Still setting up but so glad to be here

>
> Jan 30. Rio Bend morning…and with a view, for now.

We have arrived safe and sound. Rain and wind is forecast to arrive in a few days (of course) but for now it's beautiful. The sun is warm, the doves are cooing and life is good. We even had a fly-by welcome from the Blue Angels. Today is a day for rest and setting up 'camp'. Tomorrow we shall explore all that awaits us. TTFN. CJ

To party or not to party…

Especially if you don't know anyone.
Imagine, if you will, three campsites, each filled with at least two families (complete with young kids, bicycles, tricycles, motorized toy cars, loud music, lots of beer, and volume increasing as each minute passes). Now imagine site #4 smack dab in the middle of all three. That was our assigned site (at Lake Cahuilla) and it was mid-afternoon. They were nice people but…

No surprise; we spoke with the office and they were very understanding. They gave us a site on the far side… much quieter and larger too. We gratefully accepted, even though it was only available for one night and we'd have to move again the next morning. This extra work was worth it for us so we spent the afternoon packing up, moving, and unpacking again.

We are now ensconced in a nice site (23) and have already met two of our neighbours.
We're enjoying the sun and patiently waiting for our bodies to adapt to the heat. It's forecast to cool off next week so no complaints.

Hope your home is toasty warm and the sun finds you sooner than later. CJ

California sunrise


> In Merced CA. Heading out shortly… next stop Lake Coahuila for two nights.

California sun… yahoo!!

Hello all…We are wonderfully warm in sunny Merced, CA. After a busy Hwy. drive we have arrived in Merced, California at a small RV stop we discovered a couple years ago. It's so nice to sit in the sun (even if the breeze is still a little cool). It's also a relief to be this far along our course. Tomorrow we head for Lake Cahuilla in La Quinta where we will spend two nights in a regional park and have a visit with a long-time dear friend. We head to our El Centro destination (RIo Bend RV) where we will spend almost three weeks relaxing and catching our breath. That will be the start of our actual winter vacation… 😀😎🍻🥂
Hope all your winter plans are unfolding as you hoped…. TTFN. CJ
K

Good day on the road…

Sunshine!!! Almost blinded me yestrday. Hadn't seen it for so long… almost forgot what it was. We had a good day on the road. Traffic was light, we had lots of blue patches above us and we actually surpassed our prediction and arrived at Seven Feathers earlier than anticipated. Had a nice walk, luxurious hot tub and a good dinner at Stix Sports Bar at the casino. What a treat to be surrounded by three walls of TV screens covering Women's tennis, gymnastics and field hockey. Today we're off to Rolling Hills in Corning and we should see drier days and warming temps from here on. Hope your day goes well and your skies clear soon. CJ

Sent from my iPhone

Back on the horse…tada!!!

> Well, we did it! We got up very early, loaded the beer…er…I mean all necessary refrigerator contents 😜 and headed north to the Duke Point ferry. The crossing was smooth and we used the nexus line (which wasn't a line at all) and sailed through the border. Then began the real slog south. Driving conditions weren't the best and the rain, which let up once in a while but not very much, created lovely pools of surface water on the roadways. The transport trucks were plentiful as was the traffic but everything went quite smoothly. We expected the rain and it's still with us (as was predicted by those who study the wet stuff), but we persevered and arrived in time for a quick walk before dark at Lake Pleasant RV Park in Bothel, WA. This park is right across from a Safeway mall and beside the secondary highway but the noise is not disturbing. What was a little disconcerting was being halfway to the wash room and hearing an emergency vehicle heading down the Hwy with siren blaring…..being accompanied by what must have been a full dozen coyotes howling their pointy noses off somewhere between where I stood and the highway… this was after dark and I had no flashlight with me (dumb). Their call was eerily stunning as I'd never heard that many, so close and in song before. Yes… I agree with you, next time I step out after dark, I shall carry a big stick,or something like it. Anyway, we survived the night in this nicely set up RV Park. It has flat with fully serviced sites; many of which are on the shore of a small lake. It was a perfect place for us to stop on our first night.
>
> Today (Jan.22) we were up early and on our way. It's still raining and the roads are still busy but we made our way carefully southward. I say carefully because although towing a wee trailer such as Lucy is easy for a truck like Ricky, we still have to deal with passing transport trucks and drivers late for work or just plain reckless. We kept our cool and managed to survive Day 2. Not only did we do well in general, we also successfully re-drove our previous path; the one that ended our first attempt at this winters vacation. We drove right by the scene of the accident and saw the ground was still all churned up and bits and pieces of debris still litter the site. We saw all this, took a deep breath and carried on.
>
> We are overnighting in another new to us RV Park. This one is called Sun Outdoors RV Park and it's in Williamsville, OR. This is another good place for overnighting with flat, fully serviced sites. It also has a doggie park, swimming pool and hot tub… all in good condition. I should mention that last nights site was right across the road from a Safeway and tonight's location is right across the road from Costco and a Costco gas bar. It is still raining but we are dry and snug in our wee Lucy. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we press on, heading south to Seven Feathers Casino RV in Canyonville. We seem to be spoiling ourselves this trip but, after the last month, we figure it's ok… for now :-)
>
> This journey has been a grey and wet trek so far … but it's all towards the land of sun and sand and cactus and pickle ball and hiking and golf and visiting old friends…. 'Nuff said. No complaints coming from us…. We are back on the road and lovin' it.
>
> Hope all is well with each of you….and your journeys are heading in good directions. TTFN. CJ
>
>

Time to get back on the horse…

When I was a little girl I was lucky enough to be taken on a trail
ride for my eighth birthday. That set wheels rolling that saw me
taking lessons and then riding and showing several different horses
(none my own but owned by folks who welcomed and supported my
participation :-) I well remember falling off ponies and horses in
every imaginable and some unimaginable ways; like the time I did a
forward roll right along the crest of Dixie's neck and through the 'V'
made by her ears, before crashing to the ground and knocking the wind
right out of me. That was only one of many acrobatic, arms flailing,
tuck and roll or just plain belly flops I did off of my beloved equine
friends: and I got right back on every single time.

So, here I am… many decades later, about to get 'back on my horse'
again; alongside Kathy and Maddie. Mother Nature has granted us a
break in the temperatures and snow. Kathy managed to get an agreeable
snow plow driver to clear our cul de sac so we can get Lucy out and
turned around and Ricky is as full as usual and decked out in new
boots (aka tires, or is it tyres)? To the desert we shall return… and
we're both looking forward to making it past Longview, WA. This time.

I could be angry… but I’m not.

A little disappointed, you bet, but how could I be angry when Mother Nature delivered today's message with such beauty. So instead of being angry, I'm going to be thankful for the accurate weather forecasts that allowed us to be prepared (the truck is already packed and had brand new tires installed yesterday and the trailer is almost packed);  thankful we have a warm home to shelter in and food in our cupboards; and thankful for our neighbours who have offered to use their new snow blower to keep a path up the driveway clear (when it snows) for our friend who checks on the house when we're away. I'm also thankful we have the opportunity, health and means to go and play in the desert during some of our winter season. My aging bones are especially grateful. 

Needless to say we are, yet again, tweaking our plans... this time with respect to the leaving date. Although still written in sand, it has been moved from Friday to Sunday.  Here's hoping dear old BC Ferries will be running from Duke Point to the mainland. I say mainland cuz I can never remember how to spell Tswassen .  (I'm sure that's wrong too 🙄).

Anyway, there you have it... the snow shovels are resting, having shoveled out the driveway, the path to the trailer and around the truck.  Oh, and a place for Maddie in the back yard so she can... you know.

I hope those of you caught in this latest Arctic weather are safe and cozy and tucked in until it changes. Travel by road is at it's most dangerous in this kind of weather. Please be safe.  TTFN  Always,  CJ.

Almost time…

To think we left on December 6th to avoid freezing cold temperatures, nose numbing winds and snow of any type...  and here we are... still here.  Hmrph.  But, that being said, it hasn't been all bad.  Believe it or not we actually had a very nice ICBC woman handling the trailer file and have already settled for a fair price on the 'write off'.  The truck remains a mystery for now as the companies who do estimates are all chocker-block full. Ricky's estimate will have to wait until we return and the repairs will follow thereafter.

We have spent some of our time working on various trailer-related projects... like, mounting spice racks and a wine-glass rack... both essentials for 'life on board'.  There's also the 'bow box' , an aluminum fixture now mounted over the forward frame and providing some much needed storage. There have been other other fix-ups as well and, by and large, Lucy is starting to feel like 'home' (at least as much as 14 feet of floor space can).  Good thing we're sailors and used to living in small spaces.  Unfortunately our new awning hasn't arrived and so we'll be using the old one still attached to the trailer.  We'll see how that goes but it may  not be very pretty.  Stay tuned on that one.

What remains now is to finish packing the truck and stowing our clothes and other sundries into the trailer. The plan has us slipping in time to catch the 1015 Duke Point ferry on Friday morning (providing there is still one operational)... and then, we'll be off and running. The route is simple; Duke Point to the mainland and then to the border. South on the hwy to just north of Seattle where we'll stop for the night. The next morning we'll have an early start and skirt Seattle proper and then continue south on Hwy I 5. The rest of our route will be the same one we've used many times. At least we know the way and where we like to stop.  I can tell you that we'll rest more once we've made it down the hill and past Longview, WA... wonder if our skid marks will be noticeable at the side of the highway (at Mile Post 41/1).

For now... we are well and starting to get a little excited about leaving the snow and cold behind for a couple months. We've got our golf clubs and pickleball paddles packed and are looking forward to doing some hiking as well.  

Hope all is well with each of you and 2024 is off to a good start for you and your family.  Be good to yourselves and remember to say hello to a complete stranger from time to time. It's good for the soul.

Until I write again...  CJ

Ways to spend a cold, rainy day…

... like building a DYI holder for an RV sewer hose with a 5" attachment at each end;  and, if you're an RVer, you'll understand the utmost importance of this simple project.

Seems that some RV manufacturers haven’t cottoned on to the fact today's RV sewer hoses have larger 'fitterments' than those of years gone by.  Yup, they're still building bumpers to hold 4" hoses; which would fit if all you were storing was the hose.. which, of course would mean you'd have to detach and re-attach each fitterment at each end of each hose (sometimes you need two) every time you went to empty your grey and black water tanks... sigh.  What a drag.  

Sooo, the results of my labours today are displayed in the photo showing two 5"x5" containers, with pop-off ends and a slide to help ease said hose out of said holder.  One will fit behind the propane tanks at the forward end of Lucy Too and the other will store in the truck.  Once we've decided Lucy will stay (and be our last trailer-type purchase) we will repeat the addition of a custom built stern fender, designed to house the main sewer hose.  Until then, these little puppies should do the job.

Best wishes to you all... Here's hoping your sewer hoses are all in good shape and stored, packed, or protected well.      CJ 

PS:  I can't take full credit for the invention... I  borrowed a couple ideas from google and a U-Tube video.