Saturday, February 11
Full moon at daybreak, Salton Sea, California
I don’t know why I’m not in the mood to write.
After several tries, I give up! I’m posting a few photos and turning comments over to you.
Photo taken a second later than the first one (full moon out of frame to the right)
Feel welcome to start a thread in comments for fellow blogorinos to enjoy — a topic of particular interest to you, your dreams and plans, an update on your travels, your choice of rig, an update on your life, whatever! Please welcome anyone new to comments and answer any questions that may arise.
Reg and I are doing great! Happy Saturday!
rvsue
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Good morning everyone.
I’m in Albany, too!
I wonder if Albany Oregon has the highest amount of RVSue followers. I’m in Albany too.
Beautiful pictures
Have a wonderful morning.
Hmmmm….just saw this
I was on my Ipad when I first saw this….I was very suprized
Sue posted it today but Im glad she did…..
I would sure like to visit the Saltan Sea one of these days.
Sue makes it sure look inviting….
Chuck and Pookie
Good morning !! beautiful pics. Looks like Stephanie first and Tammie 2nd. so…would I be third,
oops fourth, slow typer
Your pictures are great; as usual. As I worry about my poor little Dachshund Tootsie who had back surgery yesterday, the pictures brightened my day. Thanks for sharing such beauty.
Sandy, sending positive thoughts to Tootsie for a speedy recovery.
Deena and Miss Mollie
Hope Tootsie is ok. Poor little dachsies with their long backs.
thank you; your thoughts are most appreciated.
Positive healing thoughts from my Doxie, Toby, to your healing pup.
thank you so much
Peanut 🐾& Maggie🐾 send Tootsie 🐾their love ❤️and best wishes too.
Say a big thank you to Peanut & Maggie
Sandy, we’re sending well wishes for Tootsie to have a fast recovery.
thank you; it’s gonna be a long 4-6 weeks
Kaye from OR Our first dachshund injured her NECK disc at 7 yrs and had the surgery to fix that – she lived on to be 13. Our second Dachshund at age 5 injured her BACK disc and had surgery- lived on to 13 1/2 yrs old. We now have Jessie( another doxie ) who will be 4 in a couple weeks. The cost sure went up from around $1100 for the first surgery and roughly 11 yrs later to $4800. It is so hard to keep them from jumping down off beds and that can cause this injury assuming that might be what your Tootsie did too. Best wishes for a speedy recovery-Tootsie !!!!
The jumping is just a killer! We have stairs everywhere, which they both (I have two – Tootsie & Zoe; they are 8 & 9) use to go up, but Tootsie always just jumps down. I turned all of my furniture around so neither one can get on it, and I am looking into a low to the floor futon chair or couch. We’ve gotta do what we gotta do; LOL Thanks for your thoughts.
Prayers for Tootsie. Our nephew has had two doxies – both had to have back surgery and both recovered very well.
Thank you for your kind words & concern.
I have a Doxie mix and she means the world to me. Good luck with Tootsie’s surgery.
Thank you
I sure hope Tootsie will heal super fast!
I sure hope so as well. She is supposed to remain pretty still; not able to use the back legs for 4-6 weeks. The sent me home with a sling to use when she pees or poops. Her life & mine are at a stand still until she regains the use of her legs again. She is a healthy dog otherwise, so I’m thinking she will do fine. That is my hope. Thank you for your concern.
Good morning, Sue! Glad you are just in the mood to relax and enjoy a Saturday morning! I am in the Kofa Wildlife Refuge in southwest Arizona. I haven’t been commenting but I follow you everyday. I just wanted to thank you for all of your help in getting me on the road as a boondocker! I wrote several questions last year about how to camp with my big rig, where to find places etc. You were great in posting pictures from your benchmark books and giving tips. I bought a pile of Benchmark books and headed out last January. I didn’t sell my house, but I was gone three and a half months. With the exception of one week in a campground, I boondocked the entire time. Last summer I had solar panels installed and was gone 10 weeks. In that time I only camped in a campground 3 nights! This winter I have not even thought of staying in a campground. I’m loving it! So thank you for your inspiration, your beautiful photos and your awesome attitude on life! Keep up the good work!
Thank you, for the inspiration to do more boondocking. We always seem to end up in a state or provincial park, paying and not enjoying the neighbors! We have solar so we must find the spots and do it.
Awesome!!
Nice note Rhonda, glad your travels are so enjoyable. Sue is an inspiration to all of us, especially solo female travelers.
Nice ! I hope to get on the road this summer and plan to do lots of Boondocking.
That’s impressive. I hope I will be able to do that sometime. I am just trying to get the courage to start camping (I have done some quite a few years ago and camped four days last year in the beautiful North Cascade National Park) but am not ready or do not have the courage to buy any kind of rig and decided on trying to fix my car to sleep in when I’m tired of crawling in and out of a tent to pee at night. Then I freak out because I had planned to be gone May and June and it is still going to be cold in May until I get out of the northwest. I hate being cold. Some days it all sounds fine. I have all the equipment I need. I’ll be 75 this June but of course mentally I don’t feel like it. Pray for me!
By the way, the pictures are beautiful, Sue.
Have you thought of changing to a cargo van? Or a minivan. Some come with a backseat that makes into a bed. It might be an easier space than your car
Thanks for responding. I have thought about a mini van but it seems the gas mileage on most of them is not very good. I’m might just end up having to sacrifice that though. Thought of a Toyota Sienna too.
Hi Barbara! You can do it. One step at a time. Age is just a number. I like Lisa’s suggestion of a van. You can do it!
Good Morning Sue and Reggie!! Happy Saturday!
I was wondering for all the travelers out there what is their most favorite place they have camped? We have been on the road full time for 3 years come March. People always ask what is our favorite…I have a very difficult time coming up with just one…this country has so many wonderful places!! I have not picked just one place…but we really did love being in Sth Dakota, Wyoming was also wonderful!! So tell us your favorite place!!
Hi Sue (right now Benson, Az)
I saw your comment yesterday and you are so right it’s very difficult to come up with just one favorite place. I’ve been giving it some thought. My favorite campground Gold Basin (near Granite Falls, WA) is sadly closed and the forest service has no news of reopening. At least last I checked. I guess I should say Utah, based on the fact we’ve been there several times and I want to go back. Despite the fact I know there is so much wonderful new country to see.
There is no way I can be first!
LOL – you’re right Kellee – there is no way. There’s a long line in front of you 🙂
Happy Saturday to you, too. It has been a nice morning, just returned from walking in the Park with Miss Mollie…cloudy but very comfortable…new families with dogs moving into the complex…Australian Cattle Dog, American Staffordshire Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, Welsh Corgi Mix, two Dachshund and a new breed to me, Colorado Bulldog…all beautiful and all learning how to live in an apartment…I’ll tell ya, if I was younger,, I would offer to take each an all to the park for their owner (all work)…Miss Mollie has become quite the welcome greeter…still barks at the people walking by our patio “Mom, I have to defend our plants and turtles, please let me out”! So I faithfully get up each and every time, open the screen door and let her out to bark her warnings, I give her lots of praise for being a good guard dog, she prances around the living room then back to the lounger to rest up for the next breach of air space above the patio wall…I’m glad we are family…Joy Plus…This after noon I’m with many friend and families at Castle and Coasters to celebrate one of my Great-niece’s 5 year old birthday… Cupcakes and mini golf…lots of laughter an more Joy.
You have a joyful weekend, we will carry on, as we are, after all, RVSue’s Blogorinos!
Deena an Miss Mollie
Just the thought of a 5 yo birthday party brings a smile to my face 😃
Colorado Bulldog I had to google. The first thing up was a recipe for the alcohol drink but of course I did find the breed too. Handsome dogs. And what breed is Miss Mollie? I apologize if I should remember from previous blogs.
Hi Rover Ronda (WA), I had to google some of those dogs too.
I survived the roller coaster and sudden drop and my nephew told me if I died on the roller coaster he was going to leave me, LOL…at the end he hi-fives and tells me that he now believes all all of his Mother’s stories about her eldest sister having wondrous adventures in her past.
Miss Mollie is a pure bred Rat Terrier; her vet rescued her at 6 months from an abusive owner…Partner and I had just put down the last of our three dogs and had decided not to have any more,,,her vet tech’s sister was asking her hospital coworkers to provide a better life…I called home and was told to bring the Baby Rattie home…she will be 15 years on March 2nd…and has been a blessing to me this past year as our family is down to just her and I…has given sanity this year and keeps me going…Life is getting better…thanks for asking and letting me brag a bit!
Deena and Miss Mollie
Clearly you aren’t done having adventures. Roller coastering with your nephew sounds fantastic! I’m glad you had a fun day!
Miss Mollie has perfect timing. Lucky her, lucky you. I loved reading about how she joined your family.
Top Ten! I’ll take it. Be back to read.
Love the pictures. Gray, cold, and gloppy here in western NY. I love the RVSue infusion of warmth.
Happy Saturday Sue and Reggie. I can imagine that writing regularly can be not only sometimes difficult, but time consuming. I have an art blog and it’s difficult for me to keep up with it and sometimes I don’t, but my followers let me know that they love my postings and miss seeing my art. It happens. Take your time and enjoy the peace and solitude of solitude!
You probably already know this, but I think if you include your website in your comment info it automatically creates a link to your art blog.
Thanks, Rover. I see that now! I just didn’t want to post it here since this is Sue’s blog.
Truly lovely photos. They have a peaceful quality about them.
I hope you are having a relaxing day, Sue. And I hope all blogorinos are having a great Saturday.
Cheers from the Northwest!
I used to enjoy camping when we went to dog shows. I had a nice pop-up, then we had a medium sized motor home. After showing, we could go back to the camper, sit back in our loungers while the dogs rested in their x-pens, enjoy a pepsi, heaven! Now, me daughter is married. She would love to have a motor home to go to the shows, but her husband is very set against them. He likes hotel rooms, so she goes along with him. I stay home mostly, sigh. My only gripe about campers is that I love air conditioning on a hot day and none of mine had air cond. If I could ever do full time camping, I’d choose boondocking over side by side campgrounds when ever possible.
I used to camp with a camping group, Robins on the Move, all singles. I took my little terrier dog with us. When she went camping, she wouldn’t touch regular dog food. She held out for a hotdog! Finally, I just quit packing her dog food. I figured she could enjoy camp food with us.
I’m sorry your dog show days are limited. I’ve never participated in dog shows but I’ve enjoyed attending a few and often watch them on tv.
Cute story about your terrier
Good morning Sue, Reg and blogorinos.
We are the Tater Bugs from Idaho… Paul.Helen and Dixie our Springer.
We started Full time Rving in a 38′ Monarco Knight in July 2015.
We are learning everyday about our new life style and enjoy read your post.
Sue I think your are one of the 3 reasons we decided to do this and I Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We been following your adventures for the last 3 years.
I would like to say again Thank You and my God keep you and Reg safe.
Sue
Paul, I agree, RV Sue has inspired me to travel as well on a regular basis! Glad to see so many others also appreciate her labor of love.
Aloha From Hawaii,
Love beach sunrises.
Many thanks.
Teri
My Rover is “sick”. I’m remembering some of the reasons I bought one. We had 2 over the years when I was growing up. I have an interesting story. Old Rovers had the spare tire mounted to the hood. One night while traveling home the headlights went out. My dad road on the spare tire with a flashlight in his hand. I’m trying to remember if my mom drove. She could have because she was a strong woman but I seem to remember her in the backseat with me. It could have been my oldest brother driving. We all learned to drive about age 10 so as a teenager he was already an experienced 4×4 driver probably had more hours 4×4 behind the wheel than my mom. We were on a dirt road in the mountains of Burundi Africa at the time. So strangely it makes sense that mom was comforting the 6 year old while the 13 year old drove. The crazy things we do. Do you have stories of crazy things you did with your kids or parents?
Fun exciting memories of traveling with my family is one reason I bought a Rover. Not the headlights going out😃 And I should have separated my question so more people read it.
⁉️ ⁉️Do you have stories of crazy things you did with your kids or parents?
My daughter and I borrowed her Grandmothers transvan for a trip. We were in W. Virginia on a narrow mountain road at night. We were crawling and people were passing us on curves. We were scraping the weeds on our right and the straight down mountain was way too close on our left. Suddenly, every light on the van went out. I knew we were going to die by going over the edge or getting hit. It only lasted maybe a few seconds, but it seemed like forever. We were SO glad when we got off the mountain safely!
SCARY!! At least we didn’t have other traffic to deal.
I think the craziest thing my parents would do would be to discuss horror stories before we did things. We would be in the car, on the way to go camping when they would start talking about the true story of a girl getting kidnapped from her tent while camping with her family. Not, the best story to tell your kids on the way to a camping trip. LOL.
That is funny.
Sounds like a tactic to keep you close to them. I’m guessing it didn’t work. 😃 Your sense of adventure and youthful belief in invincibility kicked in and you went exploring despite the stories.
At the time I did not consider it crazy and actually still don’t but it was 60 years ago. My sister and I would often stay on my grandmother’s farm and help her move cattle from one pasture to another which was a distance away and accessed by a country road. My grandmother would drive very slowly behind the cows and my sister and I would sit on the hood (they had good bumps for sitting) and hop off if a cow veered the wrong way and chase it back to the herd. This wasn’t hard because they are herd animals and want to be with other cows. We were never injured and loved helping grandma move cows.
That sounds dangerously exciting! I’m glad you were never hurt. What a great memory of working with your grandma.
Finally home after a visit to Kentucky to see my son. Enjoyed the 905 mile drive but think I will fly the next time. It’s 77 degrees here so I think I will go out to mow the yard and get the last of those fall leaves mulched. Yard work in February – still seems strange to this Chicago native after 37 years here.
I couldn’t believe that wildlife area in Nevada (header photo), free waterfront camping!
Writing a blog is work, real work & everybody needs a vacation. Enjoy your vacation Sue.
Never commented before but long time reader. Totally understand needing to want to write instead of feeling obligated. Enjoy the day!
Welcome to RV Sue’s comment section, Robin. I hope you enjoy your day, too, and that we hear from you again 🙂
Welcome Robin!
First??
Not even close to first!!! LOL
Sue, part of the reason we love you is your honesty. Enjoy your Saturday and write when you’re in the mood.
Today I’m feeling really blessed. Went to breakfast with my mom and her Sunday School class to celebrate her 96th birthday. How grateful I am to still have this lovely lady in my life. She’s a 25 year cancer survivor and still has all her wits and lives alone in the house she and dad had built 53 years ago. See what I mean by blessed?
My message to the blogorinos. Take time today to tell those special folks in your life how special they are. Thank a cop, fireman/woman, service person for the sacrifices they make. Rejoice in the day. It’s amazing how much feeling grateful brightens your day.
🎉Happy Birthday to your mom! 🎉
Thanks Rover Ronda
What beautiful advice Reine! Hope your mother had a lovely birthday!
Beautiful pictures Sue!
It’s fun to read the “readers” comments. For me, writing takes such focus that I doubt I could ever do a blog…well, maybe a monthly one!!
Even before I discovered the joys of your blog, Sue, I dreamed of simply getting in my car with my pup and few items and hitting the road. From there, the dream of a travel trailer found its way into my psyche. I have read, researched, asked questions, and read more about the different kinds of RVs. Thanks to you I realized that a TT and TV would suit my needs best…no more all-in-one RV! Small is best for me for many reasons-this I know. I love the Casitas and the folks there I have spoken to so helpful. My concern is the carpeted inside vs my allergies. Having to hand vacuum daily would be…well, a pain in the butt! But, they have wonderful layouts. Oliver Elite is just as adorable and functional, but oh so pricey. They would do the solar and the jacks to level are motorized which on a high arthritis pain day would be a huge plus. The aluminum sided trailers are cheaper, but I also fear not as well made. After my house has its repairs and goes on the market, I will have a better idea.
I would love to visit the desert areas of the SW in the cooler months. High heat just makes autoimmune issues worse. And with all the beauty deserts have to offer, I do love lots of green nature around me. I also would love to go back to the Blue Ridge area. I have been on car trips twice and dearly loved it! One more visit and exploration would do me just fine for the east coast. Then, in my dream visions, I would stick to the west and midwest. I want to see Mt Rushmore, Little Big Horn, Yellowstone, visit when my sister and her hubby and in Driggs, see the states of the four corners, drive to Napa area, maybe the Pacific coast highway, explore Alaska in summer …. ok, y’all have the general idea! And in between, just stay put and enjoy the world around me.
Your moon photos are just gorgeous. I didn’t get to see the eclipse last night due to cloud coverage, nor the comet. I did set an alarm and try to view the comet, but just too many darn clouds.
Sue, I hope and pray you and Reggie have a peaceful weekend filled with only the joys around you both. Thank you so much for sharing your photos and your life with us all. It is truly a gift from your heart. Take care….belly rubs, hugs, and prayers for you both.
Your “dream visions” sound GREAT! The sky’s the limit right? Or maybe not with the new popularity of drones we can see stuff we didn’t use to be able to see. Anyway… Dream on and you will see it one day.
CajunLady: Couldn’t you get the Casita people to make you a unit without carpeting? I would think linoleum or vinyl would not be a big custom expense. Or you could pay a handyman to take out the carpet and install linoleum or vinyl – it’s a small space and shouldn’t cost too much.
When I asked them about the carpeted sides and ceiling, they said it was necessary because of condensation. The person I spoke with also told me there was no alternative material to use…I did ask. Thank you so much for the suggestions!!
Hi Retiredcajunlady ‘N Louisiana,
It sounds like you’ve done a lot of research on travel trailers and maybe already came across the “egg camper.” I mention this because I googled egg camper images, and it showed many interior photos of this fiberglass trailer without the carpet/headliner that you mentioned. The trailers look to be about the size of a Casita. I didn’t want carpet on the walls either since my pets shed a lot and I agree, the constant vacuuming would be a pain in the posterior. Your plans sound great. I hope you find something that works for you.
Hi Cajunlady, take a look at the Escape trailer. They are fiberglass and have a vinyl interior. They might seem pricey new, but if you consider the exchange rate (recently 0.75 CAD to 1.00 USD) you are getting a 25% discount upfront. The trailers are made in BC, Canada but they do deliver for a fee. If you don’t want new and can handle small, I will be selling my Boler this fall. Good luck shopping.
Never thought that the carpet on the walls would be a problem in regards to allergies!
Ah…..the Escape. Very very nice trailers! The 17B’s floorplan would be perfect for us.
The “Egg Camper” site says they are closed with no date set to restart production. Sad as they are cute!!
Hi all, like many I have been inspired by RV Sue (and other likeminded nomads like her). I have pushed up my retirement date up by 2 years (so less then 3 years to go). One of the things I note is the wonderful places she goes – like the setting reflected in the pictures above.
So setting up up plans now for travel (for now plan on 50% of the time) and shopping for the rig now (most likely a “Four Wheel Camper”). I camp a lot now but sure can’t wait to go it where the pace is much more relaxed.
Anyone else like me ready to hit the road at least half the time soon?
Because of your blog, I’ve become more interested in NFS campgrounds, where I really wasn’t before. I have reservations in July at Contorta Flat Campground on Crescent Lake, OR, in July. And I’m looking into Humbug Campground for sometime in August, a place you stayed in June, 2015. I’m really looking forward to it!
We really like NFS CG’s – they are so peaceful compared to RV parks. An RV park is our last resort (no pun intended), with boondocking being our favorite. Last September while on a two week trip, we headed for Priest Lake State Park in Northern Idaho. It’s a long drive there once you get off the main highway, so by the time we got there it was 5pm. There were no sites that we could fit in, so the host told us to pay the tent fee and we could stay in the parking lot overnight. Well, if you’ve ever been to Priest Lake, the Indian Creek Unit, you know that even the parking lot is prime property, surrounded by pine trees and just beautiful. Since we are self contained, we had no problem staying, including having a hot shower in the morning. That was one of our best nights out.
That’s awesome that the host worked that out for you. I haven’t been to any private RV parks, so far just been to State and County ones. They generally have full hookups (not always sewer though), and are 2-3x more expensive than NFS.
I have batteries and an inverter generator to use when needed to top off the batteries. I’m also looking into getting a 45 gallon water bladder to put in the bed of my truck in case I need a refill on water, without having to hook up and move my whole trailer. (available on Amazon, of course). I’m slowly getting up to speed on being able to either boondock or go to campsites with no hookups, and not have any problems whatsoever.
My wife and I will be traveling with our camper from Louisiana to Rhode Island in May. We haven’t a clue as to where to camp in PA, NY or in RI. Any suggestions?
In case you aren’t aware of how things are done in the northeastern states I thought you might want to know this. In New York, and so perhaps the other two states you mentioned as well, the national and state parks that one can camp in don’t re-open after winter until May 17th, some as late as May 27th. Looking for privately owned RV parks may be your best bet if your traveling will bring you through earlier in May. I have no suggestions about those, sorry, just didn’t want you to find out too late that your plans may take longer than you expected to put in place.
Good to know. Thanks
AAA also have camp books for regions..like the “State” books. If you don’t have AAA I can get them for you!
The Adirondacks consists of 223 million acres…..you won’t be disappointed.
Ya might want to browse those benchmark maps also😜
Those pics have what I want to call “ethereal” quality. How beautiful. I arrived at Lake Hartwell around 5pm. Not too many people now and the campsites are spaced out. Now I will rest and settle in. Happy to be here!
Yeahhhhhh for Linda!!!!! Off on her first of many adventures!
YAY Linda!!! You made your first camp – please share more when you get the opportunity. I missed this post earlier in the week and have been wondering how you are doing. How’s the internet?
We just bought our first motor home just before Christmas and are anxious to take our first trip. We live in Texas and plan to visit places we haven’t been and revisit some place around our state.. We are trying to outfit it with what we think we will need and hope to complete that soon. We hope to add solar one day soon. We will travel with our 2 small dogs and they are the main reason we bought a motor home. We bought a 33 ft. 2016 Coachman and can hardly wait to start our adventures. Also hope to find out how to start a blog as I love reading others. Have gotten so many useful ideas from reading them. Hope to see some of you “down the road” one of these days.
Congratulations on your Coachman! You have big changes ahead of you don’t you? Wishing you all the best. I’d like to see you down the road too.
How exciting! Congratulations on your new motorhome. Have fun with all the planning.
I want to read everybodies comments but lately seems I have to divide my time between my son’s family living with me, helping my 88 yo mother transition to a retirement facility and selling her house and taking care of myself. Being recently retired does help.
I’d like to know if anybody has dealt with or is dealing with a relative who has dementia. My mom has been untrustworthy with me while I’m helping her sort through her belongings and while I discuss her finances with her. I’m considering going to a support group so I can keep my sanity. Thank you for any ideas/suggestions.
Absolutely….find a support group.
Dementia is a difficult process for your mom and you. Patience is an attribute and don’t be offended by actions or words.
Do you have siblings to help? Dept of aging may have some ideas…i.e. Power of attorney etc, health directives etc
Best wishes.
I am the P of A for my mom. My sister is helping, but that is limited due to her living in E. Wash., though we do communicate by email daily. My brother lives with my mom, who isn’t helping as far as I can tell since she says he doesn’t talk to her. So, this process involves getting him out of her house, also. I’ve emailed him about what we’re doing (since talking is difficult) and no reply. I ask him to be at the house when the realtor is there to talk about selling the house and he isn’t there.
So, I’ll be talking to professionals in the Snohomish County area on Monday. Thank you for your concern.
And he’s not talking to her? Oh boy… you need to “bless his heart”.
Take care of yourself and mom’s needs! Once she’s situated…deal with your brother and the house.
The lack of trust is a symptom or dementia. My mother, who is dead now from Alzheimer’s, did the same thing. It’s important to make sure they eat well and watch their blood sugar. Eating well seems to really help with cognition. Even if she yells accusations at you, just let it go. She can’t help it, but it doesn’t mean you deserve it,
Contact the Alzheimer’s Association for support groups. People can offer you information and practical ways to handle your mother. Also, if possible, you should see a lawyer to get complete power of attorney before she has regressed too much because you will soon need to handle financial and medical things. You need to be able to make decisions for her without having to keep going to court.
Ohhh the sunset at corvina is awesome!
It’s finally starting to warm up…Jules went swimming, Annie Oakley still thinks the chlorine float dispenser is some sort of a monster! Lots of hummingbirds zipping around…not sure if they like the red or white syrup. Gave the palm trees a buzz cut. Those fronds spikes need to be added to the list of deadly weapons.
Spring cleaning inside…waiting for the weather to clear in CA so I can visit my dear friend in Lincoln… with that….life is grand!
I’ve read so many remarks over the years about a bad smell blowing over the Salton Sea. Have you experienced that? Due to stagnant water and too much dying wildlife.
I bought my Prius today! It’s a 2011 with 28K miles. Loaded. Gps, moonroof, backup camera. The works. Very excited. Now I have to prepare. I want the habitent which is $99. Some kind of camping mattress for the back. A Coleman stove. A Yeti-style cooler. It is going to be awesome! I took a nap in it on the way home. Just reclined my seat all the way back till it was basically flat, and left the car running inPark. Air conditioned comfort. It was quite nice. I think I want to get the windows tinted also.
Let the traveling begin!
Whoooeee DeGin. What color?
What is a habitent?
We have a pakmat by aerobed….that is the most comfy mattress. You can adjust the firmness and it molds to your body! Come with a container which is also the pump…
Pakmat sounds intriguing. I’ll check it out. It’s silver. Very pretty and modern looking. I actually prefer something more noticeable like white or red (silver is difficult to see in your rear view, especially at dusk) but it was such a good car otherwise. But it is pretty!!
Oh….a habitent is a tent made especially to fit over the hatch of the Prius when it is open, and enclose the rear of the car to make it roomier. Go to habitent.com to see it.
I thought a “Prius” was a car? All I see at the habitent website are boats?
Oh! it is habitents.com for the Prius. 🙂
Oh that’s great news! I’m so happy for you! It sounds very nice. I’m curious what a habitent is too. I’m sure it’s going to be fun for you to outfit it the way you want. I know you’ve been waiting a while.
Thanks Ronda I’m excited.
Go Ginger! So happy for you. What color?
Silver!
DG, what great news, so glad that you found your car…moving forward…such fun your are having…congratulations!
Deena and Miss Mollie
Whoo-Hoo DesertGinger!! I am so happy to see your dreams come to fruition! Does Chloe like her co-pilot seat in the Prius? Getting the windows tinted sounds like a good idea. So exciting! Have you given any thoughts as to where you want to make your maiden voyage? 🙂
Yeah DG, so excited for your next steps. A word of advice, I had a coleman stove and found them bulky, smelly…..undesirable for me. Have you considered a one burner butane stove? You can get them for @ 20$ and the fuel canisters just about everywhere. The butane won’t leak like the white gas does, and no pumping to pressurize the canister.
Also, a large umbrella can be a nice shady spot. Lash it to your chair with a bungi and relax! Have fun
I think they had problems with those one burner butane stoves.
Best to ask our resident blog expert who has at least 7 campstoves…last he fessed up to.
Coleman propane, don’t mess with the white gas..but I think the controls are very temperamental. I believe badgerrick scored a camp chef Everest and had nothing but kudos for it.
You whooooo. badgerrick????????
DEGin–I watched the video on the habitent.
Your photos are beautiful Sue!
I can understand why you don’t feel like writing.
As a younger person, I often sought out the empty, desolate places of the Inter-mountain West. They you can see, first hand, the sheer enormity of Nature. Handmaiden to that is the feeling of insignificance. Of being…small.
I would spend hours watching, for example, the ants scurry about, moving food to home and so on. Seeing the birds in the air – and most glorious of all, one of the rare thunderstorms that unleash a river of freezing cold water while your ears are deafened by thunderclap after thunderclap.
God is alive, indeed.
Given all that might be before you, it’s understandable that you would want to drink that in and revel in the sheer joy that only Nature can unleash in the soul.
Plus, the Salton Sea is a pretty cool place to park to see all of this…
As always, **love the photos**. I check every day to see what wonder you bring us poor souls languishing in the frozen snows of the Northland.
Please accept my sincere thanks for your efforts on both the photo work and the blog. The former shows what the world looks like – while the latter tells us how to get there. For this alone – stopping by is its own reward.
Best wishes.
Don
A blog is like a diary, and sometimes you just need to skip a few days. We all luv you regardless. See you soon. Hugs
Hi blogorinos,
It’s nice to have a chat amongst ourselves once in awhile isn’t it? Happy Valentines Day to one and all, may you all be loved and love in return.
Recently I have been busy with computer problems, my Mom’s computer that is…. I am currently working on upgrading my OS to version 10 in order to work on/fix my Mom’s remotely. Wish me luck and offer advice. I have had several “bumps” in the process and may visit my computer guy if I have no further sucess tonight. Meanwhile, my church deacons,of which I am one, are preparing for our annual spaghetti dinner and silent auction fundraiser. We have a 50/50 raffle, entertainment and all you can eat. The funds are used by the deacons to help those in need in our community with food, clothing and small items for the homeless. We all work very hard and have a lot of fun doing it. If you’re near South Florida and want to come, Sat, Feb 18. 😉
Good luck with your moms computer. Luck is all I have to offer. My computer knowledge is minimal.
Ironic that I have camped in same spot @ pahrannagut. Beautiful area. Great birding. Am patiently waiting to do a run up to chilliwack bc for my escape 17b. Then the race to the warmer south begins. As for trailers, I think this one is primo!
I think Escape is a great trailer too. We bought used though. Escape was on the list of what we were looking for but the deal came on a 17′ Bigfoot also🇨🇦. Have you been to Chilliwack before (when you ordered it) don’t be in a hurry to rush home. It’s a beautiful area.
You will enjoy the Escape, very well made. Try to stay in the area for a few days to check out all systems. We had a few issues with ours; but we were on our way to Alaska and had to deal with them ourselves. Luckily, my husband is a great fix-it guy, but it did not help his disposition to do so. If you haven’t already done so, join the Escape Owner’s Forum website.
Thanks for the advice on staying but I need to rush home because of some family issues. Hope all systems are go for me. Please elaborate on issues u had. After many issues w 89 scamp am so ready for this new trailer.
I have signed up for osoyoos rally so will see some more of that country. 88
You will have all your questions and more answered at the rally. Our main problem was the solar panels on the rooftop were not hooked up correctly at the factory. Also had some ongoing issues with the hitch.
Sue, your photos of the Salton Sea are great! It feels so peaceful. Hoping to get over there on our way to Mexicali and onto Baja later this month.
Just checking in, Sue. Springtime in the Rockies forecasted. But, we all know that is short lived this time of year.
I have started to read your blog from the start (a second time). I have my trusty old Road Atlas of the US by my side and a notebook to record some of the campgrounds you thought were pretty nifty.
One thing I know after all these years, one cannot predict the future. My husband finally retires this May and I have convinced him that we will spend a good time of the summer camping in our little hard-sided. During that time I will plot to convince him that finally escaping the confines of stick and brick living could be a great alternative. Conniving for six years now!
Thanks again for taking us along on your ride.
Diann
Yay, CATTLE picture! And can you believe I saw very few of them on my trip to Kentucky!
Hi all….been crazy busy with work so haven’t had time for comments but have been reading. I know I’m near the bottom of the comments so hope some folks see this. Just watching the news after two hours of clearing my driveway and am seeing that Verizon is offering the unlimited data plan again. Been a few years since that has been available from Verizon. I used to have it and was grandfathered in but had to change my plan when I added my mother to my plan.
Wishing you and Reggie Happy Valentines Day!!!
That’s such a beautiful scene in your current header photo! A very similar picture was in the “Hiking A Ridge…”post about your stay there. This one’s addition of the cows lends a pastoral beauty to the rest, I just love it. Noticing that you changed the header yesterday and added the look who’s talkin’ column in the sidebar today let me know that you’re still around 🙂 . I hope you and Reggie are enjoying where you are-Salton Sea, on the road or ? . A nice thing about the look who’s thing is one can see the newest comments without searching the whole page for them, neat.
GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY, AND HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
What a pleasure to read your comments! Y’all are so friendly and helpful with one another. Thank you for the compliments on this post and its photos and for all the kind messages. It’s nice to see new people and “old” appearing here. 🙂
Reggie and I have been on the road this morning, arriving at our destination close to noon. I just finished setting up camp exactly how we like it. Now it’s time to relax! I’ll try to create a post later today, but, being that I’m a morning person, I probably won’t get it put together until tomorrow.
Bye for now,
Sue
Silly as it sounds, I just love when you move to a new spot and post about it for us! Can’t wait to see your photos and read the commentary. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Reggie! Belly rubs, hugs, and prayers!
Oh how I miss Salton Sea!!! I grew up around there and nearby (Borrego Springs, Ranchita, San Felipe, Warner Springs, Julian, Lake Henshaw, Santa Ysabel). The memories of that part of California are my favorite! Your photographs take me home! 🙂