Friday, September 13
Bridget knows it’s moving day the moment I fold up the crew’s pen. From that point on she keeps on my heels as I go about packing us up. Last task is to hitch. I put her and Spike into the Perfect Tow Vehicle.
It’s an easy hitch this morning and we’re on our way north!
Highway 101 takes us to Sequim (pronounced Squim) where I take the ramp to Wal-Mart. It’s been ages since I’ve cruised the aisles of a Wal-Mart. I zip over to the men’s department. Men’s clothing is more rugged and long-lasting than women’s. It also is more comfortable.
We’re bound to hit some chilly, damp weather soon.
Foggy morning in the Pacific Northwest
My cool weather wardrobe is sparse. I toss two sweatshirts into my cart. I find a fleece zip-up jacket with hood. In it goes! A circular rack holds long-sleeved shirts in a durable fabric with a wide choice of colors. I pick loden green, a color I love.
Next I cruise the electronics department.
I pick up a small, 100-watt inverter. I already have one that I use for charging up my camera battery, kindle, and cellphone. It has a lot of hours on it, so now it will serve as a back-up inverter.
I grab a few groceries and soon the crew and I are back on Highway 101.
We’re going west now to Port Angeles, the largest city on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula. As I drive through the busy city, I get a brief glimpse of the Strait of Juan de Fuca before making a left turn. Now is not the time to sight-see. Securing a camp as soon as possible — it being a Friday — is most important.
Six miles south of Port Angeles, we come to the toll booth for Olympic National Park.
Okay, everyone! V.I.P., coming through!
I show my senior pass and the lady waves us through.
Heart of the Hills campground has five loops. I drive through all of them looking for a campsite that suits our needs. It needs to be long enough, level enough, and providing some sunshine for the solar panel. It’s after noon and sites are filling up quickly.
I find what I’m looking for and back in!
This campground is perfect. There’s good separation between sites, drinking water, trash bins, restrooms (not needed), and camp hosts (security). The crew and I walk up to the pay station. I write a check for $18 for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Six dollars a night is a great deal for a lovely campground only six miles from a small city!
Saturday, September 14
Around three o’clock in the morning I’m awakened by a clickety-clacking. What is that? I turn my head on the pillow to look at the refrigerator panel. Lights are flashing helter-skelter. Uh-oh. That doesn’t look like an empty propane tank. That looks like a problem.
I get up and light one of the burners on the stove.
A steady flame appears. Well, it’s not a propane problem. I fiddle with the buttons on the fridge. The frantic clicking continues. I turn off the fridge and go back to bad.
Hmm . . . Yesterday afternoon the big inverter that I use for the laptop started to squawk. After a day of driving in full sun the laptop shouldn’t have taken the battery’s charge down to minimum level. The inverter was screaming bloody murder. I bet the house battery died.
I expected this.
The house battery is the kind that requires regular maintenance — you know, like checking the water level? I never do that. I can’t do that. I can’t get the battery out of the compartment. From the beginning I resigned myself to the fact that the life of the battery will be shortened by my neglect.
Oh well, I got two years out of it. I’ve wanted one of those AGM batteries for the BLT anyway. Love the words “no maintenance.”
I lie in bed making a plan.
Not only am I unable to pull a battery out of the compartment. I cannot put a battery into the compartment. So . . . I’ll just hitch up the BLT and take it into Port Angeles. I’ll buy an Optima yellow-top battery to match the two in the PTV and have the store person change out the batteries for me . . . .
Gee, good thing this happened during cool weather. All those groceries I bought will be okay if I get a new battery in the morning.
With that plan in mind, I drift off to sleep.
rvsue
NOTE: Few photos this entry due to rain and mist. More next time . . .
I APPRECIATE ALL RVSUE SHOPPERS!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR GOING TO AMAZON FROM HERE!
