Life Rolls Down Many Roads

Although not necessarily fully organized and efficiently stowed in our new home, we are pretty well settled in to our personal camp site and going about the routine of work and play and life... Did I say routine? Well, really there's nothing routine about life with the Hoeppners, as you will see. 

We very much like our new (to us) rig, but we are still grieving a bit over the Safari. There is no comparison, really, and even today, as we were going about our recycle route, we spied a Safari at an overlook and had to pull in there to have a closer look-see. No one was around, so we just circled it admiringly and went on our way.

Daughter Stephanie and granddaughter Tia

We did manage to get in contact with the person who bought our Safari... Yes, it sold immediately. Well, of course, it was gorgeous! A local pastor bought it and plans to live in it after he retires... Cool!

We were blessed to see two of our children recently. First, daughter Stephanie came through during travels from California to Utah. We didn't have much time to see her since she was only here a short while, but it sure was a special treat, anyway.

Also, our oldest son, Norman, came through on the truck he drives. He is a Certified Driver Trainer for a large Salt Lake City truck line. He too, didn't have much time, but we managed to share a meal together and enjoy a delightful couple of hours visiting.

On the way home from our visit with Norman, our car seemingly lost its transmission. There we were, suddenly coasting ever slower in the middle lane of a very busy freeway... on Saturday night... in Las Vegas! Cars were whizzing past us on both sides at 70+ mph while Richard desperately tried to move toward the semi-safety of the right shoulder. We were adrift and powerless and fast becoming a sitting duck... er, make that: toad.

Our Ford warrantee includes towing, so we called and were soon told help was on the way. Yay, Ford!!

An hour later, we were still sitting against a wall on a narrow shoulder... on a curve! Late night Las Vegas traffic was in a hurry and half drunk. Many times, we were only missed by inches. 

We called again. They are coming, it's a busy night. Yeah, tell us about it! 

Over two hours later, we watched as the Little Green Toad was dropped off at a Ford dealership and the tow truck drove away... It was late at night and we were there alone. 

Granddaughter Tia to the rescue! Three in the morning and we're 50 miles away, she doesn't care, she's there for us. What a trooper! She came for us and loaned us Eddie's pickup. Eddie is in Korea and won't be driving it for a while... still yet, we are so blessed!!

A few days later, we were back in the Little Green Toad. The transmission was fine all along, but the computer had gone berserk and in an evil attack, disabled the transmission. Hmmm? Hope they were able to rehabilitate the computer so that never happens again!

Vegas excitement never ends. The food and the wine and the money flows 24/7. But it is the food that really beckons... The town is full of buffets; some are fantastic and very reasonable. The other night, we went to a casino for a nice buffet dinner.  Just as we began our desserts, pandemonium broke out. Amid loudspeaker instructions to stay calm, lights were flashing, alarms were going off and tourists were yelling and taking pictures of the smoke coming up the escalators. 

We, like some of the locals, continued to eat our diner. There was no where to immediately go, anyway. The Bingo room was open, so we went on in until all the panic was over. It seems a slot machine had caught fire and scorched part of a wall.

Here I am looking like a tourist. 

 Yes, we are enjoying our stay here but are about ready to move on. We have been signed on with the Forest Service to be camp hosts at the Boise Creek Campground in Big Foot country near Willow Creek, CA. We will be leaving here at the end of April.

We are expecting our first Hurricane motorhome house guests! Ruddy and Merida, dear friends from Florida, will be coming in early March. They live in an RV, too, so will be comfortable here. We are so excited to see them!  

Maybe by the time they get here I will have this motorhome and everything in it all organized.... Nah, that's a pipe dream because when I can't recall where things go, I end up putting them in a new place, and the confusion starts all over again, hehehe.

Our New Digs

Motorhome shopping is fun and frustrating. I researched local motorhomes for sale and made list of ones we should check out. Ideally, we wanted a length between 30 and 35 feet, no slide outs, a tight turning radius and a no split bath floor plan. We looked and looked and did not find anything that fit all our criteria, especially the no slide out preference.

We were tired of looking, so I prayed one more time that we would find the right motorhome. Then, just as we were about to settle for a 34 footer with a slide out, we spied a new arrival at Johnnie Walker RV. And it met every single one of our requirements! It was a 31.5 feet Hurricane by Four Winds, had a complete bath in a separate room, a very short turning radius and... NO SLIDE OUTS!!!

Fifteen minutes later, we were test driving it. It drove and rode great and we even pulled a U-turn in one maneuver right on a two way street... We signed the papers the next morning after some time in prayer that night.

Trying to fit all we had in that 40 foot Safari with it's big basement and abundant inside storage into a 31.5 foot "regular" type motorhome with limited storage in topside and below... is futile! We parked the rigs side by side right there on the sales lot and spent three rainy days and nights there trying to make the transfer. It was the weekend, so one day was our Sabbath and we did no work. 

Tia sweetened our chore with homemade Creme Brulee. Her first attempt, and it was some of the best I have ever had! The only competition would be our daughter Athena's beau, Brian. 

Sorry the picture is so oddly colored. I tried to adjust the color but only made it worse. Those walls are white, not the garish yellow you see here. 

Finally, we drove our new home out to Lake Mead, packed to the rafters stem to stern. I followed in the car which was crammed full, too! Once hooked up, we unloaded some things to the patio, stowed the ladder under the rig and began to try to put away what we really needed and bag up the rest for the needy. 

Meanwhile, we got back to work here in the park. Thank heavens the folks we work for are flexible and laid back. We have kept our recycle containers cleaned and serviced, but we have certainly not put in the required hours while we were staying 50 miles away.

Workday lunch break. We are so blessed to spend our days like this.

Back to work... Our workplace is a play place. What a fun way to live!

Time to relax and the family all fits on the sofa. Note Jasper and Bingo are becoming friendly...!?

Bingo's new haircut.