Yesterday, Tuesday 8/18 was a travel day. It was a well known 125 miles with a stop for propane, a few forgotten groceries, lunch and a walk at Wayfarer’s Park.

And before leaving Emmett and I walked at River’s Edge Park and once again the Yukon went to storage. BUT after I booked the Missoula 4 day stay and thinking I’d go on somewhere after, I saw in my calendar that I had a dental appointment on Monday 8/24. Since I was close, I checked Columbia Falls and my most favorite spot was available so we’ll head back to Columbia Falls for 6 nights on Saturday. That takes us to 8/28 with the Labor Day holiday looming. I’m keeping an eye on weather and will decide sometime … probably :) .

Travel Day: I got hot and tired and by the time we were set up … even though I took my time, I was “out of gas”. But we walked, I laid down to cool off, got my second wind … some video editing, supper, another walk, shower and off to bed.

Day after travel day has always been tough but today I had a list and I stuck to it! I got the outside, physical stuff done early and then was mostly inside in the heat: sewer hose hookup and basement storage reset, laundry of course, set up my bike and rode around the park dropping off garbage on the way. Lunch and then inside: I had some admin work for my folks’ finances, a little of my own and somehow the day disappeared but I feel much better for getting things done!

Oscar napped more than usual as per usual after a travel day … He is asleep with his head up :) !

See, I am wide awake … not even a cat nap!

Jim & Mary’s RV Park is famous for its flowers and gardens. They are spectacular. There is a head gardener and 3 or 4 helpers. They start all of the plants in greenhouses on the park property.

I think I’ve posted before, but they also have charming “scenes” in some of the gardens like the cardinal and bird bath above.

As usual I have helpers when folding laundry…

It got done … in fact, I took everything out of this cupboard and re-folded. I had tried rolling things and didn’t like it so back to “old-fashioned” folding. Some RVrs use bins … thinking about it but I don’t have the cupboards jammed full and I can see what’s there.

That was this day … normal life in a different location.

EDITED to add this sunset photo taken on last out with Emmett. A bit of wildfire smoke turned the colors a bit more red.

Yesterday’s change continued with blustery, cool overnight and day which felt like a day in early autumn.

I had windows open all day, no A/C and I think we all reveled in the clear, clean air and cool temperatures. High at the RV park was 69F! And the Air Quality index stayed at 33-34 all day. This is vs a high of 211 at the worst and maybe 120-140 as an average over the past week. Whatever the numbers mean, the breathing was easier.

In the cool, I took the opportunity to do a complete bedding change as well as a bit of overall inside cleaning.

I absolutely love my bedroom in Wild Thing II: aesthetic, light and comfort is top notch. And it is always nice to refresh everything. So nice, we had an after lunch nap :)

Since I had the camera out and since Margaret requested bathroom photos … bathroom photos were missing from my interior shots some posts ago, so here they are.

The bathroom is small and unlike the Winnebago which had shower, sink/vanity, commode separate … we are all in one. The saving grace is that the bathroom door opens and “locks” open making a bit of an en suite. It allows me to use the open hallway to bedroom for drying off after a shower and general bathroom maneuvering.

Commode … I really like this toilet’s operation. It’s downside is that it is VERY low so a bit challenging getting on/off … TMI ?? :)

So … a little tub! And I emphasize little. If at a campground, I “could” have a bath. I have actually used it for foot baths. The challenge is that it is plenty tall, and the shower head I added is wonderful with great pressure … but it is narrow.

I originally tried a shower curtain instead of the accordion thing but the curtain attacks me … the accordion allows the most room. But, it is a bit of mess to keep clean. And it doesn’t look great. I think I’d like to take it off and fix a shower curtain with weights/magnets that stayed in the track. Currently, it is working and I’m thinking.

The sink/vanity … again, very small but functional. Typical of the age of Wild Thing II and size/price point, it is a small “plastic” sink. Not a lot of room for “stuff” around it and it attracts dust/dirt/hair like no one’s business. I think in a small RV, it is silly to have a bathroom sink … no reason not to use kitchen sink and allow a bit more room, but this is what they do.

Ultimately, there is a toilet paper roll, toilet paper storage, other storage under the sink and the cabinet above holds all I need. Bottomline, it is a functional “dry bath” set up and as a solo human it is ok.

The leaves are not changing! They do a great job with landscaping in this RV park. There are a variety of trees and bushes that give shade as well as color. Today, with cool temps and wonderful breeze, it was especially nice to see the color.

Blue sky, clouds, mountains in detail … hard to describe how wonderful it is to have a few days of respite from smoke and heat.

This morning’s sunrise … not 100% normal, but definitely an improvement … some actual sky vs dense smoke, a few mountain details …

A change was forecast for today and although not completely smoke free by a long shot, it is such an improvement over the past days of “unhealthy for everyone” … Emmett and I walked this morning and both of us took deep breaths and enjoyed the morning breeze.

The fire situation in Oregon, Washington, Canada … I don’t know that it is much improved, but hopefully we are maybe turning a corner.

I was talking with one of my RV neighbors from Arkansas. They had friends from Seattle area who are staying near in an Airbnb and both couples “doing” Glacier National Park, etc. It is a little heartbreaking as both had planned and looked forward to and spent a lot of money to get and stay here. It has not been a great week for them. I know that they are not the only vacationeers in this situation. It is the worst fire/smoke summer here that I’ve experienced. Five or six years ago we had a heavy smoke summer where outside workers wore masks but this has been worse.

Rain was in today’s forecast along with wind …

It rained!

I have no complaints about raindrops on windows!!

My boy Emmett … he is doing so well adjusting to being an RVing dog :) !!

And a little later…

It looks almost normal!

And it feels spectacular.

Meanwhile, we are living our best lives! Walks in parks, treats, good food, good sleep … all is good aboard Wild Thing II.

The title says it all.

We and most of the full timers here at the RV park are mostly hunkering down in our rigs, closed up with A/C keeping us cool as well as filtering the smoky air.

According to NOAA, it has been “very unhealthy” for all … highest low air quality that I’ve seen. Emmett and I must go out now and again and we come back with watery eyes and drippy noses. It is not much fun.

But, watching the devestation in other parts of the U.S. and Canada, so far, we are getting off light. Thoughts and prayers continuously for firefighters, first responders and all whose homes and businesses have been or are in danger of destruction … crazy, awful fire season.

Smoky sunrise.

Peppermint marshmallows from the market in St. Ignacious … a few weeks ago. They are crazy good and a fun addition to my Sunday Mocha.

Oscar keeping an eye out … thankfully no neighbors for the last 2 days – YEA!

The absence of neighbors made it necessary for me to do an RV chore that I’d been putting off. Maybe TMI but I had a new “waste tank flush” thing. As easy as all info made it look, I hoped to do first try with no witnesses. Today was the day and it went very well.

All is good, clean and cool aboard Wild Thing II!

First, we have been enjoying much cooler weather: upper 40’s F overnight and 70-80F daytime. And with cool starts, it has been midafternoon before needing to close up and turn on A/C. It is still very smokey … horrifying news from Washington State and Oregon. Also a fire here in Montana about 60 miles north which threatens homes in an area that is low-medium income.

There is some good weather news on the horizon after another round of fire weather, but if things hold for 2-2.5 weeks, it might look a bit better.

Meanwhile, Wild Thing II and all occupants are in a good spot … mostly. A neighbor that is annoying: 2-3 kids that have only one volume, a poor little dog in a fenced area with no shade, overall …

I’d like to say that I took the high road, but I’ve been having not very kind thoughts…

Back to RV stuff.

As noted several posts ago, I ordered a number of items. They have arrived and been installed and/or in use:

Water filtration to replace an inside tank/USB pump supplied by bottled water:

So.

Spigot to GoBluTech Filtration system to RV Water inlet.

All hoses have quick disconnect fittings so it is fast and easy to set it all up.

Prior to set up, I used GoBluTech’s sanitization products to make sure all hoses and RV plumbing were sanitized. All of it was fast and easy!

Next up was the better electrical protection: surge, low power, other electric anomolaies. I went with Hughes Transformer Power Watchdog.

The dog’s face is white for all is good. It turns red if there are issues. It cuts power to the RV if there are dangerous issues. AND, I can see all and control all via an app on my phone.

All of the RV systems depend on clean power: A/C, Refrigerator, Outlets that I use for computer, air fryer, electric skillet, electric kettle. Protection from electrical issues is important to me.

Kitchen and food prep … a compact vacuum sealer!

I found a USB rechargeable compact vacuum sealer. In the house, in the past, I had largish units and they just did not last. This might not either, but first go … so happy!

A small unit: easy to store and use.

It is probably not easy to tell, but there is salmon, chicken and ground beef, The packages vacuumed sealed take up much less room and are much easier to pack in my small freezer.

We’ll see how this unit lasts. Reviews are good. Bag options size and price are good. I am testing reusability with some frozen vegetables.

Yep … once again, we are exhausted!!

BUT, a lot done in the last several days.

I told myself that I would put on my big girl panties and go to Bigfork: storage locker specifically.

BUT, I did not.

Good news is that as advertised, it was a lovely cool day. At this writing, 4:02 p.m., it is 73F with a nice breeze and all windows open … NO AC!!

Bad news is that it is VERY, VERY Smoky!

No Mountains!

No ash falling, but smoke smell is heavy

There are fires in all directions, nothing close enough to cause concern, but it doesn’t matter which way the wind is blowing, we are going to have smoke.

I guess the good news is that I do not feel guilty for just staying home!

Despite the smoke and the concern for those that are in fires paths, I am grateful for a reprieve from 2 weeks of heat. The past 2 weeks were hot enough that after morning time outside, we were mostly inside with A/C going from 9:30-10:00 a.m. until the following morning.

A note about Wild Thing II’s AC vs Wild Thing … WT had Winnebago’s “basement air” which I thought was great as no roof top AC units. But, now that I’ve experienced roof top AC, at least what the Bigfoot has which is a unit mid ship with main vent in the kitchen and secondary vents forward and aft in the bedroom … current set up is MUCH quieter and still efficient in cooling all of the space.

I’ve had AC going all night for the last week and been very comfortable as far as temp and sound. The Winnebago’s basement air unit was under the bed and was loud. It efficiently cooled but the noise!

We all succumbed to day after travel day “slows:.

Tomorrow is another day. Today we napped.