Scholars and S'mores

Are they homeschoolers,  roadschoolers or Road's Scholars? A student by any other name is still a student  - and today we added book work to our new lifestyle. Note, I didn't say we added "education" to the experience. We've done many educational things in the past two weeks. We won't have trouble filling our days this year - but we do have some upper level students and we want to be sure we make steady progress  in the more traditional subjects as well.

I was nervous about how schooling would work in the trailer. At "home," we spread out all over the house. Each child had a desk they sometimes used, we had a living room, a family room and two tables they could be found at. Now each child has a bunk, we have a small dinette, a small couch, 268 square feet and a Dad with us.  That's a lot of changes.

It was a great first day. Nolan remembered much info about the French Revolution.  A highlight o f the day was when Michael added his thoughts about how French philosopher's and their worldview could been seen in the differences between the French and American revolutions. Stacia was worried she'd bomb math and Dad would be "right there," but she ACED her work today. ::snort::   We worked until 3:30 p.m. - but we got it done and it's sure to get easier as we establish new routines and get used schooling in close quarters.

 

Michael fell asleep in the early afternoon and I couldn't wake him. I was a bit worried he was having one of the reactions to weaning off the meds they warned about,  but it appears he was just tired.  He slept, we prepped dinner, walked, rollerbladed and talked.

After dinner we had our first fire and s'mores - we liberally doused the coals with the hose when we were finished.

 

Arriving in Crescent City

We arrived in Crescent City and began settling in to our space. We actually paid a weekly fee here! We're putting down roots.

After lunch the kids and Michael enjoyed the field behind our space .

 

I got organized to begin school tomorrow. We were happy to school through June and July....the break was nice...but several are itching to get back to school.

Portable school library stacked to the right - pantry under the seat.

The "General" books tomorrow I'll figure out where they'll fit in The Caboose

We headed in to town to pick up a few items Mom G needed, things we needed and to see the sunset. Seeing the sunset took longer than expected, resulting in a later than expected night.

Here are a few photos Alex took. Michael took quite a few more - which we'll post later.

 

I'm a bit worried about how school is going to work with retirement....and living in The Caboose....but we've managed each adjustment fairly well. We're off.

Lone Mountain RV Resort

 

We found an unexpected jewel in Obrien, OR! 

Lone Mountain RV Resort looks like a typical park at first glance. You'll miss out if you don't give it a second glance. The laundry ($2.00 to wash/$1.25 to dry), restrooms and PAY showers are all faultlessly clean.

I noticed two things quickly:

We are Escapee members and

I like the honor system

There are some rather tight back-in full-hookups available for $30 a night. Spaces 24 - 33 are $35 a night. Spaces 24 - 28 are WIDE full hook-ups.

 

 Spaces 29 - 33 are long pull through sites with full-hookups.

 

Tee pees are available.

Tent sites are spacious and well-cared for. They are nestled back in the woods.  I noted one primitive site by the pond which is a pull-through. I wonder if they'd let you park your RV back there - probably not but it was a dream.

I always helpfully remind Michael to ask for a military discount. He humors me. Imagine our delight when Lone Mountain gave us a totally FREE stay for the evening and  put us in a $35 space. They are a part of Tents for Troops!!! and we still qualify as we're still Active Duty.

Jim also clued us in to the MAN-MADE pond for swimming at the back of the property! This was a LOT of fun after the heat we've been experiencing. We all agreed this was much nicer than a pool. A creek runs through the pond, so the water is not stagnant. The fish and frogs add a touch of whimsy. We were the only ones swimming, though many came to look and visit. We were the only ones with kids in the park/resort, which is sad as the woods were beautiful and we'd swim in a pond over a pool any day! Families would love this spot!

Lone Mountain has a club house - which was being used this weekend-  and a central area with a picnic pavilion, horse shoes and a fire pit.

We had a wonderful stay. I had tossed some frozen meat in the sink as we headed down the road in the morning and was well situated to make beef stroganoff before the kids came home from swimming.

 

I struck up a conversation with Bill and Cathy.  I noted them looking in the trailer window and laughing as I prepared dinner. They were delighting in traveling as a couple in a fancy new set up. We discovered they live just up the road from Beale Air Force base in Oroville and are traveling 101. We plan to travel 101 when we leave here. They shared their tips and asked me if I'd like to take the first tour of their new-to-them 40 foot Beaver Motor home. They purchased it at RVSales of Oregon and highly recommend them. I asked if I could bring Michael along and went back for him. It's a source of amusement to my family that I glean invites to tour rigs.

This was a darling set up - yes, I've been reduced to taking photos of random rigs.

A highlight of our stay at Lone Mountain was being able to watch the DUCK GAME in The Caboose. Their loss dampened our excitement.

 

Yes, we have MORE of the comforts of home on the road than we did in the sticks and bricks....we've not had television in over 25 years and we have the capability in the trailer. At this point it is for football (and Stacia has requested basketball) and the upcoming political debate. It's on our list to discuss some television boundaries/principles...at this point none of us are tempted to watch the thing other than football and debates.  

There are many things to do within a short drive of little Obrien, OR. We plan to stop here again and use it as a jump off spot to see the caves, the cats and Crater Lake.

This was a delightful spot to spend a night. We had a freaky incident, which come to think of it we should write the hosts about. A lady, who does NOT seem to stay at the park, drove back to the pond with her dog in her sporty, blue PT Cruiser. She gave us quite the lecture on how this was a NATURAL pond and swimming in it was not allowed and disturbed the ecosystem. This despite numerous signs warning you to swim at your own risk and being specifically told we COULD swim here. She smashed the kids sand structures as they were disturbing the ecosystem. They tossed sharp rocks out of the pond and she threw them back in - yes while they were in the water.  She seemed to think it was fine for her dog to disturb the natural ecosystem of fish and frogs but was terrible for a human to share the water with the same fish and frogs. Go figure - and you thought all the whackos were in that state south of here? One of my children later noted we are as much a part of nature as her dog is.  Michael pointed out to her this was not a natural pond but was man-made by the park owners for guests to swim in. She left in a huff.

Other than that the only "negative" others may object to are the pay showers.  This didn't overly bother us as 1. we had a free night lodging and 2. the showers run for 10 min....we all cycle through with one shower for men and one for women. LOL  

Traveling Style

There are numerous traveling styles in the full-time RV world. Some cover big swatches of space, driving 8 - 12 hours in a day, and spend a week in one spot - others just a day -exploring the area. Some never travel - staying immobile for months on end (those with a stationary job or snow birds come to mind). Many have a travel goal in mind: hit all 48 states in one year, visit all baseball stadiums, visit all state capitals or visit all interstate rest areas.  We were warned many burn out on full-timing as they fail to see the difference between traveling and a  LIFESTYLE of full-time RVing. We are currently finding our own travel style.

Decades ago I didn't give it much thought when Michael wanted to "retire in an RV." It fell in the same category as, "have a large family" did,  way in the future to think about. ::snort::  Recently, he talked of staying in Crescent City until we went to Japan - I envisioned us immobile for months. In May, I understood his idea was to explore new areas at a leisurely pace, spending a few weeks or a month in Crescent City then  moving on to investigate and coming back periodically.

Our general travel goal is to connect with family and see new things. We thought we'd spend this fall in the NW connecting with family, the summer in the south,  spring and summer in the  north and possibly NW again  and eventually spend a considerable amount of time on the eastern seaboard and NE - visit the 13 colonies, D.C. etc. while we waited for medical issues to clear so we could pursue being missionaries in Japan.  With the specter of being recalled to active duty hanging over our heads, plans are in flux. We are going as far as we can and return to Beale in a "reasonable" amount of time.  We are on TERMINAL LEAVE and can technically go where we want until we get "the call." One doc is concerned we should stay local in case Michael has complications weaning off his meds; the neurologist told us to "live our life" - she knew that included RVing and cruising  - we are trying to do that and still be available if the  military doc wants us back "now."

Here are a few glimpses into a travel day with the Gherkins. We've learned to move all heavy items to the front of the trailer when we travel. This makes for great fun if the GPS is left on our bed. LOL

 

This is our current set up: all but one bench seat is removed from the van. A table is mounted where the front seat used to be. This allows the kids to watch movies, write, do a bit of school work on travel days.

 

The rear is about 50% of bikes at this point; one rides in the trailer. I think we are going to get a bike rack which will carry two bikes.

 

How far are we traveling in a day? When we made the Beale to Eugene trip 8 hours a day. That isn't comfortable for Michael's health and we've determined to plan for much shorter drive days. Most of us really enjoy shorter drive days. This trip from Beale to Crescent City - which usually takes us 1 day/8 hours - took 3 days.  ::snort:: Day 1 we drove 200 miles to  McCloud and spent a night in the shadow of Mount Shasta. Eventually, we'll research and plan a longer trip to Shasta, this time it was a pit stop on the way to another destination.  Day 2 we stopped in Obrien, OR and Day 3 we had less than 50 miles to drive.  This week we add school to our lifestyle.  I wanted to be set for a couple of weeks in one spot....so we didn't take the time we plan to take discovering the areas we pass through.

We are adjusting to NOT being on vacation - we can go as slow or fast as we want. Of course, just as we begin to adjust we realized it will all change if we get "the call." LOL

Note: The call referred to in this post is to return to active duty and face a medical evaluation board - not the call to go to Japan as missionaries.

McCloud Dance Country RV Resort

The first thing we noticed were rampaging seniors apparently intent on capturing and hoarding picnic tables. We quickly secured our table from the mob. We suspect its demise is planned when we leave. They have erected shade canopies over two long rows of table and one row is conspicuously short a table - yet is covered by shade.  We're at our first "RV Resort." We had planned to stay at Castle Crags State Park, but noted the  21 ft maximum trailer length. Samantha, the GPS, found us the Dance Country RV Resort.  We pulled in and quickly decided we'd stay one night, instead of two.  We also noted a distinct lack of children - a serious defect in Stacia's  estimation.  

The park is lush green, nestled amongst fir trees in the shadow of Mt. Shasta. Laundry is $1.50 a wash and $1.00 per 10 min of drying time. A creek meanders through the impeccably kept grounds. It's quiet - quiet hours run from 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 a.m. - the longest we've seen.  They gave a 10% military discount,  have showers and intermittent wifi.

A row of darling cabins grace the rear of the property and a field of tents rest apart from the RVs.  

What's not to like?

It's very crowded. The rates are the highest we've paid so far. Seriously, this would be a great park if they'd take 30-50% of the sites away.

Tent Site - $28 per night

Water & electric - back in - $37 per night

Full-hookup - back in 30 amp $40 per night

Full hook up - back in 50 amp- $44 per night

Pull through full-hookups  with 50 amp - $44 per night

There is a $2 kid tax added per child - which they didn't charge us. We did receive a 10% military discount bringing our rate to $39 a night.

It was a lovely spot to spend a night.  It would be a good base camp to explore the area. Visit their website here. 

Fun Fact: Michael noted the wifi was screaming when we arrived. At 8 p.m. everyone went inside (group think is strong) and the wifi died. Moral of the story - keep the octogenarians outside talking.

Stacia wonders why they call it, Dance Country RV Park, "It's mostly old people who aren't going to be dancing, anyway."

Beale Fam Camp

Fam Camps are campgrounds operated by the Air Force. All military branches operate recreation facilities - the Air Force seems to be the only one using this title. To keep down labels in the sidebar I am going to label all military campgrounds as Fam Camps.

Beale's Fam Camp is nestled in the rolling foothills next to Lower Blackwelder Lake. As this is year 3 of a drought in the area, the lake looks more like a small pond and the hills are golden....BUT the area has a wide-open beauty, there are fish in the lake and it's a nice place to land.

Beale hosts 44 30/50 amp paved full-hookups and a field for tent sites.  The sites are spacious and most (if not all) have their own grassy area.

Smoke from the Butte Fire turned the sky wild

There is a nice air conditioned lounge with TV, game closet,  fridge, oven and a book swap. Monthly events are held for those staying at Fam Camp. The bathroom/showers are clean and the laundry room is the best we've seen yet. There are only 2 washer/dryers but they are new and work well. It's $1.50 to wash and $1.00  to dry for 52 minutes.  Free Wi-fi is advertised. This is our 3rd stay  here and it seems to only work up by the lounge/laundry area - very fast there.  One of the best features of Beale's Fam Camp is the friendly and helpful host, Mike. I have enjoyed my conversations with him.  Another fun element of Beale Fam Camp is the sense of community. We are new enough at this that I'm not sure if it's because it's a fam camp or because of the full-timers on extended stays.  We had several kids asking us when we'd be back as we left.

Our Gherkins in the Fam Camp Lounge

Beale is near Sacramento, gold rush towns, Empire Mine,  rivers, lakes and within a day's drive to the Sierra Nevada's, the Bay Area and much more.  Beale, was a hopping place during WW2.  There are old ruins out by the Fam Camp. An interesting spot to stop on base is the old POW cell block - ask at the front desk for directions.

The advertised maximum length of stay is 120 days per calendar year.  Beyond 120 days you must have an extension from  a commander (FSS?). I was told they must keep that number at 25% or below.  This means, even with the full-time population, there never seems to be trouble getting a spot.  We have run into trouble at a couple of other Fam Camps. Reservations are accepted and can be made up to 45 days in advance. You can make a reservation at 530-634-3382.

Full hook-ups are $18 a day for Active Duty, Reservist, Retired Military, and  National Guard. They are $20 a day for DOD Civilians, Retired DOD and sponsored guests. Dry campsites are $8 a day. Visit Beale's Fam Camp website. 

 

God Writes Our Story

God writes our story. We rest in this. We do not feel like we are done with ministry. We know being missionaries is seeming unlikely. We only knew we had retired. He writes the story.

PLOT TWIST!!! (You saw that coming?)

I am trying to put this in civilian speak. Background - Michael had his retirement CEREMONY on 14 Aug. He is now on TERMINAL LEAVE (vacation time owed to us) and his RETIREMENT is to be administratively EFFECTIVE 1 NOV.

We saw Dr. Lee, a WONDERFUL, retired then rehired, military Christian doc. He wants the best for us. He said Michael's diagnosis on 31 Aug  of Parkinsonism (even if the diagnosis doesn't progress to Parkinson's Disease) is an automatic medical hold and "Medical Evaluation Board" (MEB).  It is OUR CHOICE to simply not say a word and retire on 1 Nov as planned.  However, if we do that, we have to "fight" the VA system to label Parkinson's a "Service connected" disability - this takes years.  It matters because of life-long income and medical care.

If, on the other hand, we allow him to submit the request for a medical hold/MEB, the DoD will determine Michael's disability, he'll be active duty when the diagnosis is finalized and they navigate the VA rather than us navigating the VA system alone. When pressed, he admitted he thinks this will be best for us. We agreed.

Dr. Lee is submitting the request to Randolph AFB. They will determine if they want us to retire 1 Nov or if they will place him on medical hold and have him face an MEB.  Until then, we are on TERMINAL LEAVE and we plan to go on leave and enjoy ourselves until we are notified we are on medical hold and need to get back to Beale - or that we are not facing an MEB and we can go fight the VA system.  Prayers appreciated for the process to work out as God intends.

Yes, we've moved into the Caboose and we plan to stay there. The man who coordinates records for the VA for those going through MEB boards says on average it takes 12 - 18 months to get a final decision. Dr. Lee thinks they'll move much faster.  

Our heads are spinning, but our souls and hearts are sure! I realized I wasn't putting much stock in "Parkinsonism" until hearing Dr. Lee's reaction and seeing how seriously the military takes this brought it all home.

Now - we are heading for the beach, the mountains - somewhere and will be in touch by Sunday.