What a Year!

With just a few hours before 2009 is history, we want to grab a quick moment to celebrate the last 365 days.

2009 promised to be a year of significant change for us. And, it did not disappoint. In a nutshell, we readied our house for a very swift and very profitable sale in the worst real estate market in decades; readied our cats, ourselves, our moose and squirrel for fulltime rv travel; both got laid off on one of the happiest days of our lives, which provided the last catalyst to make our fulltiming dream a reality.

This was the year that we did it. We became fulltimers. It's a year we will always remember. And, it's a year that, in other ways, we are eager to forget. Though we were emotionally detached from our work, the first four months of this year were perhaps the most difficult and challenging of our careers. It was tough. And, it's over. It's time to let it go.

As proud as we are of having successfully made the transition from career workaholics to newbie fulltimers this year, it's also time celebrate what it was and let it go, too. That monumental task is behind us, thank God. Now, we are on to better and brighter things. So, cheers to us for making it all happen. (And many thanks to those who helped us along the way!) And, with that, we happily let it go.

With our transition year behind us, we look forward to 2010 and what we hope will be our first full year as fulltimers. Last year this night we asked ourselves "Where will we be next New Year's Eve?" Little did we know the answer would be "Weatherford, Texas." And, we're so glad we're here. It makes us wonder where in the world we will be next New Year's Eve. We'll see!

As the clock strikes midnight tonight, our travel weary bodies will be snoozing away. But, in our slumber we will celebrate a most memorable year of change, preparation, explorations, adventures, new friendships, a new moose, and many happy and trouble-free miles on the road.

And when we awake sometime tomorrow to the new year, we we happily say, "Bring it on!"

Happy New Year!

Happy Campers

We have soooo many things that we're happy about tonight. So many, in fact, I decided to start a list. So, in no particular order, here they are. They'll tell you a lot about our day.

1. We are out of our dumpy snow-filled campground.
2. We are 225 miles south of Kansas City.
3. We're 225 miles closer to Texas.
4. There's no snow in our spacious campground here in Wellington, Kansas.
5. The current temperature is 33 degrees.
6. It's 22 right now where we came from.
7. 11 degrees is a BIG difference.
8. Nothing is falling from the sky.
9. We have both of our slides out.
10. Our water pump works.
11. So does our generator.
12. Our stop by the dealer was quick and easy.
13. We have a full tank of propane!
14. We filled up at the dealer, so we didn't have to stop on the road.
15. Our furnaces are firing and we're not even thinking about them.
16. For the first time in a long time I'm not wearing a sweater and wool socks.
17. The cold bug I came down with overnight isn't getting worse.
18. Our drive down a very familiar highway today was uneventful.
19. We arrived here before dark.
20. We have satellite TV.
21. We have great power - rock steady at 120V!
22. Our kitties are so comfortable and happy that one of them is camped out on Paul's lap.
23. Tomorrow we have nothing to do and nowhere to go.
24. Christmas is over.
25. We're back to our normal, fulltiming life.

Ah yes! That last one? It's a biggie.

It's so great to be back.

Day After Tomorrow

That's when we're heading south. We can't wait!

Of course, nobody else knows this. And, I assure you our family will not be pleased. This new departure date is almost a week earlier than our initial plans. But, you know what? It's flippin' cold here.

One day this coming week the forecast here calls for an overnight low of 4. The next night it's supposed to be 1.

Yeah, that's degrees Fahrenheit.

We are soooooo outta here.

It's a tough decision, to be sure. We'd love to hang out with family and friends for another week. But, truth be told, we just plunked down a serious wad of cash on this new moose not too long ago, and we're choosing not to expose it to nearly below zero temps. With a failing water pump and a generator that won't start, this moose needs help, and soon. And, that's exactly what we're gonna' do.

Our last family Christmas celebration is tomorrow. After that, we're free to roam the country once again. With a brief weather window of opportunity, we're going to head to the Winnie dealer just south of here first thing Tuesday with our fingers crossed that our repairs will be short and sweet. If so, we'll head south and go as far as we can before dark. If they can't take care of it in a day, they can keep the moose overnight and we'll bunk with family.

After that, seriously, we are heading for Texas. We should be in Livingston by January 3rd, which was our original planned departure date from Kansas City.

Lots to do between now and then. But, you know what?

We're feeling warmer already!

The Day After

We hope ya'll had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was, let's just say, memorable.

We awoke yesterday to some seven inches of wind blown snow on the ground and more still falling from the sky. For a couple of hours it was all very fun and festive.

After that, it was not so very merry.

Truthfully, I think a super-size case of cabin fever set in. Well, for me anyway. After spending Christmas Eve away from loved ones we'd come so far to see, and grim prospects for getting out on Christmas Day, I was very near the breaking point. Paul would say I crossed it. And, you know what? He'd be right. Sometime around 3:00 PM, he decided that driving the Jeep on impassable roads was far less risky than spending the rest of the holiday cooped up in the moose with me.

I am married to a very wise man.

We hopped in our squirrel, which is the very best toad ever, and four-wheeled ourselves across town like a one-horse open sleigh. We spent the rest of the holiday in the warm company of Paul's brother and his family. They are a big part of the reason we made this winter sojourn, and it was wonderful to celebrate the day with them.

So, now it's the day after. It seems as good a time as any to size up our current situation.

It's still snowing. Total accumulation looks like about nine inches, but with all the drifts it's really hard to tell. The park has been plowed once, but that was about three inches ago. The temperature has topped the expected high for the day. Right now we're sitting at a very cloudy but relatively balmy 29 degrees.

The moose is hanging in there. Our water pump is dead. It didn't freeze, it just died. Two days before Christmas there was a water main break in the park. Just before they shut off the park water supply, we filled our on board tank. We went to turn on the water pump and realized the thing was dead. Fuses checked out fine, and the brand friggin' new pump actually came back from the dead for a brief time before it expired again the next morning. We tried to call Winnebago for some guidance, but they were closed. We called a local dealer who concurred with our preliminary diagnosis. They offered to see us that morning, but they were closing at noon, are nearly 20 miles away and the forecast called for the imminent arrival of an inch or two of sleet. We decided to tough it out and scheduled a service appointment for Tuesday morning. We were hooked up to park water for a brief time, but with temps below freezing since then we're living with jugs of water and eating out. The upside to this is we have no dishes to wash!

With overnight lows in the teens, we are once again watching our propane consumption. With about one-third of our 30-gallon tank remaining, our goal is to keep the moose warm enough for the bays to stay warm enough to keep our useless water pipes and tanks from freezing while maintaining our propane supply until Monday when we can venture out to our friendly propane place just five miles away. It's closed on weekends, so after dining out for breakfast this morning, we took the Jeep on a reconnaissance mission for sources of weekend propane. Bottom line: In this weather, there aren't any. So, with fingers crossed we are saying prayers to the patron saint of propane that it all works out on Monday.

With no water and far from toasty inside temps, life in our new moose is basically a step or two above tent camping. But, a lovely tent it is. And, on this day after Christmas we are still counting our blessings.

One: Shelter.

Two: Electricity.

Three: The best toad ever.

And, me? I'm especially grateful for my very wise and incredibly patient husband! This memorable Christmas has tested my fulltiming patience. Thanks to Paul, we've made it through and chalked up another story that will bring a laugh or two around a toasty campfire down the road, hopefully sometime soon in Texas.

Christmas Eve

'Twas the night before Christmas in our rollin' house,

not a creature is stirring, not even my spouse.

The stockings are hung by the magic fireplace with care,

in hopes that St. Nicholas will find them there.

The kitties won't nestle, they're swarming instead,

with visions of the tasty dinner they soon will be fed.

With Paul in his recliner and the Mac in my lap,

we'll soon be enjoying a little nightcap.

Our plans for the evening, how they did shatter,

when rain changed to sleet and the wind made things clatter.

Church services are cancelled, it's not safe to drive,

the snow is stacking up in inches, they say it'll be around five.

Now with nowhere to go, we'll stay home for the night,

we've pulled in a slide and are buttoned up tight.

Our dinner alone will be sauce and spaghetti

while we watch the snow fall like frigid confetti.

Despite this holiday blizzard our spirits are high,

We are so thankful to be healthy, safe, warm and dry.

We're counting our blessings as our little tree beams,

celebrating our first Christmas living our fulltiming dreams.

Our thoughts turn to our friends who are fulltiming now,

and those who are dreaming to get out there somehow.

May your travels be safe and your troubles be few.

We look forward to the next time we get to see you.

Best wishes to you and yours from us in the moose,

we can see on NORAD that Santa is loose.

Listen closely and you'll hear him as he drives out of sight,

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Anticipation

It's Christmas Eve eve, and there's much anticipation in the air tonight. Santa will soon be on his way. And, he's bringing something with him: a major winter storm.

Kansas City weather is wonky. There's no other word for it. Here in the country's mid-section, we get hit with weather from everywhere. Sometimes it happens all at once. Today we were treated to rising temperatures as a warm front greeted us from the south. We did the last of our shopping dodging rain showers on this balmy 50-degree afternoon. Mother Nature is giving is a big tease before the big freeze.

Tonight's forecast calls for heavy rain, which will continue off and on through the morning. Tomorrow afternoon the stuff falling from sky is expected to change from rain to freezing rain to sleet to, finally, snow. By Christmas night the weather geeks are calling for four to six inches of the white stuff, which is expected to be accompanied by 30mph winds and temps in the teens.

Now, I'm the first to admit that when it comes to believing Kansas City weather forecasts, I don't. Between the area's naturally wonky weather, and each local TV station's quest to gain market share by making every night's forecast oh so dramatic, we've come to accept their predictions as wild guesses. But, as I perused the weather maps today, I recalled something from a Meteorology class I took in college.

When a big low pressure system passes south of Kansas City in December, we can bet on significant snow accumulation. Now, don't ask me to recall anything else from that class, but this learning has proven itself true time and again over the years. And, guess what? A great big red "L" appears to making a bee line to our south.

Yep. It looks like we're in for a white Christmas!

For now, we'll spend the evening wrapping presents to the sound of a steady pitter patter on our rooftop. We've even heard a rumble of thunder or two! We'll soak up the last of this Spring-like weather as we appreciate that we're not amongst the traveling throngs, for once. With our shopping done, our water tank filled and enough propane (we sure hope) to weather the storm, we're ready to let it snow.

Safe travels to all who are en route to their holiday destinations, including Santa, Rudolph and the other reindeer!

You're Welcome

An open letter to Bob Olson, Chairman, Chief Executive and President, Winnebago Industries:

Dear Bob,

We've seen a lot of news about Winnebago in the last few days. You posted a gross profit for the first quarter of your new fiscal year, product demand is on the rise, you're gaining market share and your stock is up significantly on the news. You're re-hiring workers, ramping up production and canceling your holiday shutdown. With a sales order backlog of more than 1500 units, things must be looking up in Forest City.

To that, we have two things to say.

First, congratulations! By the looks of things, you have successfully maneuvered the worst downturn in your industry. We commend your leadership.

Second, you're welcome! We have purchased two - count 'em, TWO - new Winnebagos in the past 18 months. And, we're guessing we are among a handful of - if not the only - customers to do so. And, these weren't itty bitty Winnies, either. No! They were both Class As, where your margins are better. We're sure your "Thank You" note to us has been misplaced by the U.S. Mail. So, we'll simply say "You're Welcome" here. It'll save us another stamp.

We're just trying to do our part to stimulate an ailing ecomony. And, we're happy to help you out. You build a mighty fine product there in Forest City. In fact, we look forward to our upcoming visit when we attend our first Grand National Rally in July. No need to make a big deal about our arrival. A simple "Thank You" and some quality warranty service will be enough.

Happy Holidays,

Paul and Mary

Little Things

One of the questions Cathy and Steve asked us during Sunday's long lunch was "What's a typical day like?" Of course, the answer depends on whether we're traveling, stopped for a quick visit, or parked in one spot for awhile.

Our days here in Kansas City have varied from busy family days to quiet time with not much to do. Of course, we've had more than enough of those days when our primary concern is keeping ourselves and our motorhome warm. We've noticed that our productivity level here tends to rise with the temperatures.

With today's high forecasted to be near a balmy 50 degrees, and absolutely nothing planned, we found ourselves getting busy on a bunch of little things that needed to be done around here. Paul silenced a squeaky fridge door, steadied our slightly wobbly dining table and reattached a piece of fallen molding. He's quite the handyman! With the inside work done, he took advantage of the rare nice day and washed the Jeep.

I topped off a handful of little tasks with one big little thing. For the first time on our fulltiming journey, I assembled my sewing tools and went to work on a quilt project. While the project itself is fairly small, my first sewing effort in our rolling home was a big deal. After all, we've been lugging this heavy sewing machine around since the beginning. It was about time I put it to use. Adapting my work that was once done in its own room with plenty of space took a bit of creative thinking. I transformed our kitchen counter into a cutting space, with a cutting mat, of course. Our light-filled dining table became the sewing surface. And, when it came time to press seams, my small ironing table turned the cutting space into a convenient ironing spot. The biggest adjustment, though, came when today's work was through.

Once upon a time, I'd simply close the door on my sewing center and leave it for the next wave of inspiration to strike. These days, if we want to cook or eat, I need to put it all away. With cooking and eating on tonight's agenda, I carefully packed everything up for another day. Once again our kitchen looks like our kitchen and our dining area is fit for dining. We're good to go.

All of these little things are important steps in feeling at home in our rolling home. When the handyman and the quilt lady get to do their thing around here, it might not be a typical day, but it sure is a good one.

Five-Hour Lunch

What a fun afternoon we've just had. We spent the time with a couple of soon-to-be fulltimers!

Need we say more? (Maybe not. But, of course, we will!)

Our hometown dentist, of all people, connected us with Cathy and Steve. They live in the area and are in the process of purging, preparing and purging some more, with plans to hit the road this Spring. (Oh, we remember that all so well!) Knowing exactly how it feels to be a future fulltimer, we were eager to meet up with them and provide a bit of help and encouragement. We set a date for lunch and sure-to-be lively conversation today.

They stopped by at noon and within microseconds the lively conversation flowed. We covered every topic, from litter boxes to tool boxes, and everything in between. As they bonded with our kitties, they shared their story and we went on and on about ours. (We hope it was helpful!) It was very exciting to hear the "what" and "why" behind their fulltiming journey. Like us, they are compelled to explore this beautiful country of ours. They will make great fulltimers, and a wonderful addition to our traveling community.

We told them about all of our fantastic fulltiming friends who have been, and continue to be, such a great help to us. Something tells us Cathy and Steve will be spending some time visiting those delightful blogs on our blog roll. There's so much to learn over there! They have stuff in common with Gypsy and Mac and Netters, so we encouraged them to make a special effort to connect with those good folks.

A couple of hours flew by before we even got around to touring the moose, not to mention lunch! We headed out to a favorite sandwich shop for a late lunch and more conversation. Cathy and Steve came prepared with a list of questions and we did our best to answer every one. And, we continued to learn more about these wonderful people who seem so perfectly suited for this adventure.

Of course, we encouraged them to start a blog! We look forward to adding them to the future fulltimers we follow, and moving them down to the fulltimers list soon. They have lots of work ahead of them. They're up for it, though!

Before we knew it, it was starting to get dark! Knowing these two have purging to do yet today, and tomorrow and the next day, we brought our five-hour lunch to an end and let our new friends get on to their preparations. We look forward to tracking their progress and meeting them again on the road soon.

Quick Fill

Here are three things that are sure to lift a fulltimer's spirits after a week of Arctic temps:

1. A daytime high of 39 degrees
2. Sunshine
3. A full tank of propane.

Those three key ingredients put our household in a much better mood today. We were getting pretty darn grumpy around here, and rightfully so. When the late night weather forecast for next week included back-to-back single digits, I was afraid of what heinous act we might commit! But, with the completion of our most anticipated major errand, we are back to our ol' cheery selves today.

Shortly after noon the temperature was north of freezing. The sun was beaming on our frozen slide topper, which aided in a much needed quick thaw. We packed the moose up for the five-mile trip to the propane dealer. The slide came in with ease, followed by the jacks. We were so pleased to see that everything was working properly. We navigated our way to the land of plenty of propane. Paul pulled the moose up to the pump and the good gas man gave Big Bull a quick fill. Fifty bucks and 15 minutes later we were backing into our old familiar site. As we set about the business of setting up, we felt our spirits lift as we lowered the jacks and expanded the slides. We quickly put out all the stuff that makes this place a home, including our Christmas decorations. With that, the big errand was behind us.

We have a full tank of propane! All is right with our world.

Never

Never say never, or so the saying goes. But, we'll take this bet.

We will never bring our motorhome to Kansas in December, January or February.

Ever.

The last four days have been an icy cold blur. It seems practically all of our energy has been spent managing ourselves and our motorhome in this weather. We've been busy doing this, that and the other to prevent this or that from freezing. And, when we're not doing this or that, we're busy worrying that this or that will freeze or we'll run out of propane. An assortment of annoying little things have happened that remind us that most materials are not meant to operate in, or be exposed to, single digit temperatures. We have gotten out just a wee bit, and when we do we have to dress like a couple of Michelin men to survive outside.

See what I mean?

Having experienced some 40 Decembers as Kansas City residents, we were ready for it to be chilly during our visit. But, nothing like this. Single-digit nights on end are the kind of stuff Mother Nature typically dishes up here in January or February. But, lucky us. This year, winter has arrived early in our old hometown.

And, we're doing fine. We are safe, warm, dry and have all the comforts of home. For that, we are grateful. We should have more than enough propane to last until we head out tomorrow for our refill trip. Tomorrow's high is forecasted to top the freezing mark. And, the temps for the weekend are looking even better.

We look forward to getting back to the business of enjoying the holidays in Kansas City. With any luck at all our days of obsessing about the weather are behind us.

For future reference, if we want to spend the holidays in Kansas City, we'll park the moose in some sunny spot south of here and pack the cats and couple of bags in the squirrel, drive up and spend a week or so in a warm and cozy guest room.

We like the sound of that!

Snow Day

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in these parts. Our "major winter storm" dumped a light dusting of snow - maybe an inch or two. The moose, squirrel and cats are all experiencing their first snow. The big story, though, is the cold.

Today's "official" high will likely be something like 28 degrees. But, that was at 12:01 a.m. Since then the temperature has plummeted. Currently, it's something like 16 degrees, on it's way to anywhere between 4 and -4 for tonight's low.

Yes, it's cold.

And, it's been windy. Before the howling winds began last night, we pulled in our north-facing slide. Who needs to subject a frozen slide topper to a 40 mph gust? Our slightly smaller house stayed toasty enough all night, and we were pleased to still have running water and propane this morning. At midday, our propane tank was just a hair under half. If we can make it through the next night or two, the forecast for Friday is calling for sunny skies and temps a degree or two above freezing. Now, that's propane errand weather!

With no precipitation falling this morning, we decided to bundle up, brave the sub-zero wind chill and get out. Yes, our coach is lovely, but even the walls of a new 40-footer can begin to close in. In yet another propane saving move, we headed out for a tasty hot breakfast at the nearby Bob Evans. (Love that place!) Then, we visited the local UPS store to pack and ship the original Bullwinkle's bedding back to the dealer. (It was one of the things we pulled out of our POD last week.) Back in our toasty rolling home we settled in for an afternoon movie.

Before we turn in tonight we'll pull in our other slide, which will make the moose extra cozy but still quite livable. Reducing our total cubic feet for the night should make our heat sources more efficient. At least we hope so. The top, sides and bottoms of these slides are the least protected parts of the coach, so we hope our space saving efforts pay off. Besides, with the slides in, we'll be ready to roll if we need to make a propane run. We'll just unplug the power and pull up the jacks. (Check that. We'll unplug power, press a button and pray the jacks work in the cold.)

Then, dear readers, we'll head to Texas!

Julie & Julia

For the first time in a very long time I did not step outside the coach today. Our forecasted "major winter storm" materialized as a gray, drizzly near-freezing day. I actually missed the first half of the day. With the pitter patter of freezing rain on our roof this morning, we could find no reason to hurry out of bed. With nothing but quilting on deck for the day, I decided to sleep in until noon. Noon! I haven't done that since college.

It was sure fun!

Paul ventured out in the rain to pick up a few things this afternoon, including a couple of movies from redbox. With our DirecTV out of commission during our stay here, we're opting for some cheap entertainment. Late this afternoon we popped Julie & Julia in the DVD. I had heard about Julie Powell's blog and had wanted to read her book, but never got around to it. And, we both love Meryl Streep. The movie met our expectations. We give it two thumbs up.

Julie & Julia got me thinking about our blogs. We snap a few pictures, write some words and send it out into the dark hole of cyberspace. Why? Mostly we do it to chronicle our adventures. One day we're going to want to look back on our life and times on the road, and our blogs will be here to tell the tale. We do Bullwinkle's Travels, in part, to keep our family and friends from worrying about where we are, or aren't. It's an easy way for them to keep up with us. And, we hope that our words here at The Great RV Escape entertain, inform and/or inspire fellow fulltimers or wannabes.

And, truth be told, it gives the writer in the house something to do!

Will either one of our blogs change the world or make us buckets of money? Doubtful. But, a cute little movie directed by Nora Ephron would sure be fun! Oh, yeah, and I guess that would make us a buck or two, huh?

Meanwhile, we'll just sit back and relax and watch the rain that has now turned to snow. It's really pretty! Tonight the wind is supposed to kick up and the thermometer will start a two-day fall into the single digits. That should be very interesting!

Stay tuned.

Winter Storm

This, from the National Weather Service in Kansas City:

A MAJOR WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT A LARGE PORTION OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PLAINS. THIS STORM WILL INITIALLY BRING SNOW TO ADVISORY AREA AND AS WARMER AIR ALOFT WORKS INTO THE SYSTEM A MIX OF RAIN... SNOW AND POSSIBLY SLEET IS EXPECTED.

To add insult to injury, there's an "Arctic blast" behind this storm that is expected to bring us a daytime high Wednesday of 18 degrees, and a low Wednesday night of 7.

Once again. WHY are we here?

The other day our friend Gypsy said she'd endure 0 degree temps to visit her family. Sounds good. Folks, it's official. Zero is our limit! If Mother Nature serves up weather with a minus sign in front of it, we are outta here!

After several days of judicious use of propane, we're still over two-thirds of a tank. And, nearly two weeks ago we landed with 3/4 of a tank. So, we're prepared to keep the gas furnace, fireplace and our new, improved electric space heater blasting for the next two days. Thursday's forecast is for sun and double digit temps, so we'll make a propane run then, if we need to.

We made a propane reconnaissance run this afternoon. There's a Ferrellgas facility 4.7 miles from here. And, for a mere $3.33 a gallon (Geez!) we can fill this moose up. (Isn't it interesting how the laws of supply and demand work?) The route is very moose friendly, and though the facility is a bit tight, we're confident we can maneuver our way in and out. Whatever it takes to get a full tank of propane!

Today we checked the temp in our basement bays and were impressed with the results. As promised, they are indeed vented. As long as we periodically fire up the gas furnace, everything down below should stay warm. Well, actually, it would be more accurate to say it won't freeze! Our water bay is facing the north, from whence some brutal winds are promised to accompany this forecasted Arctic blast. At this point, it seems like the most vulnerable area, so we'll add a trouble light with a warm and cozy 60-watt bulb to that area, just as we have with our glow-in-the-dark refrigerator vent, which also faces the cold Arctic north. We'll be glowing from every which way!

Actually, we're very impressed with how our new moose had stood up to chilly temps so far. If the cold north winds kick up, we'll pull in our driver's side slide. The last thing we want to deal with is a frozen slide topper whippin' in the wind. With our fireplace blazin', the new oscillating space heater doing it's thing and a periodic blast of our propane-fired furnace, this place is down right cozy!

We fired up the crock pot this afternoon to save on propane and provide us with some hearty faire for dinner tonight and leftovers during tomorrow's storm. Beginning tomorrow, our agenda is simple: Stay warm for the next 24 hours. With the home fires burning, I'm planning a day of quilting - something I haven't done since we began our journey. Paul has hopes of getting to the gym early, even if it means putting the squirrel in four-wheel-drive. They'll be plenty of space and time for reading, napping, surfing and TV watching. All provided, of course, we have enough propane.

While many of our RVing buddies have already shacked up in warmer climates, we take great comfort in knowing we're not the only crazies out here in the cold. Gordon and Juanita are experiencing record cold on the Oregon coast. And, fellow Tour owners Margie and Bruce are toughing out another winter in Washington before they head south. Mac and Netters have battened down the hatches just south of here and will, hopefully, get just a cold rain out of this much-anticipated storm.

Those folks down south are having fun in the sun while us few brave souls are braving a winter wonderland.

Stay tuned for breaking weather updates.

Watchful Eye

As promised, our sub-freezing overnight temperatures arrived. Last night's overnight low was 12 degrees, and we were graced with 17 degrees the night before last. We continue to watch our propane consumption and have pretty much accepted the fact that there's a propane errand in our future. Meanwhile, we're doing our best to manage the inside temps. The line to our icemaker is frozen, so we're going to run out and pick up a trouble light and a light bulb or two to keep it warm from here on out.

And, yes, we have thought about aborting our visit here and heading for Texas. But, heck, it's snowing down there. There's no place to escape!

We're also keeping an eye on my right eye. Yesterday it burned and itched all day, and I was quick to attribute the malady to spending too much time in sub-freezing gale force winds while we sorted through our POD. By the time we headed out for some fine Kansas City BBQ with Mac and Netters, who have stopped by to visit for a few days, my eye was red and puffy. A few eyedrops and a good night's sleep later, it was pink, puffy and, well, gross. Our household diagnosis is pink eye, or one pink eye. So, for now, I'm quarantined. I debated about heading to a clinic today, and this afternoon it is looking a wee bit better. I'm hoping another good night's sleep will do the trick. If I still look like half a crack addict tomorrow, I'll see a doctor.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening with Mac and Netters. It's such a treat that they decided to come up and pay us a visit. Good folks who will come see you in sub-freezing temps. Now, those are friends! My fingers are crossed that I'll get clearance tomorrow and we can get together. Although, they've already been exposed to whatever it is I have. My fingers are doubly crossed that they don't catch it!

I'll close with a bit of good news. Tonight's forecast low: 22 degrees.

Things are looking up.

Pondering Propane

Lots of stuff going on these days, most of which isn't particularly newsworthy. But, some will provide good fuel for future campground stories. I can hear us now: Did we tell you about the day we drove to our POD in the cold and the place was closed?

No, no. The big story for us today is the temperature. As predicted, a windy wave of cold blew through Kansas City today. For the next week or so the daytime highs are predicted to be in the 30s. Nighttime lows will dip into the teens. There's even a chance of snow.

Can someone remind me again, why are we here?

Oh yeah, now I remember. Spending the holidays with family and friends. Right?

Actually, as far as Kansas City winter weather goes, the forecast isn't all that bad. But, for a couple of former Californians - and self-proclaimed weather wimps - this is more than enough chill for us. After all, we have our propane to consider.

One important distinction of motorhomes is that, unlike their other RV cousins, the propane tanks are integrated into the rig. They can't be carted off to some handy dandy propane place for a quick refill. And, as we have discovered, many localities (including this one) prohibit dispensing propane from a truck to an internal tank (like ours).

Curses!

At our last stop before heading into Kansas City, we topped off our propane tank. Our 30-gallon tank contained about 24 gallons of the heat producing stuff when we checked in for our five-week winter stay. We crossed our fingers that our supply would last.

Our heat pump can generally keep the place warm enough until the mercury drops to just about freezing. And, our heat pump has been busy! Add to that our wonderful new fireplace, and a small electric heater we brought along "just in case". We will happily pay for all the electricity we can use. But, when it comes to propane, that's another story. With a limited amount of LP on board, we're watching that like a couple of hawks. Every time our gas heat kicks on, I swear I hear ticking! And, Paul swears he can hear it, too! We are so mindful that every toasty blast from either one of our gas furnaces lowers the level in our on-board tank. We're doing our very best to manage it. I'm writing this from under the warmth of our laptop and a quilt. And, Paul is actually wearing long pants! (Now, that's serious!) The dropping temperatures and this very wintry forecast have us concerned, but we'll manage.

Of course, if we had to, we could pack everything away, put in the slides, pull up the jacks and fire up the moose and seek out a local source of the liquified gas. Then, we'd head back to the campground, back in, level up, pop out the slides and settle in for the duration.

Or, we could just wait for the propane tank to run dry. Then, we'll head for Texas.

Christmas Decor

With Thanksgiving behind us, and several sub-freezing nights ahead of us, lots of folks around town have taken advantage of the mild temperatures and put up their holiday lights. A few rigs in the parks have donned Christmas decor, and we're following suit.

At least we're trying.

After years of knowing exactly where every decoration belonged and precisely how to hang every hanging thing, we're in new territory this holiday season. It hit me last night. Suddenly, I had an urge to hang lights. As had been our custom, a few days after Thanksgiving, I would string clear lights along the railing of our balcony overlooking the bay. That easy task marked the start of our holiday season. But last night there were no clear lights, no railing and no balcony. And, I missed it. Of course, it didn't help that we were watching the Hallmark Hall of Fame, complete with those Kleenex-robbing commercials I love. I've never been that much of a Christmas decorator, so I was surprised that missing this simple little tradition made me a bit weepy.

Today we were determined to launch a new tradition and outfit our rolling home in some holiday finery. We have a just a few Christmas things in storage, and we'll pick those up later this week. So, we headed out to but some of the essentials we were missing. We scored a two-foot tree and some battery-operated LED lights. A string of hanging snowflake lights looked like just the thing we needed to bring some sparkle to our imax windshield, so we brought those home, too. Not exactly sure how we'd hang these new-found lights, we picked up two packages of those nifty hooks that stick on and have a magic tab that you pull to remove without a trace.

Back home I happily went to work on hanging the snowflakes. I popped the magical hooks on a below the cabinets above the windshield. A quick look at the directions revealed the nifty hooks required an hour to "cure". (So much for making this a quick task!) After dinner, as I went about hanging the lights, half the hooks took a tumble. (Arggh!) Another look at the directions revealed that these hooks can't work their magic on vinyl. And, of course, I was trying to stick them on vinyl! Plan B became sticking the hooks on the metal curtain rail, and waiting another hour for those hooks to cure. As we headed for bed, the rehung lights had floored just two hooks. So, I'm giving two new hooks a chance to set overnight. We'll see how things look in the morning. Like I said, we're trying.

Here's to better luck decorating our two-foot tree!

Better Drivers

We spent the bulk of our "Black Friday" off the road. But, after spending just a few days in our ol' home town, we've noticed something.

We're better drivers than we used to be.

When we lived here, we each had a zippy sedan that we used mostly during commute hours. We changed lanes at a whim, raced up to stop signs, and foolishly tried to squeeze between bumpers to get on the highway.

Then, we moved to California.

There, driving in traffic became about survival of the fittest. We weren't defensive. We became aggressive. Whatever it would take to get around the other idiots on the road, we'd do it.

Then, we bought a motorhome.

There, in the beehive of insanity on the freeway, we learned how much longer it takes to accelerate - and stop - an 11-ton vehicle. Entrance ramps became something we planned for. Stop signs became something we rolled up to. Speed limit signs became something that we not only noticed but also obeyed. We gave truckers a wide berth, and were surprised to see that they - and only they - did the same. We learned that it can sometimes - actually, most times - takes two to drive this thing. One of us does the steering and braking. The other one is the Safety Director.

Early in our pre-fulltiming research we ran across a fulltiming couple that professed to one simple rule: The person in the passenger seat is the Safety Director. And, the Safety Director rules.

Before we ever hit the road, we talked about this idea. As two uber-skilled freeway sedan survivalists, it took a little getting used to. After all, we both knew how to drive. Heck, we'd survived rush hour on California freeways for nearly 10 years. We didn't need no Safety Director.

Then, in a flash of clarity, we adopted the process. The rule would be simple. Whoever was driving would do so as defensively as possible. After all, this is our house we're driving here, not a Miata. The driver's mission was to get ourselves, our cats and our possessions from point A to point B safely and in one piece. Nothing more. We'd leave real time on the road driving instructions to someone else. Aggressions would be worked out somewhere else. We would trust no one else on the road, except maybe the truckers. Defensive driving and safety were top priority, with the help of the Safety Director.

The Safety Director is whoever (or is that whomever?) is in the passenger seat. The Safety Director keeps both eyes open for all kinds of hazards, from low hanging branches to clueless cars merging on to the freeway with no clue that a 22,000 pound vehicle is right beside them. The Safety Director is also the navigator extraordinaire, checking the atlas and the iphone for real time traffic and adjusting the route as necessary. The Safety Director anticipates and announces necessary lane changes. The Safety Director is all about information. Opinion and advice and nagging are saved for another day.

This Driver and Safety Director arrangement has worked very well for us so far. When I'm the Driver, I listen to whatever the Safety Director says and do whatever he asks me to do. If I need to move a little to the left, I do. No questions asked. After all, he's not telling me how to drive. He's being the Safety Director. Likewise, when Paul is behind the wheel, and I'm Safety Director, I keep my comments to a minimum. My directions are clear and concise. And, he does whatever I say. We don't nag at each other. We're both playing important roles in the safety of our household.

Had we had this kind of dialogue with each other while we were maneuvering one of our sedans through rush hour freeway traffic, we might have driven each other nuts. But, when driving 50 feet of vehicles, there's something very comforting in hearing your Safety Director remind you that your lane ends in 1,000 feet, even if you already know it. And, it's soothing to be able to say from behind the wheel, "Is this our exit?" and have a calm, reassuring voice tell you "Yes, it is."

When you're driving your home down the highway, our recommendation is not to do so as husband and wife, or a couple of travel buddies. When you roll down the road as Driver and Safety Director chances are you'll arrive safely, in one piece, and your relationship still intact.

Happy Thanksgiving

The parade has been watched, football games tuned in and the big meal prepared, consumed and cleaned up after. Well, almost, anyway.

As we sit and digest we reflect back on last Thanksgiving, which was our first in our rolling home. There in the Southern California desert we prepared the same menu as we did this day and dreamed of fulltiming in the not too distant future. Today we're so fortunate to celebrate our first turkey day as fulltimers.

We have been counting our blessings this day. We are truly blessed to be able to pursue this lifestyle. We are so grateful for the changing views that we have the great pleasure to see through our "Imax" windshield. The opportunity to visit family and meet and reconnect with friends, old and new, is one of our most cherished blessings.

Last year we celebrated the pursuit of a dream. This year we are so blessed to be living it.

Special thanks this day to our fulltiming friends who have helped us through this transition. Some of you are out there on the road with us. Others of you have been there and done that. Still others are, as we were, eagerly looking forward to the day when you get to pull up jacks and hit the road. Your words of encouragement, inspiration and advice are appreciated so much. We only hope we can someday return the favor.

Our best wishes to all for a Happy Thanksgiving and holiday season. Safe travels! We look forward to seeing you down the road.

Home Again

It's our first morning after our return to our "home" park here in Merriam. Not much has changed around this place in the last seven weeks. The trees are bare and the thermometer has tumbled, but many of the same rigs and faces are here. While the place is still dumpy, it feels good to be back.

After making some serious tracks, we're relishing in the fact that we don't have to go anywhere this morning. Sure, there's a holiday grocery run on the agenda. But, it's to our favorite supermarket in the country. Even though it's sure to be crowded, it will be a treat. And, it's less than two miles away. For now, we're treating ourselves to hot coffee in front of our warm fireplace. My wool socks that I haven't worn in forever are super toasty. Yes, this is one of those mornings you wish would never end.

Coming back to Kansas City seems, so far anyway, to mark significant milestones in our fulltiming lifestyle. When we arrived in September, we celebrated the completion of our first leg. Today, we find ourselves reflecting on a successful second leg of our journey.

Seven weeks ago, we embarked on our trip to Great Smokey Mountain National Park. We never made it. Instead, we traveled in wind and rain across much of the South. We even dodged a tornado! We enjoyed some fine Southern cookin', and great times with family and friends. We caught up with Gypsy for the fourth time in a year, and met Dee and Jim for the first. (We came oooh so close to meeting Hembree, but we'll catch her next time!) Along the way we visited America's Castle, rescued a kitten, and had a window explode. We took a great big detour and said goodbye to our old moose and took delivery on a bigger, better replacement.

Now, we're home for the holidays. And, they won't be something we try to squeeze into our off work hours. We won't be standing in any airport security lines, either. No scheduled three hour flight that turns into five. Yes, for the first time in our adult lives, we're going to kick back, relax and really enjoy this special time of year.

We might just feel like kids again!

Making Tracks

We were delighted to finally pull out of Crossville this morning. After an early morning call to the Nashville Freightliner service facility, we learned that the earliest we could be serviced was "oh maybe sometime Monday." Because the repair needs to happen soon, but not immediately, we looked for other service options on our route. Paducah was a possibility. So was St. Louis. Columbia was another. And, it seems that our native Kansas City is a Freightliner hot bed, offering us a choice of three locations there.

With some viable service options down the road, we decided to make some serious tracks. We readied ourselves for a long travel day and hit the road. One of us kept nervous eyes on the air gauges for the first 100 miles or so, but the moose maintained adequate pressure all day. With its faulty air dryer bypassed, the Big Bull sounded like a rolling machine gun every time the air compressor kicked on. I had long since taken my eyes off the air gauges before I got used to that periodic rat-a-tat-tatt!

Our decision to rack up the miles put a real crimp in our social plans. We reluctantly decided to cancel our get together with the Hembree clan. We are sorry we couldn't make it work. But, we promise we will next time! It was still early afternoon when we arrived in Paducah, our first possible stopping point. With a well-behaved moose, good weather and plenty of energy, we kept going. As we crossed into Illinois, we considered our options. We decided to park here in south central Illinois, which leaves us just 350 miles to Kansas City. So, we're going to blow off another couple of friends were were planning to see in St. Louis. We really have some making up to do!

Tomorrow our goal is Worlds of Fun, the great park that sits next to the big coasters and just around the corner from Kansas City Freightliner. We'll spend Monday night there and get the moose in for service first thing Tuesday. With any luck we'll be parked in our home park in Kansas City later that afternoon. And, if not, we can easily load up the squirrel and camp with family.

While we were making tracks today, we passed through some beautiful country and places in these three states that we definitely want to come back to explore. And, those friends we passed by? We really, really hope you understand!

Going Nowhere

We've heard that the process of manufacturing a motorhome doesn't end at the factory. Nope, it happens on the road.

Ain't that the truth?

We were up and about early this morning, ready to head east and meet our friend Hembree for breakfast in Lebanon. Then, we were gettin' the heck out of Tennessee and overnighting in Paducah.

Well, that was the plan.

We got ourselves up and dressed and packed the big moose for travel. At just after 8, we fired up all 400 horses and were ready to roll. When the not so friendly brake warning light and buzzer wouldn't silence, we looked at the air pressure gauges. We didn't have enough air pressure to release the parking brake. We may be newbies at this diesel game, but we're pretty quick. We were going nowhere.

A phone call to our chassis manufacturer was our next move. The friendly, helpful Freightliner man asked if we heard any air leaks. From inside? No. We checked outside. Oh yeah! Paul crawled under Big Bull's belly and reported back. The preliminary diagnosis: a valve was shot on our air dryer.

We're 100 miles away from a Freightliner repair facility, so the man from Gaffney, SC, gave us the names of three local roadside repair companies. The first wouldn't take checks or credit cards from "out-of-towners". (Um. We've only been here in Crossville for a few days, but our guess is that most of the folks who need truck repair in these parts are out-of-towners.) So, we passed on them and dialed the second. He said he'd be here in two hours.

At least three hours later, Stan the truck repair man arrived. He quickly diagnosed the problem: a faulty pop off valve on the air dryer. He had the part and made a rapid replacement. We fired up the moose and the pressure built up quickly. We would soon be on the road again! But, first we had to pay the man. And, as must be the custom here in Crossville, he didn't take checks or credit cards either. So, we pointed the Jeep at the nearest ATM, emptied it out and paid off Stan the man.

It didn't take long to get the squirrel hooked to the moose. We were definitely ready to hit the road! We fired the Big Bull up and the air pressure was up to par in a moment. As we pulled out of the RV park, we heard the now familiar hiss of an air leak. By the time we were a quarter of a mile down the road we knew we were in trouble.

(Insert expletive here.)

We pulled off into a small parking lot and placed a quick call to Stan. In a little under an hour he was back at our side. The problem wasn't the valve. It's the dryer. So, Stan replaced the original valve and started surgery. The process: An air dryer bypass. Just as the man at the Freightliner help desk had advised, an air dryer is an important though not essential element of a truck chassis. About 30 minutes later the bypass was complete. Bullwinkle fired up and had the pressure he needed to get rolling. But, by now it was time to be coming off the road. We opted to turn around, return to our campground and save our travel for tomorrow.

The Big Bull is patched, not repaired. So, we need to get ourselves to a Freightliner facility ASAP. There's one about 100 miles down the road in Nashville. And, the good news is they are open on Sunday. So, provided we have pressure, we'll hit the road early and get everything taken care of.

As we sit here in the same site at the same park we left earlier today we are very thankful. If you're going to lose air pressure, this is the place. We weren't on an interstate, which would have been much, much worse. As we were waiting for help we were as we are now -- safe, warm and comfortable. We don't have to be at work tomorrow, the next day or any day after that. We're 700 miles away from a date with a turkey. That's all. And, we'll get there - eventually. No worries.

Meanwhile, our fingers are crossed that the construction of our motorhome is just about complete. Here's hoping this is the last bug we need to work out, for awhile anyway.

Sirius-ly

One of the things we had yet to get around to setting up in the new moose was our satellite radio system. After all, it looked just like the setup in the old moose. So, we saved it as a "to-do" for the road. Now that we're finally parked for a couple of days, today was the day get the job done. I readied myself for the five-minute task.

I powered up the radio and waited for the Sirius screen to give me the number I needed to activate the new receiver. And, I waited. It never came. I dialed up Sirius, asked for help and was told they could work their magic from their end. All they needed was the VIN. I passed along Big Bull's unique number, but Sirius didn't recognize it. They told me to call the dealer. I called and left a message for our salesman. He called back, assured me everything was all wired to go, and asked me to call Winnebago service and they would walk me through the process. I called Winnebago service and talked to someone who apparently was no more familiar with this radio than I am, except he was a lot more irritating. He seemed put off by my call.

Seriously! Can I tell you how much I wanted to shout into the phone, "Do you know that it's people like us who give you a job?" But, instead I railed on about how this appeared to be yet another problem with our faulty entertainment system, which should have been checked out at the factory.

He said nothing.

Just in case any Winnebagoans pass by these parts, that was the exact moment we lost confidence in their product. Heck, if they can't wire TVs and radios at the factory, what else did they screw up? Plus, if every time we call Customer Service we get a non-expert who is inconvenienced by our call, what kind of horrible mistake of a major purchase have we just made?

As I tried to incorporate a visit to a dealership into our itinerary, Paul called and announced our displeasure to our salesman's voice mailbox. Minutes later we got a call from a regional Winnebago representative. He was most apologetic and seemed eager to resolve our problem. Before they wrapped their call, Paul caught something in what the guy said: "The Tour is all wired. It should just plug and play."

Did he say "plug and play"? We'd seen a box somewhere in this coach labeled "Sirius Plug and Play". During our walk-through we discovered it in a cabinet and were told it would enable us to use Sirius in our car, so we stashed it back in the cabinet to deal with much later. After Paul hung up, we found and opened the box. Inside was a small tuner and a dock. This wasn't just for our car. It was for the RV, too! We went searching for a place to plug this thing in. Inside a cabinet we found the docking station we thought was for the optional GPS unit. Paul placed the tuner in the docking station and it fit like a glove. The screen on the little tuner lit up. I turned on the radio and asked it for the activation number and it served it right up. I called Sirius and within minutes our radio was up and running.

We were embarrassed that we were trying to receive with a receiver-less radio, and that we actually did have everything on board to make it work. That said, this radio looks just like - and has the same instructions - as our old one. So, that's what we expected. Little did we know this box that was presented as a car accessory in our walk-through was the brains to the whole operation! And, I'm sorry. The guy in Forest City had our VIN. He, of all people, should know about our setup and how it works.

It took us half the day to get this job done. Now, we had some cleaning up to do.

Before we could start dialing out to close the loop with the helpful people at Winnebago, a call came in. The regional guy had called a big service guy in Forest City and instructed him to call us. Imagine his surprise when he dialed up these frustrated customers and heard, "Uh, we worked it out." We apologized for any user error on our part, but the service big wig took responsibility. He explained that this feature is new, and that Winnebago needs to do a better job of explaining it to dealers, and - unfortunately - the customer service reps in Forest City. He went on to say we should not have been left to figure this out on our own.

Good point.

We looped back with the regional guy and thanked him for his help. He, in turn offered to save us another call and promised to get back to our sales rep. We were very impressed by the responsiveness of our rep, the regional guy and the service big wig. Everyone involved learned something today about a little feature called plug and play, except that customer service rep. We have a feeling his learning may come later.

So, as I celebrate another successful trip around the sun, we're enjoying tunes in our new home. And, just in case any passing Winnebagoans have made it this far in this lengthy post, there's good news for you, too.

Our confidence has been restored.

Second Maiden Voyage

As we made our way through the hills of Virginia and Tennessee in our new rig today, we kept thinking how grateful we were that (a) we had done this "maiden voyage" thing once before, and (b) this wasn't our first day as fulltimers.

We know of several good people who have launched their fulltiming journeys in brand new big rigs. Many of them RVing for the very first time. To them we have two things to say. First, bless you. Second, you have much more courage than we do. And, one more thing. Please understand what we are about the say here is not intended to be a criticism of any kind. We're simply trying to inform.

As we hooked our squirrel to the new moose this morning we came to realization that we're now 50-something feet long. Thinking back to that first day when we took our brand new toad-free 32-footer out on the freeway during rush hour, it felt absolutely huge! And, rightfully so. It was! But, today, after some 12,000 miles of RVing experience behind us, we knew what we were getting into. We took it slow and checked our mirrors.

Hours later, while I was behind the wheel, we started climbing in the mountains. I flipped on the engine brake and let it do its thing. For someone who'd driven a motorhome many miles over the last year and a half, it was a squirrely experience. Had I never been behind the wheel, I gotta tell ya, I would've freaked.

Fast forward a bit and Paul was pulling off the interstate to a Flying J. Had we been newbies, our first question would have been "Where the heck do we go?". But, having been through a few of these busy mazes disguised as flying consonants, we now know that a 40-footer does not pass "Go!", but heads instead directly to the truck pumps. And, once we were there, Paul was faced with questions asking for our "unit number" and "hub something". No, it didn't make a bit of sense. But, Paul had the calm presence of mind that comes with experience. He picked up the phone next to the pump and asked.

Our final maiden voyage test was the trip from the interstate to the KOA. It was only a couple of miles, but the road was narrow, twisty and turny. The elevation drop from the street to the office was notable. We took it all in stride. After we were lead by a teenager in a golf cart to our sloping pull-through site, we tried to level up. One of our back wheels was up in the air. As newbies, we might not have known this is a no-go. But, as seasoned RVers we knew we needed to try, try again. And, we did. Taking almost an hour to get level tested our mettle today. Had this been our maiden voyage you might have had to scrape us both off the ceiling.

Our first maiden voyage in our Voyage was a healthy mix of karma and luck. And, for that, we are grateful. Our second maiden voyage, in our new Tour, taught us the value of a great set of training wheels. Tonight we're thanking our lucky stars that this floor plan we've always dreamed of is our second rig and not our first. We're even more thankful for the four months of fulltiming we have under our belts before taking this maiden voyage.

It's official. While we're far from experts, we're not newbies any more.

Ready to Roll

Let's see. How many times can Paul and Mary check into the same KOA in a week?

That's an easy one. Three!

We rolled out this morning hoping we wouldn't have to return, but knowing there was a pretty good chance we would. Our agenda for today was two-fold: fix the TV mess and get a hitch so we could giddyup. Turns out the hitch was the least of our worries. Once we had a chance to consult with experts and really look the situation over, the solution was a breeze. We flipped our existing hitch receiver over and it worked like a charm. The TV situation, however, was another story.

The three TVs we have on board just weren't working like they should. We were willing to chalk a little bit up to operator error. But, as prior Winnie owners, we are very familiar with how the system should work. So, the dealer assigned a certified tech to check everything out. And, check he did! We were very impressed. He went straight to work and stepped through the problems as we showed him what was going on. He knew exactly how things were supposed to work and methodically worked through the entire audio-visual system on our coach. He inspired tremendous confidence as it was very obvious he knew what he was doing. Three hours later he had the problems diagnosed. The good folks in Forest City had miswired two TV cable connections and failed to make the third. Two hours later he had everything repaired and put back together. But, there for awhile our new rolling home was in a state of shambles. There were cables everywhere! With the job complete, our confident tech stepped us through a very thorough orientation of our entertainment system. Then he asked what else he could do for us. All we could say was "Thank You." Yes, we were very happy campers.

In fact, we cannot say enough good things about our dealer. This relationship that was initiated with an email has been anything but cold. Everyone - and we mean everyone - we've dealt with has been professional, courteous and knowledgeable. They "got it" that we are fulltimers, and did their very best to keep our inconvenience to a minimum. Except for the part where we wrote a great big check, the entire experience has been very pleasant. Here on our blog we tell it like it is. And, we enthusiastically recommend McGeorge Rolling Hills RV Center in Ashland, VA to anyone searching for a new or used rig. If you come here, ask for Taz. And, tell him Paul and Mary sent you. We drove nearly 400 miles out of our way, and he - and everyone at McGeorge - definitely made it worth our while.

With our TV worries behind us and our bikes and tow bar on board we were ready to roll. Because it was too late in the day to really get anywhere, we opted to return to the KOA for a restful night and get ready to roll first thing tomorrow. On the way back to "kamp" we made our first major investment in diesel fuel. Paul pulled the big moose into the truck lanes like a pro. Those diesel truck pumps fill fast!

So, here we sit, in the same site we left this morning. We can't wait to hook the squirrel up to this big moose and get out on the open road at last. We have a reservation in a week, and that park is 1,000 miles from here. It's definitely time to get going.

We'll keep you posted.

It's All A Blur

Wow! It's Saturday already.

How did that happen?

What an amazing week this has been. Last Saturday we started our detour east out of Asheville. We overnighted in Durham, NC and met Jim and Dee for breakfast. We drove through Richmond and had a window explode. (Although now we're thinking we might have been shot with a bb!) We rode out the remnants of Hurricane Ida. And, now we're making our second trip in a week to the Americamps-becoming-a-KOA campground, We left here just yesterday in a 32-foot gasser, and came back tonight in a 40-foot diesel pusher. Somewhere in the midst of all that we checked out a coach, fell in love, made a deal and moved all of our stuff from one to the other.

And, now, it's Saturday!

Yes, it's all a blur.

We woke up early this morning knowing we had another full day of work ahead of us. The dealership started hopping around 8 am, and so did we. We had estimated we were about two-thirds of the way done with our move. We were wrong!

With our two mooses parked door to door in the lot, Paul started bringing over the rest of the load - one bin at a time. And, they just kept coming! Gotta tell ya, folks, we had a lot of stuff stored in that lil' moose. And as spacious as Big Bull is, his interior storage is different. There's no u-shaped dinette to store stuff under, no under bed storage and the Rest Easy sofa in here has ottomans underneath, leaving no room for storage. Right now, we are mighty glad we didn't get a washer/dryer. Frankly, we need the space. Thankfully, the basement is cavernous. By the end of the day the lil' moose was empty and everything but the bike rack and tow bar were on board.

Unfortunately, there was no hitch in our plans to giddyup today. Sparing you the details, our current drop hitch and bike hitch won't work for Big Bull. The dealer didn't have the parts we needed, so our plan was to visit a local hitch shop. But, as we were disappointed to find, the shop that was once open on Saturdays has cut back its weekend hours to zero. So, taking care of our hitch needs will have to wait until Monday.

No problem, of course, because our TV situation is, well, scary. We watched our new in-motion satellite lock onto a bird with ease. But, we couldn't make it happen on any of our three TVs. (So, then what good is it, really?) So, we called in a tech who did his best, but - at the end of the day - needs to talk to the good folks in Forest City. And, like the hitch people, they won't be in until Monday either.

So, with two unresolved but not serious issues, we decided we were done hanging in an RV dealer parking lot. So, we headed back to our former campground to put Big Bull through his paces for a couple of nights with full hookups and 50 amp service. Minutes later we arrived. Tonight we are cozy and comfortable and happily camping beyond the shadow of our former rig.

Happy Blurry Saturday!

Apollo 13

Don't ask us why, but we're thinking of this movie tonight. It's one of our favorites. Plus, we're really tired and really delirious.

You know the scene in Apollo 13 when Lovell, Haise and Swigert are preparing to jettison the Lunar Excursion Module? There their dependable LEM sits cold, dark and lonely. Then, they shoot it off into space. They're grateful for the time they spent in the LEM. They lost the moon, but the LEM saved their butts while they figured out how to get home.

Well, we're feeling a little like that today. Our 'lil moose is parked right next to our new big moose. The big moose is lighted, warm and cozy. (And, did we mention BIG?) The 'lil moose is dark, cold and nearly empty. It feels like it's our LEM. We didn't make it to the Smokies, but that little moose kept us safe, warm and toasty until something bigger came along.

Today was moving and sign our lives away day. And everything went splendidly. Remnants of Hurricane Ida were still around, so the good folks at McGeorge set our old and new rigs up door to door inside detail bays and out of the weather. Tonight both mooses are door to door in the parking lot. We're about two-thirds through with the move. We have a couple of little items to have taken care of tomorrow as we finish the move. Then, we're taking this big moose on the road.

We are exhausted and thrilled. This is one beautiful coach that, frankly, feels like an apartment. We can't wait to get settled in. And, we know it'll take awhile.

It's almost tomorrow, so I'll close. Plus, we've yet to figure out our new Sleep Number bed. So, that could take awhile.

Cheers to all from Big Bull. Here's to many safe, happy, fun and trouble free miles for us, our friends, and that cute little LEM parked next door.

Training Wheels

Once again, it's Christmas Eve at our house. If all goes as scheduled, we'll take delivery of our new moose tomorrow. After three days sitting around in flooding rains, all the creatures in this house are stirring! We are definitely ready to get moving.

Tonight also just happens to be the 200th night we'll spend in Bullwinkle. (Yes, we've kept track!) So, with nothing else to do, we're finding ourselves reflecting over our time with this nifty little moose.

The night before we picked him up, we were like two six-year-olds on Christmas Eve. We couldn't sleep. We were excited and scared. Most of all, we didn't know what we were doing. And, we knew it. After all, the sum total of our RVing experience was a 10-day trip to the Grand Canyon in a rented Class C just eight weeks earlier. What we did know was we were hooked. And, this shiny new Class A gasser was just what we needed to scratch our itch and learn as we go.

And, my how much we've learned! Sure, we did a ton of research before we hit the road. But, nothing compared to the education that started with the first turn of the key of our own motorhome. Our Shakedown Cruise, and every outing that followed, provided us with valuable lessons that prepared us well for what was to come: our fulltiming journey. Those relaxing weekends away in the moose inspired us to accelerate our timeline. When we bought the moose we thought it would be a couple of years before we started fulltiming. But, Bullwinkle made it so fun and easy that we decided to make our great RV escape in just 12 months.

Yes, this little moose turned out to be the perfect set of training wheels!

At a time when everything was up in the air for us, Bullwinkle became a haven. He welcomed us warmly after hectic workweeks, marathons of selling our stuff on craigslist, and everything it took to get the house ready to sell. As he transported us out of the Bay Area, he graciously transitioned from our home away from home to our home. To start this nomadic chapter in our lives in a very familiar environment was a blessing. And we knew it.

It's been four months since our great escape. And, this little gasser has carried us safely from coast to coast. He cruised down two-lane roads and climbed mountains. With him we've visited family and old friends and greeted many new ones. We have asked him to do more than any gasser should, and he's never complained. Sure, there's been a leak or two, and that mysterious exploding window. But, he never left us stranded. He always delivered us safely to our next destination. And, for that we are most grateful.

Tomorrow our moose will prepare for new duty. We'll relieve him of his cargo load and put him in the hands of skilled professionals who will repair the window, spiff him up and help him find another family of RVing newbies without a clue. He will show them, as he did us, how easy and fun it is to get away for a long weekend or vacation along the coast. Lucky for him, he has a new coast to explore.

We've told ourselves we won't cry when we part ways. After all, we know he is really just a big fiberglass box on wheels. But, we probably will. Because for 200 nights this little moose has been a part of our family. Thanks to him, we now have all the confidence we need to move on down the road in a big diesel pusher.

Hats off to the original Bullwinkle!

Waitin' on a Winnie

Country artist Brad Paisley has a song we really like, and it's been going through our heads today. Of course, today the words have changed. We're not waitin' on a woman. No, we're waitin' on our Winnie.

We're not complainin'. We're just waitin'.

After all, we want those good Winnie folks to take their time to get everything done just right before we point that big moose toward Kansas City for the holidays. We've got a couple of weeks. We'll wait.

Besides, it's rainin'.

Virginia and the Carolinas are getting drenched with remnants of Hurricane Ida. It has rained non-stop for the last 24 hours, and it's not supposed to stop until Friday. Maybe.

Our earliest possible delivery time was this afternoon, or tomorrow. But, the satellite system has yet to arrive from wherever those things come from. So, delivery has been pushed back to Friday...the 13th. Our lucky day!

We're not superstitious about those kind of things, mind you. We approach those special Fridays expecting good things to happen, and they usually do. Heck, we took possession of one of our stick homes on a Friday the 13th. It'll all be just fine. Here's hoping the sun will shine!

We made the most of another day in waiting. We took a break from the pitter patter on our fiberglass roof and wandered over to the Bass Pro Shop across the way. We neither hunt nor fish. And, the "camping" we do is nothing like what they stock supplies for at Bass Pro. So, why go? Because it's waaaaaay bigger than our box on wheels! We used the space to take a good long stroll. The place is already decked out for the holidays, so that cheered our spirits. (I know our Christmas is definitely coming early!) After we cluelessly gazed at the gear, boats and camo of all shapes and sizes we took some interest in the clothing department and home furnishings. For two folks who don't meet the Bass Pro target demographic, we walked away with a couple of purchases: Comfy thermal shirts for us both and a moose night light for Big Bull. Definitely time and money well spent.

The rest of our afternoon was spent lounging, napping and reading. We kept telling ourselves we're saving our strength for the big move! Late in the day Paul was inspired to do some laundry, and headed out in the pouring rain to get it done. He deserves a gold medal! Thanks, dear!

The pitter patter continues. So, we're just planning to put some red beans and rice on the stove, cozy up with the cats, turn up the furnace, and relax for the evening while we wait.

Gotta save up our strength for the big move!

Decent Hair Day

As we wait for our new coach to be prepped for delivery, (You can see pics here.) we are catching up on all that stuff you have to do that's just part of living. Today was all about hair.

Folks who have been fulltiming for awhile have this hair thing all figured out. But, I remind you, we're newbies. I'm sharing our early experiences in hopes of helping a fellow newbie or future fulltimer or two, and eliciting some helpful advice from those who have gone before us.

Paul's hair needs are pretty simple. It's short. From time to time it needs to be shorter. He's not picky about his hair. Mostly he's happy he has a head full and none of it is gray. Back in Oakland he had been seeing the same barber for years. All Paul had to do was walk in and take a seat. Fifteen minutes and 20 bucks later he'd walk out with a cut that worked.

And, me? Well, that's a different story. I had the same stylist for the last 10 years. She was very talented and I trusted her completely. She and I loved to change things up from time to time, so my hair morphed in length, shape and color many times over the decade. I booked each appointment weeks in advance, allowing a couple of hours and withdrawing a C-note from our bank account each time.

As everybody knows, hair grows. So, by the time we got to Kansas City we were both in pretty desperate need. Weeks before our arrival, I was growing anxious. I called my sister-in-law who lives there, asked for her stylist's number (After all, her hair always looks good!) and booked an appointment for day two after our arrival. Paul headed to a Super Cuts. The results for both of us turned out great.

I knew my first on-the-road hair experience was cheating, kind of. Booking a cut and color in my old home town with a family member's stylist is far from what was to come. We are, after all, wandering the continent. Finding a family member's stylist every eight weeks is not on the itinerary. My decision in Kansas City to return to something that resembles my natural hair color bought me a bit more time. But, I knew I would eventually find myself alone on the road at the point where every day was a bad hair day.

It's been 10 weeks since our Kansas City coiffure. So, once again we were overdue. The question, for me anyway, was "What to do?" As we wandered out of the local Walmart, we spotted a Great Clips down the way. We made a mental note. It might be worth a shot.

With nothing but time to kill today, we decided it was time for a shearing. We made our way to the Great Clips and walked inside. We checked into the sparse but clean and bright salon and our greeter escorted Paul to her chair. I took a seat by the magazines and waited my turn. Paul began the now familiar task of advising a stranger of the particulars of his head of hair. He imparted the wisdom of his old barber with confidence. The stylist understood and went to work.

A woman who was nearly old enough to be my mother fetched me and put me in her chair. She asked me what I wanted. All I could say was "Shorter." What I really wanted was my old familiar stylist to come out from the back, offer me some tea and work her magic. But, that was not to be. I sat calmly and let the lady work. As she kept clipping, I noticed a sign on the window that said "Relax, you're at Great Clips!"

Yeah, right.

Paul finished up in the chair across the room and his clip did, indeed, look great. A few minutes later the clipping stopped in my chair, too. It was short, still damp, unstyled and - most importantly - still in desperate need of color. We paid up and made a beeline for Walmart.

In the hair color aisle at Wally World I was in virgin territory. Which brand? What color? Unable to choose I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to channel my familiar stylist. By the time Paul met up with me I had narrowed the choices to two. I asked for his help and he affirmed my final choice.

Back home I faced the biggest question. How do I go about the business of coloring my hair here? The answer came quickly: Not here. Though I'd never done it myself, I know it's a messy process not suited for a motorhome bathroom. So, I loaded up my stuff and my magical box of color and headed for the campground showers. Certain I was violating some campground policy against using hair dye in the showers, I started mixing and combing the goop into my hair. Again, I did my best to copy what I had seen my stylist do so many times. Thankfully, I only ran into one other camper, and she seemed more interested in telling me about her day than what I was doing. Minutes later the goop was out of my hair and the shower was cleaner than when I had arrived. No harm done. And, you know what? The gray was gone!

With our hair affair done for the day, we sat back and sized things up.

Two hair cuts with tip and one do-it-yourself color: $42.

Having a decent hair day and saving big bucks: Priceless.

Replacement

We found our replacement window today. It is attached to a brand, spankin' new 40-foot diesel pusher.

Yes, it's true. As several of our faithful readers suspected, our detour to Ashland, VA was all part of our Bullwinkle Expansion Plan. Yep, it was time to find a bigger moose. The exploding window a mere 15 miles from our trade-in destination provided added excitement.

Though we made a pledge early on to delay any big decisions - like a motorhome purchase - until we'd been fulltiming for at least six months, we decided since we were the ones making the rules we could also break them. So, it's only been four months. What's 60 days between a couple of fulltimers, anyway?

Since the first day we started poking our heads into diesel pushers and dreaming of fulltiming in them one model stood out: The 40TD. Itasca calls it an Ellipse. And we drooled all over it from day one. Winnebago calls it a Tour. In fact, we were looking at a 40TD Ellipse the day the sleazy sales guy introduced us to the 32H, the layout of our beloved moose. With each of the 200 or so nights we've spent in our first motorhome, the idea of someday owning a 40TD has been firmly planted in our collective consciousness.

When Winnebago announced its 2010 lineup, one thing was missing: The 40TD. If we were ever to grab the brass ring with the floor plan of our dreams it would have to be a 2009. So, we started searching.

In Asheville, after our visit to the Winnie dealer there, we were reminded of our love of the 40TD. So, we started searching online. Thursday morning we found the 40TD of our dreams. It was sitting in Ashland, VA, just 382 miles away. After a marathon of emails and phone calls, the deal was essentially done by late Friday. All we had left to do was drive to Virginia.

After we arrived in Ashland yesterday, we drove over to the dealership. Behind the locked gate, there sat our dream machine. Only now can we admit that in that moment we fell in love. We had found our Big Moose. This morning we made our way back to the dealership. We met all of the people we had only corresponded with by email and phone. Then, we got the tour of our Tour.

It is beautiful.

Eight feet longer than our current moose, and with two - count 'em two - Big Ass Slides, our Tour is spacious. Really spacious. Lots of space. Gobs of storage. Massive amounts of CCC. It has a lovely table and chairs, fireplace and a sleep number bed. Yep, it looks a lot like that place we once called home.

Then, we drove it.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! With that engine 40 feet behind us we hardly heard a thing. The air suspension gave us a ride that was oh, so smooth. And the 60-degree cut in its steering allows this thing to turn on a dime.

Yep. It's awesome.

Really. It's awesome.

Then, we got down to business. If you ever want to negotiate a deal on an RV, call Paul. You definitely want him on your side. He's good.

Before we knew it we were signing papers and had big smiles on our faces. We're picking it up Wednesday or Thursday.

We promise to document our find on Bullwinkle's Travels. Pictures, and all. But, for now, we're so tired we've barely been able to feed ourselves. So, we're going to call it a very productive day.

And, just in case you're wondering, this rig will be Bullwinkle II. But, I have a feeling we might just refer to him as Big Bull.

He's the fulltiming rig of our dreams.

Shattered

Today was one of those days that was most definitely not short of excitement.

After a peaceful night in our "interesting" park, we were up and moving fairly early. We got ourselves together and headed to the nearby Cracker Barrel to meet Dee and Jim. Though Dee and I have chatted online several times over the course of the last year or so, we'd never met in person. So, our meeting today was much anticipated by all. Dee and Jim have been planning their fulltiming journey for four years, and right now they are patiently awaiting the arrival of their brand spanking new rolling home. They are on the eve of some very exciting changes in their lives, and their enthusiasm about it all definitely shows! Over tasty biscuits and gravy we talked about each others preparations and plans. After breakfast they followed us to the campground for a grand tour of the moose. We had a great time showing the place off and comparing notes. Dee and Jim were very fun to talk with. Our time together passed much too quickly, and soon it was time to let them enjoy the rest of their weekend and for us to hit the road. We look forward to seeing this delightful couple on the road again soon.

The late start to our travels was perfect, since we had a mere 170 miles to go today, and all of it was on the interstate. In no time, we were heading into Richmond, our first big city in quite awhile. As we were maneuvering toward downtown, I looked out my window from the co-captain's seat to take in the city view when, in a microsecond, we were startled by a loud POP! as the window I was peering through shattered into a million pieces.

Can you say "Scary"?

Paul maintained control of the moose and fired off two questions in a single breath: Are you OK? And, What hit us?

Thankfully, I was OK. Auto glass is designed to shatter and and hold together, and this stuff did it's job. As to his second question, I answered with complete authority. "Nothing!" I had my eye on that window the last second it was in one piece and nothing hit it. It just exploded! It was like it suddenly became pressurized and just popped.

It was the weirdest thing.

My concern was Paul's ability to see our right side mirror. After all, there was a pane of shattered glass between him and it. But, he assured me he could see just fine. (Thanks for the little white lie, dear. I needed that!) With just 15 miles left to our destination, we held our collective breaths that everything would hold together long enough for us to get parked. We arrived at the Americamps-becoming-a-KOA campground with everything else in one piece. We had enough adrenaline pumping, though, to run a marathon!

Luckily, we just so happen to be camped about three miles away from a Winnebago dealer. (Coincidence?) We'll pay a visit over there tomorrow and see if we can find ourselves a new one.

Not According To Plan

We ain't in Tennessee.

No, we're in Durham, NC, making a quick overnight stop on the way to Virginia. Then, quite honestly, we haven't a clue.

At this point, we are way off the plan.

Tonight we were supposed to be settling in for a week at a nifty new park near Pigeon Forge, TN. Instead, we're some 300 miles east of there.

You see, this is rattling my inner planner. The dialogue between that part of me and the fulltimer in me is interesting. Let's tune in, shall we?

Inner Planner: "We're not where we're supposed to be."

Fulltimer: "Where we are is absolutely perfect."

Inner Planner: "But, we won't see the Smokey Mountains."

Fulltimer: "Maybe not. We'll meet Dee and Jim for breakfast tomorrow instead."

Inner Planner: "But, I spent soooooo much time putting this route together. All those hours on google maps...wasted!"

Fulltimer: "Maybe you should spend less time on the computer. Go for a walk."

And, so it goes.

This is a big moment in our newbie fulltiming adventures. We've thrown out our itinerary and are setting our own course in the moment.

It's a lot of fun!

Now, if only I could silence that mouthy Inner Planner.

One Great Community

Any day that is marked by finally getting out of the shower at 2:30 PM has to be a lazy one, right? For not moving around much (though Paul did go for run), we've been mighty busy. Our fingers have been flying and we've spent a lot of time on the phone. Hopefully things will calm down here in a bit so we can enjoy our last evening in the Asheville area in peace. Our destination for tomorrow is still unclear. It'll either be Tennessee as planned, or we may take a slight detour. Time will tell.

Yes, something might just be in the works.

One of things we've been reminded of today is how amazing this fulltiming community is. The combined wisdom and expertise is a real treasure. Because we're treading in unfamiliar territory today, we've approached the community for some advice. We've asked a handful of questions and have immediately received truly helpful answers to all. We are so grateful for their collective guidance. They make facing the unknown a lot less scary and pretty darn exciting.

That's just the way fulltimers of all kinds - past, present and future - are. And, today we're extra proud to call these good folks family.

We'll keep you posted.

One Big House

Just posted to Bullwinkle's Travels: a recap of today's trip to Biltmore Estate.

We're not really museum people. But, places where people - especially wealthy people - once lived have always fascinated us. It's really something to see what some people do with their money. And, our trip to Biltmore did not disappoint.

Today's tour was a very different experience for us both. As a couple of newbie fulltimers poking around the palace, we were struck by a couple of things. It's really big. And, it's full of stuff.

When we entered the banquet hall, we were treated to arrival of the Biltmore Christmas tree. We couldn't look at the 40 foot Douglas fir without thinking that thing is bigger than the place we call home. Heck, that tree is about the size of the place we hope to call our new, expanded rolling home! And there that bigger-than-our-house tree stood in a room that could hold a lot of big rigs.

Yep, motorhomes are now our frame of reference.

And, the stuff! There were warehouses of PODS worth of stuff in that house. And to think everything we own that we don't have with us would fit in the corner of one of the 43 bathrooms in this place.

Of course, as always, we appreciated the architecture, the artistry and the landscape of the place. It's really something to see. But, that was only after we took stock in its spaciousness and its stuff.