It was a year ago late November that I left San Marcos TX on my Grand Western North America Tour and Shakedown Journey in my 33’ 1994 Class A Holiday Rambler for Tucson AZ and all points west. I’d spent the previous seven months first making my RV livable and second drivable. When I finally set out for Tucson my rig was (and still is) a work in progress. An early winter storm gave me first taste of the on-the-road RV life. Early on I was plagued with starter problems. I spent the first month of my odyssey in Tucson and then meandered southeast to the Sierra Vista AZ area where I spent the remainder of the winter hunting quail and exploring the countryside. In the spring I took my trusty toad, a Dodge Caravan on a camping trip to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. Upon my return I headed to Fresno CA. Why Fresno? Fresno’s central location 90 miles from Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks was its first appeal, its second and third appeal was that I was 160 miles from my brother in Fremont and 200 miles from my daughter in LA. I can’t really say I cared much for Fresno itself and really disliked it in late May when the thermometer topped out at 106 degrees. While in Fresno I finally solved my starter problem, a weak engine ground was what was causing the problem. A $7 ground cable fixed it! After leaving Fresno I drove north to Chiloquin OR, located about 30 miles east of Crater Lake. I spent a month in Chiloquin and really enjoyed the area. While I was in Chiloquin I visited Crater Lake National Park, a nearby logging museum and “Train Mountain” (which anyone passing through the area has to see!). My final stop on my odyssey was Port Angeles WA. Indeed, the culmination of my journey was to fulfill a promise I’d made to my late wife three years earlier. In late August, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, joined by my two kids and daughter-in-law we scattered my dear wife’s ashes in a beautiful rose garden that my sweetie knew and loved. While in Port Angeles I made several camping trips in the Olympic Mountains, spent a day in Seattle, four days in Victoria, and rode my motorcycle to Cape Flattery, the farthest west spot in the lower 48 states. After spending three months in Port Angeles I headed back to Texas making the 2,600 mile journey in about six days (ugh!).
I learned quite a bit during my travels. I learned that I really don’t like 450 mile driving days. I learned that living in 225 square foot space is just fine; in fact I’m currently house/dog sitting for a Texas friend in his beautiful 2,700 square foot house and can’t wait to get back home to my RV. While I constantly missed having my honey with me, I met delightful people wherever I traveled. I’m currently making repairs and modifications to my home-on-wheels so that my next excursion will be better than my first. For instance, because of a cracked grey water tank and a dysfunctional generator I was pretty much limited to staying in campgrounds with hookups. I’ve since fixed the generator and am in the process of replacing the grey water tank. Boondocks here I come! This coming spring I’m planning a journey to Maine with stops in Illinois and New York State to visit friends and family. While in Maine I’m planning to work on my fishing and partridge hunting skills. I liked southeast AZ so much that there’s a good chance that I’ll make it my ongoing future winter destination. Farther into the future I have plans to make some prolonged visits to northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, Montana and many other points west. As Max would say “Let the wild rumpus begin!”
Steve
