A Cold Start

It was eleven degrees when I got up this morning.  Perfect for de-winterizing the RV and loading it up with water.  Not. But load up we must.

We had an electric heater going inside the RV for the last two days to keep any of the food items containing water from freezing.  The heater on the High setting managed to keep it at 41 degrees inside.

First problem: the hose, being stored in an outside compartment, was 11 degrees, and acted like a steel spring.  It could not be coaxed to unroll.  So I brought it in and put it in a sink full of hot water.  Problem solved.

Next problem, when connected to the RV, the water didn’t go anywhere.  But I did discover that the faucet on the side of the house sprayed water like crazy out the anti-siphon cap, flooding the area I where was working.  This nearly instantly began to freeze, creating a slipping hazard right in front of the garage door.

The plumbing in the RV must have had some residual water which was now frozen.  So I put the electric heater into the plumbing compartment and managed to thaw things just enough to fill the tank.  Other frozen sections prevented the pump from working, so we’ll have to try again when we are south enough to be above freezing.  We now have a full tank of water, we just can’t use it.

Putting 35 gallons into the tank resulted in probably an equal amount pooled in front of the door from the leaky faucet, so I had to bail that section with a snow shovel, flinging the water out into the grass.  This froze both the cord and the hose to the ground, so these had to be peeled up and then coiled so they could be stowed.  Not so easy when they were that cold.

I threw salt on the remaining water to prevent it from becoming a permanent slipping problem.

We managed to drive out of the driveway at 8:53 this morning.  Not bad, all things considering.

The rest of the day, by comparison, was very uneventful.  By the time we stopped in Kokomo, Indiana, for lunch, at Highland Park, the temperature was 34 degrees.  I tested the pump.  It was now working and water was available at all the fixtures.  I think we’re good to go.  We even had hot water this evening to wash the dishes.

We took a short walk in Highland Park to stretch our legs.  The kids’ play area had a small zip line, so we took our turns on it.

We stopped for the night at a Cracker Barrel in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  This has been our target on other trips as well so we’re getting to know it well.  The RV parking is across the street from the restaurant and farther away from the freeway than they usually are, so it’s relatively quiet.  While we can hear the occasional loud truck roar by in the distance, the main sound we can hear is the pouring rain drumming on the roof.

At least it’s not snow.

585 miles covered today.  Makes for a long day, but we’re starting to see some warmer temperatures.