Adventures on the Road to Justin's

When we bought our newest truck we gave our extended cab truck to one of our sons. Now the truck doesn't run well, they have a different vehicle and don't want the truck anymore. We decided to take it back; shouldn't be that difficult now should it?

We started checking around and because the truck is extended with a long bed/big box, we can't just use any car trailer, it must be a larger car trailer which, of course, is not readily available. Finally my husband found one for rent.

We started out this afternoon for a 10 hour drive to our son's house. Because the trailer is attached to our truck, the ride is really bumpy so it is a 20 hour bumpy ride; great, like Bumper Cars. Woo Hoo!

We stopped for dinner at In-n-Our, ate and went on our way. We'd brought cash because north of In-N- Out is the cheapest diesel fuel in the state so we wanted to fill the truck tank full. We got to the station only to find that $60 had disappeared. After searching we finally decided that I must have dropped it at In-N-Out. We filled the tank with the cash we had, but I was so mad at myself.

We must cross a toll bridge to get to our son's house so just before we got to the bridge we realized that we had no cash at all but we were sure that they would take a Visa. We got to the toll booth and told the collection guy that we needed to pay by Visa; guess what? No Visa, no checks, only cash! But we could either pay a fine plus the toll or go to the end of the bridge, cross over, return back to the bridge booth office all in 15 minutes, turn in the card he would give us, then go get cash and return.

We went over the bridge and returned the card but in the meantime I'd GPS'd our bank. We didn't want to go to the bank at the bottom of the bridge as the area is not good so I GPS's another city. Well it took us right too where we didn't want to be; plus the store door was locked, people were there we just couldn't go into the store to the ATM.

I pulled up another bank on the GPS and it was in an area we knew. We started driving but at a main street I looked to my right and there was our bank. We quick pulled a right and then a left into the lot, all while pulling this long trailer.

Finally, 1-1/2 hours later we were able to cross the bridge and pick up where we turned off. We were so glad to see our motel!

When we bought our newest truck we gave our extended cab truck to one of our sons. Now the truck doesn't run well, they have a different vehicle and don't want the truck anymore. We decided to take it

back; shouldn't be that bad.

check Checking around and because the truck is extended with a long bed/big box, we can't just use any car trailer, it must bbe a larger car trailer which, of course, is not readily available. Finally my husband found one for rent.

We st We started out this afternoon for a 10 hour drive to our son's house. Because the trailer is attached to our truck,  the ride is really bumpy so we are in for a 20 hour bumpy ride; great!

We st We opped for dinner at In-n-Our, ate and went on our way. We'd brought cash because north of In-N- Out is thech  cheapest diesel fuel in the state so we wanted to fill the truck tank full. We got to the station only to find that $6d di up and disappeared. After searching we finally decided that I must have dropped it at In-N-Out. We filled the tan ith tank with the cash we had, but I was so mad at myself.

Wee uWe nust cross a toll bridge to get to our son's house so before we got to the bridge we realized that we had no cash  cash at all  but we were sure that they would take a Visa. We got to the toll booth and told the collection guy

hat w said we needed to pay by Visa; guess what? No Visa, no checks only cash! But we could either pay a fine plus the toll the fee or go to the end of the bridge, cross over, return over the bridge all in 15 minutes, turn in the card he would gave us, then go get cash and return.

We w We went over the bridge and returned the card but in the meantime I'd GPS'd our bank. We didn't want to go to the  the bank at the bottom of the bridge as the area is not good so I GPS's another city. Well it took us right too where the casino we didn't want to be; plus the store door was locked, people were there we just couldn't go into the store to the ATM.

I pull    I'd looked up another bank on the GPS and it was in an area we knew. We started driving but at a main street I'd looked to my right and there was our bank. We quick pulled a right and then a left into the lot, all while pulling carrying this long trailer.

Fi         1-1/2 hours later we were able to cross the bridge for one last time and pick up where we turned off. What a night

More Retirement Thoughts

Dale works as a nurse 7 nights on then 7 off so tonight was the 1^st night of 7 off. We had this great dinner, some national dish of Turkey that a facebook friend posted. While we ate we talked about our retirement years; this seems to be a theme these days.

Last night I started a list of places that I still want to see or visit another time, hikes I want for us to do and places that I'd like to live for short amounts of time. I told Dale about the list and we started discussing our new lives that we are about to embark on.

One of Dale's co-workers just came back from a big Alaska trip, but unlike our trip, she took a tour. They stayed in great places, took a wonderful cruise ship thru the inside passage and so forth. We discussed how we have planned to do the inside passage but on a ferry boat, putting a tent on the deck. We thought for a bit about how fabulous it would be to ride in luxury but then giving it more thought realized that it wouldn't likely happen. We'd rather take lots of not so fancy trips then just one big one for the same amount of money, and really we are hiker type of people who'd rather be seen in Patagonia or LLBean than a well known designer. (Well really Patagonia is nearly as expensive but oh so nice).

As for our fears of being together too much well we will need to stay aware of feelings. But as I told Dale, before kids we had so much fun, always going here and there; we didn't have much money but we made our trips fun. So we will buy a deck of cards, a new chess set, stock the RV and off we will go. We are really starting to count the days until we can start this new phase of life.

Thinking Retirement

As I wrote yesterday my hubby Dale is about ready to retire. He really has some mixed feelings about this which I do understand as I've had to reinvent myself several times by now.

When I first told Dale that he could retire and net more than he is netting now he did not believe me until I reviewed the numbers with him. Then a little bit later Dale said that he really wanted to work until Dec 2011 so that things were paid off. I explained that he would net more by retiring and while he agreed that it was true he still would occassionally insist that he would work until Dec 2011. Finally I had to tell him that he could just work as long as he wanted for less money, it was his decision, I wasn't going to discuss it any further.

Today Dale and I discussed the fact that he likes being the charge nurse for the fact that everyone goes to him for his opinion, but he doesn't like the responsibility because any error and his job is on the line. I've reassured him that the reinvention to retiree will be much easier than the one from a farmer. As a matter of fact I believe that he will be so busy that he will not miss his work for very long. Dale is afraid that he will have so many chores to catch up on that he will be too busy.

I myself am looking forward to his being around more but also a little anxious as our lives will change with so much time together. I just don't want to become a person who becomes naggy, critical and bitter.

Setting up for Retirement

Dale, my husband, will have a birthday next week; this is a big one in that he will be “Full Retirement Age” as per the Social Security Admin. I've worked the numbers several times and his net retirement income looks to be more than he nets right now. Can this be right? The answer is yes as he has many things taken out of his pay now.

This is all well and good except that we are buying back several years of work from another county and if he retires before it is bought back we must either complete the purchase on the day he retires or just take what we have already purchased, the difference of a bunch of money in his pension. Unfortunately we are not in a position to pay the remaining buy-back hence Dale must continue to work until such time we can pay off the buy-back having saved the money.

When we first signed up for the buy-back, nearly 3 years ago, we thought that Dale would just retire at the end of 2011. We didn't plan for the fact that he would net more in retirement than work, even though I worked through the numbers so carefully.

Through my investigating though I also read about the fact that Dale can take a terminal vacation (sounds horrid, like a lingering disease) then retire at the end of that vacation. Again I made spread sheets for various scenarios. We think that he can leave on vacation on Jan 3, just after the holiday pay, then retire in April sometime. If we save our money and play our cards right we might pull this off.

Little Town Traditions

The fun thing about driving is finding the unexpected, a little bit of local tradition, the vista and so it was on this day.

We'd stopped in Chetwynd for information on the roads and as we were leaving the lady said that we really should stop at the chainsaw sculpture competition. We just been viewing the sculptures around the town so thought that it might be fun to watch. She directed us to the recreation center and we were on our way.

Chainsaw sculpture is amazing in that the artists use chainsaws to carve out intricate details on these sculptures. Each artist starts with a huge log, about 2' across and about 4' long. Some have a photo hanging next to them and others have cut a piece of wood off then sketched out a basic design to cut. On one we could see the beginning of a bear head. We wished later that we could see the completed sculpture.

Roads thru Canada

Day 4

If you've ever thought about driving across Canada to Alaska I say go for it. But a word of caution, check with the visitors center of the town prior to taking a cutoff, especially if you have a deadline.

We had the idea that we wanted to go by Whistler to see where the Olympic ski events had taken place.  This was really great as we love the winter Olympics.  Unfortunately we did not check before heading out and, the road past Whistler is, as reported in the Milepost, the steepest grade in Canada. It also is very narrow and winding making for a very slow drive.

We stopped at the 100 mile house and inquired about the next cutoff as we were interested in taking the Cassiar Hwy north saving 100 miles  rather than heading east to the Alcan. We were advised that the Cassiar still had 2 sections of gravel and was winding so we decided to go with the Alcan. Except for a few stretches the Alaska Hwy is a very good road.

Unfortunately not every bit of advice can be heeded however. In Chetwynd we were advised to travel over the cutoff we were interested in taking as the fuel would be  cheaper in Hudson's Hope and there would be less traffic. We got to Hudson's Hope to find the most expensive fuel ever so went on to Alaska Hwy where fuel was even higher.  We drove south to Fort Nelson, found our fuel and continued on our way. Well one out of two isn't bad. 

The Perfect Picnic Spot

Day 3

The plan was to cross the border into Canada then catch the ferry on foot to Victoria.  Unfortunately we had stopped early to finally catch up on much needed sleep so ran very late. Kids were disappointed but we told them we'd find something fun to do.

Crossing the border was so easy this time. We had affidavits for each kid and Twinkies papers all in order. There was no line at all so we drove right up to the customs agent. She looked at our passports, asked the usual questions and sent us on our way.

We drove thru Vancouver finding nothing to do plus no parking for the RV and 5th wheel. Then we happened on Stanley park and remembered going there in 1984, returning from the Olympics.  We got off, and quoting the Bernstein bears searched for the perfect picnic spot.  Christabel wanted a picnic in the trees so after walking on a path she yelled "I've found the spot" but oops it was the road she saw not a flat grassy area. We did find a spot hiddden away near the totem poles for our picnic and it was truly the perfect picnic spot.

Revamping the Back Yard

We returned from Alaska to weeds everywhere in both in front and back landscaping and lawns; house was a mess and dirty. As we'd just lived in the RV for 3 weeks + it was also dirty and a total mess. I decided that we'd first clean out the entire RV, everything out and cleaned but just as we were getting everything out we needed to take our baby grand daughter for a few days. That was the end of cleaning for a couple of days, but we took the time to enjoy our baby before starting with the work, a great diversion.

Now the RV is clean and landscape weeding completed so have turned my attention to the back yard. As I have walked around my back yard I found that I was bored with the yard, it was weedy, and old looking. We have a wood frame swing but the wood was dirty and dull, herb planter boxes rotted and falling apart.

I've now spread a ton of grass seed, fertilizer and weed killer and now a much better lawn is coming up. One weed I'd looked up online and found it to be horribly invasive, needed a ton of chemicals. Well it turns out that it is wild bermuda, not a big deal; what a relief.

We took the swing completely apart and I've applied a coat of sealer on it. OMG, the wood is so amazingly beautiful. Cushion is washed then we will put it back together together. We will remove a ugly planter and place the swing in its place with redwood branches as a canopy. I'll attach photos after we have the swing up.

New herb garden planter boxes will be built next week with a slightly new design. Aloe Vera plants will be moved to the front landscaping to the front corner and the sago palm will also be transplanted to the front where all will fit with out southwest theme rather than under redwood trees blocked from the sun.

Next week I'll start painting the fascia board and then trim around the garage and doors. Gosh, our neighbors will be shocked that our house will actually look nice again.

Going Against the Grandkids Wishes

Day 2
On a grandkids trip it is sometimes best to make a decision against kids wishes and so we came to our adventure.
We were entering Washington and I wanted Elias and Christabel to see MT. St. Helens. The kids, on the other hand did not want to stop.

We decided to drop the 5th wheel at the visitors center in order to force kids up front to see the sites. We all piled into the truck and went on our way.

As we drove the kids were so impressed with the beauty that they started shooting photos from the truck windows. Then as we reached the area destroyed by the eruption they were amazed to see the trees down and barren ground  from the blast.

Sunny really wanted the kids to see the movie of the eruption showing at the visitors center so we did. The movie is quite dramatic showing the eruption, blast with trees snapping and flying,  and subsequent mud flows. 

After the movie we were looking at the exhibits in the center. Sunny and Christabel were at a display on earthquakes and hoping that they would see some movement.  Christabel started to walk away when the needle moved and Sunny called her back then the needle moved again. It moved again and again and the girls got so excited.  Then they looked up and saw the sign on making your own earthquake.

Finally on the road

Day 1

After all of the crazy stuff we finally drove away at 7:30a.m. Having packed all night I was glad that Dale was driving. Kids were sleeping in the RV so we just let them sleep. The great thing about a 5th wheel is that kids can ride in the back with radio contact so each kid has their own walkie talkie and we have ours.

Since we got a late start we decided to meet up with Clayton and Jen in Petaluma. We stopped at a rest stop but were in a hurry to get back on the road. As we were driving Sunny radioed that the rv keys were in the door and banging. I could see them in the mirror. We stopped as quickly as we could but the keys had fallen out. Yikes our only full set of RV keys too.

As we got into the city Christabel announced that she had no shoes. Fortunately a shoe store was near the restaurant so we picked up both shoes and socks.

After Petaluma the next stop was Arcata to meet up with Sunny's dad, our middle boy. He had the affidavit giving us the authorization to take her out of the country. We thought it would be fun to see the two little kids too. Since we don't take small grandkids on these trips we see them when we can.

We met at a Chinese buffet then spent the time to straighten out the RV. There under piles of stuff we found the lost shoes, not just one pair but two pairs that Christabel's mom had sent.

The California Oregon border couldn't come soon enough.

Off to Alaska

We have been to Alaska but while there found that I couldn't easily do a paste into this blog so for you who want to read about our Alaska trip I'm posting it here with photos:

Getting off to Alaska was more chaotic than any trip I can remember. I've been so busy with building some new farmers markets that the trip was put on back burner. Then, suddenly we had only two days to prepare but the workers for our markets couldn't make it so I had to work. Yesterday I finally had to start getting ready for this 3r week trip.

Early in the morning I went to get a bowl of cereal and found the milk from the fridge warm, not a good sign. As the morning went on I found that other items were not as cold as they should be and by afternoon found the fridge temp to be 81°. I got the fridge cleaned out and a few items into a neighbors fridge to keep.

After a full day of laundry, fridge stuff, answering market questions, helping grandkids, everyone went to sleep. By 3:30a.m. I was ready to load up the RV but ever so tired. I took clothes and stuff out by the armfull and with the 5 of us going there was plenty. I wanted to put every thing away but grandkids were sleeping in the RV just piling was sufficient. The plan became "get everything into the RV and get out of here".

Of course the freezer had to join the party and quit but a neighbor was awake early and took the food I really wanted to keep.

So now we are on our way, the first leg.