Aussies – Canned Comfort

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.

More Challenges!

We came back from a 12 day cruise, after the COVID shut down we can now move around the world, kinda. This cruise was planned 3 years ago. It was a beautiful itinerary that kept changing as time passed. Wow, how to be flexible. We did learn so much about history as well as how age does effect your travel-abilities. I know that my mind doesn’t know how old I am. My bones do. But, our minds can be healthy and still adapt and learn. That was the exciting part.

We had so many hoops to jump through. Vaccines, antigen testing, re-testing and passports, excursions were cancelled, new ones made and flexibility was a must. We did see so many wonderful places, learned unknown, to us, history and even the rain and cold did not slow us down.

This was a way for us to see a world we had not experienced before. Well we have sailed on 5 night cruises, Trafalgar Tours of Europe and of course driving and pulling our Airstream CC!

As our physical abilities have changed, we changed. Due to health issues we had to go from a towable to a small class C. For me the challenge is learning to love the new way as much as I had our Airstream. Our Leisure Travel Van Unity FX to be precise. The Unity is smaller than our 27 ft Airstream. The Leisure Travel Van is 25ft total. It really is a physical and emotional shift. Funny how we connect to our vehicles and how we feel while we are in them.

We had promised ourselves that we would not drive more than 4 hours a day during our travels. Well we drove 10-11 hours. The dogs were not comfortable. We did stop every couple of hours for them to relieve themselves. We even stopped for lunch and ate in our coach after walking the dogs. This was a family event trip. We had time frames to be in different cities to see family and be home for my hubby’s work schedule.

Hopefully, this will be the last time this happens to us. A challenge to work through. I have made a list of goals for our future travels. Not on a ship but our little motorhome. We still have not been able to agree on a name that would reflect her personality and our feelings about her.

Here are a few of my goals: 1) learn healthy meal planning that will take advantage of the plates we travel through and keep a budget. Good health and new flavors are a challenge; 2) Use the tools we have to plan how to take advantage of boon docking, Harvest Hosts and with some full hookups interspersed; 3) Develope a financial stream to help augment our goals and dreams while on the road.

Do you have travel dreams/goals? Please share your goals/dreams of how you are looking to solve the puzzles. Happy Travels.

Write a comment and let me know what you think about and would like to hear more about.

Keep traveling, be healthy and enjoy your world.

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.

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!

Starting over! A new adventure a new path!

Almost a year ago we sold our very first Airstream. She was a 20 ft Flying Cloud and a sweet home on wheels for our 2 miniature Australian Shepherds, me and my hubby. We do plan to get another gem and then see all the 49 landed states (Hawaii to far for a swim!). We now realize we feel so stranded as we only have vehicles, one doggie and have to use hotels!

This will be the beginning of our new movements, cooking, cleaning and enjoying our new world! We are leaving California, my family roots go back to a Spanish sea captain and a native California indian woman whose marriage was noted in the Mission San Diego registry (1759). I love the central coast climate, the sound of the ocean but now so does everyone else! Its time to see the rest of this great nation too.

I love the green-ness, clean lines, efficiency of the Flying Cloud we are planning on getting in the fall of this year. I am thinking of how I want to keep her clean, stay “green”, keep our foot print light and cook up a storm as we travel about. Before I wrote about our travels as new owners and very small geography covered. We were working and had family responsibilities that limited time and miles traveled. We are now retired and free to stretch our horizons leisurely, no military orders or other career restraints.

I am reviewing our re-start with a new gleam in my eyes and eagerness to photograph our best thoughts on keeping our forever Airstream as pristine as our first one. Just this time we will have more room and one less doggie. We lost our first doggie 6 weeks ago now his sister will be at the helm. The Airstream is made for our little family and really is a dream come true.

I look forward to sharing thoughts about our little travels for the next few months in an SUV and our preparations for our new gal. Travel up to Six Sigma Winery and Ranch if you are near Lake County California and stay overnight at no cost! Its beautiful and the wines are even better.

Happy travels and happy tummy!