Day 4: Corning, CA to Los Banos, CA

In for the night at Los Banos, KOA in California. 

Corning, CA to Losa Banos, CA

226 Miles

Houston, we have a problem.

Just as we were about to leave this morning, I was raising the post thingie by the hitch - it must have a proper name - and noticed, "One of these things is not like the other."  Generally, that is not a big deal; however, when we are talking about the equilizer bars with sway control not being the same it actually IS a problem.

Gone.

The bar on the driver side was g.o.n.e. - GONE!

This may explain the very brief, almost imperceptible, thumpity-bump I felt as we shimmied down one of many snowy mountain passes yesterday.  Because hindsight is ever so clear, it would also explain why a thought flitted through my mind that my truck and trailer were sitting lower at the hitch than its normal level orientation, during one Mr. Thirty's fuel stops.

DISCLAIMER: It should be known that am a trailer hitch snob - for real.  I know, who knew that that was actually a thing?

"This rig will be level and happily balanced at all times."

I am convinced that this is payback for the many disparaging comments I have made when observing poor truck/hitch/trailer set ups. You know, the trucks that are flying down the highway with their bumper on the ground or with the trailer wagging like the tail of a happy dog. .... I digress.

So how come I did not notice that a major part of my hitch was physically missing during the second half of our journey yesterday?!  This is the million dollar question that I have had four hours to ponder today. I have no answer other than, lesson learned, the physical inspection will now include - are the dual-cam sway bars still sitting properly.

You may wish to skip ahead if you are not interested in the Mystery of the Disappearing Sway Bar - I have an over-kill Dual Cam High Performance Sway Control system.  The regular equilizer bars that hang by a chain keep your truck level with your trailer from front to back.  Having a dual cam system adds sway control as the bars are physically buffered by something really solid - not just a chain. This controls the yaw between the truck and trailer.

My theory is that during one of my tight turns at any point on this trip the bar itself did not return to the correctly seated position.  The straight bar has a curved pocket that seats it with the stiff thing that helps prevent sway.  During a tight turn the bar can actually slide itself out of that cozy arrangement allowing the turn and then when you straighten out again the pocket rests snuggly with the round thingie.  It must not have returned and simply jiggled out of place enroute until it was finally ejected.  This is plausible as I have not been checking and we have not uncoupled from the truck since we left home.  Sadly, this is something I can check when we stop but was not checking :(.

Today we drove south heading into rain and wind warnings with half of our sway and equilizer control missing in action.  At times, our drive was a little like those You Tube videos of planes landing in cross-winds; however, overall, the drive actually went reasonably well.

The continuous rain is much needed for these drought ravaged areas; however, I am not sad to see sun is returning to the forecast soon.

Random Things:

• Blue Herons in the fields except they are all white.  White Herons?
• CBC Radio One spent waaaaay too much time talking to Canadians about the pros and cons of daylight savings time on Cross Country Check-Up today. 
• We saw a very large water tower that looked like an alien space ship - for real. Maybe it was real?  Maybe we have been driving too long. 
• Why would a truck towing a tent trailer have a big roll of wire fencing tied down on top of the roof rack of the tent trailer?  The possibilities are endless. 

At a glance, it looks OK.  No, definitely not OK.

The rains, they are a coming.

Dominic is going to the dogs, completely and utterly.

Sacramento, California was a bit of a blur.
This trip has been like trying to watch a movie in a car wash.

And then there was the time when I saw this wide load approaching from the rear.
All I could see was about 3-4 feet of farm implement extending to the left, over the
white line, behind me in my side mirror.  Yes, this thing was MUCH wider than one lane.
Then it dawned on me, yes, this nutbar is really going to attempt a pass at 65 mph in the rain.
Let me just move over to the right so that your driver side wheel of your farm trailer does not
go into the gravel causing you to spin out thus causing me to spin out. 

In for the night at the Los Banos KOA.
Tomorrow we tackle the I-5 through LA.

And that brings us to now. I am wrapping up the blog, Alex is watching MLB baseball videos
and Dominic is watching World of Tanks videos on You Tube. 

Day 3: Portland, OR to Corning, CA

Portland, OR to Corning, CA
456 Miles

Ah, how nice it is to slowly wake, listening to the birds, as you check a few news sites.  You calmly browse through the Weather Network only to see that there are high wind and flooding advisories where you are about to go to.

Suddenly, you are wide awake and the Gypsy Wagon is on 30 Minutes Notice to Move!

The wind was to be worse later in the day so we hit the happy highway in record time - 7:09 am.

Random Things:

• Daffodils on the side of the road make for cheery travel
• Oreo Cookie Cows:  Black head and front legs, white middle, black behind.
• Fields of contented sheep, spring calves.
• Gleaned from CBC Radio One:  How to run a KKK sting when you are an African American police officer, why many pro athletes are broke within five years of retirement - OK that is not rocket science.  The Debaters:  Cats vs. Dogs, and a timely comedy sketch about how family vacations are all about paying too much money to stand in lines at Disney Land and how it is all about going from place to place eating - hmm, that might sound familiar in a week or so. And, on Rewind, how the advertisement jingle got its start.  We are edumacated now!
• Casinos are smokey, loud places but they have great RV Parks and buffets.
• While we do expect snow in mountain passes in early March this was in direct conflict with our 'seeking the sun' vacation bliss bubble. 
• Today's drive went from never ending rolling mountain passes to never ending grassy fields. We felt like we drove from the top of the Coquihalla down through Hope to Chilliwack and back a few times. 

Driving south through northern Oregon we were treated to cheerful banks of roadside daffodils.

Dominic takes one for the team and dives into the abyss for some Gatorade.

So many options - I just need some Half and Half ..... 

Getting passed by Three Trailer Man.

We needed a snokel today. 

And, our snow tires. Good thing my 'summers' are rated for Snow and Mud. 

Going down!

I said, "Pardon!?"

Just inside California we stopped to fill up Mr. Thirsty.  The gas station attendant came walking out very briskly after I took this photo asking me why I was taking pictures.  When I said it was for my photo book he was the one scratching his head.

As we planned this trip the town of Weed, CA caught the eye an imagination of the boys. So, of course we had to stop here.

There was much speculation as to whether or not Dominic could wear a Weed, California toque to school.

Mama's Drive Through.

The olive fields and creeks were swollen with the recent rains.

The power of suggestion.  We saw these billboards for about 100 miles inviting us to park our RV at this luscious casino and partake of their generous buffet.  Well, we are very happily situation in a fine RV park with full bellies.  It was a little smoky inside but after a long day on the road we were not feeling too picky. 

Hmm, this is what happens when I am running the water and sewer lines. . .. .

Day 2: Omak, WA to Portland, OR

Farmer, Washington. 

Omak, WA to Portland, OR
392 miles

We enjoyed a quiet night in Omak except for the local mill that emits a pulsating hum all night.  It was like someone had a leaf blower or a vacuum cleaner going.  Once you are sleeping it was not too bad.

This morning we followed the Garmin GSP along some secondary roads which we happened along last year.  Slower but very beautiful.  No cars in sight.

We encountered rain around lunch time which made for some tiring driving as the day wore on. Tonight we are at Pheasant Ridge RV park in Wilsonvile which is just south of Portland.  Note to self - Portland during rush hour on a Friday is an excellent exercise in calm breathing and character building as you roll along for an hour with hundreds of your closest friends.

After our spaghetti  we donned our PJ's and turned on a season of Corner Gas. All is well!

Random thoughts:

• Boys are smelling and silly.
• Pour over coffee beats hauling a coffee machine any day.
• It is OK to let the creature sleep in a bit - morning quiet time is a precious thing
• When the forecast is for an overnight low of zero use the furnace.
• Garmin GPS picks the best route through Farmer, WA - where the twin silos are at the end of the road.  
• The Garmin DOES NOT pick the best route south of Portland during rush hour. We are not talking about that. 
• Roads that go up will come down and then up and then down again.  We crossed many rolling mountain ranges today. 

Quote of the day:

• Alex: "You know, Mama, we could live in the trailer full time."  We will see what you are saying a few weeks from now, Alex. 

How to amused yourself in the truck:

• Spotting animals - dead and alive:  racoon, deer, horses high up in the hills, lambs feeding on hay far too close to the road, 
• Large white satellite dish field, Army trucks, three dams, big hay truck, wind turbine fields
• Listen to CBC Radio One to learn about how having a spin bike in elementary classrooms helps various behavioural issues as students learn to self-regulate. Educational.
• Dominic hums along to the Jazz channel and impersonates a saxophone.  Ear plugs?!
• Craning your neck to see the waterfall as you whiz by at 60 mph is a suitable alternative to actually stopping when it is pouring rain and we don't want to get out. 

Who knew that the drain makes the perfect coffee holder!?

Morning office time as the sun rises on Omak.

I always appreciate a fine 'token' guard rail.




Moses Coulee Road, Washington.

The air hose was located by the phone booth. 

Nice. 

We'll just thread the needle and get the Gypsy Wagon crammed in there. 

So many yards with derelict vehicles . . . 

Lunch stop near Yakima, WA.  It would have been nice to see these two
mountains; however, with the rain and low cloud it was not happening.












Rush hour in Portland.  Good practice for our drive through LA.
Just after this shot we hit the lines. 

In for the night in Wilsonvile, Oregon just south of Portland.

Day 1: The Gypsy Wagon Rides Again

What a delight to be on the road again.  I busted the boys out of school at lunch time and we hit the happy highway.  We did not get too far though as we stopped at Wendy's in West Kelowna to have lunch with Micha (Papa) before really getting underway. 

Vancouver is experiencing heavy wind, rain and power outages.  The Okanagan is getting off lucky so far with just some heavy winds.  That made for a jiggly trip south as we drove head on into the blast.

One reason for choosing the route straight south, and crossing the border near Osoyoos, was to avoid the high mountain passes of the Coquihalla and to experience short lines at the border.  Well, we did good!  Not a car in sight.  The friendly agent USA customs agent suggested that we should consider a day at Universal Studios as he asked about what culinary delights might be lurking in my trailer. No lamb, no goat, we are good to go.  All we had to do was pull ahead allowing another agent to do a quick walk through - no fuss no muss. . . except for when Dominic came bouncing out of the back seat of the truck with an epic nose bleed.  Nice distraction technique, Domo!

Our first order of business in Omak was gas for Mr. Thirsty - the first fill-up of many.  At $2.04/ US gallon the pain is not so great.

Next, we pulled into Walmart where Dominic purchased a tub of Cheese Balls.  Last year he only got to take a picture of it.  He is currently figuring out how many he can eat each day to make it last the entire trip. He has suggested that he should sleep with the tub at the far end of his bunk in case Mama is feeling snacky.  "If you have one, Mama, you won't be able to resist!"  Ah, he is always looking out for me. Little does he know that I stashed a bag of those Costco chocolate-covered-acai-berry-chewy-candies of wonder in the drawer beside my bed.

We are now happily situated at the Stampede grounds RV park in Omak, Washington.  Power, water, and solid wifi.  What more could you want?

My frozen, pre-cooked home made hamburgers are already a success. 1 minute in the microwave and dinner is served.

We are 'in for the night' at the close of Day 1.

It's a good day for a road trip. 

Driving south along Lake Okanagan. 

Walmart is a source of wonder.   Hot dog slicer anyone?

Getting close to our classy digs at the Omak Stampede grounds.
Water, power, wifi and very limited highway noise. It's a keeper.

We went for a short walk in the fading light up on the dyke behind the campground.
Dominic excitedly told us about the Suicide Race where people race down the slope on horses.
How does he know these things?

One Month and Counting

No sooner had the Gypsy Wagon been tucked away for the winter did the planning begin. 

March break 2016 - where shall we go!?

Hmm, San Diego sounds nice!  I have subscribed to an online gym since October 2012 called Studio Sweat On Demand.  The workouts are filmed on location in San Diego and posted to the internet twice a week.  In January 2014 I started a secret Facebook page called Sweaty Friends made up of women from around the world.  We all subscribe to SSOD and work out at home.  Our Facebook group has become a wonderful place to chat about our successes and failures, get warnings about killer classes and encouragement when the balls are dropping around us. 

Alexandre and Dominic think driving 2,700 kms one way to do an in-person work out is a little bit out there. 

"Mama, they won't even know who you are.  That's creepy!"

Ah, but the fun thing is they WILL know who I am because they have worked hard to create a meaningful online space. And, I am a bit of an over-sharer and send them regular pictures :). 

Last year our trip was planned around a Vancouver Canucks game taking place in Phoenix, Arizona. This year it is my turn.  

So, Studio Sweat and San Diego here we come. 

Stay tuned - the Gypsy Wagon will depart for points south on March 11th. 

2,723 kms one way.  Kelowna to San Diego. 

It is hard to believe but in one short month the Gypsy Wagon will be stocked and ready to roll.

Need we ask!?  Oh course the Gypsy Wagon is thinking of me.