I Reached Tucson 15 Minutes Before My Volvo

I received a call this morning from the driver who was transporting my Volvo down to Tucson.  He informed me he was in Phoenix and he’d be delivering it today.  Panic…because I was still in Indio, CA and had planned on being there for another day.  I immediately called the Prince of Tucson RV Park, where I plan on staying, to see if they’d accept my car.  Obviously, the guy in Phoenix would reach Tucson a whole lot earlier than me since I was still in Indio, CA.  Eunice, the nice lady at the rv park said that she would accept my car.  Phew.  

I’d been staying in my friends casita in Indio and had to repack Olivia in a hurry.  I thought I heard the driver say that he’d be delivering my Volvo at noon and I knew there was no way I could make it.  But I wanted to get on the road anyway.

Around Buckeye I turn off onto 85 and go through Gila Bend so that I can avoid Phoenix.  I stopped there to fill up and called the rv park to see if my car had been delivered and the answer was no.  I called the driver again and he said he’d be there around 4:00.  I think it was 3:15 when we talked. 

I have to put in here that I think I really need to stop driving for awhile.  I’m starting to make mistakes and I’m feeling so scattered.  On one leg of the trip when I stopped I noticed that I hadn’t closed the door to my gas tank.  The unsettling part is that after closing the gas tank door, I close the driver’s door. 

After I reached Tucson I noticed that not only had I not closed the gas tank door but I hadn’t put the cap back on.  Since Gila Bend is the last place I got gas it was like that for 100+ miles. 

I expected my Volvo to be at the rv park when I arrived and it still wasn’t here.  I was kind of glad though because I wanted to be the one to receive it.  I was assigned a space, got my dog out for a potty break…finally…and called the driver.  He informed me that he was outside the office and had just taken my car off the truck.  I quickly put my dog back inside Olivia and walked over to the office and there it was!!  I got here 15 minutes before the driver!!!

I picked this rv park because I stayed here from 1993 – 1995 when my son and I were living in our fifth wheel.  Geez have things changed.  There’s a ton of construction going on around the park and the park is filled up with mostly construction workers.  I don’t have a problem with that, what I do have a problem with is the space I’m in.  It’s awful and I don’t think it’s going to work for me.  Not only that, leaving the park is a pain because we can’t turn left because of the construction, so we have to drive out of our way to get anywhere.   At least I did when I was going to the grocery store. 

I think I’ll get some rest before I make any major decisions.  I know I mentioned in a previous post how exhausted I was and today just added to that.  Rest, then decisions.

The trip down to Tucson did not turn out the way I was hoping.  It started going sour when I didn’t realize how far away I was from Indio when I took off on Wednesday.  At least I think it was Wednesday since I’ve lost track of time.  The 10 hour day just about did me in.  The one day off in Indio was nice but I don’t think it was enough.  Then the mad scramble to reach Tucson today didn’t help. 

Here’s the bright side.  I’m in Tucson, the sun is shining and I’m not cold.  Olivia and my Volvo are both here.  Now I can start looking for a place for my dog and I that doesnt have any steps.  

Now that I'm here in Tucson I'll be able to go back...a long way back...and catch up on all your blogs.  Sorry it's taken so long.  I've missed reading about your adventures.  

Taking a much needed break,

Jeana

      

It's Hot, Hot, Hot Where I'm At

The last two days are kind of a blur, yesterday especially.  Before I get into that I want to say how glad I am that I paid attention to all of you who travel with iPads which led me to buy one. 

A number of miles after Sacramento I realized I’d had it and it was time to stop.  I hadn’t seen any signs for RV parks so I didn’t know how far the nearest one was.  I was at a rest area and pulled out my iPad and found the nearest RV park and called for their location.  Fortunately for me they were just a couple miles away in Patterson.  So I stayed at the Kit Fox RV Park.  Checking in I got a Good Sam discount.  Then the lady checking me in, who was really nice and friendly, asked if I happened to have a Passport America membership.  I said that I did, she voided the first charge and I got to stay for 50% off.  I liked that. 

The park was nice and quiet, well kept and I would probably return.  However, I’ve just about had it with California, so I might not need California RV parks in the future.  More on that later.

I had plans to go to Indio and visit the people I house sat for and the lady at the RV park gave me directions to get there, avoiding LA.  She suggested I go I-5 to Rosedale then get on 58, then 395, then 15 which becomes 215 somewhere, then I-10. 

I missed a turn and ended up on 138 at Gorman.  Which eventually led me to I-10 and Indio.  Which turned out to be a whole lot further away than I realized.  I ended up driving 496.2 miles, about 200 more than I care for.  But I’m in Indio now and I’ll visit a couple days to recuperate before continuing to Tucson.  At least it’s just I-10 most of the way.  I turn off before Phoenix and go to Gila Bend then on to Tucson. 

California frustrates me.  It happened three times where I decided not to stop at a rest area and drive the 90 or so miles to the next one, only to reach the next one and it’s closed.  I think the least they could do was put a notice that the next rest area is closed so maybe you’d better stop here.  Just a thought.

I’m aware that I really pushed myself to get to Indio, especially yesterday.  I’m realizing that’s not what RVing is about, at least for me, so I need to slow down.  In all fairness though, I do have to reach Tucson by a certain time to be there when my Volvo arrives so they can deliver it to me. 

Now that we’re stopped, I’m having some concerns about my dog.  I thought he was doing so well but now I’m not so sure.  I think this time in Indio is going to be good for him.  I also think I need to find a place in Tucson pretty quickly so I can get him out of Olivia and back on level ground and into a routine again.  I think I’m feeling as fractured as he is. 

The outdoor thermometer in Olivia reached 102〫yesterday.  Apparently, there's a heat wave going on here which comes as a bit of a surprise.  I was thinking the hot weather would be finished by now, but not at the moment. Right now I'm sitting outside and loving it.  Later today I know I'll be grateful for air conditioning. The positive side to this...I'm not dressed in layers, I'm not cold and the sun is shining!!!

Halfway to somewhere else,

Jeana

Yesterday, Washington...Today, California

Geez, what a difference a day makes.  Today was terrible and I didn’t even want to be on the road at first.  The rain was something awful and the wind was pretty strong right from the get go.   Two miles after I got back on I-5 this morning I pulled into a rest area.  Fortunately, I was able to relax on my couch at all the rest areas I stopped at and did whatever I wanted in the comfort of my RV.  I didn't have to get out in the rain like all the non-RVers had to to get to the bathroom.  

My dog was stretched out on the floor today instead of hiding under the plants so I guess he’s feeling more comfortable.  In fact, we're both more comfortable today.  He remembers what he's supposed to do when getting out of Olivia and getting back in and we're doing pretty well.    

It took forever to get out of the rain.  I made so many stops that I only drove 250 miles today.  Because of the weather it felt like I drove twice that many miles.  My only goal was to reach California and I did.

I'm in Yreka at the Yreka RV Park and it's pretty nice.  This is our space...

and this is my dog in our space...

I think he looks so much better than yesterday.  Right now I'm sitting inside the door of Olivia, watching him and I noticed this...

I think tonight I'm going to sleep in the overhead.  The ladder and my dog might be a problem but I hope we can work it out.  After two nights on the floor at my house and then last night on a too short couch, I think I'm willing to do whatever it will take to sleep comfortably and that's sleeping in the overhead, height restricted or not.  (While he wasn't looking I got the ladder out and he's just lying down next to it, so I don't think it'll be a problem.)  I even contemplated checking into a hotel tonight.  Now I'm glad I didn't. They have showers here and judging on how the RV park looks, I bet they're pretty nice.  I'll check them out in the morning.  

I realized today that I've only seen one other View on the road since I left home.  I pulled into the RV park and there was already a View here and another one is just now pulling in.  I think it's funny that after seeing only one other View in two days, now there are three at the same RV park.  I take that back.  The one that pulled in just tore out so I guess they're not staying.  I hope they're not going away mad.  

Two brothers and the wife to one of them came over and talked to me. They're from Centralia, WA and I drove through there yesterday.  The lady went to the office for something and when she came back the guys were gone so she stopped by and told me how lucky I was to be traveling alone.  I told her that while I missed having someone to talk to, I agreed with her assessment.  

While I can hear the freeway, this RV park has a really good feel to it.  I also use a white noise fan at night so I'm not usually bothered by too many sounds.  

Two apps that I uploaded (?) to my iPad are RVparking.com that I used to find this RV park and iExit Lite that shows what businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, fast food, and gas stations are in the vicinity of where I'm located.  So far, they're my favorites.  Listen to me...two days on the road and I'm an expert.  Not really, I just like these apps.

How did people travel before apps and the internet?  I was sitting in a rest area earlier today and I pulled out my Mifi to see if there were any RV parks in Yreka.    I imagine the RVers who started RVing back before the bells and whistles we use today think we might have it too easy, or they're doing the same thing we newbies are doing and glad to have them.

Horrible rainy weather and two mountain passes have done me in.  I'm going to call it a day and veg for awhile.  Thanks for all the comments on my first day post.  Oh, I've tried three different ramps with my dog and he refuses to have anything to do with them.  The last time we came inside Olivia tonight we did what we were supposed to do and it worked well.  I hope it'll get easier for both of us.  Now I understand why I was working with weights with my trainer...so I could lift my dog out of my RV!!!

Halfway to somewhere else,

Jeana

PS:  I'll get caught up on all your blogs soon.  

Greetings from Harrisburg, OR

Well, my first day is behind me and I think I made the right decision!!!  I thought I’d be pretty emotional when I drove away from the house, but I wasn’t.  I realized a ways down the road that I was feeling relief, not regret or sadness.  It also dawned on me that I had nothing holding me back and I could go anywhere I wanted.  I had my dog with me, a roof over my head, and gas in the tank.  Wow…no wonder some of you do this for years and years.

I chose to go I-5.  I’ve always started my trips to Tucson on I-90 but then I realized that I wanted to start this new journey in a different direction.  I drove to Harrisburg, OR and I’m at the RV park where I went for the RV Maintenance workshop.  I wanted to return to the Thai restaurant we went to when I was here before, but it was closed on Sunday.  Bummer.  So I went to a Chinese restaurant and my fortune cookie said that "A bold and dashing adventure is in your future within the year."  Since it started today, I guess it's right!!

I stopped at exit 9 in Washington and visited a Birkenstock store that I’d noticed on my previous trip to Oregon.  Back then I didn’t notice the store until I’d already passed the exit so I kept it in mind.  I got a couple new pairs and I’m pleased about that. 

It rained when I was loading Olivia and it rained off and on most of the day. I hope I'll be getting away from the rain...soon.  

I thought that getting my dog in and out of Olivia would be a problem and it’s more a nightmare than a problem.  I’m hoping that things will smooth out the longer we’re out here.  He spent most of the ride hiding with his head under the plants. 

Until I took the picture, his head was down on the floor and I couldn't see it because it was hidden by the plants.  I finally coaxed him out at a rest stop in Oregon and we went for a nice walk.  There was a path built around a bunch of trees, one from each state.  He seemed to enjoy the walk and I was encouraged. 

When we got to the RV park we didn’t do so well.  It took some serious coaxing to get him to the door so that I could lift him out, all 75-80 pounds of him.  Then I tripped over a container that his food was in and lost hold of him and he landed on his side.  He didn’t say anything so I don’t think he was hurt.  Fortunately, he was close to the ground so it wasn’t like I dropped him from the top step.  But it wasn’t a great start.  We went for a walk and then we were bombarded by mosquitoes when we got back to Olivia and I tried to get us inside in a hurry.  Mosquitoes in October???  What’s that about?  I must have killed a dozen inside Olivia.

I chose to feed him outside so that we wouldn’t have to deal with the steps and that worked out ok.  Let me tell you, our routine is seriously disrupted, but we’re cheerfully working out a new one.  Cheerfully might be a slight exaggeration, but I’m not going to go all negative here, so cheerfully it is.

If you’re not aware of it we can’t fill our gas tanks in Oregon.  However, I learned today that if you want diesel you can pump it on your own.  Why?  Because it isn’t as flammable as regular gas.  Or so I was told at a Chevron station in Harrisburg.  I was also told that diesel foams, similar to beer, so I should wait and then top it off when pumping. 

I crashed around 8 PM.  It’s 2 AM now and I hope I’ll be able to go back to sleep when I’m finished with this post.  I thought I heard rain and had to go outside and get the container with the dog food and bring in the rugs that were out.  Learning curve…I’m on a learning curve and it will get easier.  That’s what I’m telling myself.  We’ll get this figured out. 

I’m sleeping on the couch tonight because the upper berth where I would normally sleep is full of stuff and there’s no room for me.  Besides, my dog is lying down right where the ladder would be resting on the floor.  Unfortunately, the couch isn’t long enough so I’m not very comfortable.  But, I did get about 6 hours sleep (a record for me), so I’m not going to complain too much.

Thought at the end of day one…I’m glad I’m doing this and I have no regrets. 

We will get the kinks worked out.  I’m keeping an open mind about Olivia and I’m assessing.  So far, not too good.  I’ll explain the limitations in a different post. 

Halfway to somewhere else,

Jeana 

No Turning Back Now

Wow...it's a done deal...the house is empty and my stuff is on the way to Tucson!!  I'm so tired that I'm numb so I don't think I'm reacting too much right now.  Maybe tomorrow.  As of tomorrow morning, Olivia is my home.  

Tonight I'm sleeping on the floor in the dining room with my dog because that's the only place with carpeting.  Do you wonder why I'm not in Olivia? She's parked on my driveway which is quite steep so it wouldn't be comfortable.  I also have some last minute things to do in the house.  

I went to dinner with a friend and her daughter and her friends and we met at The Old Spaghetti Factory down on the Seattle waterfront.  The special was a shrimp fettucini dish and it was not good.  I ate the shrimp and that's about it.  My friend complained to the server and the rest of us chimed in so we got a discount.  My bill went from $22 to $8.  

I want to say something profound about my journey starting tomorrow and I'm unable to at this time.  Maybe a good night's sleep will help.  Maybe not downsizing anymore will help even more.  

I don't know how far I'm going to get tomorrow.  I'm not in a hurry and I don't want to drive too many hours.  After all, that's what RVing is about. Hopefully, the next post I write will be more coherent.  

See ya on the road, 

Jeana

Movers Changed My Move Date

The movers were supposed to come today.  My first call from them yesterday morning told me they'd be at my house between 2 and 4 PM today.  The second call informed me they wouldn't be at my house today and it might be Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning.  I still don't know when they're coming.  

I'm also waiting to find out when my Volvo is going to be picked up.  That worked out fine because I was able to load up all the tools for Habitat for Humanity and drop them off.  No one was around the donation station even though the doors were open, so I just unloaded my stuff and grabbed a receipt.  I guess that's what they get for not hanging around.  Phew, that was a lot of stuff.

The waiting time for Salvation Army wasn't too bad.  They've already come and gone.  

Do you notice all the comments regarding waiting???  I'm not a very good waiter so this is a tough day for me.  

I have questioned myself and questioned myself about what I'm doing.  I'm starting to have trouble with the movers part.  I'm used to loading a Penske truck and driving myself to Tucson or back to Seattle from Tucson.  I've done it more than once.  Only this time I can't drive three vehicles.  

Since I found out that my move qualifies as a "minimum" move, thereby keeping the price down,  I've fretted over what I'm adding and questioned why this and not that...ad nauseum.  I'm so tired of fretting, waiting, and questioning.  Let's just load the stuff and get it on the road.  Speaking of stuff...

This is what's going.  It looks like half is for inside and the other half is for outside.  I still have two comfy chairs in the house that are going and that's it for furniture. I think I'll see  how much I can live without when I get to Tucson.  All I need to buy is a bed. 

I admit that my list of "have to have's" has grown a bit and it mostly has to do with my outside stuff.  I'm going to be so happy to be able to be outside in Tucson and I want my outside stuff with me.  It comforts me and makes me happy.  Could I replace it?  Probably.  Do I want to?  No.  

Right now, this is how I see my future....subject to change, of course. Because of my dog being unable to go up and down steps, living in an RV won't be a whole lot of fun for either of us.  So I'm going to rent a two bedroom townhouse in Tucson with a yard and no steps.  I'm going to take mini-trips in Olivia to parts of Arizona I haven't been to, California, New Mexico and maybe Texas.  

Because I'm going to be a part-time full-timer, I need to take more stuff with me for my future home.  How's that for justifying adding more and more to what I'm taking?

There's an RV show at the Tacoma Dome, starting today.  If it turns out the movers aren't coming until Sunday, I think I'll go check it out tomorrow.  

I finally reached someone who knows at the moving company.  They'll be at my house tomorrow between Noon and 2 PM.  Still waiting on transporting my Volvo.  

Trying to be patient,

Jeana

Stuck in Downsizing Hell

I'm not enjoying myself anymore.  I've been sick for a week and that hasn't helped.  Sick or not, I've had to press on and I'm just about there.  I just heard from the movers and they'll be here between 2 and 4 PM tomorrow.  I was hoping they'd be here in the morning.  I don't know yet what time my Volvo will be picked up, but it'll be tomorrow, too.  I have to get Olivia out of storage today or I have to pay for the whole month.  A friend is going to take me to lunch and then to the storage area so that I can drive her home.   That will be good because I have stuff set aside to go into Olivia and my kitchen looks a mess because it's the holding area for everything.  

One thing I don't have to worry about is cleaning.  I've contracted with an organization to come in and clean shortly before my renters move in.  I don't have  anything left in me to clean so it will be worth the price.

I think I'll be putting a bunch of stuff in the overhead section where I would normally sleep in Olivia.  Which means I'll be sleeping on the couch and that's ok.  I know I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff but it seems like I still have a ton of stuff. 

I started going through my tools last night, in the house and in the garage...AARGH.  Luckily, a Habitat for Humanity opened up nearby recently so I'm going to make a huge donation to them.  Most of the tools were my dad's and I keep telling myself that doesn't mean I have to keep them.  I haven't used most of them the five years I've been here...so, they're gone.

I hope I can find my sense of humor soon.  It's gone and I want it back.  I'm sure that once the movers have left I'll be able to breathe a sigh of relief and, hopefully, laugh about it.  

I've reached the exhaustion point.  Being sick, I've slept worse than I normally would, so that hasn't helped.  The end is in sight so I'm going to hang in there and my next post should be a whole lot more cheerful.

Hanging in there,

Jeana