We're off!
Anyone want to guess how many miles we'll drive in a year? I'm thinking somewhere between 15k and 25k, but who knows?
Launch day, Sept 30th, was nuts. Besides preparing to head off in the RV, we also had to close up our seasonal cottage, which is a fair amount of work. Naturally, we procrastinated and left many chores until the last minute. (We were also enjoying time with friends and family right up until the night before our scheduled launch, so really, no regrets.) When Monday morning rolled around however, we were car-less, having left it with our Somerville condo neighbors the day before (thank you Jack and Kristin!). This made some preparations a bit more challenging, since the RV was parked down the hill at the Summer Village guest lot. We still needed to move most of our clothes over (after doing last minute laundry) as well as the contents of our fridge and freezer, and a variety of this-n-that! Fortunately the Summer Village gatekeeper was OK with Mark driving Wandah right up next to the cottage, for dozens of back-and-forth provisioning trips. Overall, it was a hectic start, and our original plan to leave at noon turned into a 2:30 departure, but we did it!
Enough kvetching already! Once on the road, we had an easy trip to Rhode
Island, and spent the evening rearranging the disaster we'd created by
jamming lots of stuff into the RV, willy-nilly, in our desire to get
going. We are certain we over-packed, but also couldn't decide what not to take. We had failed somehow to heed repeated advice: "pack light", "you won't need it", etc. Easy to say, hard to do.
Which of these things could have been left behind? portable propane grill, digital dual head tire pressure gauge, air compressor, USB fans, 50 amp dogbone, Zero Gravity chairs, the extra blanket, mini teapot, the Bananagrams? At least we saved a little space by getting a 3 quart instant pot, instead of bringing our existing 6 quart. Woo hoo!
The RV space is starting to feel a bit more liveable already. We're eating and drinking down the backlog (the fridge was jammed!) and much of our things are quickly finding their natural "home".
 |
| The significance of this post's title: our starting odometer reading. |
Launch day, Sept 30th, was nuts. Besides preparing to head off in the RV, we also had to close up our seasonal cottage, which is a fair amount of work. Naturally, we procrastinated and left many chores until the last minute. (We were also enjoying time with friends and family right up until the night before our scheduled launch, so really, no regrets.) When Monday morning rolled around however, we were car-less, having left it with our Somerville condo neighbors the day before (thank you Jack and Kristin!). This made some preparations a bit more challenging, since the RV was parked down the hill at the Summer Village guest lot. We still needed to move most of our clothes over (after doing last minute laundry) as well as the contents of our fridge and freezer, and a variety of this-n-that! Fortunately the Summer Village gatekeeper was OK with Mark driving Wandah right up next to the cottage, for dozens of back-and-forth provisioning trips. Overall, it was a hectic start, and our original plan to leave at noon turned into a 2:30 departure, but we did it!
Which of these things could have been left behind? portable propane grill, digital dual head tire pressure gauge, air compressor, USB fans, 50 amp dogbone, Zero Gravity chairs, the extra blanket, mini teapot, the Bananagrams? At least we saved a little space by getting a 3 quart instant pot, instead of bringing our existing 6 quart. Woo hoo!
The RV space is starting to feel a bit more liveable already. We're eating and drinking down the backlog (the fridge was jammed!) and much of our things are quickly finding their natural "home".
| On Tuesday, we had a nice time at Colt State Park and riding along the East Bay bike path. We rode a total of 12 miles, at least 90% at "PAS 0" (Pedal Assist Strength level 0, i.e. no assist). We had the best cheese steak ever (really, quite fabulous) at Barringon Pizza - our turn around point, just steps from the bike path. |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| Life is good. |
After our day out, Lori put up this wall decal in the RV as a reminder for us to count our blessings.
The particular blessing Mark noted this day was how handy it can be to have your house with you all the time. No need to pack a lunch on outing days - we just duck into the RV and make a sandwich. Forgot the sunglasses? Need an umbrella? Change of clothes? So much easier when home is always near.
It took us a long time to decide on an internet strategy. We could rely on campground wifi + comcast hotspots + phone tethering. Ultimately, we bit the bullet and got a Verizon MiFi hotspot with unlimited data.
It's fast and very convenient. It would have been miserable connecting each time to a new, and possibly sketchy public wifi. When there's a good cell signal we get 80+ mbps down. We also got a chromecast to send video from phone, tablet or laptop to our TV. Seems to work pretty reliably, and the quality is good, too.
Food Food Everywhere!
Under the dinette seat, behind the TV, over the stove, over the dinette.. Maybe we brought too much (was 2 large cans of diced tomatoes overkill?) but it seemed a shame to throw it out. Maybe over time we'll reduce the backlog. Not that we managed to do that at home so well. Some of these jars have been in the back of cabinets for years.
The rear portion of this space also serves as Lori's craft cabinet. It was not easy leaving so much behind!
Tubs, tubs, tubs - Lori organizes the world!
With our limited space, and a need to keep items from rolling all around when we're moving, we needed a variety of storage options - from baskets to bins to buckets! We're still trying to figure out what works best for each space but, so far, so good.
We can fit seven baskets in the over-the-bed cabinets to hold our clothes. Three for Mark and four for Lori.
Under the vanity, there are four covered tubs. One for cleaning supplies, one for Mark's toiletries and two for Lori.
The closet holds twenty-five hanging items. Ten for Mark, fifteen for Lori.
Is anyone seeing a pattern here?
Well, that's it for now, folks. We'll be heading off to CT next, with a
visit to Mystic and also Gillette Castle State Park. Thanks for
following along!
The rear portion of this space also serves as Lori's craft cabinet. It was not easy leaving so much behind!
Tubs, tubs, tubs - Lori organizes the world!
With our limited space, and a need to keep items from rolling all around when we're moving, we needed a variety of storage options - from baskets to bins to buckets! We're still trying to figure out what works best for each space but, so far, so good.
We can fit seven baskets in the over-the-bed cabinets to hold our clothes. Three for Mark and four for Lori.
Under the vanity, there are four covered tubs. One for cleaning supplies, one for Mark's toiletries and two for Lori.
The closet holds twenty-five hanging items. Ten for Mark, fifteen for Lori.
Is anyone seeing a pattern here?
Sounds like a good start. Might I suggest a small donation (dry goods) to a food bank along the way to make room for fresh supplies. Sounds like you're finding your groove!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike! I won't say who had the great mind on our end. :)
DeleteAnd your off! So excited for both of you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Still surreal. Hard to imagine almost a year of this!
DeleteHi Mark! Thanks for adding me to your adventures, I'm going to love following you on a trip of a lifetime! Congratulations and have fun!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Tom, when *you're* ready to go, let me know. Hopefully I'll have acquired some wisdom to pass along! :)
DeleteHello Mark & Lori,
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned from the other day was as I drove by your house I realized just because you're not physically here in Somerville I could still make a telephone call to you! Is great to talk to you Lori had a great trip to the garden and we adopted our plans today! Rox