5/8/26
Location: Stagecoach RV Park > Storage Lot > HOME!

Because our storage lot does not have access to water at our space we were up early so we could wash the outside of ChILL and be on our way before leaving Stagecoach by the 11 AM checkout time. Unlike many other campgrounds Stagecoach does allow RV washing as long as you get their permission first and pay an additional $10 fee, well worth it for the convenience.

Sure appreciate how much stuff we were able to load into the backseat of the truck. Not knowing what the weather would be as we traveled the different states, we had taken clothing suitable for all seasons. Our pantry was stocked with cans of soup, pancake mix, grits, rice, condiments, most of which we didn’t use because we had a big lunch while exploring or gourmet Hamburger Helper for dinner. 

The bedding was stripped and loaded for washing at home, taking up a lot of space in the truck. While I was packing the truck Skip took the detergent, long handled brush and sponge from the bed of the truck, challenging because the tailgate cannot go down while we are connected to ChILL. Then he did a thorough clean out of ChILL’s tanks for storage. At the tail end of ChILL we took a selfie of the tail end of the trip.

The return trip to storage was uneventful. After backing into our space we disconnected ChILL from the truck, put on the tire covers, removed the towing mirrors, turned off the refrigerator and emptied the freezer and refrigerator items. The freezer had accumulated a little ice on the walls so it began defrosting right away.

In the air conditioned truck we ate our lunchbox sandwiches before leaving the storage lot. A leisurely drive took us home. Even though Florida is in severe drought conditions throughout the state, we were happy to see that our lawn was in decent shape. The gardens in the front of the house were doing well too. Our newly planted palm tree in the backyard, Skip named St Palm de Terre, also fared well.

Special thanks to our dedicated caretakers, Carol and Mike, who picked up our mail and checked on our house while we were gone. Knowing they were keeping an eye on things gave us great peace of mind. 

Inside the house looked great, including the Cherish Collection of Christmas cactus, started with a single plant gifted from my mother over 10 years ago. The Christmas cactus on the lanai, Skip named Wonder of the Breeze, was doing well too.

What a wonderful trip we had visiting family, exploring new places, walking through the Bible, walking through history, being together, the comforts of home in ChILL, surrounded by God’s creativity in the diverse beauty of His creation and victory over some challenges, always safe in the shadow of His wings.

Saturday 4/11/26

Inspired by a comment that Skip made, we decided to name our adventure, “One S’Mile at a Time.”

Location: at home
Storage Lot

Our theme song is a takeoff on Rascal Flatts’ tune made famous in the animated Cars movie: Life is a High Way.

Sunday 4/12/26

Location: at home

The Lord’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. May we be in step with Him always as we follow His High Way.

After loading up the truck with everything except the freezer and refrigerator items, we tuned into Lakewood Church to hear Joel Osteen’s morning message at 10:30 eastern. It seemed that God was speaking directly to us because the focus of the message was that each of us is exactly the right age right now for what God has planned for us to do. No matter how young or old or in between we are or feel, the Lord has equipped each one of us to fulfill the purpose He planned in advance for us, not at the right time, not at the right age but now. 

God confirmed for both of us that we are not too old to travel in ChILL, that we are headed out on this adventure at the right time, at the right age. This timing is different from our plan. When we began dreaming about getting an Airstream we thought we would have the opportunity to travel with it as soon as we retired. Furthermore we assumed that by the age of 70 we would have completed our extensive travels and slow down to more local or shorter trips. Obviously our thoughts were not God’s thoughts. The safest place for us to be is in His will, in His timing.

Location: Stagecoach RV Park, St Augustine, FL, site 27, full hookup

Skip drove two miles from our storage lot to our favorite local campground. Had an issue immediately as we pulled into our campsite. The truck ultimately indicated that the trailer battery was not charging. Skip went through all of his diagnostics and found that the culprit was a malfunctioning new switch on the battery, which he removed. Airstream factory does not equip their trailers with that switch so Skip may not replace ours in the future.

After some time running as much as we could on 12 volt power with all lights and fans on to make sure the batteries were functioning normally, Skip activated the solar panels and continued to monitor the situation. He wiggled all the connections in every part of the system, confirmed that everything was fastened properly and declared a successful repair was completed!

Then he proceeded with the normal arrival chores such as connecting us to shore power, water, sewer and internet.

The saying goes that RV life is fixing things in beautiful places. 🙂