Sweet Home Manitoba

Disclaimer: the following is a long post. No one is forcing you to read it. You know who you are. :-)

I am presently in nowheresville, Manitoba, somewhere between Winnipeg and Brandon (closer to the latter), taking a much needed break. It has been a long, long journey from Nipigon to here. Now, it's time to slow down and spend a couple of days at various strategic locations.

So, last you heard from me, I was about a 100 klicks shy of Thunder Bay. There isn't really anything of note between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, so I decided to do a short haul to Thunder Bay to recharge my batteries, then undertake the very long haul to the Winnipeg area, from where I could slow down.

Since I was in no hurry on Tuesday, I decided to follow the signs promising Canada's longest suspended bridge. The road there was a bit scary in a motorhome, but the signs said that there were RV sites at the end of the road, so I took a chance taking Miranda down there and it turned out fine. I wound up on the bottom of gorgeous Eagle Canyon where a path took me up to the first of two suspension bridges.

I couldn't cross them. I have a touch of acrophobia and these bridges were too much for me. I made it a quarter of the way across the shorter bridge before I started to see red. I don't let my fear of heights stop me from living and I challenge it regularly, so I go easy on myself at times like these. I took some pictures, then followed the path down to the river at the bottom of the canyon, enjoying a brisk hike around a lake before returning to Miranda. It was a fantastic forty minute detour and well worth the 18$ access fee that is easily explained by the impeccable installation.



In Thunder Bay, I picked up two items that would make my life easier. The first is a coffee press. I can't believe it's taken me this long to discover these fantastic devices. I don't think I could go back to drip coffee!

The second item is a speaker dock for my iPod. This enables me to now have music or podcasts on the road. Radio stations have been far between and satellite radio is as huge a monthly expense as would be satellite internet! I can also listen to music in the evening without having to start up the iMac or use headphones. I went into FutureShop not really knowing what it was I was looking for and the clerk figured it out in two seconds flat. Ah, it's so lovely to be able to have something to listen to other than the cats meowing. :-)

I slept amazingly well in Thunder Bay, waking up refreshed and relaxed. It was cold in the rig (13 degrees) and it was great to get up around 6 to use the bathroom and be able to turn on the generator to get the furnace going, crawl back under the blankets, and just doze with the kitties for a half hour until the temperature inside rose to a comfortable 16.5 degrees!

Speaking of cold mornings, the temperature fell to zero the night I was in Nipigon. According to Environment Canada, that's the worst sort of night I can expect in the Okanagan Valley. If that's the case, I have nothing to fear this winter.

So, I was bright eyed and bushy tailed in Thunder Bay and decided to head back east for a minute to the Terry Fox memorial, which I'd skipped the day before.

Sunrise over Lake Gitchigoomie (Superior):



Terry Fox memorial:



One of the reasons I felt I could do an almost 800km day, as I was 'gaining' an hour:



Tabitha spends our driving time in the overcab bunk, staring out the window. Neelix, however, likes to be right in the midst of the action (he is SO CUTE!):



Just outside of Kenora, I stopped at the Dixie Lake rest area:



I stood in this spot three years ago almost to the day, overcome with emotion. I had left Winnipeg about two hours before, knowing that from that moment on, my life was about to take a very different path. These first steps back onto the Canadian Shield cemented my decision for me. The next time I would go through that way would be heading west, hauling all my possessions and aiming for a new life in Winnipeg. I gave myself a deadline: March 2009. And then I went to work making this dream a reality. That dream died the first week of this past May, leaving room for an dream so much grander that I couldn't have even fathomed it that September day in 2005. But, I did accomplish part of that initial plan, and six months early to boot. I felt almost like a traitor to Winnipeg today when I drove by her without stopping, hauling all my worldly possessions and zooming west, as though I was thumbing my nose at her and being ungrateful for all that she gave me these past three years. But I visited her in April and I remain convinced that she will one day be home to me. So, goodbye, but not farewell. I'll be back this way again.

At any rate, the rest of yesterday leaves me with mixed feelings. After ten years of driving Ontario's roads, I was pulled over by the O(ntario) P(rovincial) P(olice) for the first time, an hour from the Manitoban border, for going all of seven kilometres over the speed limit. Soon as the cop told me that, I relaxed, realising that he just wanted an excuse to pull over the young chick in the big ass RV. He spent about 10 minutes asking me questions about my rig, where I was from, and where I was going, and then he sent me on my way. Looking back, it was actually pretty funny. I need to get Miranda's odometre checked, though. According to it, I was doing 94 in a 90 zone, not 97. Okay, speeding is speeding, but who the frell gets pulled over for doing 97 in a 90 zone? LOL!!!

I hit Manitoba soon thereafter and that's where the day went to hell. I stopped at the tourist information kiosk to get directions to a dump station since I was planning on doing the Walmart thing again and was (am) still having issues with the black tank. I followed the woman's instructions to the letter. They were wrong. I took the turn she told me to take, on a paved road, and promptly came to a dead end. No way to turn around without making major damage to both the car and Miranda. No way to unhook the car. No cell phone service to call for help. No help to be had on foot for ten kilometres. Result: one crunched RV back bumper (merely cosmetic damage), one crunched front car fender that is causing a noise that makes me suspect I'll need to take it in for proper fixing, and one very disheartened and exhausted driver who isn't exactly sure yet how much of that was her fault and isn't convinced that she made the best decision.

Let's just say I was in a foul mood (depressed and tired, not angry) when I got to the Walmart in Selkirk. This store was out of my way compared to, say, the one in St-Vital in Winnipeg south, but I was trying to avoid Winnipeg. :-) They had never had an RVer stay overnight before! The manager was quick to give me permission.

Back in Nipigon, I had met some semi-timers who RV 6 months of the year, who said that they gave up on doing the Walmart thing because they feel they have to spend at each one, and end up spending more than they would have had they gone to a campground. What I've been doing is making a list of the things I actually need and picking things up bit by bit at each store. This way, I have a bag of merchandise to hold up when I ask for permission to stay, but I'm not spending money I wouldn't have needed to spend. Yesterday, I finally picked up a water pressure regulator, so tonight I'm hooked up to water for the first time (and to sewer also).

So, this morning, I took off in pea soup fog:



and stopped off at the first RV park advertising wi-fi (not free) and full service 30AMP sites. It's a nice spot in the middle of nowhere (60 klicks to the nearest grocery store) and motivation to stay home tomorrow and get some things done around the coach.

I got settled in quickly (backing up is so not an issue!), then took off towards Brandon to visit the reptile zoo I'd been hankering to see. The map to get there sucked and the GPS was no help, so I'm really glad I went in the toad. When I arrived, I didn't know what to think. The outside of the place looked like a dump! But it was open, so I went in, and paid the very reasonable fee of 5$.

The zoo turned out to be amazing and WELL worth the detour!!! I saw pythons and boas and anacondas, Nile crocodiles (the only ones in Canada, apparently), all manners of toads and frogs and turtles, big ass roaches, tarantulas, scorpions, geckos, and lizards, oh my! The owners need to do some major professionalizing of the place (especially when it comes to signage), but I can tell that the animals are very well cared for and that the owners are working on making the place look less amateurish.

Then, I made it to Brandon, where I got gas and groceries, then I headed home feeling absolutely exhausted. I immediately revised my plans for the next few days. I'm staying home tomorrow and will visit Brandon on Saturday (overnighting at the Walmart if I get permission).

Next, I'll be moving on to the Regina area. I'd like to find a location somewhere between it and Moosejaw to hunker down for four or five nights so I can do day trips with the toad.

I'm a week into my journey and have but three left to go. It's time to start pacing myself!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

When last our heroine updated her blog, she was parked at the Canadian Tire in Val D'Or. She has done more than 900km since then... and not all of them have been above ground.

Not much happened on Saturday. I wound up boondocking outside the visitor's centre at the eastern edge of the city where I was told overnighting was 'tolerated', but I'd have to move to pay site or the Walmart for the next night. The only pay site in town was 15$ and that didn't include hookups or, at least, a view, so guess where I spent my second night in Val D'Or? :-)

At any rate, the sole purpose of my visit to Val D'Or was to see the gold mine at a complex they call the Cité de l'or. Other than outdoor sports, there isn't much to see or do in Val D'or. I therefore wouldn't recommend making a detour there just to see the mine, but if you just happen to be going by, then, please, don't miss it and pay the 40 bucks for the full tour!

The outside of the mine complex:



Here is a picture of what a gold vein looks like:



The white is quartz and the black is tourmaline. This is extracted and then processed to get the gold flakes inside. It takes about 5,000 tonnes of ore from this mine to get a single oz of gold.

There was nothing but wilderness around the mine site, so a village had to be built to house all the workers and their families. Imagine a whole neighbourhood of houses just like these:



The old mining village is just adorable and is a historic site, so current owners face strict regulations as to how much they can change the houses.

These houses offered excellent accommodation for the miners with running water, heating, telephones, and electricity. Miners were considered rich. They made about 35$ a week while a living wage was about 5$ per week! This is how they could afford such luxuries and pay the rent of 50$ per year for these houses.

Before my tour of the mine, I walked through the village and was accosted by a withered wraith of a man who used to work at the mine! He spent about twenty minutes sharing his life story. I thought it would be a tale of woe, but not at all. He loved his time at the mine, saying that the work was hard, but that conditions were good and safe, and that unlike coal mining it wasn't that bad for the health as there was no dust. His job was to take core samples that would be analysed to determine which way the mine should be further excavated. When he retired from mining, he used his knowledge to found his own diamond drilling company with more than 150 employees. Meeting him proved to me that there are no accidents in life. I was sure my mine tour was at 1PM, but it was at 1:30. I therefore had time to kill, time enough to make an encounter that completely change how I felt down there, 300ft below the surface....

I really don't like enclosed spaces, so the hour and a bit we were underground was just enough for me. When we got back into the shuttle for the drive back up, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I can't imagine spending a whole day in such a place, including a lunch break spent in a room like this one:



After the tour, I went to pick up Miranda at the Sears where I'd received permission to park her for the day, then we moved to Walmart. The store was closed, so I just set up for the night and treated myself to dinner since I couldn't get anything working at home. :-)

Sunday, I pushed off ludicrously early (around 7) and felt my mood change as quickly as did the kilometres beneath me.

I passed this very cool sign mid-morning:



The weather was (and is) gross, not motivating me to try to find a boondocking spot on Crown land as I'd thought I might, so I decided to make a push for the Walmart in Kapuskasing:



(I was just amused that I was driving through the wilderness looking for a Walmart).

I passed some very interesting towns, such as Swastika and Moonbeam, where I had to take a picture:



When I got to Kapuskasing (and was done with the whole dumping thing), I went to the Walmart figuring that it would be closed for the evening. Nope, it's open 7 to 8 seven days a week!!! So, I went in to ask for permission to stay overnight. The manager replied "Of course!" in a very friendly manner. I knew I would have a good night there: I had permission to stay and the OPP had a station literally across the street. Can't get any safer than that! I wound up sleeping the sleep of the proverbial dead and woke up this morning at 5:30 feeling very odd because I haven't slept that many hours straight through since I was a teenager!

Today was another big push as there is just about nothing between Kapuskasing and Thunder Bay. I was very glad to find this park. It's nothing special and not a place where you can set up your hibachi or awning, but it's perfectly adequate for a one night stopover. Tomorrow, I'm going no further than the Walmart in Thunder Bay! I have this site until noon and I plan to take advantage of that to get caught up on my housekeeping.

If there is one thing I will remember the most about my first days on the road it is that the world is not nearly as hostile a place as some people would try to make me believe. There has been at least one person per day who helped me in a way that might have seemed small to them, but which made me feel like I am not alone on this vast and open road.

Tomorrow is Thunder Bay. Wednesday will be my last night on the Shield. Thursday I'll hit the Prairies. And then I'll slow down properly as I'll be hitting new things.

There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by. Good lives, I'm discovering, have no shortage of bad days, but they are measured by the sum of the whole.

I'm impossibly happy, in good spirits, comfortable in my rig, grateful that my cats have taken to this life as well as their mom, and have discovered that it's easy to be a morning person if your day is going to be filled with adventure.

On the Road

For a change of pace (*g*) more photos, less bla bla bla.



We left this site at the Ottawa Municipal campground mid-morning on Thursday September 4th. Right on 'schedule.' I gassed up (oh, the cost of freedom these days) and without much fanfare made my way through most of the places I've called home for eight of these past ten years. Highway 105 north was the hardest as the string of familiar hamlets passed behind me, to be seen again, perhaps, in a very distant future: Alcove, Farrelton, Kazabazua, Low, Blue Sea, Gracefield... Maniwaki was a non-event, but the town has changed since I was there last, perhaps four years ago.

The drive was difficult because of construction, but the weather made up for that.

Finally, we reached the first major milestone of this first leg of my journey:



Loosely translated, turning right meant civilization and turning left meant heading into a northern frontier of mining towns, granite cliffs, and forests of black spruce.

I turned left.

When I reached the southern access point of Verendrye Park I was glad to almost be done driving for the day. It was getting close to mid-afternoon and my 250km done that morning had worn me down. So, I selected to stay at Lac Roland, 40km from the entrance and right on the 117. Cost for the night was the same as when I tent, 15$ and change, since I didn't want hookups.

Then came the taking of a calculated risk that will have a lot of people saying "YOU IDIOT!", but I repeat that it was calculated, and it paid off big time.

I drove all the way to the end of Lac Roland campground, right to a dead end, with no way out except backing up about a half kilometre. Or doing what I did. I unhooked the toad, and moved it onto a site, then I manoeuvred Miranda into that site, too. That took some precise driving, but I'm actually more comfortable operating her in reverse than I am the toad. The square shape makes it very easy to know exactly where I am and what I'm doing.



Why did I do such a seemingly foolish thing?

The view outside my study, of course:



If I had played it 'safe' I would have taken the first pull through I found where all the RVers gathered last night and partied hard, instead of being quietly ensconced in a private site with a great view.

And I wouldn't have had the chance to gain so much confidence about my Miranda driving abilities. Driving out of there was actually tougher than backing in!

Next order of business was dinner. Mmm, charred bird!



(It was very tasty!)

This wonderful device was very useful for doing a preliminary cleanup on the greasy BBQ tools:



I then set up the computer and settled in to watch a couple of eps of a favourite show since it was way too early to sleep, but I was too tired to do anything useful.



Went to bed ridiculously early last night, so was up ludicrously early this morning. It was pouring rain and damp inside, so I decided not to hang around. Next stop: L'Abitibi.



Which is where I am now, parked outside the Canadian Tire in Val D'Or making full use of a free wi-fi signal I'm picking up. I have errands to run and am debating whether to leave the coach here and set off in toad, or to go off coach and all. There are so many RVs here that I suspect I'll be able to get away with spending the night here. I hope so. The other place I have lined up is 25$ per night and that doesn't include hookups!

Trials and Tribulations

I don't have any pictures to share at this time because my desktop computer isn't set up and hooking up the camera to the laptop is too fussy for the short time frame I have. So, enjoy all the bla bla bla and come back later for pics. :-)

Oh, I've written soooo much about the last almost week, but I need to save some material for a book! :-)

Here are some highlights from the past six days.


Friday August 29, 2008

-I successfully backed up into a busy street at rush hour as I couldn't very well sleep at my mechanic's. No one was injured during this impressive feat of driving. Thank you to David for stopping traffic!

-After spending several hours loading STUFF into the coach, I took off for a sports arena a few blocks from the house to spend my first night as an urban boondocker. The cats took to the RV immediately and slept good nights. Mom was too exhausted to fuss and had a good night, too. The arena wound up being quiet and dark. I didn't suffer for lack of 120V current and I really, really, really enjoyed being able to take a hot shower!


Saturday August 30, 2008

-Up at six, worked non stop, got the house emptied and the RV stuffed by noon, right on schedule.

-Was screwed over by Vidéotron one last time.

-Arrived at the campground absolutely drained and overwhelmed.

-Circled my loop, planned my entry into the site, came back, pulled straight into an empty site, and unhooked my toad, which is where:

Rae learns a very important lesson about towing

Watch where your feet are. The tow bars are heavy and purple toes are NOT a fashion statement.

Toes weren't broken, so I ignored the throbbing pain down there and moved the toad out of the way. Moved the coach back, forward, and back again, getting it into the campsite in one shot. Eyewitness testimony states that I seemed to have been doing it my entire life. Which is where:

Rae discovers that backing up perfectly (in one try) into a campsite is actually not the most important consideration at that time

As it turned out, I had circled my loop and reentered another one. I was in the wrong site. But, in my defense, both sites had neighbours with a blue tent AND both sites were of the same shape as I'd been told to look for!

A very nice park official checked to see if the site would be available for the five nights I was staying. It was. I could stay.

The coach was stuffed to the gills, I was overwhelmed, and just about burst into tears when I saw how much work I had ahead of me. So, I said *expletive deleted* that and went out for a nice dinner during which I formulated a plan of attack.

I slept the sleep of the dead. Never mind that the mattress is really too thick and that I can barely roll over. I was on my own mattress with my feather duvet and pillows. The cats were by my side. I could hear crickets outside. The wind was whispering a lullaby. I was home.


Sunday August 31, 2008

I slept so late I was disoriented upon waking up. I mean, the day is half gone by the time 9:30 arrives!

I hadn't been able to plug in my coach on Saturday since the prongs on my cord didn't match the holes in the electrical post. So, I just dragged the coffee maker and toaster out onto the picnic table.

A few hours later, as order begins to emerge from the chaos that was the basement:

Rae finds something that no longer makes it necessary for her to run an extension cord from her electrical post to the coffee maker set on a picnic table.

She believes it's a 'cheater adapter.' Possibly. Whatever it is called, it's an adapter. She now has 15AMP service!

One of the most useful things I did on Sunday was label a tote TOWING and put in it all the odd bits that I use for towing.

I took the afternoon off to get organizational stuff at Wal-mart's, then I head off to a friend's for a Labour Day BBQ. Her mom gave me a hibachi she had lying around in the shed and I am now able to char my own barbecue sauced bird!


Monday September 1, 2008

I was spending the day with a friend so I woke up early and attacked the basement. I got it so well sorted and organized that it is no longer stuffed to the gills!

At some point during this day:

Rae has a real light bulb moment involving a too highly chlorinated fresh water holding tank

"Gee the water is caustic. I can't wait to empty the tank and put in fresh water. Waitaminute. The tank is only a third full. Maybe I can use the new hose I bought yesterday at Wal-mart at a major discount and top up the tank with fresh, unchlorinated, water and dilute what's left?"


Tuesday September 2, 2008

WORK! I finalised all my files and opened cases and packed since I knew Wednesday would be a wash.

A separate entry will follow about the evening.

Which brings us to today, Wednesday September 3, 2008

I did some real work, spent some time on line, shed copious tears, received and gave a ton of hugs, and left the way I've always dreamt of leaving a place, with a tug of regret.

Doin' the Moho Slalom

I got the tow pins tonight. All I will say about that is that I'm surprised that I'm surprised about how that went down.

Anyhoo, I arrived at Miranda's parking spot for the last time around 7. I took perhaps fifteen minutes to unload boxes and empty as many of them as I could.

Then, I looked for the magic battery button, but I don't seem to have one, so I positioned Pommette for a boost. Once I got Miranda going, I manoeuvred her into place for hooking up the toad behind her.

Hooking up was surprisingly easy!

My tow bar is a Blue Ox Aventa II. I would have bought an Aladdin, which is a high end model suitable for towing a small car, but much cheaper than the Aventa II. The Aventa II, also a high end model, could probably tow a Hummer. It's really huge and heavy, but I like knowing that I could upgrade Pommette to a pickup or SVU one day and still have a tow bar I can use.

The Aventa II is a self-aligning bar. I can't figure out what's 'self-aligning' about it, but I can say that I was completely hooked up, safety cables and all, in less than 20 minutes. The hardest part was getting the toad lined up perfectly with the coach and at the correct distance. Then, it was just a matter of attaching safety cables and electrical wires. I figured out the wiring on my own. As it turns out, I had to open a thingy under the rig, push in another thingamabob, and then plug the cable into the thingamabob. I'd seen the thingamabob in the rear pass through and had offhandedly guessed that it was part of the towing system, so I was already one step ahead of the game when I couldn't find a skinny rectangular outlet for the wire.

I'm surprised by how easy it was to hook up the car on my own. There is no way I could have done that with a traditional 'fixed' tow bar, the kind with a ball coupler. The only thing I wasn't able to do was confirm that the brake lights were working on the toad, but since the turn signals were, I didn't worry.

Then off we went, the very picture of freedom and the antithesis of the current economic climate, LOL!

The drive back to Ottawa was very emotional. I was pretty sure it would be my last time driving up the 416 into a beautiful orange sunset and watching the pastoral landscape slowly become the skyline of the adopted city I will always consider to be my hometown. For all that's found, something else is lost....

I let Majel the GPS pick the best route to the garage where I would drop off Miranda. She had me go down a narrow residential street that had cars parked down it. The parkers were smart and alternated which side of the road they were on, so I was able to take a serpentine route all the way down. Maybe I'm just tired, but I really got a kick out of doing the moho slalom.

Towing was a piece of cake. It really helps that I could see the car in the backup camera monitor, as well as all the connections. I didn't notice much of a difference when stopping and starting, even on hills.

I feel positively drained and have to keep reminding myself that this time next week, the first day of my adventure will be just about behind me.

I Can See!

No pictures tonight, but I'll have lots and lots next time I go to Miranda!

Unfortunately, Mr. Wonderful and his son ran out of time and weren't able to install a second battery since they would have needed to run a load test on the first one. But that's no biggie, really, since they explained to me how to install the second one. It's something I know I can do myself since it's no different than is using jumper cables.

The back up camera is unbelievable. I bought it on eBay on the recommendation of several RVers. The seller is interceptinc and I strongly recommend him. The system was a bargain price and is of very high quality. It included absolutely everything you need to get set up, except mounting screws for the camera. I have a huge colour monitor that can even be hooked up to a DVD player and it has sound and a remote control. I can see almost two full car lengths behind the coach and the tip of the tow bar is evident so I know how far to backup. What a difference this is going to make!

The solar panel mounted beautifully. It's flush with the coach, so I won't be able to angle it to catch the maximum number of rays, but I knew that going in (the gimbled mounts are pricey!). There is a new controller on the wall that tells me whether the solar panel is charging or not, and if the battery is full.

Finally, the inverter was mounted onto the bookcase between the two arm chairs. Unfortunately, I'll need to run an extension cord from it to the back of the coach, so my setup isn't ideal, but it's the best that could be done with the time and resources available. I'm satisfied and thrilled with the quality of the work that was done.

Since I can't tow yet, Mr. Wonderful's son had to follow me behind the coach all the way to North Gower so that he could bring me back to my car (we did the reverse on Tuesday). Tonight was such a nice night, he decided to use his motorcycle. So, I got my first motorcycle ride! It was an absolutely exhilarating experience!!! I must have made quite the picture in my giant sunglasses, helmet, leather chaps, and biker jacket! That experience alone made the financial outlay on the electrical work worthwhile. I'm still grinning from the thrill of it.

Electrical Upgrades and Sundries

I brought Miranda tonight to the house of the wonderful gentleman who, with his wonderful son, will install my backup camera and do what needs to be done to make my solar panel and inverter usable. The solar panel is able to charge two house batteries, so Mr. Wonderful (or Mr. Wonderful Jr.) is going to go pick up a second battery for me! I'm therefore covered for 12 volt power, as long as the sun is shining. I'll still need to run the generator for the 120V power I need to run the microwave, coffeemaker (yes, I need to get a French press), printer, and AC. The way I look at it, a generator needs to be exercised anyway, so I shouldn't fret about using it for these items (except for the coffeemaker, I know, I know!).

I am so STOKED about all this!!!!!!!! Overwhelmed as I've been feeling, I was going to put off having anyone look at the solar panel and inverter until I got to British Columbia. Now, I can boondock my way across the country without worrying about my 12V power. Thinking about it, yes, but worrying no.

Except for my excessive hot water use in the shower (which I won't be able to do in an RV anyway), I'm very good about reducing my power consumption. I mean, I'm currently sitting in a dark house; nothing's on except my computer. So, perhaps the adjustment to RV life won't be that tough, reduction of power consumption-wise.

Finally, I learned that my fridge is not only insanely huge, it's a three-way model. That is, it can run on 120V shore power, 12V, or propane. In plain English, that means it can run on power provided by a campground, the coach batteries, or... propane. I've been advised to pick the 'auto' option and the fridge will figure out on its own the best method to run itself.

One thing remains a mystery, however: we can't find the electrical panel. *cue in twilight zone music*

While we were going over the coach, Mr. Wonderful Jr. made me climb up onto the roof. Eeep. But now that I've been up there, I'm fine. I just didn't know what the ladder was like at the top and now I do. I didn't even dirty my cream pants clambering up and down. :-)

Mr. Wonderful Jr. also MADE ME BACK UP INTO MR. WONDERFUL'S DRIVEWAY. I repeat. HE MADE ME BACK UP INTO THE DRIVEWAY. With his patient guidance, I got Miranda in smoothly! He also informed me that he'd kept an eye on me as he led me back to his father's house and that I was very good at keeping my coach centred in her lane. I definitely need to do some parking lot practising, but my confidence level rose quite a bit tonight.

Extreme Makeover: RV Edition, Part One

My mother and I got a ton of work done on the coach this weekend. I'm fortunate that I was able to get down to her place and that she was available. We had the full resources of her workshop at her disposal. As we raced through Home Depot on Saturday morning she said that she felt that she was on one of those tv shows where you have to decorate on time and on budget and I have to agree!

I'll start off with a bit of info on the drive down Friday. The weather was awful, alternating pouring rain with bright sun, but I had no choice, I needed to arrive that night, so I took off. The drive was really quite easy; I even felt comfortable enough to pass slow pokes. Montreal was harrowing, but Miranda made it through unscathed.

The most exciting part of the drive was stopping off for fuel. I wasn't sure if Miranda would fit under the overhang.

I'll let pictures tell the rest of the weekend's story. :-)

Next weekend, I'll have more pictures of the back room renovations; I'm just waiting for some sewing to be done to be able to show things off properly. :-)

Kilometres driven this weekend: just shy of 500.

The End of a Dream

This morning, as I slowly eased Miranda into a parking spot at Home Depot and then shortly thereafter began to rip apart the back room, I realised that a lifetime's worth of dreaming had come to an end. For better or for worse, I have begun to live my dream. And, thus, the dream is now reality. What will I dream of now?

*pauses*

So, I made it to Home Depot this morning. I decided to forgo the backup monitor installation and leave it for next weekend. I'll be taking Miranda for her first overnight expedition and that will be a nice project to undertake then.

Step 1: Get the mattresses out of there



Step 2: Dismantle the right-side box



After taking apart that box on the right side, I decided that I didn't want to muck around with the left-side box as glue is involved. So, carpet removal and floor installation would have to go around it.

Step 3: Carefully remove any trim so that I might be able to reuse it.
Step 3A: Find money!




Step 4: Marvel that the coach has wooden floors. Which explains why it cost twice what the mobile house cost.



Step 5: Find cardboard. Blink.



Step 6: Check to see if the room is square. It is. Blink.



Step 7: Install flooring. Takes about an hour and a half once you figure out the best way to lay it out.
Step 7A: Waste only one piece because you can't measure.
Step 7B: Pat yourself on the back.



This is Allure flooring in 'chocolate', available exclusively at Home Depot. It is a combination of floating floor and peel 'n stick tiles. You get a strip of three 1'x1' vinyl tiles (so the strip is 1'x3') with sticky tabs that interlock. It's quite easy to work with, although getting tight joints is tough. I'd give my results a 9 out of 10. To cut, just score deeply with a utility knife, bend, and snap (like drywall, only tougher). So, it's a really easy product to work with and produces results very quickly.

Step 8: Reinstall the trim you saved and the little threshold thingie that creates a joint between the hardwood and the vinyl.



Don't they look nice together?!

Left to do in this room is to rip out the carpet on the upper portion of the floor and then finish up the trim. I wanted to wait until the desk was in before doing the final touch ups. Plus, by the time the floor was in it was 3:30 and I was exhausted!

Tomorrow, I'm going back there to look for desk materials so I can finish up this project. I stopped off at Ikea on the way home (literally on the way) and was reminded that I hate to shop there. So, hopefully the Home Depot will have the necessary materials to build a nice desk area.

I stacked the two mattresses on the left side and discovered that the 'sofa' is going to be pretty high up off the floor. I'll live with it that way since I don't want to get rid of the second mattress at this time.

Finally, the right-side headboard is going to be such a nightmare to remove that I think it's going to stay. I just had an idea of how to incorporate it into the desk design--it'll make a perfect push pin board!

Today's mileage: Another 30km!

Tiffin '94 Allegro Bay Review

The coach isn't a definite 'no', but it certainly doesn't scream 'buy me, buy me!' It's filthy, the carpet needs to go, and the wallpaper is peeling. Otherwise, it seems in fine shape. The single pane windows are the biggest issue I saw. I got some data about the weight, but I'm not sure how much use it will be without having an actual weight for the empty vehicle.

The owner actually let me take it out for a test drive. He was fantastic, giving me little hints and showing complete trust in my potential to drive a 40' behemoth.

The end result was that I came out looking like a natural!

He took me to a fairly empty industrial area where I was able to practise both left and right hand turns, as well as reversing. Not even ten minutes into the test drive, I found myself facing a right hand turn with lots of traffic coming from the left, with no stop sign on their side. I assessed the various windows of space between the cars and smoothly and confidently turned onto the busy street, accelerating quickly enough that the car behind me didn't even need to slow down. I'm not ready to face Montreal traffic, but I'm not scared anymore. I can drive a 40' RV.

Now, I just need to know if I can drive a 40' RV with a toad. :-D

At any rate, upward and onward. I have a few more candidates to assess!