If we needed one more thing to remind us we're no longer traveling full time, we got it today.
We winterized the moose.
(Sniff. Sniff.)
This was a first for us. When we lived in California, the moderate winter temperatures spared us this seasonal deed. The orientation of our first moose included instructions on how to prepare for sub-freezing storage. But, honestly, we never thought we'd have to take on that task. And, for five winters, we didn't have to.
Here in the nation's midsection, we enjoy some of our most glorious weather this time of year. We had hopes of getting out for one more outing before we put the moose away for the winter. But, when Mother Nature sent an early cold snap our way last week we had to shift into rapid winterization mode.
The National Weather Service issued a Freeze Warning as temperatures were forecasted to dip well into the 20s Thursday night. We pulled Bullwinkle out of storage, parked him in our driveway and turned on the heat. The moose made it through the chilly night just fine, and we made plans for our last little getaway of the season.
We had just two nights free, so we couldn't stray too far. Our original plans were to head to a COE park we like about 90 minutes from here. But, it's in the middle of nowhere. With our first ever attempt at winterizing on the top of our to-do list for this trip, we didn't want to be too far from civilization in case we needed to make a quick run for extra pink stuff or some other essential item. So, we decided to hang out at a park south of town, but within a short drive of civilization. As we were loading up Saturday morning, it dawned on me to call and make sure the park had a site available.
They didn't.
That's right. There was no room for us at the inn!
We made a quick call to our old "home park". (Yep. I have 'em on speed dial!) The place was nearly full, but they had a spot for us for two nights. We'd have full hookups with plenty of room to drain and flush and whatever else would be required as we embarked on our maiden winterization. The idea of tackling an unfamiliar task in a very familiar environment had a lot of appeal.
After a short caravan down the street and around a few corners, we had the moose and squirrel back in our old neighborhood. We settled in quickly and had a nice visit with the park owners, who seemed pleased to see us. We caught up with a couple of regulars we hadn't seen in months. It felt like we were home.
We kicked back and relaxed for two nights. It felt great to enjoy the cozy comforts of our rolling home. This morning, we made a run to one of our favorite nearby breakfast spots. After we were fed and caffeinated, we got down to the business of getting the moose ready for winter.
Our owner's manual provides detailed, step-by-step instructions on two ways to winterize. We opted for the "blow out" method. It took us an hour or so (and two trips to the nearby hardware store) to complete the 21 steps. We drained the water lines, fresh water tank, water heater and ice maker and removed two water filters. Watching all of this water drain out of our moose, I imagined for a moment that Bullwinkle was crying. (I nearly was!) When the tears had passed, Paul fired up the air compressor and pumped a steady stream of air into the lines for five minutes, per the instructions. We closed all the faucets and poured pink stuff down the drains to fill the traps. Paul then flushed and dumped the waste tanks.
With that, according to the manual, our coach was "properly winterized." Mission accomplished.
Instead of feeling any sense of accomplishment, we just felt sad. We bid our farewells to neighbors and the park owners and Paul piloted our drained moose to his skinny, but out of the weather, storage spot. As we tucked Bullwinkle in, we thanked him for his many miles of trusty service and encouraged him to take a nice rest through the holidays. With his water lines dry and just the right amount of pink stuff on board, we won't have to worry about him sitting out in the cold.
But, we still might. Just a little.
The Best of Both
It's official. We like this "anytimer" gig!
We're back from our first extended trip: A glorious month in Colorado. We spent three weeks in Gunnison, one of our favorite places on earth, and a week exploring Buena Vista, a place we'd always meant to visit.
We made a great big check mark on our "bucket list." We witnessed the flaming glory of the changing aspens in the Rockies. Absolutely breathtaking!
We caught up with friends in a couple of places, and family in another. We met new friends, too.
We worked just a little and played a lot. Paul even renewed his interest in an old hobby, taking a new radio-controlled airplane to the skies as part of the RV park "air force" in Gunni.
It was great to be back in the moose, of course. It took us no time to settle in. (The cats were "at home" in a heartbeat!) Kicking back in our cozy house on wheels, enjoying one of our favorite states, it felt like we'd never left the road.
Sorta.
Something was different. Something was better.
For the first time in a long time it felt like we were on vacation.
I don't know how to explain it, because I don't think I completely understand what made it feel so familiar yet different. Whatever it is, we like it!
When we backed the motorhome into our driveway late Sunday afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect when we walked through our front door. Would it feel like home? Or, would it feel like the unsettled, incomplete, never-ending decorating project we left a month ago?
Much to my surprise and delight, it feels like home.
The place is bigger than we remember. And, it's not quite as unsettled as we thought. It's actually looking pretty good!
We received a warm welcome from our neighbors, who were eager to hear about our trip. They said we looked rested and refreshed.
We are!
When we pondered our decision to buy this house and make the switch to "anytime" RVers, we convinced ourselves that one of the benefits would be experiencing the best of both lifestyles.
It took us over four months to get here, but now we know the feeling of enjoying a month on the road in a house we love and returning to a "stick-and-brick" we love just as much.
For us, right now, it truly is the best of both worlds.
We're back from our first extended trip: A glorious month in Colorado. We spent three weeks in Gunnison, one of our favorite places on earth, and a week exploring Buena Vista, a place we'd always meant to visit.
We made a great big check mark on our "bucket list." We witnessed the flaming glory of the changing aspens in the Rockies. Absolutely breathtaking!
We caught up with friends in a couple of places, and family in another. We met new friends, too.
We worked just a little and played a lot. Paul even renewed his interest in an old hobby, taking a new radio-controlled airplane to the skies as part of the RV park "air force" in Gunni.
It was great to be back in the moose, of course. It took us no time to settle in. (The cats were "at home" in a heartbeat!) Kicking back in our cozy house on wheels, enjoying one of our favorite states, it felt like we'd never left the road.
Sorta.
Something was different. Something was better.
For the first time in a long time it felt like we were on vacation.
I don't know how to explain it, because I don't think I completely understand what made it feel so familiar yet different. Whatever it is, we like it!
When we backed the motorhome into our driveway late Sunday afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect when we walked through our front door. Would it feel like home? Or, would it feel like the unsettled, incomplete, never-ending decorating project we left a month ago?
Much to my surprise and delight, it feels like home.
The place is bigger than we remember. And, it's not quite as unsettled as we thought. It's actually looking pretty good!
We received a warm welcome from our neighbors, who were eager to hear about our trip. They said we looked rested and refreshed.
We are!
When we pondered our decision to buy this house and make the switch to "anytime" RVers, we convinced ourselves that one of the benefits would be experiencing the best of both lifestyles.
It took us over four months to get here, but now we know the feeling of enjoying a month on the road in a house we love and returning to a "stick-and-brick" we love just as much.
For us, right now, it truly is the best of both worlds.
Four Years Later
Four years ago today we set off on our Great RV Escape. This is one of our favorite "anniversaries". It's a joy to recall the incredible sense of freedom we had on that day, remember everything it took to get there and celebrate all of the memories we've created since.
Of course, this is the first fulltiming anniversary that we're not celebrating in the moose. We'll meet up with him again tomorrow. Meanwhile, we're remembering this special day by reflecting on the lessons we learned on our life-changing journey. In hopes that these thoughts may inform or inspire folks who pass this way someday, we'll share a few of the things we're taking with us from our travels.
Lesson #1: Live Simply
If we take nothing else away from the last four years, this first lesson made it all worthwhile. For most of my adult life those two words were my perpetual New Year's resolution. Yet, every year life seemed to get more and more complicated. It took getting rid of most of our stuff, packing what was left in the moose and hitting the road for me to finally experience what I wanted for so long. Together, we learned the joy of living with just what we need. We kept things simple. And, we loved it. Our life of simplicity actually made room for us to enjoy so much more. Even though we're back in an "accumulation phase" for a bit as we furnish our house, this time it's different. We're finding just what we need and no more. We worked hard to finally simplify our lives. We're committed to keeping it that way.
Lesson #2: America Rocks
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where most residents think it is the center of the universe, it was easy to become just a bit jaded about our country. But, something happened shortly after we crossed the California state line into Oregon. We fell in love with America again. That love affair grew stronger over the next 35,000 miles. We live in an amazingly beautiful country. It's not just the purple mountains and shining seas that make it beautiful. The people we met along the way were warm, friendly and helpful. We have always been proud to be Americans. But, now we're in love, too!
Lesson #3: Age is Just a Number
As fulltime RVers go, we were definitely youngsters. It bothered us a bit at first. We found ourselves missing the company of our contemporaries. While most of our contemporaries continued slaving away at their careers, we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know people of all ages. A few were younger, but most were older. We met folks in their 70s and 80s who were more active and energetic than we are. (And, we're pretty energetic!) Today, we have friends who are young enough to be our kids and friends who are the same chronological age as our parents. And, lots of friends are in between. What makes us friends is love, laughter, energetic spirit and a shared passion for exploring. Age isn't part of our criteria for friendship. It's just a number. (With each passing birthday, we need to remind ourselves of that!)
Lesson #4: Go Outside
When we hit the road four years ago today, our lives changed in so many ways. One of the most significant was that we began to live outside. Our pre-fulltiming life was lived predominately inside our offices, our cars and our home. We even worked out in an indoor gym! Time outside was limited to rare weekend hikes or bicycle outings. We knew it was good for us to get outside, but we rarely did. As fulltimers, the continent became our front yard. And, we loved it. When we get plenty of sunshine, fresh air and exercise, we feel terrific. When we don't, we need to remember to go outside!
Lesson #5: Never Stop Exploring
Paul and I love to explore. It's part of what we love about each other. That shared love was one of the most satisfying aspects of our fulltiming journey. Whether we were exploring a hiking trail, a National Park, a state Capitol, a new-to-us restaurant or a quirky shop, we were feeding our souls. During our first visit to beautiful Hilton Head Island, SC, Paul's dear Aunt Anne delighted in what we were up to. "Never stop exploring," she said. "Keep moving. Keep learning." Even though we're not moving around in a motorhome as much as we were, we'll keep finding the new in the every day. There's something extra special about making a new discovery in familiar territory. We think Aunt Anne would like that.
Who knew such a crazy idea as getting rid of your stuff and traveling the country in a fiberglass box would result in so much learning?
We're so very glad it did! And, even more glad we did it!
Of course, this is the first fulltiming anniversary that we're not celebrating in the moose. We'll meet up with him again tomorrow. Meanwhile, we're remembering this special day by reflecting on the lessons we learned on our life-changing journey. In hopes that these thoughts may inform or inspire folks who pass this way someday, we'll share a few of the things we're taking with us from our travels.
Lesson #1: Live Simply
If we take nothing else away from the last four years, this first lesson made it all worthwhile. For most of my adult life those two words were my perpetual New Year's resolution. Yet, every year life seemed to get more and more complicated. It took getting rid of most of our stuff, packing what was left in the moose and hitting the road for me to finally experience what I wanted for so long. Together, we learned the joy of living with just what we need. We kept things simple. And, we loved it. Our life of simplicity actually made room for us to enjoy so much more. Even though we're back in an "accumulation phase" for a bit as we furnish our house, this time it's different. We're finding just what we need and no more. We worked hard to finally simplify our lives. We're committed to keeping it that way.
Lesson #2: America Rocks
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where most residents think it is the center of the universe, it was easy to become just a bit jaded about our country. But, something happened shortly after we crossed the California state line into Oregon. We fell in love with America again. That love affair grew stronger over the next 35,000 miles. We live in an amazingly beautiful country. It's not just the purple mountains and shining seas that make it beautiful. The people we met along the way were warm, friendly and helpful. We have always been proud to be Americans. But, now we're in love, too!
Lesson #3: Age is Just a Number
As fulltime RVers go, we were definitely youngsters. It bothered us a bit at first. We found ourselves missing the company of our contemporaries. While most of our contemporaries continued slaving away at their careers, we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know people of all ages. A few were younger, but most were older. We met folks in their 70s and 80s who were more active and energetic than we are. (And, we're pretty energetic!) Today, we have friends who are young enough to be our kids and friends who are the same chronological age as our parents. And, lots of friends are in between. What makes us friends is love, laughter, energetic spirit and a shared passion for exploring. Age isn't part of our criteria for friendship. It's just a number. (With each passing birthday, we need to remind ourselves of that!)
Lesson #4: Go Outside
When we hit the road four years ago today, our lives changed in so many ways. One of the most significant was that we began to live outside. Our pre-fulltiming life was lived predominately inside our offices, our cars and our home. We even worked out in an indoor gym! Time outside was limited to rare weekend hikes or bicycle outings. We knew it was good for us to get outside, but we rarely did. As fulltimers, the continent became our front yard. And, we loved it. When we get plenty of sunshine, fresh air and exercise, we feel terrific. When we don't, we need to remember to go outside!
Lesson #5: Never Stop Exploring
Paul and I love to explore. It's part of what we love about each other. That shared love was one of the most satisfying aspects of our fulltiming journey. Whether we were exploring a hiking trail, a National Park, a state Capitol, a new-to-us restaurant or a quirky shop, we were feeding our souls. During our first visit to beautiful Hilton Head Island, SC, Paul's dear Aunt Anne delighted in what we were up to. "Never stop exploring," she said. "Keep moving. Keep learning." Even though we're not moving around in a motorhome as much as we were, we'll keep finding the new in the every day. There's something extra special about making a new discovery in familiar territory. We think Aunt Anne would like that.
Who knew such a crazy idea as getting rid of your stuff and traveling the country in a fiberglass box would result in so much learning?
We're so very glad it did! And, even more glad we did it!
Do We Miss It?
That's the most common question we've heard about our fulltime RVing adventures lately.
The answer is simple.
Of course we do!
Our nearly four years on the road were filled with great places, terrific people and memories that will last a couple of lifetimes. Why wouldn't we miss it? In fact, we are counting the days (just three more) until our first adventure as Anytimers. We can't wait!
As much as we miss all that, we are really appreciating what we have now. Despite my occasional rant about how much time, energy and money it's taking us to make it our home, we love the new house. It's really great. We're enjoying cooking more than ever now that we have a proper kitchen. We hosted our first dinner guests this week and look forward to many more. I almost forgot how much fun it can be to entertain.
We appreciate being near family right now, especially our parents. Being here, we're on top of what's up with them more than we ever could be from hundreds of miles away. We'll always worry about them, of course. But, somehow the worrying is less stressful when we're all close by. We're also enjoying reconnecting with friends in the area. Our social calendar is filling up. And, we love it! We've met many of our neighbors, and they are a friendly bunch, too.
We're in better shape than were on the road. We hiked and biked when we could, but these days I'm walking and Paul's running nearly every day. I love it. And, Paul ran his first road race in a zillion years on the 4th. I don't know why, but we're eating better, too. Check that. It could be because we're no longer exploring new restaurants at every destination!
Paul has been busy getting his business off the ground. Having a real office provides him with the tools he needs to do the work he loves. And, it's obvious he's enjoying it. He's designing the business to work with our extended travels. But, for now, he's logging some serious hours to get things going.
One of my concerns about coming off the road was a fear of being bored. Not so! I am amazed at how busy we are. We keep wondering how we managed to squeeze in all this stuff when we were both working. (We didn't!) I suppose things will slow down once we're finally settled, but maybe not. If we do get bored, we'll just fire up the moose for a little road trip.
So, do we miss traveling fulltime? Yes.
But, are we sorry we stopped? Absolutely not!
It has been a little tough reading about our friends who are in some of our favorite Summertime destinations this holiday weekend. We're happy for them, but we're the first to admit it would be so nice to be among them. But, we have a house to settle into, a business to launch and a family wedding next week. As tempting as it is to run to the mountains, there's really no place we'd rather be right now.
Now, next Summer is sure to be different. We'll be on the road!
Time, Energy and Money
We thought this move would be simple.
Who were we foolin'?
It's been six weeks since we became land barons. By this time we were sure we'd be settled. Life would be normal, or close to it. The transition from living in a rolling home to a stick and brick house would be a distant memory.
After all, we only had so much stuff. All we had to do was a little shopping and we'd be all set. Right?
Wrong.
Truth is we're still in this transition. Knee deep. Turns out stocking a house, even a smallish one, from basically scratch takes time. A lot of it.
We're six weeks in and still have three rooms with no furniture. Not a stick. Actually, our living room has cardboard cutouts that represent pieces of furniture. Quite stylish! The good news there is I think we've landed on a layout that works. The next step is to buy the stuff. Then, we'll wait. Weeks.
Our rooms that have furniture are far from finished. We still need an area rug here and some bedding there and there. It all involves shopping. A lot of it. It's not our favorite thing to do. And, much of the time, it's not all that productive. I've been searching in vain for two small pieces of furniture to complete our most finished room. Once I find them, we'll start hanging artwork in there. Yes, our walls are bare. We have yet to unpack any of our art because we're not sure where we're putting it just yet. Plus, we have plans to frame yet-to-be-prints of some of our favorite photos from our travels. (Any project that starts with combing through tens of thousands of photos is going to take some time!)
We've made some mighty big moves in our past. Some were across town and one was across the country. Whatever the case, six weeks in we looked like we actually lived in the place. Here it looks like we're still waiting for the moving van to show up!
Of course, we have no deadlines on this project. That may be a blessing and a curse, actually. We have all the time in the world to get this done, which may be exactly why it's taking that long. With our first house guests expected in three weeks, I'm on a mission to properly outfit our guest bedroom and bath. Yesterday's shopping outing resulted in a shower curtain rod, hooks and a liner. Pretty exciting stuff, eh?
We're making progress. But, we are surprised at how much energy this never-ending project is taking. I'm always on the lookout for something. Because we pretty much need everything! Craigslist correspondence has become my latest obsession. Scouting for a bargain is fun, but when it becomes your job, it's an energy zapper. Paul has been focused on getting the lawn up and running. Of course, that meant buying and assembling a lawn mower, spreader, sprinklers, hoses and such. He wanted a lawn to take care, and he definitely got one. The house doesn't need much work at all. But, the yard is definitely in need of Paul's green thumb. Still, our "to-do" list is lengthy. And, it seems like the closer we get to checking things off the list, the longer it gets!
We knew this transition would cost us. And, we planned for it. But, the giant sucking sound of greenbacks leaving our bank account can be deafening. It'll be interesting to see how much we've spent after the dust settles. It'll be more than we thought it would be. Guaranteed.
The point of this ramble is that the transition from fulltiming to anytiming takes a lot of time, energy and money. And, while nobody will make the transition exactly as we are, our money (what we have left, anyway) is on the whole process being more complicated than imagined. Lots more.
We used to joke that one day we'd find a cute little house, park the moose, call Pottery Barn and have them deliver a house full of furniture. We found the house and stored the coach. But, that whole house full of furniture thing just isn't that simple.
We know there's a day in our future when we'll feel settled in both our homes. Then, we'll get to experience the best of both worlds. We can't wait.
Meanwhile, we'll keep hoping we have enough time, energy and money to get there.
Fingers crossed!
Who were we foolin'?
It's been six weeks since we became land barons. By this time we were sure we'd be settled. Life would be normal, or close to it. The transition from living in a rolling home to a stick and brick house would be a distant memory.
After all, we only had so much stuff. All we had to do was a little shopping and we'd be all set. Right?
Wrong.
Truth is we're still in this transition. Knee deep. Turns out stocking a house, even a smallish one, from basically scratch takes time. A lot of it.
We're six weeks in and still have three rooms with no furniture. Not a stick. Actually, our living room has cardboard cutouts that represent pieces of furniture. Quite stylish! The good news there is I think we've landed on a layout that works. The next step is to buy the stuff. Then, we'll wait. Weeks.
Our rooms that have furniture are far from finished. We still need an area rug here and some bedding there and there. It all involves shopping. A lot of it. It's not our favorite thing to do. And, much of the time, it's not all that productive. I've been searching in vain for two small pieces of furniture to complete our most finished room. Once I find them, we'll start hanging artwork in there. Yes, our walls are bare. We have yet to unpack any of our art because we're not sure where we're putting it just yet. Plus, we have plans to frame yet-to-be-prints of some of our favorite photos from our travels. (Any project that starts with combing through tens of thousands of photos is going to take some time!)
We've made some mighty big moves in our past. Some were across town and one was across the country. Whatever the case, six weeks in we looked like we actually lived in the place. Here it looks like we're still waiting for the moving van to show up!
Of course, we have no deadlines on this project. That may be a blessing and a curse, actually. We have all the time in the world to get this done, which may be exactly why it's taking that long. With our first house guests expected in three weeks, I'm on a mission to properly outfit our guest bedroom and bath. Yesterday's shopping outing resulted in a shower curtain rod, hooks and a liner. Pretty exciting stuff, eh?
We're making progress. But, we are surprised at how much energy this never-ending project is taking. I'm always on the lookout for something. Because we pretty much need everything! Craigslist correspondence has become my latest obsession. Scouting for a bargain is fun, but when it becomes your job, it's an energy zapper. Paul has been focused on getting the lawn up and running. Of course, that meant buying and assembling a lawn mower, spreader, sprinklers, hoses and such. He wanted a lawn to take care, and he definitely got one. The house doesn't need much work at all. But, the yard is definitely in need of Paul's green thumb. Still, our "to-do" list is lengthy. And, it seems like the closer we get to checking things off the list, the longer it gets!
We knew this transition would cost us. And, we planned for it. But, the giant sucking sound of greenbacks leaving our bank account can be deafening. It'll be interesting to see how much we've spent after the dust settles. It'll be more than we thought it would be. Guaranteed.
The point of this ramble is that the transition from fulltiming to anytiming takes a lot of time, energy and money. And, while nobody will make the transition exactly as we are, our money (what we have left, anyway) is on the whole process being more complicated than imagined. Lots more.
We used to joke that one day we'd find a cute little house, park the moose, call Pottery Barn and have them deliver a house full of furniture. We found the house and stored the coach. But, that whole house full of furniture thing just isn't that simple.
We know there's a day in our future when we'll feel settled in both our homes. Then, we'll get to experience the best of both worlds. We can't wait.
Meanwhile, we'll keep hoping we have enough time, energy and money to get there.
Fingers crossed!
Storing the Moose
It's been a long time since we've stored a moose.
We took our original Bullwinkle out of storage four years ago tomorrow. One of the things I remember celebrating that day was that we no longer had to squeeze our wide body moose into that skinny little spot. We haven't missed it a bit!
Well, in four years, our moose got bigger. And, apparently, storage spots have become even skinnier. (It couldn't possibly be that we are out of practice!)
Our big moose has spent the last month at Cummins Coach Care for some general maintenance and fixin' up. When we dropped him off there we told them to take their time, as we - for once - were in no hurry. At the start of Summer, Cummins can be a busy place. Between that, and waiting on the Winnebago to send a correct part, this service appointment took awhile. When we got the call last week that the moose was ready to roll, we scheduled to pick him up yesterday afternoon.
We have really missed him! Even though we've been too busy settling in to go anywhere, we were a bit bummed knowing we couldn't because Bullwinkle was away. One of the advantages of becoming Anytime RVers is enjoying the "best of both worlds". We've been so wrapped up in the fixed house world, we are eager for at least a short trip to the other world. Soon. Very soon!
When we arrived at Cummins mid-afternoon, our moose was sitting out front waiting for us. We paid the bill, hooked the squirrel to the moose and made our maiden voyage to Bullwinkle's new storage spot.
The less-than-an-hour drive was a wonderful flashback. It was mostly city driving, which we really try to avoid, but it felt great to be looking at the world through that big Imax window. It's quite a ride.
As tempted as we were to swing by the house, pick up the cats and keep on driving, we kept on course and faced the moment of truth. Paul piloted the moose and squirrel through the skinny little entrance gate with ease. Once inside the storage facility, he had plenty of room to maneuver Bullwinkle around his new neighborhood and find a spot to unhook.
While Paul was separating the squirrel from the moose, I surveyed our storage spot. It was as skinny as I remembered! There's a large boat on one side and a wall on the other. The wall is supported by three or four posts that sit on large concrete blocks that would make mincemeat of fiberglass in a hurry. These menacing blocks and the big boat were separated by barely 10 feet of empty space. Unlike the angled storage spot we moved out of four years ago, this one requires a sharp 90-degree turn to enter.
In travel mode, our moose is 8.5 feet wide, not including mirrors. At 40 feet long, he doesn't exactly turn on a dime.
Therein lies our parking challenge!
We sussed out the situation. Every coach in the place was parked "nose in", so we decided to follow our neighbors' lead. This would take teamwork and patience. Thankfully, we have plenty of both.
We have parked our moose a couple hundred times. It took every bit of experience we have acquired over the course of those successful landings to dock our great big Winnie into that skinny spot. Paul sat calmly and patiently behind the wheel while I broke out into a cold sweat as I simultaneously provided moment-by-moment directions and kept an eye on all eight corners of the coach, the mirrors, the concrete blocks, the beams, and the neighboring boat. (That's a lot to keep track of!) Paul followed my instructions to the letter. An early miscalculation on my part (Starting the turn too soon.) kept compounding through the process. As a result we came damn close to hitting everything. We had to back up and get repositioned five or six times, but eventually the nose of the moose was inches from the back wall. We were just between the lines and had enough room to open the door. Most importantly, no fiberglass was damaged in the process.
Whew!
We went through the long-since-forgotten process of putting the moose to bed. When we flipped the battery disconnect switches we realized that was likely the first time we'd done that. It's a good thing they worked! We pulled the front curtain and locked the door behind us. After three-and-a-half years of being out in the elements, Bullwinkle is safely under cover. Our trusty moose has earned a well-deserved rest.
He'd better rest up fast! We'll be back soon to get him back on the road. A family wedding is just around the corner. It'll be great to have our rolling home with us for that celebration as we enjoy our first trip as Anytime RVers. Eventually, we'll find ourselves back at the storage spot.
I'm already dreading it.
We've done it once. So, we can do it again. And, we know it will get easier in time. For starters, we'll start the turn later. And, Paul is thinking maybe we can back in next time.
Uh. We'll see about that.
We took our original Bullwinkle out of storage four years ago tomorrow. One of the things I remember celebrating that day was that we no longer had to squeeze our wide body moose into that skinny little spot. We haven't missed it a bit!
Well, in four years, our moose got bigger. And, apparently, storage spots have become even skinnier. (It couldn't possibly be that we are out of practice!)
Our big moose has spent the last month at Cummins Coach Care for some general maintenance and fixin' up. When we dropped him off there we told them to take their time, as we - for once - were in no hurry. At the start of Summer, Cummins can be a busy place. Between that, and waiting on the Winnebago to send a correct part, this service appointment took awhile. When we got the call last week that the moose was ready to roll, we scheduled to pick him up yesterday afternoon.
We have really missed him! Even though we've been too busy settling in to go anywhere, we were a bit bummed knowing we couldn't because Bullwinkle was away. One of the advantages of becoming Anytime RVers is enjoying the "best of both worlds". We've been so wrapped up in the fixed house world, we are eager for at least a short trip to the other world. Soon. Very soon!
When we arrived at Cummins mid-afternoon, our moose was sitting out front waiting for us. We paid the bill, hooked the squirrel to the moose and made our maiden voyage to Bullwinkle's new storage spot.
The less-than-an-hour drive was a wonderful flashback. It was mostly city driving, which we really try to avoid, but it felt great to be looking at the world through that big Imax window. It's quite a ride.
As tempted as we were to swing by the house, pick up the cats and keep on driving, we kept on course and faced the moment of truth. Paul piloted the moose and squirrel through the skinny little entrance gate with ease. Once inside the storage facility, he had plenty of room to maneuver Bullwinkle around his new neighborhood and find a spot to unhook.
While Paul was separating the squirrel from the moose, I surveyed our storage spot. It was as skinny as I remembered! There's a large boat on one side and a wall on the other. The wall is supported by three or four posts that sit on large concrete blocks that would make mincemeat of fiberglass in a hurry. These menacing blocks and the big boat were separated by barely 10 feet of empty space. Unlike the angled storage spot we moved out of four years ago, this one requires a sharp 90-degree turn to enter.
In travel mode, our moose is 8.5 feet wide, not including mirrors. At 40 feet long, he doesn't exactly turn on a dime.
Therein lies our parking challenge!
We sussed out the situation. Every coach in the place was parked "nose in", so we decided to follow our neighbors' lead. This would take teamwork and patience. Thankfully, we have plenty of both.
We have parked our moose a couple hundred times. It took every bit of experience we have acquired over the course of those successful landings to dock our great big Winnie into that skinny spot. Paul sat calmly and patiently behind the wheel while I broke out into a cold sweat as I simultaneously provided moment-by-moment directions and kept an eye on all eight corners of the coach, the mirrors, the concrete blocks, the beams, and the neighboring boat. (That's a lot to keep track of!) Paul followed my instructions to the letter. An early miscalculation on my part (Starting the turn too soon.) kept compounding through the process. As a result we came damn close to hitting everything. We had to back up and get repositioned five or six times, but eventually the nose of the moose was inches from the back wall. We were just between the lines and had enough room to open the door. Most importantly, no fiberglass was damaged in the process.
Whew!
We went through the long-since-forgotten process of putting the moose to bed. When we flipped the battery disconnect switches we realized that was likely the first time we'd done that. It's a good thing they worked! We pulled the front curtain and locked the door behind us. After three-and-a-half years of being out in the elements, Bullwinkle is safely under cover. Our trusty moose has earned a well-deserved rest.
He'd better rest up fast! We'll be back soon to get him back on the road. A family wedding is just around the corner. It'll be great to have our rolling home with us for that celebration as we enjoy our first trip as Anytime RVers. Eventually, we'll find ourselves back at the storage spot.
I'm already dreading it.
We've done it once. So, we can do it again. And, we know it will get easier in time. For starters, we'll start the turn later. And, Paul is thinking maybe we can back in next time.
Uh. We'll see about that.
Unloading the Moose
Just when we were starting to feel settled in, we brought Bullwinkle home.
That changed everything!
Our allotted time at our home park came to an end yesterday. So, we headed that way after breakfast and went through our quite familiar travel day routine. The big difference, though, was we weren't traveling far. We were coming home.
We bid our farewells to our home park hosts. Although the place isn't much, we've been so grateful for their hospitality over the last four years. They've gone above and beyond trying to accommodate us, sometimes on very short notice. We are so thankful. We'll miss the place...just a bit.
Bullwinkle made his way from our spartan park to the suburbs, with me following behind in the squirrel. I was nervous about many a low lying branch along the way, but Paul maneuvered around each and every one like a pro. With the last turn into our quiet cul-de-sac, Paul pulled into our long and level driveway, which turned out to be just barely long enough and not really all that level. But, it will do.
Sitting in front of our new home, Bullwinkle looked huge! We were amazed at the difference in scale between a 40-foot motorhome sitting amongst a sea of RVs in a park and one lone machine sitting in the driveway of a modest suburban split level.
It's big!
The cute kids from down the street came a runnin' when Bullwinkle pulled into da 'hood. They kept a safe difference until we were properly docked. Then, they were itching for a peek. And, we quickly obliged, offering the kids, their mom and a couple of other neighbors a quick tour. It was unanimous. They all agreed we have one awesome moving van.
With the tours complete, the real work began. With six weeks before our next trip, we opted to pretty much empty the moose of most of its contents, for now anyway. That'll give us plenty of time to launder what's dirty, use what we don't yet have in the house and figure out what needs to go back into our anytime rig.
After two days of unloading the moose, I have just one question.
Who put all of this stuff in here?
We still cannot believe how much stuff we've pulled out of the moose. We squeezed a whole bunch of cargo in 400 square feet!
Many, many, many trips from the moose to the house wore us both to a frazzle. But, the good news is Bullwinkle is just about empty. We'll wrap up the job in the morning before we take him across town to our favorite service spot to take care of a few odds and ends before we put him in storage.
Oh yeah. Bullwinkle has his very own storage spot. We secured it just the other day. It's covered, which is dandy. But, it's skinny. Very skinny. The moose will be cozy, indeed. We keep telling ourselves that in time it'll get easier to park in that skinny little spot. We shall see.
As our second week of home ownership comes to a close, we're celebrating the fact that for the first time in four years most of our belongings are in one place. It's not all unpacked, mind you. But, it's here.
Like I said, we're getting there!
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