For several years I've written of our trips around the US and Canada with a specific year, but Road Trips 2012 went on and on because I got tired of starting a new thread plus we were so engaged in selling a house we took fewer and fewer trips.
We learned that selling a nice house in a rural area is very difficult—to some degree it is like owning the best house on the block. Comparables are not good and lots of people don't want to live in rural America (after trying it for a dozen years, we don't either). But we finally sold it last November and are looking forward to getting on the road again once spring are arrived—spring in Colorado can be late or later, so that probably means May or June.
Our first trip with trailer is usually to Ouray where we stay for several nights at a KOA. Thus gives us a chance to check out the trailer, relax for a little while and be only a couple of hours from home. We may do that again. The big trip for this year is probably going to be to the northwest and Vancouver Is. We went to the Island about 10 years ago, before we had the trailer. We've thought of taking the trailer for years, but the ferry is very expensive and we've gone elsewhere instead. The call of the ocean is strong and we enjoy driving along the Oregon and N. Cal. coast. And the pizza at Upper Crust in Gualala, Cal. is irresistable. When we take that trip is still unknown. Other trips are possible, but we haven't thought it out.
We bought a house near Grand Junction 1 3/4 years ago and have been remodeling it ever since. We attacked it with vigor for more than a year, but I had to have back surgery last September and less remodeling has taken place as I recovered and, then we both got bad colds in December—one month of coughing. But remodeling is picking up and how we balance road trips and remodeling will sort itself out. Our house is 1/2 miles above the city (much cooler in the summer), but only 20 minutes into town with great views and a floor plan that works for us.
We decided to take our annual winter trip to Santa Fe and arrived on Sunday. Snow started 70 miles from home and although not much snow fell, the roads were snowpacked for almost 300 miles. Worse were the samples of snow blindness (even with good sun glasses, it became hard to see), white outs, ground blizzards and lots of slush freezing to the FJ Cruiser. Driving was tiring, but we took turns and arrived in pretty good shape after a grueling drive. Two days later we are still chipping ice off it. We're taking it easy, sampling various varieties of green chili and taking it easy.
Our northwest trip will probably be driving long days to get to Washington fast. Then we'll slow down on the Olympic Penn., possibly seeing a former Airstream owner in Gig Harbor (are you watching, Dan?). We'll take the ferry to Victoria, thus avoiding the Seattle traffic. We know people there too. Then spend a week or more on the Island. Back to Washington and down the coast, coming back east somewhere north of Marin County. This is about a 3 week trip, maybe a little more. We've driven up and down this coast twice before with the trailer and at least one other time. We never tire of the roads along the coast. Some of them are a challenge with a trailer, but well worth it. I hope there will be no tsunamis or exploding volcanos.
When we get back next week, back to remodeling. A tile feature in the "great room" is next and then to finish the bedroom—80% finished, but last worked on just before I had surgery. And there's the basement hallway. Barb started painting it last week, so it needs a second coat and then I need to do baseboards, door trim and wainscotting. And it if gets warm again, some more painting of the garage exterior. Somewhere in the future is the great room paneling and new lighting and finishing the kitchen painting and maybe redoing a countertop. It seems to take us a lot of time for this even though the remodelers on HGTV do it in a matter of weeks. Our crew is us and no one else—maybe that makes a difference.
We haven't had time to wash and polish the trailer for a long time, so that will come in May. Compared to detailing a car or light truck, polishing an Airstream is like polishing a whale. I'm glad we only have a 25'—I can't imagine I'd survive a 34'.
Doing all this gets harder as we get older. But we are determined and this is our 3rd remodel together. We are doing better work than ever even as we go slower. A marriage that can survive 3 remodels and 50,000 trailer miles must be working pretty damn good and we like our lifestyle. Fairly new to the Grand Junction area, we are meeting lots of people and there's more than we can do in the city. Local musicians have a blues jam every week at a local bar and there was nothing like that where we lived before. So life is good and exhausting as we try to live like we are young, but there's no better way to do until they cart me off to hospice in about 20 years.
Snowing in Santa Fe now—drought here is really bad and I hope more snow comes. Santa Fe is really pretty in the snow. We've been coming to SF for 25 years and it doesn't snow very often, so we welcome it.
Gene
We learned that selling a nice house in a rural area is very difficult—to some degree it is like owning the best house on the block. Comparables are not good and lots of people don't want to live in rural America (after trying it for a dozen years, we don't either). But we finally sold it last November and are looking forward to getting on the road again once spring are arrived—spring in Colorado can be late or later, so that probably means May or June.
Our first trip with trailer is usually to Ouray where we stay for several nights at a KOA. Thus gives us a chance to check out the trailer, relax for a little while and be only a couple of hours from home. We may do that again. The big trip for this year is probably going to be to the northwest and Vancouver Is. We went to the Island about 10 years ago, before we had the trailer. We've thought of taking the trailer for years, but the ferry is very expensive and we've gone elsewhere instead. The call of the ocean is strong and we enjoy driving along the Oregon and N. Cal. coast. And the pizza at Upper Crust in Gualala, Cal. is irresistable. When we take that trip is still unknown. Other trips are possible, but we haven't thought it out.
We bought a house near Grand Junction 1 3/4 years ago and have been remodeling it ever since. We attacked it with vigor for more than a year, but I had to have back surgery last September and less remodeling has taken place as I recovered and, then we both got bad colds in December—one month of coughing. But remodeling is picking up and how we balance road trips and remodeling will sort itself out. Our house is 1/2 miles above the city (much cooler in the summer), but only 20 minutes into town with great views and a floor plan that works for us.
We decided to take our annual winter trip to Santa Fe and arrived on Sunday. Snow started 70 miles from home and although not much snow fell, the roads were snowpacked for almost 300 miles. Worse were the samples of snow blindness (even with good sun glasses, it became hard to see), white outs, ground blizzards and lots of slush freezing to the FJ Cruiser. Driving was tiring, but we took turns and arrived in pretty good shape after a grueling drive. Two days later we are still chipping ice off it. We're taking it easy, sampling various varieties of green chili and taking it easy.
Our northwest trip will probably be driving long days to get to Washington fast. Then we'll slow down on the Olympic Penn., possibly seeing a former Airstream owner in Gig Harbor (are you watching, Dan?). We'll take the ferry to Victoria, thus avoiding the Seattle traffic. We know people there too. Then spend a week or more on the Island. Back to Washington and down the coast, coming back east somewhere north of Marin County. This is about a 3 week trip, maybe a little more. We've driven up and down this coast twice before with the trailer and at least one other time. We never tire of the roads along the coast. Some of them are a challenge with a trailer, but well worth it. I hope there will be no tsunamis or exploding volcanos.
When we get back next week, back to remodeling. A tile feature in the "great room" is next and then to finish the bedroom—80% finished, but last worked on just before I had surgery. And there's the basement hallway. Barb started painting it last week, so it needs a second coat and then I need to do baseboards, door trim and wainscotting. And it if gets warm again, some more painting of the garage exterior. Somewhere in the future is the great room paneling and new lighting and finishing the kitchen painting and maybe redoing a countertop. It seems to take us a lot of time for this even though the remodelers on HGTV do it in a matter of weeks. Our crew is us and no one else—maybe that makes a difference.
We haven't had time to wash and polish the trailer for a long time, so that will come in May. Compared to detailing a car or light truck, polishing an Airstream is like polishing a whale. I'm glad we only have a 25'—I can't imagine I'd survive a 34'.
Doing all this gets harder as we get older. But we are determined and this is our 3rd remodel together. We are doing better work than ever even as we go slower. A marriage that can survive 3 remodels and 50,000 trailer miles must be working pretty damn good and we like our lifestyle. Fairly new to the Grand Junction area, we are meeting lots of people and there's more than we can do in the city. Local musicians have a blues jam every week at a local bar and there was nothing like that where we lived before. So life is good and exhausting as we try to live like we are young, but there's no better way to do until they cart me off to hospice in about 20 years.
Snowing in Santa Fe now—drought here is really bad and I hope more snow comes. Santa Fe is really pretty in the snow. We've been coming to SF for 25 years and it doesn't snow very often, so we welcome it.
Gene
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