Trouble along the way

We’re on a somewhat unplanned trip. Earlier this month as I was going through some older photos, I came up with the idea for a quick trip this month. I looked around to see if there were any spots open at any Florida parks. Since we could be not picky about dates, I thought maybe we could find something. A quick search revealed a few open dates for Gamble Rogers riverside (not beachside). Armed with this information, I asked LeeAnn if she wanted to take a quick trip in a few weeks. She said we won’t be able to find anything. Not so, I said.

By the time we looked at everything, we wound up with a “quick trip” of about a week: a four day stay at Stephen C. Foster State Park, in south Georgia, and three days at Gamble Rogers. There were reasons we wanted to go. We installed a new hitch system (an Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch with sway control if that means anything to you) and new tires on both the truck and trailer since our last trip, and giving them a real-world test before taking the camper to California seemed like a good idea. Also, I got a new camera and I wanted to check it out in travel conditions. But the most important reason was we simply wanted to go on a trip. We’d been home since early November and needed to get some traveling in. Turned out that a short test camping trip was a really good idea.

Our trip was off to a good start. We left a touch late, but still with plenty of time to get there and be set up well before dark. There was no construction (three day weekend), traffic was light, we were really liking our new hitch, and our stop at Buc-cee’s went well: I was able to find an easy-to-get-to pump and find a place to park the rig after getting said fuel. Those aren’t always easy at the Daytona Beach Buc-cee’s. The chopped BBQ brisket sandwich I got was super fresh, as were the tots LeeAnn got, and there was no waiting for checkout, even with the place was packed with shoppers and gawkers. So, with all but an hour or so of the trip behind us we were having a good trip.

Of course, that’s when the trouble began. We were making a turn from one podunk road onto another in Baker County, Florida (don’t worry, we didn’t know where it was either), when LeeAnn saw smoke coming off a trailer tire. I thought it was just chalk dust that got kicked up, but she insisted it was smoke. I slowed to find a place to pull over. There wasn’t much of a shoulder, but there certainly was plenty of smoke. It was just rolling off one of the right-side wheels. We weren’t able to fully get off the road, but we stopped anyway. I investigated the smoking wheel while LeeAnn got the fire extinguisher. It didn’t look like it was going to catch fire, so we didn’t unhook the trailer. I was hoping it was “just” a stuck brake, and we’d be able to drive up the road to a safe spot.

That’s when an agriculture law enforcement officer stopped and asked if we were alright. I told him the situation and asked if there somewhere up ahead we could pull over in a better spot. He said the rest of the road for about seven miles all looked like this. He said the best bet was to turn around and go to the volunteer fire station we just passed on the corner. I thanked him and he drove off. We backed into someone’s long driveway, blocking traffic in both directions, but we got turned around. It wasn’t smoking much anymore, but I sure could hear the distinctive sound of a destroyed wheel bearing.

We stopped at the fire station. LeeAnn called our RV club and learned we didn’t have the package with emergency roadside assistance like we thought we did. I called our amphibian-themed insurance company; we do have towing with them. I was answering the friendly agent’s questions when she asked where do we want to be towed. I said I have no idea and asked if I could call her back later when I figure that out. She, of course, said sure. That’s when the fun began. We were far from any kind of city and our cellular network would go from weak to non-existent. When we had a connection, we would search for a garage that could work on our trailer the next day or find a mobile RV mechanic that could come to us. Seeing how it was Sunday, we had a hard time getting anyone to answer the phone. Finally someone did, but they only work on the house part of the camper, nothing with the axles. Next person who answered sounded like he could help us, but was in the Orlando area. Being stuck at this fire station for the night was starting to look like a real possibility when I changed my search terms once again and found a guy called Tim’s Mobile Trailer Service.

I called Tim. He answered. I told him our situation. He said he could help us, and he could be there in about 30-45 minutes. We were cautiously relieved and optimistic. With the search over, we could turn our attention to where we were. This crossroads must have been the hub of the county, or something. It had a country store catty-corner to us and a Dollar General (of course) next to that. People were constantly coming and going. We would see the same vehicles pass by over and over again, many of them carrying trash cans. We later learned there wasn’t trash service out there, so it was people taking their trash to the dump. It was an interesting way to pass the time.

The corner of Baker County roads 125 and 127.

Then, sure enough, about 45 minutes, Tim showed up. That’s incredible when you consider that’s about how long it take to get a pizza on a good night. Tim said he does a lot of these repairs and we caught the problem early. He said often people learn they have a bad wheel bearing when their wheel falls off and they have to chase it down the road. Tim had our camper repaired in a little less than an hour and we were on our way. Not only did he get us going, but it’s truly fixed and it didn’t cost us a fortune. I know he could have pretty much charged us whatever he wanted, but he charged us a fair rate. Thanks, Tim!

With that out of the way were able to get to our campsite before dark. For those that don’t know, that’s a big deal. It’s not fun going through an unfamiliar campground and backing into a site in the dark.

This was our first real on-the-road problem. It obviously wasn’t fun, but we really don’t think it could have gone much better. Sure, it looked bleak for a while, being in the middle of nowhere (sorry locals) on a Sunday with poor cell service, but we were able to get someone and it took less than three hours from time of seeing smoke to us being on the road again. We often pass Rvers on the side of the road, and often think about how awful it would be to be in that situation. Now we know. We learned a lot from this experience. One of which is to carry some spare parts. What if Tim didn’t have the right bearing?