Roaming Free In An RV

The weather has defiantly cooled off in the South. To think that less than a month ago shorts and flip-flops were being worn, now sweaters and gloves are needed. We have had a few mornings where the temperature has been in the low 30s and that’s a little colder then we both thought it would get here. Luckily, it warms up to the 50s during the day, making the weather more enjoyable.

When living in an RV, we have to be prepared when the colder weather hits as the structure and plumbing is much different from a house. Our Grand Design is considered a four-season recreation vehicle, meaning we have a covered and heated underbelly, heating and enclosed dump valves, double insulated roof, and a thermofoil wrapped frame and subfloor. What we have to be careful of is our water supply.

Since the water line is connected outside to a water hose, that water hose can freeze. If it freezes, well, let’s just say, then we have plumbing issues and burst pipes . . . and that is not a good thing. To prevent any issues, the water hose needs to be wrapped with an insulated hose. Since it doesn’t get too cold here, a little RV trick is to put a bucket over the waterline to keep the heat in.

If we were going to be staying in colder weather, a lot more would have to be done—cover the windows and door, add a skirt around the outside of the RV, add additional heaters, insulate the sewer hose, wrap the water hose with an electric heat wrap or use a water heated hose to name a few things. Some RVers even winterize their RV while living in it in the cold. We are lucky to have knowledgeable neighbors who are willing to help us out and give us tips.

South Carolina and Georgia have lots of little islands on the coast so we decided to explore the more popular Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia. This island is known as Savannah’s beach because of its close proximity to Savannah. A few interesting facts about this island:

• For decades, pirates used to visit the island looking for a safe place to hide treasure and for a safe haven themselves. I wonder if treasures are still being found today.

• This island is also known to be the home of the Tybee Bomb. In 1958, the US Air Force lost a nuclear bomb in the waters off the coast of Tybee Island and it is still lost to this day. Some say it’s functional while others says it’s disabled.

• The first Days Inn was built here.

• The Tybee Island Lighthouse was built in 1732 (it has been renovated several times since) and is one of seven surviving colonial lighthouse towers.

Since the lighthouse is a must see on the island, that was our first stop. The lighthouse and museum is a popular attraction that is open to the public with the cost of admission. One can climb the 178 steps to the top and see panoramic views of the area. It was a cloudy day when we went so we hope to return when the skies are clearer.

We then walked a short way to walk on the beach. It was busy for being a cloudy day, but others were like us, just looking for a nice walk on the beach. We saw plenty of seagulls and pelicans flying and diving into the water for food. I did my best to videotape the pelicans so I will work on getting that up to our YouTube channel.

We are working on keeping up with our New Year resolutions and will keep on exploring this area. I told Brad I have a few places that we must see and we will continue to share those experiences with you all!

Till then!