Stranded... and so much more

 

Long Time No Post

 



Why O Why have I not posted for over a month??
Well, I've had a lot of computer problems, so everything is more complicated than it should be.  The work I did do towards a blog post awhile back was lost, so that added some discouragement, then the longer I wait... the harder it is!  But its time... and I have time now!

Stranded (but Thankful!)

 

We're temporarily stranded in Luling, Texas... a tiny little place between Houston and San Antonio.



A transmission line burst on our truck. 

So why are we thankful??  So many reasons... We weren't pulling the 5er when it happened.  Our wheelhouse was safely parked in an RV Park.  The RV park can extend our stay and the price is right.  We managed to get the gears to engage enough to get us out of the intersection and into a parking lot.  It was a beautiful afternoon, so we were able to walk to do our errands.  Finally, even though we are in a tiny town... they just happen to have a Chevrolet dealership!

 

We contacted AAA in Oregon who contacted AAA in Texas who contacted a Tow truck driver, who showed up, hooked us up, took us to Chevrolet, then took us home.

Now we wait until Monday when the service department opens.

 

 

Thanksgiving 2013

 

Before leaving Florida, we enjoyed Thanksgiving day with John and Janie. 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at our place.

 

Last Thanksgiving we were able to spend with my parents, since we were workamping just 150 miles away.  Thanksgiving 2011 we were in Las Vegas, and participated in a park dinner.  Thanksgiving 2010, our first Thanksgiving in the 5er, was spent in San Antonio as we prepared to open our Christmas tree lot the next day.  Never know where or with who you will spend a holiday when you're a full-time RVer!

 

We had such a wonderful time on the Emerald Coast of Florida.  We were there 33 days, and all but 3 days we spent on the beach.  Several days we also enjoyed Kayaking in the bay. 

This was definitely on our list of favorite places.

 

 

 

 

Alabama

That's it for Alabama!

Mississippi

Our next stop for a visit after leaving Florida was Biloxi, Mississippi

 

I'd been experiencing some Keno and Slot machine withdrawal, and Biloxi had just the cure for that.  With 10 Casinos in the area, we made sure to hit them all to see what they might give us.

 

Most casinos give something to new visitors.  From 3 we got free buffet's!  The best buffet was at the IP... incredible food.  All the crab you can eat, salmon, shrimp, and so much more!  Jeff even tried frog legs... yuck!  He actually didn't know what they were when he was taking them, but a little girl behind him let him know.

 

 

 Mississippi also has beaches... but not nearly as nice as the Emerald Coast of Florida. 

 

 

 

One very cool thing that they do have...

Sculptures

After Hurricane Katrina, nearly all of Biloxi beach was destroyed, including the trees.

An artist from Ft. Walton Beach has sculpted many of the trees into works of art.

 

 

 



more of Biloxi



 

 

Next stop on our trip West... New Orleans, Louisiana

 

We chose to stay at the Bayou Segnette SP outside of New Orleans.

 

The park was quiet, and our site was plenty spacious. 

If we were there to hang out at the park, all would have been good!

 

But we were there to visit New Orleans... and that turned out to be an ordeal.

We just aren't city folk.  Every time we went out we got lost and stressed. 

But we did it... we saw the area and we have now been to New Orleans. 

We did enjoy the experience.

 

 

To visit the French Quarter, we chose to park at the edge of the city and use public transportation from there.  We took the St. Charles shuttle bus to connect to the St. Charles Streetcar which took us to Canal Street where we could catch more streetcars or walk... we did both.

 

 

One thing is for sure... they are serious about getting a handle on their high crime reputation.  There are police everywhere!

And another thing about New Orleans Louisiana... they are a very proud people.  Proud of their city and their heritage and what they have survived and overcome together.  They are big on traditions, and their New Orleans Saints are a big deal. 

 

 

Making our way back

 

After leaving New Orleans on December 18th, we stayed one night in Lafayette, and stopped briefly at Lake Charles, but then made our way back into Texas. 

 

A couple years ago, Texas seemed far from "home" but now when we crossed the border into Texas, we felt like we had arrived back home.  I suppose because it is a place we have been before.  We've completed our long anticipated trip into the unfamiliar territory of the East Coast, and now its like we've safely arrived back "home".  We're no longer on vacation, we've returned to "normal" RV life.

 



What Next?

 



We have a reservation near Phoenix, AZ where we will visit friends, then another reservation in Las Vegas where we will visit more friends.  Then we will make our way back to Oregon by January 21st.  Its a little early, we will still feel real Winter, but we have family to see.

 

Then we have taken a caretaking job at a lake resort in California that we start on April 1st.  We're looking forward to that.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!

Speaking of living in a home on wheels… Those were my words in the midst of today’s events.  It passed… in fact, when I said it, I knew I didn’t REALLY mean it… I love this lifestyle, but if EVER there were a time that I wanted to quit this lifestyle, it was TODAY!  We don’t do stress very well…  maybe because we’ve been away from it for so long.

This was the dreaded day that we had to get ourselves off the hill.  It’s been several days since we had hard rain, so we were hoping to get out without incident.  BUT… there was incident… after incident… after incident.  The mud was not our only concern. 

We got our Swivelwheel motorcycle carrier while we were here, and we hadn’t yet pulled it behind the fifth wheel.  We had tested it behind the truck, and we had our concerns.  Yesterday we pulled the 5er off the stilts, so we could hook it up, but that’s all we could do.  The ramps we ordered to load the bike were too short… so we sent them back (after paying $40 coming and $60 going for shipping!!)   We ordered another set of ramps that we certainly hope will work, but we didn’t have time to get them before we had to leave, so we had to borrow the ramps we sold before we left last October. (funny huh?)

We weren’t about to attempt pulling the bike down the hill, so we were pulling the swivelwheel empty, and we would load our bike at a lot a couple miles down the road.  But even empty, we had some trouble.  As we backed up, the swivelwheel hit some mud and stopped, so as Jeff continued backing up, the platform continued to tilt, and tilted so far that the back was almost in the ground.  Our other new purchase was Motorola 2-way radios... so at this point I pressed my button and said "STOP!"  And Jeff stopped!  We put boards under the wheel, and it moved along from there as it was suppose to.

BUT then the truck got stuck in the mud... really stuck.  So after much contemplation, we decided maybe we could dig ourselves out.  So we dug down in front of the tire, then we laid bark in front of all the truck tires... then boards... FINALLY, we did get out!!  But we were off of the planned route out of there, and had to move to plan B (which wasnt actually a plan B, it just became plan B... we didnt have a plan B.  Plan A was suppose to work!)

Our new route took us back further on the lot, then down the hill at a different point.  As the truck started down the hill, the front of the fifth wheel got closer and closer to the ground.... and again I said "STOP!".   The front jacks were digging into the ground and digging deeper and deeper, and they werent going to dig themselves out... so we had to!  We dug a track, but then as he moved forward it started digging in again, so again I dug. 

Finally we were clear and Jeff was on his way down the hill.   

He made it onto the driveway, and pulled out in the street so he could straighten out and back up so we could load the bicycles and make an official exit.  Again, the fifth wheel shifted and slammed forward.  It had done this earlier a couple times, and we had continued to fight with it.  We have a sliding fifth wheel hitch, and it was doing its sliding thing!  They had taken the fifth wheel hitch out to load things in the truck, and evidentally it had come unlocked, and now it seemed we couldnt get it to lock in place.

We loaded the bicycles and pulled out.  Jeff drove the truck and Ginny and I followed in the car, so we could come back and get the bike. 

The plan was to take the Ultra Classic and its too big for me to attempt to ride.  But by the end of this ordeal, Jeff and I were both stressed, and nervous about hauling a heavy bike on this Swivelwheel for the first time.  So we decided to take my Heritage Softail instead.  The original original plan was to pull the "bagger" and I would follow on my bike.  But the WEATHER has been awful, so I wasnt going to ride through rain and snow and be miserable.  Now we will ride back when the weather is better and  get the other bike.

So with the sudden change of plans, AND the fact that it had started RAINING on us... the simple plan to go back and get the bike, wasnt so simple any more.  Now we needed to make sure we got what we needed off the bike we thought we were going to take, and get the things that we needed for the bike we were taking, and the battery was dead, and both were wet, and how was I suppose to carry all this extra stuff on the back of the bike?

Okay... time to stop sniveling.  We did make it out of the mud and down the hill and to the lot and we did get the bike and I did carry the stuff, and we did get it loaded and tied down, and we are on our way to Prineville, Oregon for our first camp host job of the Summer.

I rode in the fifth wheel, watching how the swivelwheel handles for the first 10 miles.  I'm glad I dont have to watch it all the time, because its alot easier when I dont know what its doing back there.  It is fine Im sure, its just scary to watch as it bounces around.

Its now almost midnight, and my battery is dying.   We have landed for the night in a Walmart parking lot in Bend, Oregon.  This wasnt our plan for the night, but the other plan didnt work, then the next plan didnt work, then the next plan didnt work.  So here we are... our first experience staying in a Walmart parking lot.

GOOD-NIGHT!

Back in Oregon

Our stay in Yreka last night was a really good one.  It was quiet and I slept great.  In fact... it was my favorite of our 5 night stays on our trip to Oregon.  The next favorite was our first night that we boondocked in a dirt lot in Holbrook, AZ.  I showed you the Yreka site last post.  Here are the window views:

We were so comfortable, we didnt "check out" until 10:30.  We had only a 55 mile drive to my parents house in Medford, OR.

Nasty Nasty Weather

This is a little better

Hi Mom!

 Mom had a late breakfast prepared for us... very good home cooking!

Then Jeff just couldn't contain himself any longer.  Our Harley Ultra Classic has been stored in their garage... he had to go check on her and start her up.

Time to move on...  but not without a picture of me with my parents.

 Bye... we will be back soon!

On to Grants Pass... 30 more miles down I-5

driving up the road to our friends house

There she is... our friend Ginny... waiting for us!

 Now for the ordeal of getting our fifth wheel up to the top where we park.  We usually take it through the field, and we had hoped it would be fine, but as soon as we turned the corner and saw the damp looking tall grass... no... this is not going to be fine.

Jeff turned in and attempted to drive across the field, but we started spinning and the mud was flinging itself inside my window all over me.  I got out... we were stuck.  The rear end was in the road and the truck was in the mud.  Ginny held back traffic as I tried to survey the surroundings and relay it all to Jeff.   Jeff did get backed up, and he pulled up the driveway.   Branches on the trees brushed the roof, but we made it to the top.

But that wasnt the end of the ordeal... by any means.  We got stuck in the mud trying to maneuver to where we would park... and I mean really stuck.

After much spinning and throwing stuff under the tires in an attempt to get traction, we did get out of the much and on to hard ground.  So we found a place that we could park, and its actually a good place. 

The ground is so slanted... check out our stabilizers!

It's been a good day, and an eventful day, and I am very tired.

We have made it to Oregon, where we will be until October. We will be here on Ginnys property for 3 weeks before leaving for our first camphosting job.