Tag: RV

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.

One Last MN Appreciation Post

“There’s no place like home.” It’s so true. The place that raises you will always have a special place in your heart. People ask me why don’t you just live there? You know it. Your family is there, your friends are there, what’s not to like? It is hard to explain, but after living on the East Coast for over a decade, there are parts to MN that don’t fit with who I am anymore.

That said, I do love to visit, and I had a good time when I was back in March / April of this year. After celebrating Dad’s birthday with gifts I had collected for him while I was on the road, I had a chance to drive my new car. We all know that I have so much love for Estella, but she’s not small, so navigating tight spaces and her general mobility are just not the same as having a car. I ended up buying a used Nissan Rogue with about 18,000 miles, and it has been a joy to drive, to fit in a parking space, to parallel park, and to not pay for diesel.

I ended up having to go on a work trip to San Antonio about week after I got to MN, so back to Texas I went.

Arthur was not a fan, but the good news was that I was reunited with my suitcase! After many trips just with a backpack and tote, this was so liberating. It was Minnesota in March, so of course there was a trip through the de-icing zone at MSP. I was even lucky enough to score an upgrade, which is the only time I’ll sit by the window – hence the obligatory sea of clouds pic.

My mom spent some quality time with Arthur when I was away, but he was happy to see me when I returned. I made a couple of trips to my storage unit to shed some things from the RV and to pick up a couple of small things to make our next phase a bit easier.

My friend’s eldest son had a leading part in his college’s play, and I was lucky enough to get to see him and spend some time with her. I ate donuts with another friend and her parents as well. I also had a lovely brunch with my aunts and uncles and parents, which has become such a rare treat now that I’m all grown up. It was so wonderful to spend time with them all together in one place, laughing, telling stories, and catching up.

But it wasn’t all fun and games when I was back in MN. I ended up getting really sick. It wasn’t COVID, but I slept on the floor of my parents’ half bathroom for three nights because I couldn’t chance being far from a toilet and running water. Thankfully, no one else in the house got sick, but there was plenty of time to consider all my life choices, and at one point, I thought I would never see sunlight again.

Glamour shots from my time in quarantine and my reunion with Arthur. Needless to say, this bout of the plague (or whatever it was) limited how much I could do when I was there.

Early in the morning of April 19, Arthur and I said goodbye to my family and Estella, and we hit the road for part two of finding our Unicorn City.

Keeping Austin Weird – Part 1

It’s almost been two months since I’ve had a chance to sit down and write. Between work, getting out and about, and adjusting to living in spaces larger than a van, I’ve been busy, but it’s time to finish up our RV journey and talk about how our search for our Unicorn City is going.

I’ve always known that Texas would not be my final destination for one reason >> the seemingly never-ending, oppressively hot summers that start in March and last through October. If you ask a Texan, they’d probably disagree and tell you that it’s “really nice in March, April, September, and October”, but I am here to say that 100 in September is not “really nice” in my book.

So, January and February in Austin were perfect for me, Arthur, and Estella. On January 17, we left Houston and headed to Austin, and I planned a three-hour drive for many reasons but mostly because Arthur hadn’t been on the move for over two months. He did pretty well considering, but when we stopped in Bastrop for provisions, his will to continue had completed depleted.

Since we were only about 30 minutes from our RV park, the howling was tolerable. We stayed at Austonia outside of the city, and it was one of the very best parks we stayed at. When I made the reservation, they were undergoing a renovation but were certain they would be done by the time we arrived. The bathrooms were fantastic. The shower rooms were so spacious and clean, which was great for our two-month stay. They were also a lot more comfortable about water usage during the winter, and that was refreshing.

On our second night, we got snow! It wasn’t a lot, but it was really nice to have some snow and feel a little winter.

This was the view out of Estella’s front window.

I picked up a rental car after being in Austin for about two weeks. Time to get out and explore! I went out to get my hair done, found a Sbarro for a slice of pizza, and got ready to head to San Antonio for work. Once again, I found a wonderful Arthur sitter through Rover.com, so I knew he would be in good hands while I was away.

My drive to San Antonio was a reminder of what happens to highway infrastructure when cities grow faster than the roads. There was a lot of road construction, and the traffic was more than your average city’s rush hour. Even though Houston’s labyrinth of highways and frontage roads were daunting, it efficient.

In San Antonio, I had some credits to use, so I stayed at the Eilan Hotel & Spa. This place was massive, but my room was the perfect size with a balcony and plenty of space to spread out.

Great views from my hotel room balcony.

Since I didn’t get into San Antonio until late afternoon, I didn’t do a lot of exploring. I did try Raising Cane’s and went to see “A Complete Unknown” in Boerne. I had heard so many good things about Raising Cane’s and about their sauce. I thought it was fine. The chicken was good, but the sauce – to me – was meh.

I was treated to this beautiful sunset as I was leaving Raising Cane’s and headed to the movie.

On Sunday, I met with some friends at the historic Pearl district near downtown for lunch at Brasserie Mon Chou Chou, and we had great conversation and a lot of laughs. The food was delicious as well. We walked around after lunch and visited a gorgeous market. I also stopped at Bakery Lorraine for an almond chocolate croissant and cookies. A tres manifique day!

The rest of my time in San Antonio flew by. I was able to work in the company office in downtown San Antonio and then had a delicious dinner with a friend, his wife, and their kids at Dough Pizzeria Napoletana.

Arthur enjoyed looking out the window at our neighbors throughout our time in Austin.

Destination: Houston

We woke up on Saturday outside of Columbus, GA, at a Boondockers Welcome location in Fortson. They had a great set-up with parking spot on their extended driveway by a utility shed. The host walked down to see me and brought an extension cord that I could use since the shed was a bit further than my cords would reach. We even had a nice chat. I woke up to Arthur sharing my pillow because I was late with breakfast.

Saturday was our longest drive from Fortson to Livingston Lakeside RV Resort in Louisiana – just to the east of Baton Rogue. I’d never driven across southern LA before, and it was a lot different drive than what I expected. It was amazing to drive over the waterways and see the people driving their boats and living as they normally do. Those little slices of life really make the 400+ mile journey meaningful. The RV resort was very sunny and a bit warm, but it was peaceful and safe, so well worth the side-eye looks I got. I’m guessing they don’t see a lot of Asian ladies camping with their cat in these parts. 🍫

On Sunday, we left for the last leg of our 1000 mile journey into Houston, TX. We stopped at a not-so-busy Buc-ee’s outside of Houston to fill up and head to the Laurel Springs RV Resort in the Kingwood area of Houston. As of 2023, Houston is the fourth largest metropolitan area, trailing New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, but I was still surprised at the sheer size when we first arrived. It has all the things other large cities have – major highway systems, every store imaginable, many, many neighborhoods and areas. Our spot was in the northeast corner of the region and in a quiet alcove near Spring Creek.

When we arrived on Sunday, the office wasn’t open, so I had a bit of a scramble to find the email with our spot location. We easily parked and got set-up for the next two months. I wanted to winter in TX to try to escape some of the more extreme temperatures, but when we arrived in November, it was warm and humid.

Arthur was really happy in Houston. With all the driving we’d done, he deserved the rest – we all did. We did quite a bit while we were in Houston. More on that next time!

Georgia On My Mind

Another co-worker lives near Gainesville, so we had a chance to grab dinner at Pig Tales on the shores of Lake Lanier after I did a bunch of laundry and some grocery shopping. Dinner was fun, and it was great to meet my co-worker’s wife and talk about books and teaching and about how they met. They dropped me off at the RV and got to meet Arthur and see Estella in all her glory, and my co-worker’s wife described Arthur as a sweet little pumpkin – a keen observation.

The following weekend, I got up early on Saturday to stop at Danny’s Donuts for an apple fritter and then run down to Atlanta again and visit the Carter Presidential Museum and Library. There was a farmer’s market in the park near the museum, so the area was busy, but the museum was quiet. To this point in my travels, the Carter museum was one of my favorites.

There was a beautiful courtyard at the entrance of the museum, and there were a lot of unique gifts and displays.

For lunch, I met up with another co-worker and his girlfriend at Food Terminal, and they brought me delicious baked goods from a local Asian bakery. The restaurant had delivery robots and unique food, and we had an engaging conversation. I followed up that delightful lunch with a massage, a stop at a Trader Joe’s that had an actual parking lot, more laundry, and picked up another Amazon package at the Piggly Wiggly that was kinda in the middle of nowhere.

I returned the rental car on Saturday night and spent Sunday morning getting ready to hit the road. Our next stop was the Myrtle Beach Hideaway RV Park. The drive to SC was uneventful, but I did see a dog in the back of a pickup truck, going 70 mph down the highway. The dog was having a great time – just never seen that before, but I also haven’t spent a lot of time in the south either….

More MN Time

Well, I’ve been waylaid on my journey by my own stupidity or wishful thinking, so I thought I should probably take advantage of the time and catch up on ye olde blog.

A glorious sunrise on the farm in early May.

Alway a Good Time on the Farm

Growing up on a farm leads to a wealth of knowledge that just never really seems to come up at a corporate job or when traveling in an RV around the U.S., so it’s always nice to go home and exercise the old brain box with talk of planting season, gardens, flowers, endless hours of mowing the lawn, and all the bits and bobbles it takes to keep a century farm running.

My parents have two rescue cats and a rescue puppy. As you can clearly see, the puppy is under monitoring at all times.

While I was back in early May, we went to a pancake supper fundraiser. I’m honestly not sure how it happens that I end up in my hometown when there’s a pancake supper, but I attended the one in November 2023 as well. (Also, it’s breakfast, dinner, and supper in the Midwest – or at least where I grew up – not breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You may be asking, “What happened to lunch?” Nobody knows.)

After the supper, my parents, aunt, and I went to hear Patty Wetterling speak at the Best Western at the north end of town. If you don’t know much about Mrs. Wetterling, here’s a video of an interview done by the MN Historical Society. Her son, Jacob, was abducted in his small MN town on October 22, 1989 (35 years ago), at only 11 years old. At that time, I was also 11, and this story shocked and frightened everyone across the state. Because of Mrs. Wetterling’s advocacy, much legislation and even more awareness has been raised to protect children. American Public Media (APM) did a recent podcast, covering the events and the investigation. If you’re interested in “true crime”, I recommend this one for the confounding nature of the investigation, and the keen journalism that went into reporting it.

Mrs. Wetterling and her co-author, Joy Baker, were compelling speakers and shared much of their journey authoring Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope. The ballroom of the hotel filled quickly, and there was barely a dry eye in the house when they finished.

When I was in southern MN, I also had a chance to reconnect with a dear friend from high school. We met at the Hi-Lo Supper Club in Lakefield, MN, to catch up. Later that week, the northern lights were showing off above the barn

I absolutely did laundry while I was there, had a facial, enjoyed a birthday dinner with family, made homemade cinnamon rolls for Mother’s Day, had an awkward conversation with my parents about where I want to be buried, and dined out at the Amboy Cottage Cafe with my parents and brother. We also made time to see Machinery Hill perform at the Red Rock Center for the Arts, a former church now arts venue. Since a couple of the members are from my hometown, they even played the school song while everyone sang along.

In mid-May, I continued my journey through MN and stayed at Town & Country Campground & RV Park in Savage, MN. I had a great spot under a tree, and Arthur and I spent many glorious evenings enjoying the pre-summer weather. Some days warmed up to the 70s, and we even used the AC a couple of times to mitigate the heat.

While we were in MN, I needed check some items off my list. My hair needed attention, so I went to the LolaMax Salon in Minneapolis and had a great experience with Tanya. Then I did one of those things I used to do when I lived there and just went over to a friend’s house and spent some time with her and her family. Being on the road helps you gain a lot of appreciation for the ability to just stop by and visit with someone.

I also needed to go to the dentist. 🍫🍫🍫 When I lived in Minneapolis, I had the best dental experience of my life, and – frankly – I’ve never found another dentist that compares. Lakeville Family Dental Centre is still amazing. I was able to make an appointment, get a referral to an oral surgeon, and get my pesky broken crown and root removed in a matter of days. My oral surgeon at Advanced Oral Surgery was amazing as well, and I felt no pain. I am grateful for an amazing friend from college who works from home and could cart me around that day and make sure I ate the soft foods I was supposed to.

Could I have walked? Maybe…but it was more fun to be carted around.

While I spent much of my time in MN with friends, family, and one fantastic former student, when I wasn’t working, I did make time on an exceptionally rainy evening to get a massage at Luxology. This had to be one of the best massages I’ve ever had. I highly recommend Ashley at this spa!!

I think MN will always feel like home to me. There are so many memories there, but I don’t think it’s where I will end up after this journey. I am so thankful for my decades in that state, and the growing I did there, but my unicorn city is still out there. So, on we go….