tennessee.  There he met and married Eliza McCardle who was the daughter of a local shoemaker.

Johnson is noted as the only president that never received a formal education.  He taught himself to read and learned math skills from his apprenticeship as a tailor.  His wife, Eliza, taught him writing skills and he joined debating clubs in Greeneville area.  It was his love for words and a recognition of their power that helped him succeed.  His passion for debating lead him into local politics.

From his first election as an Alderman in Greeneville, he “debated” his way into state politics and then onto the national political scene eventually becoming President Lincoln’s vice president in 1864.  When President Lincoln was assassinated six months into his second term Johnson became the 17th President of the United States. 

His presidency certainly was not an easy one being that he was a President from the south on the heals of the Civil War.  Congress, which was dominated by the “Radical Republican Movement”, moved to impeach him on March 2nd of 1868. He was brought to trial in the Senate where he was eventually acquitted on May 16th. 

He continued to serve out the rest of his term which ended in 1869 at which time returned to the Johnson Homestead in Greeneville, Tennessee.  He did, however, return to politics and returned to the U. S. Senate where he served until his death in 1875.   

President and Mrs. Johnson, who died six months after her husband, were laid to rest at the family cemetery which has since become the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in Greeneville, Tennessee.  The memorial over his grave reads:  “His Faith In The People Never Waivered”.

President Johnson ranks as one of my favorite Presidents in that he was a Constitutionalist.  He deeply believed in the Constitution of the United States and diligently worked to preserve it throughout his career.

We stopped at Applebee’s for a late lunch before leaving Greeneville.  On our way home we did a drive through of Jonesborough, Tennessee which is the birthplace of the the National Storytelling Festival and the International Storytelling Center.  We had originally planned on taking in a storytelling session but, we spent too much time visiting with President Andrew Johnson in order to get there on time – maybe on our return trip to the area.

Quick Update

Woke up this morning with both of us feeling a little out of sorts.  We were planning on departing today but have decided to stay put one more day to “lick our wounds”. 

Yesterday we visited Greeneville, Tennessee and the home of our 17th President, Andrew Johnson.  Also stopped by Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park and did a drive through at Jonesborough, Tennessee, the storytelling capitol of the world.  We’ll have the story and pictures in tomorrow’s blog entry.

In the meantime, hope y’all have a great day and I’m sure we’ll be feeling better tomorrow.

The Visit

“Well,” here’s a quiz for ya!!  Who would you think of when I say, “Born on a mountain top in Tennessee”?  If you are thinking that Crockett fella, you’d be wrong this time.  Wanna try again?  Here’s a little hint: 

Way back in the year of aught six, Miss Judy and I made the acquaintance of a fine young lass from the Evergreen State.  Now, mind you, we were sitting on the sunshiny shores down in the southland while she was freezing her assets off up in the snow covered mountains of the northwest, so it was one of those Ee-Lec-Tronic introductions, as it were.  Since that time forward we have kept in touch one way or the other via blogs, email, Facebook, etc.. 

What an age we live in – we can have virtual friends all over the world without even leaving the comfort of our own recliners.  No washing your face, no fussing with your hair, and no getting all fancied up; heck, you can even visit in your underwear if you wanna (just don’t be using Skype now!).

Anyway, since then this fine lady has found her way back east to the place of her roots, which is Mountain City in the great Volunteer State, where she found herself a beau and turned him into a husband.  Some of ya now know who I’m talking about while the rest of you still don’t have a clue.

Well, without any further adieu, let me tell you who ‘tis.  It’s Jenny J (now Jenny M) from the Eleven Foot RV fame.  Having been brought into existence in Mountain City, Tennessee more than qualifies her for “being born on a mountain top”. 

Anywhoo, Yesterday Jenny and her husband Don stopped by for a visit; after all, that’s the reason that we’re in Bluff City in the first place.  It was wonderful to finally get to meet face to face.  You may have to wash your face, comb your hair, and put on some duds but, meeting face to face is far better than virtual friendships any day of the week.

They came baring gifts; some fresh veggies right out of their garden.  We started with a great visit, then et some vitals, and then visited some more.  Time passed way too quickly but, we look forward to stopping by East Tennessee again and staying just a tad bit longer next time.   Johnson County and the Blue Ridge Mountains certainly make Tennessee one of the “greenest state(s) in the land of the free” and worthy of more than a two day visit.  Plus we’ll get to spend more time with Don and Jenny right in their own natural habitat.

  

Thanks for the visit Don and Jenny, we really enjoyed getting together with y’all and look forward to doing it again real soon.  And thanks for the veggies, we love fresh veggies and you just can’t get any fresher than right straight from the garden.  We’re especially looking forward to trying those scallop squash.

“That’s it for today!”