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| Getting the pots ready for winter |
The winding down of one season and preparation for the next has a mix of melancholy for the ending of summer along with anticipation for the adventure ahead. It takes weeks of doing a little here, strategizing about what we can do now and what must wait until the last few days. Have we seen everyone we wanted to see before we go? Have we prepared with enough supplies for several months?
Crunch time comes and a flurry of activity ensues to make sure all is ready for the estimated departure date. Can we flex a little if we’re not quite ready? Or is the weather going to dictate a precipitous departure?
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| Help with pruning the apple tree is much appreciated |
For the uninitiated, it would seem that living in an RV means we could pull up the jacks and head out in short order. But, besides the preparations for what we leave behind, any time we get ready to roll it requires things to be stowed for travel, front seats turned around, the table leaf lowered, and the slide pulled in. Once the rig is ready, the tow vehicle must be attached on the back which often means moving the motorhome to a new position. At our very quickest, it takes about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to prepare to roll. When we are traveling for days in a row, we leave the slide in and the truck still attached. Often we wake up earlier than usual, make coffee and pull out, eating breakfast when we're ready for a break hours and many miles later.
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| The covered deck shelters several things while we're gone. |
If we’ve been parked for awhile we do much of the prep work the night before to make our departure quicker. When we’ve been boon-docking in the desert, the first stop is usually to dump the black and gray tanks and fill up the fresh water tank before we head to our next destination. The gas tank is filled often and we try to top it off before we park anywhere since the generator also runs off the gas tank. About once a month the propane tank needs to be refilled. While we can go the entire summer on one tank when it’s used only for cooking, traveling requires the refrigerator to run on propane.
Several times a day the solar panel monitor is read to determine how well the sun is recharging the batteries. Is there enough sun to run an appliance for a little bit? On overcast days when the charge can’t get high enough, we run the generator for 30 minutes or so to give a boost so we can make it through the night. RV living is about managing resources: propane, gas, power, water, waste water and food.
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| Parking near friends in Nevada near Valley of Fire |
It’s also about change. Changing scenery, weather, locations, and states. Meeting people, new friends and old. Every year, whether heading south or returning home, we wonder what changes will occur before we return.
Change. A part of life we have learned to embrace.
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| The Christian Fellowship group in Quartzsite at moonrise and sunset. The picture does not do justice to the warmth of friendship and the fun of gathering in this place every year. |
