Seven Months on the Road! FINAL POST & SUMMARY April , 2014.

SEVEN MONTHS ON THE ROAD!   As of Monday, March 31, 2014.

We have been on the road exactly seven months! Man what a trip!

Map of Our Trip - - 2013 Sep.1st to 2014 April 7th.

Monday, March 31, 2014.
Once we crossed over the border back into Canada we stopped in Chilliwack, British Columbia to visit with friends (Wendy & Tim) for a few days.
We even got to see Ruth (one of RV Buddies from down in Apache Junction, AZ) who happened to be in town too.

Friday, April 4th, 2014.
After a great time in Chilliwack we headed up to Kelowna and camped there for 3 nights for a much needed visit with Barb’s brother (Carmen & Garth).

Monday, April 7th, 2014. HOME!
We travelled the final little stretch of 6.5 hours & got home at 8pm!
As much as we really enjoyed this trip there was a part of us that was excited to be at home & seeing our family and friends for the summer.

CLOSING REMARKS.

Well... that's it for this trip!
It is hard to believe that its over. When we look back we can not believe how long we have been gone. So many fond memories, so much fun!

We love our lifestyle but right now we are just excited to be back home to spend some great time with our children and grandchildren!

As you may know we sold our family home in September 2012 and downsized to our new Villa. We just recently realized that we have lived in our motor home more than we have in our new home!

Five (5) months in our new home & over a year on the road!
Who would of thought?

This trip was a trip of a lifetime for us and a huge check mark for the old “Bucket List!” 

OUR FAVORITES?

People always ask us... What were our favorite places?
This is a really hard question as there were so many.

In eastern Canada:
I loved the red beaches on Prince Edward Island. Nova Scotia was beautiful too. I think Peggy's Cove & the old cities of Halifax & Lunenburg. Add in New Brunswick, Charlottetown and Fundy Bay.

On the east coast of the USA:
New England and the colors as they changed for fall.
Places like Camden Maine, New York City, Charleston S.C., the Florida Keys and Key West are among some of my favorites on the east coast.

If you like beaches Florida has so many nice ones. If you go to the Florida Keys book your camp spots a year in advance or you may not get one!

There's nothing like the charm of the old south and I think about places like Tennessee. New Orleans was cool to finally get to see but it was a tad cold when we were there. Snow was falling on the day we left! Another neat little spot is Fredericksburg, Texas.

Western USA:
We love Arizona primarily for the trusty warm weather there.
Cave Creek, Casa Grande, Apache Junction and many more small towns. I also love to Boon Dock (Camp in the desert on B.L.M. Lands).

The California coast is another place we can not do without. We always need a dose of that when we go south for the winters. Places like San Diego, Avila and the Pismo Beach area plus others come to mind.

It’s hard to pick a favorite location because each place had its own personality. It's sort of like comparing apples with oranges. We loved it all. There were so many things to see and do!

If you like white sandy beaches & bathtub warm waters then its the Florida Keys. Make sure you reserve your camp spots close to a year in advance if going there tho!

If you like history then certain cities will fill that need and off the top of my head I think of New York, Boston, Charleston and Savannah as examples of that. In the west places like Tombstone, AZ and Yuma come to mind. You can also find maps for old Ghost Towns in Arizona.

Add all the great people that we met!
Some I am sure we will be in touch with for a long time to come. Others like the guy who stopped to help us with directions in Manhattan are an example of the fond memories of so many nice people we came across.

Please do not share these locations with your friends! 
We do not want anyone else to know! We do not want these spots to get too crowded - hahaha!

Seriously I highly recommend checking all these places out and do not be afraid to do it in a motor home. We found it quite easy to get around. A GPS and mobile Internet are a must have for the Navigator (Barb does this for us)!

Mobile Internet Recommendation.
No... they don't pay us for this but we do recommend them anyway.

We have whats called a "MiFi" (they supply these for about $100.00) that fits in the palm of your hand and you can even carry it in your pocket.
Our plan has no contract so we turn it on & off for each trip to the USA. 20 Gigs per month (lots) and the monthly cost is about $69.99.
Here's their Website Link: Millenicom in Oregon

I would also recommend a Camping & Travel APP.
Called Allstays Camp & RV
It truly made life much simpler and improved the quality of our trip.
Well worth the small fee of approx $10 U.S.D.

MILES & TRAVEL DATA:

• Total Miles This Trip: 12,920.7 miles (20,673.1 Km's).
• Current Miles on "Bounder" the motor home: 34,309.7 Miles.
• Time of Trip: 7 Months and 7 days.

QUESTIONS?
If you are planning to do a trip like this in the future feel free to connect with us. We will help if we can remember the answers to what you need. (We are getting older now you know!).
The best way to connect with us is: JGMessner @ Gmail .com
(Note put the email address digits all together).

THE NEXT TRIP.
We expect to hit the road again by mid October for our next adventure.
Who knows we may get itchy feet and leave earlier?
Will we surprise you with some other ideas we have been pondering?

As far as this Blog goes, I am looking at new options for the next trip.
We will post here and let you know if we do change it.

Thank you for following us!
This started so that our Children & close friends could follow us and know we were still alive. I note now that we have had over 7500 page hits, that really amazes us! 

Thank you!

We hope that in some small way we have helped to inspire each of you to live your life to the fullest and to travel!

Jim & Barb

Washington State.

Chehalis, Washington

The slides on our motor home have vinyl toppers that roll up on a tube and cover the tops of the slides when they are out. These protect against excessive water and debris building up on top of the slides. Ours were wearing out and in places you could see right through them. At times over this long trip I was worried that I may have to cut them off they were getting so ragged.

We checked into a couple of places to price what it would cost to replace them and were surprised at the prices they were charging, especially for the easy installation. We were thinking we could do it ourselves but we lacked tall enough ladders. I had one ladder but that wasn’t going to be enough.

Barb had researched the install process and we found a place in Vancouver, Washington that would supply the material. Their material was also much better than what was supplied by the original manufacturers. We ordered two new slide toppers from Tough Toppers in Vancouver, WA, and picked them up on the way through. In fact they were such nice people he agreed to carry them with them and meet us in the evening on a weekend! So far I highly recommend these people and their product, just by looking at it I can say these are much better that what A&E Awnings supplies.

Once we picked them up we headed a little more north and camped out at a Wal-Mart in Chehalis for the night. The weather was thankfully starting to clear as well.

Bellingham, WA.

One of our favorite little towns is right here at the top of the state. When we were young and living in Vancouver, BC we used to come down to this area and it always brings back fond memories.

The reason why we stopped was because I had a ton of car parts shipped (for my old pickup truck that I’m fixing up) and waiting for me just inside the border. I had bought them the week before and had them shipped here and needed to pick them before crossing the border.

We stopped at Sumas where we had them delivered and then got into the line up for the Canadian border crossing. A few minutes later we were done, back into Canada!

THE LAST LEG BEGINS, March 27, 2013.

THE LAST LEG BEGINS, March 27, 2013.

Well we pulled out of Avila this morning at about 1145am. Suffice it to say we weren’t really motivated to leave our nice little spot on the Pacific beaches there. We headed north up the 101 Highway and right into downtown San Francisco at rush hour no less. 

After amazing Barb for a couple of hours with my driving abilities (remembering we are 53 feet long) we passed through town and out the top end and over the Golden Gate Bridge. We have gone this way before and forget how very scenic.

We have been here several times before but there’s nothing like doing it in Bounder and all that traffic. The heavy traffic started about 1.5 hours south of the big city and all the way through. The good news was we weren’t heading south through that mess because the traffic was even worse going that way.

We ended up stopping at about 815 pm in Ukiah, California as Barb wanted to make sure we saw the scenery during daylight. Tomorrow we will finish off the top end of California and get into Oregon.

Ukiah, Ca. Friday, March 28, 2014.

We pulled into one of our favorite campgrounds last night in Ukiah, you guessed it a Wal-Mart. In checking out the parking lot we set up in one area off to the side. I went out for a walk and noticed 4 or 5 less than desirables living under the trees nearby with the shopping carts so we moved over to the other side of the lot. 

There was another RV there so we thought that would work better for a restful night. A security guard was constantly driving around the lot non-stop in his patrol car so that added to the warm fuzzy feeling of safety for Barb.

After a great nights sleep I got up at about 730 am fired up the coffee pot and all was right in the world after consumption was started. I ventured outside and for the first time since our arrival back home in the spring of 2013 I saw my breath. Yes it was a little chilly outside, something we need to start getting used to again.

With a light drizzle in the air and the furnace on it was time to heat up some water, get cleaned up and start the days venture north hopefully finishing California and into Oregon before night fall.

At 8pm we ended up parked for the night in Florence, Oregon at a Casino parking lot with a ton of other RV’s. It rained all day and at times in northern California and into Oregon it was raining so hard that it was hard to see the road with the winds coming off the Pacific in gale force. 

This is not southern California that’s for sure! We do love Oregon though it has one of the most beautiful coastlines and the more we travel the more we learn to love the Pacific Northwest.

Avila, California. March 23rd, 2014.Looking up the beach

Avila, California. Sunday March 23^rd, 2014.

They say moss doesn’t grow on a rolling stone so after three nights it was time to move on from Borrego Springs. This time we were heading to the Pacific Ocean, our second ocean of the trip this year! Wow now we will have been to both coasts in one trip!

Our routine each travel morning is to first relax and enjoy our morning coffee and have some breakfast. Most travel days we don’t go too far so we rarely have to rise and hit the road in a hurry. This was true here too. 

After packing up the patio and hooking up the CRV to the hitch, off we went meandering the highways & freeways in a north and westerly direction to our next stop, which happens to be one of our favorites.

Not being in a rush to get anywhere and keeping our driving to short trips sure makes the journey more enjoyable. In the past it was always double-digit hours on the road and I don’t miss that one bit. I try not to travel at night either but that’s not always possible. Did I mention we must be getting old?

We ended up going through parts of the greater Los Angeles area again, not one of my favorite things to do especially when we are 53 feet long. It couldn’t really be avoided. 

The freeways are usually good but some of those drivers leave a lot to be desired. I wish they would learn how to properly merge onto a freeway and quit cutting us off! They must think we can stop this 12-ton rig on a dime?

Finally we cleared the worst of Los Angeles and headed up through Ventura towards the area of San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach and our destination Avila. One of our favorite camping spots and it is right on the side of the ocean! If the weather is good there is no better spot. If the weather is not so good there is no better place to relax!

Now I must add that there are a lot of places cheaper than California. If you are on a tight budget then this isn’t the cheapest state to visit. Camping can be expensive and so is fuel for the rig. I guess there’s a price one has to pay if one wants to be in So Cal.

We were lucky and found a camp spot right on the edge of the road, directly overlooking the beach. The only bad part about this spot and I forgot until 6am the next morning, is that the shift change traffic from the local Power Plant can be a bit noisy. Barb seems to sleep right through it, but as soon as it occurs I am up for the day!

No matter where I am at… my morning routine is to get up and make the coffee. If we are not plugged into shore power I have to start the Jenny (Generator) to run the electric coffee maker. If we don’t have shore power and we have neighbors near us (and it’s early) then I have to make coffee the old fashioned Melitta way. No power required, just the good old-fashioned gas stove. I bet you always wanted to know all about this! 

So after I got the coffee started my routine is that I clean up and it all times out perfectly. I have my coffee and head out to my patio. This is my favorite time of day, whether it’s an early morning, any morning at home or on the road. I especially enjoy the quiet early mornings with my Java when we are parked somewhere so scenic. This particular location is so very hard to beat!

As the waves come in and crash and the tides go in or out I am left with to watch and wonder for all that nature has to offer. The birds are all flying while some drop straight down beak first into the surf for their favorite snacks. 

The seals are going back and forth while floating on their backs enjoying their breakfasts too. The sailboats are tied to their buoys sitting in the bay gently floating about. Grey clouds of this particular morning begin to break up and the sun comes through and warms my legs. 

With the sounds of the seagulls in the background I am left with my thoughts and the first one coming to my mind each and every time is how blessed we are to have this opportunity. The Pacific Ocean always brings me the same simple peace.

Our days here will be spent mostly relaxing, reading, eating, walks & perhaps a bike ride or two with nice quiet evenings. We just love the coast!

We arrived in Avila just in time for sunset.
The view from our patio.

Looking up the beach. 

Our Beach Home for a couple of days.

Some of our neighbours.

Our Buddies relaxing while one takes a swim!

You can walk right up to these guys, but be careful they are huge!

If you hear the siren thats not good news.

The Pier is always a fun place to visit.

That white motorhome near the center on the edge is our home!

Meal time views!

Nothing like a nice drive on the beach. Watch out for the waves!

Its sandy out here too!

Anza Borrego and Borrego Springs, California.

Anza Borrego and Borrego Springs, California.

The next morning we headed farther west and into California as we usually do after our time in Arizona.

Anza Borrego is slightly south of Palm Springs. Its right near a place called Sultan City, which is located on the Sultan Sea. As we drove into the area we could see the Sultan Sea on our right side and it was a lot bigger than I had assumed.

Along the road and at our turn off to go westbound was an Arco gas station. We just happened to notice they had a RV Dump. No this isn’t a place where old RV’s go to retire!

It is a place that we needed, as our tanks were getting full. So we filled up with fresh water and dumped our black and grey tanks. The best part about this and I don’t think I have ever seen it before, was that it was free, courtesy of the gas station! They had several islands of them too. As I was there doing my thing I realized it must get pretty busy here with RVs?

Once done we continued west towards the town of Borrego Springs. Using the GPS (I can’t imagine doing half of what we have done with out our GPS!) we located a small road that led us into the desert at the base of some very scenic mountains. This was another location recommended to Barb in her research. Once again this was government land becoming home for three great nights of free camping.

Borrego Springs is a neat little area. As noted it is tucked into the desert mountains (not as big as the Rocky Mountains bet very scenic). We had lots of space to ourselves although there was the odd RV camped out in the distance as well. Some of them had their Jeeps, VW Baja Bugs and ATV’s which is cool to watch. They didn’t bother us and I liked to see them when they did go by.

It was a great spot just one problem, when the wind decides to blow, boy does it ever blow! It happened a couple of times and you learn quickly that unless you want your home to be full of sand you must batten down the hatches and wait it out.

 

Metal art Sculptures in the desert of Borego Springs.

If you don't like Desert Reptiles you are safe here
This one wasn't real, but it was cool!

A favorite pass-time in the desert!
Replicated and made by an Artist

There's a little bit of everything out here!

Some days I wonder if I should trade the CRV for a Jeep for the desert?
Today we pretended to be a Jeep and go onto some desert trails. 

We spent the next couple of days touring around the area. Borrego Springs is a neat little town and there isn’t a lot there. I sort of like it that way. They had a couple of nice privately owned RV Campgrounds and one of them had a section (much like one in the southern AZ town of Bisbee) where you could rent a restored antique trailer. I love those old trailers especially if they have polished stainless steel on the outside walls and/or wings extending out back like a bird.  This place had both. Definitely a trip down memory lane.

Restored retro trailers!
I love them!

You can rent one just like a Motel Room but more fun!

You can't beat a travel trailer with wings!

If you happen to be in town on a Friday, Barb suggests you check out the Farmer’s Market. I went too. It’s located in the middle of the traffic circle in town. A nice little park with green grass. After doing so much out in the desert we really enjoyed being with some green grass and tall trees. The market wasn’t that bad for a small one either!

The Borrego Springs Farmer's Market

We went for a healthy bike ride around town too. Checking out another luxury campground and golf subdivision and other nooks and crannies about the town. We found it was a little hot for an uphill climb at the end though, we must be getting old?

Another place we were told to check out was a small town in the mountains called Julian. It was about a 45-minute drive from Borrego Springs. If you go make sure you take your camera! One of the stops we heard about was to take in the Julian Pie Shop. 

Scenes from our BLM Camp spot in the desert.

A shot from one of the mountain roads looking down.

Desert and Mountains, It doesn't get much better!

I love pie so that was a major priority of our trip. We had some awesome pie and ice cream and then walked it off with a stroll around town. If you ride a Harley Davidson you will fit right in here as many motorcycles use this as a day stop for a nice ride up into the hills.

The Julian Pie shop is to be checked out... Mmmm!

Some old T-Birds visiting Julian.