For those of you interested Only in TRAVEL, I (Jack) wrote the blog between MARCH 2010 and October 2010 during our travels west. We saw the most beautiful places and had the best time in our big truck and little trailer. See Blog Archive below.

Mar 17, 2016

New Adventure

Without my Buddy writing the blog, I’m at a loss for words--my mind is blank. I guess it will take practice. I’m trying out the new Blogo version—we’ll see how it works out. I ordered my trailer quite a while ago. I figured if my back stayed the same for six months, I’d take another stab at camping and traveling. (changed--I'm using Blogger instead for the first time. I'll use blogo when I have no wifi)

I will be camping with a group of friends in the Ozarks in April (the time I was originally going to leave for the west). My granddaughter, Amanda and her fiance' Brian, set the wedding date for June 11 so I can’t leave until they have tied the knot. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll camp again with mostly the same group of friends in Ohio in May. I’m sure I have mentioned the WACs on the blog before. Some of them met Jack and me in New Mexico in 2010. They are a great group of women campers. http://travelswithmrnimble.blogspot.com/2010/05/where-is-jack-day-23.html
I will meet a few of them at Ft. Stevens State Park in Oregon for a couple of days.

I didn’t think I’d ever camp again because of my back so I sold my other trailer lock stock and barrel to a lovely young couple with two little boys and a new baby girl. They are an outdoor couple if ever there was one. I thought about keeping it and getting a soft spot in the floor fixed, but none of my kids wanted to use it and it seemed such a shame to leave it in the driveway just getting older. Like a swimming pool, the value of it went up the more it was used and enjoyed—not just sitting there. It was a Jayco Trailer and it was a good trailer—lasted me eight years and a lot of miles. No complaints from me except things like where the fuses were located, and the bed location. It actually worked out fine when Jack and Lizzie camped with me—the floor plan suited them fine. I had put new tires on it, a new electric/gas water heater, and as I did every year had the roof checked and sealed. I also had it detailed. Then off she went into new adventures and making great memories for a wonderful young family. Unfortunately, the floor needs to be replaced. There was no water in the trailer--never had a leak so I'm not sure what happened. Even the soft spot was not the slightest bit damp.

Ok. Fast forward. The ablation on my back lasted six months. I felt like I had one last trip west in me—a last hoorah so to speak so I bought a Forest River Surveyor 201 RBS from Brannon at Jeff Couch’s RV Nation in Ohio. I got a good price and ordered some special things like a couch instead of a dining room table and a camera on the back of the trailer. Brannon is very easy to deal with--great buying experience. I’d like to find out about portable solar systems so I can boondock some. If anyone has any ideas or experience with one they really like, please leave a comment. It has more than enough storage. I've got empty shelves that I'm resisting filling, and room for as many clothes as I'll need. It even has storage under the bed!

Thanks to Jim and Sandie Dixon's recommendation I asked for the Hensley Arrow Hitch. Couch didn't sell them, but Brannon contacted Hensley and they were happy to sell it. Couch is now going to carry them, I think. I remembered reading that Jim said he felt it was well worth the extra money because it's so much safer to tow with, and boy was he right. What a difference towing, and this is a heavier trailer. It's pricey, but money worth spending. I told a friend I thought to myself while driving home, "Bring everything ya got 18 wheelers. I can see ya, I can hear ya, but I can't feel ya!"



I don’t know how long I’ll keep it after returning home (whenever), but I may be able to camp closer to home with friends. We’ll see. I’m not a planner except at very special times. I’ll post a few pictures. I don’t take many pictures any more since Jack was the author and he was my main subject so they aren’t very good, but you’ll get an idea as to what it’s like with the pictures.





This table stores behind the couch. It is HEAVY. I took it out of the trailer and have opted just to have a small table that I can use for my computer, etc. I don't think it was very wise to put that kind of weight on the slide out. It won't go to waste. My son can use the table in his basement.








I wanted to get up to New York to see my sister and a dear old friend, again. I decided that I would reserve a site in a fancy pancy campground "resort" for a week. She's going to come stay with me. I'm sure those of you on the west coast will hear the peals of laughter as we always have such a wonderful (and always funny) time together. Then, I'll stop in at another campground and I'll be able to spend some time with my old friend for a day or two.

From there, I will take the northern route out west. I'll take the interstate part of the time, but then try to find parallel roads to I90 to see the good stuff. Well, that's my first post. I hope to see some of you along the way. I have a two week reservation in Fort Stevens for the end of August/Beginning of September. My kids want to fly out to meet me. A couple of things on my bucket list--to ride the Mail boats and go, again, whale watching out of Depoe Bay and see the Orcas up near Victoria--that's a few of many.

Want to stop and say hi to  some of the bloggers I've grown so fond of. Have a lot of reading to catch up.



15 comments:

  1. So very happy to see you posting again. Your trailer is beautiful and I'm glad you like the hitch. Any questions just call. Hope to see you somewhere on the road.

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  2. Oregon weather is starting to look pretty good now. Supposed to be a mild summer ... whatever that means. Hope all goes according to plan for you, Nancy.

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  3. Oregon weather is starting to look pretty good now. Supposed to be a mild summer ... whatever that means. Hope all goes according to plan for you, Nancy.

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  4. Oh, Oregon, my sweet Oregon! glad to hear about a mild summer--not too hot, I hope. I hope my plans go as I planned, as well. I find myself almost waiting until the other foot drops! Hope Donna and the pups are well. Thank you for commenting, Russ. I sure hope to see you when I'm out there. My kids are starting to push me for times to fly out...hard to plan because I don't know where I'll be when!

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  5. Glad to see you are back and not just to Bloggerland. RVing takes a special talent but doing it solo and with health issues even more so. Finding the right unit that suits your needs and the right equipment to tow it with is just as important.
    We'll be looking forward to your upcoming adventures and we know they won't be your last Hurrah.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  6. Thanks Rick and Kathy. You are two of the people I hope to meet in person some where along the road. You have always been a source of encouragement.

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  7. So glad to hear from you again. Looks like you found the right rig for yourself. Full steam ahead!!

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  8. Thank you, Judith. My sister's name is Judy and I'm jump starting my trip meeting with her for a week. Thank you for your encouraging words. Another I hope to meet along the way.

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  9. Me too. Judy took the words out of my mouth. Really glad to hear from you and to rejoice that you have a new rig and are feeling well enough to go traveling. So wonderful!! I hope to hear more from you. We miss you in the comments.

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  10. I am so happy Sandie posted your site on her blog. Every time i went on it before it wouldn't work and said it was no longer up. Now I have to catch up on all that I have missed, I sure did miss you.

    Your new trailer is gorgeous, wishing you many happy travels and I am also so happy to hear you are doing so well.

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  12. Thank you Sherry and Jo. I have not been very good keeping up with blogs--just got too hard to even hold the computer at times. That's all behind me and I'm going to try my best in the future--just been busy preparing for the trip and going to the pool as often as I can. I have missed you and Fred, too, Jo. Thank you--I think this trailer will be very comfortable. Who know, maybe it's in the cards for us to meet in person after all. Pats to Fred.

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  13. I'm a little late to this post but just found your blog again today. It's good to see you on the road again. That new trailer looks great. If you remember, a couple of years ago you told me about your Jayco trailer and the truck combo. In the spring of 2014 I had a larger pickup truck and was debating which trailer to use with two bassets and one bloodhound. Now I have two bloodhounds and one basset. Like your blog, my blog has changed not only the domain back to blogspot but also it focuses mostly on my hounds ... viewers requests. :)

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  14. Awww, what a cute dog! I have a golden retriever and they are just the friendliest and awesomest dogs. Solar panels are great for boondocking, they can be expensive though. Also, stocking up on enough water is so important! Your trailer looks good, very luxurious and spacious. Ha, I've been to Depoe Bay in my trailer with my girlfriend.

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    1. Wow, Gary. I just found this--over a year later! DOH Jack was a Lab--He and Lizzie were the two greatest dogs that ever lived. I miss them both still. Hope you are still traveling and having a great time with or without a girlfriend!

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