A "No-New-News" Day

Steve came over today and we looked at a couple of items that I'm concerned with, and he assures me it won't be much of a problem to fix them. I may just take the 5th wheel somewhere to have it re-caulked. What a job it would be, especially without all the proper tools that would make it go faster. It will be costly but it has to be done.

We drove up to Pollock Pines and looked at some rv/mobile home parks, nothing that I would be happy in. We also found a cottage for rent that was listed on craigslist - a one bedroom/1 bath with large wraparound deck overlooking a hillside and trees. That's my kind of view! It's not far off the highway so the bumpiness of the road could be tolerated. I called and made an appointment to see it tomorrow - I actually called the real estate office while I was there to learn that they only show it Tue-Fri in the afternoons. There are about 4 other houses spaced out in the vicinity--I would have the superior pickup truck, by a long shot! There is a small fenced yard which would be ideal for Lady. I will have to ask who is responsible for the mowing of this small yard, as I'm sure not going to buy (or use) a lawn mower.

The idea is that I will move into the house and hopefully it won't take too long to get the RV fixed up and sold. I will then buy a truck camper, or cabover as they are called in this area. There is a good level spot on the driveway to park it when not in use. I could make short camping trips to anywhere I want with my 1 ton and a cabover. All those winding mountain roads between here and the coast would be accessible to me, as would all the wonderful areas of the Sierra Nevada. For short trips I would have no problem with a much smaller camper, and it would be a snap to drive to New York in the fall.

The obvious advantages of this would be the ability to just pick up and go somewhere more easily, not having to drag along everything I own, and have a place to come back to. I would fit into just about any campsite, and maybe I could even get to be good at backing it up!

One of the down sides that I can see is that it wouldn't be as easy to do any workamping, although there are so many volunteer positions available I could probably find something on a shorter term basis. That could possibly work to my advantage as I really think the third month of workamping begins to exceed my patience for it. Six weeks to two months would be ideal, and I could live in a tent for that amount of time (if I absolutely had to). Don't worry, I don't plan on going back to a tent, although I don't mind it when camping with my kids and their families. There are always mommas and babies that do better with the bed space and I get to feel like a proper camper again for a short time.

We looked in all the windows today and it looks suitable - I'll have to see what the terms are tomorrow and what it looks like inside, up close.

We stopped at a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and ahhhhh, I know I'm back in California where I can get great Mexican food. Back east it is adapted to local tastes and is never hot enough to suit me. I knew it was going to be good when I started with the chips and salsa! To be honest, you can get great Mexican food throughout the entire southwest. I just love the Central California version though. Steve and I reminisced a bit about our drive from Asheville to Sac a few years back, when we stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Deming, NM for a late breakfast. When the owner served me he stood back to watch and see if I could eat it - I had ordered hot! I drank a lot of water that breakfast but managed to eat it.

So I hope I have something to report tomorrow. If this one doesn't work out I'll just keep looking.