Virginia to Florida: Unexpected Tires

November 1st to 8th, 2022                                           Most Recent Posts
On the way and at                                               October From Start to Finish
Fort Clinch State Park                                The Rains Came and So Did the 3 C’s
Fernandina Beach, Florida

I pulled out of the barnyard on Tuesday November 1st headed for North Carolina on my way to Florida.  When I checked all 10 tires, one of my rear tires on the RV wasn’t reading on my TPMS monitor and I couldn’t put any air in it.  I drove to the nearest garage but the person who could look at an inside tire on an RV only worked nights.  The very nice lady called around and found that McCarthy Tire in Charlottesville could check it for me.

Long story short, they did, the tire was flat.  I am SO lucky that it was one of the duly tires in the rear but furious that my TPMS didn’t say zero pounds rather than give me the dashes that say the monitor needs a new battery.  I had driven over 35 miles on 3 rear tires on Interstate 64 at 60 mph. 

These Michelin tires are only 5 years old.  That seems on the short side of life span to me.  But, I wanted to take no chances with the others so it was a big expense I was not prepared for but I bought 6 new tires.  McCarthy’s is a truck tire place and the only thing they had in Winnona’s size was Hercules.  So that’s what I bought.   Please tell me what you know about Hercules tires.

By the tine I finally got to McCarthy it was late afternoon.  Winnona had to stay overnight so I called my friend Pam to bemoan my fate and she suggested we go for Mexican food.   Samhain had just passed and it was the Day of the Dead.   Thus the decorations.

I was able to get on my way the next day and drove to Roanoke Rapids Walmart where I spent the night.  Luckily for me, my first state park, Fort Clinch, had reopened its campground after hurricane Ian.  Some of my other park reservations were still closed.  I was heading south on a wing and a prayer.  If the parks didn’t open I’d be so stuck since it is impossible to get last minute reservations in Florida parks public or private.

The next day I drove to Walterboro SC Walmart to spend the night.

Here’s what I found in Walterboro.  No wonder Walmarts are beginning to refuse to allow RVers to use their parking lots as campgrounds.  The etiquette for staying in a business parking lot is – NO SLIDES, NO JACKS and certainly NO CHAIRS.
 

I pulled into Fort Clinch State Park on the 5th, only one day late for my two week reservation.  This is the 2nd time in a row I’ve left the farm and had a problem which delayed me.  I hope this isn’t a trend.  

My fantastic neighbor Shayne helped guide me in to site 11.  Ahhhhh…..high 81, low 72.   Grrrrr – sunset is now at 5:30pm since the time change.   We are going to quit doing this right??

For the next 3 days I enjoyed the beach and took a trip to the delightful town of Fernandina Beach.

That’s not the moon, that’s the sun on a very cloudy day.

Lots of shells on both the beach of the St Mary’s River and the Ocean near where they meet.

The rock jetty is in the distance.

Closer look at the jetty which is pretty much on the corner of the river and the ocean.

Very common beach gatherings.

Looking back at the shore from the jetty.

One afternoon I went into nearby Fernandina Beach.  It’s a cute little town that they have charmed up.

I’ve never seen anything like this before and wished it was painted something other than gray.

On street parking was very convenient for Ruby.  Many of the old commercial buildings have luckily not be razed.

I visited the Chamber of Commerce and found that they have a self guided walking tour of their beautiful old buildings and houses.  But by that time I didn’t have time to do it. . . . . for another day.  But I did take a few pictures of my favorites as I walked around town.

Luckily this house had an historical marker so I know that it is a classical revival house built in 1860 by Dr. John Lesesne and is one of the oldest houses in Fernandina Beach.   Dr Lesesne left during the civil war and never returned.  The house became the property of Judge John Friend whose descendants live in it today.  Now that’s pretty cool.

This building also had a marker.  Originally the US Post Office –Customs House- Courthouse it was dedicated in 1912.  The marker said it was Italian Renaissance Revival whatever that means to students of architecture.  I just thought it was wonderful looking with all its iron balconies outside the windows.

I always think of the wild west as having saloons, not Florida.  And The Palace no less.

Those who know me know that I am not a shopper so the only store I entered today was Nana Theresa’s Bake Shop, a relatively non descript store on a side street.   What is that on top of this rectangle you architecture buffs.

Even this late in the afternoon there were still goodies available.

And folks buying and partaking.

How to choose????????????   I’m usually a pastry buff but those cupcakes looked so good.  Especially the ones on the bottom right which were supposed to be coconut cupcakes with coconut cream icing.

Unfortunately it was not very coconutty and 3 bites for $4 seems over priced. 
Oh well you win some.  You lose some.

Still I’ll end on this sweet note. 
Next post is not quite so sweet.