A vacation from the vacation

Maybe it was the circumstance of researching Airbnb rentals on our mobile devices while parked on the side of the road and in a state of significant sleep deprivation, but it seemed like we’d never find a whole house with driveway parking  (with outdoor electrical hookups) to accommodate our rig and which would allow dogs. I was sick, the bottom of our mattress was soaked from condensation, and we needed to get off the road for a couple of days. When George finally found something that seemed to meet all of the criteria, he reserved it, and we hoped for the best.

We crossed into Georgia, the 7th state of the trip, and bypassed Savannah (which we’ve visited before) in order to get to the bungalow on St. Simons Island that would be our home for the next four nights.
The bungalow sat under magnificent oaks draped in Spanish moss. It was furnished and decorated artistically and had a fully enclosed yard for the dogs, and we settled in comfortably for my convalescence.

The key here was that I had my own room and more than enough pillows to be propped up at night. After a few days of resting and getting more restful sleep, I started to feel better. 

As I lounged around and drank tea and green vegetable juice, George researched solutions to the problem of condensation developing under the mattress in the camper. Being such a small, uninsulated space, the camper develops condensation at night, which is generally dried out with an electric heater, the air conditioning, or by opening a window or ceiling vent. What we didn’t know, though, was that condensation was forming that wasn’t drying out. It was along the bottom of the nose of the camper, which hangs above the cab of the truck and does not retain its temperature as well as the body of the camper. It wasn’t drying out because it was under the mattress, which was lying directly on the floor of the nose and was soaking up the moisture.  We needed to create some sort of air flow between the mattress and the floor.

As soon as we arrived at the Airbnb, we moved the mattress into the house to dry out, and the next day we took a trip to a home improvement store to see what materials were available. After searching through almost every department, we settled on wooden roof panel closure strips that would be supportive enough to lift the mattress while allowing enough air flow to prevent moisture from building up. The next challenge was figuring out how to connect them without a full workbench of tools. George had the idea to connect them with strips of nylon webbing screwed into the wood. It would only take scissors and a screwdriver. And guess what? It worked! In the two and a half weeks since we began using the system, we haven’t had any moisture there. 

After three nights resting at the Airbnb, I was feeling well enough that I took the opportunity to see “Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker” in the theater on its opening day. 

I had been excited about seeing this movie for months, but I didn’t know how I’d be able to do it on the road with the dogs. Having a home base other than the truck and camper was a perfect scenario, and George and I were able to go out to the movies while Pippin and Loki napped in the house.

After the movie, we retrieved the pups and brought them to the other side of the island to check out Fort Frederica National Monument. 

Fort Frederica was founded by James Oglethorpe to protect the colony of Georgia from the Spanish in Florida. It consisted of a fort and a town, and we were able to view the battery and remains of the barracks as well as the foundations of the town’s buildings.

The foundations were made of a strong substance called tabby, which was derived from an oyster shell-based lime.

The property was lined with gorgeous oak trees draped in Spanish moss. These trees were all over the island and were one of my favorite sights in Georgia.

After visiting the fort, we returned to the bungalow for my last night of recovery before getting back on the road. In the days that we spent there, I had fewer and fewer coughing fits and felt better each day, so when we finally pulled out of the Airbnb driveway toward our next destination, I felt like myself again.

Healthy, rested, and pleased with our condensation solution, we were ready for the next adventure. 

Ever on!