Rough Take Off and Landing

Special Note: Blog posting failure. Apparently, public wifi here is not strong enough to post text or photos on the blog. We have enlisted the help of my son, Aaron, to post the emails that we will send him.

Back to the blog.

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT FROM CAMP WEBEGONE

Weekly high: 73.9

Low: 43.2

Wind gust: 4.3

Rain: 0”

Humidity has been about 80 percent.

NEWS FROM LAKE WEBEGONE (apologies to Garrison Keillor)

So, leaving Portland at 5pm in rush hour traffic while pulling a trailer. Our progress was a bit slow, to say the least. Stopped at The All American for food, and it lived up to its name. Bleh. But it was easy to find a parking place there, and that's become an important issue, what with the rig. Currently developing a new skill to scope out where we can go. (There was a near-disaster on the second day when we stopped for a bathroom break at an Arby's and Rich erroneously tried to pull around the take-out line. Close call on that one.)

The first time you do anything it takes 3x as long as planned. Looking back, we probably should have started prepping everything and loading the trailer two days earlier, as the initial take off time was 3 hours after we planned. Not to mention, several things got left in the dust and several things that we packed (we think) have not emerged from the chaos of our trailer.

“Rich, did you pack the gigantic package of paper towels?”

“Do we have the solar lights?”

“Oops, only brought a small bottle of olive oil.” That, when we use olive oil daily instead of butter.

And so on.

BLACK AND BLUE, BUT WE'VE ARRIVED

Rich bashed his thumb lifting up the stairs to the trailer, and on Friday, Cheryl wiped out

Geriatric Gypsies

on her new bike that is designed for someone at least two inches taller, adding another gash to accompany all the others on her left knee.

But we're here.

We arrive at our camp host site and someone is camping there, so our day for landing is delayed. That's meant we are still in process of finding, stowing, and setting up. But, our guest spot for the evening was a riverside site, which was gorgeous. Our host site is away from the river, so this was a very nice bonus.

SPECIAL NOTE FROM RICH: I would say we are happy, as all of the above was just part of the process. When I returned from Haiti (or was it just before I left?), Sue Liss gave me a diary with the saying “We find our way one step at a time.” That has been a mantra for us, these past several months. And we are holding to it, as we move forwards on this journey.

It's the weight stupid

Part of the learning curve for Rving.  When we looked at our new trailer I was impressed with the amount of storage available..  As we prepare for our first long adventure and load the trailer and truck we now are aware that the volume of storage access is not the problem.  It is the placement and amount of weight.  Now it is somewhat like reducing gluten or salt in your diet, you start reading labels with a different eye.   How much does it weigh?  Do I put it in the trailer or truck?  How does it balance front to back side to side.  Tongue weight now has a new importance.  There are lots of blogs out there and as we get further into the process some things start to make more sense.


How things change.Ten years ago we would not be carrying nearly 50 lbs of technology puters, nooks, cameras or calculating how much they weigh.  One of these blogs we will examine the  comparison of a typical wagon train weight to what we are taking.  And we don't have to have a three month supply of flour sugar and beans!

And it does not take long to have a "ton of stuff"  literally.

Stay tuned as we near weigh in time.

Bit By Bit The Bird Builds Its Nest - Haitian saying

Bit by bit Rich and Cheryl get ready for their summer adventure.

                                                         Piti piti swazo fe nich

 

Rephrase: What was I thinking? Working and getting ready for a four month camping trip! There isn't enough time in a day. But a little purchase here, a little purchase there, organize a few meal plans, network ideas with others and I think when the leave day arrives we'll be ready. Mostly, the two weeks before we leave I won't be working so will focus on getting ready; clothing, toiletries, gathering my sanity, organizing three weeks worth of meals. Yikes! I told Rich that was a lot of spaghetti for lunch and dinner (a small joke).

Photo credit link:

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Scream-22521151

Cheryl

Rich, Cheryl and Mimi travel to the Oregon coast during spring break

 Rich standing at the back of our campsite in Pacific City.

That is the ocean in the background.

This was our second travel trailer adventure.

This time around we wanted to see how much storage space we will have available and get a sense of how much we can store in the trailer and in the truck while we are out in the wilds for three months. Bottom line, it is doable with planning and organization, we think!

One decision I made, is that we will leave Mimi, our cat at home with the house sitter.

She is a most unhappy camper.

One of the best parts of camping

for me is unexpected sightings of wild life.There are exceptions. Mosquitoes. Camp robber jays. Ground squirrels that jump in your lap.

 

As we prepared to leave the campsite it rained, it poured, it rained, and it poured some more. Guess who forget a raincoat?

I love this picture of bag man Rich!

Notice the two phones recharging.

An ode to the 21 century.

 At some point, I'll have Rich take a photo or two of me to include in the blog. Cheryl

natural Bridge here we come

We are definitely in for Natural Bridge June through labor day!!!  3 months away.

natural Bridge is between Prospect and Union Creek.  25 miles from Crater Lake.  A gorgeous place we are excited to be going.

Considering trying a electric fence for mimi.  You lay it out and she wears a collar that beeps when she gets close and gives a mild shock if she gets to close.  You place flags at the point where she would be beeped as a visual.  We will have to do a couple weeks training but worth the effort.  Our Host camp site is a good distance from other spots and quite large.   

February thoughts worries and considerations

Geriatric that I am it has taken me days to figure out remember and execute a new blog.  You can teach old dogs new tricks but have to be patient.

Every day there are thoughts about our summer and what we need to  organize for three months of trailer life.  Odds and ends of things like purchasing a bigger tent, a small propane tank with a tree on it that we can run a lamp and outside stove, do we buy a new canopy with mosquito netting or try to attach netting to one we already have, etc...

Trailer stuff like are my batteries getting weak?  How to check that out or is it a problem with the converter that manages the charging?  Do I get a foot for the front jack?  It has a wheel but would it be better to have a foot when sitting for long times?  No leaks in the winter snow rains !!  What quantity of food does our fridge and freezer manage? 

having seen the camp spot I get excited about living there.  It is gorgeous and so close to some much to see. We are considering a Shakespeare play for my birthday and a motel night with a real shower.  And where are the laundromat?     Question question.....

And a constant worry/wonder is how will Mimi our cat adjust?  Can we keep her in the trailer (seems unlikely and how do we contain her??  She gets freaked out by strangers and we will have strangers on a daily basis.

What happens with my house for the summer?  Some options out there but nothing solid.

Thinking into 2015 has even more unknowns.... I have been going through my hoard of memory boxes jettisoning letters and records and old class notes and accumulated stuff of my life.  Triggering lots of memories of friends and times.  What a rich life I have lead...

March is just around the corner, in some ways it feels the leaving time is immanent.  It feels a bit life being on a river float. times of quiet water, some ripples and maybe a rapid or two ahead then out onto a calm lake where we lay back in the boat enjoy the sun go at a slower pace.

We have realized this adventure has brought a feeling of youth to our lives.  It has a juxtaposition of realizing our limitations.  Some things we can't do or choose not to do, but at the same time being forced to learn new things and look forward to unknowns.  I dare say it has enlivened us and fun for us to create something together as we have led our parallel lives in comfort but not created together..

Stay tuned.  Rich  

The Plan

Crescent Moon Portland OR

Rich and I are still developing the timeline for our grand camp-hosting adventure, but we wanted to share our thoughts so far. Tentatively, our plans are to do a short trial run of it in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in preparation for our year-long journey in 2016 or 2017.

On a more personal note, Rich will continue teaching at the Oregon School of Massage. Cheryl will continue her private bodywork practice. We will continue living in Portland.

THE TIMELINE OF OUR JOURNEY

Summer of 2014 – We hope to receive the nod of approval for campground hosting at Natural Bridge Campground in Southern Oregon. Will keep y’all posted. Then in September, we will return to our home in Portland and resume our normal lives.

2015 – Beginning in the summer of 2015, campground host at an unknown location.

2016 – Most likely, campground host at an unknown location for the summer and then begin a year long adventure of travel across the USA. There is an element of whimsy here, the year long adventure may begin in the fall of 2017.

If you have questions or advice, pop us an email......or call.

Cheryl