North Carolina

March 13 (Friday)

We arrived in Wilson, NC today. Wilson is about 5o miles from Jimmy and Lisa's home in Wake Forrest but is the closest RV park we could find. It's about a 45 minute drive to their house. Part of the way is on a 70mph freeway. The rest is on two lane country roads. We weren't met by the Blue Bird of happiness but rather a red Cardinal in the trees in front of the RV. It turned out to be the red bird of "storms warnings" as we have now sat through two tornado watches in nearby counties and lots of rain and wind, but no hail or lighting (knock-on-wood).


We have standing water all around the Horizon but there are enough high spots to make it back and forth to the car and the ground is mostly grass or gravel so not much mud to deal with (unless you're not watching where your walking).

A few year ago now Debbie admired the Coke case that Rich was using under his steps. He had picked it up in Mexico. The inter ribbing is better than the ones used in the US and are able to support the middle when stepped on. His next trip he picked one up for Debbie and apparently smuggled it across the border. As you can see it has been a life saver here. Thanks Rich!

From Savanna to Myrtle Beach

March 11-13, 2009

After exploring Fort Pulaski we continued on the Tybee Island. We had a late lunch at the Crab Shack. It was as much an experience as a meal. We both had fresh Crab and while it was good it couldn't surpass crab caught by Lloyd, Rich and Darell back at Port Susan. You just can't beat crab caught today and eaten tonight with great friends.

On the way back to camp we stopped at Wormsloe Historic Site, another old estate. The visitors center is located at the end of a mile and a half driveway with a canopy of over 400 Oak trees.

The actual Wormsloe mansion is still occupied by the family and not open to the public but the visitors center documented the history of the area in a slide show and displays.

We left Savanna, GA with the feeling we need to return a spend more time. After a six hour drive we arrived at Myrtle Beach SP in Myrtle Beach, SC. Ty as usual, when the Horizon stops for the night, took his position on the dash next to the front door demanding to be let out. He sleeps through fuel and other stops during travel days.


We had a deep, level site with full hookup's. Too many trees in our site for satellite. The park also includes a long beach.


We didn't do much exploring outside the park mostly just enjoying the fine weather we are continuing to have. And yes Ty was the first one to start exploring.

New LCD TV for Horizon

I wanted to replace the Sony TV in our 2004 Itasca Horizon with a new LCD TV. But after reading about other installations, it appeared that it would be to complex and too expensive. The TV itself was also expensive.

In Wilson, NC about 2,878.1 miles from home and workshop I decided to replace the TV in the Horizon. I needed an easy and inexpensive way to install the new LCD using the limited tools I carry in the Horizon. I had previous found a 32" Sharp TV was a perfect fit and now it was $1000 cheaper!

The total material cost was less than $10 not counting the Pearless LCD mount. The material list was one 2x4, one 1x12, four lag bolts, four bolts and nuts and washers.

First Remove the Sony TV.
No small feat as it weighs about a hundred pounds and it's high location make it awkward. The molding around the TV was removed by removing the two screws on each side that hold it in place and the speaker. The molding then slides down and off. A metal strap clamps down across the top was removed. At this point the TV can tilt down and could actually fall out if not supported. My son, Jimmy helped removed the old set. One thing I was concerned about was how the surround sound system was connected because the there was no 'audio out' on the TV. The wires to the surround sound were found to run into the back of the TV through a vent in the case. I guess they were connected to the TV speakers inside the case. I cut the wire while Jimmy held the TV and unplugged everything else.

A large filter was attached to the surround wire. I discovered it eliminated a buzz in the surround sound system and I reused it.


A big hole was left when the Sony TV was removed.



Mount and Install the new TV

I chose a 32' Sharp LCD TV because it fit the space better than some others I measured and it had audio out for the surround sound.

I installed the new TV just in front of and "floating" outside the cabinetry.

I measured how far the rear of the TV needed to be from the molding when mounted. I then bolted a 2x4 to the metal frame on each side. Then bolted the 1x18 to the 2x4's. The 2x4's were angled to match the angle of the cabinet and coincidentally the metal frame.


Here is a closer look at the mounting.

While I worked on the install I sat the Sharp on a box on the dashboard and connected all the wiring to test the connections. We used it for awhile that way and everything worked great except the surround sound.

Although I had checked to make sure the Sharp had a variable audio output but I didn't realize when it was switched to variable output it shut off the TV's speakers. The surround system isn't usable alone and it was too loud when we tried the output on fixed mode. I decided to install a volume control from Radio Shack between the TV and the surround sound system to control the surround sound volume.

I used a Peerless security mount, so hopefully the TV is difficult to steal. When the lower screws are tightened the TV is very secure with no bouncing or jiggling. I choose an adjustable mount in case I needed to adjust the angle, but because I set the 2x4's at an angle to match the cabinetry I didn't need to use the adjustment.

Ready to hang the LCD on the mount.


Here is the finished install.

It 'floats' a inch in front of the cabinet face but it doesn't protrude too far and hasn't been a in the way.