It's not too big...it's not too small...let's hope it's just right

When I met Tom last May, 2017, he was the proud owner of a large Recreational Vehicle (I now know that's what you call the type of vehicle that does not have it's own motor - they are "motorhomes").  I was in awe, but honestly thought that it was way toooo big for ease of driving, economical use and for two persons.  It was bought when he and Ollie realized that life in the city of Victoria was a tad more pricey than most people realize and if you have a dog, no matter how fabulous he might be, not many landlords want you.  So as a "home on wheels" Tom's 29 foot 5th wheel was wonderfully comfortable, a small condo; but I knew, and so did Tom, that something smaller was in order for our proposed trip. 
So in the winter, while on vacation in Mexico, Tom saw the trailer of his dreams and after a few weeks of waiting for us to patiently return, the previous owners helped us to learn why we would find the 16 foot Coast MVP trailer just right for our needs.  With a "new to Tom" truck, a more economical Ford 150, and a bike rack mounted on the rear, here we were ready for our first shakedown trip to Seal Bay RV Park. 
Shakedown trips are a must.  I practiced how to cook, wash dishes, use the bathroom with shower and how to pack the most into the least space.  All things that brought back memories of a sailboat life a long time ago.....
I like to think we went "glamping".  In the rain....but isn't that what you expect on the 'wet coast". 
So with the one trip under my belt, numerous backing up practices under Tom's, new tires and a lot of handy-dandy gadgets and storage bins in their places...I realized that what likely is the best reason to have one of these driveway blocking vehicles parked is to go to new places and see new things and meet new people...that's what we're about to do! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The end of the longest cross country highway in America in the wild and wonderful west

Image
Today is the first day since August 9th that we do not have a defined road destination.  Tom woke up feeling the loss of a plan and is going through an adjustment as he is a planner and a doer; I, on the other hand, feel uplifted.  I feel the weight of a big obligation lifted and am now in the land of the free.  Free to dream of what we are going to do in this next week, before home and garden responsibilities once again bring us back to Denman Island.  Yesterday, in Newport Oregon, we finished the route that Tom had carefully mapped out for us on Highway 20, with stops to include extra destinations.  The route is the longest highway in America and links the east and west coasts.  Tom's friends from Memphis TennesseeBoston to Newport Oregon...whose idea was that and why?  Well...we think we have a few of those answers when we finally hit the west...so here goes a few of my memories of the last week of our travels.     Leaving M...
Read more

It's not all about what we see....the "stats" of our roadtrip so far

Image
I've been thinking that it's time to talk about the realities of an "RV", recreational vehicle trip, across this huge country.  Tom has been keeping pretty detailed statistics about our trip to date and here's what we've done.   Since leaving Denman Island we've driven 5,028.6 kms or 3124 miles.  We've used 1099.5 liters of fuel and had the reality shock of gas mileage of 10.75 miles/gallon or as his truck tells us, 21.8 liters/100 kms.  Tom has been diligent about using the towing vehicle, his F150 truck responsibly and not driving too fast to strain the truck or the trailer.  He uses trailer brakes whenever possible to relieve the truck of the load and also monitors tire pressure, oil levels and gas usage daily.   We even drove the truck and trailer over a roadside commercial vehicle scale in order to feel reassured we were not carrying too much weight.  The truck loaded with gear and us weighs 3190 kg, or 7,032 lbs and the trailer weig...
Read more

Corn, wheat, cattle,cowboys and the settling of the West...in the heartland of America

Image
Go west young man ....each step of the route now is bringing us to a place in America that is newer in history than the road past.  We are into the "heartland" of America and it's not hard to see that agriculture is key to this region.  Miles of land used for the growing of crops important to the livestock industry or the recent ethanol fuel development, hoping for a future time when fossil fuels are no longer the main source of power for all of us who are travelling these roads through America.   But let me begin by saying that when we planned this trip, I had hoped to visit the birthplace of my father, Madison, Wisconsin.  My Dad was the third child of young Italian immigrants who had moved from Molise province in the rocky rural area of southern Italy to find a better life.  Their parents and relatives had come via ship to New York, then Cleveland and my Father's four brothers had founded Di Rienzo Bros. monumental works in Madison.  I'm not exact...
Read more