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Nov 20

In Spite Of the Rain

Yesterday’s stop in Eugene was productive – I got a good amount of work completed and our Airstream upgrades were completed as planned.

Until very recently, our thinking was to install a solar panel solution which would be installed by a well-regarded RV solar specialist located in Eugene.  Our installation date was Nov-19, but as the date approached we found ourselves increasingly struggling to finalize our preferred solution.  Ultimately we significantly scaled-back our plans, instead modestly upgrading our electrical solution without any solar, but we did  buy and install upgraded batteries and a charge controller.

Actually, the service guys at George Sutton RV did the work and they did a great job.

These new batteries are taller than those that came with the trailer.  Consequently, we had to have our battery box modified.  The solution was to enlarge the box by dropping the bottom a few inches and then re-attaching with fresh welds.

New batteries – Trojan T-105, 6volt wired in series at 12volts

Modified battery box, now about 2″ deeper.

Following our stop in Eugene, we made it Bainbridge Island late last night.  It’s been raining cats and dogs in the Pacific Northwest lately and arriving to our campsite – even in the dark – it was immediately clear that our chosen destination for the week may necessitate reconsideration due to massive flooding.  A quick look revealed that some spots seemed possible, but in the dark of night it was hard to confirm whether we could use the park as our base this week.

We were pretty tired following a long drive day, so we opted to park in the shallow waters of the parking lot and defer any decision to the morning.  Then, we awoke to this…

Water everywhere

Only one other camper in the park

After conferring with the park ranger, we settled into a nice spot – level and flood free.

It continues to rain, but we are optimistic the spot will work for us.  Fingers crossed…

Our spot in Fay Bainbridge Park

Nov 18

$%*! Happens

Awaking to another crisp November morning, our plan today was pretty simple – make a quick visit to Noble Coffee for espresso before taking Lilly on her final walk through Ashland.  Afterwards, as the plan called for, we’d hook-up the Airstream and depart in time to rendezvous for a lunchtime meet-up with my cousins about an hour away, before finally making our way to Eugene – our destination today.

Per usual, the Noble barista pulled a succulent shot and Lilly was happy to be outside, happily depositing her marks for other dogs to inspect.  All was going well – that is to say, without incident.

The same cannot be said for the remainder of my leave preparations.

Typically before engaging in departure or arrival activities, I like to conduct a quick visual inspection, walking around the trailer as I look for anything unusual.  During such review this morning, I noticed one of the curbside tires was running low.

Actually it was worse than that – the tire was completely flat.

$%*!

Ugh, a flat tire

I updated Kelly on the situation and she called for roadside assistance while I began readying both the flat and spare tires.

Roadside assistance to the rescue

Ready to exchange the flat tire for the spare

No doubt this carriage bolt caused the flat tire

I was impressed with how quickly the service guy arrived.  He was really nice and we engaged in a bit of chit-chat.  He was mostly curious about our trailer and before too long and without too much hassle, the repair was complete and the service guy left.  I figured all was well and we’d quickly be on our way.

Then the following dialogue occurred:

Kelly:  (sensing that I was looking for something and with annoyance in her voice)  “what are you looking for?”

Me:  “Did you move my keys?”

Kelly: (with significant annoyance in her voice) “REALLY?!?!”

Me:  (with passive aggressive annoyance in my voice) “Yes, really.”

To summarize the next half hour … we tore everything apart in search of the keys.  Eventually, we did find them.  Of course they were safely in the truck, almost in plain view the entire time.

$%*!

We were only about thirty minutes late for lunch and had good conversation with my cousins.  The remainder of the drive was uneventful once we managed to get ourselves on the road.

We’re now in Eugene, resting and content at Armitage County Park.  We’re here tonight while we await some service work at the Airstream dealer in town.  Like most Oregon parks (and certainly by comparison to the “campground” we stayed at the past two nights) this place is awesome.  Tucked away in the Northeast side of town, the park is quiet, each site affords loads of room, and Lilly-dog adores the fully enclosed two-acre dog run located just steps from our site.

Lots of room and plenty of open space in the RV park

Dog park

We’re here just for one night.  We need to flush our holding tanks and fill with fresh water in advance of dry camping most of the coming week while we’re in Washington.  Bummer our stay will be so brief, we will need to plan another visit for sure.

Nov 15

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Small Things Big

Things at work are insanely busy at the moment.  I find myself juggling a myriad of big projects and other activities – items related to winding down the current fiscal, but also preparations in advance of the coming year.  In between all of this, I have been interacting frequently with colleagues in Europe and India, which has its own set of challenges.

Time is such a precious commodity during periods like this.  I’ll be honest, it can be quite overwhelming.

It is with this backdrop that I found myself surprisingly calm early this morning.  One of first arriving to an otherwise scarce parking lot, I couldn’t help but stop for a few moments and admire the sky above.  The morning sun yawning, the mix of blues skies and clouds was pretty special.

Selfishly, I allowed myself a few moments of reprieve before fully jump-starting my day.

It’s just a small thing these clouds, but enough to stop me in my tracks.  Something – I’m not quite sure what, compelling me to walk back to my vehicle, grab my camera and snap a few pictures.

More and more, I’m trying to maintain the discipline to slow down.  I want to more frequently pause to enjoy these brief moments in time; they are quite nice actually.

Amazing how simple can be extraordinary if one stops to notice.

Nov 14

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Connecting the Dots

For the past few years, Kelly and I have been assembling a roster of blog sites we find interesting.  We each have some unique to our personal interests (for me – triathlon, cycling, Chicago Bears football, travel, and camping & hiking – just to name a few).  

However, we also share some common blogs – mainly those published by individuals we find interesting due to their approach to life.  Generally, these are people pursuing a path atypical to the “average” 30 or 40 year old.   Its seems to us that when asked what they want to do or be when they “grow-up”, the answer is focused squarely on being happy.  Seemingly, these are people that define themselves by who they are, not what they do.

I like that.

For us, these bloggers are more than interesting, they are an inspiration, validation that there is nothing wrong with eschewing the assembly-line approach to life that many of us are commonly led to believe as being the the mature and responsible path.  For some, buying a house in the suburbs and settling into a nice community while amassing loads of stuff fits them and offers great fulfillment.

I’ve been there, I once held similar beliefs … but no longer.  For Kelly and me that approach feels more like the uncomfortable beginnings of a pending blister caused by ill-fitting shoes.

Over the past year or so, Kelly and I have begun communicating with many of the blog authors we appreciate.  I like to think of this activity as virtual community-making.  In fact, we’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of these bloggers, which has been great.  There are awesome people out there, individuals such as Brian & Leigh, Kevin & Laura, & Glenn (and soon we’ll be meeting  Tiffany & Deke).  All of these bloggers have been hugely helpful to Kelly and me.  The common denominator to our introduction to all has been the internet.

Last night, Kelly and I had the opportunity meet another blogging couple – Tim and Amanda Watson who full-time in their Airstream.  They were passing through Half Moon Bay this week and graciously invited us to their campsite.  Over the period of a couple hours, we enjoyed drinks and appetizers and of course, great conversation.

Once again, virtual became real.

Like others we’ve met, Tim and Amanda are more than bloggers – they are real people with real lives and have chosen a real lifestyle Kelly and I admire.  It was great to spend time with them.

Slowly, Kelly and I hope to continue converting virtual relationships into something that increasingly becomes tangible; more encounters wherein the virtual becomes the real.  Our hope is that over time, these brief meet-ups morph into real friendships, all courtesy of the Internet.

I really think that would be something nice.

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