Snow in the Mountains

We had a chilly Christmas, and the snow descended to about 4000 feet. Today there was snow in the mountains.

Full Time RVing

Ah, the wonderful freedom of being unfettered. Travel wherever and whenever we wish. Hmmmm.

Well, we could live 24/7 in our Roadtrek and we've done so for up to 110 days. However, when we purchased it, living in it for months on end was not the designated purpose.

We purchased it to explore, and to find places we would really want to live for months on end when we weren't trekking. That was our decision in December 2013. We decided on the 210P after careful evaluation of our needs, wants and desires, and the ability of RVs to meet our requirements. We haven't been disappointed.

Since then we've trekked about 22,000 miles, spent up to 110 continuous days in the Roadtrek and we've found several wonderful places to plant our heels. One is on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. The other is in Arizona. These are convenient to our purpose and get us where we want to go. They also put  us in the climates we prefer.

We do have our "sticks and bricks" condo in Illinois, and it is currently empty. It would have been sold had we be been able to clean it out in 2016. G is also somewhat reticent about giving up some of the detritus of our lives. I do understand. But 2017 will be the next step.

We found a wonderful community in AZ and so, we jumped in, after a two week trial in 2014. Our method was straightforward. This locale is great for anyone with RA in the winter, it is convenient to the national parks in Utah, and one can head east on I-10 and get all the way to the Florida Keys.  In fact, the full time residents appreciate people like us. That's completely opposite to our experiences east of the Hudson River. So we planted our feet and put a 5th wheel here. If we decide otherwise, we'll move the 5th wheel to a new location. But for now we are "here" and we tend to make somewhat firm 5-year plans.

So this will be our "home base" for the winter of 2016-2017. By Spring of 2017 we'll head to Florida and from there, via the Roadtrek we'll head back to Illinois.

As of May we'll be in our Michigan TT.

What about the condo? Well, if we don't sell it, we'll rent it.

After summering in or around MI, as of November 2017 we'll  be headed back to our winter base.

Of course, the route from MI to AZ is flexible, I'll probably retire in 2017 after working full time for 53 years. In fact, I will have been in the work force and paying taxes for more than 54 years.

Time to let the Bernie group pay their own way. I do realize that wasn't their plan. They expected Bernie to take the money from taxpayers like me and use it to pay for their sometimes useless college education, But that didn't happen. Too bad. "Suck it up" is the popular refrain.

Another beautiful sunset

Another beautiful day. High was about 77F, and tomorrow is to be even warmer. Each day brings a lovely sunset.

Settling In - A six week adjustment period

Well, after G's surgery and the insertion of three pins in her hand to facilitate healing of that broken thumb, it seems she will be grounded from many activities. No bicycle riding, writing, painting or ukelele playing is difficult to impossible. Even typing and texting is mostly a left handed thing,

This has altered our plans. Healing is estimated to require six weeks. However, now that she's on lighter pain meds she could probably drive a car. The stuff they gave her was described as a "narcotic." Definitely not safe to operate machinery when on such medicines.

The splints were replaced with a cast. This does provide better mobility for four fingers.

We hope to get back to sight seeing in the Roadtrek next week. To that end we've constructed a list of things we'd like to do in the area. However, because we need to be at the doctor's on the 20th and because of the need to be in the area until all casts are removed, we will not be trekking very far from this Home Base.

It could be worse. This is one nice place to convalesce. One of the neighborhood children summed it up, thusly:

As I write this it is sunny and the outside temperature is 75.4F, but Weather Underground says it feels like 76F!

This was the sunset two nights ago:

One of life's little boo-boos

Things happen. On November 22 G took a tumble and the result was a mild concussion, a broken thumb, a sprained neck and numerous scrapes and bruises.

The symptoms of concussion were apparent and so I called 911. The local security was great and within minuted of placing my call the paramedics arrived. We discussed ER options, and they stated that G did show the signs of a concussion. So I was given two nearby hospitals which had the CAT scan equipment necessary to properly diagnose such an injury. I chose one and off they went. I followed about 10 minutes later after collecting Gs insurance card, ID, etc. in her purse.

At the hospital the vital signs were good. 

After CAT scan and xray, the diagnosis was a mild concussion, a strained neck, numerous bruises, several scrapes and a broken thumb. The thumb will require surgery. The type of break was described as requiring "open reduction" surgery, or the complete term is "open reduction and internal fixation. " A pin or pins must be used to get the bone back together.

The hospital didn't have a specialist on staff at the time; that's what happens when one is injured with a holiday approaching. We were given a specialist to contact the next day, but that specialist has scheduling issues, so we were referred. The surgeon confirmed the problem with the thumb and gave G a new splint after inspecting the hand.

After all of this, G and I went to a local restaurant for a cup of tea.

We're currently waiting for the actual surgery to occur. No word yet. but it should be soon. Delay a few days isn't a bad thing, as it allows the swelling to reduce.

On the other hand, G hasn't had any food or drink since midnight. The surgery could occur today. She's getting hungry.

Trekking Again - No Time for Campgrounds

Dawn in the rest stop

With the changing weather it was time to leave the Northland. We had two choices; go to the southeast, or to the southwest. We wanted to visit in the southeast, but this is holiday season and that can be stressful. Family, preparations, cooking, visitors and so on. We decided to delay the Southeast and head to the Southwest.

Before leaving we did want to spend some time with family and friends.  Our attempt to stage a pre-Thanksgiving dinner of smoked, baked ham failed because of everyone's schedule. Instead we arranged for several meals at restaurants (our treat) because we would be away for the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  These were small group dining experiences and provided for more intimate and comfortable discussions. One meal was at the Reel Club, where we treated G's aunt and her cousin. It was very enjoyable.

We discussed with friends to the east and we decided to delay our visit to the southeast until spring. So to the southwest it is to be.  I packed and decided there wasn't enough room for G. So I set out alone and she will catch up via air.

As to be expected for this time of year, the weather was changing. I packed all day. The water system was empty to lighten the load.  I filled the lower storage area, the rear storage area and the external slide bay. Then I filled the rear. I stacked containers and boxes neatly, filled all the compartments and then piled the soft stuff toward the front. I even filled the bathroom with soft goods.

No room in the rear

The full to the gills interior was expected and I planned to sleep in the front by rotating the front passenger seat and setting up a temporary bed; our Roadtrek is equipped with a folding mattress, which adds a sleeping area in the front, in addition to the king bed/dual twins in the rear.

I took off at 7:15pm. Five hours later I stopped at a rest stop, set up the bed in the front of the Roadtrek and quickly fell asleep. It had been a really long day. It was about 60F outside, but a weather front was coming and there was snow in the Dakotas. This pleasantry would not last.

The next morning I awoke at dawn.

Awake at dawn

After brief preparation off I went.  The day went smoothly until I entered western Missouri. At that time I encountered the front, with very strong wind gusts. I was driving west or southwest and so the gusts were head on at times or about 30 degrees off the starboard bow. As I travelled the gusts became worse and soon the wind noise was a roar. Semi's were fishtailing ahead. Now that a lot of wind. G called me to see how I was doing and she commented "What's that roar?" It was the sound of the wind. I think the combination of my forward speed of 65 MPH and the 35-40 MPH headwinds resulted in the equivalent of a 100 MPH wind. Mileage took a hit and I was averaging about 13.1-13.7 MPG. I could have slowed down, but I knew "a change is acoming" and I surmised any delay would put me in the middle of it. Temperatures were falling steadily. Driving was difficult and I had to keep both hands on the wheel at all times.

At a gas stop I checked the weather and it was going to be about 25F in Amarillo, TX that night. I decided to press on, as the temperatures would be even lower as I travelled further west.  Amarillo is at 3605 feet above sea level. It was going to be a clear night, and calm.

I arrived at Amarillo at about 8:00pm. It was late and so I decided to stay at an RV friendly gas stop, which G had checked for me and it was also on Allstays. But I wouldn't have power. I decided against running the generator. Not that big a deal for me; I had a polartec blanket, etc. and this would be a real camping experience. I slept pretty well. My Class B doesn't have much insulation and with the large glass area that's the largest heat loss. But I took the third seat back, put it against the wall and slept against it. That's about 3 inches of insulation directly next to my "bed." I ran the engine to heat the interior, put on my winter jacket, pulled the blanket over me and fell asleep. I awoke once and thought "Gee, why is so warm?" I had the blanket over my head.

I awoke at 6:00 AM; it was about 25F. I walked to the McDonald's and got a breakfast with large coffee and left to eat it on the road.

The wind had moderated as the front had moved through. It was dark. As I travelled I could see a thin line of pink in the color rear view camera. It would be another long day.

I arrived at my destination at 3:43 PM (4:43 PM Central). I had travelled 1,805 miles, arriving about 45.5 hours after I began.

That's not my ideal for travel, but I had a destination to reach and G was arriving via air in a day and a half. Then we would begin our winter adventure. BTW, the Eclipse radio/DVD/CD is really great. But the TomTom GPS is not as accurate as I would like. I used a different GPS (Verizon with real time traffic and condition updates). However, when trekking I have the TomTom "on" but with no route planned.

Here is the display at the time of my arrival:

Homemade Freezer Thermometer

In the TT we leave some things in the refrigerator. It is a absorptive two-way which uses 120VAC when available and propane/12VDC if AC power isn't available.  We leave the TT at a site unattended sometimes for a couple of weeks. But we don't empty the refrigerator and it is in the AUTO mode. We take all meat items or high spoilage stuff out when we leave, but condiments, bread, peanutbutter, soda, wine, frozen veggies, cheese, etc. are left cold.

We are counting on the refrigerator switching from 120VAC to propane/12VDC in the event of AC power loss. That has worked fine and will work as long as the battery and propane are available. However, there is always the possibility that something will go wrong.

We use a simple memory thermometer for the freezer. We filled a 3 ounce plastic cup with water and placed it in the freezer. We also placed a quarter in the freezer. This prepared the thermometer.

Several hours later, we removed the frozen cup and quarter. We placed the quarter on top of the frozen water. Then we put it into the freezer.

If the freezer begins to thaw, the ice will turn to slush and the quarter will sink into it. On return to our TT we simply check the freezer. If the quarter is resting on top then we know the freezer temperature has never warmed above 32F.