We started out leaving Southern Florida and Aztec RV Resort, our home for the last year and a half, full of energy and a longing for the open road. 45 minutes later we are pulled over on the Florida Turnpike with a rear inner tire blow out. 13 hours later, after a tire change and leveling rod replacement, we ended up sleeping nearby at the West Palm Beach Service Plaza.
The next day, we made it to our first destination, Flagler Beach near Daytona. We enjoyed the ocean with friends we met at Aztec: Dave, Lanne, Mike & Celeste. The weekend was very relaxing enjoying the sun and surf. On the road again heading to Savannah, we decide to replace all the tires, just to be on the safe side. The next stop was the Freightliner Service Center in Gaffney, SC where we got an oil change and 48 month service. We decided to get the coach weighed and found out that the tires we just had installed were the wrong load range for our coach and cannot handle the weight. We were misinformed by FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association). The next day, we went to another tire shop to get the correct tires installed. WHAT?!? So, that happened! Sue had the unpleasant job of dealing with FMCA, our RV insurance company and the Michelin Advantage Program for some reimbursements. This took several days on the phone and pages of notes. By the way, we did get a majority of the monies back, from Michelin, our extended warranty and the insurance company.
Now we are back on the road with clear minds, good energy and ready to ride the Harley in the Smokey Mountains. Well…. it rained a lot while in the Smokey Mountains, so we decided to hold off and just ride in the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stayed at a luxury Class A RV resort called Mountain Falls. It was lovely, peaceful and had majestic views of the mountains.
We were excited to start hiking again and spent a couple of days trekking through the Smokey Mountains. We hiked in Gorges State Park to Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls. In the town of Highlands, we passed Bridal Veil Falls and hiked under the Dry Falls, which by the way, were not dry at all!
We spent one day in Asheville NC and enjoyed visiting the Biltmore Estate.
Then… the big accident happened. Sallie fell and cracked her head open on a boulder. Sue rushed her to the nearest hospital where while in the emergency room, the doctor ran a CT scan and stitched her up. Turned out, Sallie suffered a concussion and had hemorrhaging and swelling around the brain. She ended up being transferred via helicopter to Asheville Mission Hospital because they had a much needed trauma center and neurological department. Luckily, Sallie never lost consciousness and after 12 hours in the second hospital and another CT scan, she was released with no complications. This really put everything in perspective. The tire fiasco was absolutely nothing compared to the scare we both experienced. Life is too short and can be taken away just like that. We are both so very grateful how lucky we are. Sue took on the role of caregiver, driving the RV and Jeep and just taking care of Sallie. For the first week of recuperation, Sallie had to keep stimuli to a minimum, no TV, no games on the iPhone, low light and lots of sleep. She is slowly returning to her old self and can’t wait to go shopping again (her favorite pastime) without Sue.
Our next destination was Raccoon Holler Campground in the middle of the Blue Ridge Parkway. So much for riding the Harley. Not until Sallie is 100% back to normal. We are just going to have to return to both the Smokey Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway another time and get our ride on. The campground near the BRP was very calm and serene. This area was so beautiful with Christmas Tree farms everywhere. We were able to do some driving and sightseeing in the Jeep. The BRP is so very beautiful!
We are exploring new territory on this trip: West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Our first stop was Pittsburgh, PA. where we enjoyed a city tour on a double decker bus.
We also visited the National Aviary (now that we are bird people, for those of you that don’t know… we have fallen in love with the growing caged cockatiel family across from our RV site at Aztec… 6 newborn babies in the last few months).
We spent a couple days at the campground and just took it easy and enjoyed the local culture and some good restaurants.
Our next post will be about the National Civil War Historic Parks, Hershey PA and Amish country we will soon visit.
Thank you so much for sharing your adventures and I am very happy to hear Sallie is doing much better. Happy Trails!!!
Hi Treese… good to hear from you! We are so lucky Sallie is on the mend. Stay tuned for more travel adventures as we take on the Canadian Maritimes.
Hope all is well with you and your family.
Stay in touch…
S & S
Glad you are doing better Sallie! What a scare. Thanks for sharing your pictures and stories! Take care.
Hi… Thanks for your concern. It was very scary! Enjoy the blog… we have 4 more months of travel to go! I hope you are doing well.
Love Sallie