We Want Wifi!

Who knows when you’ll be reading this post. But, we know exactly when and where it’s being written. It’s Friday, July 31st, and we’re back at the laundromat in Joyce. I’m so pleased to report that the temperature is much cooler. However, the wifi that was smokin’ here just a few days ago is now non-existent. Heck, we even packed up our dirty laundry for this trip. So, now, we have to sit and wait for our laundry while our laptops sit idle.

It’s one thing to go without TV. But, we’re learning that it’s something completely different for us (actually, me) to go many days without an internet fix.

To be fair, we’ve had a wee bit of access. Our iphones have browsing capabilities, but there’s only so much you can do on a three-inch screen with your thumbs. I have facebook loaded on my phone, but the capabilities are limited. It’s just enough to update status and barely check in on friends. We can read email, but nobody’s getting a lengthy reply from me when, again, all I have to work with are my thumbs. Of course, some is better than none. So, we really have nothing to complain about at all. But, if it’s time for true confessions, I need wifi!

After all, we have a couple of blogs to maintain. I’ve written a couple of days worth of posts for Bullwinkle’s Travels recounting our latest adventures. But, it looks like they’ll have to wait for now. Meanwhile, we sit and contemplate our options while we watch our clothes spin.

We very purposely decided to wait to determine what internet solution would be best for us until we were on the road. It’s not a decision we need to make immediately (This particular moment, it feels like it is, but it’s not.) and we definitely want the decision to be informed by experience.

One solution we’ve done a wee bit of research on is a service called Autonet. The way we understand it, it’s a magical box that utilizes whatever cell signal is available to turn your vehicle into a wifi hotspot. Our own personal wifi network! There’s a monthly fee that varies based on how much data you send or receive. It looks like it might be a dollar or two a day.

Today, I’d happily spend that amount. But, we’re a long way from a place that installs such equipment anyway. For now, we’ll turn the question on you, our readers.

What do you do for your daily wifi fix when you’re on the road?

We look forward to your answers. Now, we gotta go fold.

Lazy Day

We’re having a great time here in Port Angeles. After a few long days of driving it’s a treat to park by a beach for nearly a week. We’ve seen many of the sites around town and hooked up with fellow fulltimers Deb and Rod. We’re looking forward to seeing them again on Friday! With a full day trip to Victoria scheduled for tomorrow, we’re keeping ourselves pretty darn busy.

We slept in this morning and were obviously in no rush to go anywhere or do anything. When we were finally up and about I had something to say.

“Don’t laugh when I say this,” I said to Paul. “But, I think today should be a lazy day.”

He nodded in agreement and was curious to know why I thought such a statement would be a laughing matter.

“Some people would think every day for us is a lazy day,” was my reply.

We’re learning one of the essential ingredients of our new lifestyle. Not every day is about going from here to there or getting out and about and seeing the sights. Some days about our doing chores. Other days, like this one, are about doing basically nothing.

Oh sure, we’ll get out and walk about, if it’s not too hot. And, if you’re reading this, we were successful in our efforts to go find some wifi.

On this warm lazy day, that’s just about enough.

Red Box

Have you heard about Red Box? Have you tried it?

We had heard about it, but had yet to give it a try. We thought everyone had heard of it, but we’ve met some fulltimers who hadn’t. Now that we’ve tried it, we just have to talk about it!

As newbie fulltimers parked in a bit of a remote campground in front of a row of trees that provide no shade but block our satellite, our entertainment options are limited. We have no DVR (yet) so there’s no catalog of shows queued up for our viewing pleasure. So, our rolling home entertainment center sits idle.

Here in Port Angeles, we were checking out of our second Walmart in two days (Yep, we’re fulltimers!) when we spotted a Red Box machine. Our two entertainment-deprived souls were lifted as we caught eye of the titles that were available for a mere buck a night. We spotted Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino and chimed in perfect unison, “Let’s get that one!” I put a finger to the screen, and with a quick swipe of my credit card the magical red machine popped out the DVD we wanted to see.

With our Walmart essentials and evening’s entertainment in tow, we headed back to the moose for dinner and a movie. We settled our stuffed bodies into our comfy chairs and fired up the DVD. For a couple of hours we basked in the warm glow of our flat screen TV. This, alone, was worth our one dollar investment. The fact that the movie was a good one was icing on the cake.

Today, on our way to Olympic National Park, we stopped at an Albertson’s with a couple of Red Box machines outside. If a dollar a night wasn’t enough of a value proposition, the fact that you can return your movie to any Red Box anywhere makes it the greatest thing since sliced bread in our book. One touch of the screen and the magical machine sucked that DVD into its belly. The screen assured me that our movie had been successfully returned.

Now, that’s cheap entertainment!

Our Comfort Zone

We're into our third week as fulltimers, and we've found something very important.

We found our comfort zone.

Yes, these days, our comfort zone is a spacious pull-through at a super-friendly park just off the highway in the westernmost part of Oregon. It's a special place filled with good friends and great people. It was the perfect place to spend week number two in our life as fulltimers. We shared stories, laughs, plans for the future, good food, wine and stuff that looks like wine. Each day started with coffee (if we were up early enough) and sometimes muffins, and each evening began with a community happy hour. In between, we explored the coast, picked up a few geocaches and snapped a bunch of great looking pictures that will seal this very special week in our memories. We really like it there!

This morning we didn't really want to leave.

In fact, we could imagine ourselves spending the rest of the summer there.

It would've been a whole lot of fun.

As we readied ourselves to hit the road, we reflected on the conversations of the week.

A few days ago, a neighbor asked us where our "home park" was. When we explained we were newbie fulltimers and didn't yet have a park to call home, she responded with a big smile.

"Oh! You're exploring!" she said, and assured us we'd find a place to settle down when the time was right. Meanwhile, she wished us many happy and trouble-free miles.

Our own Godfadda told us we needed to get out there on the road, on to the next chapter of our fulltiming adventures. (And, we don't think he was just trying to get rid of us!)

This morning, his lovely bride Juanita captured the lesson of the day.

"It's time for you to get out of your comfort zone," she said. And, boy was she right.

One of the greatest things about fulltiming is the freedom. If you want to keep the jacks down and hang out awhile you can. If you want to go, you can do that to.

We're learning that there are days when as much as you want to stay, it really is time to go. As newbie fulltimers we are out here to explore. Our mission is to see the country and meet great people. To do that, we need to go places...and keep on stepping outside our comfort zone.

Where Are We From?

That's a good question! 

We've been asked several times in the last couple of weeks, and we haven't quite landed on an answer. It's not really the kind of question that most people have to give any thought. But, we've given it quite a bit. 

Most recently, we're from Oakland, California. And, while we feel no sense of loyalty or hometown spirit about the place, that's probably the most accurate, if not the most heartfelt, response.

Our new address says we're from Livingston, Texas. So, we've tried that one on a time or two. But, it's a bit tough to call a place you've never been to home, just because your mail passes through there. Once we have Texas drivers licenses and plates on the moose and squirrel, we might feel a bit more comfortable calling that great state home. 

As native Kansans, we could claim that we're from the Sunflower State. But, having not lived there for nearly 10 years, that doesn't ring quite true for us either. 

During our travels today, we received a sage piece of advice on the matter from da Godfadda. He shared a story of some newbie fulltimers he knew who wrestled with the same issue as they crossed the border into Canada. Their complex answer to a very simple question had them stopped by the the border patrol for hours. 

So, when we make the ferry crossing to Victoria next month, we have our answer ready: We're from California. But, for everyone else who asks the question, we're still working on a good answer.

We've Got Mail

Today was one of those days that it is painfully obvious that we're newbies at this fulltiming gig. 

What did we do?

We obsessed about getting our mail. 

With plans to venture down the coast for some sightseeing, we decided to hold off until today's mail delivery to the park. (That wasn't a problem for me, as Juanita invited me to join her on a trip to Quilter's Corner this morning. I happily obliged!) By late morning, the mail had been delivered and there was nothing for us. And, there should have been. 

Going from our daily mail delivery into a slot at our house to having to think about when and where we can have mail delivered is a big change for us. Ever since my first days in a college dorm, where I had my very own mailbox, I have come to love that part of the day when I see what came in the mail. Having been deprived of that daily rush for nearly two weeks, I was really looking forward to our first on-the-road mail delivery. 

As members of Escapees, it was an easy decision to enroll in the club's mail forwarding service. It has a well-earned reputation for dependable, personal service. Plus, it's a great value. As newbies, I decided to call them last week to request a one time delivery to our park in Port Orford. I was impressed to receive an email confirming our maiden mail shipment was on its way, complete with a tracking number. Like a kid tracking Santa's route on Christmas Eve, I logged on the USPS web site and charted the progress of our package. It was delivered to the Port Orford Post Office on Saturday at 7:38AM. 

So, when our much-anticipated package didn't arrive this morning, I was more like an addict in need of a hit. How much longer would I have to wait for the pleasure of opening my mail?  We decided to go to the source. We headed for the post office. 

Where we come from, going to the post office is something you avoid at all costs. It's a place where lines are long and people can get grumpy. Really grumpy. But, here in Port Orford, the post office is a pleasure. Everyone is really helpful and very friendly. I'm so sorry we won't have to go back. 

Before long, the mystery was solved. That precious Priority Mail package was in our possession. As he pulled the tab to release the contents inside, Paul exclaimed "We've Got Mail!"

Indeed we do. Was it anything terribly important? Not really. We've gone paperless with most of that stuff. Even though it was just a magazine and a few random pieces of bulk correspondence, it's stuff to open and read, if ever so briefly. It definitely scratched our itch.

Most importantly, we now know that we can make our mail forwarding service work. Already, we're looking at the calendar for when and where we want to have another package delivered to us down the road.

Chores

If we were on a two week vacation, we would have headed for home today.  

Yes, it's starting to sink in that we're not on holiday, this is our home and we're adopting a new lifestyle. And, yes, it's way different.

There's one thing that most reminds us that we really are fulltiming: Our household chores.

Nothing like a little work to help you realize you're not on vacation! 

As we were headed toward Port Orford, we created a list of chores we wanted to get done while we were here. Sitting in one place for a week gives you the luxury of time to be able to take care of a few things. It's harder to do when you're in one spot for just a night or two. 

Our list included things like laundry, groceries, purging (can you believe that?), reorganizing, getting mail, making reservations for down the road and washing the moose. We spent time this morning doing the latter while our friends patiently waited for us before heading out for a bit of geocaching. We've washed the moose before, but we forgot what a big job it is. Many hours later Bullwinkle was squeaky clean, much more time had passed than we thought, and we were very late for our geocaching date. 

With all these chores behind us, we're tired. But, it's a good kind of tired. Not that crazy exhausted tired we felt before the move. No, this feels pretty good.

Thanks to these chores, it feels like we actually live here.