Saturday, June 21, 2008-Frisco Campground, NC

Well, today was the big day. Our holding tanks needed to be emptied. Our black water tank from the bathroom was full. The tanks from the galley and shower were not full, but we were also out of fresh water.  After breakfast, I walked down  to the ranger kiosk and spoke to the ranger. I wanted to make sure that we would have the same camp site when we returned. He told us that we would. I also asked if we could extend our stay beyond the fourteen days, since this was my most favorite campground in the whole world. (Sis, does that sound like grandma?) He had me fill out a new sign-in form and I renewed for two more days. We will consider staying until July 5. I don't like to travel over those holiday weekends. We had a bad experience years ago during the New Year's weekend.

This campground does not have a disposal station or fresh water supply for RVs, but the campground near the Hatteras Lighthouse does. We cleaned up, packed up and hitched up and drove to the Hatteras campground (Point Cape). When we were at the KOA campground in Rodanthe earlier in our trip, I emptied the waste tanks. When I was finished with the last tank, the handle of the flush valve broke off. I closed the valve with a pair of pliers, since there was no handle. When I finished empting the tank. I wasn't sure which tank the handle belonged to. I was sure hoping it wasn't to the black water tank and I might not be able to open the valve. That would mean another trip to an RV dealer.

Great news! The tank with the broken handle belonged to the galley waste water tank, and I was able to reopen the valve with my pliers. That was a big relief! We finished emptying all three tanks, and filled the fresh water tank. Each of the waste water tanks holds forty gallons and the fresh water tank holds sixty-five gallons. That was a big reason we wanted this type of RV. We drove back to Frisco Campground and set up again. This site is very difficult in which to park the RV. Our hitch has a quick-slide device that allows me to move the hitch back in the bed. That way, I can make a ninety degree turn without bumping the truck cab with the camper. The campsite is bordered with low trees on the camper's left, which makes backing up difficult. In order to make the turn, the front of the truck brushes against some other bushes. Anyway, we made it back again and set up the camper. The left side was low, and we blocked up that side with two by four blocks so that the camper was level.

We ate lunch and decided to declare victory. A rain front was coming through and we decided to read, relax and watch the birds. There are about four or five different species and each has their own territory. When the larger birds fly over the smaller birds' area, the small birds attack with a vengeance. The larger birds cannot dart and dive as fast as the smaller ones, so they just keep on flying until they are out of the smaller birds' area. The smaller birds' territory seems to be the lower part of the campground area. There is a tree just behind our camper and before the lower part that the larger birds congregate. They know they are safe there and I think it's a lookout post where they hang out and plan their strategy. There  are also some type of hawks that circle the area at a higher elevation, and to the side opposite the campground. That area is natural and undeveloped. There is a type of red bird, not cardinal, and several types of songbirds. The songbirds are the aggressive birds that protect their territory. Finally, there are sea gulls that pretty much stay near the shore, and sometimes we have seen pelicans and some type of duck that flew over, but did not stop by.

During my earlier morning walk, I stopped to talk to the camper in the next site. He and his wife had a small, lightweight camper. On the camper frame, he had built a small platform that held a generator. He had a Honda 3000i, one size larger than ours. He wanted to power the camper's air conditioner. We talked for a while about the generators. Later, when they were driving by our site, he offered  to stop by later and hook his generator to our camper and see how the air conditioner worked. I'm not sure we will try that, but I have considered having a frame built to secure our generator in the pickup bed. It's efficient, quiet and approved for use in the national parks. I don't like to operate it beside the camper, but I need to secure it to something with a thick cable chain and lock. Actually, the pickup bed would be perfect. I think I will try that right now.

Hey, it seems ok. We will try it tonight and see how it goes. We just had a couple of showers and the wind died down. There haven't been any problems with insects so far, but the rain and no wind seems to have empowered them. Lets hope for some nice ocean breezes tonight. What a day!

We are grilling out tonight with steak, corn and tomatoes. We usually share a steak. We bought some from Costco before we left home. They have some really good meat. Last night, we didn't feel like fixing anything, so we just snacked. Actually Sue fixed some nice, fresh healthy peaches and I went for some microwave popcorn. Actually, corn is very healthy for you.

Bob and Sue