TIME

Time...how do you measure it? By minutes and hours, by days and months, or by events that happen in your life? Sometimes it goes too fast, other times way too slow, but one thing is for sure, there is no stopping it. No matter what the circumstances, the seconds continue to tick to minutes, minutes to hours, and hours to days. Some where in your busy life you stop and realize just how far you have gone and just how far you have left to go, God willing.

It dawned on me this morning that it has been 32 months since Craig started his excellent adventure, and 26 months since I had the extreme pleasure of joining him, and making it "our" ultimate road trip. A trip that we are still on, and I truly don't see signs of it stopping any time soon. Why you ask? Because it's just so much darn fun. I mean it. Like most of you, I too had my ideas of what a trucker's life would be, and I'm here to tell you, I think you would be surprised.

Since starting this blog, I have heard from and found a multitude of couples doing exactly what we are doing. Seems like half of the couples we have come in contact with, they both drive, and the other half, one drives and the other is the professional navigator, like me. It seems that they, like us, are having the time of their lives, making memories, sharing experiences and living life to the fullest. And isn't that what life is all about?

Sure, there have been some bumps along the way. We will never forget our time spent in Texas, and the time spent trying to get out of Texas, when Craig hurt his back. But we survived that to drive another day. Right now I am counting the time until I can return back to the truck and rejoin Craig. I miss my husband, I miss that truck, and I miss watching my changing view out my picture window from the passenger seat.

So as long as time keeps ticking, so will we. Not so much counting our time out on the road in minutes, hours, days, or miles, but in memories that will last an eternity. We feel so blessed!

RETURN RUN

Craig made it to Pasco Tuesday afternoon. After a 10 hour break, he delivered the peaches to the Railex facility at 2am this morning. He had to wait only as long as it took for his dispatcher to get to work, to find out that he would be headed back to Tyson Meats, and delivering this time to Ralph's and King Meat, one of the same drops he just did on Saturday. It will be an easy run, as his hours are starting to dwindle, but with an 8 hour drive today, and an 8 hour drive on Thursday, he should have no problem making his noon and 3pm delivers on Friday.


We are hoping that his next run will take him into Spokane, so that I can get back on the truck with him. My plan is to start heading north on Friday, with a stop at my friend's house in Walla Walla, WA for a short visit. Then onward to our house to drop off some personal effects. If Craig gets delayed getting back to the yard for me to join up with him, and ends up staying out another week, then we will just have him take home time the next time he does get into Spokane. Whether it be sooner or later, we'll be looking forward to spending a couple of restful days at home in Usk, WA and exploring the area some more.

A FAST PIT STOP

Wouldn't you know it, about 40 minutes after I left Selma, CA, Craig calls and says he has finished up in LA and had been given a dispatch to go right near where I had just left, Kingsburg, CA to pick up a load of peaches. He drove into Lebec for fuel and a shower. He also decided to treat himself to a salad bar in the restaurant. Feeling clean, refreshed and full, he stayed in Traver, CA for the night, which set him up for his 5am load appointment in Kingsburg.

Little did he know, that when he arrived at 5am, they didn't even open until 7am, and after 5 hours of detention pay, he was loaded with his peaches and headed north. With the delay in the loading and a 3am delivery time Wednesday morning in Pasco, WA at the Railex facility, he was going to be on a tight time schedule. But not so tight, that he couldn't take an off ramp in Modesto and meet up with me so that I could give him the homemade cookies his Mom had made him, and the homemade potato salad and baked beans my Mom had made him. Now, I'm thinking, boy, he sure does get spoiled when I'm not with him. First he gets the good bed, and now all these goodies. He just may not want me back on the truck with him, but he assures me that is not the case. So just like Mario Andrette coming in for a pit stop, my Mom and I watched as he pulled in behind us on the off ramp. Like the good pit crew we are, we jumped into action, handing into the cab his bags of goodies and some shorts that he had requested. A quick kiss and a hug and he was off down the freeway again, setting his sights on Redding, CA as his stop for the night. Go Mario Go !

SEPARATE WAYS

Well, it's that time again, time when the roots of my hair scream out to be colored, and the need to see friends and family has come. On the way down to LA, we were able to time it so that we could stop in Selma, CA to visit with Craig's parents. We even went to our favorite Mexican restaurant "Sal's" for some dinner, before Craig needed to get back to the truck, and in the parking lot of that local truck stop, we once again parted ways.

You would think by now we would be used to it, but it never gets any easier having to say goodbye and go our separate ways, even though great things would be accomplished, the least of them being my hair, oh.... and with me not in the truck, Craig will feel like a king sleeping in what he calls the "good bed". Let's hope he doesn't get too attached to it while I am gone.

.

We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase Craig's Father's pickup. Since selling his travel trailer, he hasn't used it much, and with us now having a place to go home to in Washington, it worked out well for us to be able to have a mode of transportation to keep in the Company yard in Spokane. This purchase will make life and getting around so much easier than having to rent a car every time we go home. (That still sounds so strange after not having a home for over two years)

So after spending Friday and Saturday night in Selma, I am packing up a few boxes of items we have had stored and heading north, with a stop at my Mom's house in our newly purchased truck. From there it will depend on what assignments Craig receives as to when we can arrange to meet up at the yard in Spokane. Until that is determined, I will see as many friends as I can and slowly make my way to Washington, with maybe a quick stop at the house to unload the last of our personal effects we have had boxed up.

As far as Craig goes, he is presently in LA, after delivery yesterday at 11am and with one more delivery today at 7am. We were concerned about where he would spend the night, as truck stops are a rarity in the LA area, but he found a McDonald's about a half mile from his delivery location with truck parking. Of course it has the the signs posted for one hour parking and no overnight parking, but with the 4 other trucks parked there with their motors idling and their curtains drawn, Craig felt pretty sure that no one would bother him to move After all, as he told me, he did make the sacrifice, and purchased a hamburger while he was there to make him an official customer. Yeah, I'm sure someone had to really twist his arm to enjoy that purchase!

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

That phrase came to mind as I snapped this shot last night as the sun was setting in the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon. It's also the phrase that Craig says every time we arrive at a shipper or receiver and he is asked, "How are you doing"? Without fail, he always replies, "It's just another day in paradise", and you know? It pretty much is. I've said it before, but rarely does this feel like we are doing a "job". At this stage in our lives, we are very much happy with our decision to live the nomad life on the road and the way we have simplified our lives. So barring becoming independently wealthy and traveling anywhere we want to, we'll be content to continue our 18 wheel traveling for at least a few more years.

After our unload in Idaho, we ended up going into the Company yard and waiting until Thursday morning to get our next assignment. We headed to Wallula, WA to the Tyson Meats to pick up 44,000 pounds of boxed meat. I always laugh when I read the bill of lading and see that some of the meat we are hauling is beef butt flap. Okay, can some one explain to me what you use that for?

Our destination is to Los Angeles, for a drop on Saturday and Sunday. There has been some discussion back and forth on the computer, as they changed our first drop time to a time that we could not possibly make. Also we are trying to stop by to see Craig's parents which would be on the way to LA. Currently we are sitting in Klamath Falls, OR waiting for our 10 hour break to end and then head South. Hopefully, in a few hours, we will hear whether they were able to change our delivery back to the original time or if we will be handing it off to another driver. But as Craig says........."It's just another day in paradise"!

DETAILS CHANGED

So I thought it was going to be an easy 2pm hookup and 8pm delivery. But at around 2pm, when the official dispatch came across the computer with all the details, it had us hooking up at 7pm with deliveries in Spokane at 6am, 7am, 8am, and a final drop in Coeur D Alene, ID at 10am today. We had noticed several of our company trailers that had been loaded and dropped in the lot, so Craig decided to go check to see if by chance our trailer was ready to go early. As luck would have it, it was, and by 3:45pm we had completed a 10 hour break, had fresh hours, and were headed towards Spokane.

The drive on Interstate 90 was beautiful, driving by lush green pine trees, mountains and lakes of the Wenatchee National Forest. At one point during our drive, Craig turned to me and said, "You don't want to know what we have in our trailer". Of course, I bit, and asked, "What"? He smiled and said, "Ice Cream". Dang, that was all I thought about the rest of the drive was all that delicious ice cream and I wouldn't be enjoying any of it. Five hours later, we were pulling into the Company yard to take an 8 hour break before making the ice cream deliveries in the morning.

We were treated to a magnificent sunrise this morning with heavy fog lying low on the horizon. It has stayed pretty much overcast all day and has barely broken the 60 degree temperature mark. We made all of our deliveries on time, albeit one with a very interesting approach to the loading dock, and are presently sitting at a lovely rest stop in Idaho, just shy of the Washington border awaiting to hear what next adventure is in store for us.

7 MILE TRIP

After our delivery in Seattle, we were lucky that they had a lot we could stay in. We got 4 hours of sleep before it was time to head over to the Fred Meyer in Puyallup, WA, for our last delivery. With only 2 hours left of driving time, we were limited on where we could go. Thankfully, we were sent to a yard, where the Company has 5 spaces, just 7 miles away in Pacific, WA. When we pulled into the yard, there was just one spot left, and we quickly backed into it. Thinking we would not hear anything until the morning, we were settling in, when the computer beeped.

Looking at the dispatch, all we had to do was hook up to a loaded trailer that was sitting right next to us, loaded with bananas, and take it back to the Fred Meyer distribution center in Puyallup in the morning. But best of all, we could get back to a more normal sleep pattern and get a good night's sleep before delivering. We tried to stay up and watch TV, but by 6pm we were both falling asleep, so we went to sleep with a 4am wake up call.

With only 7 miles to go, we were at Fred Meyer, along with about 5 other drivers from our Company, ready to drop the bananas. Currently, we are all lined up like good little soldiers in a row, waiting to hear where we will be sent next. Again, it didn't take long before we heard the familiar beep and saw that we could just get comfortable where we were at. We were instructed to drop our trailer in the yard, and at 2pm, we would hook up to a loaded trailer and head to Spokane for an 8pm delivery. Now that's what I call easy. Time now to settle in with the laptops and TV and relax for awhile.

HISTORIC EL CAMINO REAL

Our attempt to get some sleep before picking up our load proved to be less than successful, but on a high point, our load was ready an hour ahead of time. We hooked up, stopped to get fuel and were on our way North before 4pm. Along the way, on Highway 101, you can see many mission bell markers, some with signs attached stating "Historic El Camino Real".

Between 1683 and 1834, Spanish missionaries established a series of religious outposts throughout the present-day U.S. State of California and the present-day Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. To facilitate overland travel, mission settlements were approximately 30 miles apart, so that they were separated by one day's long ride on horseback along the 600-mile long California Mission Trail. I remember back in the third or fourth grade learning about all the missions and having to do the obligatory "mission project", an event I got to relive through my twin nieces when they as well learned about the missions.

We love traveling on the weekends, as the traffic is much lighter, especially going through the Bay Area. As we approached the Benicia Bridge, I had an opportunity to take some pictures of the "mothball fleet", so named for a large flotilla of retired WWII and Vietnam-era ships that reside in the Suisun Bay just east of the Benicia Bridge. Although the original intent was to have them capable of becoming battle-ready within a month, most of the ships have been quietly rusting away for years and are beyond repair. The fleet has been used in a couple of movies, including "Down Periscope."


As darkness fell, we did our exploratory stop at the Super WalMart in Anderson, CA. Given it was a Saturday night, and much earlier than what we would have wanted, the parking lot is tight, but Craig was able to maneuver the truck and trailer to a safe parking spot and then upon our return, get us safely back out onto the Interstate. We both think that we will use this as our routine stop instead of Redmond, OR where they have rerouted the Highway around it.
Just shy of the border of Oregon, it was time to take a quick power nap as the fatigue was starting to hit. After a two hour nap, we took off again and made it into Rice Hill, Or as the sun was rising. That leaves us just over 300 miles for our delivery in Seattle at 3am. We plan to leave tonight at 7:30pm, which will allow us time for a fuel stop in Tacoma, WA. Since our second drop is only 25 miles away from Seattle, but 6 hours later, we are hoping we will be able to catch a few ZZZ's in one of the two receiver's lots. Next update as soon as we know where we are headed next!

LETTUCE LETTUCE LETTUCE

After dropping the 44,000 pounds of cheese in San Jose, CA, we knew it was a high probability that we would be sent to Salinas, CA and that is exactly where we were told to go. A mere 60 miles south, off Highway 101, we got the trailer washed out, filled the reefer, and dropped the trailer at Fresh Express. We saw at least 5 other company drivers parked in and around the area so we decided to go to the Pilot truck stop and await further instructions.

It didn't take too long before we were beeped with our dispatch information. You got to love these lettuce loads, only 10,000 pounds, no need to even bother to scale it out, and a nice 1,000 mile run up Interstate 5 with two stops. Only draw back is waiting until 4pm this afternoon to pick it up, and then driving during the night the next two days.

Our first stop is in Seattle, WA Monday morning at 3am, then onto Puyallup, WA, at the Fred Meyer's at 9am. Along the way, we have scoped out a new Super WalMart to stop at in Anderson, CA. We should be able to hit it late enough tonight to make our shopping experience a pleasant one, with little or no parking lot traffic. If it works out well, this will be our main stop on our runs up and down Interstate 5.

Our only problem now is trying to take a nap this afternoon before picking up our loaded trailer. At least we have great TV reception here, and if Saturday TV programing is what I remember it to be, it should do just the trick to bore us into dreamland.

OLD BARN

After getting our trailer loaded in Sunnyside, WA, we had to back track a few miles to the nearest scale. It seems we have been on a roll lately with the loads scaling out legal the first time, without having to adjust the tandems. As we were pulling onto the scale, I glanced over my shoulder and spotted this old barn. I love the shape of it, and I haven't seen anything like it since I did the posting of the barns I saw in Ohio.

We did stop in LaPine, OR Wednesday night and awoke this morning to a very nice chilly 42 degrees. Sadly, we knew we would be leaving and dealing with the heat in the Central Valley of California. Driving past Shasta Lake, we spotted this sea plane sitting on the lake, after no doubt doing a run over the fires that still persist in the area. We observed many strike teams traveling up and down Interstate 5 this past week.

With a stop in Corning, CA for a lunch break and showers, we headed towards the Company yard, but not without first stopping at the truck wash to get the dirt and grime washed off the truck. With a 1pm delivery in San Jose, CA tomorrow, and with only 75 miles to go, we will be having a very relaxing night, followed by breakfast outside on the picnic tables in the morning while we do laundry. Can't wait for find out where we are headed next!

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that I really hate summer, especially July and August, when it is at it's hottest. The dog days of summer they call it. With the cost of fuel, and the anti idling laws that have been enacted, you see truckers being resourceful in ways to keep cool. We are fortunate, in that we have an APU which keeps us cool without idling the truck. Others we have witnessed, have multiple fans blowing hot air around the cab in an attempt to stay half way cool. But the trucker that parked next to us yesterday, gets the prize for thinking outside the box.We peaked out of our enclosed sleeping area, cool as cucumbers, to take a look around and saw that the truck next to us had a household window air conditioner attached to an idleair window adapter, with an extension cord running to a 1500 watt gas generator sitting behind the cab. This driver had embraced the McGyver inside him to find a way to keep cool when the temperatures outside get hot. To keep you up to date on our comings and goings, we made our delivery in Kennewick, WA at the Mt. Hood Beverage Company Tuesday morning at 8am. We had less than 2 hours left of driving time, so we headed to the truck stop in Pasco and found a spot to call home. Around 3pm we received a dispatch for this morning at 11am to be at Darigold in Sunnyside, WA to pick up 44,000 pounds of Cheese.
They had a visitor center with self guiding tours and cheese tasting. Check out Craig checking out the cow at the beginning of the tour. After our fill of sampling the different cheeses they had out, it was time to get back in the truck and take our load of cheese to the Darigold facility in San Jose, CA. This load is set for delivery on Friday afternoon at 1pm. We will have no problem making that delivery, as long as the dog days of summer, and the lure of all that good cheese in our trailer doesn't get to us!

EARTH PEOPLE

I've seen them quite often once the snow had melted. "Earth People" I say to Craig, as we drive by them. They sit and walk along side the highways, often times with a dog, looking as if a shower was the last thing they have seen in a very long time. Their clothes are dirty, their hair unkempt, their backpacks seemingly the only thing weighing heavy on their shoulders. Back in the day, they were called "Hippies", but I think "Earth People" suits them better.

Today, pulling into the truck stop in Biggs Junction, OR, we saw numerous "Earth People" milling around. From our first parking spot we occupied, I watched as a couple of them were carrying large yellow containers, which at first I thought was water. Craig and I had observed their old painted over school bus, filled to it's capacity, not only with property, but with bodies. At least 6 of them were sitting in what shade the bus provided, on the asphalt, their dreadlocks hanging in their faces, making it at times difficult to decipher the males from the females.
When we moved to our final parking spot, the one near the fuel island, where we are always entertained by watching the comings and goings of the truckers, we spotted the "Earth People" now in pairings of a male and a female, heading back with their large yellow container, wandering in and out of the fuel islands. It was then that we realized what they were doing. They were not stocking up on water for drinking or for bathing, what they were doing, was walking up to the drivers on the fuel island and asking for fuel.


Now you would think, in this day and age of high fuel prices, that they would have been turned away without much thought, but we counted at least 8 times since we had arrived, that they lugged a now heavy sloshing container of fuel to their bus. I truly was amazed at the generosity of the drivers, but then also knowing it was most likely being done on the driver's company fuel card.

They must have gotten as much as they could, because before I could focus my camera to frame the shot, they were heading out the parking lot and onto the Interstate. Probably going as far as the fuel would take them, stopping to enjoy where they ended up, and then going about the ritual of asking for "donations" to get them yet further down the road.

I guess the truck drivers who were donating to their cause felt a kindred spirit with these "Earth People". After all, they too travel the roads, from one destination to another, never quite knowing where they will end up from one week to the other. As they drove off, I had to admire their basic belief in the good in their fellow man to offer assistance when needed. I guess there's something to be said for doing unto others as you would have others do unto you.

DESERT MIRAGE

mi·rage –noun

something illusory, without substance or reality

As we were leaving Phoenix, AZ, I was letting my eyes scan the landscape as I do every day, when I saw something my brain couldn't quite accept. In the far distance, coming closer into view, was what looked like a child sitting in the sand playing. My eyes were telling me that this image, still at least a mile away, was real, but my mind was saying, you can't possibly see a child along side the freeway from a mile away. As we got closer, I pointed my vision out to Craig, and as we drove past it, I could finally make out intellectually, that is was in fact an extremely large cutout bill board, but moments before, I would have sworn it was a real child, so lifelike it was in appearance. Driving through Palm Springs, CA, we commented to each other the vast amount of windmills that had been erected throughout the area. As I have mentioned before, we have seen the various components being hauled during our travels, and have always marveled at their size. Last year, we got a first hand view of just how big they are, when we hauled a hub for one of this massive windmills. Ever since we found out that our company now has a contract hauling windmill hubs and blades, Craig has said that he just might want to do that sometime in the future. That's my husband, always looking for ways to experience the most out of everything he does.Arriving at the Company yard around 3pm, we quickly dropped our empty trailer, and then hooked up to our trailer loaded with beer. We had decided to get on the other side of the Grapevine before shutting down for the night. That meant we would have to wait to do laundry and showers until today at the Company yard in French Camp, where we will be stopping for fuel. Having safely left the desert, I'm pretty certain I won't be seeing any more mirages, but you can count on me, to always find something of interest, as I enjoy viewing life from the passenger seat.

INTO THE SOUTHWEST AGAIN

I tip my hat ( if I had one) to the Raley's organization in Sacramento, CA. Their facility has got to be the cleanest, most organized distribution center I have been to since we have been with TWT. They have a very large staging area for the arriving trucks, every single person we came in contact with were professional and courteous, the lumper fees were the least we have seen so far, and we were in and out in less than a hour. I'll be sending off a nice little email to the corporate office today.

Our time schedule was tight for a 6am delivery in Phoenix this morning, so after leaving Sacramento, we knew we had to get as far as we could get, and still be awake . We decided to stay at Buttonwillow, CA, my enthusiastic recommendation to stay there of course had nothing to do with the Starbucks across the street. Arising Friday morning, we took the walk for our morning coffee and scone, and at 10am we were headed south.


We stopped at the Company yard in Bloomington, CA for a fuel and lunch break, and then continued on our way. We were both surprised that the temperatures this time around were just under the century mark. We decided to stay about 90 miles away from our delivery location in Vicksburg, AZ for the night. Since it was out in the middle of the desert, we had no TV reception, but Craig was quick to set up the computer for a little Simpson's/American Dad viewing off the Internet.


This morning, with the air warm and stagnant, we drove into Phoenix, AZ to an empty parking lot at the Southwest Cold Storage facility. We were relieved when we finally saw employees pulling into the lot right at 6am. In short time we were unloaded and heading back to the Company yard in Bloomington. We had received a preplan dispatch yesterday afternoonhad to go to the yard to pick up a trailer loaded with beer destined to go to Kennewick, WA, by Tuesday.

By the time we finish that run, we will have over 3,000 miles for the week, and have about 2 hours left of driving time after we make the delivery. So as we pull away from Phoenix, our plan is to head to the Company yard for showers, laundry, pick up the loaded trailer, and leave the sultry hot Southwest behind us.......at least for a few days.

WHERE THERE IS SMOKE, THERE IS FIRE

As we left LaPine, OR, and got closer to the California border, we saw the tell tale signs of all the wildfires still burning acre after acre of land. My usual clear picture of Mount Shasta is hazy, as you can see from the photo. As we drove along, you could not make out any of the usual landscape in the distance, all you could see was grey.

Just north of Redding, CA we happened across what appeared to be a command post for the aerial attack on the fires. Craig excitedly told me the helicopters I saw were Blackhawks. His enthusiasm for military equipment, and all things that fly was something I don't enjoy as much as he does. I made sure to show my interest and then, in a blink of an eye, we are past them and onto looking at something else.

All my sunflowers from last week had turned brown and drooped under the hot summer heat. We were held up shortly by road crews repainting the white lines on the pavement, which had faded to just a pale reminder that they had once been the bright white that was being reapplied.

After a fuel stop in Corning, CA, we headed towards the Company yard in French Camp, CA. Arriving at 8pm, and knowing that we did not have to deliver until 11am this morning, we stayed up and watched TV, before falling asleep to the humming drone of the reefer unit and the APU blowing refreshing cool air.

This morning's drive into Fremont was uneventful, until we were sitting in the parking lot of Sysco waiting to hear on the CB what dock to report to. I saw one rig start backing into a space, as another rig was pulling into it. I still can't see why the one pulling into the space did not honk his horn, or attempt to back up as he saw the other driving backing right into him. He just sat there and waited for the impact. They seemed cordial when talking to each other, both with a cell phone glued to their ears, no doubt calling their companies to report the accident.

I was happy to exit the yard and head out of the Bay Area and back to Sacramento for our second drop for the day. It is not until 6pm tonight, so we will stage at a truck stop 5 miles from our delivery location and see about taking a nap. Yep, life is rough, ain't it?

HOT HOT HOT

We ended up sitting around most of Tuesday waiting for a dispatch. It finally arrived at around 3pm, and we were to head to Wallula, WA to the Tyson plant. I had been keeping an eye on the weather in Modesto, CA and saw that it was suppose to be 112 degrees for most of the week, so it was with much trepidation, when we saw that we were headed to Phoenix, AZ. Can you say HOT HOT HOT? But heck, we were just happy to be headed somewhere.

We found our empty trailer, fueled up, and headed to the Tyson plant. Thankfully, I didn't have to see the cows being brought in, and was surprised that the "special" odor that usually penetrates the air, was not present. But as Craig hooked up to our loaded trailer, I glanced to my right and saw this sign. I just may end up that vegetarian after all.

We have three drops on this load, Fremont, CA, Sacramento, CA, and finally Phoenix, AZ. Since the Raley's Distribution Center in Sacramento doesn't take deliveries during the day, we will have to deliver in Fremont first, at a time yet to be determined, then back track to Sacramento, and then finally head to Phoenix.

When we left the Tyson plant, we headed to the Flying J to scale. We have not been lucky lately with having any of the loads scale legal, without having to do the 18 wheel shuffle, but imagine our surprise, when we got our scale ticket, that we were legal, and evenly weighted on on the drive and trailer axles, even with the tanks being full. YIPEE!

Presently, since we drove until midnight last night, we are sitting in LaPine, OR, enjoying the last of the cool temperatures we will no doubt have for a few days. You can see that Craig was busy washing the windows on the truck. I even tipped him a quarter for the great job he did, even though he made me clean the inside of the passenger side window where I had left my toe prints from putting my feet up on the dash. Yes, it's a tough job viewing life from the passenger seat!

MONDAY BACK TO WORK BLUES

The title is a bit misleading, as we hardly ever feel like we are working when we are on the road. But this morning, getting up at 4am, and having to leave our new little house, well, I wasn't showing too much enthusiasm for the ride back to the Company yard. Plus, we had to deal with stopping by the Wal Mart to stock up on supplies, then unload everything into the truck, and finally, return the rental car.

I do have to say we were both very relaxed by the end of our home time, so much so, that when we put everything away inside the truck, we both laid down and promptly fell asleep, only to be awoken by the truck wash guys wanting us to close our windows, so that they could wash our truck.

Our hurry up and get to the yard and get put on the board always seems to be followed by a just wait and relax mode, to which we are still in. As it nears 1pm, we still have no idea what we are picking up and where we might be going, but one thing is certain......each day that follows will lead us that much closer to going back home again.

INSIDE PHOTOS

I've had some requests for some more pictures of the inside of our little house. I know this may be hard for some of my family and friends to believe, but I am so done with shopping! Today has been the first day that we have not been running around and could just sit and relax. We are thankful that we have one more day to rest before we head back out on the truck on Monday.

Starting upstairs, we have our bedroom loft

There is a second bedroom in the loft area, but we have nothing in it as of yet, we could use it for a guest room if anyone is daring enough to climb the stairs and hunch down so that you don't hit your head.

The office/hobby room

The bathroom, minus a shower door to be installed next week.

The dining area

The living room

The front porch

And finally one of the many views we have of the mountains, pine trees and river out our windows.

AND SO IT BEGINS.........

Almost two years ago, after we had sold everything we owned, and went to live on the truck seeing the country, we set in motion a plan. We knew we did not want to reside in California when we decided to put down roots again, and we knew we did not want to be a slave to a house and property. Craig set off doing his Internet research, and while in a hotel room, in Pharr, TX, waiting for a load of boats to come back across the border, he found the place we wanted to call home.

It was an RV resort, with deeded lots you owned. We made a point, the next time we were in the Company yard, to take a day off and head up to the resort to take a look around. The minute we drove onto the property we knew this was where we wanted to live. Mountains, pine trees, and the Pend Oreille River would be our view out our windows, and at that time we thought it would be a large 5th wheel. But then we started walking around and I saw for the first time a Park Model House, a 400 square foot home with everything Craig and I would need.

We purchased the lot, and after almost a year, we were deeded the land and then set out to find the Park Model house of our dreams, or should I say, my dreams. Craig didn't care as long as he had his mountains, pine trees, and river. I researched online the different manufacturers, the multitude of floor plans, and when we could find one on a dealer's lot, we would take a walk through.

This past April, we chose a dealer, who dealt with the Cavco brand, and we set off custom ordering the house to our specifications. That proved to be an interesting endeavor, as the majority of the decisions on counter tops, appliances and such were done totally by looking them up online, without actually seeing them in person. In fact, the entire transaction, from ordering the Park Model, to financing it, was done entirely on the phone or through emails, without ever seeing or dealing with anyone in person. I do have to give a lot of credit to our dealer, Kandi, for her helpful suggestions on some of the design elements that truly made our Park Model a home.

So as you can see from the pictures, on June 20th, our little home arrived from Phoenix, AZ to it's final resting place. Since then, people have been busy setting it up, securing it, hooking up the propane, electrical, and water lines. On July 3rd, we anxiously drove to our lot, and got to see it for the first time ourselves, and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome. I love our new little home, and for the next few days, Craig and I will be busy with buying just enough items to make it livable and comfortable. Now, when we request home time, we really will have a home to come "home" to and as the MasterCard commercial says, "That is Priceless".