Touching Arizona Soil

No matter where I go, there I am.

I’m happy to report that our previous pattern of leaving a little earlier each morning didn’t continue on into Friday.  Friday we left about the same time we pulled out on Wednesday.  That was the good news.  Well, not the only good news.  The other good news was that we did step on Arizona soil even though we haven’t really left California yet.

This was our neighbor in Barstow.  He had 4 ATVs he carried on this trailer.  We have seen a ton of ATVs being hauled south.  I wonder where they all go.

As we traveled on from Barstow towards Needles, I knew exactly what to expect.  Now it wasn’t that we had been this route before.  We hadn’t been past Barstow on I40.  However, I had read the Western Mountain book so I knew it was a snap.  HA!  That’s what I thought.  It was a good road and the countryside was definitely high desert terrain.  Remember the song, Everything is beautiful in it’s own way?  Well, this was actually beautiful in it’s own way too.  It was definitely different than where we had spent the summer though … definitely. 

Comparison between Washington and this part of California.

However, the mountain book forgot to mention that this road is almost a constant climb.  It may be gradual at times but it felt like we were always climbing.  Then, there were times when we weren’t climbing that we were going down for miles and miles.  Add a little wind to all those ups and downs, I can vouch for the fact that even though the distance was short, it still seemed like a long day of travel.  We have talked to many who much prefer this route over the I5 and the Grapevine.  The Grapevine has a lot more traffic but when it’s over, it’s over.  I guess it’s to each their own.  Next time we travel between Washington and Arizonia via California, we will probably return to our old standard and travel over the Grapevine.

Beautiful Casino at Laughlin.

We arrived at the Needles Elks a little after noon.  Only two of their RV sites were full.  We weren’t worried that they might be full because we also knew they had a large lot that would accommodate us if they were.  After setting up, we unhitched the trailer and headed two miles north to the Arizona border!  Whoopee.  We made Arizona even though we didn’t spend the night there.  However, since we still had quite a few daylight hours left, we were able to check out another RV park that caters to quads and also look around a little in Laughlin, Nevada, 20 miles north.  Had we not decided to make Friday a short travel day we would have had to stay another night in order to accomplish this.  We also filled up the car with gas in Arizona.  It’s certainly less expensive there than in California.

Because we were still in a high elevation, the morning had been quite cool.  The afternoon in Needles definitely wasn’t cool.  We even had our air conditioner on.  

Another view of Laughlin on the Colorado River.  Many RVs were parked in the casino lots.

What is Saturday going to bring?  Well, your guess is as good as mine at this point.  Where do you think we will be?  We could stop over in Quartzsite.  We're thinking that might be an option.   Or, we could bite the bullet and go an additional 270 miles finishing up at our final destination in Gold Canyon ..... our destination at least for a while.

I don't have a clue what Saturday will bring.

Tehachapi is Behind Us --- More Traffic, Stalls, Construction

"I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once."

I left off on my update Wednesday night or was it Thursday morning.  Obviously, we have a few travel days still in our future but we are getting closer to the destination.  We pulled out a little earlier Thursday than we did Wednesday.  Wednesday we pulled out a little earlier than we did Tuesday.  I hope that isn’t setting a pattern.

 

We were still on I5 when we pulled out of our overnight park Thursday morning.  When we went to bed the night before we had definitely decided that Thursday would be a measly 170 miles landing us at the Orange Grove RV Park east of Bakersfield..   This is what happened.

Knowing that Highway 58 was the one we needed to be on, we exited I5 heading towards Bakersfield at the sign for that road.  I’m amazed that there isn’t a 4-lane straight highway between I5 and Bakersfield. This was a two-lane road that turns left and turns right and eventually drops you about 25 miles later on another freeway, Highway 99.  We made that just fine knowing in about 2 miles we would be exiting to follow 58 all the way to just about Barstow.  The exit off of the freeway was a 2-lane exit around a curve and up a hill. 

We didn’t make that exit as planned!  Oh, sure we got off but right in the middle of curve while going uphill, my car engine DIED!  It went DEAD and all the lights came on!!  It took me a few seconds to figure out I needed to get over to the shoulder while the vehicle still had a little momentum.  Actually, I wasn’t the one that made that decision.  I panicked.  There was a lot of other traffic that came off the freeway right behind us!!  However, we do have little walkie talkies and that was Terry’s suggestion  --- Get off to the shoulder if you can!!  You should have seen all those semi-trucks trying to get around the motorhome on the curve!  Believe me … it wasn’t a pretty sight with me and the trailer halfway in the road on the curve and Big Brother right behind still in the lane.  No, it wasn't a pretty sight at all. 

Where’s Coach-net when you need them?  Actually, we were thankful we didn’t need them.  We think it might have been a vapor lock or something like that. The car started up for Terry about a minute or two later and that was about it.    It seemed we were there forever but it was only a few minutes.  Obviously, this is going into the shop and getting taken care of as soon as we can.

I bet you can imagine how I felt about driving the Jeep and pulling the trailer up the huge climb at Tehachapi.   That’s no sissy mountain, you know.  It’s a biggie!  

We were trying to decide what to do and thought maybe we should just spend the night in Bakersfield and get it fixed the next day.  I still had the Orange Grove RV Park in the GPS.  We drove by it and stopped in front for a minute or two.  Okay, so we actually checked it out.  Now I can say been there, done that .... and we decided we were going on.  I wanted to get Tehachapi behind me.  I knew if we didn’t, I wouldn’t sleep at all that night so back on the freeway we went.

The climb was uneventful and I was once again a white knuckle driver but was also very relieved when it was finally behind us.  However, no sooner had we reached the top that we got stuck in a lineup of vehicles.  Two lanes went into one and the traffic was lined up for miles and miles.  By the time we got down to the working area, we were amazed to see there wasn’t any work but just cones and a couple trucks.  For well over a hour we creeped along.  It took us that long to move about 4 miles down the road.

 

We stopped in Barstow at the Desert Rat RV Park -- 308 miles from where we started that morning.  It was a long day and we were beat. It was also another RV park.  I had called for availability 45 miles down the road.  At that time there was one spot left.  It took us an  hour and 45 minutes to get there with the construction.  Thank goodness the spot was still available. 

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At this point I don’t even want to tell you what our plans for Friday might be.  We have an idea but the ideas so far haven’t worked out as planned.  I can tell you that we will know on Saturday what we did on Friday.  That's the best I can promise.

Eek! A Broken Motorhome Windshield!

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.

By the time we pulled out of the Yreka RV Park on Wednesday morning, we noticed the grass was crunchy.  The temperature had dipped to 27 degrees overnight.  The good part was that we knew this would probably be the last we would see of the cold weather for quite some time.  We were certainly happy to get Mt. Ashland behind us but since our over-night stay was still at an elevation of about 3400 feet in the Siskiyou's, we also knew we weren’t off the mountains yet.

Remember my policy of one worry a day?  I did discover sometimes it’s impossible to only have one worry a day. Thus, I’ve decided to amend my original thought on that to one worry at a time. This is why I had to change it.  First I worried about the mountain grades, then I worried about the Sacramento traffic and now I’m worrying about the Tehachapi mountain.  At least I’m keeping the worries in order.  As soon as I toss one worry out, I’ll concentrate on the next one. However, once in a while a little kink gets thrown into that such as the flashing highway sign south of Stockton that warned RVs and autos pulling trailers about the high wind gusts currently in the area. I had to reorganize my worries in a hurry.  Ugh!

The highway between Sacramento and Stockton desperately needs to be repaired. It’s about the roughest freeway we’ve ever been on. I kept checking back through my rear view window to be sure the quad hadn’t bounced right off the trailer. There’s so much highway construction everywhere but they could certainly use it in that area.  I didn't realize I could hold on to a steering wheel so tight.  With the bad roads and all the traffic,  my knuckles were turning white.  My fear was having to change lanes pulling that trailer.  However, I did know that Big Brother was right behind me and if necessary, he'd clear a lane for me.  That certainly did help.

With so many changes to our planned schedule on the first day of our travel south, we thought we had to start over again to plan the rest of it. We didn’t though. We just skipped the day in the middle and instead of stopping on night #3 in the Los Banos / Santa Nella area, we planned it to stop there on night #2. What we hadn’t decided was whether it would be the big lot at the TA Plaza or at the Santa Nella RV Park.  By the time we filled up with fuel at the TA there, we had already made up our mind it was going to be the RV park with full hookups. Our routine normally is not stopping at full hookup parks but Wal-marts and truck stops.  I think we’re getting spoiled.

<----- I really wanted to do the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield but I’m guessing we’ll travel on by it.  Who knows.

We have about 460 miles left to arrive at the Needles Elks.  We  plan to stay there a couple nights giving us a chance to check out another RV park and Laughlin.  At this moment in time we think we’ll probably divide those miles into two days.  We could get the worry of Tehachapi behind us (really just behind me)  or we could travel about 170 miles on Thursday staying at the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield before going on into Needles Friday.  We could do several things.  I just hope it's an uneventful travel day.   Actually, even I’m wondering what we’ll do.  Stop back and find out.  We're going to be stopping back to find out what we did too.

One thing we do know is that we’d like to travel through Phoenix on Sunday.  Sundays are usually good days to travel through large cities.  At least we don’t get stuck in work traffic.  Besides thanks to the California highway system we now have a motorhome windshield to replace ($$$$).  The sooner we get there, the sooner we can have it taken care of.

Finally – The RV Migration South

Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.

For the same reason birds want to  leave the northern states in the winter months, so did we.  During the winter it’s cold up north and supposed to be nice and warm in the south.  We had already started to feel the dampness and coolness in the air.  The leaves were turning and we knew it was time to get out there.  So we finally did.  Normally we pulled out of Washington State in the first few days of October.  However, we had a lot of unfinished business.   Besides, we’ve had so much fun with both kids and their families this year that it’s been a little harder to leave.  Now it’s almost the first of November!!!

Our trailer was ready and so was everything else …. we hoped.  The only thing left to do was program the GPS.  Our trip is always planned using Microsoft Streets and Trips.   I have all the Wal-Marts, Flying J’s, Pilots, Loves, rest stops, Elks and every place else we might want to stop with markers.  However, not so sure why I’m always surprised that we don’t stick to our route.  We never seem to.  We sometimes stop earlier but normally stop later.  At least we thought we had a general idea of what the plan was. 

Snowbirds in Cactusland by Steven Morath  ----->

(purchase print here)

The first intended stop was only

20 miles down the road.  We definitely needed to dump and that was where we were heading first -- the Clackamette County RV Park which was 20 miles south from where we were parked.    Check out the satellite view of this park.  What a gorgeous setting and so close to the Portland area.  Maybe next year we’ll really stay there … maybe.

Do I really need to tell you we bypassed that park and didn’t dump?  We also bypassed the alternative dump location in Salem.  Farther down the road we stopped at Love’s.  That wasn’t even included in our trip planning.  Oh well .. it worked and that’s what counts most.   Tuesday was intended to be a short day with only 216 miles traveled and stopping at the Seven Feathers Casino.  So much for planning because that didn’t happen either.

< -- Clackamette RV Park

We had also agreed that since we wanted to stop and walk Duchess every few hours that we would make these walks at truck stops topping off each rig every couple hundred miles.   Remember we’re driving the motorhome and the Jeep pulling a trailer.  Again, so much for planning.  At one point old habits creeped in.  As Terry was filling up the motorhome I pulled my vehicle AND the attached trailer out of the way … and front first into a parking spot.  I had forgot about the trailer on the back until I got out.  Oops.  I am learning to back up but I’m really, really bad.

Since we kept on going right past the intended casino, we weren’t sure how far along we would get. It was still daylight and we weren’t really ready to stop at 2:30 in the afternoon.  We had also discovered a taillight was out in the motorhome so we were also sure we didn’t want to drive after dark.

One thing we did want to get behind us were some of the mountain grades around Roseburg and Grants Pass.  Those grades are like a yo-yo.  It’s a 6% grade up and down but the grades are short.  The biggest grade on I-5 is the one at Mt. Ashland which is almost right at the Oregon-California border.  The climb is steep and seems to go on and on for miles.  Well, it does go on and on for miles up to an elevation of 4,310.  Then, it goes down and down for miles.  The closer we got to this grade, the more we wanted to get it behind us.  We did.  There were lots of Snow Zone signs but thank goodness no snow!

Our destination ended up being Yreka which is still in the Siskiyou Mountains with more yo-yo like grades ahead of us.  The weather was expected to dip down to 27 degrees but no precipitation expected so we were good. 

Stopping at the Yreka Park threw havoc into our planned schedule.  If I had a shredder, that’s where it would have gone.  However, I remember the time when I would have said that I would never pay that price for an overnight park and I would never stay at a park when I could stay at a Wal-mart or Flying J.  I ate those words for dinner and they didn’t taste good.

Stopping in Yreka meant that the next planned stop-over at Rolling Hills Casino wasn’t going to work either since it was only about 150 miles south.   Plans were changed and Santa Nella became the intended overnight stop but we weren't sure whether it would be the TA Travel Plaza or the Santa Nella RV Park.  Either way we figured Wednesday would probably be about a 375 mile day …. maybe.

Of course, this meant that the Orange Grove RV Park outside of Bakersfield might not work either and so on.  Needles is still on our list because we really want to check out Laughlin.  However, that might even be subject to change.  Remember my one-worry-per-day rule?  I’ll worry about that on Thursday.

Some folks make reservations for every night along the route of their migration south.  I’m sure you can tell by now why we don’t do that.  If we did, we’d spend half the time on the phone cancelling them. I guess you'll have to check back in a day or so to see what other changes took place with our schedule.

If You Don't Use It, You Lose It!

I haven't lost my mind. It's backed up on a disk somewhere.
 

 

Our Yearly Dementia Test

It's that time of year for us to take our annual senior citizen test.

Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it!

Below is a very private way to gauge how your memory compares to the last test. Some may think it is too easy but the ones with memory problems may have difficulty.
Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not.

The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer.
OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.

1. What do you put in a toaster?

 






Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast' give up now and do something else..
Try not to hurt yourself.
If you said, bread, go to Question 2.

2. Say 'silk' five times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink?

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading more appropriate literature such as Auto World.
However, if you said 'water', proceed to question 3.

3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said 'green bricks,' why are you still reading these??? If you said 'glass,' go on to Question 4.

4. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London to
Milford Haven in Wales . In London , 17 people get on the bus.
In Reading , 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on.
In Swindon , 2 people get off and 4 get on.
In Cardiff , 11 people get off and 16 people get on.
In Swansea , 3 people get off and 5 people get on.
In Carmathen, 6 people get off and 3 get on.
You then arrive at Milford Haven ..

Without scrolling back to review, how old is the bus driver?

 

Answer: Oh, for crying out loud!
Don't you remember your own age?
It was YOU driving the bus!!


If you pass this along to your friends, pray they do better than you.
PS: 95% of people fail most of the questions!!

Getting Ready For Take-off

 

There is a time for departure even when there's no certain place to go.
 

It’s time!  November is just around the corner.  Along with November stuff starts coming that we actually want no part of.  You know what that stuff is.  Sometimes it even arrives much earlier.  However, so far, so good as we haven’t seen any ice, the temperatures haven’t dipped into freezing and it certainly hasn’t snowed …… yet!  We definitely want to be long gone out of any  area before that stuff shows up.    It’s time to get this show on the road!  Well, we do plan on coming back for Christmas but not in the motorhome.

 

The last few days have been getting ready days.  There’s always a lot to do especially when you’ve been in one area for quite a while.  We’ve put things in our storage shed, things at the cabin and things at Lee’s house.  The hard part is figuring out what things were going and what things were staying

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We drug Michael along to help and help he certainly did.  From refreshing the paint on the trailer to changing out the lights, from packing my bike to securing our load, Michael was certainly a big help.  Even Sandi jumped in and did her part too.

Red is definitely IN!

Since we are just hauling one ATV to Arizona, this is what we are leaving Lee with.  He’s gone through his garage and thrown out everything he felt unnecessary just so  two of our quads could fit next to his Polaris.  The Big Bear was the first quad we bought (or, was it?) but Terry found a Vinson he liked better so the Big Bear is staying behind for the family to use.  The Ozark has been sold and will be picked up this next weekend. 

We did try out another quad.  Matter of fact, we all went down to check it out.  It was at a dealer – Pro Caliber in Vancouver.  I really dislike dealing with dealers for these things but the advertised price was good.  Well, we thought it was good.  Getting them to even allow a short spin was like pulling teeth.  I know it’s an insurance thing but we thought they took it a little far when we were supposed to get the feel of it by watching the salesperson ride it around the lot.  Finally he agreed to let me drive it a few feet in a straight line but only that.

Check out Terry's purse ... what do you think?  Does he look good with it?

The quad was a 2009 so not a new quad but had been a demo so never titled.  Like a new one we discovered the advertised price wasn’t really the price at all.  In addition to the advertised price, the dealer had a few add-ons added which included dealer prep, freight, document fees … etc., etc. etc. to the tune of almost an additional $700.  Remember ... it wasn't a new one!   Needless to say, there was no need to negotiate anything.  So much for an advertised price!!  We’ll look again in Arizona but it certainly won’t be off a dealership lot.

Sunday afternoon Sabrina fixed us all dinner.  It was her ghost meatloaf!!  Aren’t these little characters darling?  They almost looked too cute to eat but we ate them anyway!

 

Time to go!   It's been a great summer and now that it's time to leave, I have a pretty big lump in my throat!  We'll miss them all but spring is just around the corner and WE'LL BE BACK!

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Check this out.   Actually, I copied this from Tammi's Facebook page.  I am not a Facebook user except she made me sign up.  I definitely think blogging is more my thing and have no intention of posting my baggage on Facebook.  I'll just put it on Blogger instead. 

However, here is my suggestion to every parent who knows their child is on Facebook ..... monitor it!  

Mildly Spooky Cemetery Walk

 

The past is a ghost, the future a dream and all we ever have is now. 

Nothing says Halloween more than a nice walk … through a cemetery … after dark!  However, we've been known to walk through many cemeteries searching for gravestones of ancestors.   We’ve also been known to walk through cemeteries in search of ghosts!  This one was totally different.  The ghosts talked to us and shared their life story from the time they left the east coast and traveled across country to the Pacific Northwest.

A guide and lanterns illuminated the way through this mildly spooky historical presentation. We met some of the historic people from Clark County’s past, who are current residents of Vancouver’s Old City Cemetery.  Some knew exactly where they had been buried and others weren’t quite sure.  They just knew they belonged there and were in constant search of just exactly where.

We learned about the speed of the wagon trains taking 7 months to get their destination. That was a long trip but it was made in super fast speed – only 7 months.  We learned the wagon masters recommended the travelers take several pairs of shoes as they probably would wear them out walking.  They did!  Land grants were given away in this area but with the land grants came problems with the Hudson’s Bay Company, the French, the Indians and the weather.

We listened to the story of the only person to be “legally” hung but he was innocent.  Or, so he told us.  We  heard another story from a boy who had drowned and yet another from a soldier who was killed the day before Armistice. His body was brought back by his family to bury close to them.  

We learned of a grandson who searched for his grandmother and eventually discovered where she had been put.  She was moved next to her daughter and given a proper headstone.  The grandmother was a “nurse” who served in the Civil War.  However, she explained that she wasn’t really a nurse.  The nurses during that time period had to be older and plain so as not to tempt the men they were nursing.

In other words, we had a great time.  We met Tammi and her family at PANDA EXTRESS for a quick meal and then we were off to the cemetery.  The “ghosts” were in costumes and played their parts well.  What a fascinating way to teach history.  I bet if schools did it this way, the students would certainly be interested and remember more. 

We asked our RV neighbors, Steve and Carol to join us but they had other plans in the works.  Steve had some idea about installing a new gadget he had just received in the mail.  Carol was playing tennis.

We did discover a few things about dear ole’ Steve.  He was in Vietnam the same time Terry was.  He was also in Cam Ranh Bay the same time Terry was.  Carol and I sat around and listened to war stories of the many things they both remembered happening.  It was a fun and interesting evening.

Great Day – Dilemmas Solved

 

There is no dilemma compared with that of the deep-sea diver who hears the message from the ship above, “Come up at once.  We are sinking.”

 

Thursday was a good day.  Matter of fact, Thursday was a really good day.  We got to put an end to our two dilemmas. Such is life.

First trailer  --- big quads, little trailer.

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Dilemma #1 - This is our story and we’re sticking with it.  By this time you all knew we had made a fast purchase of a quad trailer.  By the time we loaded quads and drove it a bit, we came to the conclusion it wasn’t a good choice for a long road trip.  Thus, we had to replace it.  It was back to the internet and Craigslist to see what we could find.  One of the biggest requirements we felt was good 15” tires for freeway travel.  We also visited several trailer lots and had come to the conclusion that our best bet just might be to have one made.

It's a two-man job.

I found a trailer online that was exactly what we had thought would be perfect.  However, no response from the seller and by Thursday morning we had decided to move on and possibly have one built.  The manufacturer could do it in less than a week so that would work.  Then, we got a call from the Craigslist seller.  The trailer was still available.   We were out of here (with our RV neighbor, Steve) faster  a speeding bullet.  Okay, I may have been embellishing a tad regarding the speed that we were out of here but I think you get the picture.

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Steve's important job was testing quads out.

This trailer was exactly what we would have had built but by buying this one off Craigslist, we would save $500!!  Now $500 would go a long ways towards our fuel purchase heading south.  The online picture made the trailer look brand new and perfect.  As you might imagine, it wasn’t.  The trailer was filthy and needed a paint refresh but everything else was near perfect.  Plus he even had a spare.  Whoopee!  After the negotiating process (Terry does that while I walk away), we ended up saving close to $700!!  Now we still need a little welding job done to tweak it for two quads but we would have had to do that even if we had a new one built.  For now we’re as happy  as two little clams with our purchase and can get that work done when we get to Arizona since we will only be taking one quad to Arizona and purchasing another one down there.

Easier to load -- without a doubt!

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Dilemma # 2 …. on our way to our son’s house to drop off another trailer in his yard, we got a call from a lady wanting to look at the quad we had for sale AND the trailer as a package deal.  She would meet us there.  Yippee!  She plunked down a $200 non-refundable deposit and we smiled from ear to ear.  It certainly turned into a very good day even though we knew we weren't making money on anything.  There was no way either one of us wanted to count the money we were losing.  Those stats we certainly aren't interested in knowing about.  We're happy campers.

Terry and Steve cleaned up the trailer.  Steve tested all the quads for us and then we were off to dinner at Rib City Cafe!  Oh my lands …… ribs to die for.  They were so good, so wonderful and so many.  There were so many ribs to eat that I needed a doggie bag  …  breakfast I thought.   Wrong!!  Terry ate my leftovers before we even left the restaurant.  Next time he can just order his own ribs.

Here's Carol riding the local pig.  Fabulous food and my new black jeans stretched as I pigged out!

It was a great day ….  down to watching Steve’s slideshow later that evening.  Weather looks good next week and California here we come (we think)!

What to Wear? RVing Dress Code

The less people know about how sausages and laws are made, the better they'll sleep at night.

Confused about dress codes?  Well, if so, you're not the only one.  Some folks don't know how to dress and others just think they do.  That's why people watching is so popular I guess.   We all get a chuckle out of watching people who don't conform to how we think they should dress.  If you're concerned about being laughed at by others people watching, then check out the following combinations you'll definitely want to avoid.  If any of these fit you, you just might want to change before pulling into a 5 star RV park. 

Many of us over 50 (and some WAY over 50) are quite confused today about how we should present ourselves. Feeling 'young', we try to conform to current fashions and present a youthful image. Contrary to what you may have seen on the streets, the following combinations DO NOT go together and should be avoided at all costs:

1. A nose ring and bifocals
2. Spiked hair and bald spots
3. A pierced tongue and dentures
4. Miniskirts and support hose
5. Ankle bracelets and corn pads
6. Speedos and cellulite
7. A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar
8. Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor
9. Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge
10. Bikinis and liver spots
11. Mini skirts and varicose veins
And, Most importantly

At some point you have to give up the 'DAISY DUKE' shorts

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I remember when we first started this RVing adventure, I thought there was a dress code.  Well, at least I read something on one of the RVing forums about it. I just tried to go back and find the blog I wrote about my struggle at that time wanting to “blend” with the proper attire but alas I couldn’t find it. 

It took a while for me to discover that trying to dress like someone else just didn’t work.  There is no RV dress code.   I didn’t really have a lot of leisure clothes.  With the onset of business casual in the workplace, that’s what I had.  Out went anything too dressy and out went anything too casual.  The middle of the road was a safe bet for just about everything. I didn’t own a single pair of blue jeans or a single pair of tennis shoes or even t-shirts.  I think part of it was because working for an airline we weren’t allowed to wear those things either at work or traveling on a plane.  So, why have them?

 

After reading the article about the RVing dress code, I went shopping.  I bought a couple pairs of blue jeans but just couldn’t quite do the tennis shoe thing.  However, I’m sure you know there are lots of alternatives to tennis shoes.  Some of those shoes snap and some buckle or slide on.  They really don’t look like tennis shoes.  I got into the Eccos and the Keens.  Besides wasn’t comfort supposed to count?   After my new purchases I was ready to get in our RV and GO or so I thought.  The jeans just weren’t my thing.  My body just was molded the same way those jeans were.  Get the drift?

Other people looked good in jeans but not me.  Before long the jeans were tucked away. I’ve learned to like the capri jeans but the othersI just couldn't adapt to.  I must admit that Terry has the same problem too.   He didn't have a lot of leisure clothes either.  I guess you really can't teach old dogs new tricks.

 

<--- This photo is small for a reason!!  Talk about looking sloppy.  Terry and I look like a couple of slobs.  Lee and MJ look great but we really hit the gutter in this one.  I’m almost embarrassed to post it but it does make a point. 

My style has definitely changed from the work days.  I've moved into the little Adidas and Nike type stretchy thingamajigs and capris.  Those are my clothes of choice I think.  Not only can you dress them up and dress them down, they also stretch with you after a big RVing meal with friends.  In my mind, that's most important --

My daughter has now been on me to buy another pair of jeans … oh no ... not blue jeans but black or gray or something different.  It's a compromise so, I’m going to try again.  After all, they might just be the best alternative when on our quads and for keeping me warm. I've also been told I need a pair of bulkier shoes -- ugh.   However, if I do end up with another pair or two of jeans, this time it’s not because I think that I should conform to someone else’s dress code. I'm just flapping my wings and trying something different .... different for me, that is.

Are we creatures of habits?  We shop the same places and buy what we've been used to buying to wear.  I think the dress code of every place you go should be what you are comfortable in.  Clothes shouldn’t be everything but if you’re not comfortable wearing what you want because you feel you might be not fit in, maybe it’s time to get those wheels moving someplace different.  It's taken a bit but at least now I'm back to wearing what I like to wear and not what someone else may think I should wear.

I have an RV friend who wrote on her blog she had counted the number of items she owned.  She had under 100 ITEMS!  Now that’s everything, folks. Everything!!  That even includes her clothes …. shoes, underwear, socks, boots, pants, tops …. EVERYTHING.  So, let’s see if I do go shopping for jeans  - do you think this will put my belongings over 100?  Well,  if you think that, you are very, very wrong.  I was over 100 before I even started.  What about you?  Have you counted each and every article of clothing you own?

**  Update -- I just know this is important for all of you to know.  I DID buy a pair of black jeans. It took a lot of work but I did it.   I even tried them out by wearing the jeans to dinner with Steve and Carol, our new best RV eating buddies. 

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Waterfalls Along Historic Highway 30

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.

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Monday rolled around and we figured it was time to show Steve a Carol a few waterfalls.  The Oregon Gorge is home to about 77 of them along the old highway.  However, not all of them are accessible without a good hike back off the road.  Some of the waterfalls can be found a short distance from Historic Highway 30.  A few are right along the road. Vehicle pull-outs are usually pretty full in the summer and on the weekends.  However, this was a Monday and we figured it would be a good day to go.  Besides, they were only about 30 miles from where we were parked.

I've taken this trip down the old Columbia River Highway in the Gorge to view the waterfalls several times.  It's amazing that when we were actually living in the area, we never really took the time to do this.  Oh, we visited the biggest and the most famous one of all  - Multnomah Falls -- but that was about the extent of it. We just had not taken the time on the old highway to visit any of the other waterfalls. We had to wait until we moved to Texas to get our interest peeked.

Maybe it was because at that time we realized how much we missed all the scenery we had taken for granted while in the Pacific Northwest.

I've taken my grandkids on this outing twice -- flying in from Texas with them and off we went. Once they were quite young and we enjoyed the time together and the activity. They pooped out several times on the mile hike up the hill at Multnomah Falls though but finally made it.  Thank goodness several benches were strategically placed along the trail.  When they were a little older, they got a little bored with all my adventuring to view yet another waterfall but we still had fun together  --  memories in the making.  By the time we got to the last waterfall, I remember one time they didn't even want to get out of the car.

This time we stopped to visit 4 or 5 of the waterfalls but we also let Steve and Carol know there are many more to visit if they want to do a return trip.  On the way back into town we also made a stop at the Vista House.  The house sits on a hill above the Columbia River.  It’s a beautiful place to visit.  Lots of marble was used in building the Vista House.  It has marble floors, marble staircases and marble restrooms.  The views are absolutely gorgeous.

Afterwards, we literally drug them to check out another quad trailer with us.  Thank goodness for GPS units or I’m sure we never would have found the place.  As it turned out, it was a wasted trip because it just would not be a good replacement for the trailer we currently thought was ideal.  It was a long trip and a long day but at least they got to see the waterfalls.  I think we tuckered Steve and Carol out because on Tuesday, they hid from us.

  

Our quad dilemma?  Well, it’s still a dilemma and I’m not sure how to make it go away.  We decided by Tuesday afternoon we didn’t want to think about it anymore for that day.  Will this delay our departure south?  It could.  Thank goodness we are flexible with our schedule because that’s exactly what we’re going to have to be. 

We did pay for a couple more nights at the Elks but plan on moving out on Thursday.  After all, our tanks are only so big and there is no dump here.  We have decided to only allow ourselves to worry about one thing a day so we’ll worry about moving on Thursday.  On Wednesday we’re going to worry about getting new tires for the car.   We will also probably make a trip to measure and photo the trailer because we just might decide to go ahead and sell it. We won't worry about it though.  The worry about the quad trailer is going to have to wait.

Ever notice how the little worries make $$$ add up?

Surprise Party and Quad Problems

A day without laughter is a day wasted.

 

I think she found the perfect spot for the picnic table.

Sunday was quite a day.  We learned a lot about our recent purchases of equipment and toys we had planned on taking south.  Please notice that I used the past tense of the word plan. I’m going to guess that you’ll be able to figure out where this blog is going to take you.

First I’ll start with the surprise part of the day. We were sitting in this huge, huge field with lots of dead flowers and overgrown weeds.  Now what would you think if I said the spot was perfect even though the field had a tremendous need to be mowed?  Well, It was perfect because who in the world other than us would do this?  I'm guessing not very many.  A picnic table was set up with chairs all around it.  McDonald’s was the food of choice.  Then, the surprise part started.  Everyone started singing Happy Birthday.  Now I know these people well because they are family and I knew no one was having a birthday but I sang along with them for just a bit anyway.  Then, I realized it was my birthday they were making a fuss about!  However, it just happens to be well over a month.

Check out the little decision maker they felt I needed.  Who?  Me?

It was a surprise birthday party since we would be heading south and they wouldn’t be able to share it with me.  What a surprise it was all the way down to cupcakes, banners, the birthday crown, the Birthday Babe necklace and presents!  Now was that ever fun?  It was!!  I didn’t know what they had planned.  I just knew that they had planned a family outing.  Surprise!!  I’ve always said holidays and special events can be anytime and anyplace as long we get together.  Well, this was absolutely a first and I'm sure one I'll never forget.  Some people go to fancy restaurants for special occasions.  They took me to a weeded field but I wouldn’t have swapped for anything.

We had a fantastic day riding quads.  The location was perfect.  The ground was fairly flat so there wasn’t much chance of real big ruts or rocks.  What we did discover is that the perfect little side-loading trailer that we just had extra work done on wasn't going to work …. at all!!  It'll load but it's a little light and not a simple thing to get the quads on and off.  It's actually a little tricky over the wheel because it’s just too narrow for a side-load and too short.  Then, I'm not so sure about hauling it the distance we talked about hauling it.  Obviously, we have a slight dilemma.  Slight dilemma is a gross understatement if we intend to take them south with us.

Posing

Now that wasn’t the only thing I determined.  I discovered that the perfect little quad that I knew would be ideal for me was just a little bit lighter than I really cared for.  I also discovered the lighter and smaller the quad, the more the body gets tossed around and that doesn't make for a very comfortable ride unless pavement is what you’ll be riding it on.  Don’t even ask about my back.

We’re not sure what we’re going to do.  Every solution we’ve come up with means a bushel full of more money.  We could have this little trailer made more secure but then we’re talking $$ and we still have only one little trailer.  We could get a bigger trailer but then we’re talking $$$ and two trailers.  Once the trailer problem is solved, we still need to deal with the smaller quad.  I could keep it one year and try it.  We could leave it here and buy another one down south ($$$$$).  Or, we could sell it and buy another one after it sells ($$$).  The other thing is we could just forget them this year and put the package together in 2012.  I think you get the point.  The little decision maker I was given as a birthday present didn't offer these answers on the little spinner.  I wonder if they can take it back.

Obviously, we’re a little frustrated.  It's way past time to head south.  We thought we were going this weekend.  Well, guess what?  We're not.  We have a couple problems to solve first or are they just issues? We’ll certainly be watching the mountain weather now a little bit more.   We'll see where it goes from there.  In the meantime, we're in the same location and we may be tethered to this place for a while longer while we work this out.  Maybe we just need a good warm beach and forget about them for now!

Getting instructions