On the road again

 October 14, 2025

Scenic Hills RV Park - site 23

Berlin, Ohio

We had expectations of wheels rolling last Friday but......the paint wasn't quite dry so the decal installation needed to be put off until Monday.  The good thing was Momma, Dad and I were able to sleep in our own beds over the weekend...at the repair center.  They pulled the rig outside to the overnight hook-up area giving us 50 amp service for the weekend.  Ahhhh....so nice to be back 'home'....so to speak. I have to admit, it was a bit crowded in the back seat of the Ram that was loaded with all the items moved into The Cozy Cottage for our three week stay that wouldn't fit in the bed of the truck.  We needed to vacate the cottage at 11, but couldn't move into our fifth wheel until 1:30 on Friday.  

With so many things up in the air, we had come up with several plans of action...depending on what transpired.  I think we used plan D on Friday.  Pam's truck finally started up ...actually ran...with the engine purrrr-ing late Thursday.  (Now keep in mind, the truck was towed into the shop on September 8th.)  With our rig repairs not completed and the inability of renting a car in Indiana and leaving it in Michigan, the professional driver, Dave, who delivered Pam and her rig to Indiana from Michigan was hired once again to transport just Pam this time, from Indiana to Cadillac, Michigan.  He arrived at 8am Friday morning transporting Pam to Michigan, so she could slide behind the steering wheel of her truck, ending separation anxiety, allowing her time to drive her truck to Indiana to pick up her fifth wheel, now sporting a new floor in her slide, before her repair shop closed. 

But unfortunately, the saga continues.  At first, Pam thought the mechanics had been in and out of her truck causing the diesel smell in the cab.  After all, they assured Pam that they had checked for fuel leaks after completing replacement of the injectors, etc.  WRONG ...the strong smell and faster than usual needle movement on the fuel tank level indicator indicates a definite issue that needs to be resolved.  Baker Cadillac offered to take the truck back into the shop but after giving them five weeks to get the truck running, plus the fact that we have moved on to Ohio,  there is no way they will have the opportunity for their poor quality mechanics to lay another wrench on Pam's Ram!  Our current location has a Dodge service center that is just too busy this week, but our following location has a shop that will look at her truck on the day we arrive.

Dad says this will be one of those memorable trips, and not necessarily made memorable by the states we visited, but by the number of slide cables he has swapped out.  Unbelievably, we discovered the driver's side lower cable on the front of the slide had broken.  It's a good thing Ohio doesn't have a law against repairing/replacing cables at their RV sites located at the I-80 service center.   We had decided to spend the night at the Wyandot Service Center because we avoid long travel days and needed a stopover spot.  So we hooked up to the 50amp service post, paid our $20 honor system permit fee and proceeded to replace the broken cable.  Not an easy task due to the location.  The trim had to be removed and even a cupboard door removed to allow enough space to perform the repair.  Dinner was late on Monday!  And dinner could have been even later if  Dad hadn't agreed with Momma's suggestion to wait until morning to .....are you ready for this.....replace the frayed slide cable on the other side of the rig that they noticed upon arrival.

We are coming apart at the seams!!  At least that cable location was much easier/open for repair.  No removal of trim or cupboard doors needed on that slide location.  Whew!!

With our ever changing status, we had not made any reservations for our stays on the way south.  Momma was able to secure two sites here, but only for two nights.  That meant they hit the ground running heading out to Winesburg Meats for some smoked tenderloin and brats as well as other meats.  The next stop was Hillcrest Orchard for produce, apples and cider.  Have you ever heard of Hedge apples?

According to the sign, they are for decor and not an eating apple.  The fruit flies seemed to find them interesting.

Dad stayed at the rig with me while the gals gathered meat and produce.  He deserved a rest after all the repairs.  And I even talked him into a game of ball on this lush, well manicured grass around our rig.

I'm Chloe