Largely we escaped anything major that was unexpected. A couple of vents on the cieling needed to be replaced and the cylinders in the jacks will also need to be replaced at some point but that was it. Of the items we knew about most of them could be done, albeit for a price. The biggest frustration is the fridge but realistically we decided we could make do with an electric one to avoid the excessive costs of a replacement RV fridge.
Overall it was not exactly a great experience but the good news is the power was sorted and air conditioning was restored. There were no mechanical issues with engine and she has had an extensive service.
It was to be a long drive so J and Hatty made a pit-stop 60 miles north of Tampa to reduce the next day's total. Disaster struck though when it was discovered that Fetch, Hatty's most treasured teddy (a cheetah) was missing. It was nearly 10pm before she could go to sleep and all efforts to locate Fetch came to nothing.
The good news is that Fetch was safe and sound at the RV service center but that meant in the morning driving back. Instead of saving 60 miles the whole episode added 120 needless miles.
Our original destination was to be an RV campground on the beach in Northern Florida. Gill and Chris has stayed there before and we had seen it in passing the year we vacationed on Cape San Blas. Alas this turned out to be a child free site so we had to switch.
Before that however was the small matter of arranging my trip. I was heavily constrained because on Sunday I had a longstanding trip planned to London and India. I needed to be back in New York to catch my flight so for my visit I chose a state park near to Tallahassee airport: Ochlockonee River State Park.
This might be one of the most memorable stays of the trip, for all the wrong reason. The problem was evident soon after I arrived. J told me to immediately put on bug spray.
I didnt know much about the yellow biting fly but I do now. It is a ferocious pest and its bites are definitely painful. The repellent we had, useful against Mosquitos, provided some protection but it was impossible to be completely covered.
At one point Hatty shouted in pain. We thought she had been bitten by a fly - annoying but her reaction seemed to be excessive. However we soon learned better when we saw the scorpion! Amazingly she could shrug It off and go to sleep fine (with Fetch of course!)
It practically confined us to the inside. This was so frustrating because the park was just so beautiful.
During Saturday we visited the swimming area. Hatty had a great time but it was intolerable for us. They just kept coming and coming and we were covered in bites.
Back at the RV we thought we would get relief when it started to rain. Any nice thoughts evaporated when we saw we were sharing the shelter of the awning with a fly the size of an adult's fist.
The rain turned into a torrential downpour and the site was soon flooded. It was relentless and there was little to do but sit inside and swat any flies that had made it in (and they were very good at getting in as soon as the door was opened).
All in all a horror show so we called it off early. When I left for the airport J and Hatty left for the next place, which luckily could accommodate us early. Another horror was waiting for me but I will recount that on my travel blog.
