March 2010

Finally John took it our for a drive, so test the turning radius etc. We drove up Poudre Canyon outside Fort Collins


and more packing
John was retired by now. I was still slaving away. I still had a little fun.

Spring skiing at A-Basin, Lulu
In preparation for moving onto the motorhome I gave away my kitty Lulu. She loved being outside so much I was sure she would just take off the minute I opened the door. Plus I did not want to deal with a cat box on the bus.  I gave her to my friend Sue who had a cat and two dogs and she says Lulu is fitting right in.

My coworkers threw me a retirement party at the Fox and Hound. We had appetizers drinks, wonderful gag gifts-including this lovely Queen of the Road hat, real gifts and lots of socializing.  Some people from my two previous jobs also came. Above from the left, Kris, Toni, Linda, Suep, Pam, Kathy and Christine.

I went to Death Valley for two weeks right before I retired to visit my sister and go on the annual family trek.  To practice being retired! I had to work one day in April for us to have employer paid health insurance, so  I worked one day after Death Valley. We left on our Maiden voyage a couple days later.

Ibex dunes, sleeping in  Tipis at China Ranch

The pool at Furnace Creek Inn, Judy  sunbathing

birthday girl Judy, Neils, Suep, Judy and Laurie (that rock is on the fireplace behind me, not on my head!)

Rainbow on the desert. Next stop Maiden Voyage in the Penguin

Feb 25, 2010 Colorado

We found out you cannot tow a car behind the RV unless it has a manual transmission. We had 5 vehicles between us and none with a manual transmission, well not one that ran reliably anyway. I traded my Toyota in for a used  Subaru.  A 2000 with 130,000 miles. Nice beater car to tow and have gravel thrown at it the everywhere we towed it

the toad
Of course it needed a tow plate installed underneath it, a bike rack installed and wiring for the brakes and lights to they would operate with the buses lights, and later a hydraulic brake installed, that activated the cars brakes  when the bus brakes. Only a few thousand dollars worth of modifications.
John retired in Feb, they had his party at the end of the month. I was still working. . . He went on vacation with the FUBAR sisters and entourage. I couldn't get any time off. Called to gloat every day.  Unfortunately he came down with a chest cold and then broke a rib trying to  follow the FUBARs. Serves him right for going with out me!

I did get out a couple times . Cathy Frazier and Rosie and I met at  Breckenridge and skied a day. Just like the old days. I had always wanted to ski the lake chutes, they are only open when there is a lot of snow, usually late in the year and I go up to the top, and then chicken out. Today the girls forced me, it was wonderful and not even as hard as I kept imagining.

Cathy, Rosie and Sue, Cathy climbing to the top of Imperial Bowl-where the lake chutes are

This is Zut Chute, the best of the Lake chutes, looking down from the top

If you  look really close there is a skier at the bottom left corner of Zut, looking back up

Rosie on Snow White, Rosie and Cathy on Queen-one of our favorite runs

My niece Jill came to Aspen for a physics meeting on black holes. That is what she is researching in grad school. She had never skied before. So I went up and stayed an Martha and Jimjims. Learned some layman stuff about black holes and Jill and three other physicists took a ski lesson.

My friend Sharon came up and skied Highlands Bowl with Martha and I, Cory, the German ski instructor Jill found at the conference

Jill in the lesson. I went along to help. I forgot what it is like the first day. Jill skiing down a green run at Buttermilk

Jill and I

Jan 5, 2010 Colorado The beginning of the adventure!

I did not learn to blog till the end of Aug 2010. I am writing this beginning of our voyages after the fact.

John was retiring in 2010. He told me I had to retire too. He wanted to travel and he wanted me to come along. so I had to quit my job that I loved, move out of my house that I loved and move onto the bus, with a man I loved, but had just met- 3 years ago. I was totally freaked out. But what was I going to do, not do it? We both had to throw away a lot of possessions just for me to move in his house.
John has been researching motorhomes for a year. We have been going and looking at the different ones. He finally chose a Country Coach. He looked at many of them till he found this one. It had been owned by the man,s father who passed away. The estate was selling it. It had lived in a heated garage except when it was on the road. Only had 61,000 miles on it, which is really good for a diesel engine. It was in fabulous shape. He looked at it, then we both  went to Wiggins, Co again so I could look at it.  It was exactly what he wanted, and I was overwhelmed.  It is nicer than anywhere either of us has ever lived before. We went home, then he made an offer. Then it was ours!
We went back to pick it up. We rode with the seller in his car and drove the bus back to Denver. Thru rush hour, scared me to death, John did fine, to south of Denver to a repair shop to get it checked over and all the fluids and filters changed.

Here is my first glimpse of the bus, looking into the cockpit, The two seats up front turn around and can be part of the living room, the couch folds out to a queen sized bed. There is a leaf that fits in table to make it bigger for guests. They have to bring their own chairs. Up front is a whole AV system, and a TV and cassette player (it is a 2002) in the bedroom

looking back into the galley, the burners are  under a lift up cover under the convection/microwave combo oven, the sink also has covers.

the fridge (full sized fridge) and shower. There is a pocket  door between the fridge and shower. The bathroom sink . It has a marine toilet, you flush it with pedal, it has no water in the bowl until you flush it, so it won’t slosh all over when you drive. There is a sprayer in case you want water.

the bedroom. Queen sized bed, huge closet, lots of cupboards.

We got the bus back and John took it to a storage yard. He refused to let us sleep in it at the storage-he said it would cheapen the experience!  He refused to take it anywhere so we could try it.  To use it we would have had to DE winterize it, fill it with water. After that if it got below freezing the plumbing would freeze up. We had to wait till April. John spent most of his free time readying the bus to take off. I had no idea there was so much to learn about it. so many different systems.  I was moving out of my house into John’s. So I put most of my kitchen utensils on the bus. Towels, sheets etc. What to take, there is not much room. Especially after you put all the toys in, the gear to empty the tanks, maintain the bus, lawn chairs etc.  You really have to downsize. I remember that now looking back. It was really hard. But now I am so happy to not have all that stuff to take care of.