Oops!

5/26/11 - When we were setting up at the campground in Yemassee*, SC, there was a minor incident.   George already had the trailer on the blocks and jack stands, and was just starting to release the hitch so he could drive the truck out from under the 5th wheel. 

CRASH!  The trailer slipped off the blocks and the hitch landed on the truck!  Damage is to the tailgate, top of the truck bed, rails for the tonneau cover, fiberglass cover over the hitch.  George was not pleased. 

 Of course, it was coming up on Memorial Day weekend, so it would be Tuesday before we could even take it in.   State Farm gave us the names of 5 body shops; we opted for Beaufort Collision Shop, in Beaufort, SC.  The owner, Andy Marshall, really took care of us.  Besides the bodywork on the sides of the truck, they had to get a new tailgate from GM,  the truck had to go to Savannah for the Line-X protective coating, and then bed cover railings from Fold-A-Cover in Michigan had to be put on. 

The rental car we got was a Dodge Journey—uncomfortable SUV with a great name!  We used it to visit Ft. Pulaski near Savannah and Ft. Sumter in Charleston. 

Of course it took longer than the initial “should be ready by Friday”.  I had to keep extending at the RV park each time we got a new date--Babette & Clarence at The Oaks at Point South RV are a perfect example of southern hospitality.  We finally got the truck back on Thursday, June 9^th.  They did a really good job with the truck and customer service was amazing.   Andy kept us posted every time there was a delay.  Because we were travelling, he put us ahead of 15 other cars.  His father drove the truck to Savannah for the bed lining. 

George still has to coordinate with Heartland to have a new hitch cover shipped to an RV dealer near somewhere we’ll be staying in the next few weeks—and I don’t usually plan that far in advance…

6/10/11 – Hooray!!!  We’re back on the road again, and headed to Columbia to visit Congaree NP.

* Yemassee is pronounced "YAM-uh-see", not "ya-MAS-see".  I said it wrong for a week.