Category: Tools

Bittersweet Symphony

Leaving Estella behind in Minnesota was bittersweet. Despite the expensive visits for servicing, our RV was a stalwart companion. She traveled many miles and kept us safe around every turn, our own little nomadic family. But every day that passed, I found myself increasingly looking forward to settling down somewhere and finding our Unicorn City. So, we said goodbye for now, and I look forward to when we can travel again.

The SUV (not yet named) has considerably less space than the RV for storage, so I had to be really thoughtful about what we could bring. In the end, I wish we could’ve brought more. There are some groups dedicated to people who “car camp”, and I admire them and, at the same time, have no idea how they do it.

My first step was figuring out how to bring Arthur and his paraphernalia. His cat stand had to come along as well as his poop box, food, and toys. I also needed my work gear, basic supplies for the bathroom and kitchen, clothes for all climates, and shoes. All the places that I lined up for the next year were furnished, which helps a lot. I ended up buying clear plastic storage bins for all of it, so this is what I ended up packing:

  • Larger Storage Bins: (1) winter gear / coats; (2) pants; (3) shirts / sweaters
  • Suitcase: This is always packed for a trip to FL or TX. To me, it’s always hot in both of those locations, so most of my “summer” clothes are in there.
  • Tote Bag: I packed a lot of my smaller work things like pens, cords, mouse, Remarkable, laptop, iPad, personal laptop, laptop stand, etc.
  • Backpack: This is where all the bigger work stuff ended up: keyboard, monitor, headphones, speaker, etc.
  • Medium Storage Bins: (1) bathroom stuff, (2) Arthur’s cat crap, (3) bigger kitchen things
  • Small Storage Bins: (1) more bathroom stuff and jewelry, (2) top-drawer things, (3) workout apparel, (4) smaller kitchen things
  • Pillow and Blanket
  • Duffle Bag: This was just for some of my shoes, a sad small amount of footwear.
  • Small safe for valuables, and as I type this, and I can’t remember where I put the key….

In the end, it is a real life game of Tetris, and we had space to make it all work and still see out of all the windows.

Arthur did great on the trip. The first half hour was a good amount of yowling since this was a brand new travel space for him, but then he settled in to his hideout in the cat tree and was just fine until we reached Evanston. We stopped for donuts at Thorton’s, my favorite gas station donuts. They don’t have them at every station, but the one in Roscoe, IL, is marked as a favorite location in my maps just for the donuts.

Our furnished rental was a garden-level apartment in Evanston was just off Ashbury Avenue.

The walking space bathroom alone was larger than the RV, and the bedroom was very spacious. So, I did end up keeping Arthur confined to those two spaces when we were there. It was an adjustment for both of us.

The kitchen was pretty basic, but it was still a step up in space and convenience versus the RV. I borrowed a Crockpot from a friend while I was there, and that meant a very delicious pot roast slow-cooked over a bed of carrots and potatoes. 😍

I did venture out while I was in Chicago, so more on that next time.

And finally, Arthur in one of his favorite perches in Evanston. He was eye-level with all of our bunny and squirrel neighbors.

Exhausted in Evanston

If I had to use one word to summarize how I felt when we made it to Evanston, it would be exhausted – “drained of one’s physical or mental resources; very tired”. If you’ve been reading along with us, Arthur and I just spent 520 days living in a Class B RV and traveling the country. It was a grand adventure, but it left us depleted.

Other than some work trips, this is how I slept for most of those 520 days. Estella – our Class B RV – has a slide-out with a sofa that converts into a full-sized bed. I tried a number of things to make that bed comfortable. The problem was that when you fully unfold it, you lose a lot of space because it takes up the entire “living room” area, which is the most spacious part of the small RV.

I tried a self-inflating mattress pad, which was fine, but I’m a side sleeper, so there wasn’t enough cushion from that on my hip even when I folded it to double the cushion. The previous owners had used a “egg crate” style mattress pad, but I have tried those in the past and knew it wouldn’t work for me. My ultimate solution was a combination of using a series of things that I ordered or already had in the RV to create an extension to the sofa (middle picture). I had a storage cube that sat between the driver’s and passenger’s seats and and bigger storage rectangle (?). I also had a small, hard-sided cooler. Then I leveled them out with pillows.

On top of that, I modified a 3″ memory foam mattress topper by cutting off the end to fold it under for more of a level across the pillow-storage cube-cooler extension. A set of full-sized sheets were the best fit over the makeshift mattress, and I slept with my head in the corner.

On the left is blanket set-up I used most often (SandCloud XL Towel + MacAuslands Wool Blanket). When it was warm, it just used the SandCloud towel. On the right is the sleeping bag (yes, the kid’s size) I used as a comforter for cold nights; I’ve raved about its “zip plow” before, but that thing makes zipping so easy.

Other Supplies to Make the Extension

  • Storage Cube 1: I had something similar to this link, and it mostly sat between the driver’s seat and passenger’s seat when we were traveling. It was handy to keep books and reusable shopping bags and assorted odds / ends.
  • Storage Cube 2: I bought this one when I dreamt up this bed extension. It offered a lot of great storage and was a wonderful foot rest. These two different cubes were also great for creating a lot of different seating options.
  • Cooler: When we went to Wisconsin, I knew we wouldn’t have regular power, so I bought a cooler and ice packs for the stuff we needed to keep cold. This late edition to the bed extension made it a lot easier to keep the mattress pad in place.
  • Memory Foam Mattress Topper: This was a game changer. I could sleep on my side again without my hip hurting. To mitigate the smell of the mattress and keep the parts together, I used a mattress cover.

I will say that this is a one-short-person-and-cat set-up. I’m 62.75 inches tall, the sofa is about 52″ wide. With the sofa extension, I could sleep stretched out and at an angle, but I mostly slept with my knees tucked up with Arthur sleeping in the crook behind my legs. During the day, the blankets and mattress pad got folded up and tucked on the driver’s seat, and when we traveled, I secured the folded mattress pad to a towel rack in the bathroom.

In Evanston, sleeping every night in a real bed was a life-changer. After we arrived in April, I unpacked the car and had a great night’s rest. When I wasn’t working, Arthur and I spent a lot of our time in Chicagoland resting and cooking.

Arthur loved having the space to spread out and found a new hobby – hiding under pillows.

Next time, more on our time in Evanston, IL, when we weren’t sleeping.

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!

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.

The Land of Enchantment

A New Place for Christmas

We arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday, December 16, 2023. It was a beautiful drive in and relatively flat on I-40. We did see some snow, which was great because it wasn’t on the road, and it just added to the beauty of the bluffs and hills. ❄️

Our first stop was Target to replenish our supplies. We honestly hadn’t used that much stuff since we left MN, but I thought we should probably get some fruits and veggies and some actual food for meals. But, seriously, look at this view from the Target parking lot.

That’s the Sandia Mountains from the Target parking lot. What a view. You can see these mountains from most places in Albuquerque, but it never ceased to amaze.

After Target, we headed over to where we’d be camped out for the next month – Coronado Village. I picked this location because it seemed like it was pretty close to a lot of different things and would be easy to get deliveries. It also had a good reviews, bathrooms and showers, a staffed clubhouse, and was a mix of RV and modular homes.

We were assigned spot 7, which was a short walk to the showers and laundry as well as kinda tucked back in a mini cul de sac, which meant that no one drove directly by us. We also backed up to a tall wall, so it was pretty private. The spots were really good sized and were a mix of gravel and concrete. Our neighbor was a traveling nurse and her husband and seemed very nice even though I didn’t get to know them that well.

Estella – seen here looking like her lovely, radiant self in ABQ.

Time to Think Differently

Arthur really started to settle in pretty quickly. I did tell him that we were going to be here for a month, and I think he understood. 😹 Or at least as much as cats understand about these things. I knew I didn’t want to move him any more than I needed to, so I thought I’d rent a car.

I had toyed with a lot of ideas for alternative transportation while we were on the road (ie. maybe a scooter would work or an e-bike or a used manual transmission car that I could tow), but none of those ideas seemed to fit the bill for every location I was hoping to stay. I hadn’t really thought of renting a car until one day at work, it just came to me.

I found a good deal, and I rented a car for two weeks. It was perfect. I could come and go as I pleased, and Arthur and Estella could just chill at the RV park without the stress of moving and re-parking whenever I wanted to go on an adventure. With access to wheels, I could really start planning what I wanted to see and do when I was in Albuquerque.

My First Adventures in ABQ

I picked up the rental right before Christmas weekend, so I could drive to see the Christmas lights, a favorite pastime, and run some errands. On Saturday, December 23, I crossed the Rio Grande River and stopped at the Open Space Visitor Center off Coors Blvd. There were several exhibits with local history and artifacts and a great outlook and view of the Sandia Mountains.

After the visitor center, I went down the road to an independent bookstore called Books on the Bosque, which was a warm, local bookstore with new and used books. I found some new books to read and left with some chocolate chip cookies for later.

I went out to REI to get some different gear and spend a gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket, and I decided to go see Wonka at a movie theatre. The best surprise was how cheap the popcorn was; the matinee ticket was $12, but the popcorn was only $5 for a large – what a bargain! The movie was delightful and touching, which I wasn’t expecting but thoroughly enjoyed.

On the way back to Estella and Arthur, I stopped for a bowl of bulgogi at a Korean fast food spot. It was delicious, and they gave me free Korean pancakes. Another bargain! NM was starting out in the most amazing way.

On Sunday, Christmas Eve, I got up early to head to Old Town Albuquerque. My first stop was the Albuquerque Museum where they had a Georgia O’Keefe exhibit, which is free on Sundays. The exhibit was outstanding. They were contrasting her work with the work of Henry Moore, a sculptor who was creating at the same time she was. I had known about O’Keefe’s close-up floral work, but her landscapes were so vivid and outshined the floral work they had on display.

In addition to the O’Keefe / Moore exhibit, there was an Albuquerque-centric permanent exhibit that displayed a variety of Albuquerque’s industry and its people. I also enjoyed the journalism section they had, which detailed, from multiple perspectives, different events in ABQ history. There was smaller gallery that housed some beautiful nighttime pieces paired with poetry. So good. This was an outstanding experience and for free. What a gift to the public.

After the museum, I walked over to Old Town and got lost – literally. I popped into a few stores and bought an ornament at the Christmas shop before I found my way back to the car.

That evening, I found a small Lutheran church and attended their Christmas Eve service. There was a brass band, a kids choir, and all the readings were done by the kids. It was very sweet, and everyone was very welcoming and kind. I had Google where the best light displays were and drove through a few of those neighborhoods with roads lined with luminarias and houses festively lit up.

I have running water again.

This is its own section because I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to de-winterize the RV and have running water again. I hooked up my heated hose with my Freeze Miser, and I crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t run into any frozen pipes because there were nights that could get and stay below freezing and winds that could keep things quite cold.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things about that first full weekend in ABQ, but it definitely kicked off the start to a great stay.

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! 🥂

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.

Day Two on the Road

456 miles. Who wouldn’t start at 5am?

My intention had been to get some solid rest since our first day had been so draining – emotionally and physically. I thought if we left around 8AM, we’d have plenty of time to make it to the Chicagoland area to meet friends for dinner. Arthur had other plans.

At 4am, Arthur determined that he had recovered from the previous day’s trauma enough to wake me with a combination of scratching on the side panel of the RV’s slide out and pouncing on my pillow and face. Message received, King Arthur. I’m not entirely sure what he wanted because he didn’t eat the wet food that I LOVINGLY prepared for him at 4:05AM.

Our stay was pretty uneventful. There was a dog in a camper about 300 yards from us who must’ve sensed that something had changed in The Force and barked non-stop for hours. Maybe that’s why Arthur woke me up? He might’ve been like, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

So, we did.

I would like to visit this campground again, but perhaps when the weather is warmer and the bathrooms are open. Did I mention that I’ve been dry camping? Since our test trip to Pinchot, I winterized the RV, which includes dumping all the water and pumping a bunch of pink antifreeze through all your hoses (and leaking some on the ground when you open the wrong valve). Basically, this renders the water and water lines unusable until you “de”winterize it.

So, how do you go to the bathroom when the bathrooms are closed?

Excellent question. The first step is planning. Also, I fully recognize that I’ve become much more comfort with discussing waste systems and waste in general, so feel free to skip this part if you’re not quite there yet in your waste journey or you’d rather not know that much about mine.

I bought a collapsible toilet because I don’t have a lot of space for a 5-gallon bucket; the collapsing is key. As you can imagine, you need to put something in the collapsible toilet, so I also bought some Double Doodie waste bags. These are very fancy, but I am cheap, so I’ll blog about the cheaper, acceptable option I found after I was nearing the end of these luxury poop bags.

The next part of the planning was to use a real restroom before getting to the camp site, so you don’t have to use the “tools” as often. I also probably drank less liquid than usual on these travel days – not recommended, but when in Rome…or when you must use a collapsible toilet….

The crystals that come in these luxury poop bags solidifies the waste you “deposit” in them. I do not poo in these bags. I think you can, but I do not. If I have to, I wait. I’m sure this is also bad for me, but I just cannot.

Come back here if you skipped the waste section!! (Yes, I made it yellow on purpose.)

Mishaps to Chicagoland

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

  • Remember how I said Arthur found a different place to curl up while I drove in my last post? All of this went well until I tried to use the cruise control somewhere in Indiana. Noticing that there was space near the “danger zone”, Arthur proceeded to straddle the accelerator in a way that I could not move him, nor could I actually use the accelerator. I’m grateful that there wasn’t a lot of traffic, that we could pull over to the side of the road, and that Arthur finally listened when I told him that was unacceptable. 🍫🍫🍫🍫
  • Starting early was fine. It wasn’t fine when we got to our site outside of Chicago. I was exhausted. I tried to take a nap before dinner, but I was unsuccessful. 🍫🍫
  • My friend and her family having a standing Friday tradition – Sushi at a lovely spot that wasn’t super close to where I was camping. No big deal – let’s try something new. Other than being by the HQ for the Russian mafia and not having a bathroom (theme!), it looked perfectly fine. We ended up going to their regular haunt. 🍫

Not everything is shitty.

See what I did there?

Considering what I’ve experienced thus far, today’s mishaps were pretty minor on the grand scale of things. In fact, this leg of the trip had some really bright moments. The first one happened at a gas station. I don’t remember where I was, but I had just finished doing the dance of “where are the diesel pumps” and was going to go in to use the bathroom when a gal walked by and said, “Are you traveling by yourself?” She was heading to her semi-truck, and since I am a nice Midwestern lady who talks to strangers, I said “Yea. With my cat.” She said, “Good for you.”

She didn’t know me or my cat or my RV. She was driving a much more impressive rig than me – one of those UPS semis with double trailers – but she made me tear up with that. So kind. So unexpected. #ICanDoThis

The next bright spot was where I camped. It was this lovely, small camping site in Cook County – like in a somewhat populated area. I’m used to seeing campgrounds / RV parks outside of town, so this was a pleasant surprise, and their bathrooms were open!! I got a shower. It was glorious. I highly recommend Camp Reinberg, but not so highly that you all camp there, and I can’t get a spot. If the weather had been nicer, I would’ve ventured out on the trails. The sunrise was beautiful, too.

The best part of this second travel day was dinner with a friend and her family. When you work remotely, you’re not always conscious of how much you’re missing when you’re not in an office environment. Because I have so many meetings every day, it’s almost like you’re with these folks. But having dinner with a friend and just enjoying each other’s company was beyond delightful and reminded me of how much I miss being in an office from time to time.

Tomorrow’s a new day and another 400+ miles to go!