I woke up yesterday morning to large puddles outside the camper. Worse, I noticed that the windows inside had a great deal of condensation and – gasp – mildew. Small patches of white filaments alerted me. Mold? Turns out that the white stuff is mildew, a type of fungus that loves wet window sills. RVs are famous for mildew and/or mold problems. I emailed a fellow RVer for advice and checked RV forums, and I turned on the AC to remove some of the moisture. I also washed down the window frames with a strong cleanser but will find something made for mildew demolition. I plan to purchase a small humidifier as well. The windows have been wet often since I arrived in AL. More rain comes on Friday, which means more window condensation, and eventually, mold.

So I was grumpy and worried about the moisture. Then I got an email from a lovely friend, the one whom I stayed with for a month in Coeur D’Alene last spring. An RVer and owner of a beautiful Class C motor home, Joan and her new friend, Dave, were 40 miles north along I-10 and soon heading to Dauphin Island to visit me! Oh happy day. They would be here in time for lunch, so I found a local beachside eatery. We met there and as we ate our shrimp, we caught up on each others lives and travels. Turns out we will return to the Coeur D’Alene area around the same time (March).  

Anyway, Joan’s fall/winter travels inspired me. She volunteered for 10 days at the annual Balloon Festival in Albuquerque. She travelled to AZ where she took courses on RV maintenance and repair. Then back to NM, where she met her new friend (a super nice guy) at an RV park. They spent time in Texas over the holidays and are now heading to central FL then Key West. We may be able to meet up at the same RV park in Deming, NM on the way home!

I can’t stop smiling. Such a great surprise. It is super cool to have friends on the road. Over the holidays some long lost friends found me on Facebook. They live at 8,000 feet in the CO mountains so they will likely be snowed in still I when am anywhere near them. They RV camp in the warmer seasons, so hopefully we can meet somewhere.

Dehumidifier update: after searching in Wal-Mart and Lowes, I could not find a 2100 cubic foot dehumidifier (small)  I found one, when I got back home and searched Amazon. I drove around a suburb of Mobile, searching for a thrift store, a Starbucks, and whatever else I could find. Fun outing to the mainland!