Pets and travel – Canned Comfort

It’s Already October

The first steps in planning for our “epic journey”.

As always I see how many days we will actually be on the road and identify what challenges we may encounter. We have two, two year old Australian Shepards and they have traveled with us since they were 10 weeks old. They are still rambunctious but slowly learning our lifestyle. My husband looks at the roadways and weather. I look at food, medical and doggie needs. I also do a thorough cleaning.

We have planned not to use the big interstate highways where possible. We can travel faster from point A to point B using the fast interstate but that is not enjoyable. I also felt we needed to look for Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome and other no cost places to overnight. We generally travel to see family and take care of annual medical exams. We haven’t traveled in our rig just for fun in years. We are looking to change that!

Our first leg of this journey was scheduled to leave exactly at 7:00 am. I ordered a breakfast order at our local Kneaders for a 7:15 am pickup. We made it by 7:30 am. Then we had to put fuel in our rig. My “pilot” did not fuel up the night before! We use diesel and oh well here we go again.

Hwy 93 from Las Vegas to Fallon Nevada is our first start. It is mostly a two lane highway through deserts, ranches and small towns. We stop to let our doggies do their business and we switch drivers and snack, stretch with the doggies for a small walk. So far so good.

While driving we realize we are not passing any truck stops. We get diesel fuel at up to 30 cents cheaper at the truck stops than the regular gas stations. Hmmmmm. We have passed many really inviting towns but we are on a timeline to Spokane, Washington. Notes for future stops. I was really surprised how different the countryside was the farther north we traveled. Loved the slower feeling of travel without a lot of heavy traffic. People actually waved at us and smiled. A great change.

I had made one strawberry cheesecake and Greek apple cake for the trip and to share with my son’s family on the last leg of the trip. Big mistake. We had slices of the apple cake for the first 3 days but kinda forgot about it. Left the frozen cheesecake until we got to the ranch. The cake was getting weird, kinda got wet because I secured it in the sink while we drove. By the time we reached the ranch it was slimy so thrown away. The cheesecake got watery while it thawed! It was a good idea but traveling in different climates and length of time on the road did not work in our favor. Oh and the new refrigerator was smaller than our Airstream’s. Well oh dear, on with the plan! Always learning.

We we did not make reservations for any RV park or BLM. So we stayed the night in the truck parking of a casino in Beatty, Nevada. It was after 9:30 pm. We had a late start from home. Again such plans. The truck parking lot was all dirt, no donkeys, lots of semis and a few trailers.

We were able to take the doggies for at least 2 thirty minute walks and let them stretch. No feeling of fear. Able to put the slide out and enjoy the bed and warmth, especially since the doggies think the bed is for them.

The next part of the journey is north toward Fernley, Nevada! Whew, they had a space without a reservation. Hopefully the trail will be relaxing and new and without problems.

My Turn To Drive The New Rig!

We are planning a trip that will take us from Henderson, Nevada to Ft. Lupton, Colorado via Spokane, Washington through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado! All using old highways, limited exposure to major highways. Our 2 Australian Shepherds, are also new to this smaller rig. Wish us luck.

Our plan is to utilize as many Harvest Hosts, Cabella’s and mooch docking as much as possible. Our goal is no more than 4 hours on the road per day. Pre planned meals and at least 3 – 30 minute walks with the dogs per day. They are going to be so stressed not to have their regular trip hammock. Do any of you have safety ideas for dogs in a class B+ van? We are used to pulling a rig not driving it.

Many RVs use the same brand of refrigerators, Air Conditioners, Microwave/Conduction Ovens, wiring and plumbing. We have never had or utilized an onboard generator or slide out.

Previously I would pack our Airstream and not fill it with our equipment, clothing etc. This new rig is so much smaller it takes a lot of reorganization to prepare for the trip. This was really not that much of challenge but the murphy bed is daunting. It is really heavier than we realized and the living space is impacted. We really are like newbies in many ways, especially space use with our pups too.

I was proud of myself that I did do some minor decorating in our rig to make it feel more ours.

Galley, added peel and stick tile and command strip shelf. Oh yes and paper towel holder!

Packing the galley was easier than I thought it would be. It is small but the large window and burner cover make it look larger and comfy. It makes me smile to see it and use it. When the Murphy Bed is open. The doggies can easily place their paws on the counter. Another training moment. Goodies are to be placed as far away as possible after dinner.

I do like that we do not have to go outside in the in the cold dark, rain or snow to utilize the interior for our comfort. The automatic steps are a death trap for short people with knee problems. The doggies are small and the smallest one takes a minute to prepare to hop into the rig. Once the battery had dropped and the steps did not come out. My hubby did not notice, jammed his right knee and even the doggies were challenged to go out of the rig.

All new learning experiences. In my next blog I will review what we did as far as planning and you can shake your head and laugh.

Until the next time.

Oh Boy!

I cannot believe I am so behind in my blog! The story hasn’t changed since we traveled and the memories are still fun.

After leaving Mina, Nevada we headed to our next destination the Twisted Oaks Winery near Murphy, California. We had been through this area before but had not noticed our surroundings. The beauty of trying to slow down is that roads we have traveled before become new.

Highway 95 is a lonely two lane road that is used by big semi-trucks and the occasional rig. It is early spring and the wind is warm. It is a quiet road, we pass abandoned farm houses and businesses. There is an Army depot near Hancock California. We took a left to go south on Hwy 395 to cross over and through Yosemite NP.

The strange thing is when we had our small 20 foot Airstream we drove down the road past Mono Lake as we did on our way to California but could not find signs to help us navigate to get to an historic cemetery near the lake or get closer to the lake. We were such newbies then. We decided we would follow the map and drive through. We still didn’t know if rigs were allowed on these roads or where exactly the cemetery was. We are now pulling a 27 foot Airstream and turning is a challenge. We are such sissies. We did not want to trespass if this was private land and we did not want to be on BLM land we were not allowed on. We did park the rig, take the doggies out for a walk and to do their business. We did a little walk around and found pit toilets, some fencing but no signs. We left to get going.

As we turned left to go onto Hwy 395 we started seeing signs to the entrance to the Mono Lake National Park! Sometimes we get lost in too much thinking. It was getting later and we had to get across the mountains into Gold Country.

We were able to get to the entrance of Yosemite NP but found that COVID and snow made for a few restrictions. 1- you had to have reservations to get into Yosemite and 2- a two hour wait for one way traffic into or through the park. We had not made reservations as we were just passing through. Luckily I had my military ID with me and we were give a free pass to go through the park. Whew otherwise we would have to go to Barstow, California many, many miles away. We were able to walk the doggies again, eat a nice lunch in our rig and comfortably wait for our turn to pass to the other side. Oh and it was very cold, snow on the ground and windy.

We drive through Yosemite without any problems or backups. We did drive down very windy roads to get out of the area and it was a bit of a nail biter. We reached Modesto California in one piece and onward to Twisted Oaks!

I am a California native and have been through these hills many times but that was before wineries. hmmmm. My hubby decided we should use his navigator on his phone to locate our destination. It was now 91 degrees outside!

I thought the directions were a bit wonky but he persisted. It took us through 1 and 2 lane gravel and dirt ranch roads instead of the highways I knew I had driven many times before. It took a good 3 hours to drive carefully and safely to our Harvest Host site. The winery is located right off Hwy 49! We could have been there 2 hours sooner if we had taken my directions. Oh well we made before closing, were given a very nice place to park, tasted great wine and there was a cooling breeze all night long. We had no hook ups as these places are free with no “hook-ups” (no electricity for campers to hook up to. That means no AC and it was hot. We opened all our windows on the Airstream and the cross ventilation was so enjoyable. Eating outside was even more fun for all of us.

The most fun spot for an overnight with crazy rubber chickens hanging from trees with funny sayings and great wine too. We hope to pass through there again. It is quiet beautiful and free. Well we did buy some wine and it was another plus for taking the slow road to wherever. We also found out we were five minutes from a favorite place of ours, Angels Camp, California. Next time we will take even more time to enjoy the area.

Another Journey Begins

We no longer have our Canned Comfort #3. Due to health issues we traded our wonderful Airstream for a mini-motor home. A 2018 Leisure Travel Van Unity FX. No more hitching and no more iconic, warm, and cozy rolling home!

Now we have BoujiBaby! She is a new adventure, easier to get going in. No more heavy hitching and I can drive her. She takes a bit of getting used to. She is not shiny and not round but we are learning to love her too. We keep waving to other Airstreamers forgetting we are no longer silver and bright. More stealth. Our doggies are also trying to find their comfort spots.

Our first overnight was in Caliente, Nevada. A lovely little campground called Linda’s Campground. It is just behind the BLM office! Clean, quiet, friendly and great walking trails easily available.

The little town of Caliente is friendly, cute and bustling. It’s looks like there is a lot of area for ATVers and camping in the hills around the town. It has a great railroad history and the community is refurbishing the original railroad stop. Great place for a gentler place during the shoulder seasons and for us its only a couple of hours away.

Settling in for the night was a bit different. Our usual assignments, me inside Brent outside was weird. Our Phantom, tow vehicle was no where to be found! We were already in it! We have a slide out, a 16 gal propane generator, 2000 watt inverter, 400 watts of solar and a two burner propane stove, microwave and convection oven! Our CC#3 had 30-50 amp electrical for AC, two large propane tanks, 200 watts of solar and a 1000 watt inverter. Of course both rigs had fresh water, grey water and black water tanks. So kinda funny not to have my little steps, separate vehicles and different bathrooms.

I will have a sharp learning curve if I want to use the convection oven. Anyway the night was uneventful, comfortable, a little less space and storage. The doggies were confused and we are trying different ways to keep them safe and comfy while we drive.

I still miss my wonderful Airstream but will try and make BoujiBaby, BB for short, ours. Life is always full of surprises. Going to make this our special rolling home. Hope to see you on the road!

Can We Do It Differently?

Day One

We had a beautiful morning and it was not too cold. The sky clear and the sun shinning. Took doggies for a nice walk.

Our one and only neighbor had already left. Appeared to be a retired couple one small dog and they came quietly and left the same. It was so nice to have so much quiet and have space. A nice beginning to day two

Day Two

There are not too many big trucks or RV rigs on the road at 7 am. We drove through the little town of Hawthorne, Nevada. It is an old ammunition storage site and Army base from WW II. The town itself is clean, quiet appearing with alot of pride for its history.

The road that brings us here ends here. We take a left turn through town and end up on I-395 -via I-95 passing Mono Lake! Wow.

We have stopped for a potty stop at Mono Lake before going to California before. This time we drove farther in and looked for the old cemetery and gave up. It was quiet and nice and the dogs loved walking about. Nice lunch break and taking a deep breath instead of racing for time. We also could not see how to get to the lake from this entry road.

We did notice that going through a small town after the turn south on I-395 was an entrance to Mono Lake! Felt like duh! We felt foolish but we had a nice stop and we noticed that the temperature was dropping.

We drove through Tuttle Town, cute, next time we will stop and have lunch. We know that we have to go through Yosemite to get to our destination. Not a really fast trek.

As we approached the entrance to Yosemite, we say signs stating no entrance without a camp reservation!!! COVID and winter rules. We had to wait 2 hours for our turn to at least see if we can drive through and not stop to sight see or camp. When we hit the ranger station they asked if we were active duty military and I still had my ID that said I was. They gave us a no fee permit to drive through the park. Wow, what an ordeal. It did show how much work they had been doing to clean up fire and snow damage. It was nice to see reasonable numbers of people walking, hiking and enjoying the frozen sierra vistas.

The roads are two lanes, the Yosemite Valley shops are closed, at the entrances they are checking for your reservation and ID status when you are stopped. Kinda creepy. After many switch backs, slow going and beautiful scenery we were in the dry low lands and the temp was increasing.

Our destination for the night was a Harvest Hose Winery that we had made reservations with. We needed to check in before 5:00 pm when they closed. We put the address into the NavAid on our tow vehicle and off we went. As we neared the back end of the Modesto area. We were directed to a lonely, desolate combination road of asphalt, gravel and back ranch roads. I had lived in the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay area all my life and skied the areas near by the winery. I could not recognize any of the roads. It took us away from Hwy 49 which is wine, hiking, historical and ski areas around Angels Camp. We kept going, tried not to argue and keep cool. After 3 hours (should have taken 1.5hrs) we found the back way into the Twisted Oak Winery! It was a silly, crazy road. The entire one lane road into the winery had rubber chickens hanging from the trees with funny sayings also either posted on a tree or in the ground. Even had chickens with prison stripped suits painted on them. I couldn’t believe it. We laughed so much after such a challenging way in. A good way to start the evening. But was close to 100 degrees outside! You will have to try the red blend “Chum Bucket” too or “Chicken Bubbles”.

After checking in and trying their wines we retreated to the now empty parking lot in the middle of the vineyard. We did walk the dogs about the grounds and they loved it. It was so good to be outside the “Phantom” and all the windows were open. The great thing about our Airstream is the great ventilation. Cross winds from the hills made it so comfortable. We had our home made version of charcuterie and a bottle of white wine.

As the sun set we settled in and slept in the warm quiet.

Day two complete! Now it will be back into the traffic of the San Francisco Bay Area! Hmm. In the morning we found Hwy 49 a quarter mile away from the winery. Oh boy!

So We Re-Start

The learning curve begins and what a gift.

Discussing the future way of travel was our first step; 1- learn how to use the many apps for finding “free” overnight camping spots and non-national private ie, KOA type places, 2- we set a goal of only driving 4 hours a day, 3-stop, plan for an easy setup for a relaxing evening and enjoy walks with the new puppies.

We are planning a 3 week family visiting trip covering 5 states. Looking at an Atlas book of current maps of the United States and Canada we penciled in 3 different routes. The route had to be different than our usual one. On our previous trips from Nevada to California were from our home off I-15 south to Hwy -5N to Hwy 46 to Hwy 1 to Santa Cruz, California. Whew. This time we went North on Hwy – 93 to Hwy 6 W, Hwy 395 to Angels Camp California and then winding our way to Felton, California for the duration of our first leg of this trip. Yep, that doesn’t sound like much until you look a a real map. Oh boy.

Ok, to say the “best laid plans oft go astray” is too true. We were up early, rig already packed and hitched the night before. Doggies prepped. Then our real day began. The two, 9 month old miniature Australian Sheppard puppies spotted a young coyote across the road. They were already in the car. We had decided to try traveling without their crates and put them in a safety hammock. Hubby left the driver side window open. They both jumped out the window. The chase began!

It was a beautiful young coyote that was chased by two doggies. It then turned around as to say “I’m supposed to chase you!” He turned around and began barking at the dogs and then the dogs decided they had better get back home. They of course ignored our calls to report to us and then kinda went to the busy street above our road and we started worrying. They quickly returned to home after seeing big cars. We were now grumpy and frazzled. Coffee, Coffee, Coffee. NOW. We were behind in our timed start. Big breath, go to the drive through bakery for a croissant breakfast sandwich, large coffee and water for the pups. We had driven about a mile. Oh my. We laughed, wished we had filmed the coyote express and realized we had planned a 3.5 hour drive and it was only 7:00 am.

Our first stop was Mina, Nevada. Our first overnight. Never heard of it? Me either. It is a very small, dusty hamlet on the way to somewhere else. It was empty of campers when we arrived. Fine for us. They had long “pull through” spots with well defined hook ups. Very clean, near the highway but quiet with an amazing view of the desert hills of eastern Death Valley. It was very reasonable, $35.00 per night. Very good for our budget. The sun was still up, warm, gentle breezes wafted through the camp. It was a quiet I associate with the late spring of the prairies. We could hear the occasional hum of a semi-truck. Just quiet and calm. Our pups loved the walk around the grounds and sniffing a bunch of everything. I took a big deep breath and almost cried. It was a space out there without the noise of the city, My hubby poured us a beautifully chilled Marianne’s Rose from Six Sigma Ranch in Lake County California. We felt so accomplished. We drove for only 3.5 hours, on a less traveled road, identified places we would like to explore on a recreational trip. We were not stressed and puppies were also less cranky.

528A26A8-4F64-45FE-9E00-22E52DTheB182EB — The end of the day refreshment

Our dinner was one I had prepared the day before and we heated it up in our kitchen while enjoying our view. We ate inside as the wind was picking up and the temperature was cooling down.

We took the doggies for another quick walk about, then into the coach for our dinner. It was so nice not to feel wrung out and stressed. We were able to eat dinner with a beautiful view of the desert landscape and birds, not worry about a crowded, noisy campground – we listened to the quiet, even the highway noise was muffled and slight. We heard a faraway train going through during the night. Ahhhhh

The morning was bright sunlight, not warm yet. Quiet, no people, many birds and deer scattering as we make human noises. Big deep breath and sip fresh coffee on our outside chairs. Doggies nudge us for the morning wake up walk. Just what we need. Simple, quiet, not people. A fresh new day. We had camp fire toasted, homemade cast iron bread. Home made jam and a smile. The doggies little wiggle butts were happily wagging too. It was an easy, un-rushed re-pack, to secure items and pack the dogs. We knew it was May. The day would heat up and we would melt. Onward and westward we charge!

Really! A New Way to Travel!

Yes really. We have upgraded our 2 year old CC3 (Canned Comfort #3) and now wonder if we were right in doing so. We then thought of trading her in for a Class C. The prices nearly put us in shock. So, we will now re-think the why of our travels so far, future travels and the how of it.

We started traveling in our first Airstream 14 years ago. We had never gone tent camping unless it was with the military. We had never camped in a trailer or a Class A, B or C. Why did we decide to get a little trailer? It is my hubby’s fault.

He was on temporary duty in central California and thought trailer camping would be a fun way to travel. We had a puppy and did not like hotel/motels set-ups for animals. We did look at 10 other makes of trailers and price points and I said NO! I would sneeze, get headaches and get nauseated from the off-gassing of the materials used in new rigs. I also wasn’t really wanting to “trailer camp”. His last attempt was showing me an Airstream. It was compact, well thought out small space. The low weight and no sneezing or headaches etc. Sold me. We bought it. The light weight could be easily towed by our Sport-Trak.

Big questions: Where do we stay? What is our reason for travel? We han’t thought that far. No, really? I had no experience in leisure travel. Business travel, military travel and going to see family — That is what I knew. Fun and free time intervals was not even a consideration.

After watching too many YouTube couples happily rolling along I felt like I was missing something. Our travels were not at all like the “wonder” people. So, forget the hype and really look at what you want out of your travels. Are you working on the road, traveling with small or teen children or are you retired and wanting to explore? All are great and different ways to enjoy your time. That is step one. Know what you want to achiee through your travels and your rig.

Now it is a conundrum. We are now retired. We have to learn we are not tied to a calendar and need of our talents but by what we want to do with our time. Problem? Yep, after 40 years of punching a clock it is a steep learning curve.

I had ideas I wanted to travel, learn new foods, have some freedom of movement – It is overwhelming. So what do you do? Learn to laugh a lot. Really. It has taken a long time of reading many books, articles, blogs and watching YouTube. This would give me more ideas that energized me and made me more clear on how and where we traveled.

The clairty of where you want to go how to go and what you wish to accomplish is so freeing. This clarity is letting the sunshine in. Yes, even on a stormy day, learning, working through challenges and just laughing are the keys to a successful journey.

Also realize that this will change with time and experience. I know I had no real idea of what could be accomplished, what we really needed and how to travel with our dogs. My growth and enjoyment in this way of traveling and possibly living is still changing. There have also been many Ah Ha moments. More truthfully “Duh” moments.

The Biggest things I have learned: 1-No rig is perfect, not one; 2-expect challenges; 3- Everything changes; 4- remember you are supposed to be enjoying the ride so laugh a lot and “let it go”. Happy travels. C45161F2-E658-4DF0-86B2-F2FB69E46900

Getting Ready And Staying Comfy

We have a 2019 Flying Cloud 27FB named CC3 (Canned Comfort #3). We have pulled 26,000 miles and CC3 has survived blizzards, heavy rains, gale force winds, below zero temperatures and zero visibility adventures! She is a tough little gal. We need to treat her well for keeping us warm, safe and dry.

She recently had her floor re-stretched, a wall re-laminated and strengthened. We had to get her ready for a new trip. She looked like new but because half of the interior was removed to do the repairs, I needed to clean all.

The dealership did do a clean-up but when I walked into the rig I started coughing. The cleanser they used was an off brand lemon/lime spray cleanser. It left sticky rings wherever the bottle was left. Not good. My hubby is terribly allergic to fragrances and has eczema.

While I was waiting to have her home, I was reading blogs and watching YouTube posts about boondocking and saving water. It dawned on me the information about saving water while showering or doing dishes reminded me of my childhood. I am soon to be 74 years young. Looking back on my childhood, as the oldest of 5 children, I had a lot of responsibilities including doing dishes, helping keep the house clean, herding young children and cooking. My mom worked during the summer season for the Del Monte cannery in San Jose, California.

When we did dishes it involved one pan for hot soapy water, one with clean water and the drying rack. We scraped the plates and pots and then ran water for the two pans. The old 1,2, and 3 steps sound familiar? We got the water using the cooler water out of the spigot first for rinsing, the warmer water for the soapy water. Hmmm. Yep we were practicing for camping without even knowing it.

We can use the cold water from the shower, caught in a clean bucket, turn off the spigot and save for later use. This is a great job for children. A game of who can save the most water helped with the 5-10 year olds but teenagers were not so keen on it. In those olden days we shampooed our hair from one pot of water saved and warmed to use. Wet your hair with two cups of water, then lather with Breck shampoo, warmish water to rinse; repeat one more time and you have clean hair.

Children think these water saving games are almost as good as the “Navy” showers timer. Yep, 3 minutes to get wet, then turn off the water and suds your body up then run water for 3 minutes to rinse off. That is why girls like to do the separate pan cleaning of the hair. My grand-daughter is so proud she can shower in the Airstream because she has mastered the Navy Shower. Her dad is a retired Marine and thinks this is marvelous. Her sister does 40 min hot showers.

It is remarkable that the old ways to help our supplies last are now in fashion for RV living. My parents survived the depression and World War II. I did not really think of the way we conserved our water and washed clothes was unusual.oThe big rigs that are completely self-contained and 28-42 feet long often now have washing machines and dryers. These are usually smaller than our residential units but still use water and electricity.

When you have a smaller rig like a travel trailer, class B – B+ or Class C-C+ there may not be room for a RV Washer/Dryer so it is laundromat time. Both ways we like to use our own detergent, softener, bleach, stain remover and if possible water pH corrector. Remember, water is heavy and lots of supplies add to our total available weight. I was excited to find a small washer/spinner that would fit in our shower and we have a fold-up drying rack we can use on the road! WIN WIN!

I dislike commercial laundromats and I feel uncomfortable using our friends or families supplies when we visit to wash our clothes. With my families allergies and eczema it is just easier to bring our own supplies. This is a challenge to take enough supplies without having too much weight and presume on our hosts.

I decided to show you what we use that is both hypo-allergenic, safe for the environment and decreases the amount water used and weight to store on board. I have a small basket that fits under the sink for dishes, all surfaces and floor products, another small basket with laundry products (4) and a small broom too.

Basket A is for washing dishes, cleaning all the surfaces in the ring and scour the cook top:

H2O Dish liquid – it has a very mild lavender or orange scent. I used to use Dawn and kept small bottles in the rig. It was very difficult and expensive. My hubby and I realized it was very difficult to rinse the Dawn off dishes. Used a lot of water to do dishes. The H2O Dish liquid used a dish sponge with drops of the cleanser to clean a good pan of dishes. Takes very little water to do the dishes. I use a clay product to clean difficult pans, stove and bugs off the Airstream. I use a smaller plastic squeeze bottle that is about 8 ounces volume. I can then squirt just a small amount on my dishrag and start washing dishes. My dish rag also has a rough side and a soft side. It suds well but rinses easily without the slick feeling. Using less water to rinse and less detergent to wash with is great all around.

I store this is a 5×10 inch plastice carrier with handle from the Dollar Store, cute and handy to take outside to wash under the trees.

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Basket B – Laundry stuff

I was introduced to H2O Home about 8 years ago by a great lady Monica Heines. 13 years ago we put together as small assortment of items to carefully, economiclly and environmentally keep our brand new 20 foot Airstream Flying Cloud clean, fresh smelling, safely cleaning the aluminum surfaces inside and out without scratching them. I use the dry powdered washing detergent for travel as it comes in small bags and you use maybe 15-30 ml of powder, a pH correcting ball filled with “magic” pellets and Eco-Boost to whiten and kill germs without bleach. These 3 items plus the “magic bar”, Netyphur bar to pre-treat stains (looks like a bar of soap). You wet the spot and apply bar of cleaner to area and then it can set until laundry time or you rinse when clear. Takes care of everything in any washer, no fragrance, no irritation and uses very little product! Great small package that solves a lot of problems on the road. The laundry detergent also comes in a liquid with a handy pump for dispensing. I like the powder when we travel.

All products fit in the same size little bucket as above.

Basket C- The rough stuff ( every surface and grimy pot/pan you have)

We are extremely sensitive to fragrances, and liquids that may irritate our skin. We also have 2 puppies. The aluminum scratches easily, either inside or outside. We do not use scouring pads on these areas. We also have cast iron and All Clad pots and pans and messy cooks. The gentle sponge to apply the cleaner rinses clean easily and goes back in a jar, I include the container, sponge and 3 chiffonets (special cleaning cloths) and a spray bottle of All Purpose Cleaner together in this small basket. I store these under the sink. Each has a handle and is a great small storage size.

These items are all I need to keep our rig clean, fresh and they protect the environment too. I have a link for more information on the items I review and use. Below is where you can find out more about these products. Happy Trails.

http://www.myh2oathome.com/MONICA/

We Have Passed Into Spring

Looking out the window at the ranch looks like spring. I speak with my friends across the nation and find snow, cold, windy and tornado weather. Hmmm I think I like it where I am. I look at the Facebook pages of various groups and all are readying their rigs for travel. Then I get to thinking of places I want to see and experience. Spring fever is here not just quite spring weather though.

I have almost finished my first attempt at writing a book for fellow travelers. I also realize that what’s in my head is very difficult to translate to paper. Luckily I have found friends who are writers that are teaching me how to write and re-write without fear.

What does all this have to do with my Airstream? She sits patiently waiting for another trip. CC3 has survived snow storms, gale force winds, rain and rutted country roads. She deserves a rest and TLC. I think of all the little things that make her our little home. She is a beauty in our eyes and we love her.

The Airstream blogs/groups share creative ideas and DYI talent. Little steps is a great way to start. Thinking the kitchen storage area needs help. I am not sure what to do. I know that online shopping is dangerous. Too many options. I have done a little decorating before but a bit overwhelmed. My youngest grand-daughter (9yrs of age) is always wanting to stay in the Airstream when we visit.

COVID-19 has given us a gift of time. Time to be with our friends and families in new ways. Time to see what we really want. Time to see what is important to our life. Taking a big breath of air and seeing what we have and what we need to make life more meaningful. But it sure is a challenge not to take off in our rig just to get out of our Shelter in Place rules. I want to stay healthy and want others to be healthy. Darn, well dreams, plans and enjoying today sure keep me busy. What about your days and dreams of getting on the road again, meeting new people and learning new things?

Well, we did go travel from ranch to home and found a beautiful change of scenary on the way. It was strange to drive highways with rare vehicles other than semi-trucks delivering things we need. We rested for awhile then had a request for help on the ranch. Off we went to the ranch.

The fun weather changes on the upper plains!

It was a learning ride from home to ranch. Every trip on the same highway is a different view. It was a quiet road and fresh views. The semi trailers were fast and zooming past but not problems. We stopped 30 miles north of our regular Hwy 70 turn off and visited a KOA we had stayed at before.

Our last stay was during winter. Quiet and few people with a beautiful view of the snow capped mountains out the window. This time the same mountain with no snow, a packed campground, lots of families and ATVs. It was quiet. The shelter in place seems to have exploded family travel in trailers. Hmmm not the quiet beauty as last time but still comfortable.

Leaving the Fillmore KOA gave us a beautiful ride around a big chunk of Hwy 70. The wide open spaces with ranches, livestock grazing on spring grass, lambs are so cute and all the babies are adorable. This is what makes travel so great. It is the journey that makes your travel so wonderful. Keep traveling and enjoying the newness of the old.

We Have So Much!

We are all Shelter in Place and feeling a bit of the road calling. I am like many of you and have to store our rig away from our home. It still doesn’t stop us from thinking about the travels ahead. Reading the blogs online showing how creative so many people are. It can be a place we can to to visit and do some preparations for the roads we shall travel. Watch the blogs and see what you can learn that may enhance your travels.

I am not blessed with the brilliance. I see in the creative posts of other travelers. It puts a smile on my face to see the colors, modifications and creative use of the inside of the Airstream.

Now I have time to complete my first small travel book for the roads less talked about. I am newly living in Southern Nevada and thought there was not a lot to do or see here but the Vegas strip. I was so wrong.

The Death Valley National Park is very large and and spans many landscapes. We all hear about the lower part of the park but that is just the beginning. As an example, Pahrump is a small jewel siting near one of the entrances to Death Valley. There are also very nice RV parks in the area, one fairly new. Wineries in the area too.

Let’s look at the places we can see when this is over and people we can meet. Safe travels and good adventures.