Random thoughts on the road

While I was on my most recent road trip, I was thinking about the universal signs. For example, I was always wondering why the sign indicating food at the turnoff had a fork and a knife but no spoon. Did you have to ask for a spoon or bring your own?

The camping sign had either a teepee-style tent or a ranger standing with his hands on his hips next to a tent with a flag on it. Did that mean some campsites had no rangers? Did the ranger stand next to that tent all day?

Then there is Rip Van Winkle. There is a bed (looks very uncomfortable) with a man lying on it. He's never sitting on the bed putting his socks on. I guess he just sleeps all the time.


The trailer indicates RV camping but doesn't have a class A motorhome, a class C motorhome, a fifth wheel, a tent trailer or a van conversion on it. Bias against some RV types?

I understood the gas pump and the "D" on the gas pump for diesel. When the "T" sign appeared, I thought "Time"? "T" in the road ahead? It took a little while to figure out it was for a truck stop.

How do the deer know where to cross? How about the elk? (The doe I saw on the side of the road was nowhere near the deer crossing sign). Did someone drive up and down the highway day after day counting how many deer and elk crossed the road at a particular point and decide to put a sign there?

When the road is patrolled by aircraft to catch speeding motorists, how do they see at night? Has anyone ever seen one of those aircraft? How does anyone get a job doing that? Do they show up at the Highway Patrol office and say, "Hey there. I have a plane and always wanted to catch speeders. Got a job for me?"

Slide area: if you know there are going to be rock slides, shouldn't you shore up the hill?

OK. This sounds silly, but when you're traveling, you keep yourself awake your way and I'll do it mine.

RVing Northern California Part 4

I went through Eureka and saw the Denny's. It has a small parking lot and is right next to 101, making it almost impossible for an RV to park. Thank goodness I had stopped in Fortuna.

Humboldt County is beautiful. There are lush green forests and a gorgeous beach. However, the slow, winding road that is Highway 101 keeps you alert for sharp curves, road work, elk crossings and steep grades. I did see one deer, a doe, off the highway on my right and she just looked at me. I hope she made it across the road or back into the woods unharmed.

I was being followed by a 30-foot or so fifth wheel. The signs are clearly posted that anyone towing should be driving 55. They passed me traveling at least 65. I couldn't see the license plate for the province but the Canadian maple leaf was on their tire cover.

Later, someone towing a 25-foot trailer also passed me traveling at least 70. I sighed. I hope both RVers made it to their destination safely.

Finally, I saw the turnoff for Klamath. The waitress was correct: it was about 90 minutes from the time I left Fortuna. I went left at the stop sign as directed and went up a winding one-lane road.

And up. And up. I passed the Klamath RV Park. To enter required a very sharp, almost U-turn to the right and down a one-lane road. There is no way I would have stayed there in an RV larger than mine. It would have been extremely dangerous for someone towing to make that turn. And what would happen when that RVer left the park to return to the freeway?

Finally, I came to a one-lane bridge with a stop sign. I stopped. Nothing was coming from the opposite direction so I crossed and saw signs for Kamp Klamath. It's just inside the border of the Redwood National Forest.

I was directed to a shady site with trees, birds and the nearby fishing area. I would have been happy to stay there except I couldn't get a strong enough wi-fi signal even with my booster antenna. The nice guys who run the campground put me in another site opposite the wi-fi antenna.

This is a lovely campground and I'm looking forward to the salmon BBQ and campfire singalong on Saturday night. However, you really have to want to be here to navigate the road to get into the campground.



Note: In the three days I spent on the road, I saw two Highway Patrol cars. One was parked off the side of the road near a truck stop in Scotia and the other had stopped a motorist near Yreka.

There are very few services along Highway 101 and although I have my CB on when I travel, I only heard three people in passing. On the flat areas, I had cell phone reception. In the hills, I couldn't tell since I was too busy navigating the highway to look at the connectivity.

Basically, I wouldn't mind traveling Highway 101 north of Yreka during daylight hours and now that I know about the road to this campground, I would return someday.

RVing Northern California Part 3

Ladies and gentlemen, take this advice from a seasoned RVer: NEVER drive California Highway 101 north from Yreka at night. The warning signs posted will take care of most hazards: rough road, bump, road work, rock slide area, hairpin turns, 6% grade, swerving cars, deer crossing, elk crossing, pedestrian crossing (!). There are hidden dangers too. For example, the freeway will end for no apparent reason. This usually means the two-lane highway where you can travel 65 mph will become a one-lane highway with few or no turnouts to let people pass. There will be huge redwood trees along the highway almost on the right shoulder, forcing you to hug the center divider. There will be sharp turns with no signs or arrows that a car can take at 40 mph. A motorhome or other RV will need to slow to 35 or 30 to be safe--that is, unless you want to find out how well you really stowed your stuff.

There are brightly lit areas of the highway showing the high fence holding back the rocks from the slide. The lights have swarms of insects around them. There are sections of the highway that have concrete barriers on them, the only sign of road work. I wondered what they were for since there didn't seem to be any equipment in the area.

Willits has you slow to 25 mph so that you can enjoy your travels through the middle of their town. Eureka has a 35-mph speed limit and several logging trucks on the highway traveling through. I wondered idly whether the two towns had special arrangements with the state so we could appreciate their communities. Willits does have the Skunk Train.

I was determined to reach Eureka and find a Denny's. After four and-a-half hours (RV Time), I saw a Denny's in Fortuna and turned off the highway. It had a big parking lot and was bordered by two chain hotels. I pulled into the back and parked near the end by a tree. It was 10:30 pm and I knew I had driven much too long without a break.

I went inside and had something to eat, asking permission to park for the night. It was granted and I went to bed, awakening at 5:30 am when the garbage truck arrived to empty the Dumpsters. Then I went back to sleep until 7:30.

The waitress had an RV and told me it would only take 90 minutes to reach Klamath. I asked if that was RV Time or Car Time. She smiled and said it was RV Time. I was getting close. She filled my commuter cup with coffee and I left at 9.

RVing Northern California Part 2

Wednesday morning at 8, a man came over and looked at the radiator. The belt that connects the radiator to the alternator broke. It was fairly new and no one knew why it happened. That's what caused the overheating. While he was removing parts, he showed me a pipe (radiator filler neck) that had a small hole in it. He sent the pipe to a radiator shop nearby to be soldered. Because there was a cap on the pipe, the hole prevented it from holding pressure. Also, he recommended replacing the thermostat just in case.

While I was waiting for the work to be done, I found out there was free wi-fi. I was able to catch up on the work I had missed. I also called my friend Rick, told him what happened and he told me to travel at night. It was much too hot to stress an older RV like Lucy. We both know I hate driving at night, but I would do so.

She was finally ready at 3:30 and we drove away. I was going to travel about 20 miles to Yreka and wait but it was still much too hot. The heat and lack of food (I was keeping hydrated) made me dizzy. We stopped in Healdsburg and found a McDonald's with air conditioning. And iced coffee. And ice cream. And ice water. Lots of it. I had one of the two things a vegetarian could eat at McDonald's: fries.

It was so pleasant there and I noticed a closed gas station across the street with a semi parked. If I had to, I could spend the night there. Meanwhile, I was happy just drinking ice water and staying cool.

I asked one of the employees what time they closed. 6. Very strange. Why would they close when most people are just leaving work or trying to decide what to have for dinner?

So I left at 6, determined to get to Eureka about 3.5 hours Car Time away. If you look at MapQuest or one of the other mapping programs including Good Sam and Flying J, you'll notice the miles in Car Time. RV Time is different. Always add at least 30 minutes for RV Time.

The first part of that trip involved driving with the window down, one eye on the road and the other on the alternator gauge/temperature gauge. I waited for the weather to cool enough to close the window. I was determined to travel north until it was cool.

RVing Northern California Part 1

So I left San Francisco at 1 pm on Tuesday and was going to stop for the night in Yreka. However, my motorhome Lucy (short for Lucifer or Loose Wire), decided she was as unhappy as I was being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on 101 in 100+ degree heat. She overheated. I managed to get her off the freeway and into a gas station by breaking several vehicular laws (please don't try this). Of course, this was a gas station with a mini-mart attached: no mechanic except for one who was located two blocks down the street. Also, the man working at the gas station had no phone book and didn't know the name of the repair shop.

So I waited in the gas station at the pump (making the attendant cranky) until she cooled. I didn't want to walk to the unknown mechanic (even my heat-addled brain realized that would be silly: Lucy was overheated, not me). I went next door to an engineering firm and asked the two ladies working there if they could give me a name or phone number of the nearby mechanic. One of them knew where he was and gave me the number. I called and the man said he could take care of Lucy.

After an hour, I left and broke two more vehicular laws involving U-turns and going the wrong direction to avoid waiting at the traffic light. It was now 3 o'clock. The mechanic worked at a smog station and did look at the radiator. He admitted he had only worked on a couple of motorhomes and recommended Benjamin Tire & Brake about a mile away. He said they had a big parking area and large garage. I called them and they said to bring her in, although they couldn't work on her until the following morning.

I waited at that shop for an hour, had him stop traffic so I could make a left turn, and arrived at Benjamin Tire and Brake at 4. I filled out the estimate sheet, asked for permission to spend the night and it was granted. One block away was a small grocery store and I purchased some salads for dinner.

It was still very warm and I knew I would have trouble sleeping until the sun went down. I turned on the propane so the refrigerator wouldn't completely defrost. Then I remembered the hot/cold pack in the freezer. Ah--relief at last.

The desk

After removing the couch, I put the desk together. Mostly. The instructions said no tools were needed. They lied. I needed a rubber mallet. I found out I needed a rubber mallet after almost destroying the wood by tapping on the pegs with the pipe wrench. When I noticed the problem, I used the heel of my hand, my fist and a great deal of swearing. The rubber mallet worked much better.

Here is what replaced the couch:





Not bad.

Really Frugal RVing and Happy Camper

When you lose your workamping job with its free site rent, you really have to budget carefully for where you will stay. I don't mind boondocking in a safe place once in a while but I do need power and Internet connectivity to take care of the forums, blog and other RV Bookstore/RV Travel-related work.

I just became a Happy Camper (http://www.camphalfprice.com). There are over 1200 campgrounds and RV parks in their system and the rates are excellent. I'll be leaving the San Francisco Bay area next week and making my way up the coast to Edmonds, WA, the galactic headquarters of RV Bookstore, arriving on September 10. I'm booking sites in parks along the way and using Happy Camper parks to save money.

On the return trip, I'll be going south through California, arriving in Lodi by October 10 for the RVing Women National Convention. I'll be delivering two seminars, one on saving space and weight in your RV and basic self-protection for women RVers (and others). On October 15, I'll continue south, stopping to visit my sister and her family in Buena Park. She's close to Disneyland and those RV parks have premium rates. I'm still checking for a park that honors Happy Camper near her.

I'm also making arrangements for a monthly stay in a Texas RV park from November 1 through December 14. The parks I've contacted have terrific rates and I save $50 a month with Happy Camper. I've already changed my mailing address through the Escapees mail service in Livingston, Texas (click on the map to enlarge it: Livingston is northeast of Houston and southeast of Nacogdoches), and will need to register my RV, get a driver's license and register to vote (absentee, of course). From December 15 through January 31, I'll be volunteering at the Escapees CARE Center in Livingston, Texas. (http://www.escapeescare.org). I'm a Roving CARE Ambassador (selected by Kay Peterson herself) and I will be doing whatever I can for 20 hours a week, from washing dishes, preparing food, driving folks to medical appointments, answering the phone at night, or helping with activities. I receive a free space, pay for electric and propane, and a meal on the days I work. I'm really looking forward to being there and celebrating the holidays with some Special Kinds of People (SKPs).

The couch

Say what you will about Fleetwood, they sure knew how to attach a couch in 1984. What I thought would be a simple 4-bolt removal and carry out the door turned into a 4-day event.

My friends and I started last Tuesday evening. We took off the two back couch cushions, two end pillows and the front cover on the bottom of the couch. We carried them to the trash and decided to wait for daylight to see how to remove the bolts.

Wednesday night, I removed the large bottom cushion by tearing the fabric loose from the base and throwing it away.

Last night, I spent an hour removing two huge rear bolts and loosening the two front bolts after spraying them with WD-40. When I say huge, I'm sure they went through to the frame and were attached to nuts underneath (as opposed to the nut who lives inside the RV). If this had been a stick house, there would have been mystified Chinese folks wondering where the ends of their bolts went. My mother always told me that if we dug a deep enough hole in the yard, we would reach China.

This morning, Don and Gail were going to simply remove the couch and load it in the park truck to take it to the dump. With a great deal of effort, Don was able to remove two other back bolts that were holding down the clamps I didn't see. He loosened the left front bolt but not enough to use the bolt cutter. The right front bolt is loose and turns, but can't be removed.

Meanwhile, I have a desk to put together (no tools needed, it says on the box). When that's done, I will have space to flip up the counter for my printer and other peripherals like back-up drives, and room for my laptop. Then the table will be an actual table that can be used for having coffee with visiting friends, meals and other non-computer-related stuff.

I replaced the couch in my old RV with a 6-foot countertop and two kitchen cabinets with four drawers each, giving me a work surface, storage and desk. It won't be the same; however, I am "taking it like I found it and making it like I want it" again.

Expenses

One of the readers asked for a list of expenses. Here it is so far:

6/21/2007 Repairs $818.80
7/3/2007 Labor $555.00
7/3/2007 Gas Hoses/Tailpipes Installation $762.72
7/6/2007 Tune-up $316.81
7/9/2007 Brakes $1,879.27
7/18/2007 Alternator/Regulator $340.00

The first set of repairs and labor listed was for replacing the electric steps, installing a circuit board in the water heater, repairing the water connection to the shower and replacing the faucet, replacing the lighted shower vent with the Fantastic Fan, repairing the cut wires for the overhead cabinet lights, and replacing the porch light.

As you recall, the motorhome had missing tailpipes and the expenses for that are listed next, followed by a complete tune-up at the local gas station that services the vehicles in the RV park.

The brakes were expensive, true, and the shop owner worked with the budget I gave him to make the most of the repairs that needed to be done. The right front brake still needs some work to make it perfect.

The repair to the alternator was mostly labor: the parts were $40.

There you have it. Lucy is running fine and caused me no problems on the way home. I'm looking forward to my next trip!

Mom's Car

I've had a little relaxation time to consider my options. Since I can't tow my car 4-down and didn't want to buy a tow dolly (I'm not a fan of towing a vehicle anyway), I sold it. A nice couple from my old neighborhood in Berkeley, CA purchased it and picked it up today.

I'm going to miss the car. My mother bought it new in 1993 and when she purchased a new one in 1997, she gave me the Ford Escort with 11,000 miles on it. Yes, it was literally driven by an old lady to church on Sunday and the grocery store once a week. I flew down to Las Vegas to pick it up, spending the day with her and driving it back to Berkeley late that night.

It now has 69,424 miles on it and has been taken care of. The Pacifica, CA rust is encroaching and the car needs to move inland.

When I speak with my sister in Buena Park, CA, we still refer to it as "Mom's car." Before I bought my previous RV and throughout the years, the trunk held a tent, sleeping pad, quilt, Coleman stove, water, food, first aid kit, space blanket, emergency sleeping bags, hand warmers, paper towels, toilet paper (very important), and some stashed cash. The new owners will get the tent and sleeping pad.

Now I need to go somewhere else and deciding where that will be. What fun! For the first time in my life, I can go anywhere I like.

If you had the same options, what would you do?