On Our Way

Our Saturday morning departure was uneventful.  That is the best it could be.  Craig finished his project and I finished packing in a reasonable time and we were out of our yard and off the mountain by noon as planned.  If you have read about some of our departures in the past, you will know this was great.  Even our hook up went smoothly.  I had been concerned about our choice of places to hook up because I was afraid of getting a ticket.  A few trips ago I did call the Highway Patrol, and the gal I talked to said as long as we felt safe it was OK.  This time, just as we were finishing up a Highway Patrol car pulled up next to us.  I waved and said we were OK and he smiled and left.  YEAH!  No ticket.

At one point in the drive, although we still had a half tank of fuel, Craig noted a lower price on Gas Buddy in the Sacramento area.  We went to the station and saw that it was a bit tight and there was a gas truck unloading, so we skipped the fill up and went on our way.  What can I say. In the past, Craig might have tried to fit in and we would have had some scary tense moments. YEAH Craig!

Carol K. told us about a Casino along our route that night be a possible overnight spot.  We got to the Rolling Hills Casino about 5:00 pm and decided we had gone far enough for the first day.

We didn't see any RVs in the regular Casino parking, so we followed the RV signs.  I went into the office and asked about dry camping, and was directed to an area with about 100 big rigs with their engines running.  It was in the high 80*s, and although we do run the air conditioner some, we like to sleep with the windows open whenever possible.  Dry camping with the trucks was not something we wanted to do, so we got a full hook up, pull thru site for $28.  The Casino RV park was not somewhere you would want to spend much time at, but it was clean, safe, quiet and level so it was good for an overnight stop. Thanks for the heads up Carol.

Sunset, Rolling Hills RV Park, Corning CA, 8/10/13

Twas the night before ...

'Twas the night before leaving, 
and all thru the coach,
Not a creature was stirring, 
not even a roach.

A roach?  Well, it rhymed.

It is just after nine in the evening and we are two exhausted, but almost happy campers. We have both been working full tilt for several days finishing up fix-it projects, packing, cleaning, shopping, and otherwise trying to wrap up getting the house ready to show and the Alfa ready to roll. Everything is packed and put away in the Alfa except for the refrigerated foods. We turned the fridge on this afternoon and it will be nice and cold by morning. 

We are sleeping up here tonight, and expect to be on the road before noon tomorrow.  Craig started a repair this afternoon and wants to get it finished and painted before we go.  

Both the realtor and our handy man came by today for final decisions and instructions.  Although I've been cleaning like crazy, our realtor convinced me we should have a cleaning crew come in and do a "deep cleaning". After that was decided, I felt a great pressure lift from me because I was trying to clean and pack at the same time.  Packing was a big enough job.  Craig was also very busy with his jobs. 

We've both had our share of wine and are feeling quite mellow.  

Good night. 

LOOKING FOR A RECOMMENDATION

As we have been making plans for our trip up to Washington, Craig noted it was time to schedule some routine maintenance on the Alfa.  Last year we had it done down in the LA area, but obviously that is not an option this time.

Does anyone have a recommendation for an RV friendly  Freightliner Service center located along the I-5 corridor between Washington and the San Francisco Bay area?

We want to stop somewhere on the way back, because it really is a pain to get the Alfa in and out of our property.

If we don't get a recommendation from here or the Alfa Forum, we will just have to pick one and hope.

Leaving in three days!

Wow, what a long summer! Although I had made a week reservation at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort in the Olympic National Park, I didn't let myself make any plans or do any research about the park until just a day or so ago. Up until then I held the thought that if we were not ready to show the house, we had to stay here and keep working.

Well, it is as ready as we can make it for now, so, yeah! We are going.  We have to finish cleaning out the back "workshop" garage tomorrow. And on Thursday our handy-man is coming to start a few minor repairs required by the pest control report.

I will pack and load the Alfa over the next two days, and spend Friday doing the last bit of wash and cleaning the house just a little bit more.  We plan on sleeping in the Alfa Friday night, and leave in a leisurely way on Saturday.

It's 915 miles from here to the campground in the Olympic Peninsula. Check in is at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, so we should have plenty of time to get there.  I plan on either Boondocking at a Walmart or pulling into one of several Passport America or SKP parks along the way.  The drive should be quite enjoyable.  It's still a few days to early to look at the weather forecasts, but there seems to be a slight chance of some thunderstorms over the weekend. We have time to go a little slower than we would like to, but if we hit wind and rain it will be best to take our time.

I spent some time looking at the road into the park on Google Earth tonight.  That really is a neat thing to do when going to a new place.  Sol Duc is about 15 miles into the park, and the road looks like it is two lanes, undivided, but not too curvy. 

It looks like there is a lot to see, hike and enjoy.  What a welcome change it will be from working on the house.  

Speaking of the house, the photographer comes on Monday, and it will go up on the MLS on Friday August 16th. 

 I never thought I'd see the day!

I keep hearing the market is "hot" right now.  But I am trying not to expect a quick sale.  What will be, will be.  We still have work to do when we get home, and a lot of stuff to still dispose of.  

But starting on Saturday we will be away from it and unable to do anything, so we will just have to take a deep breath and live the good life for a couple of weeks.

I will probably post again before we leave, but if not, keep us in your thoughts for safe and uneventful driving.

Product Review - Better than Windex

I really don't mind washing windows, but I do get very frustrated when I feel like I did a good job and then see streaks and smudges.

I have used vinegar and water, Windex, and several "house brands" of blue window cleaners and am usually disappointed.

Yesterday I bought a new (to me) one at the Ace hardware store, and I can't stop raving about how wonderfully it works and how sparkling clean the windows are.

It is earth friendly, non-toxic, and "made with no chemicals".  I can see using it on many surfaces in the RV from windows to countertops, to the shower and sink.  

The last time we washed the side windows in the Alfa they came out cloudy and streaky.  I am looking forward to giving this stuff a try.  

I have NEVER seen our house windows look this clean and this good.  So happy.

We were going to have them done by a professional window cleaner, but the guy our realtor came up with would not do the five big dining room windows.  They are too high to reach with a ladder. There is a narrow walk way around them.  There are anchor loops on each side of each window to hook onto with a safety harness.  When I asked him if he had a harness, he said he wouldn't do anything that required safety equipment.  I would not allow anyone out there without, except Craig.  He uses a homemade safety belt, but I would not want the liability of having someone fall while using just that.  It is more to help him keep his balance and give him confidence.

So we did them ourselves, and they are better than a pro would do!

I have to explain the deleted post

Something unusual happened that we suspected might have been bit of "shenanigans" on the part of another agent.  Not ours.  It wasn't serious, just a bit odd.  We wrote about it and published it, but then on second thought removed the post.  We feel you have to be very careful about what you post on the internet.

No damage was done.  We will never really know if what happened was a coincidence or misunderstanding.  But again no harm was done.  It did make an interesting post however!

Clean

Just a quick note this morning!  If I could have kept this house as clean and orderly with everything fixed and painted, I would never have wanted to sell it and go on an adventure.

But, at least for me, keeping any house clean isa full time job.  I just don't know how some people do it.

I have a sister who has a perfect house. No husband, but a perfect house.  I would rather be me.