travelin roads

Pictures

2008-06-17T18:13:00.004-06:00

We're starting early morning kayaking trips and we did a trial run this morning. We saw deer, herring, swans, ducks, eagles, fish, and kayaked through rapids big enough fill the kayak with water and soak anyone sitting in the front seat!

Eagle!!!!!

You would never thing that an oil refinery sits right on the Allegheny river in Warren, Pa.

2008-06-13T18:13:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! We realized it had been awhile since we last posted so we wanted to do an update for those of you still watching our blog. We're still working in PA. It's been painfully HOT this past week. Luckily there's a river just steps away so when we can't stand the heat we just jump in the water! All of us took a 10 mile kayaking trip downriver earlier this week and we saw 3 eagles (and fish and turtles)! It was very cool to see an eagle up close and in the wild. Wish we could have gotten pictures but everything happened so fast, didn't want the camera to get wet. Most of us got sunburned pretty good too so we've been recovering from that the past few days. The feeling of our skin on fire subsided after the first 24-48 hrs. LOL. Josh and I have been living in a nice tent with an air mattress and it's surprisingly pretty comfy so we're going to camp out for as long as we can, probably through the summer. Our friends Josh and Piper let us use their house for showers, etc. Along with working for Josh and Piper at their canoe business we've been aquiring equipment to start making our own t-shirts & start a screen printing business here in town. Our 6 color 6 station press arrived this week from Sanford, Maine. I'll take some pictures to post. We're all really excited and having a great time so far!

Gypsy Moth

2008-05-28T18:09:00.003-06:00

Hummingbirds

2008-05-25T06:00:00.005-06:00

About half a dozen hummingbirds are battling for food throughout the day right above our heads. Here are a few photo's....

We made it

2008-05-24T10:42:00.002-06:00

We arrived in PA two days ago and are so glad to have finally made it. We'll be working here through the summer and will continue posting blogs and lots of pictures each week. The RV wasn't able to make the trip unfortunately so we're saving money to have it repaired at the end of the summer. Our RV adventure is probably over but new adventures are just beginning! Stay tuned!!!

Sweet relief!!!

2008-05-17T16:08:00.004-06:00

We sold the RV! Well, almost. After posting it on ebay a second time and lowering the price again we got several emails and sold it this afternoon. It should all be finalized on Thursday. Its exciting that we're done with the RV yet sad to let the fulltiming dream go. But we need to move on and figure things out. Heading to PA is still a top priority and we'll probably take Amtrak out next Monday if all goes according to plan.

UPDATE: The buyer pulled out of the sale so we're having the mechanic diagnose the problem and go from there. Figures.

Ebay

2008-05-07T12:16:00.003-06:00

We came back to Loveland after having Chevy look into why the RV was running on the hotter side. They did a pressure test and found an air pocket in the coolant lines but it didn't fix the issue. The RV is running fine around town but warmer on the highways. It could be as simple as the radiator needing cleaning or not. We posted it on ebay for $20,000 with no reserve for 5 days to see if anyone is interested. Now we're just waiting. If we don't get any interest we'll post in for 21 days and then head to PA.

Attempt # ??????

2008-05-05T09:23:00.002-06:00

Josh and I are going to give driving to Pennsylvania another try today. No luck trading the RV in for a truck and trailer, the dealer would only offer us $10,000! which was an insult and josh told them so. Needless to say we haven't heard back from them. We've had a lot of interest in the veggie oil aspect of the RV and have had a great time showing people how it works and taking them to get oil from restaurants. When people have seen how easy it is, and FREE!, they've started seriously talking about getting conversions done for themselves! I just think it's the coolest thing when you talk to someone who never even knew a diesel could run on plant oils and then next day they're totally into it. Our route to PA will take us thru Nebraska on HWY 80 (we're only taking the highways from now on), into iowa, thru chicago area, cleveland OH, and then onto Tidioute, PA. We'll be working at www.alleghenyindianwaters.com for the summer. It's a great place in the middle of the beautiful Allegheny National Forest and would love to hang out with some fellow RVers. I believe there is an RV park in the next town over and lots of tent camping. Give us a shout!

Another Update....

2008-05-02T10:04:00.003-06:00

Yes, we're still in Loveland, CO and currently looking to trade the RV in on a new dodge ram 2500. We should know sometime today whether or not it's a deal that the dealership can work or not. When we're not playing Mario Kart Josh and I are planning out different business ideas. As soon as we know what's going on we'll post.

UPDATE

2008-04-27T15:25:00.004-06:00

It's Sunday and we haven't left yet. We had someone interested in the RV just last night so we stayed today and took them for a test drive. Not sure if it's going to work out but we're willing to stay a few extra days to wait and see. We found some oil and are going to take them to fill up the RV later. We'll keep you posted.

feels like a long time coming

2008-04-26T09:16:00.005-06:00

Well we're still in Loveland, CO but the good news is we got our RV back finally! The service place that had it was pretty ridiculous and we probably could of had it back two weeks ago but they were ordering parts which came in yesterday and were the wrong size!!! We said forget it and just paid for what they had done so far and now we're prepping it for the long trip to Pennsylvania. So the plan as of right now is to leave Sunday, drive across Nebraska, Iowa towards PA. As for what we've been doing for 3 weeks?? A whole lot of nothing. With the wind we've had in Colorado lately we've been flying kites, spending time with our niece Lucy, and up until the Pennsylvania Primary we were consumed by politics. We're excited to start our new adventure back east and we hope, for our sanity, that we get there quickly and in one piece.

Kite flying is our new hobby.

Cheetah at the Denver Zoo.

Kelly and Lucy
Josh and Lucy

here for now

2008-04-09T13:18:00.002-06:00

We're currently staying at Josh's parents in Loveland, CO. We posted the RV for sale and have had some real interest so we're waiting to see where it goes. In the meantime we've looked at different 5th wheels but haven't made any decisions yet. We'll still be working in PA this summer and will go from there. Just wanted to let everyone know we're we are at.

Turkey, TX

2008-04-02T13:40:00.002-06:00

We figured out the awning!

2008-04-02T13:38:00.003-06:00

Driving down the road the awning, that we haven't been able to figure out, decided to unroll. Now we know how it works!

Sunset in Stratford, TX.

Caprock Canyon State Park

2008-04-02T13:36:00.004-06:00

We camped overnight at this beautiful state park near Quitaque, TX. It was quiet, well maintained, and RV friendly. At night you could hear packs of real coyotes howling in the distance, moving closer and closer to where we were. It was truly amazing.

Quitaque, TX cont....

2008-04-02T13:34:00.003-06:00

Quitaque, TX (Kitty-Quay)

2008-04-02T13:32:00.003-06:00

Our friend Jason placed 3rd at the motocross races in quitaque, tx this week! It was a quaint little town nestled in the heart of the texas panhandle. We spent a few days feeling like real full-timers, relaxing in the warmth of the sun and hanging out with our friend Jason. It was just what we needed.

The Big Texan

2008-04-02T13:29:00.004-06:00

Our first night in Amarillo, TX we enjoyed a meal and some live music at "the big texan". These two nice gentlemen played Johnny Cash's "folsom prison" for us while we ate and watched a young kid try and eat the 72oz steak (but "lost his dinner" at 16min to go).

"The Big Texan; home of the 72oz Steak!" .... if you can eat it within 60 min.....

Amarillo by mornin'

2008-03-28T20:14:00.002-06:00

Instead of driving north thru Wichita and west to Denver we thought we'd take a risk and head to TX to catch our friends motocross race this weekend. Our luck may have turned around, no problems the whole way to Amarillo. The rig even seemed to drive really smooth. We even found veggie oil at Arby's and were able to fill up half a tank. Hopefully we'll have lots of pictures and good news to post after this weekend!

Relief !

2008-03-27T18:02:00.004-06:00

We don't need to replace the motor! Whoo! There were a few different things that could have caused the coolant to spray out, nothing major, but major cost. We've gotten so much support from fellow RVers which helped get us through these past few days. Not wanting to give up the lifestyle we've come to the conclusion that living in a Class A motorhome maybe wasn't the right choice for us. We're looking into putting the RV back up for sale and purchasing a diesel truck and tow a trailer. That would give us the ability to have a vehicle to drive around town and a place to live. We'll probably pick up the motorhome tomorrow morning and then start heading back to Denver to start selling the RV. Even with all the maintenance it's still a great RV, just not for us. If this didn't work out Josh and I figure we could travel writing reviews on hotels for a living! lol

Here we go again.

2008-03-26T07:57:00.005-06:00

Yes you guessed it, another problem. We were on our way to Oklahoma City yesterday and the coach overheated spraying coolant everywhere. We got a tow, for free, to town and it's being looked at today. We don't think there's any damage to the engine but we wanted to be sure. This is getting old very quickly and we're debating on whether or not to just pack it in, sell the coach, and try something new. It's all just too much when we can only drive 50 miles before another problem arises, and they're not major problems thank goodness but problems none the less. We were pondering whether or not all these are 'signs' trying to tell us something....

UPDATE: Josh got his tooth fixed today! whoo! We went for a walk to find something to eat for lunch and saw a place called "My Dentist" that looked promising. We went inside to inquire about costs, etc and they were able to take Josh in right away to do an xray and see if an extraction was necessary. Come to find out all they needed to do was a little work on the tooth and put in a resin filling (which basically made him a new tooth) and it only took 30 min. We also got a call from Chevy and the preliminary diagnosis may be a temp gauge but they'll know more later when they have a chance to really look it over. We've been able to talk to many of our fellow Rvers thru the escapees forum and it seems like we're not alone with our recent mishaps. I think we'll keep moving and see where life takes us....

OK in Oklahoma

2008-03-25T10:54:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we just about decided to give up this lifestyle, sell the RV, and try something else. After experiencing one problem after another it was just too much. When Josh cracked one of his molar's last night and was pulling out pieces of tooth it was the last straw. (Josh is ok but will have to get a tooth pulled here shortly.) We felt like we were being kicked when we were down. This morning we had an appointment to have the refrigerator looked at in Bartlesville, OK. It wasn't working on Propane. They ended up being the nicest people around. They troubleshot the problem but didn't have the part in stock. They also load tested our battery's and said they where all ok. Then they sent us off showing how to replace the part and didn't charge us a thing. We where so great full for all there help. Next we stopped at a shell gas station to see if they'd donate some of their grease for our adventure. They where happy to help and we managed to filter about a quarter of a tank before we hit sludge. Meeting such nice people this morning definitely made us feel better about our situation and that it seems as though things might just turn around. We are currently stopped in Tulsa, OK taking advantage of Internet access before we continue on to Oklahoma City. Thanks to all of you that are sending positive thoughts are way, they are much appreciated!!

Spring is in bloom in Oklahoma!

Our second grease fill up.

How cute are these guys!!

Good News!

2008-03-24T07:53:00.003-06:00

The RV is finally getting worked on! Whoohoo! It's been a frustrating and stressful couple of days but hopefully they can take care of the problem today and we'll be on our way. Our refrigerator quit running on propane while we've been here too, thankfully we hadn't bought any groceries, and we're pretty sure it's just an ignitor sensor that's gone bad so we'll have to take care of that too in the next couple of days. We just want to get out of Missouri!

1:44pm: We're finally back in the RV and headed to Bartlesville, OK. It should take a couple of hours, we'll stay overnight at the walmart and in the morning go have the fridge looked at.

Why am I hungry for tortillas?

2008-03-21T18:08:00.002-06:00

We made it about 70 miles outside springfield mo today and parked at a flying J to dump our tanks and fill up on water when the inevitable happened, I spotted diesel leaking from the engine. Not a good sign. After doing some trouble shooting we know that it's coming from the return line hose but josh isn't able to access that area with the tools he has. So now we're trying to find some place that can just do the work for us, I don't think it should take long or be an expensive fix...we hope. These inconvieniences are getting old very quickly. On the other hand we ran on vegetable oil all day today!! Whoohoo!! What an awesome experience, we've been waiting for this for what seemed like an eternity. And no, the exhaust did not smell like french fries...it smelled like tortillas! Ole! Hopefully tomorrow sometime we can get back on the road and continue heading towards Fritch, TX where we plan to stay at Lake Meredith for a few days.

Our first grease

2008-03-20T21:49:00.003-06:00

Today we got the call that our veggie oil conversion would be done so we spent part of the day hunting for grease at restaurants up and down the strip by our hotel with no luck. We found bad oil, no oil, oil that was locked up, and nasty nasty oil. Feeling a little dismayed we went to pickup the RV and learned how the new system worked. We then decided to stop at a restaurant for dinner and check out their oil. Score! They had some promising looking hot oil so we went in and ordered dinner and told the manager what we were doing and asked if we could have their waste oil. She was hesitant at first but once we told her we'd pull up and pump it out ourselves in about 20 minutes she said ok. We then began the task of pumping our first oil. (Hopefully one day we'll be able to look back and laugh because it was such a hectic event.) We have a filtration system that comes in a black box on wheels that makes it easy to transport. In the box there is an electric filtration system, a hose that runs from the dumpster to the filter and a second hose takes filtered oil to the RV or containers. We popped open the box and set everything up and flipped the switch, the result was gorgeous clean oil! The oil we're looking for can be light or dark in color as long as it's clear. We were able to fill the RV 3/4 of the way and 2 containers. Josh turned his back for a second and the hose slipped out of the filler. We soaked up the mess and wrapped up our equipment and headed back to the hotel for our final night in Springfield. Now that we've had our first experience we will be more prepared. Yes it's a little messy and takes some time to find, but by using waste vegetable oil as fuel we are being environmentally friendly, saving hundreds of dollars a week AND drastically reducing our dependence on domestic and foreign oil.

Conversion Underway!!!

2008-03-17T17:07:00.002-06:00

So this weekend was kinda hectic! Luckily the oil leak was a hole in a hose caused by rubbing against the turbo! Our parking break wasn't as easy. Jenkins Diesel had it all weekend with specifics that "done or not, we have have an appointment for a fuel conversion at 8 am Monday". With that said we showed up and squared the bill at 730 this morning, started up the RV, and we couldn't shift out of park. We contacted Golden Fuels when they opened and explained our dilemma. I can't say enough about the group of people over there. They where very understanding and said they'd work with us. Lucky for all, the RV was back to the way we left it by noon and we dropped it off at Golden Fuels and they've started. Our parking brake still isn't fixed but we'll work on it after everything settles down. Till next

Springfield or Bust!

2008-03-14T13:25:00.006-06:00

We made it to Springfield, MO today after stopping for a few nights along the way. After our first night stay in Salina, KS our parking brake failed to disengage in the morning. Josh, the handyman that he is, figured out how to disengage the brake so we could continue driving. We called ahead to Springfield to see if we could get someone to take a look at it on short notice. After getting passed around a handful of times Jenkins Diesel said they could at least look to see if there was anything they could do. As we were driving to Nevada, MO that same afternoon we started to smell a burning smell but didn't think too much of if. We stopped for the second night in Nevada, MO and in the morning woke up to dense fog that delayed our trip to Springfield by a few hours. On our 2 hour trek to Springfield we smelled that same burning smell and started to think maybe it was coming from us. When we arrived at Jenkins Diesel we opened the door to the bedroom and sure enough, smelled a strong burning odor. We lifted the bed and noticed an oil like substance spattered all over the place and then a large puddle of oil on the ground. "Wonderful" we thought. So we are sitting here while our RV is being looked at and it doesn't sound like it's a quick fix. They said the parking brake is the least of our worries. It's times like these when we begin to doubt making this decision but it's also times like these when we look at the alternative, a lifestyle we were not at all happy with and a lifestyle we couldn't wait to leave. Everything happens for a reason.......
UPDATE: Luckily the oil spill was only a busted hose.
UPDATE: 8 hours later we are sitting in a best western hotel room until they can get a "diode" for the parking brake on saturday. Apparently it's an electrical issue.

The adventure begins!

2008-03-10T14:08:00.003-06:00

We are officially full-timers! We picked up the RV this morning from Nolans RV where we had our solar kit professionally installed. We can't thank Russ and Verlin enough! If you're ever in the Denver area and need some work done definitely check them out, they're some of the nicest guys out there. We're staying one more night in Denver and are then heading to Springfield, MO to have the veggie oil conversion done and then on to Lubbock, TX to watch our friend Jason race Motocross. We can't wait to start posting daily adventures from the road! Stay tuned!

What the hell is a spiral islander?!!!

2008-03-07T16:34:00.003-07:00

While surfing the internet today in our limbo mode, I came across Rishi Sowa's Spiral Island. How amazing would it be to live on 30,000 plastic bottles. Now that's recycling. Check out the site

www.spiralislanders.com

For all you travelers www.vagabondish.com is also a cool one I ran across.

Have fun exploring!

Josh

It's been a whirlwind!

2008-02-29T10:00:00.002-07:00

Early Sunday morning we left Colorado and drove to Sioux City, SD through Nebraska and Iowa all in 1 day. Josh was able to get his SD drivers license Monday and we were able to meet the friendly people at Alternative Resources, our Mail Forwarding company, and our Insurance Agent at Dougherty & Associates in Sioux Falls. The weather on Monday was mostly snowy but we started the drive home anyway, making it as far as Lincoln, Nebraska before I ordered Josh to stop for the night because I had all I could take of the windy and snowy conditions. Tuesday we finished the trip home to Colorado and spent Wednesday finishing errands, etc. Thursday was the day josh was supposed to install the solar kit but as we read through all the manuals and instructions our heads were spinning and we had to concede that dealing with electricity was not something we wanted to mess with. Luckily Josh had a connection through some great guys that he worked with at the hot rod shop and they referred us to Nolin's RV in Denver. They took us in without hesitation and said they'd take care of everything. We then took a big sigh of relief and headed to Loveland, CO to spend a few days at Josh's parents while our RV is being worked on. We actually found the sold out Nintendo Wii at EB Games and snatched it up immediately. Josh and I have been having a blast playing bowling (and all the other sports games) and are thinking of looking for a few more remotes for friends and family to be able to play with us. I'm currently trying to figure out the best TV to buy for the RV to use for movies, backup camera, and The Wii. As far as the retirement lifestyle, we absolutely love it! We're shipping out the car on Friday so we'll be beginning our journey to Springfield, MO to have the veggie oil conversion done and then we're free! We will head down to the Lubbock, TX area to see our friend Jason race (motocross) and then maybe go check out Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo and who knows, maybe we'll show up at your door next!

the sound of tin cans dragging

2008-02-22T18:23:00.005-07:00

It started almost 11 years ago on the "Grinder"! I had just finished Navy boot camp in Chicago and and was heading to Biloxi Mississippi for school. That's when I got down on bended knee and asked Kelly to marry me. Many years later and a fresh new start we completed what I started all that time ago! On Monday Kelly and I went to the Breckenridge court house and officially got hitched. It wasn't nearly as painful as they say! After sealing the deal they gave us wonderful parting wishes and a sweet little gift!

For those of you who asked for a mailing address for letters or cards (or large sums of money) here it is!

Josh and Kelly West
2322 Paonia St
Loveland, CO 80538

As for other updates...Me and the RV arrived in Denver Wednesday morning and Kelly followed shortly that evening. We headed up to see my parents and do some laundry as well as take a shower in a real bathroom, not some rec center! Ah, it's the little things that count the most! We will start the Solar Panel install sometime next week as well as get my license in South Dakota! Everything is still on track and we have decide to head to Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo Texas to enjoy a few days before the Veggie Conversion. Keep watching for more stories and pics. We really don't know what's next!

Josh and Kelly

Summit County, Colorado

2008-02-11T19:21:00.001-07:00

We drove the motorhome out to Tiger Run RV Resort in Breckenridge, CO yesterday. It was one of the first sunny and "warm" days we've had in a while so it was a great opportunity to get her out on the road again, and our tanks were looking mighty full so it was about time. The resort has over 300 RV sites that are lined up neatly in rows with mounds of snow piling up around them. We got our gawking fix as we drove around checking out the many different styles of RVs that were there, many new, expensive one's, fleetwoods, safaris, airstreams, and many fifth wheels. I never thought an RV would capture my attention like they do now. I took a few pictures, you can see some of the Breckenridge ski trails in the background. The third picture down I took as josh was trying to 'clean' the RV at a car wash, I think it's showing the keystone/loveland pass area where Keystone Ski Resort and Arapahoe Basin are located.

Josh took the pictures below this morning when we had to pull out of the garage for a few minutes. Can't wait to take pictures of her parked in front of the beach!!!

14 days and counting

2008-02-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

Only 2 weeks left until we depart from the cold and snowy Rocky Mountains!!! Whoohoo!! We are still parked in a warm garage while it snows almost everyday outside and the wind howls up to 70mph!!! Josh and I keep envisioning ourselves somewhere warm, sitting outside under the sun, just relaxing. After our last days here in Summit County we are heading up to South Dakota to get Josh's Driver's License and then we'll head back to Denver, pick up the RV, and head to Springfield, MO to have our engine converted to run on waste veggie oil. Then we're thinking of traveling to Arizona to have a solar kit installed so we can have power without worrying about where we will plug in next. As soon as it starts warming up in the North we'll head to NH (and PA, WA, MT & OR!) to begin remodeling the interior by installing bamboo flooring, painting the walls with non toxic paint and possibly disassemble, sand & restain all of the the orange looking wood cabinets. As for right now we are running around crossing things off our never ending "to do" list whenever we are not working. Josh came down with the flu this week so he's taking time to let his body rest. We just wanted to let anyone reading our blog know that we will soon be on the road blogging about all our new adventures!!!

It's like the Incredible Hulk

2008-02-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

My hair and beard get frizzier. my nostrils flair, and my eyes blacken...Awesome picture Pipe and Josh!

NuWave Breakfast

2008-02-03T12:17:00.001-07:00

We attempted 2 more meals in our NuWave oven this week, scrambled eggs with bacon & Turkey burgers. As you can tell we're keeping it simple. The eggs we whisked together and put in a pan on the 4" rack and then spread the bacon around both the 4" and the 1" rack.

The Nuwave guidelines say to cook the eggs for 7 minutes and the bacon for 12. After 15 minutes for both the eggs finally cooked and tasted like eggs......Josh likes the fluffiness of them but the consistency was a little tough for me (I think i'll stick to my stove top). The bacon took a little longer to cook but tasted pretty good, the best part about cooking bacon in the Nuwave is less mess!

Finished product. Looks like scrambled eggs and bacon, tastest like scrambled eggs and bacon. B+

Next we tried Turkey burgers! The consistency of the meat was pretty much like pasty mush in your hands but the end result was tasty and delicious! We cooked for 8 minutes on each side and they came out perfect.

Josh strongly dislikes doing the dishes, especially after the cooking the bacon directly on the racks the other night. Because we don't have running water he's been washing dishes in a bucket or down at the bathrooms. He's such a trooper! Tonight he created these neat little foil bowls to contain the grease from the burgers (and to decrease the amount of dishes he's have to do). Pretty ingenious. Keep watching to see what else the Nuwave has in store!

Today was also a special day....the pictures will speak for themselves...Enjoy!!!!

If Josh had a mug shot I think this is what it would look like :D

Our time here is coming to an end.....

2008-01-31T10:22:00.001-07:00

With about 3 or 4 weeks left here in Colorado I've started looking back through photos thinking about some of the great experiences josh and I have had.

Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Independence Pass (12,095 ft) with Mom, Kim and Nick, and the flower lined roadways at the Sand Dunes National Park.
Rainbow in leadville, steps at loveland pass, ice at montezuma.

Summit County, our home for the last year.....

This morning is our first official day as Fulltimers!! I finished cleaning the apartment this morning, left my keys inside and locked the door behind me, never to return again, thank goodness! Our RV is packed with all of our belongings, which amounted to alot more than I thought, I hope that we didn't add too much weight. It's amazing what one person collects in the timespan of a year and as you start going through it all you realize how much money you've wasted on senseless junk. Who needs a stress ball in the shape of Dwight Schrute's head (all you office fans will know what i'm talking about)? Apparently I did. "It's only a dollar" is how I rationalized that purchase along with numerous others just like it over the years. I think living in such a small space will teach us how to consume less and to consume with more conscious thought. I found this great website www.tumbleweedhouses.com "the tumbleweed tiny house" company. They manufacture small houses from 70sq ft to 700sq ft for those of us who don't need much space. My favorite is the 400 sq ft z-glass house.

As the weeks go by we will try and keep up with our blog, maybe writing more topical oriented posts while we wait to start our journey. Due to the fact that we do not currently have water in our RV I may not be able to do much cooking in the Nuwave for now. If we are able to stay in this heated garage then josh may fill up the tank so i can cook and wash dishes. Keep checking in!

Short Termers!

2008-01-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

Kelly and I are both feeling it. Our day jobs are becoming trivial and we are anxious to get back to our adventure. In time. Right now we are almost ready to move out of the apartment and in to the RV. We are so excited. All we have left is a couch bed and some pillows to get rid of and clean the place. We haven't found out about storage yet but we're pretty sure that we'll get the covered one. That means we can do some of our upgrades now. We headed over to the local green store Ecoasis in Breckenridge. The lady was so friendly and had great info on renewable, reusable, and recycled products. They also had some friendly paint. We're deciding on color...we'll let you know. That's all for now but we're so close, so stick with us!

For all you Foodies our there

2008-01-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

My new Nuwave oven has arrived!, and it's first meal, roasted chicken.

Step.1 Clean Chicken
Step.2 Season Chicken
Step.3 Put Chicken in Nuwave
Step.4 Cook Chicken for only 75 min
Step.5 Fight over who gets to devour crunchy skin first!!!

This machine seems pretty amazing and I can't wait to try cooking bread in it next. Yes it even cooks bread! Keep tuning in for more fun food posts!!

2000 miles, 8 states, 11,158 feet...

2008-01-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

1 power steering pump, and countless stories and friends, we're home! We headed up the steepest part of our journey last night around 7 o'clock Denver time. We climbed the 6% grades at 20 mph with semi's passing on the left. With everything running tip top, our beautiful trusty Trek pulled up in it's covered(yippie) parking space for a about a week. Kelly and I will clean er' up and start moving out of our apartment during this time. We hope to rent this space so we can do some up grades thru February. If not we will head over to a local camp site as we finish out our local jobs here in Colorado. Our little adventure has just begun and we had a small taste of the things to come. We had bumps that lead to great times and people. We'll have a ton more. For now we'll take care of business here and we'll keep posting the progress. Keep watching! You never know what we'll get into.

Disclaimer: This video has lots of foul language but is hilarious!!

2008-01-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

I've figured out how to add video!!

YouTube

2008-01-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Almost home...

2008-01-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

We slept at the flying J in Salina, KS last night and boy was it cold!!! I think it dropped below zero for sure. Luckily we have a great forced air furnace system which takes the chill out of the air and we brought plenty of warm blankets. We left Salina at about 8:30am and started heading towards Denver. It's been pretty windy so josh's been doing all the driving. We're also climbing in elevation so we've only been going 45-50mph which sucks big time. We've seen some cool things along the way like this wind farm. There must have been almost 100 turbines scattered across the landscape. I wish we had time to stop and take pictures of all the cool looking rundown farms and rolls of hay too. We are trying to make it back to Dillon by tonight and it looks like there's great weather and road conditions so hopefully it'll be smooth sailing.

The 24 hr blog is back!!

2008-01-22T13:58:00.001-07:00

...at least for the next few days. Along our drive we had seen numerous billboards for "lovealls RV" so we decided to stop off and see if they could have someone check out our electrical problem because not having Internet while josh drives is a nightmare. (I've been fighting falling asleep for the past few hours, my head bobbing every which way.) As soon as we walked through the door we were greeted by a genuinely friendly salesman who showed to sales and service. There they were just as friendly and were able to have a technician take a look at our rig even though they were very busy. An hour and $47.00 later we are back on the road with my dash outlet restored!!! The tech said that he pulled out a gfci plug in the basement storage area and put it back in a couple of times to clear out moisture that must have gotten inside and that was the simple fix. We were so elated to have our power back, I can't wait to take pictures tonight of the bed that drops down from the ceiling for you all to see!! We were also so happy to find a place that was willing to help us in our time of need. Take that RV America!! We love LOVEALLS RV!!!

On the road again.....

2008-01-22T08:23:00.001-07:00

We left Sikeston early this morning and are currently headed to St. Louis, MO on I-55 north. It's cold and a little rainy right now but we're just taking our time and enjoying all the interesting billboards along the way:) . Josh and I hope to stay the night somewhere in Topeka, KS if we can make it that far. It's been smooth sailing since we started driving this morning. Everything seems to be working great since we had the work done yesterday. Wish us Luck!!!

Learning to Blog

2008-01-21T19:46:00.001-07:00

To those of you with new Google accounts, congratulations and thanks for your dedication! To Kelly and I Google is our best friend. To those of you not wanting to sign up, we have finally figured out a way around. There was a settings button that allowed us to change from Google account holders to anyone to comment. So to those people without Google accounts...Comment Away!

Not a bad place to be...

2008-01-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

We’ve heard it a million times…”Everything happens for a reason”! Today more than ever this rings true. Kelly and I started the morning at 8 sharp hoping RV America could help us in our first stranding. They listened to a quarter of our story before interrupting with “Oh, we don’t do chassis work. We send our work to Sikeston Auto Services”. With directions to our next stop we thought, “Great, the run around begins”. Were we ever wrong! We arrived at the small mechanic shop and a young lad was energetic to help. A quick diagnose, he said “The boss will be in shortly for a second opinion but I think your power steering pump is going”. We were prepared for the worst. The tall man that appeared next was our savior. A GM instructor, he walked Kelly and I through the hydro boost and power steering system and called a kink in a return line and the power steering pump as the start to our fix. Lucky for us there was a pump in town and he was speedy to start the work, even with the fleet work he had to take care of on top. After a recommend hot breakfast spot, we filled our bellies and headed back, stopping first by the Goodwill and scoring some sweet threads to show off. By noon he had the pump in, but there was still a problem. The power steering reservoir was still overflowing a thick foamy substance. After completely bleeding the system, and a test drive, we were back in business. Needless to say we were ecstatic. We paid our tab and with one last recommendation, we were off to dinner at Lamberts,” home of the tossed roll”. What a place! They really do toss the rolls…from one side of the restaurant to the other and the portions where abundant as where the things on the wall to look at. If you leave there hungry, it’s your own fault.

So to sum up, we by chance stopped for a evening at Hinton RV park, connected to shore power, winded up replacing a power steering pump, staying a extra night, but meeting some unforgettable people and a monkey. Our stay in Sikeston Missouri will not be forgotten! We will continue to stay positive, knowing that life may show us great things in funny ways. Keep watching, who knows what will happened next. Thanks again Sikeston.

A couple more....

2008-01-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

More pictures from the inside...

2008-01-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

Magic Crazy Pants

2008-01-21T11:07:00.001-07:00

With time to waste while our rv is being serviced Josh and I walked over to Jay's Chicken for breakfast and then to Goodwill. At Goodwill I was walking up and down the aisles just wasting time as Josh looked around and hanging there on the rack in full view was this grey knit sweater. I must have walked around and came back to it 3 times and finally I tried it on and new it had to be mine!!! AND it was only $2.00!!!
Josh also had found some "interesting" pieces of clothing......I'll let him explain below....
I looked and looked for the Bad Boy logo and knew it would be free lifetime membership if I had found it. Alas they were just knock offs and knew the "Bad Boys" would spot me a mile away so I passed them up. What I couldn't do is pass up a photo op. How about that getup with a sweet matching lighting bolt hat?

Interior pictures - the bedroom

2008-01-20T17:56:00.001-07:00

This is our bedroom. Small and cozy, lots of storage.

This is our engine under the bed.....
Needless to say there's no taking a nap while driving on the road.....

personality type: RVer

2008-01-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Josh and I met a couple here today who help run the rv park and started fulltiming just last year. They workamp (work while camping) throughout the year at various campgrounds and were such fun to talk to. They were even nice enough to let us have a handful of their zip ties to fasten some pipe insulation we had bought earlier. (For more information on workamping go to www.workamping.com. As a member you have access to hundreds of seasonal jobs all over the US and Canada. It will be a major resource for us as we fulltime.) We also met another fulltimer named Bruce who stopped over this morning while we were unhooking everything and learned that he too lived in Colorado for a time. He came over later in the afternoon and we had another chance to pick his brain regarding a few of our hopefully minor issues with the rv. Many of the rvers we run into are so open and friendly, it's a refreshing feeling and restores some of your faith in people. Even as we cruise down the highway other rv drivers will wave as a sign of solidarity.

Color schemes....

2008-01-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Still stuck in Missouri Josh and I decided to venture out to Lowe's to pickup a new breaker for the fuse box and we ended up finding many other things that we "needed". As we walked up and down the towering aisles we came upon what seemed like thousands of paint swatches. Josh and I immediately started picking up colors that we liked and shoveling them into my purse hoping the person at the counter wouldn't notice us. After getting home and laying the colors out I started noticing a trend, do you? Red, blue, green, yellow......Over the course of the next couple of months we will be making the rv our own by adding personal touches and hopefully new colors to brighten up our home. The creators of www.livelightlytour.com have remodeled their fleetwood flair in a way which has inspired us to do the same. Check out their site if you're interested in seeing their 'before and after' pictures and reading about sustainable living in an rv.

No worries....

2008-01-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

We had another little setback this morning as we were filling up at the pump, what looks like power steering fluid started draining from an overflow hose all over the ground. It's sunday so of course nothing is open needless to say we'll be here another day in Missouri. Luckily there's lots of truck and RV service places in this town so first thing tomorrow morning we'll have it checked out.

Josh is still in good spirits as you can see! I think you all need to start a haircut fund for him. Please! lol

Monkey business

2008-01-20T11:25:00.001-07:00

BJ and the Bear ain't got nothing on me. One minute I'm filling up diesel and the next I've got this chimp calling me over! He told me some great secrets about road travelin. His advice will go a long way. You never know what you'll find on the road!

We have power!!!!

2008-01-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

We are currently parked in an RV park somewhere in Missouri and are so happy to be plugged into shore power!!! It's amazing how much power you use when you're not hooked up and you soon realize how power needy we really are (water too!!) In an effort to conserve we purchased a dandy little invention called the "wonder wash". You fill it up with 6 Liters of water, toss in some clothing and a little detergent, close the lid and presto!, after hand cranking for about 2 minutes you have clean clothes. Isn't it cute!!!

Josh and I are still learning all the in's and out's of the RV and for some reason have lost power to certain outlets and lighting. We were hoping that this would change once we were hooked up to shore but alas we were wrong. Tomorrow we will try and find a camping world to see if there's an easy fix to our dilemma. I'm sure it's a fuse or something simple but we just can't figure it out at the moment.

A view from inside....

2008-01-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

truck driver training....

2008-01-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

As much as josh dislikes having his picture taken I couldn't resist!

The police may not get them but Karma will!!!!

2008-01-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

As we were driving towards memphis, tn today on hwy78 a car pulled out from a road on our left side and pulled out right in front of us without stopping, slowing or even trying to get out of the way! Josh did an excelled job of trying to get out of the way but they crashed into us as if on purpose!! It's not like you can miss us!!! After the crash they got out in front of us and took off. Josh tried to go after them but in a vehicle like ours we lack the power. Luckily there were lots of witnesses and a nice couple followed us to the side of the road and had gotten the drivers license number. About 30 minutes or more later the police finally showed up. Apparently Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the country and things like this happen all the time. They said that there was nothing that they could do and to have our insurance handle the rest. As you can see from the pictures damage to the trek was minimal but you should see the other guy!!! They had a small honda like vehicle and the whole passenger side was a wreck. I never would wish bodily harm on anyone but I hope their vehicle is even worse than it looked. We ended up having a buldge in one of the rear tires from running over a grate on the road and we are currently having that tire replaced. Besides a little damage to the trek and our nerves we're ok and just a day behind schedule. Thank goodness for insurance!!!

Lions and Tigers and Eagles Oh My!!!

2008-01-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Most Safari Treks have these interesting "Dana" Murals on the back wall. They range from dolphins to tigers to eagles and even in some cases dogs. From what Anna told me they can cost upwards of $2,000!!!

No Crap!

2008-01-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

After the RV dreams, we woke in the parking lot of the Flying J in Siloam Georgia. With all the water, propane, and diesel one could handle we tried them all. First the diesel...Green handle is all we need. Next, the dump tank. After stringing our sewer hoses together, we got er cleaned out without a problem...No Crap! Thinking the fresh water was was going to blow out in my face, we keep filling. "Hey, is it overflowing out the bottom"? "Yeah stop it"! Needless to say we know where it overflows from. So far it has been a productive and educational day.

Reasons for veggie oil conversion....

2008-01-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

We had our first experience filling up the RV today....We only filled up the tank 3/4 of the way and look at the cost!!! We are definitly converting the trek to veggie oil asap.....

We were ok at this point....
Here's where panic started to set in....We have a 70 gallon fuel tank.....
This is where josh passed out :).......

Check out our new home!!!

2008-01-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

We took a few pictures for everyone to see, there will be many more to come in the next few days. We'll be checking and updating the site daily while on the road so feel free to post messages!

OMG! We have an RV!!!

2008-01-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

We are now the proud owners of a 1997 Safari Trek!!! After a day of flying across the United States we arrived in SC and finally set our eyes on our new home! We were warmly greeted by Chris and Anna, sellers of the Safari. Josh and I were so excited when we arrived at their home and saw the Safari parked outside that we just had to get inside the trek immediately!! As we poured over every inch of the trek Chris and Anna helped show us around, pointing out how things worked and where things were. Josh and I were so elated that we were actually standing in our rv! We spent some time in rig just before dinner talking about how we couldn't believe we were actually here. Chris and Anna had invited us into their home and we spent the rest of the evening enjoying a wonderful dinner and conversation. We are so thankful for their kindness and generosity and for spending so much time going over just about every aspect of our new home. We are settling in for bed now and as we lay here listening to the raindrops on the roof we are thinking about all the adventures that are to come...

THANK YOU CHRIS AND ANNA!!!