Trip planning to maintain sanity

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.

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!

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

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.

And So It Goes. . . .

The current situation in our world is something to ponder. It will bring out the best or worst in mankind. Luckily the majority of what I am seeing and experiencing is the best. As the year for me started badly. Today I see that that social distancing and less work, travel and increased fear.

As I look around where I have been in our little rolling home, where I would love to be and adventures that may come, I am lucky. I have my health, loving family and my freedom.

I love this chance to look to the future, learn from the past and enjoy the moment.

This is a picture that belies many things. Is it light in the storm? A warning of a storm? The quiet time before the spring brings new life, more activities in your life, and the rush to keep all going well?

As I review Airstream blogs of what people are doing to prep for new adventures I start dreaming. The message appears to show how to take a positive advantage of time. Cleaning is not really addressed but great ideas of decorating, brightening and updating Airstreams are.

Take advantage of the good we can accomplish today, prep for tomorrow and hope springs eternal.

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.

The End Is The Beginning

Here it is then end of a decade! A new decade begins and excitement is in the air!

We have spent most of our time this year handling health issues and family needs. We traveled back and forth to Colorado and California as well as Idaho. We learned that one of the joys of all the challenges was the beauty we found in our ordinary travels.

If you have ever traveled between Las Vegas Valley and Central California you know that parts of this path is “beautiful” – wellll. We learned that taking a back road or alternate route opened our eyes to very beautiful seasonal changes that we have missed by not looking. Traveling with our Airstream allows us to stop and smell the roses! We learned to stop when tired at beautiful, clean rest tops that are free and available to all. We can rest in our own “home” and wake to wonderous sunrises sipping our fresh made coffee preparing safely to continue our travels.

We did not realize the help that is out there to help us to have safe travels. The ability to find gas stations or rest stops or historic spots – there is an app! We utilized the Apps this winter between Southern Nevada to Colorado and from Southern Nevada to Idaho. Fantastic finds in out of the way places when we urgently needed gas, a rest spot and a new look at our routes.

A Christmas look at the KOA in San Antonio! It says it all!

Be thankful for this past year and look forward to a healthy, happy and bountiful new year!

(a little note – we will have a new small traveling cookbook available after the first of the year!)

Let’s Look Back at Our Winter 2018

Best plans for starting at the beginning were changed by a rush of plans and invitations to go visit family and friends! img_1037-1

We put 15,000 miles on our new coach in 3 months! I used the H2O liquid cleaner to quickly wipe down the dust and accumulation of the new rig. There were labels all over the inside stating “no abrasives or cleansers”. Cleaning was quick and easy and we then quickly stored everything from the 20 ft FC and prepped for winter travel!

Well, as often happens, on our way to Colorado our water pump had stopped working. We had just had it repaired from a short trip to California and had picked up the rig at the dealership on our way out of time. Luckily we found a dealership in southern Colorado that refreshed the pump for us at no charge!!! What luck.

We soon learned we were not at all prepared for our trip. Yes we had food, winter clothing, doggie supplies etc. We had too much stuff. We really had not really learned much from our last 12 years of travel. This was a longer travel through new roads and byways. We just rushed to get needed repairs for damages made on the maiden voyage from California to our new home in Henderson, Nevada.

My hubby tried to back up our rig into the court we had lived in and introduced our back aluminum panels to the street sign!!! Our new rig needed two weeks of repair! Ouch, ouch, ouch!

The repairs finished just as we had to leave on our 3 week trip!!! Not a great way to start. Grumpy, short tempered, rushed and hopeful that we were prepared! What another adventure we were to have.

We forgot that there was less daylight and lots of semi-trucks zooming along eastbound Hwy 10! Thank God we had a new tow vehicle and the rig was in one wonderful piece. We finally got to our destination KOA in NEW MEXICO! Rolled in at 1:00 am and rolled out at 8:00 am! Not a way to start.

Day two began with sunlight, 46 degrees and a wonderful hot cup of coffee! After taking the dog for a walk we realized why we have our coach! We had a cozy, comfy sleep in our own bed. We did not have to check-into a hotel, lug stuff in and out of our vehicle. We just parked, hooked up the electric and went to bed!

The next part of the trip was rushed, as we were afraid of the snow possibly falling too soon. The great part was the vistas we enjoyed, the road conditions and we had our own good hot food and could stop to walk about to stretch.

After staying at another KOA in southern Colorado, quite nice too. We arrived at the ranch and enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Of course we had an electrical panel problem we tried to repair but all dealerships were closed. We were able to make it home and to the dealership without problems! Thank goodness my son is mechanically inclined and helped out!

Whew home, safe rested and the rig is getting repaired! Still on warranty too! What luck

Hopefully before our next outing in one week we can review the cleaning and updating of our new rig. Happy travels.

The Long Road to Smiles!

After more than 15,000 miles in 4 weeks we realize every turn shows us many new vistas? Our new 26-U Airstream Flying Cloud is being pulled by our 2018 Ford Expedition! My husband had to have this new comfortable “truck” as they are our forever dream. I know our doggie was very happy with her posh back seat all to herself also.

Our first adventure was our roundtrip Thanksgiving loop to Colorado. The last time we drove over Interstate Highway 70 in our old true blue Explorer. We went up through beautiful mountains, deep valleys and truly magnificent canyons. We just knew that our next trip would be even more spectacular because our home was coming with us. The big difference in trips was the snow and steep climbs made us rethink traversing the Rockies with all new equipment on this first big winter trip. So we chose south on Highway 10 then up to Colorado through Arizona, New Mexico and a tiny piece of Texas with 3 days “camping” at the ranch.

We learned a lot about having a tiny home following us wherever we went and also learned how different 12 years makes in Airstream innovations. We grew from a 20 foot cute cozy Flying Cloud to a 26 foot little home. We have a big girl refrigerator and freezer that more than acomodated our needs. Of course I had to over prepare because we were not sure how things would go.

We did not realize that this Airstream did not have a water filter. Our 20 footer did. I did do prep work for making soups etc quickly as we went. We were only staying overnight as we went.

We planned on leaving about 10 in the morning but left at 5:30 pm because our Airstreams pre-flight repairs and adjustments were not ready as promised. This put us way behind. We promised ourselves no more driving through the night to rush anywhere. Well that did not happen. We arrived at our first stop at Gila Bend KOA Arizona. I thought we were lost in the Mexican dessert as there were few to no lights on the highway and we had never driven on this highway before, not even in the daytime. Oh yeah, I think this highway is owned by truckers, great big 52 feet long semi’s that swoosh by you and we felt like ants.

The KOA at Gila Bend was very clean, well maintained and we got a pull through! We were cozy and it was so easy to shower, have coffee, walk the dog and make my morning shake. We prepped for our lunch on the way, made sure we refilled our water bottles and off we went. I would recommend Gila Bend to people going that way as people were very nice, courteous and we felt safe there. I was happy that we got to witness the Air Force flying their wings in the morning sun! What a thrill. We had doggie snacks and water cup for Kona our 9 year old mini Aussie and our protien bars, Fit Chews and Fizz sticks to keep us alert, hydrated and energized.

Looking forward to seeing where we are going this days ride!