Day 4: Cha-cha-changes

We woke up early this morning to check the weather for Yellowstone and discovered that freezing temperatures are expected for our scheduled stay. Since our RV is not winterized, we've opted to head south again...but not today. With our first change of plans made, we also decided to stay one more day at this KOA RV park. Just at the tail end of the season, there are three other vehicles, two of which are currently unoccupied. Tucked away from a major road, the RV park has fire pits, shade trees, and real grass around all of the sites. This feels a like more like camping.

Arco, Idaho is a small town of ~1000 people. Its claim to fame is that it is the first town in the world to use electricity generated by nuclear power. The nuclear facility located between Arco and Idaho Falls is also the site of first fatal reactor accident in 1961.
We walked to the local market and purchased dinner to cook on the outdoor grill. We lounged, we read, and we definitely relaxed. Mr. B whittled some roasting sticks for the marshmallows we forgot to purchase, but no mind. It's been a glorious day.

Though we are both very disappointed to not see Yellowstone or Grand Teton NPs, it's the best thing to do. This trip is about relaxation and challenges like temperatures in the low teens hold little appeal for us. A couple from Washington was here last night and they were traveling to Yellowstone today in classic style. Check out their ride in the second picture. They were planning to ride out the freeze in a local motel. Wise choice, no?
As Mr. B plays with fire and cooks our dinner, I'm checking out where we will head off to tomorrow. My anxiety about not having all of our days planned is subsiding. As Mr. B said to me today, it's all about being with his sputnik. (For those who don't remember their Russian, sputnik refers to companion.) Gotta give Mr. B props for that sweetness.

See you at the next stop.

Day 3: Elko, NV to Arco, ID: National Public Lands Day

After 830 miles we reached to our first sightseeing stop, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Craters of the Moon was a welcome stop and a total geology geekfest for me. While three major lava fields form most of the 750,000 acre preserve, there are lava fields over much of Southeast Idaho. The black jagged lava is a stark contrast to the high-altitude desert we drove through for the past three days. I don't have editing software, so the panoramic image below is a bit primitive.

Mr. B isn't enjoying the drive as much as I think we both thought he would. I drove for a bit today, but he did better "in control." We've been looking forward to spending a couple days stationary and had plans to stay in Yellowstone for four nights starting tomorrow. However, temperatures are forecasted to drop to 7deg F by Wednesday night. The next several stops on our initial plan may have nighttime temperatures that we'd rather not have to deal with. We'll still head to Yellowstone tomorrow, but we're ready to cut the stay short and proceed to different, warmer locations. We've discussed adding New Mexico and more stops in Arizona. It's all part of the adventure.
One last pic. This one was halfway through our drive, just outside of Twin Falls, Idaho.

Onward to lounging on the new foam mattress topper we picked up today. Mofo's bed is just too hard.

Oh, Mr. B adding the picture of Mrs. B at the sign! And we got our stampy thingy for the national parks, too...

Day 2: Sparks, NV to Elko NV: A cereal kinda day

By cereal, I mean that the events of the day can be summed up by "Nut'n Honey." The landscape along the 286-mile stretch between Sparks and Elko, while initially quite beautiful, changed very little. A few very small towns, a few rest stops, and a lot of unchanging open space.
We arrived here at the Iron Horse RV Resort around 5:30, made dinner, and are now relaxing.
So far the RV lifestyle seems a bit odd. Big to huge RVs lined up neatly about 15 feet apart. Fully contained living units, so it's definitely not like camping. It's like a mobile motel...at least for us in the MoFo. (Mr. B referred to our rental as the Millenium Falcon or MF. I prefer MoFo.) Some of the huge Class A are ridiculously outfitted. These are the mobile hotel/condos/McMansions of the RV world: satellite dishes, slide-out sides to double the interior space, full-size appliances, wide-screen TVs, etc.
Anyway, here's a summary of what RVing in MoFo has been like:

• The noise level due to non-MoFo parts has been reduced successfully. (Thank you, GPE, for the suggestion of shelf liner to keep things from sliding around.) MoFo-related parts still rattle loudly. The most tiring part of the travel has been the loud ambient noise. We've gotten some other noise-reduction suggestions to try out tomorrow.
• Our chocolate lab, Lucy, wasn't a fan of car traveling and is much less a fan of RVing. She appears annoyed.
• Our yellow one, C Dawg, is still deaf, but he's hanging in there. (See below for more on that.)
• Driving MoFo is like trying to maneuver a billboard in a windstorm. No aerodynamics. 

Why the Yellow One is Deaf--Just before we left, he had two teeth extracted. During the pre-op check, the vet said he had an ear infection and gave us Gentizol (Gentamicin sulfate). After just two days of use, the yellow one became deaf, stone-cold deaf. Gentizol is a commonly-used, broad-spectrum bactericide and is known to be ototoxic in dogs, especially older ones like ours. (Wish we had known that beforehand.) In 30 years, the vet clinic has only seen 2 other cases. In one of those, the dog regained its hearing. C Dawg is showing slight indications of hearing. Mr. B and I are keeping our fingers crossed. If you have a dog with an ear infection, take care when using Gentizol or the like.
Tomorrow we hit the road early to get to Craters of the Moon National Park.
Good night all.

Han Shot First

As I drove out of the rental unit yard, my ears were assailed by an unholy racket behind me. It sounded like the entire backend was going to come apart (and this was just going out of the driveway).  My mind immediately thought of Han Solo talking to the Millennium Falcon 

"Don't worry, she'll hold together... You hear me, baby? Hold together"

And, in an instant, the name of the vessel was discovered.  Of course, I'm sure there will be times 
that it will be shortened to MF...

Once I got it home, I began a four hour modification process. First was a re-do of the electronics, 
installing a GPS/NAV system, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, and an Ipod FM Transmitter.

Then we went to work on soundproofing it. Evidently there is a reason why Class B
motorhomes are over $100K, and the Class C we are renting retails for about $60K. 
The fit, finish, and noise reduction is almost non-existent on the Class C 
(and it probably doesn't help that it has 75K miles on it). So lots of felt pads on cabinets 
and drawers, and sometimes velcro to keep things closed and from rattling around.

So, after about 1.5 days of modifications and loading of The Falcon, we were ready to go!

Even with that work, once we headed out on our first day, there were some spots missed. 
I didn't have an R2 unit to tie things down when in motion, but Mrs. B did a 
commendable job on silencing doors and securing vents.

And here we are, first night out, in Sparks, NV.

International Talk Like Pirate Day

Mr. B Signing In... On this high holy day of the FSM (and yes, I've been touched by his noodly appendage), it is only fitting that the primary dog had some toothers removed. This happened at "tooth-hurty" today (ha, I kill me). So now primary dog has a gap in his smile, just like a good pirate should! The emergency back-up dog is fine. So you saw the plan. As Helmuth von Moltke the Elder said (look it up, Google is your friend), "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy". So I'm staying flexible, but thankful that a lot of the planning work is in the capable hands of Mrs. B. I just have to drive...

It's starting to come together...

As I mentioned previously, Mr. B was wanting to be footloose and fancy free on this trip. Essentially, winging it from day to day. The irony of this attitude is that I'm the one who tends to be flexible about where, when, and how. I like change and spontaneity for the sake of it. Mr. B? Not so much. So why now? I think our newfound employment situation (or lack thereof) has affected us very differently. I get the sense that for him, he feels free. Me? I feel untethered. Same place in life, but different views of it.

Anyway, he agreed on planning the first week of the trip. We know where we will be up to and including Yellowstone. The route of our trip, more or less, is shown in the image below.

As the trip gets underway, I hope Mr. B will begin posting. For now, it's just me.

Aside note: We have a minor problem with one of the dogs. C-Dawg had two premolars extracted today. Antibiotics for a week, soft food for two weeks, and no chewing sticks, bones, etc. for until the area is fully healed. If you know C-Dawg, this will be our challenge. Poor pup. Mr. B is picking him up this evening.

Until next time.

One Half of the RV Neophytes

Let the Frantic, Furious Planning Begin

After returning from Ohio, the reality that our maiden voyage was two weeks away has sent Mr. B and I into a frenzy of  activity. Here's what we know:

• The Class C RV is 25 feet long and 7.5 feet tall. I forgot how wide, but will remember when I start driving it. :-) We had hoped for a Class B/ van conversion, but those rentals aren't easy to come by and the only one we saw, Mr. B couldn't stand up straight inside.
• We are focusing our travel on national parks in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and California. 
• Taking two large dogs means lots of dog stuff. 
• Expected temperatures will be vary greatly by location. We have to plan for temps as low as 20deg F to highs in the 90's.
• Expected elevations from 0 to 8400 feet.
• We have most of the gear we need to outfit the RV and ourselves. 
• We are freakin' crazy.

While many details are up in the air, we have a good idea of the route and, with the exception of one leg of the journey, we'll only drive about 280-300 miles a day. Several stops will be for 3-4 days. The first stops are in Nevada, mostly to get acquainted the the RV. The national parks "we plan to see" are Craters of the Moon NP, Idaho > Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs, Wyoming > Arches NP, Utah > Grand Canyon NP, Arizona > Bryce Canyon and Zion NPs, Utah >  Joshua or Death Valley NP, California. That'll be 25-27 days and 3300+ miles.

I'm a bit anxious as we are only reserving RV spots for the first week or so. Mr. B wants to plan as we go after that. I'll see if I can't convince him otherwise.

What's Next?

Just about a month ago both my husband and I became two more of the millions of unemployed. After six years at a start up, Mr. B furloughed his staff and himself. Given the choice to stay on in someone else's position or leave, he felt the right thing to do was to leave. After two year's at a different start up, my boss informed me that he was closing it's doors. Both companies moving to/coming to a sad, quiet close.
We had a trip planned well before these recent events. So we packed up and flew to Colorado to see friends and then onto Ohio to see family and attend Mr. B's high-school reunion. Folks at home, in Colorado, and now here in Ohio are asking "what's next?" 
So what is next? We had been talking about traveling. Pretty good prices to Hawaii. Maybe Southern California to see my family. But we've left our dogs quite a bit this year and miss them (also some guilt there.) Mr. B suggested renting an RV and taking the dogs. We've toyed with the idea before, but never seriously...at least not on my part. See, I'm not a car person. After about three hours I'm looking for a rest stop, a vista, an attraction, an asylum. I just don't "do" car well.
As a kid, my dad, God rest his soul, drove us across country...twice. Neither time was a leisurely trek. We were in the car for 10-12 hours every day. There was the rare stop to see family or a historic site, but mostly it was to get from one coast to the other. I learned to loathe car travel and rest-stop toilets. As an adult before my marriage, if the drive was longer than 4 hours, I'd fly. 
My dislike of car travel was met with a bit of sadness from Mr. B. He grew up with a car-camping family and had many fond memories of playing driving games, fighting with his big brother, seeing beautiful national parks, roasting hot dogs at the campgrounds. These were the childhood experiences that formed his love of driving.
He tried often to change my opinion. Short, scenic drives along the coast. Three or four hours to an overnight or weekend location. Then about six years ago we drove to the Southwest. Out to the farthest point east we didn't drive more than 8 hours in a single day and never more than four at a stretch. We stopped frequently to see people, places, things. It was a grand seven days, and then in a lapse of judgment Mr. B convinced me that we could make it home in one day from our last stop. Thirteen and a half freakin' hours later we made it home. I was miserable out of my mind, but I didn't whine about it because I truly believed as I stepped out of the car at midnight I would never, ever, ever do such a thing again. Never. Ever. Ever. And for six years, with the single exception of a 5-1/2-hour drive to a memorial, our drives have been three hours or less.
Now, the open road and an RV awaits us. Mr. B just booked the rental for September 25, 2012. We'll have two weeks to decide our route and make any reservations we can. We are shooting for 4(!) weeks on the road. We are experienced travelers, were experienced campers/backpackers, but we are RV neophytes. Hence, the title of our blog.
So, I think we're nuts, but this is what's next...at least for the near term. And while Mr. B and I will look for jobs while on the road (the interwebs is everywhere), most of the next six weeks will be spent planning and completing this adventure. We'll blog as we go to keep family and friends up to date with where we are and what we do and see.
I do think we will have a wonderful adventure, but wish us luck anyway.
The RV Neophytes