T minus about 9 hours or so

Today Coastal RV found FROG lost two of her eight house batteries. They had lived a full life but we decided to keep them for now, just disconnect them.  In the future all eight will need replaced at the same time.

They are being filled with distilled water when we fill all the batteries with our pump system so they will not go dry, but we are living on only the remaining six now. Why? Maybe they will be enough for awhile. And before installation each of the eight costs $150.00

Paul, owner of Coastal RV here in Cocoa, Florida, found areas to seal on roof and sides that were letting in the small amounts of water we had problems with two weeks ago.  He feels, and we pray, the problem is solved.  But we did have 9” of rain in 24 hours. Such a storm can find entrances never seen before.  And it did.

A new solenoid on the rear slide has it tight as a drum as well.  And the issue with the house batteries draining the starter batteries has been resolved at Paul’s suggestion easily.  When we dry camp we simply use the full electric shut off switch for the chassis.  Then there is no way the engine-starter batteries can drain.  TY Paul!

While FROG was getting repaired we drove to libraries in Melbourne and Palm Bay, Florida.  It was a beautiful day of sun and 77 but instead of a beach, we wanted to be close in case Paul would call with an issue we had to go back for.

The libraries AND a museum satisfied both of us.  The Museum of the Honor America Society in Melbourne I mean.

In the seventies Bob Hope was so saddened by the way troops coming home from Vietnam were being treated by the public that he started what for a time became a nationwide patriotic movement called HONOR AMERICA.

Today the last chapter of the society operates this museum and veterans park in Melbourne, Florida.  It’s a combination patriotic display and community wide history museum. And its FREE!

Another free experience we found today was at the Turkey Creek Wildlife Refuge.  This is a local set of woods and wetland hiking trails and boardwalks that took us back to the really OLD Florida.  

It would almost not have surprised us if a band of Seminole warriors would have passed us on the trail.  But we only saw squirrels, a woodpecker, a Slink (3” lizard) and some turtles, one of which seemed to be stuck atop a stick!

But at one of the libraries we did see some interesting geese and an Osprey. Such a proud, big bird.  Kin to the bald eagle but found only in seaside wetlands.

We returned to pick up the coach, then took it to a campground to dump and fill tanks. We had to move from North Merritt UMC to First UMC of Cocoa Beach.  NOT because we are now parked one block from the ocean. NOT because we are closer than ever to tomorrows dawn launch of the Orion. 

But because the very lovely site we enjoyed for several nights at North Merritt UMC would have required us to drive through those very low live oak branches twice more.  So we had to choose FROG safety over the peace of a truly quiet and lovely camp site.

TY Pastor Joel and all at North Merritt for your hospitality!!

  

TY Pastor Melissa and Administrator Phyllis at First UMC for yours now.

So we arrived just at dusk on rte A1A in downtown Cocoa Beach, just a couple of blocks from the first RON-JON Surf Shop (think Cabella’s for surfers). We leveled the coach and put out the slides and turned on the water pump.  And the grinding noise from the pump could be heard up in the coach itself.  Yes.  We have a new maintenance issue.

I called and left a message for Paul at Coastal RV, and sent him pics of the pump so he can tell us what to do, but I can only imagine tonight we’ll have to return and replace the pump.  He’s only 15 miles west of us on the Cape Canaveral Causeway.  But we had really hoped we would get some peace from these continuing repairs for a while.

Our maintenance budget was to last for a year and we have maxed it out in six months.

Well, we’re up at 4am to head out to a causeway beach for the launch.  Tourists have filled the campgrounds and hotels here and traffic is heavy.  We expect a zoo tomorrow for miles around.  Prayers will NOT be unappreciated for joy in the experience of seeing and feeling the launch of the heaviest space vehicle ever, and safety in the crowds of tourists, and a simple and inexpensive fix (miracle?) for our pump.

More pics on FACEBOOK

-Ken