We made it home!

We made it home.  I decided to take the Grapevine (Highway 5), as the Internet site for California freeways didn't show any problems.  We left at 5:30 am and arrived home at 2:30 pm.  That's 9 hours, about 1.5 hours more than driving my car to/from Vacaville.  It was again a really nice drive. 

Katie did really well the whole trip, but right now she's sleeping in the bedroom, not something she usually does when I'm home.  She's beat!  I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight, too.  

My son, Tom, called me on the way home this morning as he was driving to work.  I told him about the crunch on the side.  He was very non-plussed about it.  The refinishing business he owns, one office in San Jose, CA and one in San Diego, CA has 30+ trucks - little Ford Rangers - that all the technicians drive.  Tom also has an auto body shop where he makes any repairs the trucks need, among other things. He said there's nothing they can't fix, and not to worry about it.  They will do a good job on it.  So in addition to fixing any fiberglass issues, he thinks they will be able to fix the storage door, too, so I won't have to order a new one.  That is such a relief!

Thank you all for your stories of your own "crunches."  Virtually everyone I've told who owns an RV had their own story, some minor, some not so minor. It's nice to know I'm not the only one - I felt like such an idiot!  I could see everyone's head turned to the RV when I heard the crunch, but I acted like it was nothing, very cool.  (But, of course, I couldn't wait to drive down the street and stop to see what I had done.)

Don't worry about me driving so many hours.  I visit my daughter twice a year and can easily drive 8 hours without stopping except for gas.  After that, though, I start getting antsy.  And remember, I'm not yet a retired full-timer.  I am still just a weekend RVer on a schedule.  But next January all that will change, and I will be able to drive 100 to 200 miles at a time, maybe less.  I do not plan to drive 8+ hours at a time then, that's for sure! 

 

Here she is, waiting until the next trip

 

With all her friends at the RV storage lot

When I was unpacking, my mailman was here delivering my mail, and two books I ordered were here. Woodall's RV Owner's Handbook, just in time, and Woodalls North American Campground Directory.  JUST IN TIME.  When I publish this post I'm going to find a place close by where I can camp for a couple of days - not next weekend, but the one after that.  I've been having overnights with grandchildren and now I want to go off on my own and really use it.  Cook dinners, put out the awning, sleep in late.  That sounds so good!

Oh, also, I figured my miles per gallon.  8.3 mpg   Not too good, I was hoping for 10.  At first I got 12 mpg, but I was dividing the numbers wrong.  That made the 8.3 look even worse!  This trip cost me about $600 for gas - that seems really a lot but I have the receipts.  I started out with 3/4 tank and ended up with a little less than that, I figured about $25 less.  I have receipts for $575.  Add the $25 and that's around $600.   WOW.   I had full tanks on the way up, less so on the way back.  I'll have to watch that next time and see if my mileage improves. 

And look at this.  This is what I paid per gallon:

$4.16 (San Diego), $4.62, $4.30, $4.0 (Vacaville), and $4.50, all rounded up.  The highway gas stations are really gouging travelers.

Next time I'll post some photos of my grand kids, I got some good ones of Andrew at his Little League T-ball game. 

So that's it for our first trip.  The next one will be more relaxing.

From Me and My Dog, have a nice week, everyone! : )

We Made It, but OUCH!

Well, good news and bad news.  First the good news.

We took off around 5:30 Thursday evening.  Went up the 5, then headed over to 101 and took that until the 680/580, etc. on to Vacaville.

 Katie all set in her bed in the passenger seat

It was a fabulous trip - I LOVE the way she rides.  Very easy, actually more comfortable than my car for a long trip.  We stopped at the first rest stop to re-adjust some things, then took off again.  The next rest stop was a potty stop for me and Katie.  So nice to have my own bathroom!

The plan was to drive until I was tired, then stop and sleep until I was ready to go again.  The third stop was a couple of towns south of San Luis Obispo. I saw a Walmart from the freeway and pulled onto the off ramp and drove into their parking lot.  It was around midnight, and unfortunately they were closed. There weren't any RVs there, so I wasn't sure if I could park there, but there was a "Park and Ride" lot adjoining Walmart's lot, so I pulled in there.  I went back into the RV and there was the dreaded knock on the door.
 
A very nice security guard said there is no parking at all in that town, nor in the next two up the road, but said the Madonna turnoff  had a K-Mart lot where he always saw RVs parked.

Well, I had been up since 5 am that morning, and it was now midnight, I had a sore throat and had lost my voice, and I was a bit tired.  But having the window open and talking to him revived me somewhat, and I didn't have a choice, so we got back on the road.  We took the Madonna turnoff, but I couldn't find the K-Mart, so we got back on the freeway again.

About an hour later there was another rest stop, and we pulled off there.  It was now 1:00 am. Besides being "under the weather" I was really tired by then.  I think the Adrenalin was keeping me going, but it was starting to fade.  This rest stop was very well lit, clean, about half full of cars and a couple of RVs who were obviously stopped to sleep, so it was perfect.

Katie and I got comfortable up in the bunk in our sleeping bag with a down blanket over that, and we were out in seconds.  I slept like a log, and woke up - wide awake - at 5:00 am.  So, with only four hours of sleep, we were on the road again. I can't tell you how much fun I was having.  It really sounds awful, but it wasn't!  I turned on the truck heater, and it worked great.  We were toasty in minutes.  I had a big thermos of coffee, and the little bit left was still a little warm, so I finished it off.

We stopped for gas a couple of times.  Before I left home I put around $75 in the tank to top it off.  I stopped twice and put in $100 each time.  I'm not exactly sure how big my tank is, either 45 or 55 gallons I think.  But I figured out I get exactly 100 miles per 1/4 tank, so I can go 400 miles on a full tank.  I haven't figured out my mileage yet, but I will.  I think it's around 10 mpg.

I arrived about 10:40 am.  Just in time to go with Kristy and Lauren to Lauren's gymnastic class, where she was now doing "flips."  That was the big thing, she didn't want to try them before, but now that she can do them, she gets to go to the  next class.  (It's not a real flip, kind of modified.  Using the bars.) I was really glad I got there in time for Lauren's gymnastics class.

We hit a little weather on the trip, but not much, and a little traffic, but not much.  That extra HOUR (supposedly) added on to my usual (taking the 5 over the Grapevine) trip of less than 8 hours, was actually 17 hours!  Take out the four hours we slept in the rest stop, and I was driving for 13 hours.  I have no idea why it took so long. I can usually go 70 to 75 mph on parts of the 5, and I was consistently driving 60, a little 65 mph, so I WAS going slower.  But it took an extra 5 hours.

I'm praying for no snow on the Grapevine on the return trip.  I know it will probably take me 10 hours minimum in the RV because of the reduced speed, and with a couple of stops for fuel I'll be home Monday in the afternoon.  If I leave at 5:00 am on Monday morning, I should be home between 3 and 4.

Katie and I are having a wonderful time. Kristy and Matt and the kids have a new dog, Cody, a little dog that's part Chihuahua like Katie and they are getting along fine.  Both dogs love to run, and this is the first friend Katie has had.   I got to see Lauren's gymnastic class and Andrew had two back-to-back T-Ball games this afternoon, and he did really well. 

Now for the OUCH!:

 Can you see it?

OUCH!

You know,  this is just one of those things that happens.  My son told me I was driving the RV really well, the only thing he could see is I was making circular turns like you do in a car, and I needed to make square turns in an RV - drive forward more, then right turn, no rounded turns.  

I needed gas, so I drove into a gas station that looked kind of small.  I parked by the pump, then got out to fill up, and the nozzle didn't reach the gas intake opening.  I should have known then, and driven to the next gas station that had wider gassing-up lanes.  But I got back in and drove closer to the pump and further forward, which was not comfortable because I was too close to parked cars and wouldn't be able to drive out forward. But I filled up, got back in, and carefully drove forward, turned the wheel, backed up, and did that a few times until I was sure I could clear the parked cars.  Then I turned in a circular motion to drive out and "Crunch."  I backed up, another "Crunch" but I was free. I got out to see what the damage was, and I could clearly drive okay, so I went onto the street and pulled over to see what I had done.  I had just cut the corner too close, because there was a upside-down U shaped barrier at the corner of the gas tank and I hadn't seen it.

I thought to myself, "That's why they say to get out, walk around the RV and see what's possibly in your way."  So, now I can't open the compartment with my batteries in it, but I'll have my son look at it and see what needs to be done. I'll have to order another compartment door, maybe some new decals, and the fiberglass will need repair.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I work for my son, he owns the bathtub refinishing company I work for, and we also do fiberglass repair work to fiberglass bathtubs.  I'm thinking maybe one of our technicians can do the repair work and it won't cost me too much.  We'll see.

At least it wasnt' too bad - or I don't think it will be.

Andrew and Lauren have been sleeping in The Palms, too. Katie and me in the upper bunk and the two kids on the pull-out couch.  It's all very comfortable, and I'm finding I have plenty of room with the four of us, and sometimes my daughter Kristy visits us.  The rest of the time, of course, we are in their house, but this has encouraged me that with me and Katie alone, we will have plenty of room.

Tomorrow will be fun. We have lots of things to do, and Kristy and Matt are hosting a dinner tomorrow night.  Then early Monday morning I'll wake up and go home.  Hope fully over the Grapevine.

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  : )

All packed and ready to go!

I really want to leave tonight!

I felt pretty bad at work, drank two cups of tea with lemon and honey, per my local pharmacist's advice, and still didn't feel well.  I finally called Kaiser to see if they could fit me in today, but they were full. There was one cancellation, but I was too late.  I asked my boss if I could skip lunch and leave early, and that's what I did.

As I was driving home, I thought, why not leave tonight, and pull over somewhere when I get tired?  Katie and I could have a little snack, a little nap, or I could even stop and have a nice breakfast somewhere.  

I drove to the storage lot and got the Palms, filled her tank, and brought her home.  I've got everything loaded and let me tell you... Katie is sticking to me like white on rice.  As I type this she is standing next to me on the couch, wagging her tale, and has a paw on my arm. 

Even though I'm going to be gone for four days, I haven't done a good job packing. I know I'll be in Kristy and Matt's house except to sleep, so I brought some snacks and drinks, hung some clothes and stowed the rest in a suitcase.  Katie's food, treats, and toys are packed. And that's about it.

The weather forecast says snow on the Grapevine, so I'm going the coast route - Highway 101.  I've never gone that way before, it's at least an extra hour, but I don't want to chance having a problem with the snow.  It's actually quite cold and windy right now, with high wind advisories for boats, so it's even windy along 101.  I hope the weather doesn't impact our trip. 

I'm not sure if I should get some sleep and start out around 3:00 am, or leave now.  I just checked the California Road Conditions site, and 101 is clear all the way up.  I think I'm going to take off now.

Wish me luck again!

From me and Katie - have a good evening! : )

The new Motor Home is stored, safe and sound, I've named her...

I have a lot of new Followers to welcome.  I sure do thank you all  for following along with me and Katie, my dog.  Thanks to Gypsy Boho, PatternMart, Sara, Tricia, JoJo, Jessica, and LittleSis9!  Almost all have a blog, just click on their names for the link to take you to their blogs, except Sara and Tricia.  If you two do start (or already have) a blog, let me know.  Things are just getting interesting around here, so you are following along  at the right time! : )  I've already checked out some of your blogs, too, and have enjoyed what I've read so far.

So...

I've decided to name the motor home The Royal Palms.  She has different kinds of palm trees on her upholstery, and I can't think of anything else, and I love the "Royal," kind of like calling a tall person "Shorty." 

I started this post on Sunday, then pooped out and went to bed.  After 15 hours of sleep, I woke up and went to work Monday and I'm still catching up!  Here's that first Sunday part:

I'm so tired after the last few days, but I did it, and I'm home, Katie's home with me, and our new motor home is safely in storage until next Thursday.

I took care of a sick 2-year-old grandson on Wednesday, so was out of commission all day. On Thursday I went to the storage company I chose and handed over all my paperwork and signed the agreement and gave them my check.  I picked out the parking spot I liked, so I was all set.  Got my key card and that was that.

Friday morning I drove to my son Tom's house, and he drove me down the RV dealer, La Mesa RV.  I'd never been to their business, only the RV shows, and I was surprised how big they are.  I definitely should have been looking there instead of driving all over the place looking for used RV lots.  They are a pretty slick operation, and everything went like clockwork.  After the deal was done, we went into their store and bought some things I'd be needing.  La Mesa RV gave me a $50 gift certificate, so that helped a lot.

Then we took off.  I followed Tom for a while on the freeway until he turned off to go to work, and I kept going, I was going home first. I didn't quite know what to with her, since I wasn't keeping her at home, and wasn't using her yet.  I went into the house and looked around for a few things I could keep in the MH for now, towels, plastic tableware, etc.  I just had to put something away in those drawers and cupboards!

Then Katie and I drove her to Walmart to get a few things.  Next we drove to my son's house, and Katie and I had a camp out in my son's driveway with Kennedy and Gavin, his two oldest children. They were so excited!  We went to McDonalds in the car and brought it back to The Royal Palms for our first dinner in the new motor home.  We watched a movie on their portable DVD player, then had popcorn and went to bed.

The next morning we got up and after a quick breakfast drove down to Santee Lakes where I am going to live in The Royal Palms for six months, starting June 1 (assuming my condo is rented). I had planned on which area I wanted  - right by one of the lakes. But luckily I stopped to talk to a man named David in one of the campsites I was interested in, and he said not to reserve in that area.  Winter is great, he said, but summer in that area is full of vacationing weekenders who are constantly coming and going, loud music, he said the kids literally hang from the trees.  He was preparing to move to another area for the summer.  So he looked at my map and marked 4 campsites that would be good.

The kids and I drove past them and picked one out, then went back to the office and reserved it. I was not planning to make the reservation that day, but luckily David said if I didn't reserve it right away, there would be nothing decent left for a long term campsite.  I'm REALLY glad I stopped to talk to David.

We drove back to Tom's and Tom followed me over to the RV storage and I parked The Royal Palms and left her.  It was so sad. : (  But I told my grand kids she has all the other RVs to talk to. 

So... now it's Wednesday at 9:00 pm.  I went by after work today and checked her out again.  I still love her and am really glad I bought her.  I have no regrets, no buyer's remorse.  I like her even more now than when I first saw her.  I guess that's love. : )

Tomorrow after work I'm going to get her and bring her home and load her up for our trip to Vacaville to visit my daughter, Kristy, and her family.  I plan to leave Friday at 3:00 am to get through Los Angeles before the rush hour traffic.  I'm hoping there won't be any snow over the Grapevine.

I have a 15 day 100% warranty, and this trip will be within that 15 days. Then the next 15 days I have a 50/50 warranty on parts and labor, they pay 50% and I pay 50%, so if anything is not working right, I want to find out during the first 15 days.

I'm a little under the weather, have been all week, so I hope the 8 or 9 hour drive won't totally exhaust me.  I know its a long drive, especially for my maiden voyage.  But she is very comfortable to drive, I had no problems at all when I brought her home, and I'm going to take it nice and easy.

I'll let you know when I get home how it went.  And my next post will have pictures.  Wish me luck! 

From Me and Katie, have a good rest of the week, everyone! : )

I pick her up on Friday, and a couple of questions for you

WELCOME to two new Followers:  PMichelleTaylor and CJsKidsClub.com!  Thanks for following Me and My Dog.  You don't list blog sites, so I'll just say welcome, and I hope you enjoy following along with me and Katie as we venture into Full-Timing!

I have an appointment to pick up the Sunseeker on Friday at 9:30 for the walk through.  Just to let you know, I had some comments concerning making sure the tires are good (by the numbers on the tires), the generator and other things working well, etc.  I talked to my Service Adviser yesterday and he said they put the new tires on when they did the first detail/check of the coach.  So they literally ARE brand new.  I asked him if they would make sure she was tuned up, had an oil change, etc., and he said everything is done before they put her on the lot for sale.  Everything on her, mechanical and otherwise, is examined and it has to be at least 80% or it's replaced.   I'm assuming that's why they put on new tires.  So that made me feel better.  They seem really service oriented.  Hopefully I'll feel that way down the road, but so far, so good.  In fact, I've been very impressed.  : )

I decided on Progressive for the insurance, mainly because the response was much quicker than the other carriers and the first year's quote was lower.  So that's done.

This is a short post because I have a couple of questions for you guys, and I'm not getting much from the forums I've checked.

I would like to get an extended warranty - the gal I talked to at the dealer is going to see what she can do to get me something less expensive, but I decided to get some quotes on my own. I've got one from Good Sam so far and it's much less than the dealer's.

I'd appreciate any comments about who you have, recommend, would NOT recommend, etc.  There are lots of sites when I Google Extended RV Warranty, and I'd like just three more quotes.  I'm not sure if the companies listed in my Google search are reputable.

One thing that bothered me with the Good Sam quote was that the last page is a disclaimer from Good Sam in large type that the insurer is not licenced by the State of California. These companies are called "Nonadmitted" or "Surplus Lines" insurers.   Any opinions about this?

I've submitted my application for a storage facility that is 1.5 miles from my house, that will be nice and close.  

I'll keep you updated as things progress. Should have more info tomorrow.

From me and Katie, have a great Tuesday, everyone! : )