Look What I Did!

Today was the first nice day we've had in a while so I decided to spend some time with Waddles.  I'd not cleaned her since our little trip so I stripped the bed and threw the bedding into the washer.  Then I completely emptied her out.

One of the lessons from my trip was I have very limited space inside Waddles and I need to have only what I need while I'm in there. So I sorted through all the stuff and thought a lot about exactly what I want around me in the evening and morning, and while sleeping.   There wasn't a lot I'd put in for the last trip, but I eliminated some things and started a list of what I was missing.

Then I cleaned up the kitchen, and re packed things I wanted easily accessible into the cabinets, and the rest goes in the kitchen bin that will be carried in the car.

When the laundry was done I remade the bed and did a little decorating.   If I were to choose, I would not have the TV or air conditioner, so I chose to cover them with something pretty.

I then added some more personal touches to the outside.... because it makes me smile.

Then I hooked her up to the car and pulled her out and gave her a bath.  I think she liked it!😉

She has been living next to the garage since I pulled her out about a month ago.   I got really brave today and did THIS!!!!!

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself!

Maiden Voyage

Waddles and I are back home.   We drove close to 300 miles round trip, spent 3 nights and 4 days away from home.    I was attending a retirement party in Prineville Oregon, so opted to stay in an RV park on the edge of town.  This would normally not be my first choice, but for convenience to town, and for our first outing it seemed like a good choice.

It was an easy, though rainy, drive down.   I found my spot among the BIG BOYS, and got set up without any trouble.    It was quite windy, and I cooked up some hot coffee and went for a walk before connecting with friends for the evening.   Grabbed a couple geocaches, because they were close!

Had dinner with my friend who just retired and other retired FS folks.  It was great fun, and we had a good visit,

Waddles was tail to the wind and rain all night, so the vent on the roof (opened a crack to keep the air circulating) was banging all night, and poor Waddles was getting a bit battered around!   I'd left the door mats outside and they were quite wet in the morning, but hadn't blown completely away.   It was impossible to heat water for coffee because the biting wind was still blowing quite hard, so I skipped the coffee and had breakfast of yogurt and cheese and crackers in the the comfort of the trailer.

At 9am friends picked me up for a windy, but LOVELY hike up to Chimney Rock.   The lichen on the rocks was beautiful and there were wildflowers starting to bloom.   The view from Chimney Rock was spectacular.

We then met up with a whole gang of friends for lunch and then a little tour of Waddles.  While I had a number of people there, we took the opportunity to swing Waddles 180 degrees so if there was more wind, it would not be blowing right into the ceiling vent and the kitchen!  It was VERY easy to just roll her around by hand.  We then dispersed to get ready for the big retirement party that evening which was absolutely wonderful, and perfect and I saw many people I'd not seen in years and years.

That night it was MUCH MUCH calmer, no wind, no rain and I was cozy and slept well.   In the morning I woke to a skiff of snow on the ground!   That was a surprise.    I brewed up some hot coffee and crawled back into the coziness of Waddles.

I was picked up by friends to drive to Redmond for Brunch to celebrate a birthday, another fun gathering of laughing and visiting and exchanging presents.

That afternoon there was a bonfire gathering up on the Forest so we headed up for more fun and visiting.   When it started spitting snow we gave up and went back into town.    Spent more 'friend' time visiting, knitting, opening retirement gifts and cards, and then went to dinner.

I wandered back to Waddles after dark and got settled in.  No wind, no rain, mostly clear skies with an almost full moon and it was CHILLY outside.    It was a bit cold sleeping because I had the roof vent cracked open, but not too bad.

Got up in the morning to 28 degrees, packed up the car, hooked up Waddles and hit the road toward home.    I took a different route home, and had great views from Mt Adams south to the 3 Sisters and Mt Bachelor.    It was kind of sad to pack up and head home....  Waddles and I were having a lot of fun!

Lessons learned:

• Don't park tail to the wind
• Don't have extraneous stuff inside the trailer, there is not a lot of room in there
• Need to find a smaller, safer heater (I was using a space heater because Waddles has A/C but no heat)  I only turn it on for a very short time, but it is not the safest option.
• Need to have gloves to wear when it is cold, that I can maneuver keys and locks with (my fingers get cold and numb really quickly which makes for bad dexterity!).
• Bring a garbage bucket of some sort
• I don't particularly care for RV parks, although having electricity was nice
• Only about 4 people from the RV park came and told me how cute Waddles is (I expected more, but the weather was pretty bad, and I was not there much)   She was very cute surrounded by BIG RVs
• I felt pretty darn comfortable driving with Waddles behind me
• I was scoping out possible places to stop, before I had to stop ... fear of getting into someplace I can't get out of
• I was pretty organized, but could do a lot better
• She is REALLY easy to move around by hand

All in all I'm feeling really good about our first adventure together and can't wait for the next one.

Travelin'

Well, we made it to our destination.  Driving was easy, we stopped a few times along the way, I backed her up a few times.  Now we are comfortably settled in to an RV park.   A midget among giants!

It is rainy and cold and a bit windy, so I'm hanging out inside waiting to catch up with friends.  I would love to have the screen tent up, but the wind would likely blow it away in short order.

I've brewed a cup of coffee and made some lunch, gone for a walk and found a couple geocaches.  Now I'm just knitting and enjoying Waddles time!

Counting Down

Well, I have less than 48 hours until my trial run begins.  This will be a 3-day, 2-night outing less than   150 miles from home, in a small town.  I have been working hard to be ready, learning all I can about Waddles, and trying to be organized.  Those of you who know me, know that planning is not my favorite activity.  I much prefer to drive to the corner and then decide which way to turn.  And I know I can't do that this trip.   So I'm down to the details now.   As I've been futzing with Waddles I worry about all the loose items that are essential for operation and could be easily overlooked and left behind.   I've made lists, and check lists, and backup lists.   I still worry.  So to make me feel better I took a page out of my Dad's book and bought some bright (and cute) tape and put it on all those necessary loose items.

Wheel lock 

Chock blocks

Power cord

Tongue wheel and stand

Tongue lock

I have a kitchen box,  dishes, pots and pans, towels, dish soap, matches, and oh so much more!

I have chairs

I have safety reflective triangles

I have the proper plug on the car so not only do the trailer lights work, but the trailer battery charges while we drive!

The bed is made and there are lots of extra blankets because, well, it is early April and I might get snowed on🙄

Tomorrow I will focus on loading up the car with everything I need to live with Waddles for a few days!   I'm getting very excited....and curious what will be the first thing I forgot!   Stay tuned!

Getting closer!

Today I decided to do a little jaunt around the neighborhood with Waddles, just to test things out.  I got her all hooked up to the car, did a 'pre-flight' walk around making sure everything was secured.  I tested the lights, and UH OH.... no lights!   They were plugged in, and worked the last time I tried them (last fall when I brought her home).  I unplugged, replugged, unplugged, replugged...looked at the wires under the trailer in case some mouse had been busy over the winter.  Nothing.

So I abandoned the jaunt until I could talk with my trailer expert, who is in Mexico still.    I pulled Waddles away from the house a bit, and pulled out the screen tent I bought to use with her, and set it up.   I had set it up once inside the garage this winter, but not outside.   After a few mis-assembly mistakes, I got it up.  Moved it over behind Waddles to see if I could open the kitchen hatch under the tent.... SUCCESS!      I took the tent down and got it back in it's bag, and backed Waddles into her parking place.   I left the car running and did a little walk around to see if she was in the right place, and low and behold the lights were working!    That made me nervous....  working intermittently is worse than not at all as far as I'm concerned.

So I decided to take our little jaunt after all.   I drove up to the nearby campground.   Got out and checked... lights were still working.   I drove into Parkdale and stopped at the store for something to drink (I figure I need to get used to parking and such).   Then I drove home.   No problem.  Lights were working; I'm getting comfortable driving with Waddles behind me.

Got a call from my trailer expert as I was backing into the parking spot, and his suggestion is that the ground might not have been a solid connection, evidently a somewhat common problem.  Moving the car around probably adjusted the ground so it worked.  He told me ways to check it also.    I'm taking the car to get the trailer wiring changed from 4-plug to 7-plug on Tuesday so I'll consult with them on how to mitigate this issue.

Everything else seems to be good.   I'm making lists of things to check before driving off with the trailer, when I get to a camp site, before I leave Waddles alone at a campsite.  What I need for my kitchen and other things for living out of the trailer.    I now have a box for all the kitchen items, a bag for all the security and parking items (chocks, locks, and such).    I also purchased more security items.   A wheel lock, to deter a would-be thief (this is a little trailer, easy to hook up and drive off with!).

I also broke down and bought a little can of mace.  I never thought I would do that, but traveling across country, alone, it seems like a good idea.  AND my theory is, if I have it, I won't need it.

I also tried out the kitchen today.....

Hot water from the propane stove?  Check.  

Refrigerator works? Check.  

Yellow pot holders for added cuteness?  Check.   

I think we are about ready to roll.  Oh and the problem with the back hatch locks mentioned in an earlier post, operator error... Fixed!

I'm feeling more confident, and my first trip is only for 2 nights, starting next week, so if I forget something critical it will be a lesson learned, and not a disaster!