Last Day

No, no. It's not our last day of fulltiming.

It's the last day of our National Parks Annual Pass.

Today we made a quick (That's relative, mind you.) jaunt into Yellowstone to enjoy a picnic lunch at Lake Yellowstone, which we'd yet to lay eyes on. As we pulled up to the "prepaid visitors" gate at West Yellowstone, Paul flashed our Annual Pass.

"Today is your last day," smiled the friendly volunteer.

Why, yes, it is!

We bought our first-ever annual pass just over a year ago when we ventured to Mt. Lassen National Park the weekend we sold our house. Unlike many of our friends that we're so so jealous of, we don't get to take advantage of the "golden age" pass. No, we have to shell out 80 bucks a year for the next 10 years!

I remember thinking as we plunked down those four twenties a year ago: Where will we go in the next year? What parks will we see?

Well, now we know! Here's a list, as well as we can remember, of the places where we've flashed our fancy pass over the last 13 months.

1. Mt. Lassen National Park, California

2. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

3. Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Oregon

4. Olympic National Park, Washington

5. Glacier National Park, Montana

6. Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument, Montana

7. White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

8. Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona

9. Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona

10. Montezuma Well National Monument, Arizona

11. Earthquake Lake, Montana

12. Mesa Falls, Idaho

13. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (x 4 over the last month!)

The 7-day fee for Yellowstone alone is $25. And, we've made one trip a week to that park for the last month. Our annual pass paid for itself here alone!

Yep. This little $80 piece of plastic was a great deal, any way you slice it. Will we get another? Of course! We're planning to visit Devil's Tower in a few days. So, we'll make the purchase then, if not sooner.

And, yes, we'll be asking ourselves the same question.

Where will we go in the next year? What parks will we see?

Small World

New neighbors pulled in a couple of days ago. Before we had a chance to meet them, we heard about them. We heard they are friends of Carl and Linda, good folks we met in Texas and who arrived here a week or so ago. We'd also heard they know Ed and Marilyn, whom we also met in Texas, and a few other fellow fulltimers.

With so many folks in common, we were eager to meet the new folks next door. Between the weather, our activities and theirs, we had yet to meet. Late this afternoon we finally made their acquaintance. We chatted for a bit and decided to get to know each other over happy hour.

Yep, they're our kind of people!

Mike and Leslie have been on the road for two years. The stories of our great escapes share many similarities, including purchasing a new rig on the road. Their Montana is simply lovely! It turns out that these fun people have met lots of fellow fulltimers we look forward to meeting, and vice versa. We have many fulltiming friends in common. In fact, Leslie recognized us as Boris and Natasha! While we may be spread out all over the continent, tonight's conversation reminded us that the fulltiming world is a small world, indeed.

We look forward to spending more time with these new friends during the rest of our stay, and catching up with them and their friends somewhere down the road. And, we have a new reason for making time to meet our neighbors wherever we park: You just never know when you might be parked next to the friend of a friend.

Low-Key Week

Wow! I just noticed it's been a week since our last post...already!

It's been a pretty low-key week here at Red Rock. No complaints from us, of course. We made a couple of day trips and took lots of pictures. Some day soon they'll be posts at Bullwinkle's place.

We had Gordon and Juanita over for dinner a couple of nights ago. Paul, once again, displayed his tri-tip prowess. And, Juanita worked magic with cranberries. A good time was had by all.

Starting today, Summer started to make an appearance here in eastern Idaho. Temperatures got up into the '70s. We thought about turning on the AC, but opted to nap instead!

With 10 days or so to go in our stay here, we're finding ourselves looking at maps, making travel plans. Not to wish our time in this beautiful place away, of course. But, we need to get organized about this, especially thinking about where we plan to spend Labor Day. After all, places are booking up.

There are many more day trips in store for us in the coming days. But, this week, we've had a really good time being pretty darn low-key.

Camera, Caches and a Campfire

What a glorious day! We were up early with -- what was that? -- sunshine pouring in the windows. With yesterday's snow a distant memory, we readied ourselves for an action-packed day.

The first item on our agenda: Buy a camera. For those of you who read our recent rant, you'll be happy to know we had the polar opposite experience in customer service at Best Buy. Yesterday, Paul found the camera of our dreams at BestBuy.com and ordered it online for pickup at the closest store that had it in stock. And, that would be Idaho Falls, some 95 miles away. The online ordering was followed by instant email confirmation and additional instructions.

We love Best Buy!

We piled into the Jeep early and headed south. The trip was the reverse of the one we made nearly two weeks ago. The big difference was the clear blue sky. We could see for miles, which meant one big deal: We could see the Grand Tetons. Even from some 50-plus miles away, this is one magnificent mountain range, and my personal favorite! That view alone was worth the trip.

Ninety minutes later we arrived in Idaho Falls with two stops in mind. First, Walmart. After spending nearly two weeks in remote but scenic Idaho, I gotta tell ya, we were just a wee bit deprived of civilization. A quick cruise around the Walmart gave us a healthy dose. Here, we reconnected with society!

With Rocky filled with vital essentials, we headed for stop number two: Best Buy. Here, in Idaho Falls, we found the friendliest Best Buy ever! We walked in and received the requisite greeting and a question. "How can we help you?" the cheerful greeter inquired.

"We here to pick up an online order," I replied.

"What did ya get?" he asked. Surprised by his question, we looked at each other and I gave a quick answer. "A camera," I replied.

"Cool!" was his answer, and he pointed us to the place to pick up our purchase.

After a minute or two at the pickup place the nifty new Nikon was ours. Then, of course, we had to buy a few accessories. We stepped into the digital camera accessories aisle and were greeted by yet another smiling face.

"How can I help you two," he said.

Holy cow! We've been in many a Best Buy over the years and have never felt so welcome. "We just picked up a camera and need to get a couple of UV filters and a memory card," we chimed.

Done and done. In an instant. Cool!

We've come a long way from emails with India.

Less than 15 minutes after we pulled into the lot at Best Buy we were back on the road and heading north. With the sun shining and the temperatures rising we were ready for a great geocaching adventure.

Shortly after our return to Red Rock, Gordon, Juanita, Paul and I piled into the Jeep for an afternoon of geocaching. Our first mission was a hilltop cache overlooking Henry's Lake. We put Rocky through his paces, climbing the steep hill and safely making the decent. In between we enjoyed some breathtaking views of the lake, surrounding mountains and our cozy little park nestled in between. It was a shame our nifty new camera was at home getting its first battery charge.

We found every cache we set out to find, except one. And, of course, it was the last cache of the day. We will be back to find that elusive cache. Mark our words!

Back at Red Rock, the early Friday evening was in full swing. Our quiet little park had filled during the afternoon. It feels like it's the first night of everybody's two-week summer vacation. There are two or three family reunions settling in for the weekend, and there are kids everywhere. None of the newbies know or care that just 24 hours ago this place was a winter wonderland. There just all so happy to be in this wonderful park enjoying the pleasant Summer weather.

Gordon skillfully assembled an early evening campfire, around which the four of us gathered with our favorite adult beverages. Campfires can be a people magnet, and such was the case this evening. We had a fun conversation with one of the family reunionites from Arkansas, and our next door neighbors stopped by with tales of their geocaching adventure yesterday where their Jeep got stuck in the mud.

The laughter subsided with the setting sun, and our appetites all told us it was time for dinner. Gordon and Juanita headed off to their rolling home, and Paul put some chicken on the grill.

A camera, a few caches, a campfire and some tasty chicken.

Cheers to one damn fine day.

Snow, What?

One of the advantages of fulltiming is you don't have to wear a watch. Heck, most of the time, we don't even need to know what day it is. But, today was one of those days that had us checking the calendar...just to make sure what month it is.

The answer, of course, is June. But, by the looks of things around here, it could easily be January. Overnight temperatures dipped into the low 30s, again. The morning brought low, gray clouds, wind and rain. It was the perfect day to sleep in. So, one of us did. While Mother Nature served up the second or third cold, wet day in a row, we kept ourselves occupied with inside stuff. We watched for a break in the weather in hopes that we could get out for a walk and stretch a bit.

It was not to be.

By midday, a healthy dose of cabin fever began to set in. The only thing missing was snow. As if on cue, the pelting rain changed to icy drops then to snow. Combined with the wind, we were witnessing something close to a blizzard.

Say what?

I checked the calendar once more. Sure enough, it is June. And, we are still here in the northern hemisphere where this isn't suppose to happen.

With snowflakes falling, we kept the fireplace going. I baked a batch of cookies and resisted the temptation to break out the Christmas carols.

During our first year as fulltimers we have traveled many miles and seen some amazing sights. But, the most notable aspect of our rookie year has been the weather. It's been wacky!

Things could be worse. It could be hot and humid, as it is across much of the country. Or, we could be facing severe storms like those crossing the northern plains this evening. All things considered, snow in June isn't so bad.

Tomorrow's forecast calls for sunshine and temps in the mid-60s. That sounds like perfect weather for a little Friday road trip and some camera shopping.

Tomorrow is Friday. Right?

Ritz Rant

Post and pictures of our fun day with the geysers at Yellowstone are now at Bullwinkle's Travels.

The rest of this post, we'll warn you, is a rant.

One of the things we've been shopping for since we hit the road is a new camera. Our little point-n-shoots serve us well, but when you're on the journey of a lifetime, you need a nice camera. Or, so we've decided.

We're parked in one place for a month. Plus, we're a half-hour or so away from some of the most beautiful sights on the planet. So, this seemed like the perfect time to make our purchase.

Well, we tried.

Yesterday morning, Paul logged on to Ritz Camera and made the purchase. The next step was to respond to an email confirmation.

It never came.

Yep. There's nothing like the feeling of spending a wad of cash online and getting no confirmation of your purchase. Yes, he checked his spam folder. And, yes, he confirmed that he had given Ritz the correct email address. We gave it a couple of hours. Still nothing.

Out here in the scenic Idaho wilderness, we have no cell service. So, Paul opted for the next best thing: an online chat with one of Ritz Camera's "virtual" customer service specialists. The "conversation" started with "May I know the order number?" That should have given us a clue as to how this thing would turn out. First, we don't have an order number. (That's the reason we're chatting!) Second, nobody talks like that! Over the course of the next few minutes it became obvious that English wasn't this cyber agent's first language. Here's an excerpt:

Ritz: We are sorry to inform that we are unable to process your order at this moment as we need to verify the details on your order.

Paul: What?

Paul: I'm right here! What do you need to verify?

Ritz: We need to verify the billing details on your order.

Paul: Verify with whom?

Ritz: Please call our billing department at 1-866-760-4249.

Paul: This has been very frustrating!

Ritz: I am sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Frustrated Paul grabbed his phone, hopped in the Jeep and headed for the nearest cell signal. Maybe we'd have better luck talking with a live person! After 15 minutes of talking with a customer service agent in India and his supervisor, who is also in India, Paul received confirmation that our order was received and was being processed. He was promised an email confirmation within minutes.

Guess what? It never came.

Somewhere in this exchange, Paul received a name and phone number of a person in Irvine, CA who reportedly is responsible for Ritz Camera customer service. He dialed the number, left a message and requested an email followup.

That's right! It never came.

Late last evening, Paul received a voice mail in very broken English from a Ritz customer service agent requesting that Paul return his call to confirm his order. Now, wait just a Hindi minute! Didn't we just do this? This morning, Paul got one more voice mail from a different voice with the same accent reciting the exact same script as yesterday.

Paul trundled back up the hill to our off-the-road cellular site to call the other side of the world. The customer service agent assured him that the order was confirmed. He also informed Paul that the camera was out of stock.

Are you friggin’ kidding me? This camera is currently featured in a nationwide multi-media ad campaign. Ritz Camera has it included in a Father’s Day sale with a promise of free, fast shipping. When we placed our order yesterday, the site indicated the camera was in stock.

While still in cell range, Paul dialed the customer service boss in Irvine once more and left another message. He provided an update to the situation and requested an email followup by the end of business today. He added that if he didn't hear back, he would cancel our order.

So, guess again. That's correct! We've heard nothing.

Back online, Paul visited the Ritz Camera web site for one last chat. If you've stuck with the story this long, you just have to see this excerpt:

Ritz: I see that everything is fine with the order, it is processed.

Ritz: Would you still wish to cancel the order?

Paul: Is the camera in stock?

Ritz: I am sorry; the camera kit is currently backordered with us.

Ritz: We are in regular contact with the manufacturers and we are expecting this item to be in stock at the earliest.

Paul: When will it be in stock?

Ritz: I am sorry; I will be unable to confirm this.

Paul: Then I want to cancel this order.

Ritz: Okay, Paul.

Ritz: I shall forward a request to have this order cancelled.

Paul: Will I receive some form of confirmation?

Ritz: You will be notified by an e-mail as soon as the order is cancelled.

Yes, dear readers, you've guessed right once more. No email!

As soon as we undo this deal, we’re shopping for a new camera. In fact, as I’ve been ranting, I just caught a TV commercial for a competing camera I haven’t noticed before. We’ll check that new model out. Whether we stick with our original choice or find an alternative, we might just make our way to a local camera store (Anywhere but Ritz Camera!) and put down our wad of cash live and in person.

We’ll keep you posted.

The Deal: One Year Later

One year ago today I typed the words: WE SOLD OUR HOUSE.

We couldn't believe it then. Today, we still consider ourselves pretty darn lucky. Selling our house unleashed the last tether to our sticks-and-bricks life and brought us one giant step closer to fulltiming.

As we sat in the shadow of beautiful Mt. Lassen a year ago, celebrating our freshly inked offer, we wondered what was ahead for us. Sitting here today, between a couple of mountain ranges in scenic Idaho, we have the benefit of the kind of perspective that comes with 365 days and some 12,000 miles.

The three weeks that followed this monumental day in 2009 were exciting, crazy and stressful. That's how much time we had to empty our house of everything, put a few things in our motorhome, store a few more in our tiny POD and sell, give away or toss everything else. In between we said goodbye to friends and put our plans in motion to live life on the road. We did much and slept little.

In the midst of that 21-day cyclone, our sole purpose was to get everything done. We didn't have the time or the ability to step back and see the magnitude of the task at hand. But, today we can see it. And, it was BIG! Since then, people have asked how we did it. Honestly, we don't know! What we do know is we don't want to do that again...ever. We're not sure we have it in us!

Looking back, it was all worth it. Our efforts of those three weeks and the year or so of preparation before that have paid big dividends. We were hopeful back then, but now we know. It truly was worth all of the stressful days and sleepless nights. And, then some.

The next three weeks this year will be oh-so-dramatically different than the same time last year. Instead of emptying our house and hitting the road, we'll sit still and enjoy the rest of our time in and around Yellowstone. We'll celebrate our first Independence Day since hitting the road, then we'll head for Mount Rushmore. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Several of our faithful readers are making their preparations to hit the road. Some are just weeks away. Others won't hit the road for a few years. They're in the pre-fulltiming cyclone. To these dear folks we have one thing to say.

Believe us, there will come a day when your life is not all about simplifying your life. When that day comes, things will be simple. And, it will all be worth it.

Really, it will!

Road Trip!

The sun finally came out today and the temperature rose well into the 60s, so we did what we had to do. We hit the road!

Gordon and Juanita fired up T-Rex and we headed off to Yellowstone with our sights set on Old Faithful. We saw that and more! What a wonderful way to spend a beautiful day.

It was another one of those days that remind us THIS is why we are fulltiming. To spend a gorgeous Monday afternoon with friends witnessing the wonder of nature in America's first national park is what this lifestyle is all about.

There's a blog post about our trip in the works. Meanwhile, you're welcome to click on over to Bullwinkle's Travels to catch up with our adventures with da Godfadda and da Missus in nearby Big Springs and Virginia City.

More soon from beautiful Red Rock!

Sun

Have you ever seen

anything

in your life

more wonderful

than the way the sun,

every evening,

relaxed and easy,

floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,

or the rumpled sea,

and is gone--

and how it slides again

out of the blackness,

every morning,

on the other side of the world,

like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,

say, on a morning in early summer,

at its perfect imperial distance--

and have you ever felt for anything

such wild love--

do you think there is anywhere, in any language,

a word billowing enough

for the pleasure

that fills you,

as the sun

reaches out,

as it warms you

as you stand there,

empty-handed--

or have you too

turned from this world--

or have you too

gone crazy

for power,

for things?

Today's poem is by Mary Oliver.

Yes, folks, things are definitely looking up around here.

Rain

I opened my eyes

And looked up at the rain,

And it dripped in my head

And flowed into my brain,

And all that I hear as I lie in my bed

Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,

I walk very slow,

I can't do a handstand--

I might overflow,

So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--

I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

Those are the words of Shel Silverstein. We're borrowing them this evening because they pretty much sum up our first week at Red Rock.

We're hoping for better weather...soon.

The Day After The Day After

It's become our custom to chill out after a travel day. In fact, we've been known to be absolute bums. There's been more than one day after that I've spent in my pajamas. It just seems it takes us a day of relaxation to recover from a day or two or three of travel.

That's our excuse, and we're sticking to it!

Yesterday was supposed to be that day. And, were we ever ready! Even Mother Nature cooperated, providing us with almost chilly temps and periodic rain showers. But, despite our three-day marathon to get here, yesterday was not to be. Instead of lounging about, we spent a good part of the day driving.

What gives?

Well, Saturday night when we returned home after our wonderful welcome dinner at Gordon and Juanita's, I checked my email. One message revealed that our friends Pat and Ed, whom we got to know in Port Aransas, were going to be in the area for one more day. They wanted to know if we were game to meet for lunch in Yellowstone on Sunday. We really wanted to see them and catch up. So, we decided to forego our traditional day after travel day activities, or lack thereof.

The drive in the rain was long, but we saw some wildlife and enjoyed bits of the park. And, lunch with our friends was quite enjoyable. It was all definitely worth the "sacrifice". After our big lunch we decided dinner would be cheese, crackers and wine. So, we invited G&J to join us for a light dinner and more conversation. By the end of the night, we are all fading. But, Paul and I were definitely suffering from "day after deprivation".

So, when a new day dawned this morning we decided today would be our day after. We both slept in. One of us slept lots later than the other. I donned a comfy shirt and yoga pants. That way, it doesn't count as pajamas! Paul read. I un-sewed some fouled up quilt blocks. The TV provided background news of the day.

Around noon, Juanita braved the rain and came over for a bit of show and tell. She just purchased some super-nifty hand quilting equipment that I was eager to see. She did a little demo while we compared all kinds of notes and pictures about our quilting adventures. She is nearing completion on a Hawaiian applique quilt with some very impressive hand quilting. She enthusiastically showed me the ropes, but I long ago vowed never to hand quilt again. But, I have to admit that Juanita's groovy system could convince me to give it a go again down the road.

After lunch our lounging about continued. Juanita invited me to join her for an errand. As we got ready to pile in the truck we met Judy of Travels with Emma. She's here for awhile, so we look forward to getting to know her and Emma while we're here. Back to the truck, Juanita and I made a quick trip to the nearest grocery some 10 miles away, where she stocked up on some essentials and I bought some instant cocoa. Here's my rule: When it's June and you can see snow, you need cocoa. Simple as that.

Of course I made a cup promptly upon my return to our rolling home. Then, I commenced to do some fairly productive work on a few blocks for our fulltiming quilt. We squeezed in a walk to nearby Henry's Lake before we wrapped up the day with some pretty intense vegging. We could get used to this!

With thundershowers looming in the distance, Paul fired up the grill and we pulled together a deliciously simple meal. Then the rains came. It looks like super great sleeping weather tonight.

Maybe tomorrow we'll enjoy a day after the day after the day after.

Stay tuned.

So Happy

Those two words say it all. We are so happy to be here in this beautiful place, parked next to our friends, with no particular place to go but lots of fun stuff to see and do for the next month.

Ahhhhh!

We wrapped up our over-the-road marathon with a very short and easy drive north to Island Park. Our five-mile trip off the highway led us to Red Rock Campground and RV Park, where we were greeted at the gate by Gordon and Juanita. It's been nearly a year since we've seen these two special friends, and we are so happy to see them again. The talking and laughing commenced immediately. We have lots of catching up to do!

Of course, once the four of us get going, few things can stop us. We did take a break to get the moose set up. The lively conversation resumed over a bottle of wine at Gordon and Juanita's. I was stopped in mid-sentence by a rainbow to beat all rainbows. All four of us were out of the house in a flash with cameras in hand. I'll post pictures later, but they won't do it justice. Let's just say Mother Nature gave us a spectacular welcome to this very special place.

More conversation and laughter as Gordon and Juanita prepared a hearty meal for two weary travelers. Over chili, salad and delicious bread that nearly took my breath away, we shared tales of people seen and places ventured. Before dessert, we wandered around the park a bit to take in the sunset, meet a few folks and get our first peek at the wildlife around here. Over Juanita's yummy blackberry crisp we brought the first of a month's worth of daily conversations to a close. We are so happy to be with them.

As we settle in for our first night surrounded by peace and quiet, even the cats seem happy. They're no longer manifesting the stress of several days of travel. And, neither are we.

A Week on the Move

I can't believe it was just a week ago that we watched holiday weekenders arrive in Fort Bragg. We've enjoyed four relaxing nights on the coast and traveled nearly 1000 miles since then!

It's been quite a week.

Bullwinkle's blog has yet to catch up with our most recent travels. Starting tomorrow, we'll enjoy a month in one peaceful place. Bringing our other blog up to date is on the list of our to-dos for the month.

Meanwhile, here's a highlight or two.

Tuesday we traversed very curvy, two-lane California Highway 20 from the coast to I-5. That's more than 100 miles of white knuckle driving! We've never before been so glad to see a wide and straight interstate. Once we were straightened out, we stopped in Sacramento for a couple of special meetings.

We parked the moose right behind the "mothership", which is home to Sandy and John. This very fun couple started their fulltiming adventures in January, and have spent the last three months in the Golden State. It was a real treat to catch up with them and get to know each other a bit beyond our blog pages.

Wednesday we all piled into Sandy and John's toad and ventured east just a bit to visit Gypsy in her new digs. It was wonderful to see her again and introduce her to Sandy and John. We enjoyed a tasty lunch filled with stories and laughter. (Thanks, Sandy and John!) Gypsy is getting settled in here in Sacramento and developing a healthy case of hitch itch. We look forward to seeing Gypsy again on the road soon!

Yesterday we fired up the moose early (but not too early, since our new friends were sleeping just feet away from our big diesel engine). We said our "so longs" to Sandy and John and look forward to seeing them again this fall in Tennessee. Thanks so much for making time in your California adventures to hook up with us!

With many miles to cover in not so many days, the chief navigator in our crew gave our route considerable consideration. (Yes, I obsessed about it!) My first challenge was to figure out how to get out of California. The most direct, and our most familiar, option was I-80 up and over the Sierra Nevada. On a good day, this stretch of highway looks like Swiss cheese. I read recent reports of miles of narrow lane closures near the summit featuring skinny jersey barriers on both sides and roads rough enough to reduce a motorhome to rubble. That's not exactly how we like to tackle a 7,000 ft. climb!

So, we opted for the scenic route, taking US-50 through South Lake Tahoe, catching I-80 well east of the mountains. It added 40 miles or so to our route for the day. But, more importantly it took us an extra hour or two. (I lost track!) When we arrived in Elko, NV for the night, we had traveled 440 miles at an average speed of 48 mph, making yesterday our longest travel day ever, in more ways than one.

This morning we were up early and on the road by 7:00. Today's route included a 100-mile stretch on US-93. Between road construction, wind and rain, we covered that ground at about the same speed as yesterday's average! (Why does this stuff happen on days when you really need to make tracks?) The three interstates we took across southern Idaho let us finally travel at freeway speeds, but kept us in steady rain the entire way. The silver lining of the day was that the increasing winds were on our tail! Immediately upon our arrival in Idaho Falls, the winds were really gusting. We were happy to be off the road, with 324 miles under our collective belts for the day. (Our "typical" travel day mileage is somewhere around 200 miles!)

Tonight we're looking forward to a good night's rest. We're both sleep deprived, and the cats are stressed. (You don't want to know how cats manifest stress!) We'll all be better in the morning, and the weather is supposed to be much improved for our last travel day for a month.

And, how far are we going on this third travel day in a row? A mere 94 miles separates us from a glorious month of peace and quiet with dear friends in what we hear is a stunningly beautiful place.

After the week we've just had, we can definitely handle that.