I am Needles for the Memorial Day weekend. Needles claim to fame is that this is where Spike, the brother of Snoopy in the Peanuts comic strip, lives. Yup, that’s about all there is to Needles.
I got set up before I read the details about the park and then I realized that they did not have cable TV. OH NO, I was going to miss the season finalies of Dancing with the Stars and The Biggest Loser. Luckily they had satellite TV in the gym so I got two of the TVs working – one for each finale. Nirvana!
It is warm …. Okay hot…… okay this is where the Devil got the idea for HELL!!!! And I like hot weather but even this is a little more than I am used to. But it is a dry heat; god only knows why people say that. I do have an excellent example to prove how dry it is. Two years ago when Linda & I were in Mexico in May she flipped off her floatie and ended up under the water in the pool. Not a big deal as the woman knows how to swim. The problem was that she had her MP3 around her neck and it went into the pool with her. It seemed okay for a few minutes and then it was not happy. Wouldn’t play, wouldn’t take a charge, wouldn’t reset. So she sent out a plea on Facebook and she got the suggestion to bury the player in rice and leave it in the sun. The rice wicks out the moisture (rice in the salt shaker principal). After a day in the sun we pushed reset and everything was fine. Well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, yesterday I was in the pool and I went right and my MP3 player went left and yup into the pool!!! This caused immediate panic as it is my lifeline for audio books and music. I prayed to the God of Technology and left it in the sun as I did not have any rice and I didn’t think that Special K would work. Within 20 minutes the MP3 player was dry and working as if nothing happened. This is great but the same principal is drying out my poor skin.
This RV Park is a large gated community that has spots for short and long tern RVers. It was very quiet when I arrived on Tuesday. I even backed the trailer into the spot which is a big deal as I usually get a pull through spot. To make the trailer go to the left you turn the steering wheel to the right but if you are looking in the rear view mirror then to go right looking backwards you need to????? There is truly no logic to the whole backing up issue. It is now Thursday and there is a steady stream of trailers, campers and boats arriving for the long Memorial weekend. The woman who is the manager said that they expect an influx of 300 people. I am really looking forward to the celebrations. The Americans really know how to enjoy their time off.
I drove to Laughlin, Nevada yesterday (about 30 minutes) and found the tackiest looking casino. Ladies, I have seen our old age and it involves polyester and Aqua Net!!!! Spent a couple of hours playing the penny slots and then decided that I would get dinner. I saw an In ‘N Out hamburger place. This is the place mentioned on TMZ where the celebrities go after the clubs close. But since I was in Laughlin at 5:30pm and not Los Angeles at 3am I didn’t expect to run into Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton. And I was not disappointed. The burger franchise has 3 choices – double burger, cheese burger or burger. They get you in and out really fast. Hmmmmm, wonder if that is where they got the name.
Have to get to bed early so I can get to the shower and pool before the crowds arrive. Pictures after the weekend.
Love
Adelle
Thursday, May 27, 2010
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
When I checked into the RV Park in Bakersfield, I was given a spot in the new “transient” section. The older part of the park was for long termers. I was the only trailer but it was very safe as it was right next to the other part of the park. I got the trailer unhitched and hooked up to the services. It was such a beautiful day that I even pulled the awning down for the first time. I got my lounge chair set up and was just getting comfortable when THE TRAIN WENT BY REALLY CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That wasn’t mentioned in the Woodall’s Guide to Campgrounds. It really didn’t bother me but it did remind me of one of my favourite stories about mom.
Mom and I loved to go to Palm Springs in the late 70’s. We would fly down (her from Vancouver and me from Seattle) and spend 2 weeks at this little motel owned by Kay who had to be at least 80 if the condition of her skin was any indicator. The last trip we took was in 1980 and since I was back from Seattle and she wanted to visit a couple of towns on the way down, we drove her yellow station wagon. I had a horrible cold and was taking cough syrup with codeine so she drove all the way down. The deal was that we were to split all expenses. After our two weeks it was time to return home and I said that I would do most of the driving to even up. The first day we were driving through the desert and talking about whatever. She turned to me at one point and said (and I quote) “You have a mind like a steel trap and a mouth to match”. She immediately realized that all I had to do was pull over to the side of the highway and put her out of the car. And then I started to laugh and we ended up with tears from laughing so hard.
The last full day on the road was kind of tense and it was my turn to pay for the motel but she said that she would pay and I said that it was my turn and she said that she didn’t mind paying and I said that IT WAS MY TURN AND I WOULD PICK THE MOTEL AND THAT WAS THE END OF THE SUBJECT. I found a motel and checked us in. I saw train tracks so I asked the motel clerk what time the last train went by and she said 8pm which was not a big deal. My cold was back, my head was stuffed up and mom and I weren’t talking at dinner. We got back to the motel room and got into bed and sure enough the train went by a precisely 8 pm. What I hadn’t asked was just how close are those train tracks because we sat bolt upright and fully expected to see the train come through the bathroom it was that loud. Well, mom and I looked at each other and we burst out laughing. All was forgiven…. until the next morning. I had not asked what time the FIRST train went by. Yup 6am and we almost suffered twin heart attacks. We laughed about that trip for years and years so trains next to my trailer don’t bother me in the least. They remind me of mom.
Mom and I loved to go to Palm Springs in the late 70’s. We would fly down (her from Vancouver and me from Seattle) and spend 2 weeks at this little motel owned by Kay who had to be at least 80 if the condition of her skin was any indicator. The last trip we took was in 1980 and since I was back from Seattle and she wanted to visit a couple of towns on the way down, we drove her yellow station wagon. I had a horrible cold and was taking cough syrup with codeine so she drove all the way down. The deal was that we were to split all expenses. After our two weeks it was time to return home and I said that I would do most of the driving to even up. The first day we were driving through the desert and talking about whatever. She turned to me at one point and said (and I quote) “You have a mind like a steel trap and a mouth to match”. She immediately realized that all I had to do was pull over to the side of the highway and put her out of the car. And then I started to laugh and we ended up with tears from laughing so hard.
The last full day on the road was kind of tense and it was my turn to pay for the motel but she said that she would pay and I said that it was my turn and she said that she didn’t mind paying and I said that IT WAS MY TURN AND I WOULD PICK THE MOTEL AND THAT WAS THE END OF THE SUBJECT. I found a motel and checked us in. I saw train tracks so I asked the motel clerk what time the last train went by and she said 8pm which was not a big deal. My cold was back, my head was stuffed up and mom and I weren’t talking at dinner. We got back to the motel room and got into bed and sure enough the train went by a precisely 8 pm. What I hadn’t asked was just how close are those train tracks because we sat bolt upright and fully expected to see the train come through the bathroom it was that loud. Well, mom and I looked at each other and we burst out laughing. All was forgiven…. until the next morning. I had not asked what time the FIRST train went by. Yup 6am and we almost suffered twin heart attacks. We laughed about that trip for years and years so trains next to my trailer don’t bother me in the least. They remind me of mom.
Monday, May 24, 2010
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK
HOSPITAL ROCK - I HAD TO HIKE DOWN TO GET THESE SHOTS BUT WELL WORTH THE EFFORT.
ONE BUSY CAMPER
I left Tri City in Southern Oregon on Monday May 17th and drove to Corning, California. The roads conditions were excellent except that there was a lot of going up and down. Just when I thought the climbs were done, there was another one. It was an exhausting day on the road. I stayed one night in Corning and didn’t bother to unhook the trailer. I headed out the next day for Fresno. I try to keep the driving to 4 hours and I chart my route using the AAA website. They do not take into account the many rest stops and the reduced driving speed when towing a trailer so I usually end up being in the truck for 6 hours. The highways in California are in terrible shape. I spent the trip fooling around with the trailer brake settings as I tried to get a smoother ride but with no luck. I get to Fresno around 3pm and using OnStar I find the RV park. I had not made reservations like every other time as I was only going to stay one night. When I pull into the RV Park, the sign on the office door said ‘NO VACANCY”. Damn, now what??? I drove through the park to get turned around and although there were lots of big motor homes and 5th wheels, the park was seedy to say the least so there being no vacancy was a good thing.
On to PLAN B which turned out to be a much better plan. I had the number for an RV park in Three Rivers and yes they had space for me. So I got OnStar to plot the route and off I went. Now the thing with the turn by turn directions is that the route on the odometer shows the distance to the next turn. So every turn would give a new distance. At one point I was sure that I had to be going backwards.
I ended up on a 2 lane highway that wound around the hills until I came around a turn and I was in Paradise!!! There was a beautiful lake surrounded by hills. It looks just like Penticton and the sun was glisten off the lake and I was in heaven. The area is Three Rivers and it is a very small town.
Thank God for On Star or I would never have found the RV Park. It was great – pull through space with lots of room on either side. A short walk to the river and the swimming hole. So after 8 hours I had found a wonderful place to hang out for a few days. I even went to the Sequoia National Park and saw the world’s biggest tree (not the tallest or the biggest in circumference but the biggest in mass).
I actually took pictures this time so I will let them tell the story of this wonderful week on the road.
Off to Needles, California for the next week and then THE GRAND CANYON!!!!!!!!
On to PLAN B which turned out to be a much better plan. I had the number for an RV park in Three Rivers and yes they had space for me. So I got OnStar to plot the route and off I went. Now the thing with the turn by turn directions is that the route on the odometer shows the distance to the next turn. So every turn would give a new distance. At one point I was sure that I had to be going backwards.
I ended up on a 2 lane highway that wound around the hills until I came around a turn and I was in Paradise!!! There was a beautiful lake surrounded by hills. It looks just like Penticton and the sun was glisten off the lake and I was in heaven. The area is Three Rivers and it is a very small town.
Thank God for On Star or I would never have found the RV Park. It was great – pull through space with lots of room on either side. A short walk to the river and the swimming hole. So after 8 hours I had found a wonderful place to hang out for a few days. I even went to the Sequoia National Park and saw the world’s biggest tree (not the tallest or the biggest in circumference but the biggest in mass).
I actually took pictures this time so I will let them tell the story of this wonderful week on the road.
Off to Needles, California for the next week and then THE GRAND CANYON!!!!!!!!
Monday, May 17, 2010
VACATIONS FROM MY YOUTH
Yesterday I was headed back into Roseburg to Fred Meyer for a few things and as I am driving my big truck that would easily fit six adults all with seat belts, listening to XM Satellite radio and waiting for OnStar to continue with my turn-by-turn instructions, after I had checked my computer for specials to cook in the microwave while watching cable TV before I went to sleep in my queen size bed, I was struck with how different this trip is from those of my (not so long ago) youth.
Every summer for two weeks the McKinney family would head up to Summerland on Lake Okanagan for our annual vacation. We, like most families, tented during these annual treks. Mom & Dad would get the car, trunk and roof rack loaded the night before to save time in the morning. The kids were awakened at 5am so that we could get on the road before everyone else. Of course, everyone else woke up at 5 am so they could get on the road before everyone else.
Since there was NO STOPPING on the drive, mom made sandwiches for the trip. My mother was one amazing broad but she fell short in the culinary department, way short!! She would make sandwiches with white bread (it came to be known as White Death by Scott but that was years later when we found out that there was such a thing as Whole Wheat). The margarine was too cold and therefore unspeadable but margarine HAD to go on sandwiches so every slice of bread got a lump of margarine, except for Father’s as he got butter! She would then put a slice of bologna on the bread (sometimes she even stopped long enough to remove the wrapping around the slice of bologna) and then a quick swipe of yellow mustard (no Rolls Royce, no Grey Poupon Dijon) and then these culinary delicacies were put into a paper bag that had already been recycled from several other uses. My mother was not an environmentalist ahead of her time, she was raised in the Depression and learned to make due.
Every two years Dad got a new car on lease from the company and they were family sedans but six people in a car was tight hence no need for seat belts because there weren’t any. But at some point in the long drive, someone touched someone and all hell broke loose. Mother would reach around to try and separate us (good luck it was so hot in the car that we had melted together) and if she couldn’t stop it Father would say “Don’t make me come back there”. Yeah right like he would stop the car on the shoulder of the road and straighten us out. That would cut into him trying to best last year’s driving time.
There were very few passing lanes so it was a tough drive trying to get by trucks, trailers and little old men wearing hats and driving at 30 mph! But we finally arrive around noon. The temperature would be in the 80’s but the tent had to go up. Dad and the kids put up the tent and mom’s very, very important job was to have a gin and tonic with ICE ready for dad when the tent was up. Dad did not do another thing but sit in the shade until it was time to reverse the order – drink, take down tent and drive home. Mom on the other hand had just begun her work. Working with a Colman stove, toting water, heating it up to wash and rinse dishes, sweeping out the tent and repeating this process for 14 days. It was like Little House on the Prairies but without Michael Landon!
It was a fun two weeks, nonetheless. We had a great lake to swim in, campfires at night with hot dogs and marshmallows and lots of other kids to play with. We had to blow up the air mattresses every night because they all had small holes in them but the sleeping bags were so cumbersome and hot, that we didn’t even notice that we were sleeping right on the ground. We would have the Coleman lantern at night and would tell ghost stories until an adult would yell – GO TO SLEEP and we were too tired to argue.
When the vacation was over and we were back home, we would lug our suitcases into the basement and dump all the clothes out for mom to wash, we would put the tent and camping gear back in the creepy crawly part of the basement until next year and head out to see which of our friends were around the neighbourhood and stay out until we heard someone’s mom yelling to come home and we all went home.
Summers were perfect back then but only from the perspective of my beautiful travel trailer. Have to end now – the popcorn is ready and the movie is starting!!!
Every summer for two weeks the McKinney family would head up to Summerland on Lake Okanagan for our annual vacation. We, like most families, tented during these annual treks. Mom & Dad would get the car, trunk and roof rack loaded the night before to save time in the morning. The kids were awakened at 5am so that we could get on the road before everyone else. Of course, everyone else woke up at 5 am so they could get on the road before everyone else.
Since there was NO STOPPING on the drive, mom made sandwiches for the trip. My mother was one amazing broad but she fell short in the culinary department, way short!! She would make sandwiches with white bread (it came to be known as White Death by Scott but that was years later when we found out that there was such a thing as Whole Wheat). The margarine was too cold and therefore unspeadable but margarine HAD to go on sandwiches so every slice of bread got a lump of margarine, except for Father’s as he got butter! She would then put a slice of bologna on the bread (sometimes she even stopped long enough to remove the wrapping around the slice of bologna) and then a quick swipe of yellow mustard (no Rolls Royce, no Grey Poupon Dijon) and then these culinary delicacies were put into a paper bag that had already been recycled from several other uses. My mother was not an environmentalist ahead of her time, she was raised in the Depression and learned to make due.
Every two years Dad got a new car on lease from the company and they were family sedans but six people in a car was tight hence no need for seat belts because there weren’t any. But at some point in the long drive, someone touched someone and all hell broke loose. Mother would reach around to try and separate us (good luck it was so hot in the car that we had melted together) and if she couldn’t stop it Father would say “Don’t make me come back there”. Yeah right like he would stop the car on the shoulder of the road and straighten us out. That would cut into him trying to best last year’s driving time.
There were very few passing lanes so it was a tough drive trying to get by trucks, trailers and little old men wearing hats and driving at 30 mph! But we finally arrive around noon. The temperature would be in the 80’s but the tent had to go up. Dad and the kids put up the tent and mom’s very, very important job was to have a gin and tonic with ICE ready for dad when the tent was up. Dad did not do another thing but sit in the shade until it was time to reverse the order – drink, take down tent and drive home. Mom on the other hand had just begun her work. Working with a Colman stove, toting water, heating it up to wash and rinse dishes, sweeping out the tent and repeating this process for 14 days. It was like Little House on the Prairies but without Michael Landon!
It was a fun two weeks, nonetheless. We had a great lake to swim in, campfires at night with hot dogs and marshmallows and lots of other kids to play with. We had to blow up the air mattresses every night because they all had small holes in them but the sleeping bags were so cumbersome and hot, that we didn’t even notice that we were sleeping right on the ground. We would have the Coleman lantern at night and would tell ghost stories until an adult would yell – GO TO SLEEP and we were too tired to argue.
When the vacation was over and we were back home, we would lug our suitcases into the basement and dump all the clothes out for mom to wash, we would put the tent and camping gear back in the creepy crawly part of the basement until next year and head out to see which of our friends were around the neighbourhood and stay out until we heard someone’s mom yelling to come home and we all went home.
Summers were perfect back then but only from the perspective of my beautiful travel trailer. Have to end now – the popcorn is ready and the movie is starting!!!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Housework Day
Okay, no matter how small your space, you still need to do housework so today is that day. I have never had to do laundry when traveling because Linda lives to do laundry. Even in Mexico in May she was doing laundry. Penticton in August, doing laundry. All inclusive in Mexico, still found laundry. I, on the other hand, do not like doing laundry but set me up with ironing and I am happy, happy, happy. I also realize that sweeping should be done AFTER I change the bed and shake out rugs. I will know for next month when it is again cleaning day - yes, next month. I am on a permanent vacation so I don't want to overdue this cleaning thing. Besides, things wear out if you clean them too much!
The weather is perfect. I am in southern Oregon and the sun has been shining for a couple of days. What a difference when I can pull up the blinds, open the windows and let the outside in. I am not doing another thing today but enjoy the sun, the beer and a good book.
Some of the best things about traveling in the USA are:
1. Lots of rest areas on the freeway and some even offer free coffee. Various groups get a few days per year to man the small building and set up with coffee (and sometimes homemade cookies) and raise money for their porganization. Great idea since casino nights are no longer options for non profit groups. The rest areas are very clean, lots of parking and safe. I love to park between the big rigs and feel like a trucker.
2. The outdoor malls have walkways between the isles of parking. This keeps people from walking behind cars which is a real problem in Richmond. Short Asians.
3. The highways and exits are clearly marked and since the exit number corresponds to the mileage I know how far it is to the exit that I am looking for. Brilliant.
4. The drivers are great. No tailgating, no speeding, no swerving in and out of traffic, AND NO 7 DWARFS BLOCKING THE BACK WINDOW.
That's it for now. Those beers aren't going to drink themselves!!!
Love to all
a
The weather is perfect. I am in southern Oregon and the sun has been shining for a couple of days. What a difference when I can pull up the blinds, open the windows and let the outside in. I am not doing another thing today but enjoy the sun, the beer and a good book.
Some of the best things about traveling in the USA are:
1. Lots of rest areas on the freeway and some even offer free coffee. Various groups get a few days per year to man the small building and set up with coffee (and sometimes homemade cookies) and raise money for their porganization. Great idea since casino nights are no longer options for non profit groups. The rest areas are very clean, lots of parking and safe. I love to park between the big rigs and feel like a trucker.
2. The outdoor malls have walkways between the isles of parking. This keeps people from walking behind cars which is a real problem in Richmond. Short Asians.
3. The highways and exits are clearly marked and since the exit number corresponds to the mileage I know how far it is to the exit that I am looking for. Brilliant.
4. The drivers are great. No tailgating, no speeding, no swerving in and out of traffic, AND NO 7 DWARFS BLOCKING THE BACK WINDOW.
That's it for now. Those beers aren't going to drink themselves!!!
Love to all
a
Sunday, May 9, 2010
WHAT I LEARNED ON THE ROAD THIS WEEK!
1. Manuals are written for a reason and not just to annoy me!!
2. There is always a Walmart no matter how far out in the sticks you are.
3. Do something often enough and you get good at it (I can now hook up and unhook the trailer all by myself)
4. No matter what you need done there is always someone to help you.
5. Never count the Vancouver Canucks out!
6. Taking deep breaths can calm you down even if you are running out of gas and have a tire that really needs air.
7. Americans are the nicest group of people that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
8. Do not try to read the manual while driving!
9. Organization is your friend especially in a 25' trailer.
10. When traveling alone, it is nice to have a big stuffed dog to talk to when no one is around.
11. The best time of the day is 6am as long as you have coffee.
12. Put manuals where you can find them when you finally give up and decide to read them.
13. I am so very fortunate to live this life!
2. There is always a Walmart no matter how far out in the sticks you are.
3. Do something often enough and you get good at it (I can now hook up and unhook the trailer all by myself)
4. No matter what you need done there is always someone to help you.
5. Never count the Vancouver Canucks out!
6. Taking deep breaths can calm you down even if you are running out of gas and have a tire that really needs air.
7. Americans are the nicest group of people that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
8. Do not try to read the manual while driving!
9. Organization is your friend especially in a 25' trailer.
10. When traveling alone, it is nice to have a big stuffed dog to talk to when no one is around.
11. The best time of the day is 6am as long as you have coffee.
12. Put manuals where you can find them when you finally give up and decide to read them.
13. I am so very fortunate to live this life!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
FINALLY!!!!!!
Here it is Day Six and I feel like Jack Bauer on "24". Too much to do and not enough time to do it.
Here I thought that I would spend my days sleeping in, having a leisurely coffee, doing a little shopping, maybe an afternoon nap and a fabulous dinner with great wine. Well, I feel a little like Zza Zza Gabor on Green Acres - Absolutely out of my comfort zone for sure. Lauren and I hooked up the trailer on Friday and after a 1 1/2 hour wait at the border (thank god I was towing an expensive toilet which I needed at the one hour mark) we got to Birch Bay and parked the trailer. We are parked next to the assistant managers, Earl and Iantha, and if it wasn't for Earl being such a sweetie, I might have returned home and turned the trailer into a coffee kiosk! He helped me hook up power and sewer and explained the extra hook ups that I would need. When I got the wrong fittings he loaned me his extra sewer hose until I could get to Walmart. And thank god for Walmart which stocks much of the stuff I needed but a greatly reduced price. I have made several trips this week!
Everyone that I have met at the park are very helpful and very nice. Yes, I am making nice. I even went to Costco today and, unlike in Richmond Costco, I did not want to kill a single person. Everyone I have met has been so helpful and can't seem to do enough for you. The entire Canadian workforce needs to do training in the US. Not sure where the term Ugly American came from but I have yet to meet one. Even the guy who parked right next to me at Fred Meyers apologized for parking so close. He might have heard me say "REALLY?" and that prompted the apology but he was very nice (might of even been cute if not for the dad jeans).
The major problem in America is morbid obesity. The stores supply scooters for people who cannot walk on their own. If you need a scooter to get to the ice cream aisle, then you might have a weight issue. It makes me think twice about what I buy. With a small fridge it is hard to get in enough fruit and veggies but I buy bag salad and frozen fruit. The freezer is a little crowded with frozen dinners, a bottle of Cosmopolitans and a bag of ice for margaritas. I even had to take some bottles of beer out of the fridge for water - go figure.
I have also taken "puttering" to a whole new level. Although there is considerable storage in the trailer I have had to sort everything based on "Need It Now" "Need it Soon" "Need it Later" and, my favorite, "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". Some of that stuff went back with Lauren on Monday and the rest is stored in the truck for now.
I have a whole new appreciation for Velcro and the thousand different uses I have found for it. If I can't Velcro it, 3M double sided tape it or gorilla duct tape it, then out it goes. Hopefully everything will stay put when I hit temperatures the the high 90's.
This park doesn't have cable but I have lots of movies and I do watch some programs on my computer. There is a thing called Redbox and they are located in 7-11, Walmart, etc. and you rent movies for $1 (which seems to be a fair price for some of the movies out now).
I have been on a steep learning curve with the trailer and all the systems that I need to understand but the real learning is all the gadgets that come with the dreaded instructions manual - TV with DVD player, blender, coffee machine, coffee bean grinder, camcorder, new cell phone (206-619-9150) and xm radio. That is a lot of new learning for my brain! (Lauren - can you remember where mommy hid all the extra keys? It was like Easter morning when I started looking for my hiding spots. The keys will turn up eventually. It's not like I am living in 7500 sq. ft.)
You may wonder, after all of this, if I am enjoying the RVing lifestyle and my definitive answer is ABSO-*******-LUTELY (Sex in the City reference). I am here until Friday (I sound like a bad Vegas lounge act) and then I am headed south. Not sure of my next stop but I am learning to slow down and not make a dash for the finish.
Pictures next time.
Love to all
Adelle
Here I thought that I would spend my days sleeping in, having a leisurely coffee, doing a little shopping, maybe an afternoon nap and a fabulous dinner with great wine. Well, I feel a little like Zza Zza Gabor on Green Acres - Absolutely out of my comfort zone for sure. Lauren and I hooked up the trailer on Friday and after a 1 1/2 hour wait at the border (thank god I was towing an expensive toilet which I needed at the one hour mark) we got to Birch Bay and parked the trailer. We are parked next to the assistant managers, Earl and Iantha, and if it wasn't for Earl being such a sweetie, I might have returned home and turned the trailer into a coffee kiosk! He helped me hook up power and sewer and explained the extra hook ups that I would need. When I got the wrong fittings he loaned me his extra sewer hose until I could get to Walmart. And thank god for Walmart which stocks much of the stuff I needed but a greatly reduced price. I have made several trips this week!
Everyone that I have met at the park are very helpful and very nice. Yes, I am making nice. I even went to Costco today and, unlike in Richmond Costco, I did not want to kill a single person. Everyone I have met has been so helpful and can't seem to do enough for you. The entire Canadian workforce needs to do training in the US. Not sure where the term Ugly American came from but I have yet to meet one. Even the guy who parked right next to me at Fred Meyers apologized for parking so close. He might have heard me say "REALLY?" and that prompted the apology but he was very nice (might of even been cute if not for the dad jeans).
The major problem in America is morbid obesity. The stores supply scooters for people who cannot walk on their own. If you need a scooter to get to the ice cream aisle, then you might have a weight issue. It makes me think twice about what I buy. With a small fridge it is hard to get in enough fruit and veggies but I buy bag salad and frozen fruit. The freezer is a little crowded with frozen dinners, a bottle of Cosmopolitans and a bag of ice for margaritas. I even had to take some bottles of beer out of the fridge for water - go figure.
I have also taken "puttering" to a whole new level. Although there is considerable storage in the trailer I have had to sort everything based on "Need It Now" "Need it Soon" "Need it Later" and, my favorite, "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". Some of that stuff went back with Lauren on Monday and the rest is stored in the truck for now.
I have a whole new appreciation for Velcro and the thousand different uses I have found for it. If I can't Velcro it, 3M double sided tape it or gorilla duct tape it, then out it goes. Hopefully everything will stay put when I hit temperatures the the high 90's.
This park doesn't have cable but I have lots of movies and I do watch some programs on my computer. There is a thing called Redbox and they are located in 7-11, Walmart, etc. and you rent movies for $1 (which seems to be a fair price for some of the movies out now).
I have been on a steep learning curve with the trailer and all the systems that I need to understand but the real learning is all the gadgets that come with the dreaded instructions manual - TV with DVD player, blender, coffee machine, coffee bean grinder, camcorder, new cell phone (206-619-9150) and xm radio. That is a lot of new learning for my brain! (Lauren - can you remember where mommy hid all the extra keys? It was like Easter morning when I started looking for my hiding spots. The keys will turn up eventually. It's not like I am living in 7500 sq. ft.)
You may wonder, after all of this, if I am enjoying the RVing lifestyle and my definitive answer is ABSO-*******-LUTELY (Sex in the City reference). I am here until Friday (I sound like a bad Vegas lounge act) and then I am headed south. Not sure of my next stop but I am learning to slow down and not make a dash for the finish.
Pictures next time.
Love to all
Adelle
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