Saturday, January 12, 2013

"The Florida Chronicles"...Prelude

With a year's experience "under my belt", I expected the transition from Michigan to Florida to go very smooth this year. Not so fast!
It's still a major undertaking...identifying what has to go, making packing lists, packing up, etc. But the problem is not





with the packing...it's my camper. After having a wheel come off...and another wheel almost fall off, I have to get a new axle. My mistake was waiting to do this. I should have done it a soon as I got back in September. Instead, I wait until mid-October before I take it in to the dealer down in Taylor. Bad news right away...there is no "stock" axle available, they have to have one custom built by Dexter Axle down in
Indiana.
The dealer has assured me that the axle will be delivered and installed in about three weeks. Four weeks later, I'm starting to get real nervous. My scheduled departure date is November 30...to arrive in Florida on December 1. Everything is geared to that departure date...shutting off satellite and Internet in Michigan and starting it up in Florida...forwarding mail to Florida...address changes for magazines...and a host of other things.
Packing goes well because I am, as always, extremely organized. I have packing lists for "clothes", "electronics", "kitchen items", "camping items", etc. And...I have an "Unpacked" list. Every list gets revised daily as more and more things get packed. By the time I head down to Gretchen and Roger's for the OSU game, I am 90% packed and ready to go.
I'm in luck...my axle arrives on November 26 and I pick up the camper on the 28th.
I spend all of the 28th and 29th loading up both the camper and the Explorer. And...late on the afternoon of the 29th, I hitch up the camper at last and pull out of the garage. But...there's this grinding noise that I'm hearing. I decide to drive around the block, window down, listening. And something is wrong...very wrong. The new axle has moved the wheels much higher...and the tires are scraping against the fenders. And there's not much I can do to fix the problem...the camper is already packed full with the "lightest" cargo, and there is absolutely no room at all in the Explorer.
A feeling of panic sets in, but only for a few minutes. Then I start to think of "options"...and I call my buddy, Roger. Roger and I consider a lot of options...remove the bumpers...put the camper on a trailer and tow that to Florida...raise the bumpers. After an hour or so of discussion, Roger decides that he'll just pack up his tools and drive up to Michigan so that we can fix things ourselves.
And the next morning, bright and early, Roger is there...with jacks, tools, nuts, bolts...you name it. After a few trips to Home Depot, we set to work.
Roger buys some "spacers"...flat pieces of metal about three inches long with a hole in each end. We unscrew the bumpers, attach one end of the spacer to the bumper with a bolt and nut...and screw the other end into the body of the camper. This provides just enough clearance for the tires not to rub against the bumpers. It takes us all day and into the night. Around 8:00PM, we knock off for the day, and I take Roger to "Michigan Prime" Steakhouse for bourbon, big grilled rib eyes and a large bottle of Malbec...a satisfying end to a successful day.
The next morning, Roger and I finish up and...soon...he's on his way back to Ohio. I can not thank him enough for all of his help and great friendship!
I decide to wait until Sunday to leave for Florida. And, on Sunday morning, I crate up the cats, load them into the Explorer, and set off for my winter home. Around 7:00PM, I pull in to the Days Inn in Dalton, Georgia. After letting loose four extremely cranky felines in a strange motel room, I head down the street to an Applebees for several Makers Mark on the rocks and a few appetizers.
The next morning, I'm on the road at 7:00AM. And...around 6:00PM, I pull into the driveway of my house in Palm City, Florida. I let loose the cats, pour myself a bourbon and heat up some homemade chili from the freezer. It's 65 degrees outside.

It's nice to be home again.

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