Working from The Bus

We spent the last few days of September visiting my nephew Nathan who is stationed at FE Warren AFB, WY.  He is a Missile Field Chef serving in the USAF and it was great to see him and spend a day touring Cheyenne, WY. 

We departed Cheyenne and headed toward Castaic, CA stopping one night at a Wal-Mart south of Salt Lake City one night and at Nellis AFB, NV the second night.  Along the way The Bus’ engine began to skip and loose power on the hills.  Pattie located a Freightliner service center along our route and we called ahead asking for a quick service call.  They got us in the shop about an hour after arriving and hooked up their diagnostics computer that read reports of low fuel pressure events.  I told them we had run low on fuel and stopped at a small fueling station in Wyoming that looked sketchy.  They changed both fuel filters and we took it on a test drive.  The engine pulled strong and we believe it fixed the problem.  Glad to have an easy $100 fix, we proceeded on with no further problems.  When we crossed in to California, I spotted a new truck wash and pulled right in.  The crew there washed The Bus, our TOAD Jeep and even our bikes on the rack.  It was nice to see The Bus shiny and clean again.

On 1 Oct, we arrived at the Valencia Travel Village in Castaic, CA and set up for a long-term stay paying for a month in advance. Each day I drive a rental car to work in Van Nuys, CA and leave the Jeep for Pattie to run errands and such.  Our little home on wheels is comfortable and it is great to be together while I work a major project for the company.  On the weekends, we explore the local area and visit with friends.  One evening we had Dave (a former co-worker now retired) and Becky over to The Bus for dinner.  This was our first time entertaining in The Bus and it was cozy with some great steaks, wine and wonderful cake Becky brought us. 

One Friday evening we drove to Venture to see the sunset and have dinner.  The next day, we went to Big Bear Lake and road our bikes on the trails. 

The next weekend, we joined a group of friends at Calvary Community Church in Westlake, CA for a Tim Hawkins concert.  We had a wonderful dinner and a great evening.  The next day, Pattie and I drove the Jeep up to Sequoia National Park to do some hiking and saw the largest tree in the world.  

We departed heading west and a black bear crossed the road in front of us so close I had to slam on brakes to keep from hitting it.  As we headed down the mountain, we stopped at an overlook and just sat watching the sun go down over the mountain.  It was so quiet and God was showing off His creation just for us. 

Thanks for following our adventures….more stories to follow.

Glimpsing the Dream

Pattie and I flew back from LA to Atlanta after convincing my boss that I would split the travel cost of driving my RV across country so I could return and finish out a major project while living in the RV.  We had been planning a vacation to Deadwood, SD to attend the Black Hills Jeep Jamboree; so, we were headed that way anyway.  After a night in Auburn to check The Bus systems and have dinner with our sons, we headed out.   The first two nights we stayed in campgrounds and began to question why we are paying for full hook-up sites when we are simply stopping, having dinner and sleeping.  The third night we decided to try boondocking in the Sioux Falls, SD Wal-Mart parking lot.  We received permission from the manager and leveled the coach on ramps rather than using the auto leveling system which can hard asphalt.  Sweet.  On Wednesday, we rolled into Whistler Gulch Campground in Deadwood, SD and setup for a six-night stay. 

We took it easy Thursday getting use to the altitude and touring Leed, SD learning about the gold mining operations that occurred there.  Thursday evening 120 Jeeps rooled in to town ot register for trail rides.  Jeep Jamboree is a family event with trails for the novice all the way to extreme built rigs, but they must be Jeep vehicles. 

We selected a medium trail for Friday and the weather was perfect as we pulled out and headed into the mountains. 

The trails were challenging enough for our mostly stock Wrangler Rubicon and allowed me to practice my driving skills.

On Saturday, we took a less challenging trail and I let Pattie drive so she could practice her skills.

On Sunday, we made a trip down to Mount Rushmore and toured around the area seeing the Needles rock formations and wildlife.

On Monday, we headed down to Badlands national Park and drove the Loop Road.  Although it was overcast, we were amazed at the landscape.  We had lunch in Wall, SD and spent a couple hours in the Wounded Knee Museum.  Sobering description of the massacre that occurred there.  On our way back, we stopped by Rapid City to see some friends who have settled there.  Kelsey and Sue have two beautiful children and a nice home.  We ate Elk over bowtie pasta.  Yummy. 

On Tuesday we took off for Cheyenne, WY to visit my Nephew Nathan who is stationed at F.E. Warren AFB.

So far, this trip has given us our first glimpse at the life style we are hoping for as full time RV’ers.  It is a different feeling to see others arrive in campgrounds for a weekend and afterward pack to leave to get back to their homes/jobs knowing that we are at home and can stay a few more days if we feel like it.