Dothan and Beyond

Rhonda, Richard, Me and Pastor Ralph Sigler, 2004

Naomi Sigler, 2014

We left the Ford shop in the late afternoon and determined to drive pretty much straight through so we could visit our sweet friends Sunday morning at Harvest Church in Dothan, Alabama. 

When we moved from there ten years ago, they threw us a wonderful open house party at a rented store front (the church was under construction). My, we have changed a bunch since 2004, no so Ralph and Rhonda.

After church, we met with friends for coffee; among them was Pastor Ralph's sweet mother, our dear friend, Naomi Sigler. In her eighties, she can still light up a room with her smile. 

Philip Wilson, a Special Friend, 2014

We spent the afternoon and evening with my best friend and soul mate Carol Skipper and her son and hubby. The rest of her clan were away. Carol fed us a meal fit for royalty and the next day, the Siglers took us to a delicious lunch before we headed on south. We didn't see everyone we hoped to connect with at church, but we did hunt down one special guy at Wal-Mart.

One of the perks of life on the road is getting to visit loved ones all across the country, but on the other hand, one of the downers is having to leave precious people as you break away and head off to the next camp site.

The car ran fine and we made it to Ocean Pond Campground with no further troubles. We got unloaded and set up, then took a day to unwind... at the beach. Once again, we were at the Atlantic coastline, sitting in the sun reviewing all that had gone by since we left the shores of the Pacific.

Sunbathers enjoying the Atlantic on a balmy Florida afternoon in October

Next post, we'll meet on the beach once more and I'll wander back on memory lane and bring you up to date on the rest of our trip from Nevada to Vermont, our stay at the Hapgood Pond Camp Ground and the preparations to come here. See you then.

Our Rig in a Used Car Lineup

I interrupt telling you about our trek from Nevada to Vermont and fast forward to our present journey from Vermont to Florida with a planned stopover in Dothan, Alabama.

Our motorhome in the used car lineup at a PA Ford dealership

 As I type this, our rig is in a used car lineup at a Hallstead, PA Ford dealership. It all started Wednesday morning, Oct. 15...

All we had to do was unhook our water, sewer and electric, hook up our car to the tow bars and head south. We had gotten everything else ready by Tuesday night so we could get an early start... but that didn't happen.

First, we could not find the fat hookup rods that attach to the car... after unproductively searching a while, we finally had sense enough to pray. Duh! Almost immediately, I had a mental picture if the rods in our special Hanukah box, a place I would NEVER have put them, but we have walked with G-d a long while, so we opened the compartment where the box is and began emptying sleeping bags, leveling blocks, hoses, etc. and voila! There they were, on the floor beside the Hannuka box. Baruch HaShem (Praise G-d)!

Next, the car was all hooked up to the Blue Ox towbars. We put the car in reverse and backed slightly to stretch out the blue Ox and lock the arms in place. This keeps the car from crashing into the RV when slowing. We took off, but in just a mile, the towbar was slack on one side and we had to stop to reset it. Again, it failed right away. We spent more time tinkering, then went to fuel. 

We decided to just drive the car. What choice did we really have, right? Again, we were ready to go... 

No, we could not go. The battery on the motorhome was dead. We jumped it and headed out. We made one stop for lunch in our cozy, well stocked RV, jump started again and used our GPS to find a Wal-Mart Supercenter where we had the battery tested to confirm our suspicions that it was on its deathbed. Two hours later, equipped with a new battery Richard had installed in the pouring rain, we headed out. We drove until about 7:00 that evening and spent the night at the PA Welcome Center on the PA-NY line on I-81.

Thursday morning, the rain had stopped and we looked forward to a trouble free travel day. The rig fired right up, but the car would not start. We tightened the cables and also found our tow harness light bundle of wires dragging down below the motor with the end that connects to the motorhome torn off. It doesn't interface with the car's electrical system, though.

The car finally started, and Richard drove off in the RV, and I headed out after him... except I was stuck at 10 miles an hour. The car would not shift out of first gear. I tried several times and was on the onramp to I-81. I called Richard and he was a few miles up the road. He got turned around and headed back, then turned around again to head toward where I was.

Meanwhile, we both were praying and I was looking on my GPS for car dealerships near the car. A Ford dealer popped up just 2.4 miles away! I looked on the map. The town was TINY, but what else was there, nothing nearby, that's for sure.

As we inched along in first gear, off the freeway into a very small town, down a rural road, I was convinced there was a mistake... then I saw it. A large dealership and expanding, remodeling, even. 

They were super busy and could not get to us until today. We all thought it was the transmission problem typical of the Fiesta, but today, they found that the towing harness had wrapped around the axle and also messed up the "shifting box" which is exterior to the transmission? Whatever, but that means it is not warrantee work. Big oopsie!

But back to why our rig is in the used car lineup. When we came in they had us back the rig in just off the pavement of their lot. Then yesterday afternoon, they began moving used cars over here. We had gone to dinner in a loaner car and when we came back it looked as if our rig was for sale!

So, we don't know when we'll be out of here, but the people have been so friendly and nice, we still feel blessed.

Denver Delays, Delightful

$10,000 damages to motorhome

On our way to volunteer in Vermont, we stopped to sleep at a truck stop halfway across Wyoming. In the morning, Richard drove up to the pumps and fueled. It was tight pulling out, and our motorhome has a long back overhang, as most of them do. The back corner of our rig barely snagged the concrete piling near the pumps. There was a ghastly wrenching sound as the fiberglass tore. He stopped immediately, but the damage was already done. Frankly, it didn't look too bad. We called it in to Progressive, our insurance company, and were told where to take it for repairs in Denver. Ten days later, the repair was done and was $10,000. Progressive took care of us so very well, paid our lodging, provided an agent to work with us and Diversified Body and Paint Shop... and the repair is better than new!

Miriah, Danny and their son Aiden

Daughter Athena and Richard

We had a great time at Miriah and Danny's wedding held in a ski resort just after it closed for the season. The wedding provided the only guests in any of the rooms, and it was amazing! Enjoy a few wedding pics.

Daughter Crystal and Ronnie

Grandkids Jared, Jordan, Jacob

 

Four of our daughters with their handsome men... Eye glow is a mystery.

Great grandson Aiden was not impressed.

Danny and Miriah

 After the wedding, we headed down the mountain from ski country. There was a storm warning and indeed, snow was falling. It was cold most of our time in Denver, but we had great visits with friends and family and discovered how hard it is to find a sit down Pizza Hut in Denver. Most of them were carry out of delivery. We drove 17 miles to find a Pizza Hut with seating and when we arrived at 9:30 in the evening, we were the only patrons. Sad.

The repair shop had to wait for parts, then do the work on the rear end cap, so they let our motorhome sit in front of their place part of the time and ran out an electric extension cord. Most of the time we stayed in a motel because it was too cold in the motorhome. Our grandkids took care of our pets, and it was hard for them to part when it was time for us to leave.

I'll cut this short now and repost in a few days telling of our trek to the mountains of Vermont.

On the Road to Vermont

Actually, we are leaving Vermont in the morning... on the road to Florida, but since it has been so long since I posted, this is a flashback...

We left Las Vegas a month before we needed to report to our next post in Vermont. One of the best things about life on the road is seeing loved ones all along the way. When we first headed out from Florida in May, 2012, we stopped to spend time visiting all across the country, but once arriving in the West, we roved around there until April, 2014 when we headed east again.  

Norman and Taunya

Our first stop was in Utah where our oldest son lives as do  his five children and eight grandchildren... yes, we are great grandparents. We didn't get pictures of everyone because I am a terrible photographer (note the flowers growing out of Norman's head).

Above are Norman and Taunya. Norman is a truck driver, as are all three of our sons.  Richard and I drove truck for years in addition to our work as educators and time spent at other jobs. My father had trucks for a time, and Richard's brothers all drove truck, so it's sort of a family tradition.

Now, a peek at Norman's family. Drew is the oldest and the father of one daughter, Alejandra.

Alejandra

Drew 

Trudy and Daisy

Trudy and her children, Connor and Lana

Trudy is the next in age and then Daisy. Here's a photo of them from a previous trip... the ones I took this trip are a trip, a bad trip. Trudy is pictured again below with her adorable children Connor and Lana. I didn't a picture of her hubby Chi, though.  

But Daisy's man Lewis is below and their two munchkins, Lydia and Dillon.  

Lydia

Dillon

Lewis, Daisy's hubby

Darel, Norman's son

Baylee, Candy and Olivia

Darel (above right) is the father of Baylee who is in Candy's lap along with Candy's dark haired daughter Olivia. Candy and her man Sean also have a wee son Victor.

Our son David (below) lives in Utah, and our daughter Stephanie lived there at the time, and her daughter Rio who was out of town. So, you see, we have a treasure trove of relatives in Utah.

  

Victor, our youngest great grandchild

Our son David

We didn't stay many days in Utah because our granddaughter was having a wedding in Colorado. She was already married, but work and school precluded a big wedding at the time. But now, a "small," elegant wedding was planned with our big family and a few friends gathering to celebrate the young couple's joyful marriage.

So, we headed off across Wyoming stopping to sleep in a truck stop about half way to Denver. That is where the unexpected reared its ugly head and changed our plans big time...   And that's where I'll leave us until I post the next blog in a day or two.

On The Road Again... Almost

Friends come in all ages...

My last blog post was almost eight months ago, and we were getting ready to leave northern California to return to Lake Meade where we would once again volunteer for the Nat'l Recreation Area there and I would have my back surgery. It had been hard to leave dear friends, and I was looking forward to a joyous reunion with them and family on our return to Las Vegas.

Our beloved cowboy Rabbi Shmuel Oppenheim

These dear ones always took special care of me

Just as we were heading south, the government shutdown took effect, closing national parks and access to public lands. The workers were to stand down and so too the volunteers. We were so blessed, however, that people knew us and told us we could come on in and park, but not work, until the shutdown was over. Meanwhile, I began the medical tests and preps for my back surgery, and we were wrapped once more in the love of welcoming family and friends.

Some folks wonder about the loneliness and lack of roots for people living like we do, but as you can see, we are abundantly loved and we sink roots all along the way. The key? Loving others, being vulnerable and open and interested... simply giving of yourself and being willing to receive others as they are.

Larry Berk in the gym doing Physical Therapy

My surgery experience was not the best in spite of the fact that my doctor was perhaps the best back surgeon in the country, if not the world... I say that in all seriousness. But the surgery was extensive and recovery has been tortuous. Even so, I was mentored, encouraged, led, educated, blessed and prayed over by my precious friend Larry Berk from our synagog who had undergone similar surgeries and much more. He always knew when I was in pain, and knowing he understood meant more than I can comprehend.

Under the new health care laws, I was forced to leave the hospital (at midnight!) and sent by ambulance to a convalescent home after only three days. I had not been bathed at the hospital, and no one had tried to mitigate the rat's nest my long hair had become. Movement, for me, was almost impossible and the pain was intense since they could not give IV meds or shots at the convalescent home. 

My Angel of Mercy and I on the day I went home

Then a sweet young aide came to my rescue during her lunch breaks. I wasn't even her patient, but she came in to help me every day, patiently working all the tangles out and braiding my hair, helping me bathe and just giving me hope.  

Therapists worked wonders for me

The physical and occupational therapists were amazing, training me to work around two spinal fusions (one lumbar and the other thoracic) and an extracted rib, also a large herniated area in my left abdomen.

Curtis and Richard the day we left Lake Meade

Richard worked in the campground four hours a day except when he was taking me to medical appointments or visiting me at the hospitals. Our supervisor at the park was so very kind, a gentle, caring man who genuinely loved us.
 I will stop here and continue the saga in a day or so, bringing you up to date as we head for Vermont...

Things to Think About Before Hitting the Road

By the time we began our travels in May, 2012, we thought we had the RV life style pretty well all figured out since we had lived in an RV for about two years before we actually hit the road. We stayed in the well appointed Theme World RV Park just five miles north of our Sticks 'n' Bricks abode we left for retirement in an RV. Even so, we discovered several issues we were unprepared for.

We enjoyed the pool at Theme World RV Resort

Medical Issues: In readying for the nomadic life, we had gathered concise health records and lists of medications, doctors instructions anad some medical equipment. I have some health issues, so got a battery operated blood pressure machine, cheap but accurate, and a nebulizer, also capable of running on battery. 

I use Wal-Mart Pharmacies and they will forward your refills to whatever area you're in as you rove around the country, and that worked fine until I needed narcotic pain meds. I have some severe spine problems and am having surgery this fall. Meanwhile, I use narcotic based pain meds and the doctor calls them in each time. A mere inconvenience until we reached California who requires the prescribing doctor to be CA licensed and to hand write the prescription! No calls, no FAX. I had to find a local doctor who could read and understand my complex scans and records and who was willing to take on a new and temporary patient. I lucked out, but it was getting dicey as I was down to 8 pills before I got a new prescription. 

Space Considerations: When we started the nomadic portion of our retirement, we lived in a 40 foot coach with a full basement... very roomy. Last December, we traded off the coach for a rig ten feet shorter with minimum storage underneath. What a challenge to get rid of so much stuff! We are still overcrowded and trimming down every unneeded item. Probably the most space is taken up with books and family photos and keepsakes. We were sorting some even today. I hope to scan all the photos and upload many to share with family. 

Moved out of the tan rig into the white Hurricane... lost 10 feet!

Homebody Leanings: We traveled pretty steadily at first. Boondocking as well as stopping in RV parks, Wal-Mart parking lots, repair shops and even an Air Force base. It was great to visit friends and relatives, but the constant travel was tiring on us and our pets. Cooking meals was harder and our constant breakdowns made us tired (and poor!). We longed for a place to settle for a while. So, we spent some time at our daughter's place in Cedar City, Utah, then ambled on down to Vegas where we became Lake Mead volunteers for six months, and finally, we came on up here to northern California for a summer as camp hosts basking in the shade of the magnificent madrones, a tall and quirky tree of this area. 

Settling in for the summer as Camp Hosts under the madrone trees.

Money Needs: Of course, constant travel costs money.. far more than we expected! It is more costly to eat, too. Fuel and propane are a major expense, and lodging is much higher by the night than by the month. Again, repairs were eating us up. So, workamping made sense. A season or two here and a season there, anywhere in the country, it seems. Just check out http://volunteer.gov for all sorts of government listings. For some light work and a little time, you get to live free in wonderful vacation spots all over the country!

Faith Frustrations: We discovered that finding congregations of like believers was almost impossible. Fellowship with other believers is extremely important to us and will be a factor in all our future volunteer placements. 

Encircling the synagog with the Torah scroll. All participating.

Electronic Communications Woes: We have not found consistent phone service, which is not a big surprise since we tend to stay out in the boonies most of the time. We did switch to Verizon and have had better service from them. We also gave up on smart phones, being quite content with our dumb phones.

For now, we will do one more stint as volunteers, going back to Lake Mead for the fall. I will have my back surgery and we will later head back Florida way, traveling and visiting a while. Then, once more, we'll find a volunteer gig somewhere near a Messianic congregation... and visit friends and family along to way to it, then spend a delightful season making new friends in a new and interesting place.

It's a wonderful life living free and easy in an RV.



  

Big Cats, Big Fires

Forget chronology, there are urgent things going on right now, so we'll skip over other events and jump right to the big stuff. Big cats and big fires!

Looking across the mountain at the 10,000 acre Coral Fire

The fire, locally called the Coral Fire, is 9 miles from us and zero percent contained. Started by lightning just a few days ago, over 10,000 acres are ablaze and there are almost a thousand firefighters here who traveled from all over to fight it. The firefighter who brought us our daily report tonight was from Michigan, for example. These selfless men and women are camped out in tents at varying local staging areas and some stayed here for a time.  Choppers, fire engines and other equipment have also come pouring in to our rescue.

One of the staging areas for imported firefighters from all over

Another fire above Orleans continues to burn out of control as well, and the smoke from these and smaller area fires hangs on the mountains and gathers in the valleys looking like London fog but burning eyes and noses, scorching throats and turning tongues to leather.

The smoke is everywhere!

Lest talk around Boise Creek campfires be too focused on the fires, one of our campers spotted a cougar and caught a fairly good iPhone photo of it. The big cat prowled through two campsites during the previous night, or so the occupants thought. Both heard a larger animal walking fairly close to their tents. 

Cougar! Taken from a campsite without telephoto lens.

The mountain lion's visit was not a total surprise to us. I have been seeing cougar scat for about two weeks. This is a good year for them, and their numbers are up, hence these very territorial critters are staking out new claims, marking out new Home turfs for themselves. In studying them, we find they normally tour all the nooks and crannies of their stomping grounds about once a week, so we'll be on the lookout for this one again.... and I'll try to get more pictures.

Giving Heather a goodbye hug

Two members of our Forest Service Recreation team form Orleans have moved up the ladder, as I mentioned in a previous post, and now we have also said goodbye to Heather. We're sure gonna miss her! Stephanie has arrived with her willing spirit and quickly fit right into the team of Recreation Technicians we work with.

Stephanie and Bingo... Instant rapport!

In other excitement, we locked ourselves out of the motorhome and learned a valuable lesson about our door/lock setup. 

There are two red plastic toggles on the inside of our door. One locks the dead bolt, the other locks the door latch. It seems I inadvertently flipped the latch toggle when I went out the door, and the keys, of course, were in the house!

Our windows were open, thank heavens, so Richard saved the day with this heroic yet precarious break-in. Safety First is definitely not his motto, but I wasn't complaining.

And I will close with one final misadventure, which was also a lot of fun... We got lost.

It all started when we went to help a Forest Service worker, Diane, who was working with a group of teens building a fence for a remote dispersed camping area. She needed us to take some timber up to the the site.

Diane, Richard and kids loading logs for Aimon Ranch camping area fence. 

It was a beautiful drive and we had followed Diane up there before, so we told her we'd meet her up there and just drove on up while she ran an errand.

Somehow, we missed a turn and wandered all over that mountain! Radio reception was spotty and cell phones worse, but we got through at last, then also met a local who gave more directions, and finally, we arrived at Aimon Ranch, our destination... but, since we were over an hour late, Diane and her charges had left already. There was a happy ending, they came back, we delivered the logs and headed down the mountain, stopping at this creekside oasis on the way. Such a beautiful way to live.

Of course, because of our radio transmissions, everyone in the Six Rivers Forest heard about our wanderings, so we get to take a bit of good natured ribbing... all part of the fun.

 Bye Bye until next time....