Tag: 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. 🍫🍫🍫

Holiday Cheer in NM

Have Car. Will Travel.

Celebrating the holidays was going to look a bit different this year. I did have some decorations because I love Christmas and couldn’t go without anything. While I enjoyed the glow of some twinkly lights and my Christmas countdown calendar, I made some plans.

I found a farm-to-table dinner hosted by Big Jim Farms as a part of their Winter of Enchantment holiday location off of Montano Road, and I booked that for December 28. I also found that the Albuquerque Zoo had a holiday light display, River of Lights, that was highly reviewed from prior years, so I booked that for Saturday night. Then I found a book club at the Taylor Ranch branch of the Albuquerque library on Saturday at 2.

I wish I would’ve taken a single picture at the dinner, but – alas – I did not. In addition to dinner, there was also a wine pairing with each round. The food was delightful, and I would say the soup course was my favorite dish. But the best part of dinner was the company.

I’ve never been to one of these types of dinners alone, so – at best – I thought it’d be a bunch of strangers, sitting down together and making awkward conversation. Perhaps it was because my expectations were so low or because almost everyone who showed up that night was in good spirits, but I had a wonderful time. When I first sat down, I immediately found a kindred spirit, and we started to chat. Unfortunately, we had to move when a family of five showed up. Since we were the only singles, we had to adjust.

I ended up near the family of five, two adult couples and their Mom. I was also by another young couple. The conversations ranged from work to family to adventures to school to where we grew up to why we’d moved to pets to the holidays. It was a beautiful reminder of how strangers can come together and just be open to conversation and laughter.

My well-booked Saturday also included a trip to the laundromat. Even though the RV park had laundry, it was a bit too fancy for me and required an app. I just wanted to use my plethora of quarters in a traditional laundromat, so I found one of those with good reviews, which was not as easy as it sounds. The Corrales Laundromat was clean, everyone was kind, and my laundry got clean. Perfect.

So, I only just finished The Girl on the Train before the bookclub at the library. It was a lively discussion with a bunch of folks from all walks of life. We ended up talking a lot about alcoholism and co-dependent behavior, and people were really comfortable revealing quite a bit about themselves – whether they meant to or not. The leader of the group was just fantastic at leading a bunch of different people around a complicated plot with a variety of characters as well as the book. 😉

I’ll let the River of Lights speak for itself. It was beautiful, and they had hot chocolate with Baileys.

Were there Mishaps? Of course there were.

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

  • So, remember how excited I was to use my stockpile of quarters? Yea, I forgot them when I went to the laundromat. 🍫🍫
  • Also, I treated myself to some Starbucks on the way to do laundry, and I got oatmeal with brown sugar, blueberries, and nuts – my fav. I was going to enjoy this while doing my laundry but, sadly, there was no spoon. 🍫 I honestly thought I should bring a spoon just in case, but I didn’t.
  • It did get a bit colder this weekend, and my rental’s tires did not love that, so I did end up at a gas station and refilled the tires. 🍫

Key Takeaway

I don’t know if living alone in the van since mid-November was kinda starting to get to me or what, but that dinner was a glorious reminder that I do enjoy talking with people, and that – surprisingly – people like talking with me, too. Somehow, it felt like the art of conversation had left me but nah – it was just on a holiday until I decided to live in an RV and travel across the country and meet stranger after stranger.

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! 🥂

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.

Kansas – Here We Come

What’s the Matter with Kansas?

I really didn’t know much about Kansas – other than the Wizard of Oz farm, that my cousins and aunt and uncle once lived there, and that there was a book published in the early 2000s called What’s the Matter with Kansas?. Oh! And Kansas was also featured on the HBO series Somebody Somewhere, which I highly recommend.

I did know that I had a co-worker who lived in Topeka and who recently got married, and I thought it was a perfect stop for our first overnight on the way to our first destination after MN.

So, we set off on Tuesday, December 12, to find out if there was anything the matter with Kansas after all – at least in Topeka. It was a relatively uneventful trip with our new tires and heading south into warmer temperatures. By the time we made it to Topeka, it was almost 60 degrees, which felt amazing after MN’s teen temps.

One of the things that I was very conscious of was being safe when staying overnight as I travel. I had read numerous posts in online groups of solo travelers, sharing about uncomfortable situations when overnighting at big gas stations like Love’s or Walmart parking lots or outside of Cracker Barrels. While it’s generous of these establishments to offer the space, the idea of them was not super comfortable, so I sought alternative options and came across Boondockers Welcome / Harvest Hosts. One of the great things about Boondockers Welcome is that some of the places offer hook-ups, and since the night’s were chilly, it also felt comforting to know that we could have electricity.

So, outside of Topeka, we went to our first Boondockers Welcome host’s home. It was off the beaten path, and we were hosted by a lovely couple who greeted us and made sure we were all connected to power and safe. It was the perfect first experience. Because every host is different, it’s hard to know what to expect, but we couldn’t have asked for a better first place.

The view from my Boondockers Welcome host's home.

Once we were all settled in, my co-worker and his lovely bride stopped by and picked me up. We headed into downtown Topeka for dinner and ended up at a Mediterranean restaurant called Olive Cafe on Kansas Avenue. Dinner was tasty – especially the baklava. We also went for chocolates at Hazel Hill Chocolate – this place was divine. We each got our own boxes of chocolates, and the young man who was helping us told me he made the toffee I picked himself. They also had a huge selection of chocolate- and caramel-covered apples that would’ve been a meal within itself, but I didn’t indulge this time.

Because my co-worker and his wife know that I’m on a search for my unicorn, forever city, they made a solid pitch for Topeka. We drove through some neighborhoods and went to the Topeka Public Library, which was amazing. While we walked around the library, we talked about Kansas and the different political climates, the housing prices, the beautiful sunsets, and the general feel of the state. Because they had both lived in other places, they had great perspectives on the area in contrast to other places they’d lived. It definitely rates a trip back and a longer stay.

A Hallmark of My Journey

Over time, the idea of this journey seemed like it could be more than just finding our forever home / city / state. I thought it could be a chance to reconnect with family and friends. So, when I posted about our blog on Facebook and Instagram, my intention was to try to connect with as many people that I could – face-to-face – wherever I went. I think, as a someone who works remotely, I feel connection with my co-workers, but I do recognize that it’s different than being in an office space where you might walk to lunch together or go out for a happy hour.

On the way to Kansas, I stopped in Worthington to have a quick visit with a high school friend who I haven’t seen in years. She’s one of those friends with whom you can just pick up from where you are today because you’ve endured so much together that nothing is harder than where you’ve been. That sunny, cold Tuesday was no different. She took time out of her day, and we talked for an hour about as much as we could and as fast as we could. It was rejuvenating just to be the two of us again, but now as adults – no longer the kids we were when we were trying to navigate adult things back in the day.

I was lucky enough to have a similar experience when I was in MN in May of 2023 with another high school friend. The three of us used to run cross country and track together, and there’s something about running with people, especially long distances that changes you over runs, seasons, injuries, successes, and failures. I don’t know if I can explain it, but you can go to deep places quickly and recover just as quickly. It’s an honor to know these women in adulthood, and I keep them close to my heart even if we’re always hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

Mishaps

Despite the ominous title of that book, we didn’t find anything the matter with Kansas, and I avoided any major injuries as well. It’s nice to have a leg of the trip where we were just enjoying the open road. But don’t worry, I’m writing about the past, and I can promise there will be mishaps in future blog posts.

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!

Our First Travel Day

I set the bar pretty low for our first travel day. There were about a million little things I still needed to do be full-time in an RV that is smaller than the smallest bedroom of my house.

But we still missed the mark. On November 15, the day before Arthur, Estella, and I were supposed to leave, I made a list of what I needed to get into the POD to move to a storage facility in MN, what I needed to get into the RV, and the other logistics I needed in place to leave our home of over five years. Mr Haps was a huge help in all of this, but I had to get it across the finish line, so we could get to our first camp site.

My plan was to leave by 10AM on the 16th. 10 turned to 10:30, then 11, then Noon, and finally we left at 12:30. Arthur is a very smart kitty, a trait that he tends to hide most of the time, but he knew we were getting into Estella again, and he was hiding in the most unlikely of places – under the couch cover.

One of Arthur’s last glamour shots before we hit the road.

For those of you who read my first post, Arthur and I did solve the issue of him climbing under the brake pedal while I am driving. I stuffed pillows under there, so there wasn’t enough room for him and the pillows. Problem solved…for now.

Our destination was 344 miles away in Zanesville, Ohio. I subscribed to RV Life Pro – an app and a website to fine recommendations from fellow campers and plan out your route, and I found National Road Campground – our first camp site. It was on our route, it looked safe, and when I called to reserve a spot, they were so friendly and informative. Perfect first spot for us.

I don’t know if you can really appreciate topography and wind speed fully until you’re on a highway, going 70 mph in a van that’s longer than any car you’ve ever owned and twice your own height. Estella’s a looker, but she’s no Honda CRV. I am grateful that she does a little shimmy when she thinks I’m going too fast because Arthur always thinks I’m going too fast. #NotHelping

Mishaps to Ohio

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

  • Where do I put the fuel? I have rented so many cars in my life, and I have never had this issue. Up until this point, I had never fueled the RV. Mr Haps said that it was by the driver’s door, but what he didn’t say was how close to the driver’s side door. It’s not somewhere along that side of the RV. You have to open the driver’s door to find and open the flap the covers where you put the fuel in. Let’s not discuss the number of times I walked back and forth on that side of the RV…🍫🍫🍫
  • Beware: The diesel is bubbly. Why is it bubbly??? I don’t know, but it’s foamy and spills over if you’re not paying attention. Ask me how I know. 😐 🍫🍫🍫
  • Every. Single. RV person will tell you that you should arrive before dark because of course you should. This only makes sense because you’ll be less tired, you can clearly see your surroundings, and – in the fall / winter – it isn’t as cold for set-up. We did not arrive before dark. 🍫🍫
  • By the time we made it to National Road Campground, it was so dark. I was so tired. I couldn’t remember any of the reservation information, and I walked back and forth from the after hours check-in station three times before I had everything I needed to complete the check-in. Thankfully, the campground was pretty empty, so no one observed my walks of shame – unless you count the security camera footage. 🍫🍫

Good news: I got my steps in. Even with six idle hours, I still achieved over 8,000 steps. Even better news? Tomorrow’s drive will be longer….