Travel Log Catch-Up: Part 2

We left off with me being weary from driving for 5 days straight and also trying to avoid the wintry weather predicted for the mountains of Wyoming and Idaho.  After freezing my butt off in Arizona this winter (which unfortunately reconnected with me in Ohio), I wasn’t too keen on experiencing any more winter.  I wanted a nice, quiet, warm spot to hang out for a couple of days and just relax.  I headed to Southeast Oregon, to what I considered the most obvious place for me to go.  

While on my way, I traveled through expanses of land that appeared untouched by humans.  Nothing man-made for as far as the eyes could see.  

It was so surprising to me.  Probably more so since I was returning from the east, where I felt claustrophobic with buildings and people everywhere and like a shark in a feeding frenzy with all the hustle and bustle.  Yes, there is an energy and excitement in all that, but I found it wearing after only a few days.  I am one of those people who need wilderness and nature around me.  Well, I found it just outside Jordan Valley at a free BLM campground at Antelope Reservoir.  It was a beautiful spot.  The reservoir was full and immense, and the view of the valley was endless and wild.  The sunlight played on the hills like a chameleon, creating a new view every time I turned around to look and the night sky was stunning.

I got to the campsite early evening and had time to set up and hard boil some eggs I purchased on my way.  I know, I know, after my last experience trying to make hard-boiled eggs resulting in my Mutant Eggs, I swore I wouldn’t do it again.  BUT, I had gotten some good advice from several friends and I was ready to give it one more try . . . and IT WORKED!!  I ended up with 12!  YES 12 PERFECTLY cooked and peeled eggs.  I was giddy with excitement at my success.  Turns out I was cooking them too long and not cooling them enough before peeling.  The new method is boil for 10 minutes then dump into an ice bath and peel from that.  I’ll have to test this method a couple more times to be sure it is truly Jordan-proof, but I’m off to a good start. 

After I got done with the eggs and everything was cleaned up and put away, I watched as dark clouds gathered in the eastern sky.  They got more and more intense and were headed my way.  I love watching storms roll in.  However, this storm had a very unusual surprise off in the distance, something I’d never seen before – a rainbow shooting out of a mountain.  

   

After the overnight showers, I was greeted the next morning to an explosion of tiny purple flowers covering the ground.  I’m not sure what they are, but they reminded me of tiny purple and white flowers that used to pop up in our yard in spring that we called Spring Beauties. 

It turned out to be a lovely day, sunny, warm with a westerly wind.  I had some neighbors in a larger Class C motorhome come in after dark the night before, and in the morning the lady came over and asked if I'd like some breakfast, her husband had cooked too much.  Wow!  What a treat that was, and delicious too.  I like camping by people in larger rigs, they cook!  Unfortunately, the couple had just received bad news from their vet about their dog, he was in kidney failure at only 5 years old and they were spending some quality time with him before his passing.  

Later that day I finally got to wash my hair and then did something I’ve never done before – I cut my hair!  Sure, I’ve cut bangs and some off the front, but never all of it.  It had been over 1 ½ years since I had it cut and boy did it need to be cut.  I had watched some DIY videos before I left Ohio and thought it would be a good thing to learn to do myself so figured I’d give it a go.  Was it successful?  Well, it looks fine from the front.  I can’t speak for the back since I can’t see it, but it “feels” O.K. and the ends certainly look better.  I guess I’ll find out if someone tells me I should get a refund.

My second full day at Antelope Reservoir was a little too déjà vu for me.  In the early morning hours I found myself being rocked in my tearbaby by the wind, which only got worse as the day went on.  It was like the horrible windstorms from this past winter in Lake Havasu City.  The gusts were ferocious.  I was stuck inside all day, so I just curled up and enjoyed reading a book.  Unfortunately, there was no cell service for miles.  It was freeing not being tethered to my phone 24/7 but it was also frustrating not having access to internet to post anything to this blog or check weather or call my family or friends.  I had to keep reminding myself that I lived without a “smart” cell phone for most of my life and did just fine.  I hate that I’ve become so dependent on it and internet access.  

By evening, the wind finally died down, until the next morning when it started to kick up again and the temperature had dropped some.  I had already decided to leave and look for a new place with less wind, but which direction should I go?

To be continued, again . . . (we're almost caught up!)

Travel Log Catch-Up: Part 1

Westward HO!  I have been putting lots of miles behind me and seeing beautiful parts of the country.  Unfortunately, many of my campsites have been without internet access so I haven't been able to post along the way.  Once again, I have had to dodge nasty wintry weather, thus changing my plans of where to explore.  I had hoped to spend some time in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, but the forecast for that whole area of Wyoming (and a good part of the state) had snow and ice hitting for most of the time I would have been there.  NOT dealing with that.  I guess I'm still a bit early in the season for exploring the mountainous states.  I'll hit them another summer, when I have the time to really explore and enjoy their beauty.  

After a visit to my tearbaby's builder in eastern Nebraska, I continued my way west.  My goal was to drive shorter days (no more 8 - 10 hours), and get to campsites well before dark so I could relax and actually enjoy them.  Of course, the trick with that is to find free campsites within a 5 - 6 hour max drive that met my needs.  I use freecampsites.net as my main resource for finding free or very inexpensive campsites.  This is a user submission type resource that is wonderful and I highly recommend it.  It has been invaluable to me.  Thanks to it, I have only paid for 2 nights camping in 9 nights for a total of $15.  Not too bad. 

Here is a catch-up of where I've been.  

After a late start from Egon's Wednesday afternoon, I headed to North Platte, NE and stayed at Cody Municipal Park, a huge city park that has a small campground, playgrounds, zoo, kiddie rides, food stand, athletic fields and more.  At $5.00 a night camping, it was a good deal.  The weather was lovely and lots of people were enjoying the park on that spring evening.  

View from my campsite of the South Platte River.

   

                                                                 Some of my neighbors

As I drove through western Nebraska, the landscape looked the same as the buffalo hunt scene in "Dancing with Wolves".  I could just picture what it must have been like 150 years ago when the buffalo roamed in vast numbers across the plains.  It made me sad to think we will never see such a site again.  It must have been amazing.

Where the buffalo roamed

The weather was warm, in the upper 70's, which made me VERY  happy!  Though I hated being stuck in the car instead of outside enjoying it.  As I got a little further into Wyoming, I started to notice these strange white blobs on the hillsides.  At first I was confused because my car's thermometer said it was in the mid 70's, but as I started to climb in elevation, I noticed more and more of them and they were getting larger!  SNOW!!!  NO!!  Yep, they were great patches of snow left over from the recent snow storms, which must have been pretty good storms because these patches were very deep.  Eventually I came to a Rest Area just north of Medicine Bow National Forest and stopped.  Snow patches were everywhere, and the temp was still in the high 60's - low 70's.  I was in a short sleeved shirt and was pleasantly comfortable.  Now THAT is how I like snow! 

Warm snow! The Best kind!

From snowy mountains to dry desert in just a couple of hours, I found my way to my next campsite in Sinclair, WY.  You might recognize that name - Sinclair gas stations - the one with the dinosaur on their sign.  Never put it together before now - refinery in Wyoming, dinosaur country.  

Zelda and Grania back in the desert.

View from my campsite of the North Platte River

Before leaving Wyoming, I came to the town of Kemmerer.  Now, I'm not sure what kemmer is or why Kemmerer thought it needed to be more "kemmer" then Kemmer, but obviously they did.  That is one of my favorite things about traveling across the coutry, seeing the names given to places and things.  Keeps me very entertained.

Along the way somewhere around the Wyoming / Idaho border, I saw a sheep shearing "factory" on a ridge along the road.  It was just a couple of pick-up trucks and a small hut type thing.  Sheep were walking up to the hut in a line and then out the other side.  I didn't realize what it was at first until I saw the sheep coming out the other side all sheared.  It was like something out of a cartoon.  Hours later in Idaho, I saw a sign on the road saying "Sheep on roadway".  I of course slowed down, but no sheep.  Many miles later I finally came upon the sheep being driven along by cowboys (or would that be sheepboys?) on horseback and herding dogs.  Again, it was such a novel sight to me, and very "western".

Sheep Drive

So that brings me to Friday.  I camped along the Snake River that night in southern Idaho where a mini squadron of White Pelicans flew in for a swim.  That was a treat!

Snake River, southern Idaho

After 5 days of going from one place to the next, I was getting weary from all the driving and was ready to find a nice, quiet place to stop and stay for a couple of days.  I headed to Oregon.  

To be continued . . .   

On the Road Again

Well, these past 2 ½ months have been pretty crazy.  Multiple trips around OH, PA and KY to visit family and friends, taking care of some personal stuff, helping my dad and stepmom move, and trying to get my mobile home organized, condensed, and less stress-filled.  Oh, and of course my time spent anywhere wouldn’t be complete without cold, miserable weather and freak snowstorms in April.

So, a recap of the past couple of months:

I made a couple more trips to Pennsylvania to visit and help my sister get a little break from the chaos that is any new mom’s life.  Let’s just say the Laundry Fairy and Auntie LaLa were kept very busy.  I have bestowed the title “Chaostrophy Crew” upon my little nephew and niece.  Now, if I can just find a litter of Mastiff puppies for them the “Crew” will be complete!  (I know, I am so evil).

I also made a trip to Kentucky to see my “second family” – dear, dear friends from when I lived there.  Visiting with them always does my heart and soul good.  And I hung out with friends in Ohio – I even got to color Easter eggs with my friend Jacquie and her daughters – what a blast.  

That's my blue Herd of Sheep Egg

Jacquie made this orange and purple “Friendship Egg” for me.  We both are Star Wars fans, thus the stickers, and the orange and purple have a special significance to our friendship.  I wish I could have kept it.  

And it wouldn’t be a visit home without time at the lake – unfortunately the weather never cooperated for me and my dad to take our traditional walks on the beach, looking for lucky stones and other treasures.

Lake Erie

One project I did manage to complete during the few decent days we had was making drawer stops for the new drawer system in my van.  Up until then, I just used big pieces of cardboard held up against the drawers with a pile of stuff I had in the van.  Not a good system at all.  My criteria for the drawer stops were that they had to be simple, inexpensive, and not sully the beauty of the platform.  I had the idea a while ago to use rods to hold the drawers, but had to do some sleuthing at the hardware store to find what pieces might work.  I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, but found these D-ring picture hangers instead. 

I was going to use them on the top and bottom, but the lip we made on the bottom to hold the drawers in place was too tall, so I had to MacGyver a solution.  I had an old webbing strap with a broken buckle that I kept for years.  I cut that into pieces and screwed loops of it to the bottom piece of the platform so that they came out from under the drawers.  

I wanted to add D-rings to the webbing loops for the rods to go through, but couldn’t find any, and the O-rings were all too large.  So I took small zippy ties (cable ties) and made rings from them, and voilà, fairly inconspicuous drawer stops!  And all for about $7.00 – plus I got to finally use that broken webbing strap for something!

Drawer system with drawer stops in place.

My time back home wasn’t all fun and games.  One day I received this in the mail. 

Not my birthday, and definitely NOT appreciated!  Just two years ago I was being carded for buying windshield washer fluid and now THIS?  Actually, this was the second senior moment I had – some teenybopper gave me the senior discount at a restaurant, just assuming I was one.  Damn gray hairs springing up!  If not for those, I wouldn’t look a day over 29.  Yep, I’m sticking with that story. 

    

Now I’m on my way to Washington for my summer job.  I left this morning, and with a much lighter load than my last trip west.  It took a while to get my stuff condensed down, but I am very happy with how it turned out.  Sure, I could still cut back more, and will naturally as I use up some of the extra consumable items I have, but for now I am feeling very “Zen” with it.  It has been a very long time since I felt this way about my life.  Feels good to have the “Zen-ness” back.

And now a Public Service Announcement:  Beware milkshakes with chocolate chips and straws.  I think you probably can guess where this is leading to, but for those of you who haven’t had your caffeine yet, I’ll spell it out.  Chocolate chips and straws should NOT be used together.  Chips get stuck in the straws causing a blockage, which results in you inhaling harder, dislodging the chips which then become dangerous projectiles headed straight for your throat.  Consider yourself lucky if the chips only lodge in the back of your throat instead of down your throat.

One thing I had forgotten about during my hiatus . . . TIME ZONES!!  I think that is one of the many reasons I love heading west – you get FREE extra hours!  You don’t have to answer 20 questions correctly in 30 seconds or bounce ping pong balls into cups while doing cartwheels blindfolded.  You just cross these magical lines and you get free hours!  But the only thing is you have to GO WEST to get them. 

So, here I am tonight camping at a State Park west of Peoria, IL, relishing the existence of time zones, which allowed me to make it to the campground before dark for once!  How nice it was to actually back the tearbaby into a campsite during daylight – so much easier.  Since making camp, I’ve been trying to find my routine again.  While in Ohio, I didn’t stay in Zelda – the weather was just too nasty for it – so I spent the whole time as the Couch-surfing Bag Lady.  I am grateful to have such generous and loving friends to let me crash at their places, but that lifestyle gets old pretty fast.  It is good to finally be back in my own little house and bed . . . even without heat.  Oh well, can’t have everything.   

Yes, it’s good to be back.

Baby Snuggles, Erupting Volcanoes, Fuzzy Monkeys, and New Readers!

3,015 miles in 4 1/2 days.  Good Weather Window?  BAM! - Nailed it and with time to spare!  I made it to my sister's in Pennsylvania within the tiny weather window I had, exhausted, cramped and a bit cross-eyed, but happy to be here.  My little niece didn't come early so I had about 9 days to help my sister finish up projects and play with my nephew.  Of course when you are hanging with a 3 1/2 yr. old and preparing for a new baby, you have no time for your own work because your days are filled with laughter, singing songs, reading books, making donuts out of Play-Doh, going "camping", making volcanoes erupt all over the counter, and having Fuzzy Monkey wake you up every morning.  Such fun!  My niece arrived as scheduled (she and my sister are now both home and doing well), and I am trying to soak up as much snuggle time with her as I can.  She fills my heart with so much joy.

Play-Doh donuts, better known as "Daddy's Chocolate"

Some people may wonder why I would undertake such a crazy trip.  One of the reasons I made this choice for my life was so that I would be available for family and friends whenever they needed anything.  They have been there for me through both good and challenging times.  It is important to me to be able to be there for them.  Besides, I get little baby snuggles and laughter filled days from my little niece and nephew.  I'd say those are worth every mile - even the snowy ones!

It has been strange to be back in "civilization" again.  I ended up dropping off my tearbaby at my friend's in Ohio, which means I've gotten to live in a house that I can stand up in AND which has heat!!  Both have been appreciated considering it is still winter in Pennsylvania.  It was quite thrilling when I got to make HOT food in the microwave the first day too.  But I have to confess, I really miss my bucket.  The toilets at my sister's are really tall and elongated and therefore not very comfortable.  Plus I don't have the lovely views I'm used to with my bucket.  Those views really are a great way to start your day.  Then again, having Fuzzy Monkey wake me up in the mornings isn't too bad either.

Fuzzy Monkey

It may surprise you to know that as luxurious as it is for me to be back in a typical house, I really do miss living in my tearbaby and minivan (well, maybe not so much during those super cold days and nights with windstorms raging outside).  Zelda and Grania are MY home and like any of you who go on vacation and stay at a nice place, you find that it is great for a little while, but it's always nice to come home again to your own space.  Though I really will miss washing my hair with running water.

As an added bonus to my trip to PA, it turns out my sister has a Trader Joe's close by which she graciously took me to.  I got to stock up on a couple of my favorite treats from there - raw, unsalted cashews and the raw, unsalted almond butter too.  I got hooked on them when I first started my adventure in November after a friend got them for me.  AND there just happened to be a Moe's Southwest Grill next door! As luck would have it, we went on a Monday, known at Moe's as "Moe's Monday" with their awesome burrito meal deal.  Now, I'm not one to snub a sign from the burrito gods, so I did the only thing I could do in that situation.  YUM!!!  :O)

In other news, my Teardroppin' Life was featured on Do It Yourself RV and Tiny Yellow Teardrop.  I was flattered when Christina Nellemann from Tiny Yellow Teardrop asked to do a story about my full-timing life in a teardrop.  If you haven't been to these sites, I highly recommend checking them out.  Do It Yourself RV is a wonderful resource for anyone full or part-timing in any kind of home on wheels.  Tiny Yellow Teardrop is a fantastic blog and resource for anyone interested in teardrop trailers with great stories and photos of teardrops old and new.

As a result of the stories, my blog's visitor numbers skyrocketed!  It was dizzying and fun watching the stats.  But I have to apologize for being so tied up with family matters that I haven't had a chance to get this post written sooner to welcome all the new visitors or to let faithful followers know I made it to PA safely.  I will help my sister for a couple more weeks, then will go a-visiting family and friends.  After that, I don't know yet.  I have to get my businesses up and running so I can (hopefully) support myself on the road, so I will focus on that task next - just don't know where that focusing will be taking place.  It's still a bit too chilly in this region to hang out.  Oh wait, I've already done that!

Welcome New Readers!  I'm glad to have you along.  For your own safety, please be sure your chairs and tray tables are in their upright position.  I hope you enjoy the ride.    

And a hot towel for your comfort!

Where's Jordan?

I had hoped that I'd have some time to explore a few places in Arizona where I had visited 30 years ago & really put my new solar system to the test before I returned to the cold eastern part of the country to help my sister prepare for the birth of my new niece.  But alas, I see I am destined to experience every dislikable aspect winter has to offer no matter where I go. Yep, I'm now convinced  the Weather Goddess has it in for me.

For the past 3 days I've been high-tailin' it across the country to catch the small good weather window on Sunday that will allow me to get to Pennsylvania & my sister before my niece is born. I left Western Arizona on Wednesday & drove to eastern New Mexico that day, then across Tex-Ass Thursday. Don't try that yourself - Texas in 1 day - Don't do it!   Yesterday I drove through Weezy-anna (my first time in that state) & M I S S I S S I P P I (first time in that state too!) & up through Ala-BAM-a to stay with friends in Chattanooga last night (you know you have great friends when they not only provide you with a warm comfy bed, but a bed full of warm cuddly kitties & puppers too!  Hot shower I'm comin' for you next!). Today I'm on old stomping grounds going up through Kentucky & hopefully into O-Hi-O so I will be set-up to run over to Pennsylvania on Sunday.  Grania & Zelda seem to be holding their own- though it's been tough on Grania since she has to do all the work, Zelda just goes where she's towed. The next few days will be bitterly cold - goodbye 80 degrees, it was nice to feel you, if only for a couple of days.

Oh, look at the time!  I have to get back on the road again, I have 3 more states to visit today.  Phew!  I'm tired just typing the whole journey!  Hold onto mommy's fallopian tubes "Baby Matilda", Auntie LaLa is coming!!!  Wait for me!!!

The Rest of the Story . . .

Oh I wish I were a little ‘o’ solar panel,

Cuz in the sun is where I want to be;

And if I were a sun absorbing solar panel,

Everyone would be in love with me.

And now, The Rest of the Story . . .

  

Upon returning from Quartzsite, all my time and energy was focused on completing my Solar Array of Power!  For the next several days my friends and I worked from morning till well into the night to finish up the solar system and office / work space in the minivan.  Well, after fighting against 2 months of cold windy weather, limited daylight and several uncooperative components we finally completed everything.  

I give you the Solar Array of Power and Minivan Office Conversion!

Grania with her "Sun Hat" on!
You can barely tell there are solar panels up there and I can't even tell the panels are on the roof when I drive.

I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have lights again and power to charge my computer.  I can be a night owl again and actually accomplish things AFTER the sun goes down!  (If you pay attention to the times at which I typically post, you will see I am definitely a night owl).  With my 200 Watts of solar panels and 100 amp hour battery I will have plenty of power for my needs, even with a couple of cloudy days. The panels even tilt for maximum sun exposure when needed.  My brilliant friend also designed and built the system to be easily upgraded should my power needs change - all I have to do is add an additional 100 amp hour battery.  As you can see in the photos, she has built not only a very impressive, high quality solar array but also a beautifully organized one too (even though it does have red components – I don’t like red - but she added the purple for me). 

"Mother Ship Command Center" is in the van so I can be charging my battery even while shopping!
All that's missing is the Flux Capacitor!

We also upgraded the tearbaby to a 12 volt system with new outlets and an umbilical to the Mother Ship’s Command Center to bring the power to the trailer.  The umbilical will reach to the back of the trailer where the plug is, so I don't even have to unhitch if just stopping overnight.  We still have it set so I can plug into 110 shore power should I need to.  

Teardrop Command Center

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I chose a minivan so that I could use it as an office / workspace.  Since I have to have a way to earn a living on the road, I needed space where I could work and store supplies.  My original set-up wasn’t working, so after much thought about how I needed that space to function, I decided some sort of platform would be best.  My friend and I tried several different layouts, but this one fit my needs best.  I had just planned to make something quick, simple and inexpensive, but she designed and built this gorgeous “work of art” instead, with a control center which houses three 12 volt outlets, 2 USB outlets, switches to turn the outlets on and off as well as switches for lights under the platform and on the van ceiling.  I also wanted the platform to double as a bed for long trips when I don’t want to take the time to set up the trailer (yep, another short bed!).  Plus we turned the front passenger seat around to face backwards for my office chair.  I can set up my folding table to work on or use the seat as a “reclining theater chair” for movie night – which I have already tested and it was great!  No popcorn or Rasinets though – Bummer.  The whole van make-over is amazing!  I am still trying to get it organized, but am loving it.  

Office Workstation / Bed platform with "Control Center" of outlets and switches.

The kindness and generosity of my friends overwhelms me.  I don’t know if they will ever grasp the impact they have made on my life.  I have worked to become a full-time road warrior for the past 2 ½ years and have had dreams for my own businesses for just as long.  But once I got out here, I realized that I wouldn’t be successful with my business plans without power for lights and charging my computer.  They have made it possible for me to make my dreams reality.  What a tremendous gift.    

WOW! 

Strange Phenomenon Interlude

Strange things have been happening here.


Hmmm . . .

Where am I?  I am so confused!

The Mother Ship has come for me!!