June 20, 2013 - Day Five

Well this day was a fine how do you do!  

GPS couldnt find the next campsite so Greg "stopped by" and we had to put in latitude and longitude...mind you I never even knew which was which when I was supposed to understand them in school!  Early on in the travel today there was a detour so I couldn't go down the road I was supposed to and had to figure out how to turn around and go another way and figure out how to put that on the GPS!  The highlight of the morning...a friend..

So I'm rambling down the road, life is good.  

 
And then the GPS tells me to go on Garden State Parkway!  Stopped in my tracks, traffic backing up, afraid to get on (because of low overhead bridges on parkways), I choose to go down this other road thinking, eh, I can turn around SOMEwhere.  Unbeknownst to me it was a dead end with a building and water, with no ample room to turn around (found it on the map - Amasa Landing Road in Tuckerton).  

I start to pull around and realize I'm jackknifing the jeep.  Back it up just a little ways and realize I'm making it worse!  I sit, cry, and then see a young man ready to help.  And then another gentleman.  The highlight of the afternoon - my Good Samaritans.  Since the jeep was jackknifed, we couldn't get the tow pins out.  So the one young man had some tools and started working at it and got the tow bar free from the Jeep.  I moved the jeep, then proceeded to back up and reposition the RV...with their help.  They're reconnecting everything while I try to figure out the instructions as to how to put the Jeep in the right gears for towing - very confusing!   Also they told me there are some places where large vehicles can use Garden State.  I do a check of everything, hug them both and head up the road onto GS.  It's a short bit on there, then I'm onto the country roads again.  Whew!  

Lol...then, here we go again... back onto GS (dang detours!) - this time for longer - 22 miles!!  Stress level is high now...and looming in the distance is a low overpass...I pull over, sit, cry.  But then I see large trucks and RVs  going underneath it, so I take a chance, going slowly and make it through. (I think Jesus had the right idea about walking or boating everywhere)  Getting close to the campsite, which I still haven't heard from yet, to see if they have a site open, the GPS says its on the left, and so there I go, passing it on the right.  After a mile or so I make a u-turn on a three-way intersection, say a prayer of thanks and drive to the destination.  As I was about to turn in, they call and say they have one spot open!  Yay!

I park.  They only accept  cash. I have ten dollars.  Unhook the jeep...only problem is I can't get the transfer case out of neutral, the guy who worked there helped me but had to really force it to get it free..not a good sign.  Btw, we can only back into the site, so they let me leave the RV where it was until Greg arrives (he's awesome at backing the RV up) Off I go to an ATM.   After getting some cash, start up the jeep, see the word oil flash quickly, don't know what else it says.  I may have done serious damage to the jeep (praying and texting and emailing friends asking for prayer commences).  Head towards what I think is a shopping area, get lost.  No gas stations anywhere.  Wind up heading back to camp.  See a market.  They have oil!  I look at the manuals. Call Greg. Have to wait for the jeep to cool down to check the oil, so in I go to the market and get some junk food (yeah yeah I know) and sit in the jeep.  Check the oil, doesn't seem low.   Go back in to get the oil, just in case, and they don't have the one I need!  Off I go back to the camp, driving slowly and heat on high burning my feet (to pull heat out of the engine so I don't overheat the jeep). So here i sit. No more crying though!  And I wait for Greg.  What day is it? Where am I?.....

Great food, great service!

End result, Greg drove the jeep - he thinks it's fine.  He had a rough ride - wind, heat, detours, length.  We decided, yeah, we're going out to eat.  The highlight of the evening - mussels for him, lobster bisque soup for me and two salmon entrees. 

So another day, we survived, plenty of lessons learned...