Roadtrip Images

Well now that Dave has everything done to tow the Jeep it was time to do a shakedown cruise. We really needed to test out and make sure everything on the motorhome worked while we still had a place to fix any issues.

It just so happens that our friends, Dave & Beth Rogers, from SV Mystic were at a marina in Mobile, Alabama. Only about 2 hours from where we are staying in Florida. So we made a campground reservation and headed over there to catch up with them. We first met them in Frankfort, Michigan early in their adventure of sailing the Great Loop. (You can read that post here.) Beth has been maintaining a blog about their adventures with SV Mystic and the trip from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf. They’ve had an amazing trip so far. Check it out here.

After getting ourselves all hooked up to stay for a couple days, Dave and Beth picked us up and took us into Mobile.  Our destination: a Mardi Gras parade. We have never been to one and it sounded like a bunch of fun. We got into town early enough to grab a quick bite to eat and then headed to their favorite spot to watch the parade. They had been to four parades already!

The tops of the buildings in Mobile were all lit up with rotating colors of purple, green and gold. Really pretty at night. It was a fantastic time! The floats, the colors, the bands, the dance teams, the crazy lit up cars and then there was all the stuff thrown to the crowd from the floats:  the beads, moon pies, stuffed animals and toys. We walked away with a couple of bags full of stuff and my neck was kind of sore from wearing all the bead necklaces I caught.

We stayed to watch the very, very end of the parade – the clean- up crew, or should I say army.  The first crew was blowing whistles and moving the baracades, then the water trucks, next came a large group with the backpack leaf blowers to clean the sidewalks and last was about a dozen street sweepers. What a production!  We were told they go thru a couple of times and by morning you wouldn’t know there had been a parade the night before. And this started on February 10 and goes to the 28^th (Fat Tuesday when they have 4 parades in one day!).

The next morning I ran a load of wash to test the washer and dryer, which worked great. Dave spent time diagnosing an issue with the brake lights for the toad (Jeep). They worked when we started out on the trip but part way into the drive weren’t working as they should. Turn signals worked, just not the brake lights. After taking things apart and cleaning some connections he got them working, yea! Dinner gave us an opportunity to try out the new grill and the microwave/convection oven in the coach.

The following morning brought us another event to experience. Breaking camp in the rain! Since it wasn’t raining that hard and the wind was light it was no big deal really. Goretex rain jackets really help. We tested out the toad lights as we were ready to leave and you guessed it, the brake lights weren’t working again. Ugh! Dave decided trying to fix it in the rain wasn’t going to happen so we hit the road. The coach handled the rain just fine so no drama there, thank goodness. The windshield wipers were passed their prime however, so good thing he already ordered a new set and they were waiting for us back at the condo!

All in all, a successful trip. Tested out some important systems on the coach. Got to spend time with friends who are on a similar journey as us. Saw our first Mardi Gras parade in Mobile. Here’s a factoid. Did you know that Mardi Gras actually started in Mobile, AL, not New Orleans? It’s true. It started in Mobile in 1703, a number of years before New Orleans!

We found a few things we need to tweak but we’ll be doing that as long as we own the motorhome. The key is nothing major was discovered so we are ready to hit the road!