Visiting Dear Friends - Day 2 of AlCan Road Trip

0430 and Michael was waiting at the airport to pick up Nolan and Alex. They arrived 30 minutes (or so) late. They all opted to sleep when they got back to the trailer. A lazy start is good for us. 

We arrived at the new farm of some college friends, Kevin and Chris. Todd is a bonus friend who helps them. We have enjoyed catching up, telling new stories, seeing what God has done in their lives since we caught up with them nearly 2 years ago and sharing yummy food. Stacia has always dreamed of farming and this was a blast for her! 🐓🐖🐄

Stacia and Chris with their pig

 It was a ginormous blessing to walk around their farm and hear the story of how God chose to give them this place.🙌 Especially on the day our agreement to purchase a home in Alaska terminated.  This is a lovely 215 acre (or thereabouts) farm in SW Washington. They paid about what we will be paying for a home.

I'm not sure we've ever considered buying this much land, but this is more like the dream. The home we buy now is to be temporary, while we wait to see if God will give us the property to do what we dream.  We're o.k. with looking for another home. We found ourselves uneasy with the resell value of the "motel," and the repairs and improvements were going to max our budget, in ways we foresaw drastically changing our lifestyle. It was the cheapest option at the time, but the investment had already mounted to tens of thousands beyond the purchase price. We were prepared to move forward, but their silly choice to refuse repairs allowed us the opportunity to re-think the purchase, with a price list for repairs in hand. 😂 If God wants to give us "the dream," He isn't dependent on our finances and budget, He may well surprise us. He certainly surprised Kevin and Chris. We will take the steps we CAN take and see what He works out. Buying a home that will be hard to resell and will max our budget, doesn't seem to be a right step towards "the dream."

Michael and Kevin

Ellie surveys a portion of her domain

It was fun having Nolan as a passenger in Nimo today. He told me about the hike, his thoughts on Alaska, and we discussed our change in house plans.

We arrived early afternoon at Kevin and Chris'. Nolan drove me to the nearest Walmart Super Center - they are EVERYWHERE, aren't they? We bought provisions for the next leg of our trip.

We had our first two mishaps on the trip - and we've not even crossed the border. I turned my laptop off and was waiting for it to close before putting it away. I got side-tracked and went on to other packing up jobs. You know where this is going! It appears my laptop took a HARD fall. The corner of it is crushed. I'm not sure the card reader will work....and trim is loose.....super glue and duct tape are in the near future for this baby.

Michael noted the brake controller in Uchi isn't working. This is rather important. We just happen to have a spare brake controller along with us. 😀 We'll stop at good ole walmart and buy a harness to finish installing it in the morning.

Onward!

Down the Road...."Church-docking"

We got back to the campsite after exploring Register Rock, hooked up Nimo and headed down the road - totally refreshed. 

Driving day.....

 THIS is mostly the #ViewFromMyWindshield today

BUGS!

We had gotten permission to boondock/urbandock/moochdock at a local church for the evening. They had a great spot - and it wasn't being used on a Thursday night.  Thanks for the hospitality!

We had barely arrived when Beth followed us into the parking lot. She had been down the road picking up a watermelon when she saw us. We spent a lovely afternoon visiting with her, Don, her parents and their kids - minus Sweet Sarah, who we saw on the way out. 

Jon and Heather

Jon, Heather, Jordan, Stacia, Nolan, Alex

We called it a night around 10 p.m. and went back to the church. Yikes. Someone had opened the fire hydrant and it had blown water across the parking lot and all the way back here. Uchi is an ARK! 😛

First Night of Wally-Docking

This is the view that began the day.....I followed Michael to Transwest for Uchi to receive a front end alignment. We also hoped the mechanic could track down an persistent rattle in the front end. All is well. They aligned it and told us the rattle is the generator's  muffler. 

While they worked on Uchi, we took Nimo and drove over to the Post Office.  They were AMAZING. We were a bit leery as this was a walk-in facility...they have it down to a science....we were in and out - with the passport renewal aps on their way - in an hour. They asked when we were traveling and I told them we'd leave the day after the passports arrived. ::snort::  We paid to get them in 2 - 3 weeks. They said we should have them in 7 - 9 days. I pray it's so. 

They're pros

 We knew it would be a short travel day, but Michael was itching to get on the road. We'd really like to be back in OR a couple of days before we fly to Alaska. We hoped to make it at least to ST VRAIN STATE PARK.  I drove off ahead of Michael and Uchi. We took Nimo to Earl and Mary's and picked up Yuuki. We met up down the road and a truck stop and the boys hooked up Nimo to Ucho. 

We hit Denver right at rush hour. 

View from my windshiel

By the time we called it a day, we'd reached the Walmart parking lot in Laramie, WY.  Michael suggested rotisserie chicken and potato salad. I found THIS - it was EXACTLY like the ones we loved in the Japanese bakeries. This prompted us to remember most the bakeries in Japan were "French bakeries."  It was a fun treat, after a long day. 

"Just like Japanese bakeries,"  French Pastry from Walmart

We are coming up on two years of full-timing this summer. This is the FIRST night we tried our hand at Wally-docking or Urbandocking. We've attempted it before, but there were always signs up,  or the managers said no. RV Parky is a great ap to use while traveling. It tells us where nearby campgrounds, RV parks, and urban docking opportunities are. The Walmart in Laramie was marked as one that will let you over-night. We loved it. It was MUCH quieter than a truck stop! Much! There are 5 other RV rigs and about the same of trucks over-nighting. The meal was cheaper and just as tasty. We were able to buy a few things we needed without taking time out of a travel day. We didn't put down the jacks, or push out the slides...this made it possible for Michael to basically get up and turn the key if he couldn't sleep. LOL 

Our first night of Wallydocking

Final Night with Earl and Mary

We started our week buying plane tickets for Michael and I to fly to Alaska. We will fly up next week and attempt to secure a house for ourselves and those participating in the upcoming migration. 

Our favorite bobble head dash dog

 Then, we buttoned up Uchi and headed for Earl and Mary's. Yuuki is our guide! We moochdocked one more night in their driveway. I enjoyed the  lovely view from my windshield.

I LOVED looking out the window as I worked on dinner prep to see Stacia and Alex walking the perimeter of the back acreage. This confirmed for me our decision to take a smaller house with some land, over a mini-mansion in a subdivision. It makes me a bit nervous as we've lived in environments that are fairly uniform these past 22 years....but it's the right choice for us. I'm excited to get up to Alaska and be able to LOOK for the place that will become home.

Stacia and Alex enjoying the space

Michael went to take some things to Earl on the jobsite. Stacia made cookies. I made a roast and roasted a couple of pans of veggies....and we all enjoyed dinner and great conversation  - probably too late into the night.

Yes, if all the Gherkins weren't moving to Alaska, we'd be content to retire in Colorado.

Free "Camping" in the 21st Century

You'd like to camp for free? In an RV or trailer?  RV Love has a great article with 29 Tips for Successful Boondocking. 

Big Flat Campground - USDA site in Klamath National Forest

Boondocking is camping off the grid - no electricity, water, sewer. THIS is how we used to camp in the 1980's and 1990's.  It's currently a bit more challenging to boondock - but there are still lots of spots where one can go to "unplug." Most often these are BLM (Bureau of Land Management) sites,  USFS (US Forest Service) / USDA sites or a variety of other federal and state lands.  RV-camping.org provides a lot of info on boondocking. Free Campsites.net hosts a map with a variety of free camping listed.  Simply googling "free camping" or "camping" on BLM and USFS sites will find spots. We found some great sites on USFS lands around Crescent City, CA.

Urban-docking in ID

We have spent nights in rest areas, truck stops and retail parking lots while traveling from one state to another.  We've heard many churches and some clubs (like Rotary, BPW etc) will let you stay if  you are members. Call ahead. We call this Urban-Docking and we stay for ONE NIGHT in these locations.

Our favorite Urban-docking site is Jordan Creek Rest Area, outside of Canyonville, OR.

First "boondocking" experience we had @ Jordan Creek Rest Area

We like the aps RV Parky and Allstays for finding these spots. In these areas you are usually dry camping - still off the grid.  We always confirm with managers before staying in retail spots. We obey any signs we see instructing no over-night parking.  A note - if you do this - please be considerate, clean up after yourself, buy your groceries where you park, don't lower hydraulic jacks on hot asphalt etc.

We have noted truck stops to be NOISEY. Our original thought was to shower at a truck stop/stay free, while purchasing propane and diesel.....we quickly discovered showers are expensive these days. It is cheaper for our family of 5 to stay in a RV park with a full hookup, than to pay the price of showers for 5 at most trucks stops where we've stayed. In Idaho they wanted $65 for our family to shower - we passed.   We don't like to drive with lots of water weight on board to take our own showers...and so we tend to alternate urban-docking with a campground as we travel.

Mooch-docking in Crescent City, CA

Mooch-docking is when one stays in someone's driveway - always invited, of course! 😉 If electricity or water is provided, I would assume one is no longer "boondocking".....A level spot one can get into, possibly water and electricity - and you're good to go. Friends and family often offer showers and laundry services.  If you've followed our travels you know we mooch-dock whenever possible - not because it is free (and we always try to leave $ for electricity and water), BUT it allows us to visit easily with friends and family. We've stayed in Krista's driveway, John and Nadine's driveway, Joe's RV spot, Dennis & Susie's driveway, Will & Sherri's driveway, and we're spending this week mooch-docking at Earl and Mary's  (Michael's brother and wife).

There is a great network of RVers across America and Canada who offer sites for free at their homes - Boondockers Welcome.   This is a site we plan to use as the need and opportunity arises. I've noted some spots up the AlCan Hwy that look promising.  We are considering becoming hosts when we settle in a location.

There are also MANY opportunities to volunteer in exchange for a site. WWOOF is one several we know have utilized. I need to do some research to find the URLS for farms and orchards which allow you to spend a night in exchange for a purchase or a day of work. I can't seem to locate it right now. Hmmm....

Tents for Troops is not "docking" of any sort. However, if you are ACTIVE DUTY, member campgrounds will allow you to stay free for two nights - full hook ups. We've done this at a few locations whilst active duty and all of our stays were enjoyable.  The two that stand out in my memory are Toutle River RV Resort near Mt. Saint Helens, and Lone Mountain RV Resort in Obrien OR on the way to the Redwoods and more.

#ViewFromMyWindshield

I opened the curtain to get the big view and this is what met me!  The very picture of irony!

Not so much ::snort:: 

After a "short," but LONG, night of overnighting with the trucks, I felt anything but rested.  We woke with the trucks in ID....

Drove all day...

... and ended the day in a mud hole in WY.  We PAID to stay at this KOA. LOL

It was a quiet location, with hot showers and electricity.  Perfect, except for the mud. Today we finish our trek through Wyoming and enter Colorado. 

A Long Moving Day

We moved from the local county campground to a home across town today. Finding reservations in the area has been a bit touch and go.  We had stayed at one park before the wedding that had a 6 MONTH waiting list....more on that later. When our time there expired we moved to Krista's driveway for 2 weeks. We were then able to get back into the county system..... and today we have lighted for 2 months.

God is good. We have some friends, Michael's former endorsers, who are going to go out RVing for a couple of months. They have a pad for their RV and were looking for house-sitters. Here we are! They are blessed knowing we'll take good care of their home. We are blessed with a set spot and no rent....We hope to do a couple of more RV modifications by the time they return.

Maneuvering into the spot was a bit tighter than we'd expected. We had measured. John and Nadine have a 28ft Class C - I think. We are 10 feet longer.

Examining the situation - there's an incline 

Tight fit

I didn't get a shot but our rear tires are all the way to the end of the concrete - the back part hanging over the garden....and the nose bellies right up to the bolt on the gate - but we're in. The main living room slide won't open - and that's a bummer - but the bedrooms opened fine.  We're still debating who will sleep inside and who will sleep outside. TONIGHT - as I'm still hacking so loud no one could sleep in the RV if I was in there and everyone needs a good night sleep - I've been banished inside and Stacia is THRILLED to have a room. She's not complained - but sleeping on the jack-knife couch has meant she can't go to bed as early as she normally does, and is up earlier than she'd like to be. 

The guys made a trip to Jerry's to buy wood to help us level the RV - we didn't want the tires up in the air for two months. 

While the guys worked on leveling, Stacia and I moved our kitchen essentials and toiletries inside and worked on settling into the house.

Michael is feeling bad after a long day and went to bed. The kids are playing Quelf. I'm about to settle in for a night of "sleep," which this week has meant hacking incessantly with about a 3 hour nap.

Oh, about that RV Resort with a 6 month waiting list, where we were number 23....they called. They moved us to the top of the list after we stayed there. We'll be moving there when John and Nadine come home for as long as we need to be in the area.   When we stayed in December, I happened to tell our story of needing to be here for VA care and the owner heard. I hadn't noticed all the service flags out front when we pulled in. They support the military and I think they moved us to the top of their waiting list.  I think the fact that Michael is retired military, that our kids are really young adults, our beagle is well-behaved and our rig is "nice" looking - all worked together....sprinkled with a giant scoop of God's grace.

For anyone wanting to reach us - my parents are still a great mailing address. Phones and emails remain constant. ::wink::

SNOW DAY!!!!

Sixteen months ago we set out on a journey to "chase the sun," "see America," "chase 70 degrees." Stacia has repeatedly bemoaned the fact that she  misses the snow of Japan.  We kept pointing out we did NOT have winter clothes and we didn't want to encounter snow.  They've been predicting snow off and on for the past couple of weeks... we FINALLY woke this a.m. to SNOW.

View from wind shield

We scheduled a move from Krista's driveway to a county park today. She had a SNOW DAY due to the schools being closed. This was GREAT. We got to enjoy the snow with her - and laugh at the sights and sounds of a snow day from her windows.  Lots of skidding and one into the ditch. Krista made us Dutch Babies - we sat and ate and watched the show....

Honey - Ingredient of health - almost seemed like a sign we should eat more honey

These guys were LOVING the weather

Michael went to a men's prayer meeting. I kept doing the jobs we needed to do to move. Arielle called and asked if we were still at Krista's. Cory dropped her off on his way to work. What a great idea! She blew in and said, "Let's go have snow fun."  It was fun to see the kids enjoy their first snow since Japan. 

Stacia was so excited

Nolan seemed to be the target

Planned to take the tree to recycling today - but didn't want to venture out too far

They made a "snow thing." 

 She's really not sleeping. We heard Japanese in the other room and peeked around to see this. 

Arielle had her first ride in the  motorhome as we caravanned across to the county park. Nolan made a snow animal and a castle on our picnic table. 

We're snug, cozy and warm here in our little slice of the Pacific NW. 

I can't wait to walk along the snow river tomorrow...and I have an AIR HORN to sound off if needed. I'll be fine.