June 4, 2012

June 4, 2012

First state other than Virginia on our map!

Got up around 7:30 – Charlie had been up for a while, and was not excited about the coffee pot that we had to use – it had flooded the counter and made quite a mess…. There is another one in DiDi, so no problem, we will use it next time.  As you can see, I got to add Tennessee to the map on the side of Bessie, it was quite exciting.   

Charlie had pastrami and biscuits and I had Greek yogurt and dried cranberries, for breakfast and then we were off again around 8:30. 

Charlie and I are wearing our C&C’s big adventure t-shirts – so no one can mistake us for travelers, : ).

Filled up with gas at the Pilot in Crossville, I could not figure out how to use the gift card, you have to tell them how much gas you are going to buy and then they take it off the card.  Can you see the problem?  I had no idea – and did not want to say too much, even though she said they would just refund it… so finally I just guessed 150.00, but in the end decided to just use another card and deal with it later.  Only had to get 45 gallons, but it was enough that I had to start over twice because the amount maxed out what they allow. 

Had a great lunch at a rest area.  Parked with the truckers : ) and walked a little to stretch our legs.  The weather was great, not very hot or humid, we drove almost all the way with the windows open and the AC off.

Charlie is getting more used to driving Bessie and is more comfortable with each passing mile.  We decided to detour to Tunica and get a free room and play a little.  We had a wonderful room, a great buffet and a good time, all for about $9.00.  What a deal!

Tomorrow we will be heading to Fort Smith. Looking forward to seeing the Lowders!

And we’re finally off – Alaska or bust!

And we’re finally off – Alaska or bust!

53312 - milage..

After a wonderful weekend of wedding activities and time with family and friends, I am getting ready to go!  Ran by and gave mom, dad Connie, and Dee a proper hug goodbye, said goodbye to other family members as they left the wedding to go back home, and then went home to do the last few things that needed attending to.  I emptied the fridge, loaded what we would be taking, took last minute items over to Jan and Buz, argued with Bank of America about getting me my credit card ( now they will have to overnight it to Hannah’s house – since over-nighting it to Buz’s didn’t work) tried to get the T-mobile card activated and working ( um, no….)  and then deciding that all that could be done from somewhere else, I unplugged everything in the house except the fridge, freezer and stove, and headed off to meet Charlie in the Hardee’s parking lot. 

We loaded DiDi on her carriage for the next several weeks, loaded my pillows and bags in Bessie, put the food in the fridge, and headed off! It was about 10:45 p.m. but we were making tracks!  Charlie had never pulled DiDi in the dark with Bessie before, but both he and Bessie did very well, and traffic was light, so we made good time.  There was a lot of road work in Tennessee with many “dropped shoulders” that made it difficult to drive, but again, Charlie was a trooper and got us thru it all.

We made it to Knoxville around 2:15 and pulled into a strip mall only to see a “no overnight parking – violators will be towed at their own expense” so we wisely moved on.  We did not think it a good idea to start this trip off with being towed on our first night  - and while we were in Bessie no less…

So we moved down to another strip mall that did not have a sign, turn her off, pulled the blinds, and were asleep almost immediately.  The first leg of our journey had started off well so we slept peacefully.

YAY - we have internet for the moment!!!

Okay, I am going to cut and paste some posts we have written - they are somewhat lacking in creativity, but they will let you all know some of the fun things we have been doing.  The main thing to know is that we are having an amazing time, seeing some amazing things, and having the trip of a lifetime.  I wish all of you could be here with us to see it, but Bessie would be a bit crowded.  I will write some more specific posts when I can and just upload them when we can connect so stay posted.....

 Have you seen this RV?

Last seen headed north on I-29 near St. Joseph ,Missouri.... only a few people have heard from her drivers, and people are getting antsy and curious....

Hey everyone, it is getting late, tonight and we drove all day and  I will try to make the blog current very shortly.  We only got the mobile broadband up and working this morning this morning - but pictures are downloaded and we will get something written very soon.  Thank you for all your texts, and interest - we are having a fabulous time already and I cannot wait to tell you all about it!

Night for now,
Cheri

Is taking a blender and food chopper going a little too far?

 Maybe, but how will I make hummus with out a small food processor?  or smoothies with the fresh berries we find, without a blender?  So I have chosen small and light appliances, and decided that as long as we have the room, without having to cram items together, then I am going to take them.  For the shellfish we find ,or catch, (and yes, if need be...buy) we have a large pot with a steamer insert.  For our daily meals, we have a wonderful cast iron skillet that we can use in the oven, on the stove top, or on the camp stove.

I am also planning on bringing my sourdough starter, so we can have homemade bread, and have some to share with others we meet along the way.  (I will let you know how that is going in future blog entries, so keep your fingers crossed.)

Yesterday I took all the food out of the pantry and made a list of everything we have so we know what we have on hand and it will be easier to plan out menus.  As you can see, we have a lot of basics and will need to add fresh veggies and protein and we will have some amazing home cooked meals. 

 As hard as it is to believe, I was able to get all this food back in the pantry Charlie built and it fit perfectly.  Let the meal planning begin!

Time for a test drive. . .

On Memorial Day, we celebrated by taking Bessie out for a test ride with DiDi being towed behind.  We rode down to Marion, had lunch and rode back home.  Bessie did great, Charlie did great driving, DiDi followed along as she should and the only items that moved were three items in the pantry - so I would call that a success.

Today we filled up the internal propane tank, (80 lbs./ 16.9 gallons) rearranged a few shelves ( again...) moved plants over to Connie's back yard, ( where I am sure they will thrive - thank you Connie, Mom, Dee and Dad for caring for them)  and checked off as many items on the checklist as we could.  Since it was rather hot today, and we had the air conditioner running in Bessie, we extended our time inside the cool vehicle by taking a few minutes to congratulate ourselves on getting so much done, and if we had to, I think we could leave tomorrow and be fine.  But since we aren't leaving till next week,  I do have a small stack of items I plan to add tomorrow. . . . : )

It is official, Bessie has a name plate.

  Charlie made the sign as a wonderful surprise for my birthday. When I pulled into his driveway, this is what I saw - needless to say, I loved it.  Charlie could hear me laughing with glee 20 feet away.   I think it makes her look so friendly and welcoming.   This weekend, we added her name to the back too. 


In addition, we are working hard to get her ready for the road.  Bessie has been totally cleaned and waxed, we have added new wipers, and we are 90 % packed.  Most of our clothes, and camping gear is ready to go and a good portion of our food staples are in the pantry.

Below is a picture of our "new" tow vehicle. Charlie named DiDi -for "Dirty Dingy" - which she was when we bought her, but now she has new hubcaps, a new radio, new front tires, and the inside has been totally, totally cleaned.  I think she is going to be the perfect vehicle for us.