Columbus, MT

The night before we left, the wind was howling so loud and shaking the RV that we decided to pull in the slide outs to protect the little awning that goes over them. Endured a really noisy night and then woke to a FROZEN hose. This hose feeds the RV water. It wasn't a disaster for us because we had water onboard, so we just switched that. The owner came by as Alan was wrestling with ours and told him the entire place had frozen!
Packed up and ready to go, we headed to the Conoco for diesel since we got 2 cents off per gallon....
whoopie!! That amounted to a whole $1.40!! LOL!! They had something called "red dyed diesel"...never heard of that before. We think it was for off road vehicles...maybe...
Mother Nature spit snow at us til we got to Bozeman.  We stopped to go into Walmart and then have lunch in the RV. I hadn't slept well the night before and we'd gone some 120 miles, so I turned the wheel over to Alan. I'm sure he was wishing I hadn't since, very quickly, we hit real snow. The visibility was terrible and the wind was still up. WTH??? This is NOT the "Lay around in the sun" lifestyle we want!!!! Stlll....we are crossing the Rockies and it is only late April. It was a tense hour or so, for sure!
The mountains in the pics are of the Tobacco Root Mountain Range...funny name!
Heard from our  mail forwarding service that our plates are in for the RV....had her hold them since we will be there in just under 2 weeks.
Lisa and I just came back from taking showers at the campground. The water was hot and plentiful, but schlepping all the S--T back and forth, plus walking out into the wind and cold makes it not so worth it! LOL!! Our little RV shower will have to do, I think. It's also hard to get Lisa to understand how to do the whole process without dropping her clothes on the wet floor, etc. I end up stripping and showering with her or I get soaking wet trying to help her. Honestly, I'm glad she doesn't have hair...that would just further complicate things!! LOL!!
Next stop is Sheridan, Wyoming.....we leave the day after tomorrow.

Inverter?????

For the longest time, we didn't really "get" what it did! So, here is a crash course for you all....an inverter is charged by a trickle charge from our solar panel and is also charged by the house battery and coach batteries. It "inverts" from 12V electricity to regular. The generator can also charge the house battery. The coach batteries charge the generator and the house battery. Confused yet?? LOL!! The bottom line is that I can go to the panel and turn on my inverter. Then, I plug in my crockpot full of yummy, but raw food. Then we drive 200 miles or so, get to our spot and set up being sure to turn off that inverter. Viola`!! Dinner is ready!! I put the crockpot in the sink just in case of a sudden stop or sharp curve and it worked just great!!

We went to the old Montana State prison today and walked around. Man, that is enough to make you want to stay out of jail...talk about primative!!! There also was a nice car show, too. Some car camping that made me feel like a queen in the Magic Bus!!!

Deer Lodge, MT

Woke up to NO snow (yippee) and a bit of rain. During the night, we discovered a leak in the slide out RIGHT OVER THE BED!!! Shit!! We figure it just needs some caulking once we get to dryer climes. The leaky tire is still....well...leaking, but slowly. Have asked at several places and they "don't do tires", so it will probably be Sioux Falls, SD. We plan on staying there maybe 5 days to get all the paperwork done, transmissions fluid changed, the tire handled and maybe the leak.
Alan took off for WalMart and got the prescriptions handled while I got things buttoned up. Took off in snow/
rain and pretty soon, only snow, but not sticking.Got off at lunch time for what we thought was a truck stop, but it wasn't there! I drove down to a WalMart, so I'd have a big enough spot to turn around. Tight, tight, tight. My method is just to go slow and wait for the time that everything is clear...I remind myself that I am bigger than they are, too!!LOL!!! I actually like the tight maneuvering more than the highways..... Alan is the other way...he likes the highways.....works out great for a perfect partnership! We both got our share of construction along I- 90 and that's Irie in Alan's lap making sure I do it right!!! LOL!!

We are NOT do-it-yurselfers!!

Ok, these lights are directly above the bed...intended for reading, but you end up feeling more like you've committed some heinous crime!! They are hot to the touch and you can't move them much at all. No such thing as a lower wattage bulb either. If you can think of something we can do, please comment here or email us. threegypsees@gmail.com Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

Osburn, Idaho

On  our way to Osburn, we stopped at a truck stop to check a leaking tire and have lunch, but we had some excitement first! Our trucker's GPS said to turn down a street and right after I did, I saw a  Dead End sign!! NOT good! This coach has a great turning radius, but still...... At the end of the road, I tried to turn around, but knew instantly that wasn't gonna work! There was an entrance to an RV park, so I took that and prayed!! CLEARLY, they weren't set up for a coach our size and we got some looks, but I pulled it off! It wasn't til we were out of there, that I realized  I was holding my breathe!!

We have very much enjoyed this little park.....it's called Blue Anchor (we have no idea why). It's the smallest and tightest yet, but very pretty. I know now why so many have moved to Ceour d` Alene.....it looks just like Nevada City in trees and a little town above us called Wallace has the same old buildings and cool feeling to it. It is currently raining with some snow expected tomorrow, but that's ok...we are headed out anyway to Deer Lodge, Montana. Rain on the "Magic Bus" sounds like camping with rain on a tent...kinda cool....
Had to refill some prescriptions, so  we took those to the local WalMart this AM....will pick them up before we leave. Mail has been coming thru just fine. We just call the lady in charge and give her the address of where we'll be in 5-7 days and it's there when we get there.
.At several parks now, there have been 5th wheelers called "Cougar" and they have a cougar painted on them  Irie seems to feel she needs to protect us from the big cat...she barks and growls like she really means business!! LOL!! We have to shut a blind so she can't see it! Too funny!

Coulee Dam, WA

We decided on a day of sight seeing.....almost didn't go to the dam because I said, "Ya seen one, ya seen 'em all", but, luckily, we went anyway. The dam was just a cement thing that held back water, but the scenery getting there was  absolutely stunning!!! Some beautiful rock formations that combine for the "Coulee Corridor" and a bunch of lakes all leading to one another. We stopped in Coulee City which is a dying little town and had lunch. You know the feeling when you just walked up to a private conversation and it stops? Well, the diner wasn't full by any means, but it went dead quiet when we walked in. The waitress warmed up to us,though, we ate our hamburgers and left to check out the local FD.
The next stop was Dry Falls, created by glacial Lake Missoula melting. The eroded canyon is 3.5 miles wide and has a drop of 400'!! Niagara Falls is 1 mile wide and only drops 165'! My crazy hubby and I walked out on this lookout....notice how uncomfortable he was! LOL! While we were there it started SNOWING!! Egads!! The stuff follows us!!

One of these rocks looks like a monster flipping you off! Check it out! The others were just cool. The pic of Lisa in the diving suit was taken at the dam....

Soap Lake, WA

We were in Ephrata, WA.....I had just ended my morning of driving and what do I see??? Two men on the side of the road messing with a trailer hitch....bending over side by side and I see a butt crack at least SIX inches long and covered with man-fur!!! YUCK!!!! Alan and I laughed and laughed! Good thing my driving was over for the day!

We started in Gig Harbor, went up over the Snoqualimie Pass (very pretty), down towards Yakima where Kris used to live. We arrived in Soap Lake (after the butt crack incident) around 3:00...plenty of time to start a turkey roast and get settled in!! This is a nice, older kinda quaint place.The pic is our view from the front of the coach. Definitely the most narrow streets and sites we've dealt with, but lakeside and plenty of amenities. Leveling was a little more difficult, but we pulled it off just fine. There is a nice grassy area filled with Canadian Goose shit, but Irie loved running there! She is so funny! She kinda lowers her body, puts her ears back and just flies!! She probably ran for a good 2-3 minutes straight.
DirectTV is still a problem...we may have to get the connections checked once we are in a bigger town....maybe Sioux Falls, SD?
Lisa loves to go to the back and play. She's a good traveler, too!

Gig Harbor, but BAD bridges

Well, we left Portland and our wonderful friends this AM. I was sad to leave them, but not the RV park...we won't be back there, for sure. I took advantage of their laundry room (which was clean, but super dated with ONE table to fold on that was maybe 3' long!) I had heard that residents can be kinda stand offish with us temps, but I ran into two very rude ladies there that really took the cake! I like people and I am fairly outgoing so I tried to initiate a conversation.... "Hi (smile) do you live here full time or travel like my family?" (Lisa was with me, of course) Not ONE word!! They looked at each other and went back to their laundry!! SO rude!!
I started out driving (I am the AM driver) and just kinda kept going ending up here in a charming RV park in the redwoods and pines....now this is more like it!! :0)
Before that, though, I had to navigate some gnarly ass bridges!!! Anyone that knows me, knows that heights scare the gee willagers outa me! When I was on a motorcycle, I just closed my eyes or glued them to the book I was currently reading. In a car, I just concentrate on the lane ahead of me. Well, now I am driving an RV, sitting way up high , and I can see over the damn thing to the water below!! And its not  like we are tiny....this sucker is 102" across.... the absolute legal limit for ANY vehicle!!  My stomach clutches and I feel real fear.....it's getting better, but still.......

Tomorrow, we will spend the day with Tom, Alan's older brother. He needs to get some shopping done. It will be great to see him again! Gig Harbor seems very charming and I can't wait to explore!

Columbia River RV Park

Ok, I guess we got a bit spoiled!! We traveled most of the day....all of it in rain and fog, then Portland traffic. The directions were a little sketchy, but the RV gods were with us (yet again)!! Alan pulled over to figure out the GPS and I spotted a sign "RV" with an arrow. We decided WTH? and followed it....sure enough...there was the campground, but......it's yucky! It IS along the Columbia River and the glimpse I got was pretty. I know, further up, it's awesome....LOTS of waterfalls and trails.
But we can't see it from here.The sites are very close and flooded! Poor Irie had to pee with her "equipment" under water! LOL! Somehow, she always manages.
We set up the black and grey tanks, cable and electric. I DO NOT like standing in water and plugging that sucker in!! When Alan did it, I had to look away....my fear of electrocution is pretty damn high. I mentioned that I'd be shocked if the site was even near level....boy, was I wrong!! It was dead on!! Yeah!!!
Alan is off to find a grocery store and I have started dinner (garlic and sesame pork roast , roasty potatoes and broccoli). I also started a load of laundry.
Laundry is very interesting!! It's a small capacity machine that washes and then magically turns into a dryer. When it is spinning, it feels like a giant earthquake in here.....it really rocks this new home of our's!! The dryer part isn't very efficient, so I end up with damp clothes. We bought a wooden thingy to hang clothes on, so I set that up before we go to bed. Everything is usually pretty dry by morning, then the next day I do it all over again...
Tomorrow, I get to see some very dear friends.....I love you, Val and Richard!! I can't wait! Val and I were neighbors something like 25 years ago and have remained forever friends and I adore her Richard....Alan will, too, I know.
Lisa always sets up her dolls when we get to a campsite...right now, she's listening to her iPod and getting everyone's hair brushed and ready for bed. OK, time to set the table and get dinner on.

Seven Feathers Casino and RV Resort

Well, we just got back from all you can eat seafood buffet. We were thinking a cheap meal....WRONG!!! $75!! It was yummy, though, green mussels and prime rib for me. Pizza (mostly) for Miss Lisa and Alan stuck with the old stand bys. I thought of you, Kim, w/ the mussels and clams...you would have loved it!
Our gambling sucked which is normal for us! Lost around $45 and called it a night! LOL!!
They have a hot spa here and an indoor heated pool...tempting....my Fibro has been really nasty today...stayed in bed most of the day.

The resort is very nice...awesome showers, pretty sites...lots of pine trees and canyons.....small town like Camptonville.....very nice!!

A Name for the Coach....

I have known a few people in my lifetime that had a knack for naming pets and things. Unfortunately, Alan and I aren't in that group. John Steinbeck named his coach after Don Quixote's horse.....Rocinante. We need help! Can you come up with something? It is a 40' Itasca Horizon with about 15' of "toad" (towed truck). Thanks in advance!

CHECK OUT OUR PICTURES!!!!

We found the photo card reader!!! I have added pics to several old posts!!!

John Steinbeck

Kris and April gave us a book by John Steinbeck called Travels with Charley.....in it he says and I quote" When I was very young and the urge to be somewhere else was on me,I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked. Four hoarse blasts of a ship's whistle will still raise the hair on my neck and set my foot to tapping.The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shod hooves on pavement brings on the ancient shudder, the dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of stomach high up under the rib cage. In other words, I don't improve; in further words, once a bum always a bum. I fear the disease is incurable." This describes me perfectly!! I have always loved to travel, to see new sights, smell new smells and meet new people.I traveled a lot once the boys got into their teens and even gave a lot of thought to becoming an ex pat somewhere. I took sailing lessons entertaining the thought of anchoring off some exotic isle and watching the sunset just off the deck, but something was always missing....
I got very lucky and found a wonderful man that feels the same way and a daughter that is willing to go anywhere at all. We are off on a lifetime of traveling!!
We are currently at Durango Rv Resort in Red Bluff and it is beautiful! It sits right along the Sacramento River with a nice hiking path. The site we are in is about 100' long!! And has a lovely grassy area where we can sit and read in the sun. Irie got a bath today and she really enjoyed rolling around on the grass, too, and Lisa "talked" to Gary on her cell phone.
We got our first propane fill (piece of cake!) today. I was pretty proud of myself when the refrigerator started beeping and flashing "no fl" I knew exactly what to do to get it running!! The fuel flow had been disrupted is all!! THAT felt good! :0)
We will spend another day here and then it's off to Canyonville in Oregon.

Leaving Auburn

And heading up to Red Bluff to Durango RV Resort....looks beautiful....we can't wait! This will be our first leg towards South Dakota to get our driver's licenses. Our hydraulic leak seems to have already been fixed by Alan....the service guys in Mesa really left a LOT to be desired. They supposedly "checked" it and told us it was just over spill from filling it EXCEPT that they never tightened 4 bolt thingies (Alan could tell you better than I..... he did it and the leak stopped!) We opted to  get it checked anyway and it appears we are good there.
Those hydraulics run our jacks so we can level this "big car" (as Lisa calls it). The jacks are manual only and we are struggling a bit to get the hang of it. It doesn't help if you are in a site that is uneven (like the one we are in now).
Hooking up the sewer (black tank), fresh water and electric are a piece of cake.
Yesterday, we had a slow day, so I did some laundry and just putzed around...... good thing, too, because we foolishly decided to try sleeping with Irie in the bed with us. How the hell does a 9# dog take over an entire queen size bed??????? We got zero sleep! She's right back in her own bed tonight!!
 
A few nights ago, we came back from Matt and Jessi's, to find that we had absolutely NO power. The house battery was completely dead!! I figured we were fine because I knew that with the generator running, it would re charge.....except that the generator wouldn't turn over either!!SO we started the whole coach! By now, my wonderful hubby has gone totally ballistic!!! I have learned over the years to not ramp up with him and to try to stay calm (hard to do in the face of a hurricane, I can tell you). I suggested he call Tony (Diceman) since he has an RV and the experience we don't have. He ranted about having to travel to North San Juan before he had cell service, but I guess decided "what the hell?" and left. I just prayed he wouldn't wreck the car; he was SO upset.
When he came back, the house battery had charged some with the engine running, but the BIG thing for me was that Alan had calmed down a LOT! THANK YOU,DICE!!!!! You saved the evening! (He told Alan to calm down, go to bed and it would be better in the AM.) Well, let's just say that it was almost like make up sex only we weren't fighting!! LOL!! We humans are a strange species....
Sure enough, in the morning, we found the house battery nearly charged and had figured out why the whole thing went dead. A cargo light had been left on AND a toggle had been turned off that should always remain on...live and learn, I guess!

Camptonville

We have spent two great days in CVille gathering up the last of our belongings from Matt and Jessi's. We are tired from the moving part, but LOVED seeing so many people! Friends and family are all so dear to my heart. Thanks Matt and Jessi for letting us use your shower and storing our stuff...we love you and little hank, too. It was fun to see how you made the house "you" and it feels welcoming and full of love!!
Tomorrow, we head to Auburn (there is a storm coming here w/ snow down to 2700...we're outa here!! LOL!!), then we have an appt. to get a leak checked next Friday.
Bye CVille...see you in June!

Groceries

Got groceries today.....man! good ole CA takes the prize for higher prices.....
Arizona bananas were .35/lb   CA were .89/lb
Arizona water to fill a gallon jug .15    CA was .35
Diesel gas in Arizona was $3.49    CA was $4.10

Hoping for cheaper prices thru out the US!!

Tomorrow, we head for Sacratomato....gonna stop at a truck stop so Kris, April and Linda can see the coach, then we'll head for Camptonville and boondock at the local bar for the night. I know, that sounds bad.....it's really just a big parking lot.....really...honest!  ;0) Looks like Monday will be the day to get the rest of our stuff from Matt and Jessi's.

Sommerville RV Park

Just arrived and it's beautiful! We had everything hooked up, leveled and slides out in under 5 min!! Damn! we're good!!

I am noticing something interesting......the first thing Alan does is get the DirectTV going and the first I want to do is nest or get on the internet!
More later....