May 1st – 8th, 2016
Sunday
It was 82 degrees and cloudy and a real nice day to walk in the woods. Ed and I went to Short Springs Natural Area in Tullahoma. Short Springs is a 420-acre natural area and is manage jointly by TVA, TN Department of Conservation, and the City of Tullahoma.
One of the signs at Short Springs
They have four hiking trails; Machine Falls Loop, Adams Falls Loop, Busby Falls and Laurel Bluff trail. We took a short hike on Busby Falls trail to Bobo creek. There were some wild flowers that Ed spotted along the trails and creek.
Friday
Ed ordered a new fifth wheel hitch on Monday and had it installed at Line-X in Tullahoma on Friday. The hitch is a B&W Companion that installs into the Ford OEM pucks. It is rated at 20,000 pounds with a 5000 pound pin weight. That is the only size B&W makes for the Ford OEM system. I wish it was a 24,000 pound hitch so I would have plenty of margin. We are looking for a trailer that has a GVWR less than 18,000 pounds.
In case you noticed, Ed traded in his Red F150 and got a new Bronze Fire F350 Diesel with dual wheels in April. I think he likes his new toy. Yeah I like it. It rides nice and stable and I can’t wait to pull our SolAire trailer with it to see how big a difference it will be from the F150.
Ed’s new F350 Diesel Dually
The reason we have a new truck and hitch is that we are looking for a used fifth wheel that is designed for full-time use. Our trailer is not designed for full-time use plus I need more storage and closet space. So what makes a full-time rig? Well, we need 50 amps, thicker insulation, dual pane window, two A/C units, stronger frame, and larger closets, refrigerator and storage area. We will post our new fifth wheel when we find the one we like. To me, it is like shopping for a new home, we will know it is the right one for us when we see it. I am hoping we will find one soon though.
Mother’s Day
I hope all of the mothers had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Trevor, Stephanie, Zooey and River came by the campground around 5:00pm. We had dinner, played around the campground and relaxed on the couch. The kids were worn out but had fun! I sure love having them around.
Trevor, Zooey, Stephanie and River
Saturday and Sunday
We cleaned and packed up our trailer to get ready for our first trip out of Tullahoma as full timers. We are heading to Vogel State Park in Blairsville, GA on the 9th. It took us a day and half to pack everything away securely. The reason it took so long was that we stayed in one spot for one month and we didn’t put stuff away securely. When pulling the trailer lots of things get moved and shaken around during the ride. It took a little creative thinking to make things not roll around in the cabinet and refrigerator during the trip. Here are some things I did to make things stay put in one place during the ride.
Used a roll of paper towel, pasta boxes, and Gatorade bottles between glass jars and cans in the cabinets
Used a large sock to insert wine bottles, alcohol bottles and glasses
Used dish drainer to put cold food inside it and placed it in the refrigerator
Placed the towel and broom racks on the bed
Put the wall clock and skillet glass lid in the silverware drawer
Storage glass jars in a basket
I am keeping my fingers cross that they don’t break or fall out of the cabinets during the trip to Vigel State Park.
The rest of the week we did more errands, grocery, laundry, and relaxing by the fire.
See ya’ll later!
The Adventures of Tracey and Ed 