Jeepers...

We ordered a new 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4 door!!

We are getting 4wd (of course - it's just ~wrong~ that they even make Jeeps in 2wd now!), with an anti-slip rear differential, 17" wheels, a dual top (it's the indecisiveness tax... we couldn't decide between the "Freedom" 3 piece hard top and "Sunrider" soft top, so we are getting both), side steps, side air bags, automatic, power windows and doors (on a Jeep! Weird, but in a good way), tow package and Sirius Satellite radio...

We've changed our mind on the color several times, but are now ordering "Greystone" with a khaki interior. Light colors don't show dirt as much, and are cooler out in the desert. But I like "Rescue Green" like in the commercial at right (and after all - toads are supposed to be green!)

We are getting all the amenities and a new Jeep instead of an old beater for our toad because we decided it will also be our main multi-purpose vehicle, most likely for a while. We are selling our Toyota Sequoia to pay for the Jeep, so it needs to replace the Sequoia as a camping vehicle for long trips, not just off-road adventures. And also the new four door Jeep has actual cargo space, so we can carry Devin's Segway in the back, and all our camping gear. It does drive more like an SUV than a Jeep, which is nice for those longer trips.

Now we just have to get the kayaks to go on top so we look like "a new species"!

Life in the Trailer Park

So, we tried out trailer park life this last weekend, and, not surprisingly, found it wasn't exactly to our liking. I mean, it was a nice park and all - very clean, landscaped, by a lake... but it was a trailer park! Excuse me, an RV Park. But there were a lot of people obviously living there full time - Christmas decorations competing in the Trailer Trash Christmas Spirit Beauty Contest (not really, but I did find the award winner if they were!) and, even though it was clean and well-manicured... it was just... odd.

So to back up - why were we in a trailer park? Well, we are moving out of our apartment at the end of January to move into the MoHo and get ready to hit the road as soon as all the arrangements have been made, and we thought maybe it would be nice to have a local place to "hover" for a while during that transition period. So we booked a weekend at the East Shore RV Park in San Dimas to try it out. They only had spaces available in their "lower" section, where the sites are closer together and it's more dense. We may have felt a bit differently if we had a spot up on the hill, with views of the Puddingstone Reservoir and city lights, and lots of space between us and our neighbors. But down in the low rent district, we kept our shades pulled all weekend, didn't leave any camping chairs out... listened to redneck conversations of some of our "neighbors" that obviously lived there full time... and pretty much decided that is NOT what we got the RV for!

So, if we need to hover around southern California for a while, it will likely be out in the desert, or up in the eastern Sierra region, or maybe at the beach. We don't need hook-ups, cable TV, and a paved pad to park on.

Devin was the wisest when he said this:

Instead of staying someplace like East Shore RV Park for a 2-4 weeks, why don't we just go to some nice location and camp for free or for a very low fee. We could spend 2-4 weeks exploring semi-local areas of California. Instead of listening to the redneck neighbors in San Dimas, we could be exploring Death Valley or other areas we like. Being a local in some area other than the LA basin. We could live in Bishop for a month and see how we like it. There would be lots to do, unlike in San Dimas. Why waste the beginning of our trip in San Dimas? There is no real reason to have to "kill time" in redneck land.

If we do spend some time in the Desert or other local area, we will have a car to come back to deal with other things if need be.

I think the San Dimas experience really made me have some doubts because of the neighbors. I do not want to become those people and being there made me question if that is what we were doing. It is not though. We are going on a trip to explore new places, see new areas to live etc. San Dimas is not on the list of places that I intended to go :)

This is why I love him. He has the ability to put things into perspective nicely, when I sometimes lose that perspective.

The RV is kind of like real estate - it's all about Location, Location, Location! The same RV out in the desert, at the beach, in the mountains, is worth SO much more to us than in an RV park. I'm really glad we have our solar panels now so we can stay pretty much wherever we want!

More about our solar panels soon!

I'm Blogging from the Freeway!!

Thanksgiving Day - and here we are, ambling down the freeway at 55 (or less when the traffic slows), and I'm on the internet, updating our blog!!

We got our Wireless Broadband Card, a Kyocera KPC650 PC Card, and life on the road will never be the same! We don't have the external antenna and amplifier yet, but when we do, we should get cellular service up to 50 miles farther than normal from a tower, and when we aren't getting broadband (EVDO - "Evolution Data Only"), we will get National (1xrtt) service, which is like an old dial up connection speed-wise, but it's still a connection! All over southern California so far it has been broadband, which is pretty darn fast!

This weekend, if we get service, we will experiment with the wireless router, to see if we can both be on at the same time with our laptops. Of course, not while driving... he he.

I like being able to check email, blog, and surf while driving (well, passengering, anyway)! Need a map? Oh, let me just get a Google map of the area... Find a campground? Let me check one of the many online directories! Oh it's so useful, and much more fun than I usually am in the car - head nodding, drooling, snoring loudly... ha.

Learning as we go

We had our first "Real" camping trip with the Moho weekend before last in Joshua Tree. By real, I mean, we went mainly to camp, rather than for another purpose, and came prepared! Our maiden voyage was to Wrightwood and our friends' driveway to have a yard sale, and the second time we spent the night in it was when we camped at El Capitan State Beach in Santa Barbara, but we went up there to do some work on it out of the heat. This time, we went to camp.

We had a great weekend in Joshua Tree, with some good learning experiences. These "practice trips" are very important to figuring out our systems and what we need and don't need, so we will be doing more of them! The learning started before we even left, as you will see...

Our First Learning Experience: Trusting the Ford Dealership Service Manager
We took the Moho into Keystone Ford the previous Friday for a "regular checkup" - that is service, lube/oil/filter, checking systems. They didn’t drop our RV off the lifts, like happened to these poor folks in the photo, and as far as we can tell, the mechanics did a good job. Our brakes didn’t fail as we drove off the lot, our battery seems to be charging now, the power steering no longer groans like a dinosaur dying in agony... but we probably won’t take the Moho there again.

First the guy told us it would probably be done on Tuesday. Then Wednesday afternoon. So Devin took Thursday off so we could go pick it up and have a long camping weekend. Then they told us Thursday morning. And each time, we had to call ~them~ even though they had told us they would call.

We headed out there to do some errands before picking it up, go to REI and Camping World (aka "The $100 Store") to shop for some comfy patio chairs and lounges to make our camping experience complete, and when we called to see if it was ready, they said Thursday afternoon. After some more shopping, they finally told us it wouldn't be ready till Friday. So we went home with a car full of camping gear.

Then on Friday, we got up early and loaded the car with an ice chest full of food for the weekend, clothes, and everything we'd need, and headed out to pick it up. Okay, not ready till early afternoon. So we went back to Camping World and bought that Weber Baby Q we'd been ogling the day before! We planned to finish up registration at the DMV when we picked it up, so we scoped out a nearby DMV, went in to see if we could take care of anything ahead of time, found out where we needed to pull in for the inspection.

We ran out of things to do, so we went to the Ford Dealership and sat in their waiting room for about 45 minutes watching bad cartoons until they *finally* got it done! We got out of there around 4:45pm. A little too late for the DMV! So we went to Devin's dad's house in Whittier to fill it up with water and load it up with camping gear, change the tow bar to Devin's Segway Hauler, leave the car and head out to Joshua Tree, late on a Friday with the rest of the traffic.

So, I guess Lesson 1 is, it's not ready till it's ready, or the fat lady sings, or something like that. Just because they give you an optimistic time estimate, don't count on it. The work they did seemed to be satisfactory, but by telling us it would be ready much sooner than it was, Devin took a day off work unnecessarily, we missed a day of camping, missed the DMV, and ended up in traffic, driving the Moho late into the night to get to a campsite.

Our second learning experience: Unlocking the Towbar
A great Blue Ox Towbar came with the RV, which is the kind we planned to buy for our "toad." It had a locking stainless steel bar to attach it to the hitch, to which we thought we had a key. Devin had a key that fit the lock on his keychain, but the key was cracked, and when he tried to turn it, it broke off. So I started looking for other keys that looked like the one that fit, and found one and promptly brought it to him. That one wouldn't turn either, so after quite some time of messing with it, he decided to just crank on it with some pliers, and risk breaking it because we needed to get the towbar off!

Well, the second key broke off, right about at the same time that I realized what key it was... it was the last key to our slide out! Lesson 2: just because the key fits into the lock does not mean it's the right key!!

So now we were stuck without a slide out for the weekend, which is okay, because at least our slide out room does not block anything when it is in. Some models block cabinets and even the kitchen sink! For us, it's just a little narrower, but still perfectly liveable for a weekend. At least we chose our RV wisely, even if we broke keys foolishly!

We wanted to get the towbar off, by the way, so we could put Devin's Segway Hauler on, to take his Segway out to Joshua Tree, which would give Devin some mobility in the campground and make us able to take walks together. Since we don't have a toad yet, we didn't need the tow bar.

So Devin's dad brought out his Sawsall, and they proceeded to try to CUT off the locking mechanism to the tow bar so Devin could bring his Segway. Lesson 3: Stainless Steel is Really Hard! (The Sawsall didn't work, so we couldn't get the towbar off.)

So we were without a slide out room and without the Segway. Frustrating, but not the end of the world, so we gave up and went camping! On the way out of town, we stopped by Pep Boys with the broken key fragments, to see if they could make a key, but they couldn't A regular locksmith possibly could have, but it was late on a Friday night by this time. We gave up after making one phone call to a 24 hour service - left a message and never got a response.

So we hit the road - finally!

Ahhh, Joshua Tree!
We finally got to J-Tree at around midnight. I dozed a good portion of the trip out there - past my bedtime! We went to Cottonwood Springs campground at the southern end of J-Tree, which is not too far from I-10, and has an RV dump station and sites large enough for RVs. We found a nice spot with great views, parked, leveled, and...

OMG the stars!! The stars were incredible! SO many stars, I had a hard time picking out constellations! The Milky Way was vibrant - and we had such a wide view of the sky, we could see the Summer Triangle AND the Winter Hexagon (almost all of it) both at the same time!! Orion was rising in the east as the Corona Borealis set in the west - Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Delphinus, Cassiopeia, Ursa Minor, The Pleaides, Taurus, Gemini, Orion - ahh, my old friends!! So nice to see you! A shooting star! Greenish and bright, streaking across the sky - one of the Orionid meteors - tiny bits left in Earth's path from Haley's Comet. There is a meteor shower tonight!

Suddenly I was wide awake - desert stars are a wonder to behold.

“All men have the stars, but they do not mean the same things for different people. For some they are guides, for others, no more than little lights in the sky. But all these are silent. You--you alone have the stars as no one else has them.
...The stars, the desert, what gives them their beauty is invisible...
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.”
~ The Little Prince

My heart was full of both the visible and invisible essence of desert beauty - the gentle breezes and silence, stars, the darkened landscape of yuccas and rock formations by starlight. Magic.

Shade to go
The next morning, after sleeping with the window open to see stars and meteors during wakeful moments, and the Tibetan prayer flags our friend Leaf gave us fluttering in the desert breeze all night, we settled in to our campsite a little more.

We had leveled "good enough" the night before, but we weren't really level, and one of the jacks was actually off the ground, so we retracted them and drove up onto blocks on the right side before leveling to stabilize and finish the job. Worked great - we want 3 more of the leveling blocks we bought at Camping World. Lesson 4: we need blocks AND jacks to keep the RV both level and stable in sloping sites.

Then we pulled out our awning. An awning on an RV is a wonderful thing - it not only creates a shaded "patio" area for outdoor living, and shades the side of the RV making it cooler inside, but it creates a personal space that disappears when it is rolled up. It makes that part of the campsite "ours" for the time we are there - creates a sense of home. I think it has to do with the bulk of the RV - sitting next to it without the awning feels like sitting next to a wall, but under the awning you are on your patio. In a tent you don't really need this because you don't have the wall effect. But shade is a nice thing to have with you in the desert, no matter how you are camping.

We finally figured out how to properly set it up - it had been hard before because one of the latches was broken, but now it was fixed, and so once we got it set up, we decided to do it again for practice. Lesson 5: We found that we needed a stepladder to tighten the arms properly once it was set up - maybe we should have set up the awning before leveling so the RV would be lower. Next we put on the "de-flappers" which hold the awning in the center to keep it from flapping in the wind. It all worked great and we had a solid awning all set up!

Lesson 6: watch out for the awning arms!
We proceeded to organize the "basement" storage bins, getting out our chairs and small astroturf mat (those really help keep dirt outside the RV, and also help define that space nicely). I managed to bend over into the awning bar - I hit my head so hard I literally fell over backwards! Ouch! I sort of wish someone could have seen it - it was like in the cartoons! I was laying there on the sand saying "ouch ouch ouch ouch!" with little stars and birds circling my head, and Devin didn't even rush to my rescue. He didn't even get up to look at me lying there, or take a picture (which is probably what I would have done - document the indignity!) I guess he figured if I was talking, I was okay. Next time I want sympathy, I guess I'll shut up! Ha.

We found out after we did some organizing and repacking, that we have more storage available than we thought, which is great! Devin keeps saying we're going to run out, though, gloomy pessimist that he is. He wasn't pessimistic when we were out there and found out we had free space, but everytime I talk about buying something for the trip, he starts in on how we are going to run out of room! He's funny. Lesson 7: Space may (or may not) be an issue!

This isn't really a lesson, but we learned that we chose well in our cookware! We bought a Fagor nesting cookset from Camping World and I love it! The heavy bottoms disperse heat so well and evenly, you can cook at much lower temperatures, and not worry about buring stuff on the bottom. Yay!

Devin set up the Baby Q just to get it working, and it seems to work great, but as we didn't bring anything to grill this time, true testing will have to wait until next trip.

We pretty much relaxed and worked on the RV all day Saturday - we were pretty tired from not enough sleep, so not too ambitious. But on Sunday...

Maggie Conquers Mastodon Peak by accident
We decided we needed to come back a day later so we could go to the DMV on Monday, and hopefully take care of our broken slide out keys as well. So I walked down to the pay station with the site fee for one more day, and told Devin I would walk to Cottonwood Springs on the road and loop back on the Nature trail which came out right near our campsite.

Four hours later... Devin was ready to call search and rescue and was so worried that if I was alive he was going to kill me!

Lesson 8: We need two-way radios
I wasn't sure we really needed the radios, but this was a situation where if I had one, I would have called him and he would know where I was an not worry - he could have even gotten out the binoculars and seen me on top of Mastodon peak, where I could see the Moho in the distance! (see the photo - ours is the one on the far left - what, can't see it? Okay, try the next photo, which uses 10x zoom - click the photo to enlarge - you really can see it!)

It was a great little hike that just about killed me because I am SO out of shape. But I had "next bend syndrome" and just kept going to see what was around the next bend, because it didn't seem that far, because the view was so great, because it was such a lovely day, because I could. I wasn't going to do the scramble to the top of the little peak, but there were some other folks ahead of me on the trail, so I went for it. My heart rate got up to about 240 going up the steep narrow ledge, but it wasn't really hard. It was coming down, and the sandy washes that they called the trail on the way down that made it take so much longer than I thought. I took lots of photos of the trail, views, birds, rocks, old mines, etc, and you can click here to see them!

Lesson 9: We need to get our checklists for breaking camp, etc, set up and use them! Lots of stuff to remember when "battening down the hatches" for travel in a rolling home. securing doors and drawers, putting stuff where it won't fall/roll around, closing windows and vents, making sure all outside compartments are closed and locked and everything is put away, jacks retracted, leveling blocks stowed, awning secured, nothing behind us, no overhead branches, etc, etc. This time I only forgot to latch a couple of drawers which came open, so not a big deal, but with so much to remember, we need checklists!!

The Mothership and the DMV
On the way home, we went by National RV in Perris, where the Moho was born. One of the reasons we stayed an extra night is so we could take care of the slide out key issue, and since "the Mothership" was on our way home, we stopped there. Sure enough, they had the keys, no problem! So we "win" again - we didn't really need the slide out room this weekend, and even if we did, we couldn't have used it because our campsite didn't have enough clearance (it would have stuck out into the road!) AND we made a very convenient stop at National headquarters and were able to pick up extra keys quite painlessly on our way home. Yay us!! Even when we are unlucky, we are lucky.

We were lucky with the DMV, too - we stopped at the one in Banning, and had no wait to get the RV inspected and get our official registration finalized. We ordered handicapped plates, so we will get them in the mail soon and be set to go!

Lesson 10: Devin's Dad is Wonderful
(But we knew that)
When we got back into cell range on the way home we got a phone call from Devin's dad, checking on us (since we'd stayed an extra night leaving our car there), and he told us he had bought a special blade for his Sawsall that would cut stainless steel! So when we got back to Whittier, he and Devin cut off the lock and we removed the tow bar. Success!

Then we went to put on the Segway Hauler for our next trip, and guess what? Devin's key wouldn't work!!! Deja vu... No broken keys this time, but we wouldn't have been able to get the Seg Hauler on the RV even if we had been successful the first time getting the tow bar off! We still haven't found a second key to try in the Seg Hauler, and are thinking we'll get Devin's Dad to cut that one off, too, since now we know he can.

We filled up our water and put it back into storage, and now we are ready for the next trip (where, no doubt, we will learn some more)!

Exiting the Information Highway... or not

So what are a couple of computer geeks like Devin and I going to do on the road for a year? I mean, seriously - we IM each other from across the room! Our idea of a nice evening at home involves parallel play surfing the net on our laptops and emailing links to each other! (not to mention updating the blog!) Are we going to be going through major internet withdrawals?

Maybe. But we're taking the internet with us, too!

You see, the internet is really just a bunch of tubes... wait, no - that's not what I wanted to say!

We have a couple of options for internet access on the road:

• Find Wi-Fi Hotspots everywhere we go. This is not that out of the question, but the problem is, more and more people have figured out they need to secure their wireless, so we can't just catch a free wave. Starbuck's, Borders, and other businesses use providers like T-Mobile or Boingo and charge per minute or a monthly fee for access. But we hope to be a little more out of the way in campgrounds and on public land, where there may not be Starbuck's around every corner (gasp!!) Lots of RV Parks now have WiFi - many use Tengo Internet, LinkSpot, Link-N-Go, and The Wireless Web, companies that serve mainly RV parks, and there is also RoadConnect that serves many rest stops on highways.
  
  Devices like this one sniff out any hotspots within range and let you know if they are secure or not. MacStumbler, a Freeware/Donationware program for my Mac works much the same, but this way I don't have to use my laptop's batteries to go "wardriving" in the RV! Of course, there are directories , like JiWire, WiFinder, and WiFiFREEspot, and HotSpotHaven, available for public hotspots, but it's so much fun to cruise through a neighborhood looking for a network named "Linksys" or "Belkin"!
  
  
• Use our cell phones as modems. This would work, but is like dial up - you use your cell phone to dial up an ISP, and it uses your phone's minutes and is slow like dial-up, so screw that! Newer cell phones with a data plan would work similarly to the EVDO card described under the last bullet point, but using that with a data plan equipped phone would be somewhat like using a modem, and not as flexible as we would like, for sharing a connection, for example.
  
  
• Get a satellite internet system. This is what a lot of full time RVers who depend on internet access for their livelihoods, or the education of their children, for example, use. You can get internet virtually anywhere with these - unless you are in a cave or a steep canyon with no view of the sky where the satellite is in geosynchronous orbit. MotoSAT DataStorm mobile satellite internet systems even have a service where you can look at a map and find out where the user is! The DataStorm and Magellan dishes have motorized mounts and use GPS to find your assigned satellite, and you are connected through the HughesNet (formerly DirecWay) or Gallileo satellite networks. You could be in the middle of a disaster area, and still be able to connect to the internet with these satellite systems. They work all over the world - we'd probably have no problem getting internet access from Baja to Alaska (with a big enough dish).
  
  So what's the catch? Oh, yeah, they cost several thousand dollars. And you have to be stationary to use them (so your dish can be pointed at your satellite). The systems that automatically locate and focus on your chosen satellite are easiest to use, but also most expensive. There is the option of using a tripod and pointing it to the satellite manually, but this requires certification and is pretty technical, with consequences (like having your service shut off) if you mis-aim. And they are about $80/month for service, once you've installed your system.
  
  But they are SO cool!! "This is Ground Control to Major Tom..."
  
  
• Get Broadband Wireless (EV-DO or Evolution-Data Optimized) access through Verizon or Sprint. This involves getting a PC card, like the Verizon Wireless v740 EVDO Rev A ExpressCard, which would work in either my Mac or Devin's PC, but only one at a time. Add a wireless router for the card, like the Kyocera KR1 Mobile Wireless Router, and we could both surf using either wireless, or if we wanted to conserve our laptop batteries, connect via ethernet to the router.
  
  This depends on being in range of broadband wireless, which is mostly around larger cities now, but "National Access" or 1xRTT, while slower than Broadband or EV-DO, is available in a much wider area. Since we are already Verizon Wireless customers, we will likely go with Verizon's unlimited broadband plan which will use EVDO when available and 1xRTT when not. To increase our chances of being able to access it, we can also get a New Wilson Dual-Band RV Cell Phone Antenna and a Signal Amplifier (824-894 MHz 1850-1990 MHz) In-building and/or mobile use with soft carrying case.
  
  After the initial investment of a few hundred dollars, it is $59.99/month for the Verizon service with a 2 year contract. This seems like the best option for us, because it is available when in transit (if I need to look up something or make a reservation while Devin is driving), and it is the least expensive for decent internet on the road. The only problem is it won't be available in Mexico. But I've heard a few RV parks there have wireless now...

So we'll probably go with the last option, as it seems most reasonable for us, and just live without internet while in remote areas of Baja, Canada and Alaska. Okay, so we MAY go through withdrawals, but it will be good for us! And we'll have other things to do, like reading, birding, kayaking, writing, drawing, practicing guitar, hiking and exploring, and most importantly, napping!

Oh.... Mexico!

Photo of Bahia de Concepcion from OnTheRoadIn.com

So, as I said before, we are now thinking of traveling to Mexico for the first part of our adventure, since we are leaving 3 months earlier than originally planned.

Here's a trip in Mexico we probably won't do, but wow - check it out! People take their RVs ON the Copper Canyon train!

There are some great websites and resources for traveling by RV in Mexico, and I speak Spanish and have had wonderful experiences in Mexico in the past, so I am excited about the possibility of traveling there in a whole new way.

Here is some info about Mexico by RV:

• RVing in Mexico
• On the Road in Mexico Comprehensive guide with RV parks and so much more
• Rolling Homes Mexico Travel Buddy Search page
• Rolling Homes Mexico Book
• Virtual Mexico
• Med to go Travel Health and Safety Guide
• Vagabundos del Mar Baja RV, Boat and Travel Club
• RVing in Mexico on the RV.net forum
• RVing in Mexico DVD Made by the same folks ("tahoenow") with the forum topic below - with live updates of their trips!
• RV.net Forum - live travel in Mexico

We will, of course, keep you posted on our itinerary - who knows where we'll end up going? We are like willows in the wind... :-)

ETD Update - T minus 4 months and counting!

We upped the departure date to early February, in case you hadn't heard. Devin gave advance notice at work already that he would work through January. We'll be moving out of our apartment and making all our final arrangements (mail forwarding, storage, etc) - and we may just stay nearby for a little while, but by the end of February, we should be on the road!

We are also thinking of heading down into Mexico first, then heading up toward Alaska a little later in the spring.

More on that in the next post!

A Funny Thing Happened at the RV Show

I was worried that looking at new RVs would make us feel less satisfied with our 1999 used model, but the opposite happened! Ours has many features newer RVs, even from the same brand, don't seem to have, for about a quarter of the price. Such as excellent counter space, good amount of storage, gas oven, and nice storage drawers under the dinette benches. Also the outside storage space underneath with the pass-through that goes all the way under the MoHo.

Things they did have that ours doesn't: some models have better can pantries in the kitchen areas, but we may be able to replace ours. The outside storage doors that open out instead of up are really nice, and would be especially nice for the storage under the slide-out room. Some have bigger refrigerators, but we could probably get a bigger one installed if it's a problem. I think it will be fine. That's about it...

Ideas we got looking at them - put a snap-on map pocket on the sides next to the front seats (aka, "captain's chairs"), add a screw-on cup holder that folds flat up there, too. Our console on the "doghouse" (hump over the engine) is not very functional, but it could be easily replaced. Maybe we could even install a sliding laptop / dining tray on the passenger side, like some have.

It Slices, It Dices...!
We mostly cruised around the tent that had various products and services for RVers - one of the coolest things we saw was the Soda Club soda-making machine! We tested some sodas they made, quite easily, with no power needed, and they were quite good. Devin could save a lot of money on Diet Coke using that!! I'm not much of a soda drinker, but you can make sparkling water, add just about any flavoring, or maybe just lemon or lime juice. The young man from Kentucky that demonstrated it was so cute with his sales pitch, it made me want to buy it right there - but I have this weird love of infomercials and demonstrations.

In fact, Devin recently bought me a product I first saw at a county fair probably 20 years ago and have wanted ever since - a Bamix Hand Blender. It is every bit as good as I remember! I have been making smoothies right in the glass, filling it up to the top with fresh and frozen fruit, yogurt, juice, protein powder, and then just blending it right up in the glass with the Bamix. Easy clean up! I also have made frothy milk that makes coffee like an instant latte! You can make whipped topping from non-fat milk with it - it rocks!

Like I said, I have a soft-spot for infomercials and fair demos and gadgets, but I usually just enjoy watching them and rarely buy. The Bamix is an exception and I waited 20 years - ha! the cool thing is it costs about the same as it did 20 years ago.

Other Highlights
Devin's highlight of the RV Show, besides feeling even better about our own RV, was the great deal on the Banks Power system they are offering - 20% off on both parts and labor, which is a significant savings, so we are considering doing this. It would be about $3200, including TransCommand . But would give it more power, save wear and tear on the engine and transmission, and improve gas mileage by 7%. He also liked seeing what the Autoformer and other Voltage conditioners looked like. The one we would need (30 amp) is fairly small - and for around $300, could save us a lot of trouble if we are hooked up to power that isn't steady. It is not only a surge protector, but protects against low power as well. They are highly recommended for travel in Mexico, too.

We also enrolled in Passport America, a 50% off camping club, which we had already determined was a good deal and planned to enroll. The good thing is that normally it's $44 for a year, and at the Show it was $39 for a year and 3 months (with even better deals for longer memberships). The first time or two we use it, it will pay for itself. There are Passport America parks all over the US, Canada and even Mexico!

Show Me the Money!
Of course, we entered contests that will likely have us getting junk mail for a while, but you never know... I got to go into a glass booth and stuff fake $100 bills into a slot - the person that had the most at the end of the day would win $100. I got $2300, so pretty good, but I probably won't win - but it was fun, anyway! Like being on one of those crazy game shows. I can't say I have always wanted to go into a booth with money blowing all around and try to catch as much as I could, but I was grinning pretty big when I was in there!

RV work - getting closer all the time!

Today we got all new tires (6 of them) and our new Koni shocks installed, and dropped off the RV at a Ford dealership recommended by other RVers for service on the engine - just regular service like lube/oil/filters, plus checking transmission, brakes, and battery charging system. We got a new battery and now it is dead already. We think the engine may not be charging the battery properly. For the last couple of weeks we had it in a shop (J&L RV Repair) getting some interior work done. When the current work is done, our only major expense left will be getting the solar panel set-up we want.

Regret: We paid over $600(!) to have the carpets, upholstery, trim and ceiling steam cleaned, and can't really tell much difference. If I had it to do over again, I'd just replace the carpet!!! Or at least just do it ourselves. The carpet does not have that "new carpet feel" I had hoped for - I wonder if just shampooing it would be better? I may actually try that, hoping that the steam cleaning got out deep dirt. I think new carpeting throughout really would not have cost that much more and would have made a real difference. Sigh.

The only other major expense we are considering is a Banks PowerPack exhaust system. They are very expensive, but improve gas mileage (by 7%) AND power, so may be worth it.

Of course, we still have the TOAD to buy, and the braking system for the toad, and the kayaks, perhaps, and maybe a bike for me... and I still want to reupholster the furniture (but can do inexpensive slipcovers), and then there is also polishing and waxing the exterior...

We decided we definitely need to start taking it out and using it soon! It needs to earn its keep, so to speak, and tip the balance of expense and enjoyment back toward enjoyment. A weekend in the desert soon!

Kayak Demo Day

Well, it was a fun day, but we are not too much closer to figuring out what we want in a kayak. We did figure out that we still enjoy getting out on the water, though! I always worry about my shoulder with tendonitis, but if I am careful and paddle correctly, it isn't too bad, surprisingly.

We tried several single kayaks and one tandem today - all hard sided, two sit-on-tops, and a few more traditional styles. I was happy to find I felt comfortable in all of them and did fine. The hardest one to paddle was the tandem! Maybe we should rethink getting a tandem and get two singles... the sit-on-top with the most comfortable seat was a little too high and seemed to be affected by wind more. The easiest to paddle and maneuver were the lower centered sit-in kayaks. Now I'm just more confused!!

The owner of Southwind was there and very helpful - he suggested we might like the Advanced Frame Convertible model. It is a hybrid inflatable-folding kayak, with a frame in the front to help it slice through the water better, and can be converted from a single to a double. Adjustable comfy seats, too. But they didn't have one there.

We went by REI on the way home to look at their kayaks, but they weren't too helpful - the kayaks are all hanging from the cieling and they didn't want to blow up their inflatables because they said they kept losing parts each time they did that (specifically for that Advanced Frame model) which didn't sound too good.

So we will likely go back to Southwind and take a class or two - their "First Strokes" class would be good, and then they have the "Sea Legs" class. And we will go to their store in Irvine and see their kayaks - they are all out and available for sitting in, so a much nicer place to compare boats!

RV Show

The RV Show in Pomona at the LA County Fairgrounds is next weekend, and we are going to go so we can find all kinds of goodies for our RV. It will be hard not to look at the new RVs, but that can be depressing, as there is always a better design than the one you have.

For a 1999, ours is a pretty good design - with a U-shaped kitchen counter and lots of cabinet and counter space, a regular gas oven as well as a microwave, that is a sweet set-up. The only thing I might want different in a kitchen is a window (it's right next to the dinette/couch area with two large windows on either side, though), and a bigger fridge. Our fridge is a pretty standard RV size fridge and it may be just fine, but some newer ones have "huge" side-by-side models that are very nice.

My biggest complaint about the design of our RV is the bathroom/hall set up. It's a narrow bottleneck. And although there is a TUB, which is nice, and makes the shower big enough to actually use, it's a bit cramped in the bathroom. Some different floor plans have a more open feel with the shower in a corner of the bedroom and only the toilet in it's own small room. Makes it easier to get into and out of the shower, use the sink, and not be in anyone's way. I'm sure I would see lots of those types of floorplans, but usually in much longer RV's and we didn't want that.

Our Ideal RV would be 28' long, have two or three slide-out rooms, an open plan bathroom, kitchen storage and countertop space, a queen bed with lots of bedroom storage and room to walk around the bed, a dining table (either table and chairs or dinette) and either a couch or two comfy chairs (recliners would be nice!). In other words, it's probably physically impossible and doesn't exist!!

Oh, and it would be a bio-diesel-ready diesel engine that gets 30mpg, fully solar equipped, with double-paned windows, sun-blocking shades, well-insulated, well-ventilated with lots of opening windows and vents... yeah, I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist!

Wherever shall we go? Whatever shall we do?

Okay, I never saw "Gone with the Wind" where that quote is from, but I always thought it was kind of funny, said with exaggerated southern drawl, back of hand dramatically pressed to forehead...

It sure is fun, trying to figure it out, though! I mean, we don't want to "figure it all out" ahead of time, because part of the idea of a long trip is to not have an agenda - be truly "On the Loose." But then again, there are certain things we'd like to experience, certain places we'd like to be sure to go... there are priorities, in other words. And millions of ideas.

Ideas to help shape our journey:

• Seeing parts of the country we either haven't seen or have only been to briefly
• Visit all the National and State Parks, Monuments, Forests, Preserves, etc, we can find
• Birding - go to places specifically to see elusive species, like Aransas Wildlife Refuge for the Whooping Cranes, Southern Arizona for Trogons,
• History - visit historical sites, museums, etc
• Watershed(s) - follow a river or two from birth to delta
• Baseball - visit all the famous ball parks and compare their cuisine - Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, etc.
• Kitsch - search for the odd, strange, truly weird, like the human hair socks from Scandinavia that are apparently languishing in a museum in Brookings, Oregon...
• Finding Places to Kayak
• City and Town tour - finding our next home!
• Regions - focusing on one or two regions to get to know them well
• Seasons - the most obvious is becoming "Leaf Peepers" in New England

But the biggest and best theme for our trip, I think, will be Learning, learning, learning! We will have our own version of the Road School, and our curriculum will include:

• Music (syllabus - learn to play / practice and get better at guitar, play harmonica, penny whistle, attend live music when possible, especially regional styles and festivals, invite musicians over to the campfire and jam and learn!)


• Art (syllabus - draw and sketch interesting things, wildlife, scenery, people, maybe try watercolor or oils, take a weekend seminar somewhere on plein air painting or something wonderful like that, take thousands of photographs, create albums, calendars, postcards, use in blog and books)


• Creative Writing (syllabus - Write! Write, write, write! Write some more! :) Write essays, articles, blogs, chapters in a book, poems, and letters. Try to get some of it published as we travel - articles for magazines and newsletters and newspapers on events, places, people, natural history, travelogues, stories, etc. Final Exam: Write a book.)


• Literature (syllabus - Read! Read, read, read!! :) Always have books to read - choose some great books of literature, some fiction and non-fiction, essays, whatever interests us at the time! Enjoy!


• History (syllabus - visit museums and landmarks and monuments and historical markers - follow in the footsteps of historical people - Lewis and Clark, Natchez Trace, Civil War Battles, Civil Rights Marches, etc. See famous icons of the country, such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Viet Nam Memorial, among others. Read books about the history of areas we travel through.)


• Science Always - being a science geek, I almost didn't put this on the syllabus, since it is like breathing for me. But there are some things we could do (syllabus - See the Space Shuttle launch, visit planetaria and observatories, visit museums and exhibits, and Parks)


• Natural History as a branch of science, and THE branch of science that I DO, this will be built into the trip everywhere we go. We'll do more of this than all the rest, because we can't help it! (Syllabus - watch birds, wildlife, keep a field journal, photograph, sketch and describe species and ecosystems, go on naturalist walks and talks, keep life lists of species, key out plants, visit preserves and parks and refuges - OBSERVE!)


• Technology This is Devin's "like breathing" subject, and is second nature in many ways to me as well. The effort to learn something new in it does not come as naturally to me, however - unless it is something I want to use immediately. First, I'd like to learn to use the software I already have more effectively, including my iLife apps, Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, etc. I always just figure out enough to make them work, then don't get much further. (Syllabus - Web Design/development, Databases, SQL, PHP, CGI, e-commerce set ups, and for Devin, Linux, Sharepoint, Exchange, PHP, SQL, MOM, more Citrix, ITIL, MCSE stuff - work on becoming an MVP, Cisco (but probably not on the road), and more...)


• Hmmm... no Math. Well, considering I taught Algebra all last year, I think I'm good on that. We'll be keeping a budget, figuring out gas mileage, writing a business plan (maybe), and just generally using math the way everyone does all the time without realizing it. What else are we missing? Ah!


• PE and Health :) I think this will also come naturally - hopefully we'll be kayaking a lot, I'll be walking and hiking and Devin will be gliding along with me on the Segway. We may get a dog, but that's a whole other story!! The dog, of course, will take us for walks. And CURVES! I just joined Curves, and they are EVERYwhere, so I'll make Devin stop when we see one and I'll jump out for a 30 minute workout! Devin's bringing weights, bands, and maybe the ball... and I definitely want to get a good mask and snorkel and fins - I want to snorkel not only the ocean, but lakes and rivers! I love seeing the fish. I'm also bringing my Yoga and Pilates DVDs! I look forward to remembering how to cook on the road!! I like to cook, but just don't anymore. I've been looking at recipes and thinking about meals I could make, looking at maybe getting a slow cooker (so dinner's ready when we get there!) I'd like to visit Farmer's Markets where we travel for the best fresh produce - I think that will be fun.

So, however the trip ends up, it will be great. I guess I could go back to the starting quote for the answer, and summing up figuring out where to go comes to this:

Frankly, my dear, we don't give a damn!