Smoky Mountains Bourbon Trail

The last day of my trip is here. I'm officially home at the beach as I'm writing this.

Friday night I had driven to somewhere in South Carolina and had stopped at 4:30 pm to make a few last minute business calls before the week ended, then I slept for 5 hours in the gas station parking lot. I headed out at about 10 pm and hit the road. Since that one late night on Whiskey Row, my sleep schedule has been wacky. I pull over and sleep when I'm tired, and then I drive some more until I've reached my destination or am top tired to drive.

By 3 am I made it to St. Augustine. Driving up I-75, I spotted Buc-ee's and after hearing that it was an experience, I wanted to stop on the way back down. My GPS has routed me to I-95 so I had to go 30 min out of my way to hit Buc-ee's in St Augustine. I arrived at Buc-ee's at 3 am Saturday morning. I should have gone in the store then, because by 9 am the place was a mad house. If you've never been, how do I describe it? It's like a Wawa, Cracker Barrel, and camping store all in one. The place is huge. They have beef brisket and they are chopping it up right there. The guys chopping the brisket are wearing aprons and yellow cowboy hats. They have the bugs make your own coffee station that I've ever seen, the cutest gifts, decor, and rings of recreational and camping gear. I bought a brisket and egg taco and a coffee. I walked past about 50 ice freezers as they are lined up on all sides of the building with a sign that says, "we have the right to limit".

I have no pictures because I lost my phone! Well, I didn't lose it because I knew exactly where it was, but I couldn't get to it. When I woke up that morning, there was no signal so I placed my phone in the window behind the kitchen cabinet to see it I could get a bar. I left it there while I was getting dressed. When I closed the door the van jostled and my phone fell into a one inch gap between the buffet and the van sidewall. It was way down in there and there was no way to get it.

So now I had to find my way home without Google maps. I couldn't remember the exact route I had taken to St Augustine in the past, but I headed south on 95 looking for the next major east west road that looked like it might go to Tampa. It's not fun not having a phone. I felt such a sense of desolation and disorientation. The stress was building and I could feel my muscles tightening. Of course, I found I-4, and I knew my way from there.

I had really wanted to stop by the Blue Beacon truck wash in Dade City, but I needed to get to General RV to see if they could get my phone out of the wall for me. It was a Saturday, so I didn't even know if the service department was open. Definitely couldn't call them. Love bug season in Florida has begun and they are everywhere. I knew if I went to Blue Beacon, by the time I parked the van in Brandon it would be covered in love bugs again.

General RV was a success. I told the lady the story and she laughed so hard. "Do they even sell Rand McNallys anymore?" we wondered together. Thankfully, not being open but having a skeleton crew, they were very sympathetic and came to my rescue. Between removing one panel and using a long wire stick with a magnet on the end, they were able to pull my phone out. My life was whole again... or was it? It's a love hate relationship I have with my phone.

Back home to the birth center lot where the RV hookups are, I rotated the van different directions as I hand washed off all the bugs and dirt from 6 different states. It took over 3 hours. The front of the van, I scrubbed with a plastic scubby. My hands are peeling today. I was standing on an aluminum ladder, in a puddle of warer, holding a water hose as a bad storm was coming in. I quickly emptied my most important things from the van to the car, hooked up the van to shore power, set the van AC to 82, and set off towards home. Arriving home, I scrambled for my keys that had been buried and placed somewhere I couldn't quite remember. The condo smelled sweet, and my hanging string lights that I left plugged in on a timer greeted me brilliantly, "Welcome home".

I have no pictures from today, but I've posted some other pictures that Rebecca sent me. Here's a few things that I've learned on this trip about van life... what appliances I cannot run off shore power, how the electrical system of the van works, how to live off the grid for 10 days, how to stay warm, the best positions for sleeping on a slope without falling off the bed, what I need and what not to bring next time, how to pack and store things efficiently, how to fill water without hose hookup, how to save grey tank from filling, how to dance while driving.

Here are the final numbers:

Total Miles: 2,477
Total Days: 14
Days Off Shore Power: 11, the last 10 days
Total Fuel: $827.76
Total Damage: rock chip in the windshield which can probably be filled, two GFI electrical outlets that won't reset/breaker flipped I suspect- likely breakers are behind a panel somewhere, table broken as the metal stand stripped right out of the particle board it was attached to. Not sure I want to fix the table as it will just break again. I'll try to find an alternative or live without it.
Total Hot Flashes: 561, God help me!

I love van life and I had an amazing trip. Can't wait for the next one!もっと詳しく