Day 48-54 - Virginia Beach - Friday

Holiday Trav-L-Park  3/4/2015 - 3/10/2015
1075 General Booth Boulevard
Virginia Beach, VA 23451

As predicted the steady rain continues today, Thursday, March 5th, with the temp hovering at 40°. Hen Hud district is closed back home and my hope of returning to a clear landing in Cross River dwindles.  But....we shall see. In 7 days, 2 hours and 9 minutes (LOL), we shall see.

F/A-18 Hornet

F/A-18 Super Hornet

The jets from NAS (Naval Air Station) Oceana continue their daily training flights and, at the end of the day, fly right overhead toward the airstrip. I researched my neighbor and read that "NAS Oceana is the east coast home of the U.S. Navy's fighter-attack jet fleet housing almost 300 F/A 18 Hornet and Super Hornet strike fighter jets and has grown to become one of the largest and most advanced air stations in the world, comprising 6,820 acres (including Dam Neck Annex). Obstruction clearances and flight easements total an additional 3,680 acres (14.9 km2). The base is the sole East Coast Master Jet Base and home to all the east coast strike-fighter units.  Its four runways, three measuring 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in length and one measuring 12,000 feet, are designed for high-performance aircraft. NAS Oceana's primary mission is to train and deploy the Navy's Atlantic Fleet strike fighter squadrons of F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets. Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers stationed at NAS Oceana fly approximately 219,000 training operations each year."  The Blue Angels perform here as well.  Reference

Well, today, Friday, I was ready for them.  The sun was bright, the temp at 27° and I froze waiting and waiting.  They knew, so they used a different flight pattern....or took the day off.  Nothing. It was a quiet, cold, day.  LOL. I attempted to ward off 'cabin fever' by taking a walk around the deserted campground.  Stupid.  It was just plain ol' C-O-L-D.  Meanwhile, I'm noticing my grey water tank is filling due to the little trickle I maintain to prevent the fresh water line from freezing.  When I pull on the valve to begin pumping out, I found the valve was frozen shut.  Uh oh, says I, a new strategy for washing dishes, etc.  Luckily I remembered I had a clamp-on lamp stowed away in one of my compartments below.  I hooked it up, turned on the 60-watt (wish I had 100 watts) light and, in a couple of hours, the valve pulled free and I was able to empty the tank.  Whew!  While working underneath in that section of the water compartment, I noticed a drip from the fresh water tank which was 1/3 full....for the emergency that has yet to occur.  I immediately emptied that tank into the black water tank and hope the little bit of water left will not cause any more damage.  I will check that leak when the grass is green and the temperatures are closer to my own body temp.  For the next "winter adventure" I will look into insulating the lines and the tanks.  There's so much available to solve the water line freezing problem.
My other major accomplishment today was to finalize reservations for my "Summer Adventures". Details will follow in tomorrow's blog.  Well, that's it for now.  I'll bid you good night.  Stay warm. (I will get photos of those awesome fighter jets sooner or later).