Author: Rae

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Eureka!

Andy Baird is a full-time RVer with a lifestyle that really compares to mine. It was by perusing his site that I became convinced that a class C with rear twin beds is the best layout for me. He’s also provided me with great advice on shopping for a class C and how to safely travel with an iMac. Through his site, I could see that he has a lot of really good ideas on how to get organized in a small space. So, when I saw that he offers a CD/download called Eureka! filled with his best RVing tips, I didn’t hesitate to purchase it. I wasn’t disappointed.

Eureka! is a treasure trove of RVing hints that is basically a full compendium of what this man has found to make RVing life more practical, pleasant, and safe. I’ve referred to it several times a day since purchase as I build up my ‘to buy’ list. Like me, Andy doesn’t like ‘idiot lights’ (ie. gauges that tell you something is wrong before you can do anything about it) and has tips for adding information gauges for your engine, fridge, and solar panels, as well as how to upgrade the standard RV tank gauges. Other great advice includes an alternate solution to a doorbell which will make RVing safer, plans for adding many extra linear feet of storage space, and an explanation of electricity in such plain English that I actually understand now what volts, amps, and watts are!

No, this has not been a paid advertisement for Eureka! but Andy has been so much help that I felt he deserved a shout out. Thanks, Andy!

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Storing Things

I was adamant that I didn’t want to store anything. It just made no sense to me–you pay for storage and it winds up costing you more than it would have cost you to replace the things and/or you have things stored at no cost to you and it winds up costing you more to ship them out cross-country than it would have cost you to replace the things.

My mother is adamant that I store my kitchen things in her garage if I’m not bringing them with me, mostly because the stuff is either very new or has sentimental value. She’s offered me a corner of her garage for a year or two. So, I figure that the only way I’ll get her off my back about this subject is to let her get involved a bit. Therefore, when she comes to pick up the furniture my sisters want, I’ll let her take off with a few boxes of the kitchen stuff I’ll miss the most–my dad’s casserole dishes and mixing bowls, my blue willow, my collection of beer glasses, and a few other items.

This isn’t entirely altruistic, of course, nor frugal, because it’ll give me an excuse to stock up on new, more RV-friendly things! I want to get a lot of ‘popware’; that is silicon and plastic items that store flat, lighter pots and pans, light dishes, etc. I do so love setting up a new home. 🙂

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Getting Closer…

The RV inspection is scheduled for a week from tomorrow. As long as there are no surprises from that, the owner and I should be able to button up this transaction with a couple of days after that.

I feel like I have a massive ball of snakes writhing in my tummy.

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More Officialisms

I’m houseless (but not homeless) as of 1 September. My landlords were happy to accommodate my request to break my lease a month early (yaaaaaaay).

Then, I’ll be jobless as of 4 September. My supervisor signed the first batch of papers today.

I now have just about all of September to get out west. The beauty of having your home with you and boondocking most of the way (ie. not paying for a campsite) is that it doesn’t cost any more to take four weeks to cross the country than to take one week. You’d have had to eat during those four weeks anyway and you would have done the same amount of mileage in one week or four. I just need to learn to slow down and not put in insane driving days, something I suspect will come naturally to me when the time comes.

Excited, so very excited.

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Itineraries

While I don’t want to make myself a set itinerary for my cross-country trip, I am researching my various route options for a couple of legs, namely that from Gatineau to Winnipeg and Calgary to the British Columbia interior. I’m mostly focusing on the former right now and just gathering information to be reviewed in Saskatchewan (!) for the latter.

Until today, I thought I was getting to Winnipeg the way I came back from there in 2005, on the 17 via North Bay, Sudbury, the Sault, Thunder Bay, and Kenora. I didn’t think that the more northern route through Kapuskasing was a viable alternative. Then, I began to read several trip blogs and forum posts describing the 11, a more northern route, as being superior to the 17 for RVers because it’s less mountainous (better gas mileage, less wear and tear on the brakes) and that it’s the exact same mileage. I liked the idea of taking a new route for part of the trip to Winnipeg and adding more towns and sights to my ‘been there!’ list.

So, I pulled out my trusty Michelin road atlas and looked at the 11 more closely. Suddenly, a third route opened up. I called up Google maps to test a theory. A nice feature of Google maps is that you can chart routes of your own choice by specifying that you want to from a to z by way of c and y. By altering my search parameters, I figured out the mileage between Gatineau and Winnipeg by each of the three routes. The 11 and 17 routes are indeed exactly the same mileage. My route adds only 30 kilometres more.

Therefore, unless further research makes me feel this plan is ill advised at the time of year during which I’m leaving, I plan to get to Winnipeg by way of l’Abitibi-Temiscamingue, with Vérendrye Park for my first night. This is my favourite place to camp and it would be lovely to say goodbye to it. Then, off to Val D’Or, a city I’ve been meaning to visit ever since I came to this region. After, Rouyn-Noranda, Kirkland Lake, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Hearst, and on past Geraldton and Rocky Bay to rejoin the 17 at Nipigon. From there, it’d be two short days to Winnipeg. If I plan on averaging 5 hours of driving per day at an average of 90km per hour, I’d be in Winnipeg in 5 to 7 days.

Originally, I planned to leave on September 15th. But I had a talk with my supervisor about this and she strongly suggested that I leave at the end of a pay period, so either September 3rd or 17th. The 17th is too late for me. We agreed on the 3rd, but didn’t sign papers because she had a few more questions for me to ask HR. Papers should be signed tomorrow. Then it’ll really be official. I’m so scared to let go of that steady pay cheque, but I know I need to do this.

Obviously, if I’m done with work on the 3rd, there’s no way I’ll hang out here for two weeks before taking off. 🙂

Next on my list of things to do is ask my landlord if he’d be willing to advertise my house as being free for September 1st. I’ve already given him notice that I’m not renewing my lease, and I’m hoping to not have to pay rent for September. I have a feeling he’ll be open to discussion on this matter.

So much to do and arrange and plan and research, but how good it feels to be so free.