Saturday, October 15, 2011

On The Road Again, 24

Good Morning America!

Let’s go back to the east coast for a moment before we leap into Yellowstone. 

In Maryland, after Eli’s Big Day, we helped him pack some of his things into our already crammed RV and into his black Honda with Maryland plates.  Eli is leaving Maryland and he will be going to his new job in The Netherlands at the end of October, where his girlfriend Lisa is already enrolled in school!  Hooray for Lisa and Eli!!  Getting the overloaded RV and Eli’s car back to Oregon is the goal so the four of us (Jolynn, Ken, Eli and I) headed west on I-90.  Ken, Eli and I shared the driving of the Honda and Jolynn, of course, drove the RV. 

It was a grueling ride on I-90, pushing the limit with exhaustion and patience.  Jolynn topped the charts with a 13 hour day of driving that bordered on insanity but we were behind schedule and we had to make up lost time in order to meet Christy at the airport on Tuesday in Wyoming.  In Chicago we had a little incident that forever will be referred to as “remember Chicago”.  I was driving the Honda and I was trying to closely follow Jolynn, Ken & Eli in the RV on the 10 lane freeway through the city.  Suddenly, the RV took an exit from the fast lane and I tried to follow, crossing lanes of traffic, going 65 miles/hour.  We ended up in Chinatown doing U-turns and then we were back on the freeway going back east; we crossed over the same toll bridge 3 times (at $3.50/vehicle) and at some point as we went through the tollbooth, I lost the Empire State building on wheels.  Separately, we both got off at seedy exits that sent a vein of fear through our already rapidly beating hearts.  Ken, sitting in the passenger seat of the RV, could hear my screaming voice in Jolynn’s cell phone without the speaker on…I was terrified and I was lost!  Twenty long minutes later, we met up at a service plaza just north of Chicago, re-grouped, had lunch and calmed down.  We hadn’t had that much excitement since Jolynn was flailing her arms around on Manchester Blvd in San Elijo.

Eli & Ken zipped ahead of us in an effort to get to the airport in Cody while Jolynn and I tried to keep up.  The wind was the top weather story and Jolynn had to really work hard to keep the big rig in her lane.  After being blown nearly off the highway, we pulled into a KOA campground somewhere in South Dakota.  Jolynn saw the “closed for the season” sign but she didn’t tell me about it and we proceeded to camp there.  Luckily, the electric and water were still working and we left a check in the mailbox.

South Dakota now tops my “Never Go Back” list.  In the deserted campground while Jolynn was unplugging the coach, I took the three sweet dogs for their morning walk in what seemed like a perfectly beautiful, leaf-covered place to walk.  In a hurry to get on the road, I quickly loaded up the dogs and we got back on the road.  A few hours later when we stopped for gas, the dogs were reluctant to get out of the RV but I insisted because I only had a few minutes to walk them while Jolynn was pumping diesel.  When all 3 dogs refused to walk, I looked closely at their paws and saw that their paws, their bellies, their chests and their tails were covered in thorns! They must have picked up the stickers at the morning’s reststop but none of them even whimpered.  These particular stickers were not your normal annoying burrs.  These little suckers were stickers from hell!  They were round with the sharpest, the very sharpest, needle thorns that we’ve ever experienced.  It took both of us and a pair of scissors to get them all out.  The dogs were yelping, we were yelping….the thorns were painful!  Meanwhile, the screen door on the RV was left innocently open while we de-thorned each dog at the gas station.  When we pulled out the last evil little thorn, we noticed that there was a pack of biting flies inside the RV.  Ugh.  I get shivers just remembering the experience.  Not only were there way too many flies in our home on wheels, but the there was a swarm of flies on the windshield trying to get in to bite us.  It was like being in a black and white segment of The Twilight Zone.  I started batting the flies, using a few cuss words, and that scared Bear – he’s a fragile little guy.  He climbed under Jolynn’s legs next to the brake and gas pedals while she was barreling down the highway and he curled up directly on the button that makes the big truck horn sound off.  I’m trying to swat killer flies, the extremely loud horn is deafening our ears and we are zooming down South Dakota highway.  I tried to coax the little guy out from under the steering wheel but he wouldn’t budge.  Jolynn had to pull over and we took a few minutes on the side of the road to cuddle our dogs and ourselves .  It’s been a long 5 weeks………..

Wyoming was desolate and barren and windy.  Somewhere in the vast nothingness of Wyoming, a wind gust blew the fridge roof cover off, pulled the screws right out of the roof.  Great.  Now if it rains, water will destroy the fridge.  While we worried about that possibility, I used my phone to research the upcoming mountain passes that go into Cody, Wyoming.    The pass we were headed for was written about on an RV site as being treacherous and the author said something like “if you take this pass, expect to do a swan dive over the edge into the canyon below”.    We changed courses.  Like pioneers, we found a bypass through the mountains that ended up at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone.

At the gate to the northeast entrance, a friendly female ranger greeted us with “Are you Jolynn?”.  Ken and Eli had made it to Cody to pick up Christy and he left us a note at the gate.  Cell phone reception was not happening.  Yellowstone was an oasis of beauty and peace.  The rest of the day was spent driving around the park, pulling off when we wanted to and basking in the magnificence of it all.  The many pictures that I will send you  immediately after posting this blog will share only a glimpse of our travel in this astounding park.

Just as we arrived and started to hook up at the RV park in Gardner, Montana (right outside the North entrance), Ken, Christy and Eli knocked on our door.  We shared our sightseeing stories over a bottle of Oregon Pinot and they told us about seeing a dead bear in the back of a ranger’s truck.  In the morning (Thursday) we all headed out for our big day of sightseeing together in the incredible Yellowstone country.  Jolynn dodged bison on the road, driving the big rig around all the curves, rivers, waterfalls and geysers.  Christy drove the Honda and we took turns jumping in and out of the RV and the Honda.  At the Old Faithful geyser and lodge, we fired up the propane stove in the RV and had lunch in the parking lot.  We had a fabulous day in the park together and we landed in West Yellowstone at the Grizzley RV Park on our last night, telling stories and laughing about our fear of bears.  We were laughing about our fear of bears but actually, we were a little scared, especially when we went to the restroom in the camp and read about “recent” bear activity in the campground.  In the morning, we learned that a bear does, indeed, hang out at this very site and still chuckling about it, we promptly packed up and left Yellowstone.

Idaho is almost home.  Somewhere east of Pocatello Jolynn pulled into an RV dealership and bought a new cover for the fridge.  While we camped out in the parking lot of the dealership for several hours, making lunch and enjoying the sunshine, Ken and Jolynn climbed up on the roof and installed the new cover over the fridge.  This might actually be the very last repair on this trip.

Will we make it home without any more RV issues?  How soon will we make another cross country trip in a 36’ RV?  Will the three dogs ever trust us again?

I can’t say I’ll keep you posted because this is my last blog.

We will not miss the ants, the flies, the stickers, the flood, the smoke coming from the dashboard, the wind whipping parcels off the roof, the weirdos in reststops and the hours and hours at the steering wheel.

We already MISS all of the wonderful, wonderful people we visited on our mega-trip!  We will miss the beautiful, unusual landscapes.  We will miss Ken’s oatmeal breakfasts.  We will miss Christy’s dinners.  We will miss Eli’s playfulness with the dogs on the sofa of the RV.  We will miss the adventure of it all.  I will miss posting this blog.  

Thank you for all of your great, funny, caring feedback and thank you for sharing this amazingly wonderful, sometimes frustrating, thoroughly enlightening trip with us!!
Toto, there really is no place home!  OREEGone (as my Erie friends say), here we come! 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

On the Road 23

On the run and on the way home, through Yellowstone.

No time to write but lots to say.

I'll forward some pictures and I hope to have the time to write tonight.

There's no place like home....I took my ruby red shoes out of the overstuffed closet and I'm ready to click them and come back to Oregon!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

On The Road 22

                                                      WOW!

What a day of celebration and at the end of the day, we call him Dr. Moore!  Yes, Eli sailed through his defense yesterday with elegance, maturity and extreme intelligence.  Sitting in the audience, we felt the presence of all of our family members who couldn’t be there and Eli’s emotional conclusion was proof that he felt that presence too. There was not a dry eye in the packed room when the acknowledgements came up on the screen and a big picture of our entire family (including our dogs) came up and Eli pointed out every person, acknowledging them separately.  A big beautiful picture of Lisa came up on the screen with pictures of her dogs and cat, as well.  Our handsome Dr. Moore left out no one.  He was gracious and sweet.   Bursting with pride, we left the room while he stayed back with his professors to be grilled and poked for the next 3 hours. 

While Eli was answering to a panel of professors, we all had a warm, delightful afternoon on the boardwalk on Solomon’s Island.  The magnificent bay with sailboats and seagulls lulled all of us into a relaxing, restful place while we waited for Eli to emerge.  When he walked up to our little group of lawn chairs and coolers that spread out in front of the big RV, he was beaming with confidence! Our tears dried on our cheeks in the sunny Maryland air while we congratulated and hugged him to pieces. 

We said goodbye to Lisa’s wonderful parents and headed to Eli’s party on the lawn where everyone on the island knows the newly appointed Dr. Moore.  The PhD parties are held at the water’s edge of the sprawling University of Maryland campus.  Ken played volleyball on the sand court and we all chatted with the bright young students who mulled around  in relaxed academia.  The moon shining on the bay while Jolynn played the drums and Eli and his roommate played their guitars was the perfect ending to the perfect day.  Perfect.

Today is Saturday and I’m rushing to finish writing so that we can meet up Eli and Lisa and help pack up his things as he prepares to leave Solomon’s.  I’ll send you some random pictures, including pictures of our dogs getting a bath.  Maryland is well known for ticks so we are being especially vigilant.  No ticks and no ants…that’s our policy and we’re sticking to it.

The adventure of returning to Oregon begins today and who knows where this road will lead us.  We have yet to figure out a route and we, of course, have a few little issues with the RV to figure out.  Every perfect day has to have an RV issue and this morning’s warm, sunny air promises to be yet another perfect day.  Rest assured that I’ll keep you posted.
Congratulations Dr. Moore and congratulations to Dr. Moore’s parents!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

On The Road Again 21

THE most challenging driving situation we’ve had so far was yesterday, driving from Northampton through Hartford, through NYC, through Baltimore and through Washington DC!  Yikes!  Jolynn did a great job with the detours, the construction, the skinny little narrow lanes, the serious traffic jams, the potholes and the extremely fast-moving vehicles around us on I-95 South.  Whew!  We made it through the big East Coast cities and found Ken, waiting patiently, at a metro station east of DC.  Jolynn pulled into the metro station and we almost got a whopping ticket because we were in a bus lane but she backed us out of the situation.  Navigating that metro station parking lot was almost as bad as traveling down I-95 but it all worked out well.  We then drove south for an hour toward our campsite, stopping only to get groceries.  St. Mary’s campground borders on a lake and a marina and it’s a windy, dark road at night.  Setting up camp, we noticed that the air was warm and almost a little muggy and we took a few minutes to enjoy the Big Dipper and Seven Sisters in the sky.  Having Ken with us in the RV is really delightful and we all worked together to get dinner on the table.  Ken figured out how to make the stereo work and we enjoyed Kenny G with our delicious dinner and before we knew it, 1am was upon us. 

Waking up at 10:45am is highly unusual and it felt good to rest.  We are camped out at a beautiful little site here in Maryland (I’ll send you pictures) and we spent the day relaxing, making calls, chatting and taking care of some business issues.  Behind the RV is a sweet little creek where Rosie and Bear thoroughly enjoyed swimming.  In a few minutes we will unhook and unplug and head toward Solomon’s Island where we will have dinner with Eli, his girlfriend Lisa and Lisa’s parents.  We are all very excited for Eli’s HUGE Ph.D. event tomorrow morning!  YES!  I will definitely keep you posted!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

On The Road Again 20

On this chilly New England evening on the 4th of October I am sitting in the RV with the laptop on my lap.  I must admit, I’m not feeling terribly witty or motivated to write tonight.  I think I can manage one little paragraph.  We had a GREAT couple of days with our Hannah Monet on the Smith Campus these past few days.  We had some really good meals; we laughed with Hannah and her friends;  the dogs ran in green pastures and swam in the campus lake; I did Hannah’s laundry and helped her re-organize her room and we had some good conversations with our 21 year old, amazingly centered, passionate, kind, intelligent and beautiful Hannah.  And I’m sad tonight after saying goodbye to my daughter and that’s why I don’t feel like writing.  But I’ll send some pictures.

Tomorrow morning we pull out of this RV park in the Northampton area and head South to Washington DC where we will pick up Ken and  begin the celebration of Eli’s Ph.D.! 

I look forward to keeping you posted.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

On The Road Again 19

Nearly 400 hits on the craigslist ad for Frye-Cake’s garage sale.  Promptly at dawn, the games began as the cars started parking every which way around the “Corner Nook” as Kathy calls her house.  Kathy’s house and yard are as cute as can be with antiques everywhere and it’s hard to know what’s for sale and what is normal décor for the Frye household.  But we had prepared for this mega garage sale and hundreds of little items were tagged and cleaned up.  The pouring rain didn’t stop the constant flow of curious buyers.  Almost every person commented on the ad in the paper and lots of people wanted to know who the stranded Oregonians were and Kathy was happy to point us out.  We cooked Smith’s hotdogs on the grill and gave tours of our RV while friends and family stopped by during the day.  The rain and wind persisted but we had a good time and we made nearly $400!

While we were in Fairview, Pennsylvania Jolynn not only had the gaskets around the air conditioners fixed but she, herself, caulked the windshield as well.  All weekend the rain soaked the manicured lawn around the Corner Nook but the water didn’t get through the new gaskets and the moisture didn’t penetrate Jolynn’s impeccable  caulking job…the RV is dry!

I just need to revel for a moment……  The RV is dry inside.  There’s no smoke coming out of the dashboard.  We are not stranded next to the bird lagoon on Manchester Boulevard in San Diego.  Stinky smells are not coming from our coach.  The stairs open when we want to get out of the RV. Not a single ant is marching inside the RV.  Ahhhhhhh……..this feels good.



Leaving  Pennsylvania,  my sweet sister Debi and our dear friends is hard, really hard.  Arriving in Northampton where Hannah is in her 4th year at college is simply wonderful.  We met Hannah in a parking lot and Jolynn, the 3 dogs and I jumped into her car and she took us to one of her favorite places to hang out on campus, a Smith dormitory house. Inside the big quiet house, Hannah unleashed the dogs and they ran around the house with excitement and joy.  We are all happy to see our Hannah Monet.  After a nice visit with Hannah’s friends at the house, we prepared to leave and that’s when  Cocoa Bear quietly went into the laundry room and grabbed a pair of underwear that belonged to an unknown resident of the house.  He ran through the kitchen and through the living room with the underwear in his mouth and as we tried to stop him, he dodged us and kept running with the underwear hanging from his mouth.  Girls were squealing and laughing and that only egged him on. The little brown poodle just ran faster with those panties dangling from his mouth. Totally embarrassed, we finally caught him, leashed up the dogs and left campus. 

After driving 15 miles to the campground in Hannah’s car with Jolynn driving the RV behind me, we arrived at a very private, wooded campground called White Birch.  Lovely little site.  But the manager wasn’t where he was supposed to be when we pulled in so we made a big tour through the campground with our large headlights in the very dark setting, trying to find our appointed site.  After driving around the entire campground, I found the manager but I could barely hear his directions because 3 dogs were barking in my ears.  Eventually we pulled into our wooded site and I put the dogs in the RV so they would not further disturb our neighbors while Jolynn hooked up the electric and water.  I had Hannah’s car so I’m not terribly familiar with it and when I tried to lock it, the alarm went off.  The sound of a car alarm in a serene little campground at ten o’clock at night is not a good way to endear yourself to your camping neighbors.  Northampton, we are HERE! 



       Our trip thus far has been full of heroes and stars and I want to acknowledge them.  Mighty Mouse…hats off to you again!   HandyMan Moore, you are amazing and we totally appreciate you!  Not only are you getting our mail at two different locations and faithfully calling me with the mundane details of bills and deadlines but your handyman work at the rentals is of the utmost importance and we appreciate you greatly!  GREATLY!  Brother in law Gary – your help and positive attitude with the isolator was perfect and we appreciate you too and I totally love your wife!  Jolynn’s family, you are all awesome and your patience , kindness and support is wonderful.  Mary, your help with the lawn mowing and watering at home is so great!  Dan in Erie – you are the man!  Thank you so very, very much for lending us your huge dry shop so Jolynn could caulk the windshield.  You are awesome! Debi, thanks for the food from your garden and I love you, my sister!  Diane & KJ,  you always feed us and take such good care of us and we love you dearly. Denise & Lyle, thanks for making us a priority in your lives, hugs to you.   And Frye-cakes and V, you are wonderful!  Your generosity and friendship goes beyond words.  We miss you Pennsylvania.  Thank you to everyone for your support, kind comments and great feedback!  We are so very lucky to have ALL of you in our lives!

                                      Jolynn, you are amazing.  You are totally amazing…….

 Tomorrow’s a new day.  A day with Hannah on her beautiful campus in this cool New England air with the leaves just starting to turn.  The joy of it all.  What will tomorrow bring?  Will Bear find more ways to embarrass us?  Will we run out of propane while we are running the heater tonight in this beautiful campground in New England?

 Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

On The Road Again 18

Thursday Morning on the Fern Deck

KJ and Diane threw one heckofa dinner party last night!  Diane’s daughter Lexa was there with her husband Dan and their ADORABLE baby Emma, Lyle and Denise came and of course Frye-cakes.  (V, we missed you!)  As I write this from the Frye-cake deck that is brimming with antiques, doo-dads, ferns and dogs, last night’s wine is still editing my thoughts. 

I have a confession.  I haven’t been entirely honest with you.  When I said that the RV had a little problem, what I really should have said is that the RV had a BIG problem.  Remember  Dent Ohio?  The last night we were at my sister’s house, there was a huge storm and it drenched the area and the inside of our RV.  The trickling stream that we were parked next to turned into a raging creek the next morning.  Walking to the kitchen in the RV, our socks became soaking wet.  Yup, we had a bucket full of leaks!  UGH!  Neither Jolynn nor I really wanted to elaborate on yet another RV problem so I kinda omitted it but SOME people (you know who you are, Erie friends) have encouraged me to come clean on this subject.  The visit to the RV dealer on Peach Street in Erie, PA yesterday resulted in new gaskets around the ceiling air conditioners and today Jolynn will seal some other troubling spots on the roof.  The optimist in me says that this has got to be the very last problem with the RV but…….who knows……  One thing is for sure, I will not lie to you anymore.  I’ve cleared my conscience and I’ll continue to let you in on every single little ugly RV repair issue from this point on.  Kathy’s dryer is drying the soaked items from the flood, the fans are spinning in the RV to dry out the carpet and Jolynn is getting her rubber shoes on so she work on the roof today before it rains. 

And it will rain.  How do I know? Because Frye-cakes has planned a giant yard sale for Saturday and as luck would have it, the forecast is calling for scattered showers.  This is not just any garage sale.  Kathy (aka Frye-cakes) has written the following ad and it’s in the newspaper that is laying here beside me:

“EVERYTHING GOES…..OR THEY DON'T!  Help me help my friends leave.  They arrived here a week ago in an RV from Oregon, with many breakdowns, along the way.  Now, before I have one (breakdown), I have offered to have a garage sale with all proceeds benefiting their departure.  Collectables, junk, vintage items, good stuff, antiques.  Come help out these 2 broke girls, and be a part of their wild cross country adventure.  This is an annual sale.  Let’s get their wheels rolling again.”

That’s my best friend Frye-cakes.  She’s a trip.  She has a good heart and we have a long history of friendship,  tears and laughter and I love her to pieces.  Her basement FULL of stuff should help us out quite a bit as we try to steady the RV and all of it’s many issues on this long and windy road. 

Where will the road take us today and will we make enough money to be able to afford to leave Fairview?  I’ll keep you posted.
P.S.  Before I could get this blog posted this morning, we got a phone call from a woman who loved Kathy’s ad and who wants to come and buy something just to be supportive.  Kathy is scheming up ideas.   She wants to charge admission for viewings of our RV and she is going to sell hot dogs and drinks.  We’re having a garage sale carnival on Saturday in the rain in Fairview Pennsylvania with our 3 dogs and her 2 dogs, the RV parked in front of her house and a basement full of antiques and junk!  Oooo la la! Don't ya wish you were here?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

On The Road Again 17

Okay, I’m back.

Let’s go back to where I left off, shall we? 

Missouri.  Apparently, the world’s biggest rocking chair rocks in Missouri and it’s not too far from the world’s biggest puzzle collection.  Who knew?  We enjoyed the rolling green hills and pastures along the highway with huge Oak trees lining the interstate.  Horse farm after horse farm, we rolled through Missouri and then we came to St. Louis.  As we approached the big Arch, the highways were darting in every direction and our excitement about trying to snap a picture of the magnificent arch suddenly honed out the GPS voice to bear right.  We didn’t bear right.  We ended up in downtown St. Louis on an extremely bumpy cobblestone hill , bumped our way back to the highway and in the meantime, got a very nice picture of the Arch. 

Exhausted, we pulled into a KOA in Missouri and made a quick dinner.  It was 1am when we turned off the lights.  Short night, 7am we were up on the road toward Dent Ohio, excited to see my sister and brother in law.

Indianapolis  was dreary…dreary, dreary, dreary.  My dad died in Indianapolis many years ago so I’m a tad tainted about that city.  But we got through it and landed safely at Stephanie’s beautiful property.

Thank you for all of your sweet compliments about the pictures of Jolynn in front of the Oklahoma sign with the pups and my sister and I in front of her home.  We had a wonderful visit and we miss them already.  Steph and I are not twins.  Jolynn and I will be visiting Stephanie’s twin, Debi, in Pennsylvania.

Soooooooo…..Yesterday we left Dent Ohio and drove to Fairview Pennsylvania.  Fairview is about 15 miles from Erie and it is the home of my best friend, Kathy.  We went to high school together and we were college roommates as well.  I am writing to you from her gorgeous covered deck on a spectacular fall morning.  The RV is parked quietly next door and it has a little issue but we are taking it to an RV repair shop this afternoon.  The dogs are lying beside me, full bellies and content from their long walk last night.  Pennsylvania is home for me.  My parents were born in Pittsburgh and although I was born in Florida and grew up in California, I ended up in high school and college in the Keystone state.  I’m home right now.  Really, scarecrow, there’s no place like home.
Dinner with the gang tonight – visiting my dear, dear friends in Erie.  We are being spoiled here in this wonderful environment and we are loving it.  So many miles behind us and so many miles still ahead.  What will happen next?  I’ll keep you posted.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

On The Road Again 15

Not everything’s bigger in Texas.  The predicted thunderstorm didn’t materialize during the night.  We had some rain and a big bushel of wind that made the Beaver Marquis sway from side to side.  We woke to the barking dogs and my body felt like it was maybe 6:15am but my cell phone said 9am.  I think we are jetlagged and just plain tired.  I’ve been in Texas 12 hours and already I have a southern accent.

The steps are still on strike so we are climbing in and out of the RV, lifting the dogs up and down.  It’s quite a sight to see, I’m sure.  I went to drop off the garbage in the RV park and came back to find Jolynn on the phone, trying to resolve yet another problem with the oil.  The battery issue apparently involves the fridge so now the food is at risk of getting spoiled since the fridge is not working.  It would have been easier to stay asleep this morning.

I made a quick walk through the gift shop in the RV Resort in Amarillo.  It’s a beautiful resort with tennis courts, swimming pool, golf putt-putt course and private little parking spaces.  The gift shop was every bit as nice as the resort itself.  I thought about buying a keychain but then I saw a big section of magnets and my attention was drawn to the colorful designs.  “Health Food Makes Me Sick” stood out as one of their biggest sellers and I saw some other magnet about disliking vegetarians.  Okay…now I remember where I am…yup, Texas. 

On the highway through Amarillo, we noticed that this city is a bigger, more modern city than we imagined.  They have big stores and huge billboards – Hooters, Texas Roadhouses, steak houses, Marine Recruitment, big donut shops.  I saw one big billboard that said “Real Girls Play In The Dirt” and I can only imagine what they are selling. Barreling down East 40, we passed one last horse museum and one last big donut shop on our way out of Amarillo. 

Jolynn is doing a wonderful, simply wonderful job of driving this big rig down highways that detour, wind and narrow, go down to single lanes with skinny perimeters in a moment’s notice.  She’s an amazing woman and an excellent driver, rain man.  As we passed the last “Don’t Mess With Texas” litter sign on the state border and crossed into Oklahoma, I heard a voice in my head say “Y’all come back now” and I thought “nope…probably not.”  Bye bye Texas.

Instantly the terrain changed in Oklahoma and the green came back….green pastures with cows under trees and beautiful red earth.  We stopped at the Welcome Center and took a picture because, after all, we ARE on vacation and that’s what tourists do.  On the way back from walking the tail-wagging dogs, a guy stopped Jolynn to tell her that when he passed us in his RV he noticed a flap on our roof.  A flap on our roof???  What??  Climbing on my hands and knees to get back into the RV, I saw Jolynn head for the back of the RV.  In a moment, she was on the roof inspecting the flap issue.  The stairs aren’t working, the fridge cut out and now there’s a flap on the roof.  Well, at least the ants are gone.

The down home folk in Elk City were all too anxious to help us out.  Not only did they have the part Jolynn needed but they dug around in an old drawer in the back of the store and came up with the perfect screw that Jolynn needed for the flap on the roof.  Right there in front of Yow Auto Supply, she climbed back up on the roof with her tools and flattened that flap.  I was getting bored in the RV so I found my binoculars and started looking at people’s houses and their living room curtains and before I knew it, Jolynn had recharged the battery and not only did the steps work but the fridge came back on!  The woman is simply amazing. 

An hour after we left Elk City and the nice old guys at Yow Auto, we had to pull off the road to readjust the battery cable as planned.  I took the dogs for another walk and tried to make them pee but they don’t always listen to me.  Grasshoppers were everywhere and I had this flashback to when I was about 10 and my dad was trying to teach me how to fish by hooking grasshoppers on the hook.  I really don’t like grasshoppers and I know what you’re thinking.....OMG not another insect rant.  I’m not going to rant about grasshoppers but I’ll  just say that when I got back into RV, I was happy to leave them behind…the little jumping monsters.  The world is full of scary things.

Rush hour in Oklahoma City is pretty crazy but Jolynn held her steady in the maze of traffic.  Most notable about OK City was the number of ferris wheels the city has – that’s a bit strange.  They sure do like their fireworks in Oklahoma and there were scores of black birds flying in mass over the freeways.  Fire warnings are everywhere and one sign on the highway from Oklahoma City to Tulsa said “Do Not Drive Into Smoke”.  I’m not making this up.  Really.  Do people here in the Midwest have to be told not to drive into a fire?  Makes you wonder….. 

Bear just poked me with his nose which usually means “hey, I need something” so I’ll have to end.  Earlier today our poodle had a little freak-out episode.  Jolynn was driving (of course) and talking on the phone (of course) and Bear suddenly jumped into Jolynn’s lap as we were going 65 mph down the highway.  I tried to get him, he retracted.  I offered treats and the more I tried to reach him, the more he squirmed and got into Jolynn’s face.  Finally I just grabbed him and he was very nervous.  I inspected him closely and he had two ugly, terribly ugly stickers imbedded in his curly hair that were apparently stabbing him.  I cut out the sharp stickers and he laid down on the queen bed, on the down quilt with the tiger duvet cover and  6 furry pillows behind him and went to sleep. 

We are loving this camping adventure.   Tonight we are at a KOA in Springfield Missouri and tomorrow we will be with my sister and her husband in Dent, Ohio. 

No ants, no grasshoppers, no stickers and the steps work!  We are on a roller coaster and we’re holding on for the next turn and as it happens, I’ll keep you posted.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

On The Road Again 14

Delightful purple and yellow wildflowers lined the highway as we trekked across the entire state of New Mexico and the Land of Enchantment weather was considerably cooler than the hot night in Yuma.  At the same time that we were marveling at the jagged cliffs with flat tops and red earth, we were also tense as we passed signs that said “Zero Visibility Possible” and “Dangerous Crosswinds”.  That stretch from Albuquerque due East is not only internet-less but it is also is one gusty corridor! Dust storms, flash floods, rocks falling randomly on cars that are just minding their own business on the highways…New Mexico is entertaining and beautiful!

I’ve been wishing that I could see an animal – a live animal.  We saw quite a few dead coyotes along the side of the road and plenty of signs to watch out for elk and deer but no live animals.  And then, in a split moment, I saw two of cutest little prairie dogs in the whole animal kingdom.   They were standing together, at the edge of the highway, on their back feet looking at each other.   I feel better now.  I would have liked to see a rattlesnake slithering along but I’ll be happy with the prairie dog twins. 

RV issues are not behind us though.  Today, the steps for the only door in the RV wouldn’t open up.  Stopping in Santa Rosa in for McDonalds salads meant getting the stepladder out from under the RV so that the dogs and I could get out.  It’s quite a big drop down so this problem is annoying.  The new battery part that is now waiting for us in Cincinnati with Gary & Steph will probably fix this issue but in the meantime Jolynn had to place another call to our Mighty Mouse for some advice.  Ramsey pulled through again and now the steps work….. until the battery dies again.  It’s a coach battery problem which means it affects things that are convenient inside the “house”.  So far, it’s not a motor problem.  Building muscles lifting the big Golden Doodle in and out of the RV, I had a great excuse to add a strawberry shake to my lunch menu.  Mmmmmmm…..

The Ant Report:  Three spotted in the last 24 hours.  Yes!  Jolynn was talking to our neighbor in the RV park in Gallup this morning and he told her that they picked up stinkbugs in an RV park in Virginia.  They were exchanging RV - insect horror stories….he won.  I don’t really know what stink bugs are, but I’m quite sure I wouldn’t like to have them in the silverware drawer.  Camping is scary stuff. 
Well, I hate to be redundant but never say never again.  No, we are not in a Wal-Mart tonight.  I swore I’d never spend a night in The Lone Star State but yes, here we are, in Amarillo.   And I’m here to say, it’s quite lovely!  We are in an RV Resort, with tennis courts, swimming pool, dog runs.  It’s quite nice and the weather is breezy and cool.  In fact, it’s so breezy, I decided to look up the weather in Amarillo and we are going to have ourselves a gen-u-whine Texas thunderstorm tonight!  Yee Ha!  I’m wondering how the RV will withstand a thunderstorm and I wonder how the dogs will sleep.  If the dogs don’t sleep, we don’t sleep so this should be interesting.  I wonder if the steps will open up in the morning and I wonder if Texas has stinkbugs.  Well, I’ll keep you posted.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

On The Road Again 13, part 2

I have a little learning curve issue with "blogging" and I left out a couple things from my previous post that were supposed to be in there.

We will also be visiting my sister Debi in Erie on this trip.   We can't get to Florida this time around but I have a sister Cathee and a brother in law who live in the Sunshine State.  I have a brother in Georgia and a brother in Washington.  We have many more  upcoming trips to put on the agenda! 

I've seen only 6 ants since we bought the ant hotels yesterday.  This is maybe the best news of all!

On The Road Again 13

The hot Arizona air is fantastic for the old hip injury and the recent knee injury but come on, 102 degrees??  On our way out of Yuma this morning, we stopped at a local gas station because Jolynn was really excited about the great price of diesel and we have a 150 gallon tank to fill up.  Cowboy hats, Border Patrol Police, terra cotta roofs and rocks - that was my view as we headed out of town and I was quite happy to head out of town.  Yeah, I guess I really don't like Yuma, Arizona. 

Before we left Yuma, Jolynn and I spotted a loose parakeet with red circles on her cheeks sitting on a bridge.  That was the last bird we saw for many, many miles.  It was just too hot for birds, I guess.  At a rest stop somewhere near Phoenix, the dogs didn't even want to walk on the blistering pavement so I carried Bear and Chipper and Jolynn ran with Rosie to a tiny little spot of shade.  Still, not even a blade of grass.  So weird, just so wierd.  We so wanted to see some green bushes but alas, no verde, only rocks and sand and pavement and more rocks.
Stifling hot air in our lungs but no arthritis.  I miss my arthritis. 

The part that we needed for the RV was mailed to my sister and her husband in Cincinnatti and that's where we are headed....here we come Stephanie and Gary!  Gary is an amazing mechanic so we feel confident that the issue with our "house batteries" will resolve when we get to their house, sometime on Friday. 

The Indian Reservations are quite intriguing in this area.  I forgot what huge billboards used to look like on the highways until we entered the first of many Indian Reservations.  There's quite a bit of sage here and it looks beautiful but the landscape just looks prickly to me.  There's no tree-hugging here.  It took us awhile to even come across a single tree.  We sure do love Oregon.  In the meantime, we are marveling at the flat topped mounds of red dirt and the majestic rock formations and the big sky.  This is an exciting trip and we have no shortage of topics to discuss.  Jolynn won't let me drive so I take good care of her while she does all of our driving.  She's getting neck and back massages while she's driving and I sit by her chair on the floor and feed her spoon fulls of lunch until she is content.  Actually, I probably don't want to drive this big monster of an RV and it wouldn't be restful for either of us if I did drive it. 

Tonight we made it to New Mexico.  We are in Gallup, in a very sweet RV park located on Route 66.  Good ole' Route 66.  Small details please us, like the fact that this place has an enclosed yard for the dogs.  When Bear realized that he was off leash tonight, he zipped around the perimeters of the dog yard like a ball in a pin ball machine.  Chipper is getting better at getting in and out of the RV on his own and  I think he knows that he is headed to see Hannah in Northampton on this trip....he just knows things.  Rosie likes to take turns with me for the front seat.  When I get out of my chair, she gets into it and I hate to move her so I sit behind Jolynn and massage her neck.  We are all doing well.  The RV is running extremely well.  The weather in New Mexico is delightful tonight - no air conditioning needed. 

We're making a bee-line for Ohio to see Steph and Gary; then, we are heading to see good, really good college friends in Erie.  From there, we will head to see Hannah, now a senior at Smith in Northampton and from there we will head to Maryland to be part of Eli's PhD celebration.  In Maryland, we pick up Ken and Eli and then we are heading West...back home to Oregon through Yellowstone, where we will also pick up Christy!  Yahoo!!!  This is quite a trip that we're on and we're happy to have you along with us, giving us encouragement along the way! 

Thanks for your support and you know I'll continue to keep you posted.    :)

On The Road Again 12

Good morning!  It's 7:45 here in Yuma Arizona and after a gentle urge and push from Ken (thank you Ken!), I've created a "Blog".   I don't know....I've been reluctant to "do a blog" because, well, here's the truth, because I don't like the name "blog".  It sounds like something a frog would throw up and I stopped being a fan of frogs a long time ago.  I remember the moment I stopped liking frogs.  My dad took me "gigging" when I was about 12 - out to a pond in California somewhere where you catch frogs.  I have some severe lapses in childhood memory but I DO remember this one night, sitting on a kitchen counter when we came home with the night's catch.  Be-heading the frogs was my mom's job and as I sat there on the counter, legs dangling over the side, silently watching my parents in the middle of the night, one of the be-headed frogs jumped on my lap!  That was it for me.  The sheer terror of it all keeps me away from frogs and things that sound like frog.  But this road trip is a test for me.  I am learning to live with ants and now, a blog.  I'm so proud of myself.  :)

We are preparing to leave Yuma.  This is as south as I want to go.  This RV park has not one single blade of grass and it's already getting hot this morning.  The RV host is a nice woman but it takes her a very long time to say something and then she says it three more times in her southern accent while the sun is beating down on the hot gravel.  This is too far south for me.  Especially on the eve of the end of "Don't Ask Don't Tell".  These two women and three dogs need to go North while we head East. 

More adventures to come and I'll keep you posted. 
Again, thanks Ken!  I'm a 'blogger" now......(shiver).

On The Road Again, 1 through 11

The Big Trip, Three Dogs and Two Women.   #1

The best laid plans of mice and men….. Monday was the hope for the start of our big trip but the hope diminished as the sun started going down and Jolynn was dancing on the top of the RV with her surfboard, singing a Beach Boys song. Yes, the TOP of the RV. Errands in McMinnville exhausted our already tired bodies and while eating Mexican food in a parking lot at 11pm, we realized we were too tired to start the trip.

Never Say Never – Waking up to the sound of traffic in the Walmart parking lot in McMinnville, I heard the little voice in my head remind me that I vowed never to shop in a Walmart, let alone sleep in the parking lot but at least we were rested. Good fortune had placed a coffee kiosk just yards away so Tuesday was looking promising. The morning sun danced off the teal tail of Jolynn’s surfboard that laid peacefully on the RV roof and we took off for a day’s worth of errands…..only 42 more things on the crumpled list left to do before we could hit I5 South.

Stopping at the house-on-the=market in Lake Oswego was supposed to be a quick stop. Watering the lawn, filling up the RV water tank, doing some weirdo job with the window wells (one of Jolynn’s many projects) all seemed fairly easy but then there was the snake. Jolynn came to me “for moral support” when she found a cute little surprised snake on the carpet in the basement and while contemplating how to catch her, we both instinctively got up on the bed and looked down at her, feeling safe that a snake couldn’t jump on the bed. With gentle care, Jolynn captured the scary little thing and let her loose across the street in a grassy, sunny spot. Now we could get on our way to our 6 weeks on the road, late in day on Monday afternoon in 92 degree weather.

Lots of discussion and phone calls as we rolled down I5 with big trucks zooming past us and after a lively (and somewhat loud) discussion of how far to keep going until we park for the night, we settled on a remote campsite just south of Ashland, Oregon. As dusk lowered in over our windshield, we were able to find a surprise spot to camp for our second night out. Lakefront with a sweet little tree outside the door and the sound of geese delighted us this morning . The crumpled list, the snake and Walmart is far far away now and today (Wednesday) we will get to California! As I type this, Jolynn is twisting my arm to take the dogs swimming in the lake before we leave here so I must say “ta ta” for now. What new adventures await us?? I’ll keep you posted. J

Jeannine





#2

Before leaving Lake Emigrant in Ashland, Jolynn took Rosie and Bear down to the water (Chipper, of course, stayed with me). Big lake in the hot sun and no one, not one person, was in the water. It was rather eerie. But then we found out why. We spent the next hour pulling monster burrs out of eight paws and then lathering up the dogs for a bath. The lake was infested with creepy, slimy, green stuff and the walk down to the lake was burr hell for little paws. We left Ashland later than we expected and headed into California, burr-free.

KD Lang sang to us and we were feeling good. We were headed to Vallejo California to pick up Katie and our plan was to spend the night in an RV park just north of Vallejo. Alas, the tide turned and the moons weren’t lined up or all of the chickens got out or some damned thing because all hell broke loose. Barreling down the California highway, our GPS stopped working while a few phone calls distracted both of us from focusing on our goal and after nearly ten years together, Jolynn and I found out that we still had things to learn about each other. We never made it to the RV park north of Vallejo and according to the internet, the only RV park in Vallejo was the center of a recent murder. A nice young man named Daniel is the assistant manager at the Vallejo Walmart and he said we could unofficially park in the lot even though the signs say “no overnight parking”. Two thirty am is when the Vallejo Walmart cleaning staff start up the leaf blowers in their parking lot. Three good dogs let that staff know they better not come near our little house on wheels. No shower in the morning and no breakfast as we headed into Vallejo at 7am to pick up our niece. The barking, leaf-blowing night still stinging, we finally started talking to each other somewhere on the blazing California highway but neither of us are admitting fault for the ordeal. And it was an ordeal. And now we know that we will NOT be staying in a Walmart parking lot ever again. Never say never…..

We were 90 miles north of LA when Jolynn’s wonderful parents called with the shocking news that a power outage has hit the lower half of California and their advice was to GET OFF OF I5 immediately. The next exit was Magic Mountain and there was an RV opening so we snagged it. Swimming in the pool this evening, Katie, Jolynn and I reveled in the good luck of being in a wonderful pool and air conditioning in the RV. Jolynn topped off our night with summer squash, zucchini and chicken sausages. Bear, Rosie and Chipper will be dreaming about leftovers.

Tomorrow, after 3 days on the road, we WILL get to Jolynn’s parent’s house! But tonight, there’s a good, quiet rest without burrs, snakes and leaf blowers. What’s next?

I’ll keep you posted……..

Hugs, Jeannine



#3

Nine and a half laps in the refreshing pool at the Magic Mountain RV park before it officially opened was a delight but I left both contacts somewhere in the sparkling water. Did I think to pack extra contacts? Jolynn is getting to be a professional at hooking up and unhooking in RV parks and she was happily humming as she unplugged us for our day’s travel. We have plenty of opportunity to practice the hand signs our friends Diane & Tey taught us so the whole park doesn’t hear “STOP! Turn your wheels! OMG!” when it’s time to back out of our space. Jolynn showed me how she wants to see the signals and I’m getting really good at following directions but this morning we were in a pull-through so our exit was calm and kind. Our Goodwill cassettes came out of the cupboard and Stevie Nicks encouraged us to sing with her as we started out on the day's travel, refreshed and relaxed.

I5 South going into Los Angeles is not going to go down as one of our favorite places to drive the Beaver Marquis. From the passenger seat, it felt like we were driving the Empire State Building on a go-cart track with speed bumps. I think I felt the hair on the driver’s arms of the green trailer truck next to me as we cruised at 60 mpg…..I was sure we were going to slide up against someone. With cars passing on both sides, Jolynn complimented me on my bravery but I had to go back to the bedroom and breathe deeply until we got onto the newer, smoother, wider highway just south of LA. In his southern accent, Hank Williams tried to add humor to the experience and it worked. His “mind your own business” lyrics got us singing again. The only annoying, back seat driver words I eeked out were “they’re braking…they’re braking!” but Jolynn’s sign language coupled with a southern pronunciation of “quiet” subdued my tension on the bumpy, narrow highway.

Getting comfortable in the back, Rosie pushed Katie off of the sofa as this Golden Doodle has come to believe that that sofa is hers. Digressing for just a moment, a word about Rosie. About a year ago, a four year old boy at the apartment building was standing and looking eye to eye with our Rosie and after a few moments of looking into her eyes, he asked Jolynn "Is Rosie a person?" Rosie thinks she is a person, but Katie fought back and soon our 24 year old niece was napping on the sofa. I think the Linda Ronstadt cassette put her over the edge. Did you ever hear Linda’s song “I need you like a moth needs a flame”? Jolynn & I had a good time analyzing that song! Admiring the beautiful flower-lined highways parallel to the magnificent Pacific Ocean was soothing and we were excited to finally get to San Diego.

Within just minutes of arriving in the immaculate community where Jolynn’s parents live, we noticed a problem with the battery on the dashboard. As we drove down the perfectly manicured streets, we began to notice a foul smell. Was there a sewer line break in the area? Surely, OMG, surely the smell wasn’t come from OUR vehicle. Parking in front of their home, we jumped out of the RV to find out that, yes, in fact the sewer smell WAS coming from us! We’re Here! Three barking dogs and the sewermobil. Yup, we’ve arrived. Great.

Turns out, it was a battery issue, not the sewer line. Jolynn and her dad figured out how to fix the problem and now, at 7:30pm, the RV doesn’t stink anymore and we are safe and sound in San Diego as I write this on their beautiful patio in the cool California air. We are happy to be with Jolynn's parents. We are happy to be out of the RV for the time being. We are happy it doesn’t stink. We are happy that we didn’t have an accident and that we still love each other. And we are happy that I have an extra pair of contact lenses.

What will tomorrow bring? I’ll keep you posted.

P.S. I think Rosie might actually be a person.

Jeannine



#4

Actually, we’re not really “on the road”; in fact, we are officially broken down. Yup, hard to admit, but true. The big Empire State Building is parked in front of Jolynn’s parent’s lovely home on a street so quiet you could not only eat off of but meditate on. At least the stinkmobil is currently without stink. Arriving on Friday, we immediately started researching the battery problem and as the hours went by, it was obvious that it was a bigger problem than we first realized. In between visiting with Jolynn’s adorable nephews and her kind sister and brother in law, and being chauffeured around San Diego by her patient parents, we’ve had to fit in the friendly mechanic visit. Battery cables and other assorted tool-like things scattered across the sidewalk in front of the RV and Jolynn’s parent’s home, the problem was being diagnosed yesterday (Sunday). The RV wouldn’t even start so we could take it to the garage.

Several hours of bright sunshine, sharing of stories with the affable mechanic and testing of every possible mechanical thing (sorry, my vocabulary goes bland when it comes to tools and mechanical stuff) produced the answer that the alternator was fried like a McDonald’s French fry. And during the sidewalk surgery, the automatic step that allows one to enter the Empire State Building suddenly stopped working. The mechanism that makes the step work is also toast. So, the RV won’t start and we can’t get into it without pulling out the ladder. Grateful that this didn’t happen in some remote state park, we are focusing on being positive.

San Elijo State Park is an amazing little park about 8 miles from Jolynn’s parent’s house situated directly on the Pacific Ocean. One has to book a spot in this park 6 months in advance. March 1st at 7:59am I started calling the 800 number in an effort to be one of the first callers to reserve a spot in the San Elijo Park. Everyone has to go through “Reserve America” to snag a spot in the state parks and according to the blogs on the internet, this is an ugly process that leaves multitudes of people unhappy with the service. But, my persistence prevailed and I snagged site 017, beachfront, in the San Elijo State Park from 9/11 until 9/16. Jolynn’s parents drove us to site 017 yesterday and we enjoyed our 10 minute viewing of it, sitting there empty, waiting for us to fill it up with dogs and diesel. On the way home from our precious San Elijo campsite, we debated the idea of taking a tent to the site and spending the night there. By the time we arrived back at Jolynn’s parent’s home in the dusk, we had talked ourselves out of it. For me, it was the possible threat of ants sneaking their way into my personal space and for Jolynn it was dealing with me if the ants came marching in. Plus, the idea of packing up tons of items and having Jolynn’s parents drive us back over to the campgrounds in the dark was not especially appealing. So, instead, we settled for leather furniture and a big screen tv and a Sandra Bullock movie in Joanne and Bill’s living room. The dogs loved their walk in the moonlight after the movie and we pulled out the ladder and climbed into the RV where a comfortable queen bed with too many pillows awaited us.

Today the mechanic comes back with a new alternator. We picked up a new stair motor yesterday and Best Buy gave us a new GPS, honoring our insurance policy on the old one. The hummingbirds and the feeder in the backyard of Jolynn’s parent’s home is delightful and the time that we are spending with Jolynn’s parents, in the year of their 60th anniversary, is priceless. It’s all good.

I wonder what today will bring. I’ll keep you posted.

Jeannine



#5

Oooookaaay! NOW we are on vacation!

By the time the mechanic left the pile of parts and tools on the sidewalk in front of Jolynn’s parent’s house last night it was too late to drive to the campground. Before I could get my contacts in this morning, Jolynn had unplugged us and we were rolling down the street toward Camping World to get a part for the RV. But Camping World in San Marcos didn’t have the part so Jolynn called the Beaver dealer in Bend Oregon and they are sending the part to her parent’s house, to be delivered on Thursday. So, the RV isn’t fixed yet but it did make it 8 miles to the campsite on Highway 101 just north of Cardiff By The Sea, where we have had a reservation since March.

We couldn’t get settled in fast enough after we arrived in site 017 and soon we headed down to the beach with three very happy dogs, beach bag and umbrella. We found a sweet little spot on the beach and as soon as we laid out our towels, the dogs covered them with sand. We put out their water dish and the sand shrimp jumped in the bowl. The first order of business was to immerse the dogs in the ocean so, one by one, I took them on their leashes and walked into the cool, salty waves. At first they were reluctant but then they enjoyed the refreshing sea water on their hot bellies and, tails wagging, they waited as Jolynn and I took turns going into the wonderful Pacific Ocean. Laying on our towels in the sand with the dogs stretched out next to us, we soaked up the sound of the waves, the warm California air and the taste of salt in our mouths. Both of us had childhoods in California and we were flooded with memories as we relaxed on the beach. A short 4 minute walk back to our campsite and we were visited by Jolynn’s mom who brought cooked food for us.

Our colorful towels hanging on our clothes line drawn between two trees and our picnic table covered with a yellow tablecloth….yeah, our campsite looks adorable. After Jolynn’s mom left, we walked down to the camp store and bought a few necessities and as we were leaving the store, we noticed that a band was setting up on the deck overlooking the ocean at the taco place next door. The band was celebrating a band member’s birthday and he invited us to join them so we took our groceries home and went to the outdoor taco shop for dinner. The birthday boy’s favorite line was “Ooooo doggies!” and that alone was entertaining. The banjo, tuba, bass and drums played as we watched the sun set on the ocean. The water was dotted with surfers as they tried to catch the last waves of the evening and Jolynn enjoyed her gluten-free beer that we brought from Oregon as we choked back tears of joy. San Diego…….

The night air is a tad chilly and the waves are crashing softly as night falls in the San Elijo Campground. I wonder what tomorrow will bring. I’ll keep you posted.

Ooooooo doggie……………

Jeannine

#6

Reflections on Camping RV-Style; The Little Details

This morning, like all other mornings, the dogs woke us up at 7:01am. I found the cutest little coffee pot on a sale table in Safeway a few months ago and the thing delights me every morning on the RV kitchen counter. Jolynn puts my coffee in a “Life is Good” coffee mug with a peace sign on it and I swear, it just doesn’t get better than that. The Goodwill Store in McMinnville was happy to sell us a darling little cast iron frying pan that perfectly fits four scrambled eggs – it’s just so little and cute, we both love it. After heating up water for Jolynn’s Throat Coat tea and having a delicious breakfast accompanied by the sound of waves crashing, we settled in to take care of some business. Internet is a necessity – our kids are right. We prepared for this trip by buying a teeny, tiny little contraption called a hot spot, a wifi named Mifi. Virgin Mobil makes it and they have an unlimited data usage plan. Plug the little sucker in and bingo…..instant internet! It’s pretty cool and it allows us to stay current with friends, family and business issues while we relax in state parks. It has a battery too so we could be on the internet as we’re driving down the highway but I have to help Jolynn drive from the backseat so I don’t have time for surfing the net on the road.

People are nice when they are on vacation. Neighbors smile and say “good morning” when we pass them on our walk in the morning. They move slower, sitting in their lawn chairs with their coffee and newspapers, scuffling around their campsite in slippers they specifically brought with them for that purpose. Campsite attire is interesting. Older people wear pressed shirts with tan shorts and clean, white tennis shoes. Lots of hats, cowboy hats and visors and of course big straw hats on women and the camp store sells a variety of hats if you forgot yours. There are people in jeans and t-shirts; some people have clearly slept in those clothes. I have a tie-dye dress that fits in nicely with the laidback, camper look and my straw hat helps me fit into the whole scene….it’s important to fit in, even in a campground. J

Even more important than having clothes that fit in is having a campsite that keeps up with the latest in camping décor. Mostly everyone has a little outdoor carpet right outside their front door whether they have a tent, an RV or a camper van. (yes, we have one too) People build a border around their campsite with various “fences”. Some use their picnic table to wall out the neighbors. Some bring plastic fencing and then decorate it with Christmas lights. Some bring playpens for their dogs and children. Some people wall out their neighbors with clotheslines. Our neighbors are using their coolers to edge the area around their zone. I’m enjoying the irony of this crowded, public space with campers trying to own their very temporary little campsite by concealing the 12x12 lot they are renting for a handful of hours. We campers have a big urge to “nest” and while we’re at it, we want to look good too.

The morning fog and pounding surf has lured Jolynn and the pups into a morning nap. I’m going to tidy up the “house” and pack for the beach while they are snoozing. I have to get outside and sweep the carpet in front of our door – what will the neighbors think if there’s sand on our outdoor carpet? And a towel has fallen off of our clothesline so I must secure our border. One more cup of coffee and I’ll turn off that cute little coffee pot for the day. Yes, life is good…..

And you know I’ll keep you posted…..

Jeannine



#7

A picture is worth a thousand words so I'm going to send 3 pictures to you in place of my run on sentences this evening!

Jolynn went surfing today. The dogs missed her. Carole King is soothing my sunburned skin and Laura's squash is cooking in the cast iron pan.

Could this vacation get any better? I'll keep you posted.

Hugs,

Jeannine



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "5034758015@mms.att.net" <5034758015@mms.att.net>
To: commonwind@yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 5:38 PM
Subject:

Jo on the roof



#7



Thanks for asking about the dogs, Bev. Here they are! Chipper, our 10 year old dachshund; Cocoa Bear, our 2 year old chocolate poodle and Rosie, our 4 year old golden doodle. More about them later. I promise.

ooooooooooo doggies!

Jeannine



#8

Dogs, Tools and Sharks

Bear is a skinny little poodle, unbelievably lovable, with an unyielding urge to protect. We love him to pieces and yet I’m ready to offer him up to the Great White that’s been spotted on this very beach within the past week. Okay, not really. But he is passionate about the bark. Because of that passion, he and the other canines were stationed in the RV this morning while Jolynn and I headed to the beach with the big yellow surfboard. The surfboard, by the way, is on loan from Ken and we are taking very good care of it. In fact, the waxy long board had a place of honor in the living room last night so that it wouldn’t tempt thieves and Jolynn touched up the dings with a product called Shark Skin. I have come to the conclusion that the state of California is not dog-friendly. The “dog beach” that we are next to here in San Elijo is merely a small stretch of sand where dogs are allowed to be if they are leashed up. Our dogs are not used to being leashed up so Bear has to bark about it every chance he gets. We left them to their pouty solitude this morning and hit the beach in the morning fog.

Paddling out on the chilly ocean waves, Jolynn looked impressive and adorable as she joined the group of surfers who have uncanny resemblances to seals. Not just seals, but seals who work out at gyms with big muscles and slim, sleek bodies. Beaming with pride and love for my surfer girl, I slowly waded into the surprisingly cold waves, wishing the sun would come out. But the fog prevailed and the goose bumps on my freckly, tanned arms convinced me to throw in the towel. Back on the beach, I wrapped a big towel around my shivering body and squinted as I peered out at the surfer seals, looking for my surfer seal. I had taken my contacts out, expecting to go swimming (already lost one pair of contacts while swimming on this trip) and I put my reading glasses on to try to find Jolynn among the surfers, to keep an eye on her in lieu of the recent shark warnings. But the surf was calm, too calm. Surfers were having trouble finding big waves to take in. Still no sun peaking through and pretty soon Jolynn was paddling in with her big, wonderful smile. She pointed to a little, lone white bird with long skinny legs walking along the water’s edge. We’re not sure what kind of bird it was but it looked like a Snowy Egret wannabe….smaller than a Snowy Egret but similar. Walking up the 135 wooden steps to our campsite, we were grateful for an hour on the beach with a bird and no barking. We were even more grateful to come back to the loving greeting of our three happy dogs.

Soon after our hot showers and my housecleaning with the teeny tiny little vacuum (everything is teeny tiny in RV living), Jolynn’s parents called to announce that the solenoid arrived from Bend, Oregon. I don’t really know what a solenoid is but I know I don’t like them very much. I am blaming them, all of them, for the mechanical issues we have with the RV. However, I will try to be grateful for this particular solenoid that came in the UPS box today. Jolynn’s parents brought the part over here to the campground and she and her dad worked together harmoniously to replace the part. Jolynn’s mom and I exchanged stories and we walked down to the camp store to get cold drinks for everyone. Rootbeer and Lays potato chips make a lovely snack in a campground. Chipper stayed by my side as he always does and Rosie and Bear, tied up behind the RV, focused intently on the smell of squirrel. Campsite squirrels are very bold and the ones stationed around our 12x12 lot thoroughly enjoyed teasing Rosie and Bear. We could hear them chattering from their very close hiding places, snickering at the leashed up dogs. After Jolynn’s parents left, all three dogs desperately wanted to get back into the RV and get their comforting hugs and treats. As I write this, they are all snoozed out on the sofa, content , safe and quiet. There will be no feeding the great white tonight unless the big shark eats solenoids…

Alas, the solenoid-dead battery-spill-over-stink-power issue is not yet over. We have to check out of our campsite tomorrow morning as our reservation here ends at noon. If the RV starts in the morning, our plan is to drive it to a battery store and have our batteries checked and that’s how we will find out if the new Oregon solenoid is doing it’s job. Jolynn’s parents have invited us to park in front of their home tomorrow night. Turns out, they really miss the dogs. Well, truth be known, they really miss the skinny little loveable poodle. Of course they do. Our three dogs remind us every day of how much we love them. California might not love them but we do.

Will the RV start tomorrow morning? Will the Grand Solenoid do the trick? Will Jolynn get out her bird book and look up that mysterious bird? Will we stop at the Camp Store on the way out and get that ice cream sandwich I wanted for dessert tonight? Will Bear snuggle against my pillow all night long?

I’ll keep you posted.

Jeannine



#9

OH NO OMG

Snuggled up against my pillow, Bear kissed my face to bring in the new beautiful day. Jolynn and I took an hour to go over our route and plan out next week as we prepare to head east. Lots to do on check out day! Good thing we got started early because it took us longer than expected to disconnect , unplug and check out by noon. At the gate of San Elijo State Park, we were a little sad to put the windshield sticker in the bucket as the final step to checking out. We had waited six months for this reservation, we got a late start checking in and the days went by quickly. But, the RV started so we were happy about that milestone as we heaved a big sigh going out onto I5 South. I programmed our new GPS to take us to the battery store so we could test the batteries since the installation of the new solenoid. Didn’t stop for the ice cream sandwich. Didn’t pull out the Bird Book. Didn’t look back as we listened intently for directions to the American Battery store in Esccondido.

AGAIN…… OH NO OMG

As I sat in the leather passenger seat, becoming reacquainted with being a worried passenger I noticed an ANT on my arm! A creepy, scary, fast-moving, despicable little creature that tops my insect fear list! I slapped it and just as Jolynn was telling me how she has been trying to conceal the fact that, yes, there are a few ants in the RV, I noticed a WHOLE STREAM OF ANTS on my passenger window! Okay, this was too much for me, just totally freaky. I walked to the back of the RV to get a paper towel and noticed that the dish of dog food was COVERED with ants! OMG! Had we brought every single ant from the campground with us? Were they in my hair? Itchy and irritated, I took a seat behind Jolynn because it looked ant-free for the moment. I was revving up for a rant, an ant rant when suddenly a puff of smoke billowed out of the dashboard above Jolynn’s head! The smell of burnt wires instantly filled the front of the coach. Before we could finish a complete gasp, a second, bigger poof of smoke shot out of the overhead dash and that’s when Jolynn just stopped the RV in it’s tracks, on Manchester Boulevard, eight minutes from San Elijo campground, two miles from the on ramp to I5, directly in front of the San Elijo Wildlife Lagoon, on a very busy two lane highway, on a curve with a bike lane on a beautiful California day. Stopped. Smoke. Emergency Flashers. Silence.

In the past 9 and a half years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jolynn so upset. Yelling, crying, flailing her arms along the side of the RV and along the public path of the Lagoon’s nature walk, the dogs and I sat silent in the Beaver Marquis. Traffic whizzed past, causing the RV to rock with gusts of wind and I watched the ants on the counter in silence as Jolynn melted down on the sidewalk. I know enough not to bother her until she wants support so I sat quietly thinking about how to write the Craigslist ad for the RV so we could sell it and fly home. Opening up the windows to let the smell of smoke out was futile. Ten minutes went by and then suddenly we had a visitor. A ranger from the Lagoon walked up to Jolynn and asked her if something was wrong. OMG. Don’t ask her that question! Jolynn cried as she told the female ranger that yes, something is wrong and that she has called her dad to come help. The ranger left us sitting there and then Jolynn came into the RV and sat at the oak table with me. We talked about solutions and Jolynn started calling RV mechanics in San Diego and in Oregon. An hour went by as Jolynn told the repair story to at least 4 different service managers. The emergency blinkers getting weaker and weaker and the traffic zipping around us, I remembered that we hadn’t eaten breakfast so I made lunch right there on Manchester Boulevard, quietly noticing the butterflies outside the screen door on the Lagoon bushes.

The best possible solution surfaced and it looked like we had no choice but to have the rig towed to an RV shop an hour away but this solution made Jolynn very unhappy. The service manager refused to even look at our problem until Monday….Monday, the day we were going to head East. Two hours passed and we knew we had to make a decision quickly on this Friday afternoon. Jolynn wanted to try one more avenue so she got the number of an old friend from childhood who had visited us in Oregon a few years ago. Calling Ramsey was comforting and when she hung up she just cried. Ramsey said he’d be over in an hour and that he would get us going. In the meantime, Jolynn’s parents arrived and parked their car behind us. A phone call on Jolynn’s mother’s phone brought more bad news as we solemnly sat in the RV. A family member discovered head lice. The possibility of Jolynn’s parents being infected with head lice and our RV being infected with head lice was bubbling to the surface.

Head lice, ants and a broken down RV. We were not having fun.

Ramsey arrived and parked in front of us. Now there were 3 vehicles on Manchester Boulevard, on the curve, in front of the Lagoon. My very favorite cartoon when I was a child was Mighty Mouse and on this California day, on this boulevard, Mighty Mouse was real. In amazing speed, Ramsey buzzed around from one engine area to the next, trying one test after the next, discovering and fixing as we went along. In a huge AHA moment, our own Mighty Mouse Ramsey discovered that the problem with the RV all along was not the solenoid and not the batteries. The “isolator” or “inverter” or something like that was the culprit and after he disconnected the coach batteries, all of the scary digital readings on the dashboard went back to normal. He switched some things around, tested this and that and before we knew it, the Beaver Marquis was purring like a big diesel kitten and not one puff of smoke could be detected! In 45 minutes, our own Mighty Mouse saved the day! I love Ramsey.

On the way to Souplantation for dinner with Jolynn’s parents and Ramsey and his wife, Jan, Jolynn and I discussed where we will buy the new part we need for the RV. In the meantime, the RV is running well. It’s not sitting in some RV repair lot waiting until Monday when the shop would start running the expense meter at $120/hour. It’s not sitting on Manchester Boulevard. It’s not listed on Craigslist, for sale as is. It’s not sitting in a junk yard because it was smashed from traffic on the curve. It’s sitting in the lovely San Marcos neighborhood, in front of Jolynn’s parent’s home, safe and sound and well again. Jolynn is asleep next to me as I write this and I hope she’s dreaming of birds and butterflies and surfing. It’s Saturday morning and our plan is to leave on Monday , headed East.

But first, we have to disinfect the entire RV and our heads and bodies with the head lice treatment we bought last night. And I’d like to see all of the ants perish but I’ll try to lay low on this request as I think we’ve had enough to worry about without my ant rant. Later today we will try to find a part for the RV but for now, I want Jolynn to sleep and rest. I want to thank Ramsey a thousand times….there’s nothing like good friends coming to the rescue and Ramsey, you are our hero!

Jolynn's parents are our rock and we are so grateful for them.

The birds are singing and chirping. Someone is cooking bacon. The three sweet dogs are sleeping next to Jolynn. My coffee, in my green Life is Good mug is delicious. I wonder what will happen today.

I’ll keep you posted.

Ramsey, this journal entry is dedicated to you. Thank you Mighty Mouse.

Jeannine



#10

The Good News:

The RV has been disinfected. The dogs have been scrubbed. Jolynn and I don’t have head lice. The ants are gone for the moment. It’s foggy and overcast so we don’t feel compelled to be at the beach today.

The Bad News:

We couldn’t get the isolator for the batteries yesterday. The inverter is also not working. We’re exhausted.

The Plan:

Get the isolator tomorrow morning. Say goodbye to Jolynn’s parents, family and San Diego. Head for Flagstaff Arizona. Regain our sense of humor. Keep you posted.

Jeannine



Stunning mounds of earth just bursting with rocks of all sizes along Highway 8 East, heading into Arizona from Southern California silenced our chit chat. Really….we were completely stunned as we zoomed past incredible rock mountains. The urge to stop and just feel the rocks and take pictures was brimming up for both of us but the reminder that we were in rattlesnake country simmered our urge. Besides that, the bumpy, high-wind area wasn’t conducive for pullovers so we snapped pictures from our comfy leather seats.

Yes, we left California today. We left several hours later than we planned but that’s okay. We had a wonderful visit with Jolynn’s sister Jan and her family yesterday and today we hung out with Jolynn’s parents and niece, Katie. We both teared up as we said goodbye this afternoon but as we were leaving the San Marcos neighborhood, we celebrated the fact the RV started up and was running WELL!

Ah, but the gas tank was on empty so we spent a little time in El Cajon, California getting diesel, finding an auto store to get oil and grabbing a terrific apple chicken salad from Wendy’s with especially delicious lemonade. We were on the road again.

We set our sights on Flagstaff Arizona but leaving San Diego late in the afternoon meant that it was getting dark by the time we hit Yuma, Arizona. Apparently many RV parks in Arizona don’t open their doors to visitors until mid October (who knew?) but we found a park that let us check in. Note to self, always carry cash. Apparently, many RV parks in Arizona also don’t take credit cards. Riding around the streets of Yuma was interesting as we hunted down a Wells Fargo bank and a grocery store. We are 22 miles from Mexico. It’s hot here – really hot. The cold water coming out of our pipes is warm water and the heat in the night air nearly pushed me over when I came out of the grocery store with food for dinner and breakfast.

Speaking of dinner, Jolynn just finished cooking a delicious meal and the air conditioning in the RV is making everyone happy, especially the 3 pooches. Make that 3 CLEAN pooches. Each of them had a bath yesterday and now hugging on them is even more enjoyable.

Tomorrow we will get up early and put some mileage on this big rig, heading East.

Lots of people have written to us to express gratitude to Ramsey so here’s another shout out to you, Mighty Mouse! And thank you to everyone for your humorous and kind responses! We are enjoying hearing from YOU!

And ants, ick, yeah, thanks for asking. They are still here with us but I think they will be disappearing…at least that’s what the Raid package promises. Fighting back!

No fighting tonight, just a calm, hot night in Arizona with a candle on the dinner table and spinach on the Corelle plates. I’m looking forward to keeping you posted.



Jeannine