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
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
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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