Cats in an RV

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Taking the House Out for a Spin

I’ll be here for most, if not all, of the next week, so this afternoon I packed up the RV and drove it a total of 1.2 km from my site to the dump station and back to my site. 🙂 The cats, Neelix especially, were most confused to find us stopping right back where we started! I have to say that this park was very well designed. Getting around with the rig was easy, with lots of room to turn and get in and out of spots. I’m not sure if this was done on purpose, but the area by the dump station slopes down towards it. This is great for dumping since you’ve got gravity working for you.

I took advantage of the move to park the car at the front of the site so I could park Miranda further back, closer to the hookup post. The way I was parked before, I didn’t have enough hose to get from the post to the city water inlet. This made me grateful for my new fresh water intake as it gave me the extra foot of hose I needed. 🙂

I’m surprised that I’ve gone a week and a half (feels like more!) without dumping. My black tank was only about half full. Not sure about the grey, but the sensors said it was full and I didn’t want to wait for water to start to back up in the shower to go dump. Coming back, my sensors informed me that my black tank was full, the grey tank was 3/4s full, and the propane is empty. Those things are great for comic relief!!! The propane is actually a third full. I went through quite a bit in the week between Dawson Creek and here because of the weather, but my consumption is back to being practically non-existent so I’m not even thinking about refilling the tank at this point.

The reason I’ll be here all week is that I’m in the middle of a fairly big painting project. I did a minor bit of painting on Thursday and the owner was impressed with the job, so he asked me to do the deck. This has turned into a more major undertaking than it probably should have been, what with minds being changed about the colour and my needing to start over, but the end is in site. I was asked if I wanted to stay on longer and do all the out buildings, too. Um, thanks for the offer, but I’m not looking for a summer-long job! I have been told that there will always be work here for me, so I’ll stop in the fall if the road leads me back here. Work doesn’t really feel like work yet, so I’m content to stay on. This is fabulous strength training for my poor knees in anticipation of the Chilkoot so if only for that it’s worth staying on.

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Endless Sunshine

The weather has been improving daily. In fact, the last three days have been nothing but sunshine, with increasing warmth. I’ve been going out with one less layer every morning. Tomorrow, I’ll be graduating to a tee-shirt!

Even though it apparently still gets dark in the middle of the night, I have not seen darkness in about a week. I go to bed in full daylight and get up in full daylight.

After a long, dreary winter, one’s first instinct is to get as much sunshine as possible. The first lesson the north has taught me is that you must crush this instinct in order to get a proper night’s rest. Even though it feels so very wrong to do so, I shut all the blinds in the rig sometime between 8:30 and 10:00 PM to simulate dusk. I’ve covered the windows in the sleeping loft, so it’s quite dark up there. But if I have to get up for any reason during the night (glares at the cats), then my night is shot–the brightness in the rest of the rig wakes me right up. But I have been sleeping better than I would have expected.

That said, the days are starting to have a timelessness that is most confounding. It is easy to get caught up in things during the course of the evening and the next thing you know, it’s going on eleven o’clock! I actually find myself watching the time a lot more now that the environmental time cues are being stripped away.

During the day, however, that sun is oh-so-welcome! I’ve spent the last three days outside from 10AM to 4 or 5PM. I’ve been going through sunblock in record quantities, but I’ve still gained quite a bit of colour and I’m sure any vitamin D deficiency I contracted through the winter has been remedied. 🙂

To think that on Sunday I found myself trying to accept the fact that spending my summer in the Yukon meant having no summer yet again. How quickly the weather has changed!

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The Chasm to Lake McLeese

This day was like the one from Thunder Bay, starting off great, with no warning of the disaster to come.

I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in about a month, so imagine my shock on Monday morning when I discovered I’d slept ten hours straight! The chasm turned out to be a great spot for a good night’s sleep, being pitch dark and blessedly quiet.

This was my first time ever waking up somewhere that did not require me to be out by a certain time, not counting Revelstoke that required me to leave because of my non-existent battery issues. I took my time, savouring the crisp, cold morning. I had fretted about how to get out of the site without unhooking, finding the turn to be very sharp for an RV, but the The Milepost, my bible for this journey, kindly informed me that Chasm Road loops back to the 97 highway.

I stopped just 30km from the Chasm to climb up to Begbie Summit, where there is a fire watch station. This was a 10 minute hike that told me that I really need to do more of these if I want to be ready for the Chilkoot. 🙂

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My next stop was for lunch at the 108 Mile Ranch site. I’d topped up the groceries at the Save-On-Foods at 100 Mile House, so I had a very nice picnic.

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My water levels were getting low, my tanks were getting full, my house battery was ready for a bit of juice, and I had a mountain of laundry to do. So, I decided that a night on full hookups was in order.

Using the Milepost, I determined that the McLeese Lake Resort, between Williams Lake and Quesnel, would be a good place to stop as it boasted full hook-up sites, easy RV access, and wi-fi.

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Williams Lake

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Williams Lake

Well…

This was a beautiful resort, but really not made for RVs over the size of a class B. I took a turn too sharply to get into my site and clipped the post holding the water outlet, then drove straight over it with the toad. Miranda has a nice scrape down the side of the battery compartment door and one of its closures is dented.

Damage at the site looked really bad and the owners thought they would need to call in for a backhoe to get to the underground leak. I was told that I was looking at a 500$+ repair bill. They were very nice about the whole thing, but I was beyond mortified and freaking out. My trip was over if the bill came to fruition; I’d have to dash straight to Whitehorse to get work.

Several hours passed as I did laundry, puttered around the house, and otherwise tried to keep myself occupied as I waited for the final verdict.

Finally, the groundskeeper came around to announced that he got to the leak with just a couple of spadefuls. As it turned out, the water hose was just that, a flexible hose, not a pipe, and all I’d done was rip a connection apart. It was a two minute repair. As for the post, it seemed pretty rotten and did not factor into the equation when they came up with a bill for me–50$ for the inconvenience and labour. Fair enough. *relieved*

The people at the resort were just so nice about the whole thing. I paid them in cash last night, but still went into the office this morning to make sure that everything was okay. The manager took me around the outside of the office and showed me where someone had just about taken the roof off the porch with their rig! I could tell that she was trying to make me feel better and it worked somewhat. She told me I’m welcome back anytime, but I’m not going back there!

The resort is absolutely gorgeous. I had a nice spot by the water, something that enchanted the kitties. But the ‘pull through’ site was barely so and their wi-fi is WEP encrypted so I couldn’t get on. So, while my night there wasn’t a complete and utter disaster, it won’t bring back pleasant memories. 🙂

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Tabitha being absolutely enchanted by the waves on the lake. Love her perch!

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The picture of food cooking is a secret message to my former boss. Thanks for the bag, it was delish!

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Detrenchment

Today was the first day of my last weekend here at Pacific Border and it was beautiful! Here are some of the projects I’ve accomplished:

  • Putting winter stuff away under the rig

I stored the aluminum coated bubble wrap I’d used to insulate the cab window as well as the foam blocks I’d stuffed into the skylights. I left the one in the bedroom, though, because it blocks out the light. I also put away the rest of the winter clothes and took out the summer clothes. I shifted some stuff around and got rid of a tote, freeing up room to store some items like the charger in the basement instead of the cab.

  • Resealing the entrance well

Even though I’ve had a rubber mat over the stair thread, water leaked under. There was also an unmistakable smell of eau de chat.  I washed the stairwell, sanded it, and applied three coats of sealant. I didn’t think that the results would be visually apparent, but you be the judge:

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I used Verathane water-based ‘crystal’ sealant. I love this product–it is easy to use, inexpensive, durable, and readily available. I usually get it at the home store, but Walmart had some for 6$ for a small container.

  • Cleaning the cab carpet

After so many months on the road and a few Tabitha accidents, it was definitely time to degrime the cab floor! I was going to rent a carpet cleaner to do so, but a rental was about 40$ for a day, plus a deposit. Also, the machines were very bulky and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to get into all the nooks and crannies of the cab. I therefore spent quite some time in the vacuum cleaner aisle at Walmart and decided to instead buy a carpet cleaning machine of my own for 80$:

Even though it will mean something extra to store, I have tons of room for it and the machine will pay itself with three cleanings.

I am very impressed with it because it is so easy to use that I even cleaned the seats in the cab, the bucket chairs in the lounge, and the dinette cushions!!! The machine’s footprint is small enough that I can wedge it between one of the bucket seats and the back of the passenger seat so that it can remain handy, but out of the way. It also seems quite sturdy.

This was in no means an impulse buy; I’ve been looking for a compact carpet cleaner and this was the first model I found that seemed halfway decent. So far, so good!

I also, finally (*rolls eyes*) laid down some plastic mats in the cab.

  • Charging the truck battery and testing the starter

I have been remiss in keeping the battery at a good charge, so I trickled charged it this afternoon, then started the truck to make sure it would. It took a bit of coaxing, so first thing I will do Saturday morning is get the charger on it.

I spoke with some neighbours and was told that the Mr. Lube at 200th and the Fraser Highway in Langley will be able to accommodate Miranda, and this without an appointment. That’s right on my way north, so super convenient. If my shopping goes well tomorrow, I might head out of this area on Saturday after all!

Finally, my cats would like to start the rumour that I am the most horrible mother in the world. I would like the opportunity to respond to that. Since I was cleaning the carpets and sealing the stairs, and it was a beautiful day out, I decided to throw open all the doors to make drying easier. I therefore had to ‘lock’ the cats in the back part of the rig (LOVE having a real door!). They had fully half the rig to themselves–the dressing room and the study, with three big windows for entertainment and two skylights for air (plus the shower skylight!). They also had food, water, a litter box, and several soft places to curl up on. They therefore had no reason to be sit at the door howling to be let out!!!

For dinner, I decided to try out Chicken Bob’s Cantina in White Rock where I had their very yummy chicken enchiladas, cantina-style, and a couple of Coronas. Sure felt like a Saturday night even if it’s Sunday. 🙂

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Choosing a Toad

I ogled a friend’s cute two-seater sports car today, briefly fantasizing about pulling something like that behind my RV, but I came back to reality pretty quickly.

Some RVers are attracted to the idea of towing a subcompact, such as a Smart car. I don’t find these vehicles practical. I need room for cargo (groceries, renovation supplies, luggage, etc.) and must be able to transport two cats in their carriers. Therefore, I need a back seat and a trunk.

While I didn’t know I would end up towing it, my car is the perfect toad for me. It is a 2008 Hyundai Accent and has the following features:

-A standard transmission that allows me to tow it ‘four down’ without any modifications or a dolly, meaning that my only towing costs were for the baseplate installation. The standard transmission is also cheaper to start with by several thousand dollars;

-It is a three-door hatchback, which gives me all the cargo space I need, but in a smaller package than a five-door version. The front seats slide forward, making it easy for the odd backseat passenger to slip inside. This feature also means that I can get into the back to buckle the cats in, something that I could not do when I had a four-door sedan;

-The car was relatively inexpensive, which makes it easier to accept road dings and self-stupidity;

-This model is very popular, so parts are available all over North America at fair prices and just about any garage can service them.

Hyundais do not have a very good resale value, but when you consider the cost and hassle of getting a tow plate installed, it’s worth trying to drive that car into the ground.

I’m not enamoured with my car (I much preferred my 2004 Accent!), but it suits my needs perfectly and I am grateful that even though it was bought before I made the decision to RV, it would have been my chosen toad anyway.

As an aside, I love the fact that my toad is green. 🙂