Troubles on the Road

I take back what I said in the last post about liking the heat and humidity. It is not fun when you have no air conditioner.

We were still on our Smokey Mountain high, reveling in the past week of summer bliss as we took off early in the morning towards Nashville. We had no idea what we had in store for us that coming night, no idea that it would be the worst night of our trip so far.

During the 4 hour trek to Nashville I noticed a smell, sort of like burnt rubber, inside the coach. Since it was so hot outside we figured it had something to do with our tires or breaks. We couldn't figure it out, so we decided to go along with the day we had planned.

We parked our coach at the good old Cracker Barrel near Nashville and set off in the Pathfinder to explore the city.

We visited the Parthenon...

and drove by the Ryman Auditorium.

We walked around the Opryland Hotel.

Very pretty.

And finished up our time with dinner in downtown Nashville.

With plans to stay the night at the Cracker Barrel in Nashville we headed back to our coach.

Inside the coach it felt like a sauna, we turned on the generator hoping to cool it down. Having a few hours left in our day till bedtime Justin and I made the decision to hit the road again for a few more hours so our drive the next day wouldn't be so long. As we headed out on the road we noticed the coach was not cooling properly because the generator kept switching off. We pulled over to fill up on gas thinking that that might be the problem.

It takes forever to fill up our 100 gallon diesel tank.

The wait ended up being the perfect time for us to call my MIL and sing her "Happy Birthday."

We were all tired by then and super sweaty with having no air in our coach.

Back on the road with the fuel tank full, the generator still did not work properly. We quickly realized this problem was bigger than we thought so we called around to campsites in the area to see if we could plug in and get the air conditioning going for the night.

There was a KOA just down the road, we pulled in and proceeded to set up camp.

That's when Justin found the problem. Our automatic transfer switch box was melted, making it so we could not get any power through to the coach. It was already pushing 9 pm, so we knew we were not going to get things fixed that night.

Since the melted ATS box prevented us from being able to plug in at camp to get power, we decided to continue to drive toward Memphis and find an air conditioned hotel room. Calling around for hotels was a nightmare. They were all booked up because the Miss Tennessee Pageant was in town.

The more we kept driving the more tired we got.

Finally we called it quits, found another Cracker Barrel, and braved the hot and humid 90+ degree night without air conditioning. It was suffocating inside our coach, but thankfully the kids could sleep in the main living area where the open windows provided for some relief.

I was tired, overheated and stressed out. I remember sitting on the curb outside our coach at the Cracker Barrel crying my eyes out. It was already past midnight, we had had a full day and I was exhausted, unsure about the next day and what it would bring.

Somehow I managed to sleep a little that night...it probably had a lot to do with the two Benadryl I took.

The next morning we woke bright and early and set off to find a repair shop that could fix our problem.

Our plans, before the issues, were to visit Memphis and eat some yummy BBQ. That didn't happen, but I took a picture as we drove on by.

Since RV repair shops are swamped this time of year, it was hard to find a place that could get us in last minute. We made many phone calls before we were able to find River City Recreation World in North Little Rock, AR which was only a few hours from Memphis.

Once at the repair shop we were pleased to find out that they were able to fix our problem that day and we would be on the road by 5:00.

Reagan and Blake got their hair cut while we waited.

Sometimes it's hard to find time to do the little things, like getting the kids hair cut. I'm glad we had the opportunity to do so.

Here is the ATS box that burned. Looking back I see the Lord's hand in everything. He protected us from a fire and got us safely to the repair shop. I am so grateful this ordeal is over and now I am even more grateful for air conditioning!

After the repairs were done we headed an hour south to Hot Springs, AR and have been enjoying a few days by the pool. It is hot here and our air has been running non stop, thank goodness.

Today we went into town and visited Hot Spring National Park.

Not my favorite President, but still a beautiful town.

We felt the 143 degree hot springs...

and took a tour of the bathhouses.

In the 1800's many would come to Hot Springs, AR to cure ailments and disease.

Not only do I have a fear of heights but I'm also claustrophobic so this steam bath would not be an option for me.

We filled up our water bottles with mineral water and put them in the fridge to cool off, it came out hot from the ground.

Looking back over the past few days I have come to realize that this adventure will have its ups and downs. I am learning through it all...learning how to adjust to discomfort and learning how to be grateful for the little things. It is all good.

We are off to Oklahoma City tomorrow. I am really excited about this part of our trip. We will be reunited with family and we even get to spend a day with some friends who happen to be in the area at the same time. I am looking forward to it!

The Great Smokey Mountains

Summer is in full swing here, it's been hot and humid, just the way I like it.

As soon as we pulled into our campground I knew this week would be amazing. Every once in a while we splurge on campgrounds and Big Meadow in Townsend, TN was one of them. It was well worth every penny!

I love when we get to park on concrete, dirt makes such a huge mess especially when it rains, and here in Tennessee it rains almost everyday with afternoon thunderstorms.

When we first arrived it felt a little like Hawaii with the humidity and lush forests. Slowly as the week went on it progressively got hotter and hotter reminding me more of Palm Springs but humid.

We kept very busy during our week stay on the edge of The Great Smokey Mountains National Park...

we took a drive through Cade's Cove and saw first hand why this area is called The Great Smokey Mountains. Clouds form right off of the tree tops making them look like they are smoking.

The girls and I grabbed our ponchos on this hike in Cade's Cove, it was raining pretty heavily but with the tree canopy we barely felt it.

We hiked to this old log home that used to be inhabited by settlers in the 1800's.

On another day Justin rode his bike around Cade's Cove and saw this mama bear with her cub. We have been blessed to see a lot of wild life here...bald eagles, bears, and wild turkeys.

Back at camp...

the kids made friends, giving Justin and me a lot of free time to read and relax.

We caught firefly's, something we don't see at all in the West.

The kids played until late in the night not wanting to stop and we let them run wild because that's what summer is all about. Okay I must admit, it was hard for me to let them stay up so late. I love my kids' bedtime and I don't like to deal with grouchy attitudes from a lack of sleep!

Since the Townsend River is right by our campground we got to do some fishing...

and went tubing.

So much fun!

It was relaxing. Every once in a while there would be small rapids, but mostly it was a calm ride. Justin and Blake rode the upper portion of the river later in the day, which they said was a little more rough (fun to them).

We were able to go horseback riding, something I've been dreaming of doing on our trip but wanted to find the right place...this was definitely it.

This is Layne's horse Nevada. The owner of the stables handed Layne the reigns and told her to stay still. Layne took control of her horse, not scared one bit.

Reagan's horse Cheyenne and Blake's horse Big Mama taking a potty break.

I was so impressed with how my kids handled their horses. With no experience they rode with confidence maneuvering through thick forest, up steep hills and through tight meadow paths.

Justin's horse was perfect for him, a little spunky and rowdy. Mine was old and slow, perfect for me.

Our ride was amazing, just the five of us and a guide.

I would love to own horses one day. Please Justin!!

We also took a few hikes...

and showed our kids the back side of water.

Blake is at the perfect exploring age, he loves to climb and discover.

Such a beautiful reflection of God's creation.

After so much hiking our kids' shoes were toast, so we had to replace them at Walmart. I'm thinking their new shoes will last a good month at the most.

We celebrated Father's Day and our 13th wedding anniversary while we were here.

Since we have no babysitter on board my parents promised Justin and I a date night to celebrate our anniversary when we see them next week. We will try to give my parents a little time to relax before we bolt for the door, but I can't make any promises.

For Father's Day we went to the Dixie Stampede dinner show in Pigeon Forge.

Pigeon Forge is unique...unique is a nice way to describe it.

Nevertheless we wanted to experience the area so we drove to the Dixie Stampede ready for a night of Cowboy fun.

The kids had a blast, they were entertained the entire time.

It was sort of like Medieval Times...but with a Western flare. I don't know if we would ever go back, but it was a good experience.

This is the view from our campsite...so beautiful.

We are leaving tomorrow, headed to Nashville. I should start to pack up, but I don't want to. Right now our kids are playing outside, it is way past their bedtime and they still need to eat dinner and take showers. They are running on ice cream fumes. Guess we will have to deal with grouchy tomorrow.

We have enjoyed this place so much that time seems to fly out the window. That's okay, I need a week like this on occasion, a week where you don't check your watch and you just let go.