New Tires!

 

I took my van to Les Schwab today to have them do a trip check and to check the tires. I haven't been getting very good traction and I want EXCELLENT tires for my trip.

Turns out the wheels were not aligned and two of the tires that looked good were almost bald on the inner side.  So I am putting four new tires on for my trip.  I had two choices and decided on the best quality with a great guarantee.

Total for 4 new tires, rebalancing and adding siping for better traction:  approximately $800

Ouch!  

However, it was time for new tires and I want to feel confident on my trip, so I'm satisfied with that. 

Just another reason you should have a repair/emergency stash if you are a van dweller.

Changed My Plan - Doing it Backwards

I worked for two days on my van trip plan, only to call Martin's Cove for a camping reservation and found out there were still FEET of snow on the ground. Brrrrrr!

So I decided I'd better start in the south and come home on the northern route in June.  I spent another couple of days making changes and was grateful I was able to change all of my motel/hotel reservations fairly simply.  

I've joined the Elk's Lodge so I'm able to stay in their lot occasionally, which will help with lodging costs. I went to my orientation last night and had a great time. Wonderful group of new friends!

Here is my current plan:

Joe will be home around the 19th or 20th so I won't have to leave the house empty.

I'll take off around the 27th. 

I'll head down to Hanford first to put some of mom's ashes with her parents' graves, see the Portuguese exhibit at the museum there, and visit a friend or two. Then over to Cayucos to take flowers and see the new headstone I bought for mom and Ken. The fellow who made it assured me it would be set by then.

From Cayucos I'll head down to Santa Monica to see the End of the Trail Route 66 sign. Since I'm going backwards, I want to start at the very end. 

From there I'll head to San Bernardino and the Wigwam Hotel. I've always wanted to sleep in one of those wigwam hotels! When I was younger, Lance and I bought an 18 foot tipi and loved camping in it. This should bring back some memories!

From San Bernardino I'll follow Old Route 66 all the way to Springfield, Missouri, where I'll take a detour to visit my cousins who live there. 

Then down to Georgia to visit my son for a few days. 

Then to Annapolis to visit my grandson.

From there, I'll head up to Vermont, New York to visit some LDS sites. I'll stop for a night at Niagra Falls. Then to Chicago and down Route 66 back to where I left off at Springfield. 

From there, I'll shoot up to Nauvoo and see Winter Quarters, Martin's Cove, and Salt Lake City. Then back home. 

I figure the trip will take about 6 or 7 weeks. 

For those who'd like to follow me, just save the blog address and check in every few days. I don't believe Blogger still notifies you when I make a new post - which is annoying as heck - but I don't have time to change platforms.  Can someone who is following please let me know? Thanks.

Happy Trails!

Annie

Repairs and Listening to your Gut

 So last week, I got tired of sitting around the house 

and decided to drive to Portland. 

I got in the van, headed out the back way 

and got as far as Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, 

a goose refuge near me. 

For some weird reason, 

I pulled into their waterbird viewing area 

and sat there a few minutes, thinking, 

'Do I REALLY want to go to Portland?'

I thought, 'Maybe I should just turn around and go back home?' 

I mulled it over, going back and forth,
and finally decided yes, I wanted to go,
so I got back on the Highway.

Well. . . about 2 miles before the turn off to I-5,
the check-engine light started flashing
and the van engine started missing. 

I did a U-turn and headed back to Dallas, Oregon,
about a 20 mile drive.
I limped into my mechanic's - and told him what happened.
He said repair appointments were
THREE WEEKS OUT!!!

Holy cow!

Oh well... nothing I could do about it.
So I called my son to pick me up,
left the van there, and hoped for the best.

My mechanic called a few days later.
He had been able to look at the van earlier,
due to a canceled appointment.
He ended up changing the spark plugs, wires, and coils.
It was about a $700 fix.

But you know? That's ok.

I'm grateful it happened here at home,
and not on my upcoming trip.

I had him completely check the van over
and as far as he could tell,
everything else was in good working order,
so I'm hoping for a non-eventful trip.

And I learned, again,
that it's worth listening to your gut. 

This coming week, I'll be super-cleaning the van
and deciding what I do and do not need on my trip.
I bought a car-top carrier
because I need to take some items to my son in Georgia.
I'll probably leave it there once it's emptied.
I'd like to travel light.

So that was my excitement for the week.
How has your week been?

That's it for now!

Happy Spring Equinox World!

Love,

Annie

Cross Country Trip

 Spring is on its way and I'm planning a HUGE trip across the country! I've visited most of Western Europe and I've seen some of the Western United States but except for short stints living in Florida and Georgia, I've never seen the Eastern side of the country.  My son, Rob, moved to Georgia last summer, and I miss him like crazy, and that is what started this trip plan.

I'm hoping to start around April 22 after Joe returns home from the desert. I don't want to leave the house empty, and anytime before that will be too cold.

I love genealogy and part of the trip will be seeing my ancestor's digs, part will be visiting cousins, part will be seeing ancient mounds in America, and part will be visiting LDS historical sites. 

I also want to visit my grandson who is at Annapolis! He's very excited because on May 17, the Naval Academy is holding the Herndon Climb, and I'll be there to watch him climb! (Oops!  He just informed me that it is the Plebes that climb and he is not a Plebe!  lol!). So we will watch the Plebes climb. 

Learn more about the Herndon Climb here:
About the Herndon Climb

I'll begin my trip from my home in Dallas, Oregon. I'll drive to Salt Lake City and spending a few days as a tourist there. 

From Salt Lake, I will travel to Martin's Cove in Wyoming. This is where the Martin Handcart Company and the Hunt and Hodgett Wagon Companies sheltered while awaiting rescue in the Fall of 1856.

From Martin's Cove I travel to Nauvoo, Illinois. Nauvoo was the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1839 to 1846.  There are over 20 historic homes to visit as well as concerts, dance and theatrical vignettes. 

After Nauvoo, I'll visit my cousins, Vonda, Doug, and Steve, who live in and near Harrisonville, Missouri. Then Vonda and I will spend a few days visiting Branson!

From Branson, I'll visit my cousin, Millie, who will show me around the old Hall ancestral homestead in Ash Flat, Arkansas. 

Then on to the Cato homestead in Cape Girardeau. 

From there, I'll shoot down to Chatsworth, Georgia to visit my son, Rob and my ex-husband, Joe. 

PART 2

From Chatsworth, 

it's up to Annapolis to see my handsome, brilliant grandson, Hiathan:

Next is Sharon, Vermont

to see the birthplace of Joseph Smith.

Then to Palmyra, New York, site of the Sacred Grove.

After Palmyra, I'll spend a couple of days visiting Niagra Falls.

Then down to Kirtland, Ohio.

From Kirtland, I'm heading south again

to see the Serpent Mound. 

I'll camp here to rest a couple of days at Mineral Springs.

I also want to see Fort Ancient,

another set of ancient mounds.

It is on my way back up to Chicago.

I'll stop in Chicago just long enough 

to get a quick photo of the beginning of Route 66,

then down to Joliet to start Part 3,

and my trip back home.

Part 3 will be along Old Route 66 

from Joliet all the way back to California.

As some of you may recall,

I started traveling 'backwards' on Route 66

right before my mother fell.

I got as far as Carlsbad Caverns.

This time I'll travel the way it was meant to be traveled.

I will be taking a couple of side trips,

maybe to Painted Desert and Grand Canyon.

I hope some of you will follow me!

Just click the follow button in the upper right corner.

I'm getting excited!

Love,

Annie

My New Shelter!

 

Last week I purchased a Kelty Backroads Shelter for my van.

Today I set it up and it was soooo easy!

I'll mostly use it in the desert this winter for shade and privacy.  It's plenty big enough for a chair or two, or a table, and as you can see, it's high enough for Joe to stand up in, so I can use it for changing clothes. 

The sides drop down and can be staked out tight and there is a door complete with window on the front (see photo with Joe).

It should be good and sturday in the wind. It can either be strapped to the van cargo rack or there are longer straps that can go all the way over the van and attach to the tires on the other side.

At only $160, it's cheap rent, and can be replaced yearly if needed.

I can't wait to try it out!

Photo from Internet to show sides down

Got My Seat Turned Around!

 I'm so excited!

I finally found someone to turn the passenger seat around in my Toyota Sienna and TODAY WAS THE DAY! 

HooRAY!

He only charged me $50. What a deal!

So... tomorrow I drive to Portland to get my hair cut and to pick up some of Joe's stuff. He's moving into the rooms that were mom's. 

Once I unload, I can clean up the van and reorganize for my Spring trip.

If you go back to my posts from September 2018, and then June 2019, I completed a couple of sections of Old Route 66 before my mom fell. I had to put the rest on hold while I cared for her. 

In April I'm planning to pick up where I left off. I want to revisit a few places in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Then I plan to drive Route 66 through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. In Missouri, I'm hoping to stop to see my cousins Vonda, Doug, and Steve. Then I'll drop down to Georgia to visit my son. 

Depending on how tired I am, I may pop up to Illinois and work my way back West. Time will tell.

Here is a dark photo of my seat.  And below that, a photo of what my last Sienna looked like when I was finished. This will allow me to put my battery behind (in front of?) that turned passenger seat, along with a cooler. Plus I love being able to sit in that turned seat to eat or work on my computer. It's also a great place to put my clothes at night when I'm sleeping. It's just so much more convenient.

Sorry it's so dark.

Stay tuned!

Love,

Annie

My New Oven

This coming weekend, I'm taking my first camping trip since hitting the beach early summer. I'm going to an Autumn Equinox Festival with my son.

We decided we wanted biscuits and gravy for breakfast on the Saturday morning, so I had to start thinking about an oven. I had used a Coleman oven in the past, and though it cooked ok, it was bulky and I wanted a more lightweight solution. I did a bit of research and ended up buying an OMNIA oven. Since I was spending the money, I figured I'd go all out and I bought all the accessories, including a metal pan insert (instead of silicone), a silicone insert for making cupcakes or smaller portions, a windscreen, and a temperature gauge. 

Web photo - Lasagne!

Silicone insert

Not my finger - internet photo

I did a test run in my kitchen:

All in all, I am pretty happy with this little guy. It's super lightweight, and though it doesn't completely brown the food (yet), the biscuits were cooked through and it's going to be fun playing with it.

Biscuits were cooked through

Cooked but not browned 

I think if I brush the tops with butter next time, they'll brown up.

I'll let you know how it goes... 

HOORAY!

Making Peace With My Belly

This is an older blog that I wrote and today I realized I had never published it. I'm 70 now so it's a couple of years old. 

***

My entire life, I have kept fit.

I've exercised, watched my weight, and worked out.
My stomach has always been flat, right up until my breast cancer.
Now all that has changed.

Since my double mastectomy, I've had what most women survivors call a "Buddha Belly!" There is a layer of what I can only think is lymph fluid that has taken up residence right under my scar line. It looks like man boobs! And below that is a rounded gut that protrudes like a beer belly! And the frustrating thing is no matter how much I exercise, stretch, work out, the damned thing won't go away.

I guess at my age (68) I shouldn't worry about it, or about my appearance. I mean, I'm not in the market for a husband or even a partner at this point. But I do want to be and look my best, so it does bother me. Plus my clothes are tight around that protruding abdomen.

While finding, fighting, and surviving breast cancer was challenge enough, the resulting lack of estrogen from treatment seems to have fast-forwarded the aging process, and that's almost more difficult dealing with than fighting the cancer.  My skin has aged 20 years. I've traveled my entire life and the roads I've traveled are nothing compared to the roadmap now residing on my face!  I look in the mirror and see tucks and wrinkles and wonder, "What happened to you?!"

The REST of my skin is sagging too!  I mean, what the hell!? When I bend over and look at my legs, they look like my grandmother's legs!

Then there's the arthritis, which came on with a roar while I was taking the Letrozole that was prescribed before and after my surgery. Letrozole is an estrogen blocker and it brings on old age in a matter of days, not weeks! Your skin ages overnight.  Your mind gets foggy. You lose your balance. And Holy Hell, your joints become swollen and hot. It's a bitch, in a word!  My feet were so painful at one point that I would cry putting them on the floor, even after a short rest. 

It got to the point that I dumped the Letrozole. Whether or not that was wise is yet to be known, but it was so negatively affecting my quality of life that made the decision after about 6 months to quit. With my type of cancer, my ONCO score of zero, a biopsy done with a vacuum apparatus to keep cancer cells from spreading, paired with a double mastectomy, there's a very low chance of recurrence of cancer. For me, the side effects of Letrozole weren't worth the extra months it might give me to live in misery.

So now, why am I complaining about a Buddha Belly? 

Well, because I'm a woman and I guess I'm more vain than I thought.

I remember myself being young, sleek, and in shape.

Now I feel (and look) my age.

And I don't like it.

Getting old isn't for sissies. 

Nope.

But...

I guess if a Buddha Belly is the price I have to pay for another 30 years of mornings waking up on this beautiful planet, another 30 years of enjoying my wonderful family, of traveling to new and exciting places, making new friends and learning to become a better person, then I guess I'm ok with it. I'll just keep moving, keep working out, walking, stretching, enjoying the sunrise and sunset, hearing the birds, watching my garden grow, walking the Camino, and being grateful for life.  And I'll carry that Buddha Belly with me proudly. After all, it's a part of this body that fought like hell ... and won the battle of a lifetime.

"Peace, Belly."

"Peace."

My New Kitchen!

 Today Joe finally had the time to build in the kitchen in my van.

I'm SO excited! Here are the photos.

Hooray!

I ordered a new camping table today.

I can't find my old one.

I think I may have let it go with my old van.

Tomorrow I'm going to pack her up for a camping trip.

I'll post photos when I'm done.

My new Kelly Kettle

 I haven't posted much in here lately as I've been caring for my mother and unable to go on any trips. I'm hoping to get out and about again this summer though. In anticipation of that, I bought a new Kelly Kettle last week. It will be nice to be able to boil water and cook without having to buy propane and butane so often.

Today I lit up my Kelly Kettle for the first time. Here are some photos showing you what happened. It was a VERY windy day. The wind was really whipping around and I didn't choose the best place to do this. It took about 7 minutes for the water to boil.

At any rate, this worked GREAT and what a simple way to boil water or cook with nothing but a few sticks I picked up off the ground. It did make a lot of black smoke but that's probably because I used junky bark and leaves. This will be a great addition to my van

My shiny new kettle

Be sure the whistle is pointing DOWN so you don't get a steam burn.

I just built a small fire in the pan using leaves, sticks, and paper I found on the ground. It really was a dirty fire and burned some nasty black smoke. I'll be more cautious what I use next time, but I'm learning.

I had some fat wood so I splintered a small piece to get the fire started.

It was incredibly windy, but the fire took off easily as it was contained in the pan.

I found a piece of 1x4 and splintered it.

This may be what was so smoky.

Fatwood. You can buy this and all you need is a tiny piece to get the fire started.

You can also forage it if you're in the forest.

A piece of fatwood being split

I lit the fire. 

It lit very easily.

Once it had just started to burn, I set the kettle on top.

It immediately took off and was roaring.

This is, after all, nothing more than a miniature rocket stove!

I took video but for some reason, it won't upload.

Once the kettle whistled, the water was boiling.

It took about 7 minutes from start to finish.

I think with practice I can get this down to 3-4 minutes.

All in all, I feel this was a purchase that was worth the cash.

I'm looking forward to using it in the wild

or in emergency situations where I need to boil water for safety

or for convenience when the power is out.

Now to get Joe to build the kitchen in the back . . .