Our final mini-trip before the Big Day. I thought it would be nice to get away from the packing, house renting and general stress of gearing up for the big Aventura for a few days. Turns out, I ended up with more items on my to-do list. They are good items though - items we should take care of before we are forever mobile. And important items like new camp chairs. (Important to buy these before the New Austerity begins -- that's Alan's name for us having to live on a budget.)
We set off Friday at 2:20pm, Alan having just flown in from Atlanta and driven from LAX (never an enjoyable experience.) I have to say though, he was in great spirits. I had spent the morning fetching Salt from the Spice Rack (alone!) and bringing her home. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone parked in front of our house that day, so I could just pull right up without any problem (albeit parking on the wrong side of the street.)
Before leaving, we had the "do we fill up the water tank" discussion as usual. Now, if you have read through, you know I was the one who was intent upon getting fresh water whenever possible. However, after watching our gas tank empty as we pull Salt along, I have changed my tune. Now I only want it at the last possible moment--preferably waiting until the campground itself. But the universe was put back in balance by Alan stating that now he wanted to fill up before heading up the mountain. But remember what a good mood he was in? So good that he let me have my way and we set off with very little fresh water. (Queue the Music of Doom . . .)
The drive up took the usual hour longer than the Garmin says it should have. Had some traffic getting out of Orange County and then again getting into San Diego County. Three stops along the way: At a fruit stand off of Highway 76 for some farm fresh avocados, oranges and apples; A stop in Santa Ysabel for fresh bread at Dudley's Bakery (the bakery itself was closed by the time we got there, but with a nice sign posted that their bread was available at the general store next door, where we also purchased campfire wood); And, gas in Julian. We pulled into the Laguna campground around 5:30 p.m. Here's where some research came in handy.
We had attempted to stay here last April (I was scared off by the lack of electricity, the snow on the ground and the approaching snow storm) so we knew that there were two pull-through spots. Research on the Recreation.gov website showed that they were available on a walk-in basis only, so I reserved a back-in site, #45, in a claustrophobic loop--the only site available. Upon arrival, I asked the hosts if one of the pull-through spots was open and, since they didn't know, we proceeded to drive to their location -- not even taking the time to check out #45. Lo and behold, they were both open! So we selected #87, the furthest away from everyone (naturally) although that is not saying much. The campground was full.
We pulled in then remembered that we needed water. So we each hop out with a walkie-talkie to scope the nearest spigot. We both find one in opposite locations, Alan opts to go back to the one he had found. I thought I should stay at the site to block and tackle any other walk-ins. So off he goes. At this point, he was looking tired (and who wouldn't? He had been up since 3:00 a.m. PST.) So I offered to fetch the water but he said he would do it.
Here's how I imagine the situation played out in Alan's head: "I knew we should have filled up the fresh water at home. Now it's getting late, I am tired, and I have to go off and fill the tank. Oh well, should just take a second. Wow! Look at me take that sharp curve -- almost a u-turn -- to get back to the water spigot. So far so good! Oh geez, now there is someone behind me and I am blocking their way. No water yet, but I need to unhook the hose and get out of their way. (Expletive!) Just broke the handle off Pepper's parking brake release -- perfectly symbolic, there is no stopping now. Pulling on that wire to release the brake is going to be a real drag. Drove by the site and told Kit I was going to try the other spigot. Longest hose doesn't reach the second spigot, have to go back to the first spigot. Hmm, the hose reaches from the spigot to Salt, but I can't hold the output into Salt while simultaneously holding the faucet on -- crafty California water retention, doesn't appear to just let you turn on the spigot and walk away. Clearly this is a two-person job. I try Kit on the walkie-talkie. No response. Try her again, still no response. (Expletive!) Where is she?!? Walking to the top of the road, I wave her down and give her my best, frustrated "get over here" motion, almost throwing my shoulder out of its socket. She shows up with the dogs and we manage to fill the water tank. Next time we are doing it at home. I don't care what she says."
(Back to me now.) Actually, we decided the best thing was to pull half a tank of fresh. That way we have enough for a couple of nights and don't have to haul the entire weight. And, by the way, when Alan had returned to the site the first time, he was putting up the windows so I figured the water trip was done and had put my walkie-talkie back into Pepper's side panel. Not that I am above a well-timed disappearance.
The site was ok - the hiking around Mt. Laguna and the Laguna Meadows was gorgeous -- the meadow just goes on forever and ever, but the fields are filled with fox-tails so the dogs were having a terrible time. Rosco could hardly walk with all the flicking of his feet (he is very sensitive to having foreign objects in his fur.) And River was dragging in the heat (mid-80's.) The Big Laguna and Little Laguna lakes had some water (which was a surprise) and the dogs took full advantage: Rosco swimming around and ducking his nose under to his eyeballs and River getting in up to her belly. Now they were wet and muddy and full of fox-tails. We found a nice large shady rock for a lunch break and I even sat in the fox-tails for a quick sketch of some wild flowers. We ended up with an 8.5 mile hike!
On Sunday we hiked up Garnet Ridge, intersecting a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. A short hike, only 2.3 miles, but it was all River would do. She was limping like crazy and we thought her pads were sore from the 8.5 the previous day. However, that night, after staring at River's long face (she wouldn't even walk around the campsite), we did a deep dive in-between her pads and found more nasty fox-tails. (Alan had been diligently removing the fox tails every night, but had never flipped her over--another two-person job.) Monday morning we had our bouncing Roo back. (Those of you who have met River, know that she makes an incredible "roo" noise when she is happy, hence the nickname.)
Monday was just a leisurely morning of list making and packing up. Due to our campground not having a dump station, we located one in Ramona, on our way down the mountain. Thirty dollars to dump! (Expletive!) But Revelation! We should stay at campgrounds that have a dumping station (even if there is no direct hook up from the individual sites) so we can dump for free upon leaving. We also stopped at Camping World in San Marcos--leaving with my new best friend the RV Road Atlas. (There is no better item for a control freak in a car like a printed road atlas.) We made it back to Laguna Beach by 3:00 p.m. We'll be keeping Salt here for a few days so Alan can install the TV and a shelf in the bedroom, and I can give her a thorough cleaning before the Big Day.
Our meal plan can be found here - it will be the last one as we aren't planning on planning that much once we start the Aventura; pictures can be seen by right-mouse clicking on the post title above, and, as usual, I have updated the Campsite listing (see the Campground tab at the top of the blog.)
Next stop - full timers! Don't forget to keep an eye on our calendar (left side of the blog) - and meet up with us if you can!
-K
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Trip on Which We Brought Salt Home - Feb. 12 & 13, 2011
This will be the last of my historical postings - after this, it's just real-time baby! But this final story does need to be told. It holds two "Revelations" after all!
Now, if you have read all the postings so far, you will realize that we had our first night out with Salt in January 2011 (see "Our Very First Trip") which produced that gorgeous beach sunset photo that I will forever treasure. We did take possession of Salt on that trip, however, we returned her to Sky River RV the next day so she could be finished off with a solar panel and full window awnings. (The solar panel is a must we love it and it provides so much freedom--don't need electricity at all, especially California; the additional window awnings, well, we love them but not sure they provide any additional function other than up'ing the cute quotient.)
So on February 12th, we picked her up for good. We arrived tired, after another 5-6 hours on the Southern California freeways, at about 4:30 p.m. As this was the winter, the sun was getting low in the horizon and I was getting high in my need to know where I am going to sleep. After hooking her up, I suggested to Alan that we might want to take advantage of having a fresh water source and put some in our tank. But he thought there would be water at the campground so we decided not to. Revelation! Never pass up fresh water.
We had reservations at Cerro Alto (NFS), just outside of Morro Bay, California, but having never been there, we had no idea what to expect. The look on Sky River RV folks' faces when we mentioned we were heading that way should have given us a clue. But off we drove.
We had no food (having not learned the Driving Day Dinner lesson yet) and so we had to stop at a grocery store - with Salt in tow. A little scary maneuvering her around the parking lot, but we managed and, after about 30 minutes, came out with two dinner- and two breakfast options. Revelation! Pack the food for the weekend when you are at home, then you don't have to stop and shop (and then cook) at the end of a long day.
We were tired and the lessons were mounting up. We drove the 10 miles or so to Cerro Alto and, while waiting to turn left down the single-lane, tree-covered, choppy asphalt road, Alan said, "Really? We are heading in there?"
It was indeed daunting: The trees were so close to the single-lane road that they almost scraped our precious new toy. It was almost dark by now which was a bit of a blessing as we could at least comfort ourselves with the fact that, although we couldn't see around the corners, approaching car lights would at least give us a heads up.
We wound our way down into the valley, stopping now and again to look at what appeared to be pitches, although they were awfully small. Plus they would require us to back in, something we had yet to attempt. Finally, we found a spot to pull over and we hopped out. We were thinking that we would be better off walking down this one-way road and finding a spot than getting stuck somewhere without being able to turn around. (Of course, now I look back on this and think, "How silly! Of course they are going to have places for caravans to turn around!" But this is now, that was then, and look how a far I have come!)
So we find a spot near the turn-around, but it would require backing in. Stress test! On the way to the spot, we pass some water spigots but didn't think to stop--we figured there will be a spigot at the pitch.
So we try our first backing in and, I have to say, it wasn't so bad. Thankfully there wasn't anyone on either side of us and it was dark so the rest of the campers really couldn't see the odd angle we were at, but we were in! Down came the stabilizers! Out went the dogs! Campfire was lit! Sundowners were poured! And then we remembered the water.
The closest spigot was not at the pitch, but about 30 yards away--to far away for our hose (since then, we have purchased a really long hose--technical term there, "really long".) So we took some water jugs and filled them at the spigot and had to pour water over our hands for washing and flushing. Not the best start, but as we reminded ourselves, still better than crouching by a river to wash up during a backpacking trip!
We had a great night and woke to a stunning sun-break (one of the few pictures you will find attached to this title) did a little hiking with the dogs and then headed off to our second night at the KOA in Ojai.
Can't say I recommend that stop, they had the nice KOA showers and friendly staff, but the place is enormous and sits alongside an almost dry river-bed. The flies were a big problem in the morning, even causing River to whine and that almost never happens.
We then headed to the Spice Rack (aka Baker RV Storage Depot) where we were so thankful to have a pull-through parking slot!
That was the first time we disconnected Salt and had to leave her behind. Six months later it hasn't gotten any easier. But soon there will be no more leaving her behind!
-K
Now, if you have read all the postings so far, you will realize that we had our first night out with Salt in January 2011 (see "Our Very First Trip") which produced that gorgeous beach sunset photo that I will forever treasure. We did take possession of Salt on that trip, however, we returned her to Sky River RV the next day so she could be finished off with a solar panel and full window awnings. (The solar panel is a must we love it and it provides so much freedom--don't need electricity at all, especially California; the additional window awnings, well, we love them but not sure they provide any additional function other than up'ing the cute quotient.)
So on February 12th, we picked her up for good. We arrived tired, after another 5-6 hours on the Southern California freeways, at about 4:30 p.m. As this was the winter, the sun was getting low in the horizon and I was getting high in my need to know where I am going to sleep. After hooking her up, I suggested to Alan that we might want to take advantage of having a fresh water source and put some in our tank. But he thought there would be water at the campground so we decided not to. Revelation! Never pass up fresh water.
We had reservations at Cerro Alto (NFS), just outside of Morro Bay, California, but having never been there, we had no idea what to expect. The look on Sky River RV folks' faces when we mentioned we were heading that way should have given us a clue. But off we drove.
We had no food (having not learned the Driving Day Dinner lesson yet) and so we had to stop at a grocery store - with Salt in tow. A little scary maneuvering her around the parking lot, but we managed and, after about 30 minutes, came out with two dinner- and two breakfast options. Revelation! Pack the food for the weekend when you are at home, then you don't have to stop and shop (and then cook) at the end of a long day.
We were tired and the lessons were mounting up. We drove the 10 miles or so to Cerro Alto and, while waiting to turn left down the single-lane, tree-covered, choppy asphalt road, Alan said, "Really? We are heading in there?"
It was indeed daunting: The trees were so close to the single-lane road that they almost scraped our precious new toy. It was almost dark by now which was a bit of a blessing as we could at least comfort ourselves with the fact that, although we couldn't see around the corners, approaching car lights would at least give us a heads up.
We wound our way down into the valley, stopping now and again to look at what appeared to be pitches, although they were awfully small. Plus they would require us to back in, something we had yet to attempt. Finally, we found a spot to pull over and we hopped out. We were thinking that we would be better off walking down this one-way road and finding a spot than getting stuck somewhere without being able to turn around. (Of course, now I look back on this and think, "How silly! Of course they are going to have places for caravans to turn around!" But this is now, that was then, and look how a far I have come!)
So we find a spot near the turn-around, but it would require backing in. Stress test! On the way to the spot, we pass some water spigots but didn't think to stop--we figured there will be a spigot at the pitch.
So we try our first backing in and, I have to say, it wasn't so bad. Thankfully there wasn't anyone on either side of us and it was dark so the rest of the campers really couldn't see the odd angle we were at, but we were in! Down came the stabilizers! Out went the dogs! Campfire was lit! Sundowners were poured! And then we remembered the water.
The closest spigot was not at the pitch, but about 30 yards away--to far away for our hose (since then, we have purchased a really long hose--technical term there, "really long".) So we took some water jugs and filled them at the spigot and had to pour water over our hands for washing and flushing. Not the best start, but as we reminded ourselves, still better than crouching by a river to wash up during a backpacking trip!
We had a great night and woke to a stunning sun-break (one of the few pictures you will find attached to this title) did a little hiking with the dogs and then headed off to our second night at the KOA in Ojai.
Can't say I recommend that stop, they had the nice KOA showers and friendly staff, but the place is enormous and sits alongside an almost dry river-bed. The flies were a big problem in the morning, even causing River to whine and that almost never happens.
We then headed to the Spice Rack (aka Baker RV Storage Depot) where we were so thankful to have a pull-through parking slot!
That was the first time we disconnected Salt and had to leave her behind. Six months later it hasn't gotten any easier. But soon there will be no more leaving her behind!
-K
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Infamous Mrs. Dash - Dec. 22, 2010 - Jan. 4, 2011 - Part Deux
OK, I left Part 1 at the point where we had woken up at the Grand Canyon, with our fresh water tank frozen and the outside temperature well below zero. Clearly, it was time to go.
We checked the traffic report as a couple of Arizona highways had been completely closed during the snow storm and discovered that our route was open--full of snow and ice and they weren't recommending driving on it, but open none-the-less. We figured we were up for the challenge having successfully driven around the snowy roads in the Village with no problem (also with no Mrs. Dash, but at sub-zero temperatures, we weren't going to be deterred by facts.)
So before hooking up, we decide we should empty the black and grey tanks. Alan hooks it all up but discovers that the grey tank valve has broken--probably due to the extreme cold. We had no choice but to head out with our frozen and half-full tanks.
We pulled out cautiously and caution became our word of the day all the way down the mountain. Oddly, the mountain road turned out to be the best plowed section of the trip. When we hit the Highway, it was a mess of ice, sand and salt. It was a long day of driving, being so cautious and all. We stopped at one point for gas during which we were mortified to see that our grey water tank had thawed enough to begin dripping all over the place. All of a sudden we were "those people" -- you know, the ones with some mysterious liquid flowing from their trailer, splashing on your windshield. I comfort myself with the knowledge that if it had been the black water tank we wouldn't have driven at all. But since it was just soapy grey water, we let it drip and kept on the route.
We decided to stop at the Kingman, Arizona, KOA for the night. Sadly, this was New Year's Eve. But we were so tired from digging out of the snow and from the stress of driving on the icy road, that we didn't even last until midnight. Can't say I recommend stopping here, although if you are tired it works just fine.
The next day we took off for Death Valley National Park which is way more beautiful and interesting than it sounds. Just a wonderful place to wander around (given the right time of year--and this was) as you aren't required to stay on hiking trails. You can just head into the hills all by yourself. It is surprisingly easy to find your way out as there are almost no trees and you can see for miles. Hopefully the pictures will give you some idea (right mouse click on the title above) of the stark beauty you can find out there.
Unfortunately, the starkness continues into your camping options: There is only one campground with hook-ups and it only has a dozen or so spots, Stovepipe Wells. If you have solar panels (which we didn't on the Mrs. Dash) then you are in good shape. But if you need electricity, then I'm afraid Stovepipe is your only option. And it's not a pretty camping spot, very utilitarian but with nice showers across the street at the Inn.
Also a challenge in Death Valley is fresh food and affordable gasoline. So bring plenty of both before driving in. There are some restaurant options and a small general store at Furnace Creek, but it will be some time before you can bite into a crisp apple unless you've brought it yourself.
We had three nights in Death Valley and can't wait to go back. (Alan rigged up the broken grey valve to get it flowing into the on-pitch sewer so that made me feel much better, and our fresh tank had thawed so we had water flowing inside again.) On day two one of the highways into the valley was shut due to a snow storm and we were able to watch the snow fill up the Panamint Mountains -- quite lovely.
We had planned for one night at Bolsa Chica State Park on our way home but with our wonky grey water valve, we decided to just return Mrs. Dash the day we drove out of Death Valley.
Quite an experience that first trip! I am so glad we did it--it really reaffirmed our desire to be out doing it full time. I would have never thought we would last with two terriers (20 and 30 pounds respectively) in a 19' trailer in snow storms, but it was delightful (well, except for the morning when we thought the door was frozen shut.)
The countdown is on! Check out the green clock on the left!
-K
We checked the traffic report as a couple of Arizona highways had been completely closed during the snow storm and discovered that our route was open--full of snow and ice and they weren't recommending driving on it, but open none-the-less. We figured we were up for the challenge having successfully driven around the snowy roads in the Village with no problem (also with no Mrs. Dash, but at sub-zero temperatures, we weren't going to be deterred by facts.)
So before hooking up, we decide we should empty the black and grey tanks. Alan hooks it all up but discovers that the grey tank valve has broken--probably due to the extreme cold. We had no choice but to head out with our frozen and half-full tanks.
We pulled out cautiously and caution became our word of the day all the way down the mountain. Oddly, the mountain road turned out to be the best plowed section of the trip. When we hit the Highway, it was a mess of ice, sand and salt. It was a long day of driving, being so cautious and all. We stopped at one point for gas during which we were mortified to see that our grey water tank had thawed enough to begin dripping all over the place. All of a sudden we were "those people" -- you know, the ones with some mysterious liquid flowing from their trailer, splashing on your windshield. I comfort myself with the knowledge that if it had been the black water tank we wouldn't have driven at all. But since it was just soapy grey water, we let it drip and kept on the route.
We decided to stop at the Kingman, Arizona, KOA for the night. Sadly, this was New Year's Eve. But we were so tired from digging out of the snow and from the stress of driving on the icy road, that we didn't even last until midnight. Can't say I recommend stopping here, although if you are tired it works just fine.
The next day we took off for Death Valley National Park which is way more beautiful and interesting than it sounds. Just a wonderful place to wander around (given the right time of year--and this was) as you aren't required to stay on hiking trails. You can just head into the hills all by yourself. It is surprisingly easy to find your way out as there are almost no trees and you can see for miles. Hopefully the pictures will give you some idea (right mouse click on the title above) of the stark beauty you can find out there.
Unfortunately, the starkness continues into your camping options: There is only one campground with hook-ups and it only has a dozen or so spots, Stovepipe Wells. If you have solar panels (which we didn't on the Mrs. Dash) then you are in good shape. But if you need electricity, then I'm afraid Stovepipe is your only option. And it's not a pretty camping spot, very utilitarian but with nice showers across the street at the Inn.
Also a challenge in Death Valley is fresh food and affordable gasoline. So bring plenty of both before driving in. There are some restaurant options and a small general store at Furnace Creek, but it will be some time before you can bite into a crisp apple unless you've brought it yourself.
We had three nights in Death Valley and can't wait to go back. (Alan rigged up the broken grey valve to get it flowing into the on-pitch sewer so that made me feel much better, and our fresh tank had thawed so we had water flowing inside again.) On day two one of the highways into the valley was shut due to a snow storm and we were able to watch the snow fill up the Panamint Mountains -- quite lovely.
We had planned for one night at Bolsa Chica State Park on our way home but with our wonky grey water valve, we decided to just return Mrs. Dash the day we drove out of Death Valley.
Quite an experience that first trip! I am so glad we did it--it really reaffirmed our desire to be out doing it full time. I would have never thought we would last with two terriers (20 and 30 pounds respectively) in a 19' trailer in snow storms, but it was delightful (well, except for the morning when we thought the door was frozen shut.)
The countdown is on! Check out the green clock on the left!
-K
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Infamous Mrs. Dash - Dec. 22, 2010 - Jan. 4, 2011 - Part One
In my posting, "How We Got Here", I alluded to the many (many, many) hours of research we had done on trailers and, I hope, the very (very, very) high learning curve we rode on our way to selecting Salt. All of this led us to think, just before the final Airstream decision, "Hmm, we've never really driven (or camped, or backed-up) with a trailer before, perhaps we should give it a shot before we buy one."
So over Christmas break in 2010, we did just that. We rented a 19' Wildwood and thought we would just head out of town. However, Pepper had different ideas - or at least the Porsche dealership did. A few weeks prior to departure, we had taken the Pepper in to get it snow tires, a hitch installed and to have them check out the air compressor as it didn't seem to be functioning. (Our Porsche dealer doesn't install break controllers, so we had that done via a friendly U-Haul dealer in Newport.) The repairs/installation took longer than we thought and we retrieved the Pepper just one day before we were scheduled to leave. But leave we did, and headed over to pick up Mrs. Dash. (We had already decided to call the trailer "Salt", but wanted to reserve that name for the real thing. So clever Alan came up with Mrs. Dash, the salt substitute.)
Being new to trailer-ing (and hitching, and driving, and backing-up), it took us quite a long time working with the rental agent to feel comfortable with everything. All the switches, pumps, what hooks-up where. I am not sure I have told you all this before, but when we first started looking at trailers, someone had to tell me the difference between a black and a grey water tank. That's how steep the curve was. This rental agent actually looked at me when we were practicing hitching up and said, "Someday you will do it yourself." I thought that was hysterical and laughed out loud. He got the last laugh a mere five months later--but that's another story.
We finally got Mrs. Dash hooked up but the trailer lights weren't working. The helpful rental agent methodically went through all of the Pepper's fuses to no avail. We had no choice but to disconnect and take Pepper back to Porsche, but it was too late that day so we drove home. (Incidentally, this was the week of the "100 year rain" in Laguna. We drove back into a town that was completely flooded out. Thank goodness not our house.)
Bright and early the next morning we head back to Porsche. On the way, we see that Pepper's automatic leveling device is not functioning -- this would be a function of the air compressor we had them check out before. But clearly they did not fix it and, since this was needed in order for the Pepper to hook up to Mrs. Dash at the appropriate height, we added this to our repair list.
We filled in the Porsche technician on the two items (albeit with more than just a little frustration in our voices) and they quickly figured out the problem with the lights: Pepper's computer needed to be reset when we added the brake controller so it could recognize the new hardware. The compressor was a different story, it needed to be replaced (ahem, why didn't it get replaced last week?) so we waited (and waited, and waited.) But what else were we going to do? The house was packed up for a two-week vacation, the Pepper was packed to the gills, the dogs were ready. Four hours later, we were able to get out of there and headed back to pick up Mrs. Dash. And may I just add, that there is nothing quite like sitting in the Newport Beach Porsche Dealership, dressed for camping with two panting dogs, to make you feel like you really don't belong.
We hooked up Mrs. Dash (this time by ourselves) and drove two blocks, yes, two blocks, into a parking lot so that we could practice turning and backing up. Alan did a great job with the backing up (although he claims he didn't know what he was doing) but I (as usual) was anxious to get on the road, so we headed out to our first night.
Our first night was at the KOA in Yermo, just outside of Barstow, about half the way to Las Vegas. We pulled in and pulled through (having reserved a pull through spot in advance--two months prior we didn't even know what "pull through" meant), made the bed, unpacked the groceries, took the dogs for a walk and poured the sun-downers. We sat outside in the parking area with all the other rv'ers and pinched ourselves--we felt so lucky to be so happy with so little. For two people who have stayed in some of the best hotels in the world, this feeling of contentment really surprised us.
The next three nights were in Las Vegas at the Oasis RV Resort, a fine place with paved roads and cement pitches, two things I have learned to appreciate. Although these "resort" stops are not our favorite, they do have their uses with the clean bathrooms, laundry facilities, full hook-ups, (incidentally, am I the only one who sees the conundrum here? The places with the nice bathrooms also have full hook-ups, the places without the nice bathrooms often have no hook-ups), and the Oasis adds a lovely pool to the mix. (Although December in Las Vegas is not the time to swim--brrrr!)
After that we hit the road toward the Grand Canyon and our first night without a reservation anywhere. A little panic along the "what happens if we have to back in to a spot?" kept the adrenalin flowing on the road.
We found a spot to stop along Route 66, in Peach Springs, Arizona, at a non-hook up campground. My diary says for dinner we had salmon and curried lentils on fresh spinach (one of my favorite Kit Creations), I am amazed at myself for making this in a trailer. What was I thinking? My diary also lists Revelation #1 here: "Do not leave for the day's driving without cleaning the trailer! You don't know how long the driving will be nor how tired you will be -- it is heavenly to arrive and open the door to a clean, organized trailer. Can't wait for Salt!" Lordy, what kind of a mess did I leave the trailer in that morning?
Following our walk the next morning, Alan went into the Caverns and enjoyed the tour. With my claustrophobia, there was no way I was going to go down 200 feet in an elevator to underground caverns. Hopefully I can get him to write about that experience soon.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon's south rim later that day. No snow yet, but oh so cold. Pulled into our site, where we had water and electricity and a ton of Airstream envy flowing toward the gorgeous 23' International at the end of our row. (Did I mention how beat up Mrs. Dash was? Plus a giant "R NT ME" sign plastered across the front. The Charming Mrs. Dash. No one would ever call her shy.)
We awoke to 3 inches of snow the next morning and 2 feet the next day. But the sun came out and, although it was frigid, we enjoyed the snow and the gorgeous views. (It was about a half mile walk from our site to the rim on the nicely plowed roads.) On day three our fresh water tank had frozen despite our multiple trips to the convenience store and purchases of mini-heaters (2) and anti-freeze (gallons.) It had now been close or below zero for three nights, we needed to get moving before more damage was done. (Also on Day 3 we awoke thinking our front door was frozen shut -- two dogs and a Kloml who needed to get out -- it was a little bit of a panic. Until Alan realized that the door was just locked.)
This leads us to Friday, December 31st, which seems like a good point to stop this posting. I'll pick up the rest of the trip in the Part Deux - our first pulling in snow, melting tanks and ultimately, Death Valley National Park! I have a lot of trips to get in here before The Day arrives! Have you checked out the Countdown to Aventure App? Look to the left . . . and don't forget to check out the slide-show of Mrs. Dash (right-mouse-click on the title above and opt to open in a new window.)
-K
So over Christmas break in 2010, we did just that. We rented a 19' Wildwood and thought we would just head out of town. However, Pepper had different ideas - or at least the Porsche dealership did. A few weeks prior to departure, we had taken the Pepper in to get it snow tires, a hitch installed and to have them check out the air compressor as it didn't seem to be functioning. (Our Porsche dealer doesn't install break controllers, so we had that done via a friendly U-Haul dealer in Newport.) The repairs/installation took longer than we thought and we retrieved the Pepper just one day before we were scheduled to leave. But leave we did, and headed over to pick up Mrs. Dash. (We had already decided to call the trailer "Salt", but wanted to reserve that name for the real thing. So clever Alan came up with Mrs. Dash, the salt substitute.)
Being new to trailer-ing (and hitching, and driving, and backing-up), it took us quite a long time working with the rental agent to feel comfortable with everything. All the switches, pumps, what hooks-up where. I am not sure I have told you all this before, but when we first started looking at trailers, someone had to tell me the difference between a black and a grey water tank. That's how steep the curve was. This rental agent actually looked at me when we were practicing hitching up and said, "Someday you will do it yourself." I thought that was hysterical and laughed out loud. He got the last laugh a mere five months later--but that's another story.
We finally got Mrs. Dash hooked up but the trailer lights weren't working. The helpful rental agent methodically went through all of the Pepper's fuses to no avail. We had no choice but to disconnect and take Pepper back to Porsche, but it was too late that day so we drove home. (Incidentally, this was the week of the "100 year rain" in Laguna. We drove back into a town that was completely flooded out. Thank goodness not our house.)
Bright and early the next morning we head back to Porsche. On the way, we see that Pepper's automatic leveling device is not functioning -- this would be a function of the air compressor we had them check out before. But clearly they did not fix it and, since this was needed in order for the Pepper to hook up to Mrs. Dash at the appropriate height, we added this to our repair list.
We filled in the Porsche technician on the two items (albeit with more than just a little frustration in our voices) and they quickly figured out the problem with the lights: Pepper's computer needed to be reset when we added the brake controller so it could recognize the new hardware. The compressor was a different story, it needed to be replaced (ahem, why didn't it get replaced last week?) so we waited (and waited, and waited.) But what else were we going to do? The house was packed up for a two-week vacation, the Pepper was packed to the gills, the dogs were ready. Four hours later, we were able to get out of there and headed back to pick up Mrs. Dash. And may I just add, that there is nothing quite like sitting in the Newport Beach Porsche Dealership, dressed for camping with two panting dogs, to make you feel like you really don't belong.
We hooked up Mrs. Dash (this time by ourselves) and drove two blocks, yes, two blocks, into a parking lot so that we could practice turning and backing up. Alan did a great job with the backing up (although he claims he didn't know what he was doing) but I (as usual) was anxious to get on the road, so we headed out to our first night.
Our first night was at the KOA in Yermo, just outside of Barstow, about half the way to Las Vegas. We pulled in and pulled through (having reserved a pull through spot in advance--two months prior we didn't even know what "pull through" meant), made the bed, unpacked the groceries, took the dogs for a walk and poured the sun-downers. We sat outside in the parking area with all the other rv'ers and pinched ourselves--we felt so lucky to be so happy with so little. For two people who have stayed in some of the best hotels in the world, this feeling of contentment really surprised us.
The next three nights were in Las Vegas at the Oasis RV Resort, a fine place with paved roads and cement pitches, two things I have learned to appreciate. Although these "resort" stops are not our favorite, they do have their uses with the clean bathrooms, laundry facilities, full hook-ups, (incidentally, am I the only one who sees the conundrum here? The places with the nice bathrooms also have full hook-ups, the places without the nice bathrooms often have no hook-ups), and the Oasis adds a lovely pool to the mix. (Although December in Las Vegas is not the time to swim--brrrr!)
After that we hit the road toward the Grand Canyon and our first night without a reservation anywhere. A little panic along the "what happens if we have to back in to a spot?" kept the adrenalin flowing on the road.
We found a spot to stop along Route 66, in Peach Springs, Arizona, at a non-hook up campground. My diary says for dinner we had salmon and curried lentils on fresh spinach (one of my favorite Kit Creations), I am amazed at myself for making this in a trailer. What was I thinking? My diary also lists Revelation #1 here: "Do not leave for the day's driving without cleaning the trailer! You don't know how long the driving will be nor how tired you will be -- it is heavenly to arrive and open the door to a clean, organized trailer. Can't wait for Salt!" Lordy, what kind of a mess did I leave the trailer in that morning?
Following our walk the next morning, Alan went into the Caverns and enjoyed the tour. With my claustrophobia, there was no way I was going to go down 200 feet in an elevator to underground caverns. Hopefully I can get him to write about that experience soon.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon's south rim later that day. No snow yet, but oh so cold. Pulled into our site, where we had water and electricity and a ton of Airstream envy flowing toward the gorgeous 23' International at the end of our row. (Did I mention how beat up Mrs. Dash was? Plus a giant "R NT ME" sign plastered across the front. The Charming Mrs. Dash. No one would ever call her shy.)
We awoke to 3 inches of snow the next morning and 2 feet the next day. But the sun came out and, although it was frigid, we enjoyed the snow and the gorgeous views. (It was about a half mile walk from our site to the rim on the nicely plowed roads.) On day three our fresh water tank had frozen despite our multiple trips to the convenience store and purchases of mini-heaters (2) and anti-freeze (gallons.) It had now been close or below zero for three nights, we needed to get moving before more damage was done. (Also on Day 3 we awoke thinking our front door was frozen shut -- two dogs and a Kloml who needed to get out -- it was a little bit of a panic. Until Alan realized that the door was just locked.)
This leads us to Friday, December 31st, which seems like a good point to stop this posting. I'll pick up the rest of the trip in the Part Deux - our first pulling in snow, melting tanks and ultimately, Death Valley National Park! I have a lot of trips to get in here before The Day arrives! Have you checked out the Countdown to Aventure App? Look to the left . . . and don't forget to check out the slide-show of Mrs. Dash (right-mouse-click on the title above and opt to open in a new window.)
-K
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