Transitions - 2016

We haven't blogged for some time but I assure you there was a good reason.

Two years ago I wrote about transitioning from a work life to a retired life which also entailed moving from a traditional home to living full time in a motorhome. At the time I believed these would be the biggest changes we would be making for a good while. Boy was I wrong!

We started this adventure with our first motorhome purchase, a 23 foot Class C which almost immediately confirmed we needed more room, especially if we pursued our dream of doing this full time. One year later we upgraded to a 33 foot Class A and we were very comfortable with it. We figured we could be happy while fulfilling our dream.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Here we are, beginning our second year and we found we needed just a little bit more space – particularily true when the weather closed in, forcing us indoors for an extended period.

So, the search commenced and a long one it was. We had become very particular in our tastes and were very reluctant to compromise on what we wanted.

First was the kitchen area. A larger counter space for our cooking experiments was definitely called for. Whereas prepping in advance does have its advantages and makes sense, we had continually found ourselves needing just a bit more of something and not having the space on the counter to accomplish it.

 

 

Second was the “living room” area. In the past, having guests over consisted of breaking out another lawn chair and hoping it stayed warm as there was no room inside to accomodate more than the two of us comfortably. By having the room to put extra chairs on the inside we were no longer restricted to good weather and early evenings.

 

 

Third is a spacious bedroom where either of us could get around the bed without doing the sideways shuffle which also usually resulted in barked legs and stubbed toes – especially at night. We would have settled for an olympic queen like our old rig or even a queen sized bed if there was ample space for two people to occupy the area without resorting to contortions a circus performer would be proud of. In our case we were very fortunate and ended up with a king sized bed and LOADS of room – both in the closet and the surroundings.

Fourth was some ammenities such as a washer/dryer; either a combination or, most preferred, the stacked models. Here we scored our preference with a Whirlpool stacked washer and dryer.

We did have to compromise some but I believe we will actually appreciate more with what we ended up with than what we think we wanted. A central bathroom instead of the desired bath and a half. Having dealt with all the quirks of the vacu-flush system in our old rig, it should come as no shock just how much happier I am dealing with the simplistic traditional toilet and plumbing. Want something to go very wrong, very quickly? Just bring a closed system to a 6psi vacuum and add poop and toilet paper. I guarantee your imagination will only scratch the surface on what we have endured.

Another compromise and one I can easily rectify if needed is the propane range instead of an induction one. Sure, with all the fancy stuff we did get in this new-to-us motorhome, it would make sense to have the most fancy induction range we could manage. The stumbling block here was cost and predicted use. Normally we cook outdoors on our grill and depend on an Instant Pot pressure cooker for the rest. We do have an induction hot plate for those days when a quick fry up is all that is needed. So, all things considered it was far cheaper to keep the existing propane system and our familiar cooking tools.

When you add all the new stuff, the preferred stuff and the really nice to have stuff, well we couldn't stuff it into a mere 34 feet or, for that matter even 38 feet. So, without further adeu, allow us to introduce you to our Berkshire XL 40QL. Our single axle, 41 footer that we now call home.

The transition is ongoing. We have returned to Sunset Bay State Park in Oregon and mixed with our camp host duties we will be spending lots of time learning the systems and hopefully remembering where we stored our stuff.

Flaming Gorge 2016 – The Return

Nearly a year ago Chris and I came to this wonderful place as our very first experience as volunteers. We only spent a month the first time round but it was enough to enchant us with the desire to return; and so we have.

There are the familiar places, having not changed in the big scheme of things and other places where the change has been stunning. For example, the visitor center had a remodel planned and the various exhibits were just coming in when we left last year.

This year a seemingly whole new center welcomed us with all sorts of interesting displays reaching out to grab our attention.

The kids had a great time sending messages to the fire lookout tower via carrier pigeon.

Of course not to be outdone, the local sheep just had to swing by to say hello after we had set up and there hasn't been a week go by without them paying us a visit. Between the sheep and the deer it is always a good idea to open the door slowly in the mornings so as to not scare them or ourselves. Let's face it, having an angry turkey gobble as a wake up call puts a whole new perspective on life.

This year the ranger has decided to give us a bit of variety and has shifted our jobs to encompass more of the recreation area. As I mentioned before, most weekends find us manning one of the boat launch area booths and its launching ramp. Since these are usually separated by at least a half mile our only means of communication is via walkie-talkie. I mention this only because Chris is a really fine judge of character and never fails to warn when the characters are enroute to the ramp.

What a stark contrast it can be! The professional guides quickly back their dories down their selected ramp lane with little to no correction. They get their boats launched, towed over to the waiting area, and then are off to the parking area. Time on the ramp, 5 minutes or less. The local fishermen may spend a little bit more time on the ramp but for the most part can rival the pros in backing and unloading.

Then come the rafters. Usually arriving around 10am and only on the sunny days these intrepid water enthusiasts will arrive with their rented rafts that are floated only after the requisite taking up of two or three ramp lanes, 20 minutes of unloading and absolutely no idea of just how cold the river is. (That last part changes quickly and is usually accompanied with a high pitched squeal – regardless of the age or gender of the water tester.) The launching of the rafts reminds me of a holiday weekend with new RV'ers arriving at a campground. Thankfully, the ramp has benches for the spectators. (Sorry, I was just too busy un-clustering to take more pictures.)

Another job the ranger will be having us do in the coming weeks is collections. We'll be traveling the roughly 257 mile circumference of the reservoir visiting each launch and fee area to collect the iron rangers. We are definitely looking forward to seeing some the territory that is called Flaming Gorge.

We have returned – Flaming Gorge 2016

 What a busy two weeks!

As we were pulling out of Champoeg we received a call that our replacement air conditioner was in and we had been scheduled for a service call. Still riding the high of selling our house this extra bit of good news came as a wonderful surprise and really eased my mind about handling the hot weather of the high plains deserts of Utah and Idaho. So, with a quick routing change we headed back to Coburg staying at the Premier RV Resort and using this bit of downtime to hit up Costco for a last chance at stocking up - sales tax free.

 

We had planned to take our time using a route we had not traveled before but with the loss of two days we were “forced” to head east taking the quickest way possible. Did you believe that? I hope not.

Leaving Coburb going due east takes us through to the Sisters and close to Bend. Of course from there it is pretty logical to take highway 20 across Oregon to Boise and lookee there, with an ever so slight detour there just happens to be Crystal Crane Hot Springs at about the half-way point. Detour? Stop?

 

Oh yes we did!

Reluctantly we could not stay any longer than overnight. We did manage to hit up the ponds for a couple of soaks and admire a glorious sunset that changed the colors of our motorhome.

 

 

Even though we both grew up in the area, neither of us had taken the I-84 route between Burley Idaho and Brigham City Utah so here was our chance, bypassing Pocatello and seeing new country. Eh, not so much; scrub sagebrush intermixed with alfalfa fields look very much the same regardless the route. To be honest though, once we started getting into the hills most of our view was obscured by smoke and haze from nearby wildfires. At one point, the smoke was thick enough to warrant headlights and a bit of a slow down to be safe.

With different routing came an opportunity we couldn't pass up – a visit to the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville, Utah. We wrote briefly about this place last year but this time round I received a personal guided tour from my brother-in-law (his name is also Chris) who works here. This family friendly, educational and fun place makes for a wonderful inexpensive stop for any traveler. Access is RV friendly with parking and plenty of room for even the largest rigs. (Sorry about sounding like an advertisement but this gem deserves the exposure.)

 

 

 

 

Four days of refreshing family ties and catching up brings us to this blog's conclusion and our destination for the next two months – Flaming Gorge. Over the past year there have been some significant changes. The visitor center we worked in last year has been remodeled with new flooring, exhibits and furniture. We'll get more into that when our schedule has us returning to working there after Labor day.

For now though, we are split up and working a booth at the dam's spillway boat lauch and down on the launching ramp. These two spots are about a half mile apart and with no cell or other phone service available; portable radios are our only contact.