Thank you, thank you verrrra much

Just a quick shout-out to Bonnie and Barbara for your continuing comments and faithful readership!

And...we're back

The Beach House on the Move is washed and parked in its new home berth.  The warm and sunny day we had yesterday has been replaced by the cloudy and cold background you see in the photo.  This will be the last post for at least a week (or two or more) until we get re-settled in our routine, but check back in occasionally for the next adventure currently scheduled for March or so.  Subject to change, as always.

Homeward Bound

We opted to take two days rather than drive 9 hours in one long slog home.  So, naturally, we did not break it into two 4-5 hour days. Nope, we made it one 5 hour day, and one 7 hour day and detoured for one night to the Grand Canyon.  It was cold and windy when we arrived, but with our trusty heater we managed just fine.  And the clear view of the Milky Way and the sunrise over the canyon made it all worth it.

If you look carefully at the photo above, you can see Hercules the Travel Dog driving the RV.

Game Day

We are in Laughlin, NV, where we have taken a two day plan to 1) winterize the RV before leaving the Land of Warm and 2) watch the football game on TV rather than listen on the radio.  And in case football is not your thing, we are adjacent to a beautiful golf course where Tom has figured out we can watch the par 3 hole and rate the players.  One birdie so far.

Whoops!

Hey everyone: (all three or four of you regular readers).  Had a bit of change of plans this week. My Dad fell and broke three ribs, so we have been trying to help him and have accordingly made some unplanned changes to our itinerary.  But we are getting really good at setting up and taking down.  Dad is in the hospital at this moment, but is expected to be released as soon as he makes a bit more progress in physical therapy and can maneuver on his own.  He is able to get in and out of bed as of today, which is a big step and he is learning how to get around with a walker until he is steadier on his feet.

We are heading back towards NM in the morning, will take a few days and try to keep you all advised of progress.

Ahhhh

We have arrived at our next vacation stop. Here is the view out the front window:

 

Also, a few days ago I promised a couple of interior shots of the RV, so here we go.  This first is the view from just behind the drivers seat, looking across the dining room to the foyer.

Moving down the hall to the right of the foyer, we enter the kitchen.  This consists of moving, oh, about a 45 degree turn to the right.

Now, passing the door in the kitchen hallway, we pass by the bath room and shower and enter the bedroom, where Hercules has figured out how to jump UP on the beds but is not too sure about jumping back down.

Brand Loyalty

My Dad's driveway ought to be a commercial.  If you open the garage doors you will find three more inside.  

Joshua Tree

In the late morning, After two successful days 'camping' with all the modern conveniences, we unhooked and headed out for our two days of boondocking dry camping.  The chosen route was over some very isolated roadways through the Mojave Preserve.  I think parts of them were pavement, but most of it was patches and potholes.  Quite an adventure, but gave us a lot of driving confidence having navigated those so-called roads.

We ended up at the northwest corner of Joshua Tree National Park, where we had a beautiful site with tall Joshua trees around us:

In the late morning, we decided to take a drive through the main part of the park before returning.  We got to the Jumbo Rocks section of the park and decided to grab one of the campsites there.  

Just a few minutes ago the site behind us was taken by a group of Boy Scouts who are a laugh riot.  The dads are fumbling around trying to set up the tents while the boys immediately scattered into the big rock section behind their site, and quickly became lost.  Having finally gathered together again, they are currently debating whether to sleep under the stars or in the tent.  The big boys (16? 17?) have not yet figured out there are critters out here that might want to crawl into those exposed sleeping bags.  It is going to be an interesting night, for sure.  

Happy, but worn out

Well, we have just completed two full days of orientation and familiarization, and our heads are spinning.  But we think we have figured out most of the systems and feel comfortable with the operation.  Driving is easier than expected but Tom is fearless  and Cheryl is still a bit timid in that department.

So far so good

We drove 9 and a half hours today with a packed rental car.  Hercules was a terrific travel dog, he slept most of the time and was no trouble.  

Once checked in to the hotel, we drove over to the RV dealer's lot to see if we could look at our new motorhome from the street.  We quickly met the large and loud Anatolian Shepherd guard dogs.  So it was not easy to spot our new rig (we think it was in the back corner, behind a dozen or so other units of varying shapes and brands) and Hercules was of the opinion we should leave immediately.  

So we did just that, grabbed a bite to eat on the way home and are now relaxing with the   Florida-Auburn game on TV.  

3...2...1....

All systems are go.  The manufacturer having used up every single day of our two-week built-in fudge-factor timeframe, we have received word that the new motorhome will arrive at the dealers lot in Las Vegas Nevada on Monday morning. We will depart the same Monday morning with a car filled with supplies and the dog and us. We plan to converge in Las Vegas and start our new adventure on Tuesday.  Do stay tuned.