Archive for ‘July, 2007’

The sunroom and a million morning miracles

Winter mornings it is dark until after 8 a.m. and I have my first coffee and some quiet time in the reading chair which sits in the corner of my sunroom.  The sunroom is also home to my desk and computers, i.e. office space.  It is a very pleasant room with more windows than walls and has a wonderful variation of light filtered through the trees that surround the room and house.

I go through times when I wake up even earlier than my normal early wakeup and now is such a time – I’ve been waking at 3:30-4 a.m. in the last week.   There is no one but Bob and Karl to disturb and I work from a home office so have some flexibility in my work hours – I get up when I wake up.

This morning I was up at 3:50 – too early for the front porch – well, too early for Karl and Bob to be out and about and I can’t get away with going out without them.  After a short heat wave we are back to near normal for July – 80ish days and 50ish nights.  In the sunroom, with all of the windows and the slider open, it is almost like being outside – even at 4 a.m. there is a hint of light in the eastern sky – I am nearly up against the Swan Range to my east so I don’t actually see the sun until much later but he’s there, turning the sky over the mountains from dark night to a deep, dark blue and gradually to a light blue, then a rosy sky and finally to full light.  The birds and squirrels and turkeys are up and about and it gradually gets “noisier” as everyone wakes up.  The final night cooling happens just before sunrise and that fresh, cool air finds it’s way in even though it seems like there is not even a breeze outside.

I sat down in nearly full dark with my coffee and just watched and listened to the change from night to morning.  A million morning miracles (ok, I didn’t count them!) happen – It never fails to amaze me.

Sunroom

Slider

There’s no place like home

“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home” – Dorothy, Wizard of Oz

Home in MT or home on the road – both are “home” to me as they have their comforts in space and amenities and “family” in the form of my pets, but Montana and my little corner of it are truly HOME to me and it is good to be back.

There is also that poignant sadness at having completed a trip – the “adventure” is over, the challenge of travel done.  I find myself reliving in my head all of the trip – each moment had it’s own flavor – humor, frustration, beauty, disappointment, joy, difficulty…special people and special family the highlight!

This trip had it’s challenges as well as it’s delights.  Neither will be forgotten.  It is the challenges though that make the fun retelling … I don’t think that I would have enjoyed Rving as a younger person.  We have a choice when things go a bit or a lot awry…we can make the best of it, look for solutions and resolutions, laugh (after a few tears) or just get angry, frustrated, down….  It is all perspective as far as I’m concerned and as an older adult with some experience in things not going as planned, I’m better now at “going with the flow” than when I was younger.

My mother’s words to me as a child and young adult ring in my ears often, “You can bend like the willow or stand like the mighty oak which can break in a storm or strong wind”… I like to think and dearly hope that I have learned (mostly) to “bend like the willow”.  And I hope that is as true for me in my everyday life as it is to me in travel.

So, this homecoming – different than any other.  I’m still thinking about it.  This is the first RV trip that I’ve left my house (vs rental, i.e. temp house) and been gone some time and then returned.  A couple of things – I was gone 24 days and from the first night gone until the last night before returning I was in the company of other RVrs or friend or family – then abruptly back to the solitude of the woods, mountains and my little house.  This coupled with I haven’t yet been a year in this house – June-mid-Aug are always tough for me – hating heat and the busy-ness of summer… 

Also abruptly comes the loss of the need to manage power – I’m in a house again…I can turn on the microwave and the toaster and the blender and the fan is runnning…  power management in my motorhome is somewhat constant and tends to govern what I will fix to eat and if I’ll run the vacuum, etc.  Not huge in the scheme of things but tending towards over-importance as I “manage” comfort.  Suddenly, it is all different – easier but I “miss” the routine that was part of travel.

Now, I do NOT miss not having my washer and dryer – I like clean, fresh clothes and bedding and I tend to overdo according to every RV park I’ve ever been – at home, no one knows but me! 

However, downside to this habit – I accidentally washed my bluetooth headset L  It is charging and has the lights that say so – maybe it will “dry out” ok…  It is the 2nd headset I’ve washed – same situation – stuck it in a shirt pocket then threw the shirt in the washer forgetting….  Oh, well – I do have a couple of spares and I’ve been getting Motorola email offers – maybe it is just time to upgrade???

For the record, this post IS from the front porch – it clouded up a bit, temp dropped to 87 and there is a breeze – warm/hot, but manageable…   And another thing – I gave the spiders a respite – tomorrow is soon enough…

Bob and Karl’s version of “there’s no place like home”…

Bob

Karl

From the home front porch!

…on my “house” front porch this morning…watching the sun rise over the mountains and through the woods!  It is a refreshing 66 now at 6 a.m. but took all night to get here.  The “problem” this time of year when it gets hot (90’s) is that sunset is 9:45 so it is not full dark until after 11 and sunrise is 5:40ish so short nighttime for cooling off. 

So – home again after 24 days, 2452 miles, $1192 gas (avg 3.29 gal) and $416 campground fees (avg 28/night) – PRICELESS!  I saw some areas of the country that I have not seen before, met new people, visited family and generally had a wonderful time and a nice break from “normal” routine.  Despite a couple of challenges – being sick, hydraulic glitch, heat a few days – a memorable trip full of fun. 

There are a bunch of things I should be doing this morning while it is cool – clean up the motorhome inside and out and I mean REALLY clean – amazing how much dust, dirt, pet hair, etc. can accumulate… not to mention the bug stuff collected on the front end and general road dirt all over.  The lawn and garden need mowing and weeding – strawberries ( I think the neighbors are getting those).  I have given fair warning to a number of spiders that took up residence on the front porch – to vacate or be displaced by my blower.  Tomorrow is going to be soon enough for the RV and yard also – today is to enjoy being home with a quick run to grocery for a few supplies – and maybe “moving” the spiders…

More later – now it’s time for breakfast!

The run home

Slept well – woke at 3:30 – still 70! – yech… wide awake so did my usual morning puttering and I’m ready to go at full daylight – probably 5:30.  I-90 to Missoula and then 93 to Polson – 35 home.  I’ll stop if I get tired or too much weekend traffic but I plan to shoot for home.

I did leave at 5:30 – 2 rest stops, a gas stop and home by 2:00 p.m. – Great to be home!  Photos after unloading and a cold drink.  94 here and I don’t think it peaked – supposed to start getting cooler tomorrow and be “normal” 80’s next week.

Hit 99 here on my thermometer – 100 in Kalispell per weather.com… a little warm for MT!

Bob has not been out and about since we left my folks on 7/3 so he has been enjoying his freedom… Karl agrees with me that it is too hot and after a brief look around has been inside the cool house.

Bob

First glimpse of the south shore of Flathead Lake at Polson and the road to my house.

Lake 

Road

WY to MT

A beautiful morning here in Douglas – mid 60 but warming up – heat all over today and tomorrow.

We got through the 4th better than we have in years!  No fireworks in the RV park, a short lived thunderstorm early evening and whatever was done in town re fireworks could not be heard in the motorhome. 

Still no hydraulics – still can’t find any fuses for the hydraulic system despite responses from rv.net and Virginia RV friend, Al Smith…   I crawled around again this morning in the cool – no joy…  So, will breakfast, shower and go and hopefully talk to a Winnebago shop later.

Arrived in Columbus, MT at 3:45 – plugged in… I have some info from the Winne dealer re fuse location and will take another look as soon as I cool off.  I am close enough that I could get home tomorrow if no glitches…  photo(s) later.

Found the inline fuses but they were all ok – reinserted but no go.  It is 97 so leaving things alone until I get home.  I am 408 miles from home – will leave at first light and see how it goes, if I get tired I’ll stop.  We are listing a bit to starboard but not too much for frig or us.  Good to be in MT!

Oh – have wine!!! stopped at Billings campground – they were full but their store had White Truck – yeah!

MT Sign

Leaving Colorado

Did not get any violent weather last night but some spectacular clouds passed.  Left Colorado City at 6:30 a.m. and arrived Fort Collins at 10:30 – Denver was easy and since the holiday I skipped the bypass and came straight through – fun as I went right past Mile High Stadium. 

I have reservations in Douglas, WY KOA for tonight – 170 miles from here.  I’m headed out to walk Karl a bit – we are parked at the CO visitor center which has a very nice walk area.  So – if no construction or other delay – hope to arrive Douglas 3-3:30 latest.  Currently about 79 so very pleasant – will hit the heat in MT tomorrow probably. 

Arrived Douglas before 3 but having hydraulic problems – jacks and rooms… am now leveled on boards and checking a few things – also waiting for another RVr with same RV to maybe pick up email and phone me…  Tech support is closed today.  Everything else operational and althought not as roomy, life is doable as is – just annoying! 

 I solved one problem…clothes – I can’t get to a couple of drawers with the bedroom slide in…so did laundry – ha! have enough clothes reachable to get home!

Classic Wyoming daytime – wispy clouds, blue sky ………..Evening red sky over motorhome

Road

Sunset