Lots of Prep

We’re on the road again.  (Hey, there may be a song in there somewhere).  It seems like it has taken a lot of preparation to get to this point.  We have been in and out of the RV countless times, stashing stuff in every available space, trying to plan for seven weeks, putting it all in about a hundred square feet of space.  This has been going on for the last couple of weeks.

New for this year:  I redesigned the kayak rack to better manage the kayaks.  The last one did pretty well and we probably put over 40,000 miles on it but it tended to break stabilizer straps on certain bumps and would also drag the noses of the kayaks on the road when driving over low curb cutouts.  It was also starting to bend from the times we hit those aforementioned bumps.  I could have bent it back, but, I’m an engineer, and the engineer mantra is there’s gotta be a better way.

So the kayaks hug the back of the RV very closely and the bikes now sit in a standard bike rack behind the kayaks.  The bikes sit upright now which makes them easier to load.  I had to buy a new cover for the bikes but everything is now complete.

One issue that I discovered this morning that puzzles me a bit:  It rained a good deal last night and I came out to find the bottom of the bike cover sagging downward like there was something in it.  There was indeed something in it.  I unzipped the bottom partially and a few quarts of water came pouring out.  To the cover appears to be better at keeping water in than keeping water ​out​.  We’ll have to keep an eye on this.

Another prep thing: we got some appointments out of the way since we won’t be able to do them again until November. Both of us visited the dentist yesterday and I had a doctor’s appointment today.  We also cut each other’s hair.  Nearly two months on the road could result in a rather shaggy look so we made sure we were all trimmed up before hitting the road.

And then there’s the house.  I did whatever I could to winterize the house.  Putting some of the patio furniture away.  Mowing down all the vegetable plants in the garden (and the weeds).  Cleaning the wood stove.  Seems crazy to be doing this when it’s hot outside but it will no longer be hot in November when we are home again.

So we finally managed to hit the road at around 3pm.  The first few days we’ll be nearby, camping with our camping group of friends at Pioneer County Park near Muskegon, then when that’s done on Sunday, we’ll point the RV west and begin the long trek out to Idaho.  No real agenda, other than volunteering in Idaho starting in early October, so we’ll take this day by day.

This evening was spent enjoying a soup potluck with our friends, riding bikes, and sitting around the campfire solving the world’s problems.  The sunset at the beach was the cherry on top of this day.