Dreams – 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.

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!

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.

Our Baby is Home

Finally we have our 26 footer and a beautiful tow vehicle! We had planned our first trip would be for our Thanksgiving celebration but instead it was in Davenport California Costanoa. Why? Because we were renovating our home for sale! But what a wonderful gift.

We needed to go back and forth from Davenport to our home everyday for clearing and cleaning and packing our stuff. It was at least 60 miles round trip each day. It sounds like a very long trek. It was and it wasn’t.

I have lived almost all my life near the ocean and Monterey Bay in particular. I had never really looked at the ocean or enjoyed its various changes throughout the day. But the drive each way at various times from early morning to late evening was a magnificent gift.

Our new baby made the stress and physical strain bearable. We had to clean her up but that was a work of joy. I used non-chemical cleansers that had little or no scent. She shined and sighed and even smiled. H2O home is what I have used on all our Airstreams and home. Airstreams are “green” so I have kept her clean the same way. Her linens, dishes and our clothes are also cleaned with H2O products. For traveling it is easy and economical and safe for us and our doggy.

We put our cooking utensils, clothing and food in our “tiny” home and were quite comfortable. We could sleep listening to the ocean waves and feel at home. We had beautiful views as we drove back and forth. Clean ocean air as we walked in the evening and early morning and have coffee looking out at the morning sky. It is a wow.

We lived in our tiny home working on our big home for over a week. In that time we really learned about what real needs were and letting go of stuff. It was an eye opener. I donated so many clothes I no longer wore, furniture we really did not like or need and helped a new SJPD officer fill his apartment with pots and pans, dishes, and a TV stand. We felt so blessed that what we did not need or want could help someone else.

I got to start cooking after a long recovery from an accident and the tiny kitchen was fantastic. The sights of the early morning fog, wave action and fishing boats were like tiny miracles I never really saw in my lifetime of living near it. We were also able to buy fresh caught fish that was so very tasty and healthy! What fun to live like a tourist in our own back yard.

A really great part was on our very last morning at Costanoa KOA we happened on the new owners of our very first Airstream! We couldn’t believe it and we all hugged and cried. They live nearby also and happened on an overnight fun trip just to relax. They have traveled often and “Cynthia” as she is named is loving it. We also found out they love utilizing Harvest Host through out Central California, Washington and Oregon. They have found many wineries and farms that allowed them to stay over night at no cost. It is a great organization and we are going to use it ourselves. Wonderful things happen on our journeys and we are so thankful to be able to travel comfortably and meet so many new friends.

Next going to Las Vegas to remodel another home and then travel for the Thanksgiving vacation to Colorado! We are such lucky ducks.

It Took Awhile!

Twelve months had passed since our maiden voyage! We wanted to really travel with our new rolling home (20 ft Flying Cloud) but life gets in the way. Wait, I thought escape was the reason behind our investment! hmmmm

Our choice of our “rig” was guided by the capability of our little Sportrac’s tow power. We really did not know what we were looking for or how we would really utilize this trailer. It had not occurred to us what trailer travel was all about. We saw commercials and we thought wow what an adventure. We would use our own linens, our doggies could go too, we could dine and relax in our own “home” while on the road. Sounds great! We’re in!

We visited many dealerships around not only in California but also Nevada . It surprised me in the feel, decor and sneezes we encountered. Yep, I am allergic to the world! Of course the price ranges were wild! We had not even considered previously owned trailers either! We compared the RV to the trailers to the vans, C class, A Class etc, etc. A whole new world.

I really did not want a trailer after all the looking until my hubby took me to an Airstream dealership! I did not sneeze, it was well thought out, clean lines inside and out and it did not have a formaldehyde odor! It also had a light, bright kitchen area that had enough room for me to cook. The really crowning touch was the FULL bathroom! Yep the bathroom and kitchen sold the silver toaster for us! So we took the very expensive plunge.

In December 2009 we went to Moro Bay and stayed at the Moro Bay Dunes RV park. We were fully packed for any contingency and then some. We only had one little doggie then and he is a traveler! We had heard nothing but great things about this park and location. Funny we live by Monterey Bay and now we are traveling to Morro Bay! We plan our trips like we planned mission movement in the military! We flunked the civilian side this time we were late by 30 minutes of our departure time. We also learned how to properly stabilize our hitch.

Off we go! We stop in Soledad, California 2 hours into our adventure for coffee and doggie piddle. We arrive at 2:00 pm at the park and are guided to our site. We were relieved to see we are in a quiet spot with few campers on our court. Did I say quiet!? As the weekenders began to arrive the noise level kept rising and children on bikes and trikes began roaming the area. We realized our court had one of the few gates to the beach across a paved road! Too many people but the view from the kitchen is a wow! Outer Banks Trip 110

The first night is almost completely dark, small slice of the moon, we take a short walk on the dunes and listened to the beauty of the surf and sounds! We did not stay around the camp ground like photos in articles show but we did get a quiet spot to enhance our learning curve. We do know now that we should do a little more homework about where we want to stay and what our style of travel is.

This is a great base camp point for short drives to Pismo Beach and San Lluis Obispo. There is also a lot of surf fishing too! The camp hosts were great and we shall return.

The Silver Suite

A Dream Come True!

To say we had fun is an understatement! After a very busy work week we landed in heaven! Our first overnight at our favorite winery and ranch. Six Sigma farm to table dinner and overnight camping.

We just got our Airstream road ready for the Yellowstone adventure with family and needed an excuse for a “shakedown” cruise. Six Sigma here we come. We also invited friends who live in the area to share a meal with us while we where in the area.

After battling, unholy traffic we bumpty bumped into the ranch. We arrived as the crew was setting up for the dinner venue. This is our first farm to table event. Kaj Ahlman, the “father” of this wonderful, multifaceted family enterprise, guided us to our spot! It was a cleared area with generous room to park our rolling home. There are no hook ups, we came with our water tanks full and solar panels on our roof. It was an easy fit.

We expanded our awning, set the stabilizers, and made ourselves comfortable. We had a gas firepit so no sparks or chance for potential fires, our grass pad was a new acquisition and rolled out beautifully. The dogs had their own fenced pen to relax in after a nice walk. We then got ready for dinner.

Wow the place was filling with lots of happy people sipping wine and reviewing a menu that included Six Sigma lamb and local fruits and vegetables paired with wonderful Six Sigma wine! Christian Ahlman, Judy, Matt the winemaker and Kaj et al made the evening fantastic. People enjoyed seeing our well behaved pups roaming about with us and marveling about our silver coach awaiting our end of evening relaxation.

As all the hustle and bustle of the evening wound down the beauty of natures quiet overtook us. We could even hear the small creek running by us. The weather was perfect, a slight breeze with the sound of the wind in the tall trees made everything very relaxing. We slept with all curtains open, windows slightly ajar and the breeze just right. We could see the stars in the night sky. This is camping! This is living, this is why we love our silver baby. The dogs were comfortable, we were experiencing our dream for the very first time. Alone, not in a crowded campground, even the national parks have too many people, generators and noises all the time!

ranch house tasting room — Just before lights out at the end of the day.

The morning was sweet, ranchers and work hands drove by, no real noise, no disruption, cyclists going by, all surprised by the silver thing in the woods. Our friends came by for a relaxing brunch and then off to the real world.

We did find I had forgotten to re-stock all we had taken out for the maintenance to be done so that was goofy. Everything worked, yeah Bay Area Airstream for the great job. This little sojourn was so much more relaxing than any of our other excursions ever! Ohhhhh how enjoyable! This is what we were trying to find. Now we know where to find it.