"...when the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayword man, and the road away from Here seems broad and straight and sweet, the victim must first find himself a good and sufficient reason for going. This to the practical bum is not difficult."
When Steinbeck was preparing for his 3 month trip he saw in others "something I was to see over and over in every part of the nation-a burning desire to go, to move, to get underway, any place, away from Here."
Since the last significant travel, the road from Here has loomed larger and larger. Finally, after 3 house sales, two surgeries and more Seal Beach house maintenance than expected, we are on the road again. This time Mr. Lefty Toad has a new pal, Pancho Palazzo. Pancho is a nearly 35' diesel pusher, only three weeks old. Their traveling song is perfect for our current stay in Texas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvdmxszsDM8
While Pancho sounds like a tough cowboy with his big diesel engine, air brakes etc., he is in touch with his feminine side, equipped with an 18' fridge, washer and dryer, nice galley and plenty of storage, a/c capacity. Oh, did I mention a nice furnace? We are now in the lovely town of Fredericksburg in the Hill Country of Texas where we hunkered down during the recent midwest blizzard. This area, normally populated with snowbirds in the winter, suffered several days of freezing weather. We were toasty warm except when we needed to brave the cold and 19mph winds to take the boys out. Speaking of boys, Raggie is 17 1/2 and slow but still trucking. Max is 4 and getting easier all the time. He will probably always be a challenge because of his early experiences, 8 prior placements and shelters and perhaps, a reactive temperament to boot. He is very affectionate, curious and obedient, that is when he is not distracted.
We took delivery of Pancho in AZ and spent a few days in the funky town of Quartzsite. Moving from Bella to Pancho required putting everything in boxes and then there was the fun chore of figuring out how to stow things in the new configuration. Himself (he now calls himself Big Dog, hereafter BD) cleverly began to figure how to retrofit some of the ill conceived cupboards with additional shelves to make convenient space. We plan to spend months traveling, so the handier it is the better. The weather was comfortable in Quartzsite which is a funky town frequented by snowbirds, rockhounds and many members of the fringe culture. The poster child for the town is the owner of the bookstore.
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| Quartzsite Bookstore Owner with Vashon Patron (just kidding) |
We spent a few days in Tucson with our dear friends Larry and Sherril. Their hospitality, and help
figuring out Pancho, was very much appreciated. We also enjoyed seeing Suzanne, a transplant from SoCal, who hosted a lovely potluck in her relatively newly purchased home. They all live in the community of Civano, which is a wonderful planned community, featuring many environmentally friendly design elements and attractively laid out, smaller homes
| Civano |
Just a few comments on buying a new motorhome. First they are enormously complicated. Second, the dealers, at least ours, are so quick to sell the coach and get you out the door that they overlook careful prep and do not provide adequate orientation. Third, manufacturers build the interiors for "curb appeal," forgetting that these things are lurching down the road. Visit a few boat builders and figure out how to make drawers that don't crash open already! While in Tucson we made several trips to Camping World for things that needed fixing or, in many instances, explaining. We ended up hiring an off duty tech to come to Civano and spend 2 1/2 hours walking up through the systems and features of the coach. I took 5 full pages of notes and the following morning, diagramed the electrical system. This is not simple as sources consist of shore power, battery power (two different battery systems) solar and generator. It is important for trouble shooting and for operation to understand how they work, what their capacity is, what works on 120 vs 12 volt.....NEVER did I think I would be troubling my little head with these pesky issues, but... Freightliner, the chassis manufacturer (whatever is a chassis?), runs a two day course for RV'ers who own rigs with their chassis. I have decided I will suck it up and attend along with BD, if we can find a schedule that works for us. SC in July won't do it! Next will be learning to drive Pancho, who assures me he is "easy." I see many female drivers in the truck stops where we fuel so, why not me?
The next stop should be South Texas to see my brother John.
The next stop should be South Texas to see my brother John.
At last! Just when I thought your blogging days might be over, finally, a new post. Pancho Palazzo sounds more like a computer than an RV.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you.