Mishaps – Page 3 – The Adventures of Ms Haps & Arthur

Gilbert Galore

After our adventure in Tucson, we headed a short distance to Gilbert, AZ, and hit up Target and a gas station. The weather was great, and it was kinda fun to refresh the supplies and just be around people. I have to say that one of the things I’ve learned is that, if there are other spots available, don’t park right next to the large RV in a small parking lot. It’s just a courtesy. (Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.)

When I got back out to the RV, you guessed it, out of all the open parking spots, someone had parked on either side of me. I pull through the parking spaces because Estella is 24’3″, so we fit width-wise in a standard parking space, but we take up two spaces length-wise. Thankfully, no one parked in front of us, so we were able to maneuver out without damaging anything.

We stayed in the driveway of another Boondockers Welcome member for the next two nights. The homeowner was from NY, so we talked a bit of football, and I let him know that the RV repair person would be coming the next day to help sort out my heat situation before I headed north again. He was very pleasant about it and even offered to let the repair guy park in the driveway when he was there. I cannot say enough about how positive my experiences have been with BW; every host has been kind and helpful and knowledgeable about the area where we’re staying.

The Truma/Alde repair person arrived in the early afternoon the next day, and he was able to diagnose that I had a leak in my system. His initial diagnosis had been a full system replacement, so I’m glad we didn’t have to go down that path. He also did a flush of the system and fixed the light switch and the outlet in the “garage” of the RV.

While I was in Gilbert, I took advantage of being in a pretty populated area to get my hair done. I prefer going to Aveda salons because I know the products, and they are good on my hair. I also needed a haircut, so the timing was perfect. My stylist was great, and I would highly recommend Eden Salon & Spa in Chandler. Also, they had the cutest cross stitches in the bathroom.

“Please don’t do cocaine in the bathroom.” and “TITS UP”. Excellent reminders for us all.

When I left Gilbert, I was able to meet up with a former co-worker for lunch. We had a great chat, and I finally got some tamales and fresh, warm tortillas. YUM. I have loved being able to meet up with friends who I haven’t seen in years, sometimes decades, and just pick up where we left off. I also stopped at Lowe’s to get another hose connector for my fresh water supply. Luckily, the previous owners had left me with a great selection of hose connectors, but there’s a lot of stuff one connects to the fresh water hose – pressure-reducing valve, water filter, hose splitter, etc., and sometimes those parts need a different fitting. I got a brass female-to-female fitting and some more of that teflon tape you put around the male end of water things.

After lunch, we hit the road again to our destination for the next month Distant Drums RV Resort in Camp Verde, Arizona.

It’s Me, so – of course – there were mishaps.

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

A heater leak is just one of those things that could possibly happen when you live in an RV. Something else could go wrong tomorrow, but it’s our home, so we fix it, so we can keep thriving on our journey. My mishap here was that I didn’t recognize the signs – like the fluid on the floor under the mat where Arthur’s water bowl sits. 🍫🍫🍫 If I had recognized that, it might’ve been easier on the technician that came out to repair the van. He thought he was in for a lengthy job that turned out to be more of a maintenance appointment than anything. I think we were both relieved that it wasn’t something bigger.

And the maps got me again. This time, instead of moving the RV and having to re-park, I just got a Lyft ride to the salon. I was there early, the stylists were busy, so I just went to the bathroom and waited until they were done. I started looking around, and I didn’t see any Aveda products, which is odd. If you’ve ever been to an Aveda salon, it’s Aveda everywhere. I did some Googling, and I realized that I was at the wrong Eden Salon. 🍫🍫 At this point, this kind of mishap is starting to feel rather ordinary…unfortunately. I got another Lyft to the correct Eden Salon, and I was only a few minutes late.

The drive to Camp Verde was beautiful, and there was a rest stop, so I stopped to try to get a picture and take a work phone call. I pulled off the side of the road because I thought it was one of those rest stops where you just have a scenic view but no bathrooms or picnic areas. I was futzing with the teflon tape that I bought at Lowe’s, and the wind took it and unspooled the whole roll…. It was windy, I had the window open, and it just slipped out of my hands. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 So, I spent the entirety of the work call re-rolling the teflon tape back onto the bobbin that had – of course – rolled under the van before I could stop it from unwinding. To add insult to injury, I drove up the hill a little further, and there was an actual rest stop with bathrooms and a gorgeous view. Unreal. I was so annoyed with myself that I didn’t even get out and take a picture.

And that, ladies and gents, was my time in Gilbert, Arizona. Always an adventure!

On to AZ

Hitting the Road Again

After a month of staying in one place, it almost felt like we were starting all over again when I fired up Estella and got on the road. I decided to leave ABQ a day early, so we could make a stop at Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson, AZ. This benefited us in two ways: we could take a southern route and possibly avoid some unsavory winter weather, and we could check another national park off our list.

We took advantage of our Boondockers Welcome membership again and stayed at a ranch off the highway near Willcox, AZ. The sunrise (pic above) was beautiful, and the hosts were very kind and made time to visit about everything from schools to politics to AZ life. I am the type of person who likes to keep to myself, but I’ve tried to be open to impromptu conversations on this journey, and they have not been disappointing.

The next morning, we drove to Tucson and made a stop at a local bakery, La Estrella Bakery, on our way to Saguaro. The donuts and churros were fresh and delicious but – sadly – it wasn’t a tamale day.

When we arrived at the Saguaro National Park, I was stuck by the sheer number of cacti. I caught another park ranger talk in the morning and met two women who were visiting the area from Lakeville, MN, where I used to teach – such a small world. The ranger was also a retiree from, you guessed it, Minnesota. We strolled around the garden area where he pointed out an abundant amount of information about the Saguaro cacti and other plant and animal life in the park. Did you know that the Saguaro cactus is about 60 years old before it starts to grow its first limb and that they are also self-healing?

After the ranger talk, I strolled around the visitor’s center and took some more pictures, and then we traveled out of the park toward Gilbert, AZ, our next stop. This was probably the warmest day that we’ve had so far on our adventure. The sun and the heat felt good after the colder temps we just left in NM.

Mishaps and Maps

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

We had only one real mishap on this travel day. While the bakery was delicious, the parking situation at the bakery was not. You’d be just fine in a car or truck or mini van, but in a 24′ van, it was a little hair-raising. In hindsight, I should’ve parked further away and walked a little bit to get there, but there was road construction near the bakery, and I misjudged the size of the parking area a bit. I was able to park without issue, but the leaving was another story. It was about a 10-point back-up, turn the wheel, go forward, back-up type situation. No damage to Estella or the bakery, but that chocolate-frosted donut tasted even better after we made it out unscathed. 🍫🍫🍫

Last Days in Albuquerque

The Sunday before I left ABQ, I marveled at how quickly the time had passed since we first arrived. We had so many adventures and learned so much.

There was still a bit more to learn during our last week. On Tuesday, I was able to get in touch with the Truma/Alde technician who could come out to check and see what was going on with my heater, and I called my extended warranty service to see if they would cover the charges. Unfortunately, because Truma wouldn’t work directly with the extended warranty, the warranty wouldn’t cover the repairs. This was particularly bothersome because the technician said he thought he might need to replace the entire unit.

Because this is the reality of owning a home on wheels, I got over it pretty quickly, but I was glad that I had planned ahead to have an emergency repair fund.

On Wednesday, I woke up to a frozen heated hose again. I applied the same philosophy that from the prior week and just waited it out. By midday, we had running water again. The heated hose and the Freeze Miser have both been very effective tools. I was feeling good that we’d have the heater fixed soon and be in AZ in a warmer location soon.

Then, around 3:30, we lost power. I called the office of the RV park to see if they had an estimated time that power would be restored. They said a few other people had called in as well, and that management had reported it to the power company. I checked the power company’s website, and it wasn’t showing that they were working on our outage. I wasn’t worried about me, but I was worried about the van getting too cold for Arthur.

Thankfully, I still had the rental car, so I went out to see if I could find a portable generator. I did find one at REI that I thought might work, but it wasn’t as powerful as I would need to run the space heater for a long period of time. I thought I should at least give it a try and get Estella warm enough until the heat came back on. By this time (around 7), the electric company was estimating that we’d have power again by 9PM.

When the company ships the generators, they don’t send it charged, with makes sense, so I had to figure out how to charge it. The RV park office still had decided to keep the clubhouse, which still had power, open for people without power, so I was able to charge it there. While I was charging it and eating dinner, I met some nice folks who live in the park full-time and some of the office staff.

Once the generator was charged, I headed back to Arthur and Estella. They were both fine and didn’t seem to notice that it had gotten a bit chillier. I plugged in the space heater and let it run for a bit to see if we could get the space warmed up a bit. I wanted to conserve the power because I didn’t want to have to go back to the clubhouse if I didn’t need to.

The electric company restored our power by 9:45PM, which was a great relief. The generator was ok. It just wasn’t as powerful as what we needed to run the space heater, so I did return it. I think I need to explore gas generators or figure out how to work the generator that’s on the van, which – honestly – I had completely forgotten about during this whole situation.

The rest of the week flew by without any other “adventures”. On Saturday, before I had to return the rental car, I did laundry, spoiled myself with some blueberry, brown sugar oatmeal from Starbucks, ran errands, and double checked my plans to get to Arizona. One of the special parts of Albuquerque was my early Saturday morning trips to the laundromat when I would see hot air balloons heading out against the bluffs to the west of the city.

National Park Adventures

But first…the aliens….

On Friday night, after I traded rental cars, I drove down to Roswell, NM. It was a really easy 3-hour drive, and I arrived in time to grab a quick dinner at the alien-themed McDonald’s. There were aliens everywhere, but I didn’t get a chance to check them out because I had a plan. I did see this beautiful mural when I was going through the drive thru, which was a highlight of the pretty ordinary town, sprinkled with alien statues and decor.

The Plan

I had a pretty aggressive itinerary for the Saturday when I woke up in Roswell. First up, I was driving to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, which is about an hour and 40 minutes from Roswell. After that, I was going to make the 3 hour trek to White Sands National Park by 4:30PM, so I could go for a sunset stroll with a park ranger and other park visitors.

Carlsbad Caverns

I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the drive was to get to the cavern itself. You turn into a little town with a gas station, some shops, and a hotel. Then you enter the park itself, and I was amazed at the topography of the park. I should’ve stopped to take some pictures, but – you know – the plan must be obeyed. By the time I got to the visitor’s center, I had about an hour before I needed to get on the road to White Sands.

So, I bought my annual national parks pass, and I took the elevator down to the caverns. I gotta say that I’m still coming to terms with the feeling of claustrophobia that creeps up on me when I have time to think about the small space I’m in. There’s a lot of time when you’re in an elevator, going over 700 feet down an elevator shaft that is partially under construction. Apparently, the ride is only a minute, but I have to tell you that it felt longer. If I ever go back, I’d plan for more time and hike down and back up again.

It’s really hard to capture the grandeur of the caverns, so these photos really don’t do it justice. The photo on the left is The Bell formation, and I don’t remember what the one on the right is. I did end up being able to walk all the different paths in the caverns and get some underground steps in. It surprised me how humid it was, and by the time I was done walking all the trails, I needed to shed a layer.

I did stop for a snack because they have a snack station in the cavern (!!), and I didn’t know if I would have time to stop for lunch. The gal who took my money told me about the recent weather that I might encounter on my journey to White Sands. It was really helpful get a preview of the road conditions from a local, and I did end up taking the most direct route to White Sands NP.

Lincoln National Forest

When I entered the forest from the east on US Highway 82, I wasn’t particularly impressed. It was nice, but it didn’t seem that remarkable – mostly desert and vegetation, but definitely not as impressive as the drive into Carlsbad Caverns NP. About a half hour or so in, there was some snow on the ground, which was really beautiful to see. There are were ranches and houses along the road, and it looked peaceful with the fresh snow and sunny skies. The forest wasn’t done surprising me.

I hit the most beautiful stretch of Lincoln National Forest when I approached Cloudcroft and after I left the town. I hope I can go back soon, but I’m also glad that I wasn’t driving Estella. Since I wasn’t expecting it, there were a couple white-knuckle moments that had my palms a little sweaty.

White Sands National Park

I was about 5 minutes early to the sunset walk at White Sands NP, and the drive through the park to the meet-up spot was remarkable. The park ranger, Sarah, was great. She shared that White Sands was one of the newest national parks – before it was designated as a national monument. Since it’s become a national park, more has been invested in the park, and they’ve made some incredible discoveries. We heard about wildlife, water sources, and the vegetation in the park, and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Just gorgeous views in all directions. That’s my adorable rental!! Take a close look at the ground clearance on that darling ride…more to come on that….

During our walk, I met a fellow traveler from San Francisco who was on her own adventure, meeting with a group she met through the Road Scholars. She was a delight, and it was really nice and encouraging. I did get on the road a bit later than I had anticipated, and it was definitely dark when I started trying to finding my way back to Albuquerque. Cue the mishaps after a mishap-free day….

Mishaps and Maps

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

I feel fortunate that, other than my heating issue, my travels have been fairly uneventful. The majority of this trip went to plan, which was a refreshing. I had done quite a bit of planning for the trip to get to my destinations and precious little planning for my return trip to Albuquerque. I had thought, “Just drop the address in the gps, and I’ll be back to Estella and Arthur in a few hours.”

It was about 20 minutes into the drive when I turned onto a very dark and unpopulated road. At the end of that road was a lovely gate with barbs and signs that said stop, turn around, and testing area. When I got back and Googled where I had been, it was a missile testing site. 🍫🍫 Pretty ordinary mistake to unwittingly trust that your GPS isn’t going to try to take you through a potentially hazardous road.

Crisis averted, and I made my way back toward the main road. I had stopped, looked at the actual map, and found the best way back to the highway via the lovely, non-missile laden Railroad Ave. Seemed harmless, and I was hungry. It was now pretty close to 7, and the last time I ate was around noon when I bought snacks at the cavern’s underground snack bar. I was ready for food, my rental car was ready for some fuel, and the road seemed like a perfectly lovely way to get to both.

I have no idea how long I drove on Railroad Avenue, but there were several signs along the road for “DIP”s in the road. Usually, these signs are a gentle warning and not a big deal, as dips happen. This road appeared to be the same – just small unevenness in the pavement.

I will say that I’ve noticed them more now after this one particular DIP incident, but there are occasional, short overpasses that you see in NM, where you could drive a car under, and I always thought they were curious but never knew what they were for.

I can tell you now that they are for water. On Railroad Avenue, I found a “DIP” that was more than just a bit of a bump in the road. I cannot explain to you how fast the moment went from driving on road to driving through water of what was likely Tularosa Creek. Remember the Mini Cooper from above? Not great for crossing creeks. I was shaken up, praying that I didn’t get water in the engine, or damage the rental, so instead of stop and take a picture of what we had just managed to muddle through together, I just kept driving. Once again, I was thankful that I wasn’t in Estella, that Arthur wasn’t with me, and that I had my wits about me enough to keep driving.

After I reached the main road again and found a gas station. I ate a corn dog, put gas in the rental, and said a prayer of thanks for getting to wherever I was and for that corn dog. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 I would’ve rated this one a 5-bar mishap, but there was, thankfully, enough chocolate in the van to ease my stress after that adventure.

Finding Zen & The Art of RV Maintenance

Let’s take a break from the fun.

Hindsight really affords one the opportunity to be grateful for the silver linings that one might have missed when one is in the middle of winter and the heater malfunctions.

On Sunday, before I left on my trip to Santa Fe, I noticed that the heat wasn’t really kicking on like it had before. When I had taken the RV to the repair shop in Iowa, they had blown some air out of the lines, so my initial thought was that it could be that. I opened up the back of the van, and I immediately noticed that the level of glycol was low. No problem – easy fix. Thankfully, I had some glycol, so I added that to the tank and headed on my way.

Fast forward to my return from Santa Fe. I stepped into the van and was greeted by a blast of hot air. The thermostat read 81 degrees. I went to check the glycol, and the level was lower than when I left. I put in more glycol. Rinse. Repeat. Time for bed.

Fast forward to the middle of the night, and I heard a noise – not a good noise. In my drowsy, post-melatonin state, I found the source of the sound. You’ve guessed it, of course, it was the heater. So, I did what anyone would do in the middle of the night, I shut it off and went back to bed.

Back-up Plan

It’s always a good idea, even with limited space, to have a back-up plan. My back-up plan involved a space heater, which was a fantastic purchase. I turned it up and went about my day, well, my night.

I knew the back-up plan wouldn’t last forever, and here’s where the silver lining comes in. The people who I reached out for help were amazing. The first person I called on Tuesday, because Monday was New Year’s Day, was Casey with Tech-Trek Mobile RV Repair. I sent him an email on Monday evening, and he reached back out on Tuesday after looking up various videos on my hydronic heating system. He was honest and advised that he didn’t have a lot of experience with this type of system, and when I asked, he provided me the name of another mobile repair team – Tally Ho Services. Don and I spoke, and he was also honest and generous with feedback and ideas. He also gave me another shop to call. We also set up an appointment for Wednesday.

I did give Tom’s RV a call because Don did think that Tom might have an idea about my type of heater, but, unfortunately, he didn’t. He agreed that having Don come out would be a good first step, so I kept the appointment with Tom.

On Wednesday, Don and his wife, Claire, arrived midday to take a look. I showed them what I had seen so far, and they listened and looked at the system to get a sense of what was happening. Claire was a delight to talk to, and she was the perfect assistant for Don and my situation. They spent about an hour or so troubleshooting, and they agreed with me that there was a leak, but it wasn’t evident where it was coming from. Don said that he didn’t feel right charging me since they didn’t find anything, but I didn’t feel right not giving them anything for their time, trouble, and advice. I did give them a tip and thanked them for their help.

So, why not a Winnebago expert?

It’s a great question, and I did start by searching for a Winnebago dealership. There is one in Albuquerque, but when I read the reviews for their service department, I had second thoughts. I appreciate all the RVers before me and the comments that they left. When I did mention the Winnebago dealership to the different service people I spoke with, they were very professional, but they did not encourage me to call them.

The other part of the issue with taking Estella to a service center instead versus a mobile RV tech is our dear Arthur. Because he’s not one of those cats that walks around on a leash and is not a dog, it’s a little harder to find a place for him while the van is being serviced. When we were in MN, he stayed in my parent’s house. On the road, it’s a little more difficult.

Still no RV heat. What’s next?

The heater is made by Alde, so I did give their customer service a call. They recommended a certified Alde service provider, and the only one was in Albuquerque was – you guessed it – the dealership with the bad reviews. They did connect me with a mobile service tech in my next state, so we set-up that appointment for mid-January.

One big, ol’ mishap = 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫

This Way to Sante Fe

Sometimes, knowing nothing is the best way to start…

Before arriving in New Mexico in mid-December, I really knew very little about the state or any of its cities or sites. The visit to the Albuquerque Museum and Old Town were great and very educational, but I was only an hour away from Santa Fe, so I had to go, right? Right.

Folks at the Big Jim Farms dinner had a lot of great suggestions for places, and I booked a ticket to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and another ticket to take a walking tour of Santa Fe. Between the two events, I had lunch at a cafe recommendation and enjoyed some delicious chicken empanadas.

Another suggestion was to take the Turquoise Trail to get to Santa Fe. So, I started out early after getting a half dozen donuts at Two Boys Donuts in Albuquerque. I also planned my route to go across the Musical Highway to reach the start of the Turquoise Trail. The route was, as promised, really beautiful with many quaint towns and lovely sites.

Once I got to Santa Fe, I started at the museum. In addition to the O’Keefe pieces, there were also some great snapshots of her life, including her cookbooks and an unfinished work. It was beautiful to see other parts of her everyday life. When I go back to NM, I hope to go to Ghost Ranch, which is where she resided during her time in the state.

The tour of Santa was almost 3 hours of great history and amazing sites. I learned about the founding of the city, the competition between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the architecture, churches, and a beautiful hotel.

Also beautiful…this Santa Fe Target!!

A Couple Of Mishaps

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

Probably should’ve done some Googling before trying to drive on the musical highway because, apparently, it’s closed. I did recover a bit by singing it to myself while I was driving on the Turquoise Trail. 🍫
So, six donuts is too many for me. Waaaay too many. I love donuts, and I was, embarrassingly, unable to eat them all. 🍫🍫🍫

Two Nights in Texas

Spacious Spot on the Farm

When I had dinner in OKC, my co-worker mentioned that I would see a lot of cows on my way, and was she right! So many mooo-cows.

There also doesn’t appear to be a speed limit in west Oklahoma / west Texas. With the winds and Estella’s height, we kept it under 75 mph, but we were definitely one of the slowest on the road. It did give us the chance to see some of older businesses that must’ve thrived when Route 66 was alive and well. We even stopped for fuel and coffee in Weatherford, OK, which had a lovely downtown, and if we had more time, I would’ve walked around a bit.

Luckily, we arrived on the farm where we were staying before dark and easily got set-up after we were welcomed to the farm by the owner and two very cute, friendly farm dogs. They were very experienced hosts, and there were three or four spots to hook up to power, which was great. We were the only ones there, and it was a nice, level gravel spot with great views of the sunset.

It was the first night that we’ve been in Estella when it’s rained all night long. Arthur didn’t really love it, and I was a little worried about the gravel parking and drainage, but there was no standing water in the morning, so – again – these hosts know what they are doing.

Working on the Road

It’s been really easy to work on the road so far. The question I get a lot is, “Do you have Starlink?” Starlink is a satellite-based internet service, which is great for RVers who spend time off grid and aren’t near a lot of trees. I’m not opposed to be being more of a boondocker, but I don’t have solar, and I do really love being under and around trees for shade and for the aesthetic. The other thing about going to these RV parks is that you have no idea what spot you might get; a lot of them don’t let you reserve a specific space, so you never know when you may or may not be in a site with a lot of trees.

So, for internet, I went with two options because it’s always good to have a back-up. I have a mobile hotspot through T-Mobile, and it supports some bands of LTE that other carriers don’t support, which I liked. The back-up is using my cell phone as a hotspot, so I have over 100GB of hotspot data on both of those devices, which is plenty for me to work all month and watch a show or two in the evening. A lot of the RV parks have their own internet as well, which isn’t strong enough for work, but it’s fine for writing blogs and general internet business.

I shared about the signal booster I purchased in one of my MN posts, but I thought I’d share a bit more about how I use it. I did a lot of reading on the different options and went with HiBoost instead of WeBoost. My dad built a stand that attaches to my hitch for the antenna, and I pull the cable through the shower door in the rear of the RV. I haven’t had to use it thus far because I’ve been able to get 50+ Mbps with my hotspot or phone, so I’ve been good.

The living area in the RV, including the loveseat, is about 4.5 ft by 6 ft, which is enough space for me and Arthur. We set up the table (3ft x 20″) on its pedestal, which is enough room for my 24″ monitor, laptop on its stand, my keyboard, and my mouse. I have a longer desktop mat, which works great for the keyboard and mouse. I also bought a monitor mount, which I’m undecided about because it’s a pain to set-up at 6AM. I think if I could always have it set up, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal.

Minor Mishaps

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

Up until this point, I have been storing the mattress pad in the back garage of the RV. It fit back there and kept it out of the way. Fast forward to our first rainy night in TX, and that didn’t feel like such a good idea anymore. I was able to wait until the rain calmed a little, and that was the last night it got stored in the back. 🍫
The van is still winterized, which was fine for one-night stays, because we were up and moving and able to stop at gas stations and stores along the way, but this was our first two-night stay without water, and that was A LOT. Let’s just say I didn’t eat any dairy, and we left plenty early on Saturday. Thankfully, no emergency holes needed to be dug. 🍫
I stopped for coffee on the way out of Shamrock, and when I pulled into the itty bitty Starbucks parking lot, I THOUGHT I had turned wide enough to fit next two this Ford Focus. Nope. When I went to straighten out, I looked down, and I had about 2 inches between me and that compact car. EGADS! Did I figure it out? Yes. It take me a lot of deep breaths to get my head on straight to do it? Also, yes. 🍫🍫🍫

Unsung Heroes of the Road

Before embarking on this trip, I used Upside – an app that partners with gas stations and restaurants to offer discounts, and I gotta tell you, I love a discount. I thought there might be a similar app for diesel fuel since that’s Estella’s food of choice. I found Mudflap, which I think it primarily geared toward semi-truck drivers, but what’s good for the goose…so I tried it out.

Mudflap requires you to get a code and show that code to the cashier before you fuel up. Because Upside just credits you after you tell them what gas station you want to use, what card you’re using to pay, and then they add the discount to your account, this was a bit different. But every, single station I went into, I was met with lovely associates, mostly women, who patiently explained to me how it worked at their station. They pointed me to the bathroom and let me know about perks – like a free fountain drink – for diesel purchases. Some of these places were kinda off the beaten path, and it was always so great to have an ally at these stops.

My hat’s off to these folks who keep us on the road and wear a friendly smile while doing it! 🥂

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A: OK!

The Past is Present

So, work’s been really busy, which makes it time to find the energy to create and edit a blog. I wish I could remember more about my trip from Kansas to Oklahoma, but I’m afraid a lot of it has just slipped away.

The part of the drive that I remember the most is after Tulsa when I crossed over the Arkansas River. I’m not great with heights, especially bridges, which makes traveling in a 10′ tall, 24′ long RV tricky. Outside of Tulsa, it definitely felt like I was in a river valley, but I didn’t know that I would be crossing the Arkansas River until I was actually crossing it and on a Teams call. It was beautiful, but my palms were also very sweaty. Arthur and Estella were completely unphased.

After we crossed the river, we traveled along a bit of a backroad, not a main highway, which took us down main streets of some small towns. It struck me how much these towns were struggling. In one town, there was road construction that looked like it had been going on for ages because so many of the businesses were shuttered. The atmosphere felt like I was witnessing a town becoming a ghost town – slowly fading into the past, becoming part of some sad “remember when …” story.

To contrast that foreboding, there were hills and roadsides with this beautiful, overturned earth – probably from the road construction – in the richest terra cotta color. Where I come from, the earth is a deep brown, almost black color, which is what I’m used to, so to see this deep crimson juxtaposed against this dying town was striking. I wish I would’ve stopped to take a picture because I know the memory will fade with time.

Instead of the OK landscape, here's a picture of Arthur and me.

Darkness Has New Meaning in Unfamiliar Territory

I had made plans to meet another co-worker for dinner on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. She’d planned to visit some clients, and we were going to meet up after she was done. My original plan was to get to my next Boondockers Welcome (BW) location, get settled in, and grab a Lyft ride to the restaurant, but we were running behind, so we ended up driving and parking at the restaurant. This was new for us, so I shuttered the windows in Estella’s cab and let Arthur know I’d be right back. It was already getting dark, so I knew we’d be setting up after dark at the BW host’s house.

Dinner was fantastic. My co-worker had picked a restaurant on Lake Hefner outside of Oklahoma City, Red Rock Canyon Grill. Of course I had the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots. It was the comfort food that I needed after crossing that bridge.

After dinner I was able to reflect even more on the relationships that you make with remote co-workers, and even when you feel connected to them, there really is nothing that compares to sharing a meal and just getting to talk. We’d worked together on many different projects, been on calls, socialized at staff meetings, and even participated on the same tug-of-war team, but none of that could compare to having dinner, one-on-one and just sharing and laughing. We learned so much about each other. Just like my dinners in Topeka and in Chicagoland, it was delightful.

Minor Mishaps in Late Arrivals

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

There’s a reason why fellow RVers recommend that you arrive when it’s still light out. I experienced this in Ohio when I was driving from PA. In Ohio, I was tired, but there was no one to witness my fumbling around. Oklahoma was different. By the time we finished dinner, and I drove out to the BW host’s home, I was also tired and ended up having to back into the driveway next to another RV that was overnighting at this location. The BW host was a night owl, so she didn’t mind that I came in later than I had anticipated, but it was unnerving and a bit embarrassing to park and repark before I got comfortably in the spot. 🍫🍫🍫
This was also my first time when another RV was also staying at a BW site. At a campground, there’s usually some distance between you and your neighbor, but this spot was close, and – bless them – they had a tiny dog that did not like that we were parked next to them. Thankfully, the tiny dog didn’t notice that we were there until morning, but he let us know that we were too close. I couldn’t have agreed more, buddy. 🍫

Just a bit further…

By this point in our adventure, we’d traveled about 2000 miles since leaving PA. Arthur and I were both getting a little road weary, but I had anticipated that we’d need shorter days on the road, so our next stop would be a two-night stay outside of Shamrock, Texas. After our tight accommodations in OK, we were looking forward to everything being a bit bigger.

Joy & Injuries in MN

I was definitely expecting ups and downs on this adventure, but MN was really a time for me to get my “poop in a group” to get ready to really start traveling. I had a list of things that I needed to figure out.

Estella’s rear end (garage area) was a hot mess. I had basically artfully stacked everything in, but it was so hard to find anything easily.
That darn drawer.
Does Estella need new tires?
Is there anything that I don’t know about Estella that I should know?
What else does Arthur need to feel comfy in Estella?
What else do I need that I didn’t know before our first test trip?

Estella Stuff

Did I mention that my Dad is handy? 😉 He fixed all things, including Estella’s garage and the drawer.

The most amazing part of this shelving system in Estella’s garage is that it is not screwed into any of the walls. Dad was able to design and build it so that it snuggly fits without being screwed in. Best Christmas present ever.

Dad and I also spent some time talking about diesel fuel, fuel additives, and my tires. We agreed that Estella could use some new tires and an alignment. So, I was able to get an appointment with a local tire shop – Graham Tire – and they were fantastic. All six tires replaced and ready for the road. 🚐

My parents’ farm is an hour and a half from the Winnebago factory in Forest Lake, Iowa, and a Winnebago-specific service shop (Lichtsinn RV), so early one morning, I off-loaded Arthur into my parent’s house and headed to Iowa to get some expert advice. They did a multi-point inspection, fixed some recall items, worked through some items with the RV heater, and I had a great conversation with the service tech who spent all day working on Estella. He answered all my questions and more.

That’s Estella taken care of.

Things for Arthur

By all accounts, Arthur’s pretty low maintenance. He likes to sleep, eat, chase the red dot, and get pets, but I did want to make it more comfy for him to be on this trip. I did get him a compact water dispenser that has a cute little flower and constantly flowing water, some toys, and a great perch with a hidey hole on the bottom. The best purchase is the perch. It’s Arthur’s happy place, and I have found a great spot for it in Estella where he can ride in it when we drive and look out the windows when we’re stationary.

Other Stuff

I am grateful for the delivery people who made more than a couple of trips to the farm with the different orders I placed. One of the things I realized I needed were a better bed solution. Luckily, I’m short, and I was able to use a combination of storage ottomans and a 3″ memory form pad cut down to fit the sofa and ottomans to be a very comfy bed. I also really appreciate the Coleman sleeping bag that I got for a steal from Woot.com. I’m not sure where these zip plows were when I was trying to zip up sleeping bags before, but they are amazing.

I also bought some insulated curtains to provide a little more insulation with a tension rod that I can move in front of the sliding door or the cab, depending on where the wind might be seeping in. For additional heat back-up, I also found a better space heater with some great safety features; it won’t overheat, and if it tips, it shuts off.

Keeping things clean is super important in such a small footprint, so I found a very compact, powerful vacuum that has worked great for our weekly cleaning. Arthur hates it, but what cat likes a vacuum cleaner?

I also work full-time from Estella, so I devised a way to use the existing table and still have a big monitor to do my work. Since I was in the pole barn and in Estella working, I also needed a solution to improve the wireless signal for both my hotspot and my phone. I hemmed and hawed and eventually decided to get a signal booster that just repeats the existing signal and improves the strength. It was a great solution.

The Mishaps that Lead to Injuries

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

I think I picked up the habit of leaving cabinet doors open from my Mom, but this bad habit definitely bit me in the forehead when I was in MN. I was futzing in the bathroom and walked right into an open cabinet door. 🍫🍫🍫

When I was in MN, I also put some things in storage. During one of those trips, I guess I banged my hand against something and ended up with a pretty banged up pinky finger. 🍫🍫

Despite the mishaps when I was in MN, it was good to be home for Thanksgiving and a pre-Christmas with the family. I also was able to visit with a few friends and get organized.

I should say that I’m only posting about past experiences for safety reasons. I recognize that my journey – while fun – could really easily turn unsafe if I share too much about my current location if the wrong person saw my posts. It is the internet after all.

I did leave MN for warmer locations in mid-December, so I’ll share more about those travels once I’ve moved on from here. Until then, I’ll share pictures and stories without locations whenever something interesting happens.

Until next time, here’s a beautiful picture of MN doing its thing and a reminder of why I headed south for the winter.

The Last Leg to MN

Our plan was to get to my parents’ farm in MN before any significant snow fell, and we did it. Our last leg was about 430 miles.

There’s really nothing like a fall sunset on the farm with the vast fields and the glow of the sky.

There is a sense of relief that washes over you as a new RVer when you land in the place where you know you’re gonna hang your hat for awhile. For us, that is my parents’ farm in southern MN. I started getting that feeling when I hit the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota, crossing that beautiful stretch of I-90 over and next to the Mississippi River. Warm fuzzies all the way to my toes. I told Estella and Arthur that we were getting close; Estella was excited. I think, if Arthur could’ve, he would’ve given me a double middle finger salute.

What to Expect in MN: Late November Edition

It’s really hard to say what it’ll be like in Southern MN. Growing up, we had amazing snow storms and many snow-laden Thanksgivings and Christmases, but as the years went by and the climate did its thing, it’s become more mild – windy but mild. I was expecting a few flurries and cold temps (definitely below freezing), so I left the camper winterized.

One of the benefits of their farm is this giant enclosed pole barn where I parked for a few weeks. And, if your dad is handy, and luckily mine is, you have a convenient place to plug in your 30 amp camper and an enclosed workshop behind it.

The Mishap when Motoring to MN

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

So, it was near the Wisconsin Dells when I looked back and noticed that I lost a drawer. One of the things that I love about this RV model is the bank of storage on the wall across from the kitchen area. I’m not sure when it happened, but the drawer was off one rail completely and hanging off the other. This would’ve been a five-chocolate situation if I wasn’t headed to the farm and my dad’s skills to fix it. 🍫🍫🍫🍫

Disaster. Unmentionables everywhere.

The Schedule

Not only did I grow up in MN, I lived, worked, and played there until I was in my mid-30s, so there’s always a lot of catching up to do when I go back, and I never have enough time. After driving 1700+ miles, the 2.5 hour drive to Minneapolis doesn’t seem that far, so I had a couple trips up there on my schedule. My POD was getting delivered from PA while I was in MN, so I had to meet the movers and get my stuff loaded into a storage unit in Mankato. We also celebrated Thanksgiving and visited with my cousins in Iowa.

I also scheduled some maintenance for the RV, which I’ll share in my next post.