Stop Three – We made it, the day after Christmas!!

We’re in Fayetteville, NC, Stop Three.  We arrived about 5:00 PM, quickly set up the RV, then we ran Jeanne over to Denise and Dennis’ home and visited for a couple of hours.  It was nice to see them.  The last time we saw them was during our visit same time last year.  Dennis fed us and we enjoyed conversation, catching up and sharing some laughs.

Before I get further into our day, we want to take a moment to thank some special folks.  Colleen and Frank, our neighbors, have been so gracious to keep an eye on the house, some of Mag’s plants and any packages or mail that is delivered to the house.  They are, and have been, really great neighbors and we’re grateful!

Denise and Dennis have been so helpful.  During our misfortune in Staunton, they made offers to drive up to rescue us.  During our visit, whatever we needed, they were, and are, there for us.  To Denise, Dennis, Amber and Evan, please accept our thanks for kindness, generosity, and love; you are very much appreciated.

And Jeanne, what can we say?  What a sport.  She had the option to stay with us in the trailer or a hotel and she obviously made the correct decision.  She has been a “trooper” throughout this whole ordeal and we’re grateful for her patience and love.

We followed through with our plan and headed to the dealership first thing in the morning,  The sticker on the door stated the Service Dept. opened at 8:00 AM and on their website I could find both 8:00 and 8:30.  We arrived at 7:50 so we could speak with someone early, get an idea of what we’d be facing and then plan accordingly.  8:00 o’clock rolls around and no sight of anyone.  We walk out back where we parked the truck and jumped in; figured we’d wait until 8:30.  8:30 rolls around and still no one.  The thought had crossed our minds that they were extending the Christmas holiday through Monday be could not find any mention of that on either the building or their website or on their phone system greeting.

At this point we decided to fire up the truck and test our theory.  Well, not our theory alone but in collaboration with a number of folks we spoke with since this began.  Our hunch was that it became so cold Friday night, it caused the diesel fuel to gel.  The gelled fuel reduced the flow and cause the “low fuel pressure” message on the screen.  A couple of folks Mag spoke to said, “Aw honey, cold and diesel don’t get along here.”  We had also spoke to a tenured truck driver we ran into at Tractor Supply.  He described the issue exactly as we experienced it and said we needed put an additive in the fuel tank to prevent the fuel from turning to gel.  

The truck fired up as usual and we drove off cautiously.  When we got out to the street I stepped on it a bit and the engine responded normally.  At Tractor Supply, where I had spoken to the trucker, I purchased a bottle of the additive, last bottle on the shelf, then poured 8-12 oz. into the fuel tank.  We both felt encouraged and decided to head onto Fayetteville.  The plan was for me to take it for a test drive and top off the tank while she packed up our stuff at the hotel.  I took it for a 5 mile run to a gas station.  After filling up, I took it up on the “interstate” and cranked it up; truck ran perfectly.  I headed back to the hotel, packed up all our gear and then we all headed to the spot where we parked the trailer.  We never heard from the person who Mag left a message for and we both chuckled, thinking they’ll never even know we were there. 

The drive to Fayetteville is a little short of 5 hours so we figure, a couple of stops, we should be the around 5.  It’s 11:00 AM when we got the trailer hitched up and hit the road.  The route we selected will take us east to Richmond then south on route 95 into Fayetteville.  It’s not the most direct route but it’s the route the two GPS units have selected using the criteria we enter about the RV; height, weight, propane on board and additional preferences.  The ride is easygoing over to Richmond but the traffic thickens as we pass through Richmond.  On the other side of Richmond, we take a quick pit stop and lunch.  I had a conversation with truck driver who just came up from Raeford, NC who said the traffic was bad heading south.  The traffic was thick but okay until we reached Roanoke Rapids.  From there to nearly Rocky Mount, about 35 miles, it was not quite “stop and go” but our speed ranged from 65 to 30 all the way to 10 miles and hour across that stretch.  It’s a little nerve racking because the truck & trailer take a little more effort to slow down and speed up so I had to anticipate those actions before they happen.  We got through it and the remainder was smooth at 60 to 65 mph. 

We rolled into the campground a little before 5.  The temp was about 45 degrees and with a low tonight in the twenties.  We’re hoping we have ample propane to get through the night with plans to refill our tanks over the next couple of days.  The trailer has (2) 30 pound tanks on board for heat, hot water (can be electric or gas) and the kitchen range.