Asheboro, NC – first stop winter 2020

We debated whether to travel at our normal slow pace (150 miles and stay a few days), or just bite the bullet and drive like a demon bat and get to the warmer climate. The slower pace won out since we can still get out for hiking and walking about in the 40-50 degree weather. Even with the virus running loose there must still plenty of things to do. So, our first stop was in the small friendly town of Asheboro, NC.

Our route south was I-77 south to Mt. Airy, then I-74 southeast to Asheboro. Just over 150 miles and no stops. Very easy. We did not even stop in Mt Airy to say hi to Andy and Barney.

Packing Up

While we have some decent experience as full time RVers, the part time mode still has some bugs to iron out. For example, we unloaded everything when we moved into our new house in Virginia. Trying to determine what is needed for the next three months is a big task. We loaded some items while the rig was parked on our street, but not being able to put the slides out limits what we can access.

So to fully load everything, we moved the big fifth wheel coach back to the RV park near Wytheville. It was now fully set up with electric and the slides were out. We finally loaded all supplies, equipment, clothes, etc., after three trips.

In the future, we hope to buy a complete kitchen set up just for the camper. That and a few other things we should just need to load food and clothes and be ready to go!

Pat to Indiana

I forgot to mention in the last blog update that Pat went back to Indiana to visit with her mom and make more meals for her freezer. She makes this 500 mile trip 2-3 times a year. My mom is in an independent living facility that is not allowing visits due to the high Covid rate. So, I stayed home and painted more rooms.

Pat’s mother will be 93 years old in a few weeks. She is very sharp and I love chatting with her. She lives alone in her condo with the help of her other kids, neighbors, and many friends.

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My mom’s place is first class with all the bells and whistles. An ornate dining room, gym with personal trainer, library, pool hall, and many activities. That was all pre-covid. Now they have all activities cancelled, meals delivered to rooms, gyms closed. Something to think about as we age and look at options. Think that I’ll just stay at home in case China cooks up another nasty bug in the future.

Home Prep for Leaving

Leaving a home for three months takes some advance planning. At least for me. But I tend to over plan for everything. Think through everything that can go wrong and have some contingency in place. It drives Pat crazy at times.

I came up with a 15 item checklist for the home shutdown process. From turning off the water main, setting thermostats at 55, cover all furniture, etc., etc.

Knowing that we would be gone for some time, I installed a SimpliSafe home security system a couple of months ago. It was very easy to set up. I probably over did it with all kinds of entry sensors, motion detectors, and camera. Even several temperature sensors to make sure nothing freezes. The best part is I can monitor everything on my phone app. Plus 24 hour monitoring for $24 per month.

I will not go into the details for security reasons, but let’s say the system works exactly as designed. We had a call at 4:30am a couple of nights after leaving. That is always a bit concerning especially as you try to work through the deep sleep cobwebs and make sense out of the call. Another experience! A fix will soon be in place.

Asheboro, NC

Our RV park was the brand new Yogi Bear Jellystone of Asheboro. A very pretty park with some good amenities although most were closed at this point of the season. The sites and all roads are a base gravel. More gravel will be needed as this gets packed down.

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Asheboro has a population of 25,000 and is known as the home of the North Carolina zoo. At one time, it was a bustling town with several railroads and the textile industry. That all changed into the 2000’s with a downturn.

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Now the town has several small shops and restaurants downtown along with a brewery call the Four Saints Brewing. I had a very tasty brown ale named the Brown Habit. Pat’s eating a Keto plan and staying away from the carbs. More for me! 🙂 We walked all around the downtown on a quiet Sunday afternoon and colder than normal day. I’ll be happy for some warm weather.

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Wrap Up

Next up is Myrtle Beach, SC for a four day stay before we move on south to Savannah. Our end goal is to be in our Florida location by January 1st.