Name That RV

Yes, we name our cars and RVs. It's a fun family idiosyncrasy.  Thus, the 31 foot trailer was The Caboose.  Here are some names we are tossing around. Care to add to the list?  Michael is currently calling her, "Bessie." I haven't a clue. I'm calling her "the Monster," for obvious reasons.  Feel free to add your contributions to the list! 

Isn't she a beaut? 

Fred & Ginger (RV and Towable)

Nanu - lovesick moose

The Mother Ship

The Refuge - 避難 hinanjo or is it pinanjo

Dream Boat 2 - DB2 - Mom and Dad G's Class C (which we inherited when they were done with it ) was "Dreamboat"

The Pickle Jar - PJ

Voyager

Castlelette

The Vagabond

The Explorer

The Courageous  -勇敢な Yuka-na May be confusing with Yuuki

The Wardrobe

Casa minúsculo

うち Uchi - My home

The Engine/caboose (RV and Towable)

Gifts from Afar

We brought a few gifts for the kids from the cruise....Stacia was excited to get a couple of dolls. She missed the fancy ones from deployments....

Stacia loved her t-shirt

Of course we brought back some Mayan chocolate....

The source of Stacia's amusement

We're Going to Fit

The boys have taken the bunks and Stacia is currently sleeping on the jack-knife sofa. Nolan suggested we  make a hammock for her. She wasn't 100% in agreement with this option.

And that is the only photo we took of this busy day! It sounded easy to take the RV to the Caboose and move things over.....we knew where our challenges would be.  The first adaptation to the plan is we couldn't open the slides on the RV - so we couldn't reach the closets or dresser.  We brought all the kitchen stuff in, all the bathroom stuff, all the electronics, all the school stuff, and the guys moved all the stuff from the basement (storage bays) of the Caboose to the RV.

There comes a point in every RV move-in where you look at piles of stuff everywhere and your little living space and think, "This is simply not going to work." I remembered this moment from a year ago  - we couldn't even WALK through the trailer.  We pushed through and got the kitchen, bathrooms and basement organized. We bought 4 30 gal  Sterilite tubs to organize things that won't fit in the RV which were in the Caboose (Kitchen appliances not used every day, extra food storage, summer clothes) and moved them to the basement. Michael said the tubs fit perfectly and he used them to categorize stuff coming over from the storage areas of the Caboose. We also moved the school tubs from the van to the basement.

I do have quite a bit less workable counter space in the RV. It looked  the same, but when you actually use the kitchen and need to remove the covers on the sink and stove you realize it's less. I'll get some sort of makeshift something to create more space. I DO need to be able to fit a mixing bowl on the counter.😊

The bathroom is also smaller - but we moved cleaning supplies to under the kitchen sink, laundry hamper to our room, and towels to the deep shelf above the washer/dryer.

We reached a point where the couches and our bed were FULL of clothes and we needed to come back to the park so we could put the slides out and keep organizing.  We all looked at each other with relief to note all the kids' clothes items have fit.  They didn't even need the storage cupboard I'd left for them in the living area. We were able to put all the school stuff in that spot - even the GIANT Tapestry of Grace Teacher's Manual (it's been in the van and I move pages in each week). We moved their plastic drawers into 1/2 of the closet and they each got a big drawer in our dresser.

We still have the office stuff and all the wall decorations to bring over today.  We need to clean the Caboose and try to get it to a consignment lot.  We decided to try to stay here at the county park for the remainder of our visit - as it takes time to keep hooking and unhooking the RV and putting things away to drive.

It felt odd not to be at one church or another this morning, but we have 4 days of doctor appointments coming up and we need to get moved and deal with the Caboose. We'll be able to sell the van after the trailer sells...and we need that money to buy a towable vehicle.

We are going to bed  confident all the essentials from the Caboose will fit into the RV. It was a good time to go through everything - we have a couple of  yard bags full for St Vinnies. Amazing how stuff collects in a year, even in a tiny home.

CA - OR - We Made It

We made it! Eastern FL to OR!

We woke up at 0300 and didn't want to leave quite so early. We wanted to hit the Siskiyou Pass when it was warm.

We  took the time to make a couple of videos of the outside and inside of our new RV. The new RV will shortly have a name...we're thinking and living with her for a bit before we make so momentous a decision. 😉





We stopped at a couple of stores in Yuba City - hoping to find chains.  The ODOT site recommended chains be carried  going over the passes. We didn't find chains in Yuba City. Les Schwab called ahead to Yreka and they promised to hold a couple of sets for us.

The drive was fairly uneventful. We did have snow and sleet on Shasta but nothing but rain and wind on Siskiyou.

Mom and Dad brought the kids over to the park....good to see them again. We spent a bit of time talking about the challenges of fitting all that is into the trailer into this current space....

Alex, Stacia and Nolan - the young men are looking quite Amish

Mom and Dad

We confirmed how nice it will be to have sitting area for company. 

I missed my Stacia hugs

 We did our first load of laundry in the Splendide Combo.  It shakes the entire RV - and it takes hours to do a very small load. However, I do see some advantages to tossing a load in at night....I think our sheets and heavy clothes will need to go to the laundromat. We shall see. We'll also see if it's cheaper to pay increased electricity at the RV or quarters in the laundry room.  A full load is one set of sheets, or a pair of jeans and a few pairs of underwear.

Michael went to bed and the kids and I played Farkle with the mini set Bre gave us......I joked that I could beat them in my sleep. Funny thing is that I did. I fell asleep between each roll and beat them.

It's good to be back together. 

Quartzsite to Beale AFB - #WYFF

We weren't planning on this route, but Samantha took us this way. Samantha, the RV GPS.....when we saw we were going to go by the north gate of Edwards we got in touch with Rachel. They were in Lodi with her family. We stalked them to Lodi and met on a street.....This was our first time to meet up with them since Matt went from ammo to Chaplain.  We moved to Beale when Joy as about Ellie's age...she called me Gemma....today....she looked at Michael and I and said, "You're getting OLD." ::snort:: Michael DID just have a birthday and I told him it seems he's getting close to 60. ::wink::  The boys were playing with family I'm sure.....but we loved our visit with Matt, Rachel and the girls on the side of the road in Lodi.

Ellie, Rachel, Joy, Me

Matt & Michael 

Joy seemed impressed with our new house. Ellie mostly liked all the driver snacks she found. LOL  Joy thinks the basement would make a good room for kids.  

I LOVE this gal's natural curls....and her fun spirit. 

She totally didn't remember us - but we expected that. It was still fun to see how much Ellie has grown! 

We pulled into Beale and discovered the fam camp was full. They agreed to let us dry camp in one of the abandoned housing sites down here. This works well for us NOW that we are so easily and completely self contained. No fear of running our battery down - we have a GENERATOR.  It will be QUIETER than a truck stop and the host said it was FREE....win/win.

We filled up with fuel....over $200 and approx 84 gal. We ARE getting better mileage than we are used to. I suggested I drive from the station to the fam camp. It seemed a good time for me to practice turning and breaking (things I didn't do on the highway) in a spot with very little traffic. I did fine. Michael said he's surprised how quickly I'm adjusting and thinks I'm going to be a good RV driver. The grace of God manifested - that's what THAT is.

The Coyotes are having a FIT out there tonight. I've decided not to walk up to the shower tonight.

#WYFF (Where's Your Feet Friday) is sponsored by Fulltime Families. 

From Las Cruces to Quartzsite

Today we drove from Las Cruces, NM to Quartzsite, AZ. We were surprised how much traffic was on the road on Thanksgiving Day - but certainly less than yesterday.

The most momentous thing today is that I DROVE the Big Beast. I drove from rest area to rest areas - handed off before we hit Phoenix - but I drove. Michael commented I never went over the fog line - which is due to the fact that I hugged the center line.  The speed limit was 75 mph and many go way faster. This made it easier for me. I went 65 mph (as high as we want to go with this) and most passed me. I only had to switch lanes once to pass.  I will continue to practice and get more comfortable with it - but we're on our way. We are also looking into an RV driving course.... This is my, "I don't like Semis passing," look.  It feels like we are going to smack each other. Michael tells me the lanes are not smaller - "it's all in illusion." Sure.

 Air brakes, exhaust brakes and so many gadgets to monitor....but Michael said I did well. 

We had thought there would be an Iron Skillet or Denny's at our stop for the nigh - but there wasn't. There was Wendy's....so we ate at Wendy's for Thanksgiving Dinner. LOL Actually, I got a bowl of minestrone from the Flying J market and took it into Wendy's.

San Antonio - Las Cruces

 Yesterday, Michael's trucking past kicked in and we drove like truckers. I didn't feel well - but have a bathroom. We could drive without stopping; so we did.  We were both worn out by the time we hit San Antonio. Michael was sore, achy and tremoring quite a bit.

Today, we decided to take more breaks. We got up early in San Antonio, made it through that madness and continued down I 10. My BFF from San Angelo, had emailed and asked if she could meet us along I 10. She drove 2 1/2 hours ONE WAY, to meet in the DQ parking lot so we could visit.  The day before THANKSGIVING - she took at least 6 hours out of her day to visit. I sure love this gal. We arrived before they opened, had a quick time to catch up. She brought two mugs, lemon tea, honey, and Emergen C with her! She's amazing that way. We'll be back in TX for Jamin's graduation in May. I am praying and hoping we can make it a leisurely trip....go to San Angelo for a bit, Abilene for a bit, San Antonio and Houston....maybe see the Grand Canyon on the way back....we shall see.

Deja and De'Etta Two Shoeless girls who Gelled

We drove for a few more hours and Michael was really tired. We found a rest area and he went in the back and took an hour long nap. My mission was to spend at least 20 minutes in the "cock pit" and get familiar with it all.  This I did. Then I pulled out some wipes and detailed the cockpit so it was bright and shiny when Michael woke up.

I had a lot of questions, which we discussed. I now understand how to start up a diesel, how to stop the beast etc. I know many are dying for the day I take to the road - but here's the thing - THIS IS HUGE! It's 38 feet long. My dad and husband both have driven semis, school buses and have their CDLs. My friends have husbands who drive semi-trucks. They go to TRAINING to drive trucks and they often have annual safety trainings. Why do we think a person should just be able to jump in one of these things and intuitively KNOW all the different safety risks, turning radius' etc?????? So - Michael is fine with taking his time and teaching me....and our insurance has said I can drive without a driving school certificate or CDL, but our insurance will be significantly lower if I do either of these things. We are going to look into a RV driving course somewhere - though I'll drive before then.

We headed down the road again and stopped one more time to take a walk.....and for me to do a bit of driving - a tiny bit. I also pulled it away from the pump to a "parking" spot in our last truck stop. Small steps. The traffic was really busy  - it's the day before Thanksgiving.  My plan is to do more of the driving tomorrow - with less traffic on the highways. These are TOTALLY staged - Michael was sitting on the floor beside me pointing out gauges, checking mirrors and such when I was moving the monster.

These wind shades are one of my favorite things about the RV - we get a LOT of bugs 

We stopped at a truck stop in Los Cruces - filled up, bought SOFT Kleenex and some meds - quickly realized we did NOT want to sleep here. We went and found an RV park with a 5 star rating. It was nice to put the slides out, hook up to shore power and SLEEP - without trucks running next to us and highway noise. We are refreshed and have 1800 miles to go!