The Earthbound Space Capsule

Now I understand why they call this part of the Appalachian Mountain Chain “The Smoky Mountains”. During the beginning of the drive we were completely socked in. Even when the weather cleared up, a smokey haze enveloped the mountains, valleys and forests.

We set off this morning (myself, Robles, and Mountain Lioness from southwestern NC and immediately drove up to and on to the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). I really didn’t know how far we were going on the BRP since we had no reservations. I forgot this weekend was a holiday weekend. I tried calling several campgrounds asking for available sites but was mostly laughed at and quickly hung up on. Most of these sites have been reserved since the beginning of the year for the first big holiday of the summer. So I drove off, planning to drive to Little Switzerland or Boone, hoping to find a Walmart or Cracker Barrel Restaurant to hide away the night in their parking lot. After driving six hours on the BRP I started fading. I averaged only 20 miles an hour on the BRP, with an average driving speed of 30-40 mph. Frequently I pulled over to let cars and motorcycles trapped behind my bus to pass. I also spent a lot of time pulled over on the plentiful scenic overlooks.

Knowing all the campgrounds were full for the holidays, on a whim I decided to check out a campground directly on the BRP five miles south of Little Switzerland called Crabtree Falls. Much to my amazement, the park manager told me several sites were available. I suppose there were two reasons for the available sites. The first is that the park is first come first serve, as the campground is run by the National Park Service. The manager said the park will fill up tonight. The second reason, at least for RVs, is that there are no hookups, meaning, no electricity, water, or sewage lines to connect to the RV. That was fine with me since Wallmart Parking lots would be the same, but I would not be in a forest. So I signed up for the next three nights, taking care of the reservation problem through the holiday weekend.

This will be my first time “boondocking”, the expression for staying in the coach without any external energy or water. The rig is designed for such a situation. On board is a 40 gallon fresh water tank and a six gallon hot water tank to supply the coach with fresh hot and cold water. An on demand water pump supplies the water to the sinks, shower, and toilet. The water empties into a 40 gallon gray water tank (shower and sink drains) and 34 gallon black water tank (toilet). I think the black water tank should be called a yellow water tank because when I drain the tank, well, never mind, use your imagination. The storage capability of these tanks should last around four days, and with mindful conservation, for awhile longer.

There is also a 3200 kw diesel generator that can power the entire rig for electricity. The generator uses the same diesel fuel tank that powers the motor to drive the RV. The generator makes a bit of noise, so at this campground there is a restriction that the generator is only allowed to run between 9am and 9pm. Right now the coach is being powered by two deep cycle six volt marine batteries hooked up in series supplying 12 volts to the coach. A few hours before the 9pm cutoff time, I will turn on the generator and recharge the coach batteries for the night.

The next few days will be a learning experience in resource management, figuring out how to use the batteries, LP gas, generator, water supply and disposal efficiently. For example, the refrigerator can run off of 120 AC (generator), 12 DC batteries, and LP gas. The hot water can be heated by 120 AC or LP gas. Air conditioning and the heat pump can only be run with the generator on, but there is a back up heat auxiliary heat supply that can be run by LP gas. Fortunately the air conditioner is not needed up here, the temperatures being between 50 and 70, which is exactly why I am up here now, to escape the Florida summer heat. Being an electrical engineer in my former life is a good thing, as that experience helps my understanding of how all this works. That is of course until something breaks and I need to get out a wrench and fix something since I am terrible with tools. I don’t even know where they put factory supplied tools in the coach.

Most importantly, I think to use the coffee maker and toaster I need to have the generator on, which means waiting until 9am, oh well. There is an inverter that turns 12 VDC into 120 VAC, but I don’t know how much current the inverter will supply, and I don’t want to smoke some wiring out in the middle of the woods. I am sure the coffee maker and toaster would drain the batteries quickly anyways. I will definitely turn the water supply off while brushing my teeth, which I do at home anyways. I will also now turn the water off while washing my hands (remember, at least 20 -30 seconds to wash your hands, or about same amount of the time that it takes to sing “Happy Birthday”),while washing the front, back, and between the fingers of your hands. I don’t think I will be joining the bears in the woods to do what bears do in the woods.

But right now, I hear no generators. This campground situated in a forest just north of Mt. Mitchell is completely silent except for birds chipping. I have three days to explore this area now, including riding my bike back to Mt.Mitchell, the highest point (6684 ft above sea level) in the eastern United States. This freedom is the advantage I am finding with the RV. The coach is a earthbound space capsule, everything you need is on board. The tiny 175 square foot capsule allows you to go where ever you want. I originally planned to drive right by where this tiny serene campground in the middle of a forest is located. This morning I didn’t even know the place existed, and now I will be here for three days and nights. Perhaps the best way to express the experience is, “Wherever you go, there you are.”