{"id":6903,"date":"2018-10-26T08:12:24","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T12:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/?p=6903"},"modified":"2019-03-12T15:21:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T19:21:40","slug":"ts4-2-hop-1-swannanoa-nc-to-sevierville-tn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/26\/ts4-2-hop-1-swannanoa-nc-to-sevierville-tn\/","title":{"rendered":"TS4-2 Hop 1: Swannanoa NC to Sevierville TN"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"TS4-2<\/a>

TS4-2 Hop 1<\/p><\/div>\n

110 miles via US 70, I-40 and TN 338. Cumulative tow miles: 110. Truck miles: 228. Cumulative truck miles: 228. The extra truck miles were largely due to the trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway as described in the preceding post.<\/p>\n

More truck problems. The “whooshing” sound that appeared on the long uphill slog into Asheville was still with us as we left the campground yesterday morning.\u00a0 I was only about 90% convinced that there was no serious problem after three mechanics looked at it the day before and declared it “good to go.”\u00a0 But the truck ran fine on the trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway and seemed to be fine for about the first 50 miles of this hop.\u00a0 But as we were climbing a hill on I-40 I noticed some black exhaust when the engine was running at about 2,000 rpms.\u00a0 Strangely, I did not see any black exhaust when running on the flat or on steeper hills when the engine revved near 3,000 rpms.\u00a0 The black exhaust worried me, but the engine still seemed to be running well, if noisily.\u00a0 I was a bit concerned that we were burning oil, so I stopped in a rest area to check.\u00a0 Nope – oil level was fine.<\/p>\n

Then the dreaded “check engine” light appeared.\u00a0 But no dashboard message and no discernable loss of power.\u00a0 At that point we were on a long downhill stretch, coming out of the mountains, so the engine was not being taxed.\u00a0 We got to our turnoff on TN 338 and my intention was to drive the final 30 miles to our destination, then find a mechanic to look at the problem on Friday.\u00a0 But going uphill on 338 I realized that the engine was no longer running fine.\u00a0 I could barely maintain a 30 mph speed going up a not-very-steep hill.\u00a0 It was apparent that if we encountered any uphill stretch in those 30 miles – which was pretty likely – we might very well be stranded on the side of the road.<\/p>\n

The section of TN 338 just south of I-40 is bounded by small shopping centers and other commercial properties.\u00a0 I started scanning for a large parking lot where I could stop and start making calls as it was apparent that we were not going to get to Walland TN that night.\u00a0 Then I spotted a sign for Riverside RV Resort, made the turn at the sign, pulled over into a small truck stop area, called the campground and booked a night, drove the final quarter-mile to the campground, got set up and started dialing for a mechanic.\u00a0 I was somewhat desperate to find one quickly because the campground had no site for us beyond Thursday night.<\/p>\n

The first three calls – to two GMC dealerships and one diesel repair specialist – elicited nothing better than a promise to look at the truck on Monday.\u00a0 I needed IMMEDIATE service, so I kept dialing, with not a lot of hope.\u00a0 But I was desperate so I tried Tennessee Fleet Service<\/a> in Knoxville, an establishment which clearly catered to big rigs, not puny little trucks like my GMC 3500.\u00a0 But they told me if I could get to their shop – 20 miles away – they would look at it.\u00a0 I hung up, grabbed my keys, kissed Jett and took off to Knoxville.<\/p>\n

The truck ran a lot better when not towing 15,000 pounds.<\/p>\n

\"Tennessee<\/a>

Tennessee Fleet Service<\/p><\/div>\n

When I got to Tennessee Fleet Service I was underwhelmed by the building.\u00a0 And I had trouble finding anyone to talk to.\u00a0 One guy was under a truck with only his legs showing and the other was bent over a box truck engine, operating a sander while wearing earphones.\u00a0 The “office” – a tiny cubicle in the corner – was unoccupied.\u00a0 I finally got the attention of the guy with the sander.\u00a0 He asked me what I wanted – with a tone that really meant “what the hell do YOU want” – which I initially misunderstood due to his Tennessee accent.\u00a0 When I finally communicated my problem, he stopped sanding and walked out to take a look.\u00a0 He started the engine, revved it, heard the “whoosh” and opened the hood.\u00a0 He spent about 10 minutes over and under the engine, feeling hoses.\u00a0 Soon the guy who was under the truck appeared and started kibitzing.\u00a0 At first the talk was rather ominous, heading it the direction of “the turbo needs to be replaced.”\u00a0 When I asked how difficult that would be the second mechanic laughed and said the last one he did took him 9 hours.<\/p>\n

I wasn’t laughing.\u00a0 I had visions of being stuck in Sevierville for a week and started considering options for where I could put the RV while we were stuck.<\/p>\n

Then the conversation turned 180 degrees and went down the path of “the air filter is clogged.”\u00a0 But that turned out to be untrue, just that the guy who replaced the filter neglected to reset the “dirtiness” gauge.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The problem – hose removed<\/p><\/div>\n

After a few more moments the first mechanic – his name tag said “Moose” – felt a hole in a flexible hose in the turbo air pipes.\u00a0 He removed the hose and showed me a large fissure – about 2 inches – in the hose.\u00a0 He was pretty certain that the hose was the source of the “whoosh.”\u00a0 He took off in his truck to find a replacement.\u00a0 I was left to consider how long this problem had existed.<\/p>\n

I think it existed at the time of the Binghamton disaster.\u00a0 When we first had the coolant leak I incorrectly thought that it was this section of hose that was leaking, because I saw it “spitting” coolant.\u00a0 Of course there was no coolant in the hose, so I now believe what I observed was coolant being sprayed onto the hose and the hose, though its split, was expelling air through the coolant, making it “spit.”\u00a0 So add yet another problem to the list of issues that the truck had at the time of the disaster.<\/p>\n

We have certainly had more than our share of problems on this trip south.\u00a0 And it is wearing on us.\u00a0 Jett: “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”\u00a0 I can’t disagree.\u00a0 It has been brutal, reminiscent of our first month on the road back in 2012 – our “ding-a-day” trip.<\/p>\n

Ironically, that trip resulted in us being stuck in Knoxville. History repeats, I guess.<\/p>\n

But that trip turned around after Knoxville and I have to hope that this one does, too.<\/p>\n

Anyway, when Moose returned with the replacement hose – a used part that cost $13 instead of $68 for a new one – he immediately started installing it.\u00a0 After the hose was securely clamped in place he started the engine and revved it. No “whoosh!”<\/p>\n

The engine was fixed, the “check engine” light reset and I was back at the campground within 3 hours of arrival.\u00a0 Total cost: $140, including a $25 tip.\u00a0 Just amazing.\u00a0 Better than any “best case” scenario I could have envisioned when we limped into the campground.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Moose

Moose installing the hose<\/p><\/div>\n

Tennessee Fleet Service saved the day.\u00a0 Moose is my hero.\u00a0 I have to view this whole experience positively because (1) we didn’t have to call for emergency assistance, (2) we were able to get to a good campground to deal with the problem and (3) the problem was fixed quickly and inexpensively.<\/p>\n

Now I have to wonder why three mechanics on Wednesday were unable to find a gash in a turbo hose,\u00a0 Maybe it took a dedicated diesel guy like Moose to figure it out.<\/p>\n

Today’s new Hop 2 will be 27 miles to Walland TN, our original Hop 1 destination.\u00a0 This will be one of our shortest hops ever.\u00a0 But, to make it interesting, it will be done in a driving rain.<\/p>\n

\"Asheville<\/a>

Asheville East KOA<\/p><\/div>\n

Our 2 nights in the Asheville area (actually in Swannanoa, about 10 miles east of Asheville) were at the Asheville East KOA Holiday<\/a>.\u00a0 This is a nice park which, like so many KOAs, has very tight sites.\u00a0 I had to tuck the nose of the truck under the RV’s front overhang to get it off the road.\u00a0 But we were close to the dog park and within an easy drive of restaurants, food stores and auto services.\u00a0 It had train noise, but none in the middle of the night.\u00a0 It suited out needs but was not luxurious. Looking now at the website I see that it claims to have TWO lakes.\u00a0 I didn’t explore, admittedly, but I saw no lake.\u00a0 Maybe the campground is nicer than I perceived.<\/p>\n

\"El<\/a>

El Paso Resaurant<\/p><\/div>\n

While in Swannanoa I bought some groceries at an Ingles supermarket.\u00a0 I bought a couple of items on sale and asked to use a “courtesy card” as, being a short-term visitor, there was no point in getting a customer loyalty card.\u00a0 The checker said she couldn’t let me use one but I was free to ask another customer to use theirs.\u00a0 I wasn’t about to do that and was pretty shocked, really, that no courtesy card was available.\u00a0 That was a first in our six years of travel.\u00a0 So I complained to the manager.\u00a0 She was sympathetic but said she would be fired if she let me use one – it was a very strict corporate rule.<\/p>\n

My advice to full-timers: avoid Ingles.\u00a0 They are not full-timer friendly.<\/p>\n

After our tough day on the road, followed by our miraculous timely truck repair, we felt we deserved a dinner out.\u00a0 Jett picked the El Paso<\/a> Mexican restaurant just a few miles away. It turned out to be quite good.\u00a0 And the margarita was much needed.\u00a0 High marks to El Paso.\u00a0 And it was a relief to have a good meal after the disappointing\/awful one at The Coach House<\/a> in Black Mountain NC. This place gets high marks from many diners, but both my swordfish and pecan pie were about the worst I have ever had and Jett’s steak, while tasty, was overdone.\u00a0 Low marks to The Coach House.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

110 miles via US 70, I-40 and TN 338. Cumulative tow miles: 110. Truck miles: 228. Cumulative truck miles: 228. The extra truck miles were largely due to the trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway as described in the preceding post. More truck problems. The “whooshing” sound that appeared on the long uphill slog into … Continue reading »<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,38,4,7,5,16,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures","category-nc","category-places","category-routes","category-rvparks","category-places-tn","category-ts4"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1VniU-1Nl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6903"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7624,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6903\/revisions\/7624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}