Day 3 - Moses Lake

Earthship Le Van Gogh Diary

09.03.09

Well, I wildly overestimated how far I could get today. I had planned to spend the night in Coeur d’Alene in Idaho but only made it as far as Moses Lake in Washington. That was not quite 200 miles which is pretty darned good for me, if I do say so myself. But I had not anticipated driving into a stiff head wind into the mountains, silly me. Le Van Gogh is a good little camper guy but it doesn’t drive well in windy areas. It pretty much felt like I was steering a derelict old scow that was wallowing through a deep trough. In other words, not good. The van skittered back and forth across the lane leaving both me and the other drivers with a few hair-raising episodes of ‘too close for comfort’ driving. I shouldn’t wonder if they thought I had been drinking before I left this morning. I hadn’t, of course, but any policeman would have been justified in pulling me over and giving me a breathalyzer test. All he’d get would be coffee breath but I’d still look suspicious.

And even though the speed limit was often 70 mph through Snoqualmie Pass, I retreated to the far right with the trucks who were required to go no faster than 60. In that lane I at least felt like I might have a bit more control when a good blast of air came at me. And if I did lose control I could aim towards the mountain side instead of other drivers. A small consolation, but it meant something to me.

So all in all I think I did pretty good going uphill against winds with a wandering van that couldn’t decide which side of the lane to stay in. I don’t know yet what my mileage was for today but I’ll bet it wasn’t worth a tinker’s darn.

My night in the Walmart parking lot was interesting but amazingly quiet once I moved away from the guy with the noisy generator. When I closed the curtains there was only two other gonzo RV’s outside besides the generator-run small van. When I woke up this morning I was surrounded by seven more vans of a variety of sizes in addition to the two I started with, plus three pickup trucks, numerous assorted cars and one cab. Walmart is a very popular boon docking site, I’m beginning to see. It’s sure good for my budget though I noted that this Walmart stayed open all night. Perhaps that’s their way of getting money back from the free parking they provide.

After deciding that I would stay in Moses Lake tonight, I pulled over in a parking lot in town and googled any campgrounds in the area. There was only one listed right here in Moses Lake and since I didn’t want to drive any farther I called them up desperately hoping they might have something open for one little bitty RV. To my delight I could have one night for $25 if I got the heck out in the morning. The camp was full from tomorrow through next Tuesday with last-weekend families out for one last huzzah before school began. I restrained my tears and tried not to look too pathetically grateful as I handed over the cash. I was assigned to a site down away from the already full row of RV’s and tents in the upper level. I was happy with that because there was only one camper down below and up here there were multitudes with loud country music blaring. I’ll take peace and quiet with fewer neighbors any day.

Before I found the campground, I had programmed the address into Charmagne (who had kept her tone of voice distinctly civil today in spite of my frequent ignoring of her advice) and got back onto the proper street to lead me just a wee bit out of town. As I neared what I assumed would bring me a big sign saying “Cascadia Campgrounds,” Charmagne piped up and declared I had arrived at my destination. Well, heck, I was still in the middle of a road with no sign in sight indicating where the campground could be. I saw just down the road a little mom n’ pop grocery store and I pulled in there to ask for directions. I asked the man if he could tell me where the campgrounds were because my GPS unit had told me it was right back there in the middle of the road. The nice man laughed and said that I wasn’t alone - there apparently was a constant stream of people coming in, all claiming their GPS unit was drunk or had vertigo or something was wrong. Oh, goodie, I thought. If Charmagne is as mentally defective as she appears to be, then at least she’s not alone. The man gave me the rest of the directions and off I went to check in.

My site was by the lake (I presume THE lake) and under a tree. I successfully backed in with only a couple of attempts (I’m getting better!) and hooked up the water and electricity. I then fed and watered the kitties, tidied up the stray items that were apparently left out and rolled around, and let the cats out on their leashes and harnesses. They couldn’t go out last night in the parking lot because it was dangerous and they both would have been scared silly. But here the sun was shining though we were parked under a large shady tree and the wind was lightly blowing through the grass. Beautiful! Chopper, being a formerly in-and-outdoor cat, immediately went out to explore and just sat in the sun for several minutes, enjoying the moment. It’s been a while since she could do that.

Fluffbutt, on the other hand, made a beeline towards the van and hid behind the rear tire. I had looped their extended leashes around the picnic table close by and she had reached the end of the leash under there. She stayed in that area for a bit, slowly peeking her little white nose around the corner and sniffing the air like a dog. I left her sniffing and peeking for a bit and walked over to say hi to my only neighbors.

I introduced myself to Ruth and Mark and their two sons, Levi and Zac, who had got there that morning and were staying through Tuesday. Both Levi and Zac were in wheelchairs, both appearing to have cerebal palsy. Zac had more control over his body and could crawl to his wheelchair and get in himself. He waved happily at me and said howdy. Levi, on the other hand, was severely physically challenged with the condition. Although there was nothing wrong with his smarts, he was held captive by his body and could only make distorted sounds and jerky, uncontrolled movements. It was obvious, however, that in spite of his challenges he was your basic teenager and wore his hair in wildly unkempt dreadlocks and the latest in what passes for fashion in that age group. Zac’s hair was much shorter but his clothingwas similar in nature and both he and Levi looked just like what they were: Happy young men who liked to laugh and clearly enjoyed camping by the side of the lake.

We all chatted for a bit and Mark said he’d keep Daisy, his beautiful, goofily affectionate golden lab on a leash since she was a confirmed cat hater. I told him the kitties would be going back inside in a bit and then if he wanted to let her go, feel free. I then asked him if he had seen the folks who had been in my spot prior to me because it looked like large herd of small dogs came stampeding through and offloaded every place they could. The area was a virtual minefield of poo and I stepped very carefully around the van when I went out to hook up the utilities. Mark replied that it wasn’t small dogs, those were goose droppings. Lots of goose droppings. Although there weren’t any in sight at the moment, there was apparently a flock of geese who spent time there and had made it kinda tough to get around safely. I immediately thought of my sister, Laureen’s, ordeal when she had to march through goose droppings in Officer Candidate School. So much for having a spit-shine on your shoes!

I wished a wonderful time and a good night to all and returned to my little camper. Time for dinner, a little reading, and beginning of tonight’s blog. With the heating pad on under my back and the laptop perched on my belly, I sit in a relaxed and soothing atmosphere with a little light classical music in the background and some icy water at hand. What more could I ask for?

I’ve added a section called Observations in addition to Lessons Learned. It seems appropriate.

Lessons Learned:

That the sound of rain on the camper roof is nice.

That it’s good to have a furnace that runs off of 12V.

But electricity is better.

That I should never have bought blankets that snag.

That Chopper requires untangling even as I write.

That I need to find a local charity drop-off so I can get rid of these ‘gently snagged’ blankies.

That I see yet another trip to Walmart in my future.

After I find Goodwill.

That I found a tiny screw on the floor and I can’t figure out where it fell from and it’s driving me as buggy as the unknown item that is still rollicking around in the cabinet.

That the sink no longer leaks leaving me wondering where the water came from which is driving me even buggier.

That my windshield wipers flap in the wind.

That I have no windshield wiper fluid.

That I need to go get some and soon.

That seeing out of my front windows in rain is a little tough with flapping wipers.

That this adds to the ‘interesting’ factor of driving into the wind.

That I can do without any more ‘interesting’ factors right now.

That my radio speakers are in the rear of the van.

That I can’t hear them very well when I’m driving.

That there is no place to plug in a headphone except in the rear.

That perhaps I’d better get a long extension to my headphone wires.

That my portable radio/DVD player has a headphone jack.

That the sound won’t come on when the headphones are plugged in.

That I can’t hear it playing aloud much better even though it’s sitting right beside me in the passenger seat.

That I’m now listening to instrumentals played low (and still coming from the rear) that give me a little background music because they’re the only music I can hear that doesn’t require me to understand what they are saying.

That I’m going to have to regroup and rethink this whole playing music thing while I’m on the road.

Goose poop.

Obervations:

A teensy, tiny elderly lady working in a Burger King where I stopped to pee told me she liked my shirt. I’m wearing a Monty Python design of the armless, legless knight yelling that it’s only a flesh wound.

I caught only part of a story on NPR this morning in which they were discussing a herd of goats that had been trained to dance together to a Scottish jig. The goats were so good that they were being compared to the Rockettes. Where is this happening and when because seeing this has just gone on my ’see before I die’ list.

Eastern Washington doesn’t look anything like the northern peninsula. Where there are forests and beaches and dampness (when we’re not in a drought, that is), here there are long, sloping hills that resemble something out of the four corners territory of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, only without the red rock. More like a subtle variation in browns, grays and greens with scrub brush and grasses thrown in for good measure. In fact, I drove by the Ginko Petrified Forest, something else that can be found in the four corners area. The petrified forest, not the ginko. Very cool. I stopped at one of those ‘scenic view’ pull offs and grabbed my camera. There were brownish-grayish canyons overlooking a beautiful lake with a gorgeous blue sky overhead. Fantastic!

And then I looked up on the hillside and there was a herd of horses galloping across the hilltop. Or I thought they were galloping. Actually, they were this life size metal sculpture that I’d heard about but had never seen and they were beautiful!! I snapped a couple of pictures but in the sunlight I couldn’t see if they turned out ok. If so, they’ll be posted. If not, maybe I can find an internet photo I could swipe and post here. We shall see.

I couldn’t remember the name of this installation so I asked a couple standing near me if they knew and the man said he thought it was “Advantages.” Odd name for a bunch of metal horses so I think I’ll look it up. I don’t remember the name of the artist either (I’m doing really great here for someone who has taken several art history classes) so I guess I’ll look that up, too.

A car passed me on 405 with “got cornbread?’ scrawled on the rear window.

I saw several cows in a meadow on my right today, lying down and chewing their cud. Over many years I’ve heard the meaning of my name, “Lea,” given as “weary,” “wild cow (feral cows?”, and “a meadow.” That means that today I saw a bunch of lea leas in a lea.

Tomorrow I will most definitely make it to Coeur d’Alene where I was confounded to discover that I could switch tonight’s reservation at the Wolf Lodge Campground to then. I guess because Le Van Gogh is such a little guy that he can squeeze into more spots. Otherwise, I’d be screwed looking for any open site at the beginning of a long weekend. The next night might very well be another Walmart parking lot, but at least I’ll have had a hot shower two nights in a row!

And on that note, the hot shower has done its job and it’s time for beddy. Until tomorrow, adieu. And may you all have wonderful, hot showers!

Day 2 - The Walmart Experience

Earthship Le Van Gogh 09.02.09

End of Day 1




Although I posted my blog this morning at 0700, I didn’t actually finally hit the road until about 1000. I’m so slow at getting ready to go and dumping waste and taking out the garbage and all that because the learning curve is still pretty high. It takes awhile to put things back that I’ve taken out for the evening and make sure that everything is secured tightly so nothing will fall and break. Even so, I know I’ll get better and faster as I get the routine down and I won’t be such a slow poke.

I set Miss Charmagne GPS Unit in her holder on the dashboard and turned her on. She immediately said, “turn right.” Since we were still parked in the KOA campsite I thought this was a bit premature. I stopped at Costco to gas up and I thought Miss Charmagne was going to get hysterical on me. She didn’t sound calm again until I was finally back on 101. Lord, woman, relax!

When I neared the ferry dock she repeated three times to “take the ferry.” Perhaps by then she didn’t trust me. I hope this isn’t so because a relationship such as we have is based on trust. I also noted that when we got off the ferry, to my right was a turnoff for US 5 but she insisted that I go straight. Huh. I was pretty sure that we were going to be on 5 but I went ahead with her plan. We took a very scenic and pretty route through the little town and eventually came out to, surprise! Yet another turnoff for US 5! This time she allowed me to take it and I headed to 5 N. She relaxed for awhile until I came to the final turnoff and when I got to the intersection for the street where Walmart was located, she announced that I had reached my destination. Mind you, I’m still waiting for the light to turn so I can go right but she had nothing else to say. I’d call this just a wee bit inadequate but I could see the Walmart from the intersection so I was cool. I wonder just how more precise I can get with the directions I can give her when the address has been fed into her destination. Interesting…

Oh, when I was boarding the ferry, I met this nice man who was directing me down to the bottom deck in the middle. When I was close enough to the car in front of me, he put his hand up to stop me and with the sunlight shining into the van he was able to see inside. He looked at me and I smiled and he got this delighted grin on his face and walked over to my window. I rolled it down and he said, “I really like your van!”

“Thanks,” I replied. “I’m taking it on a tour of America.”

“Wow!“ he said. His grin got even wider and he asked me if I had room for one more. I laughed and said no, there was just enough room for me and two kitties.

“Well, I hope you have a really great time!” he said with a laugh.

“Thanks again, “ I said and off he went to direct the next car.

What a sweet man and a great smile! And a nice farewell (only for awhile) to the north peninsula.

When I was all parked and set up, I grabbed my frozen food bag and walked about a mile down the road to a little roadside vegetable stand. I gathered fruit and veggies for the day (not much room for more than that), paid, and walked back, uphill all the way. Good workout! And lord, did I need it after no regular walking for the past three weeks. My back felt better for it and it was nice to get out and see the sun and exercise my body. And now I’m ready to lie down. Aaaaahhhhh.

The kitties are getting used to the routine and have settled down amazingly. Right now Fluffbutt and Chopper are both up and exploring with a lot of looking through the front windows of the van. They’ll be back for a lengthy petting and cuddling session but they both seem to be happy with the whole thing. I’ve taken them outside once when I was still at Denise and Gene’s and I’ll take them out again tomorrow when I reach the next destination - a campground in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. I’ve decided that while dry camping is certainly much cheaper, I do love that electricity, you know? That and the holding tanks will have to be dumped again. Sigh.

Until tomorrow and sweet dreams to all!

Lessons Learned:

That 9 gallon and 11 gallon black and grey holding tanks fill up pretty quickly.

That I drink a lot of water, as do the kitties, from my 18 gallon fresh water tank. Among other things.

You do the math.

That I need a bigger wrench to take the sewer cap off.

That I need a different cap and coupling for the sewer hose to connect tightly with campground dump stations.

That it was kind of messy because I didn‘t have the right kind.

That spillage stinks a lot.

Bleh.

That I’m sure glad I have antimicrobial cleansing agents.

That I need to buy gloves to wear when I empty the tanks.

That whenever the possibility arises, I should use someone else’s toilet.

That I'm glad I don't need to do this every day.

That I’m very glad that Fluffbutt and Chopper didn’t get seasick on the ferry ride from Kingston to Edmonds.

That I give thanks every day that I’ve never been seasick.

That even though I respectfully requested permission to park overnight as suggested by other RV‘ers, the nice lady told me that I didn’t have to ask. Just make sure I park all the way at the very end and that I would be gone by tomorrow night. Otherwise I’d get towed.

That I’m feeling just a wee bit like a leper.

That when I parked there were only two other campers but when I woke up at 0100 I was surrounded by two big honking campers.

That it’s nice to have company.

That I’m glad that I didn’t park any closer to the guy running his noisy generator.

That I should wear something to bed that I can go outside in because Security will knock on my door and check out who I am.

That I’m honest and law abiding and all that and that I promise to be gone within 24 hours. Really.

That now I’m not only feeling like a leper, but a homeless transient person to boot.

And finally that this is a whole lot of fun, dumping mishaps and psychological twinges aside!

Until tomorrow...

Day 1 - Underway

Earthship Le Van Gogh Diary






09.02.09
0500
Conditions: 59.6° F; Humidity: 98%; Wind: Easterly, Calm; Visibility: 10 miles
Mooring: KOA Port Angeles, WA
Captain Lea reporting.

All systems checked, supplies secured for sea (mostly), ship’s crew has been fed and are manning their underway positions. So, OK, they're not that big of a help, especially as First Mate and Navigator, but at least they're in position. The Bendy Men are still asleep, the lazy dogs.

If you think I’m posting a picture of me before I’ve finished my coffee, you’re going to be waiting a long time. I’m not that sleepy.

Ok, enough of that Navy talk.

I think I completed everything I wanted to before I left. I didn’t get to see everyone that I wanted to but that’s OK. I’ll keep in touch with the blog and I’m not really saying good by anyway. Until we meet again is more like it and we‘ll continue to chat via the blog, email, etc.

First destination today is a Wal-Mart in the general vicinity of Seattle. It won’t take too long to get there, about 2 ½ hours with a ferry ride on the route. At this time of day I’ll be heading into rush hour, but I’m going to take my time and maybe the worst will be out of the way before I finally head out. Perhaps. Since I don’t know how many hours I can tolerate driving, I made my first stop a very modest distance. Still, anyone who has driven in rush hour traffic in any large city knows that by the time you get to your destination, you’re ready to take a nap. I’ll be ready, I know that. Besides, I want time to do a walkabout, take pictures, chat with people, etc, and even give the kitties a walk (drag) on their leashes and harnesses. This is why I’m taking a month to get to Georgia. That and if the leaves are starting to change their colors up here, maybe by the time I get there the leaves will be starting to change in the northern neck of the woods of Blairsville.

The past few days have been a huge learning curve for me. I spent three nights in the back of my sister, Denise, and brother-in-law, Gene’s, house (thank you, thank you!!) and there I learned how to work the various systems in the van. I also got to figure out which items were still not secured for sea and would topple down during the first curve. In fact, there have been so many things to learn that I’ve made a list and I’ll add to it every day I post. This first post will have many, believe me, and it won't be complete. But in theory the list concerning the van will grow shorter and lessons of life will begin to dominate. That’s my hope, at any rate.

Lessons Learned:

That I need to buy an RV repair manual for very, very minor repairs. A mechanic I’m not.

That I’m in totally in love with my lumbar support. It gives off heat and massages me while I drive.

That Fluffbutt and Chopper need a whole lot of attention right now.

That if I am careful I have three days worth of water in my fresh water tank.

That I have all the water I need but not all that I want.

That Miss Charmagne GPS Unit doesn’t always know what she’s talking about.

That draining the black water tank is as much fun as I was led to believe.

That if I lay down to rest in any position, side, back or tummy, Chopper and Fluffbutt compete to see who can perch on top of me first.

That Fluffbutt weighs a ton.

That I‘m always forgetting to make sure everything is secure before I drive off.

That there’s something in one of the cabinets rattling around and I can’t figure out what it is and it‘s driving me buggy.

That when it’s time to go beddy bye I can set the furnace temperature to keep Chopper and I cozy in the back of the van while Fluffbutt stays cool in the front.

That it took me 15 minutes of investigation of a possible water drip before I figured out that it was the ticking of my windup alarm clock.

That I really suck at backing up a van.

That I should always request a pull-through space in an RV campground.

That Fluffbutt’s night vision makes her as good as a dog in letting me know there’s something moving outside.

That Fluffbutt doesn’t bark so unless I see her react I still have no idea that there‘s something out there.

That there’s nothing out there. Fluffbutt reacts to a leaf falling.

That I need to remember to duck when I climb in the side door.

That’s there’s a minor water leak under the sink but I can’t figure out where it’s leaking from and this is also driving me buggy.

That when I’m too tired to make French press coffee, Folger’s coffee bags with extremely hot water is better than nothing.

Not much better, mind you, but a little better.

That I devoutly hope my new license plate arrives today in Denise and Gene’s mail.

That they arrive not too long after I depart so Denise can forward them to Sharon’s.

That no matter how long a list I make there is always something else to add to it.

That I will forget to do something on the list even though it’s sitting on the console right beside me where I can see it.

That eventually I will remember to do it even though it might be a little late in getting done.

That sometimes it’s not a bad thing to have an anal retentive, OCD, picayunish, methodical, organized and list-making personality.

That my refrigerator keeps things nice and frozen when I'm plugged in electrically but doesn’t work very well at all when switched to 12V.

That I need to buy some ice.

That claustrophobia has no business going along on any trip in this van and has been booted out unceremoniously.

And finally:

That a wonderful sense of adventure, willingness to embrace the day and all it brings and a well developed sense of humor are crucial to making my trip as fantastic as I plan on it to be.

Until later…