Who designed these things anyway?

 (I’m skipping a bunch of stuff that I might write about later like clearing the house and moving into the RV.)

I can’t believe that the RV manufacturers don’t have at least one woman involved in the planning and design of their products.  If they did there would be better organizations options in the storage areas.

My RV has a fairly large amount of storage for the size of it.  But there is nowhere to store anything.  I mean how many items do I have that are 18 inches tall and narrower than 12 inches?  How many of us travel with hanging clothes?  Don’t we mostly wear jeans, shorts, sweats, and t-shirts?  So why do I have two odd shaped “closets” with 14” hanging rods?  Dishes?  Do I stack them 14 inches high?

I have some problems.  Where to put the food and dishes and clothes.

 

Problem 1:  three 18” high, 18” deep and 11” wide areas behind a cupboard door with stuff piled in.  Most of my food was in a plastic bin on the floor or sofa.

Solution:  I wanted to make the shelves adjustable so I could use uprights and shelf brackets but they would be hard to put in without the strong support in the RV structure.  So I decided to use pegboard and pegs.  I started by cutting “sides” out of the pegboard and deciding where I wanted the shelves.  I put 5 pegs across to hold the shelves.  These shelves were Rubbermaid shelves cut to the proper width.  I used different sizes so the shelves could be at different depths for taller items (like the sliding shelf in a refrigerator). Once inside and with the shelves in place the sides stayed up.  But before I could get the shelves in place they would fall over so I put self-stick Velcro of the back and pressed it in place.  Now the cans and packets have a place to reside.  I added button lights to put some light on the

Problem 2: having to use wire stacking units to fit dishes in the cupboard and messy over sink storage. 

Forgot to take a before photo
Trust me it didn't work.

Solution:  Why not do the same thing as inside the “pantry”?  In this case, I didn’t want them to be adjustable so I cut braces to hold the shelves and glued and screwed them in place.  Easy to do for the dishes but the over the sink cabinet was too long and wouldn’t have enough support so I added some cross pieces at the cabinet stiles.  Also, the wide shelf wouldn’t go in because of the close space between the doors and had to be cut so the cross brace holds up the two sections of the bottom shelf.

I had actually removed some items and put them
in the pantry already

Narrow shelf on top so taller items can fit in
front on the middle shelf.  Rarely used items
in the blind corner.

Problem 3:  How to store all the jeans and t-shirts.  Once again pegboard and glued and screwed braces. 

Used hanging "sweater" storage that left the
back third unusable.

Solution:  Since the closets are at the front of the RV they are curved like the front so figuring out the curve was necessary to give the shelves support all the way to the back.  I measured the distance to the back where I wanted the first shelf to be (13” from the top) and the depth was 22”…down 12 inches and the depth was 26”…down another 12 and it was 30 and at the bottom 33”.  It took two runs with the jigsaw to get it right and the left side had to be cut back to account for a ½” support. 

Oh that curve!

I made a boo-boo here by cutting them both right side up instead of back to back so the left side is the back and the right side is the white front.  

I then had to determine the height of each shelf and how many I could put in.  I have some storage “drawers” that are 5” so I made one that height and the others 11”.  There is a 3-inch drop into the closet so I put a shelf at that level and made it split to have “secret” storage.  

I bought a full sheet of melamine and had HD cut it into 14.5” widths that I could cut down to the correct depth.  Since they didn’t have edging on them and the saw left chips in the melamine, I bought white “Duck Tape” and edged them all around to prevent any catching or snagging.  Now I can use the entire closet.  

I need to sort through and take some of the t-shirts out since I only wear the same three or four. 

Cut a few sections off this hanging storage
and put it back in to hold extra clothes.

The second closet I only put one shelf in and use the rest for hanging clothes (I know I said who travels with hanging clothes, but I brought two skirts and nice tops for emergencies).  That one will be used for storing extra linens and off-season clothes since it is so hard to get to and my suitcases live on that side of the bed.

I have some extra materials so I might do some modifications in the bathroom storage which is similar to the pantry but I have baskets in there now that are doing the job just fine.

Trip to see the King

Not Elvis.  Tut.

While I was sitting at work even before I had decided to retire I was listening to the radio station (KFI) out of LA that I like and heard that the King Tut exhibit was in LA and it was the last time it would be allowed out of Egypt (unless they need to make money again).

I immediately googled it and booked a visit.  Yes, I live in Portland OR so how to get to LA, how long to stay?  Answer:  Fly and two nights.

Yes, pay for an airline ticket to fly to LA, rent a car, stay in a motel for two nights and fly back.

WORTH EVERY PENNY.

I had originally planned to take a shuttle to the Vagabond Inn but couldn’t find anything, taxi was too expensive, don’t trust Uber, et.al.  So, I rented a car from with the military discount it was cheap and since I didn’t drive more than 30 miles I didn’t bother to buy gas.  I used maybe a gallon?  They had a shuttle from the airport to their off-site location so it was easy to get there (and back to LAX upon return).

The motel was old but clean.  I’m not a lodging snob all I want to do there is sleep.  The room was very spacious with one clean bed and through Expedia was very inexpensive for LA.

You name the fast food outlet and it was within walking distance along with any ethnic food you could want.  I mean it is adjacent to USC!

I walked up and down the street the first night but opted for the standby McDonald's.  There I encountered my first fast food kiosk for ordering.  Place your order.  Take a number, sit down and they will bring your food.

The next day I got up too late to make my first appointment to see the movie about the discovery of Tuts tomb.  I figured I had probably seen everything on all of the Egyptian documentaries I’ve seen so no big deal (but I did see it later in the day). 

I walked to the Science Center on USC campus, taking a detour through part of the campus on the way.  At the museum, they scan my ticket and give me my guided tour speaker.  You go into an anteroom where there is a presentation on the discovery and once it is over you are allowed into the exhibit.  This is their way of controlling the number of people in the exhibit area at one time.  You are required to put your backpack in front of you so you don’t a) knock into other visitors and b) knock into the exhibit or knock another person into an exhibit. Halfway through my Nikon camera started acting up so I had to switch to my cell phone and some of those photos came out better.  I went through once then turned around and went back to the beginning and went through again.

There are two parts.  The first is almost all of the artifacts and the second is more of the story of how it was discovered and you end up in the gift shop.  There was an Egyptian “ambassador” there selling and autographing books by  Aswari the former antiquities minister.  I listened to him telling a family about the collection and explaining hieroglyphics. 

Amulet that was the first artifact found ...by the kid wearing it 

My next stop was the 3D IMAX movie on the Space Shuttle.  It was very interesting and the 3D really brought it to life.  I was told to just stay in the theater to watch the Egyptian movie after this one was over so I did!  Not a lot of new information as I suspected.

Then it was back into the main part of the museum to see the shuttle.  It is in a separate building located adjacent to and within the Science Center area.  It was actually smaller than I expected.  Outside to see the only remaining external fuel tank and back inside to the shuttle gift shop. 

In the main hall of the center, there were other space exhibits of Apollo capsules (talk about small), satellites and model of the Mars rover.

By this time there are thousands of kids from day camps there so it is time to go.  Outside I buy an ice cream bar from a street vendor and walk to a shady spot overlooking a beautiful rose garden to scarf it down before it melted in the heat…but it was so frozen I almost broke my teeth trying to bite into it.

I walked back to the hotel and stretched out on the bed enjoying the AC and fell asleep.  After a quick nap, I woke up grabbed a chicken sandwich for dinner and returned to the hotel and read.

The next morning I left around 11 to drop off the rental.  I couldn’t believe how crowded the gate area was at LAX.  I don’t think it has been changed since I flew out of there 30+ years ago but there are lots of signs saying there is something new coming soon.  There was no seating but I found a quiet corner next to a kiosk and sat o the floor next to the window to have a power bar.  I was soon joined by three airport employees having their lunch.  After about an hour I got up and found that there were seats near my departure gate and sat for about 20 minutes before boarding.

First time in three returns to PDX that my car hasn’t been covered in snow.  It was rush hour so I took back roads to pick up Oscar at the Rover.com sitter I had left him at in NE Portland. Then home.

A quick but enjoyable trip.  It is nice to be retired and have the time to do what I want to do.

Side trip in Eastern Washington

Before I left Portland I found an iFetch for large dogs on sale in Spokane and told the guy I wanted to buy it.  On the way to Great Falls I forgot all about it.  Before leaving I contacted the guy and he still had it so I arranged to pick it up.  This meant making a trip back to Spokane after arriving at Rimrock.  So on Sunday the dogs and I take off and drive to Spokane to pick it up. 

I had wanted to go to the Grand Coulee Dam while here so I decided to swing north and visit it on the way back.  What a beautiful drive.  This is definitely someplace I will come back to and spend some more time at.

Love having the dash cam.  Not only can I capture anything going on in front of me on the road but I can also reach up and press a button to capture a still.  Lots of these photos were done that way.

 

 

Final leg of maiden voyage.

Left Philipsburg and drove all day to Rimrock getting in about 5pm.  I have my choice of places to park and decide to face away from the clubhouse this time.  I was making a few attempts to get into the spot and two fellows came up and directed me in. This time I didn’t take out any hitching posts!

Boy was my throat getting worse…has to be strep so I look for a place to use my TriCare “insurance” for the first time.  The closest place is an urgent care in Moses Lake so I head out the next morning, leaving the dogs in Roxie after a long walk around the area.  After over an hour wait I am told that it is only a cold and to get some Benadryl to help me sleep through the night (and be able to breathe).  

I drive back to Ephrata and stop at the Dollar Tree to pick up a few things and realize I have lost my phone.  I go into the store and ask if they have a phone I can use but of course I don’t know the number of the clinic.  It is in the phone!  I’m standing at the cash register with the phone in hand and the clerk is trying to figure out how I can get the number when the lady checking out says “What clinic?”  I tell her and she gives me the phone number…WOW.  I can’t believe any one has any number other than their own memorized (and some struggle with that) these days. 

Yes, my phone is there.  Stop by the business desk to pick it up.  SOOO, grab what I need there, turn around and drive back to Moses Lake to pick up my phone.  The lady that handed it to me asked if my son had gotten hold of me.  I said “No” and she said she had called him to tell him my phone was there.  HOW did she do that?  I remember when cell phones first came out there was an ICE (in case of emergency) that anyone could access but didn’t realize that still existed.

Relaxing (?) with Oscar

Get back in Simon and call Andrew to let him know I had the phone.  He had sent me an email telling me where it was.  Now back to Ephrata and Rimrock. 

The rest of the time at RR was peaceful.  Reading, resting and taking it easy.  Taking the dogs on walks up the hill behind the clubhouse or over to the dog park.  This was a very nice off leash area.  Very large, covered in wood chips with doodie bags and trash can, and a large barrel for water that was yucky since it didn’t circulate.  Only thing is some people didn’t clean up after their dogs and there were "land mines" around especially in the corners. 

There were several wind storms over the days and I couldn’t keep the RV door open so I had to research how to do that.  Another order to Amazon or Camping World is in order to buy a door catch and a screen door bar.  Those are two other things I wonder why they aren’t part of the RV from the factory.  I also discover a toggle that will open the screen door without having to open the plexiglass slide, got to get one of those!  And I’ve decided that the vents need covers so I don’t have to remember to close them if it starts to rain (forgot that one time and had a wet bathroom).  Shake down cruise so long punch list.

Ok, time to leave to get back to Portland to make a dental appointment on 3 July.  Get up Monday morning to get hooked up and out early.  Take the dogs for a walk, disconnect and close up everything, put the animals in Simon and turn the key.  Nothing.  NOTHING.  Try my small jump starter that has always worked in the past.  NOTHING.  Go to the office to see if anyone there has jumpers.  A guy getting ready to leave for the day said he did and came over to the site and NOTHING! 

Back to the clubhouse to get a signal so I can call USAA roadside service.  I get a call back from them saying about 90 minutes.  Back to Simon.  Take the dogs out and open all the windows so the cats have air flow.  Settle down at the picnic table and waited.  

Heard some birds making a fuss nearby and walked over to see what it was all about.

I find three little birds on the ground and mom and dad hovering over them going nuts if anyone came close.  I figured they had been blown out of the nest in the wind storm the night before OR since they were pretty big had been kicked out of the nest and were being encouraged to fly.  Where they were they could easily be stepped on, especially by the kids walking around that area or run over if a vehicle tried to get into the spot so I reached down to pick them up and move them.  The one I was reaching for flew a little way off.  I walked over and bent down again and he flew into the bed of the truck next to the site. 

I went to another one picked it up and it flew into the bushes in the “island” I was trying to get them to.  One parent went over there and the other stayed at the site.  I didn’t try to get the other one at that point.  About a half hour later I walked over and all three were back on the ground…OH well.

The caretakers of the park came over with their big truck and heavy-duty jumpers and tried to jump me.  They said they heard a click and maybe it was the starter.  One said if he knew where the starter was he’d hit it and maybe it would work.  They leave and I go back to the table.

Waiting patiently for road side service.

It has now been over 2 hours since I called for roadside service.  I went back to the clubhouse and call the company who tell me it is on it’s way and say I might need a tow.  They have only sent a truck to try to jump me and the person on the way might be able to diagnose what was wrong and would decide if I needed a tow (another two hour wait!!!).  Back to the table to wait.

As I read the local Penny Saver a gentleman walks over and says, “Won’t start.”  I say “no we tried jumping and nothing.”  He says, “Try it again.”  I roll my eyes grab my keys, get in and turn the key.  VAROOM.  He says, “I’m magic.” Turns and walks away.  OH MY.

A few seconds later he turns around and says it is probably the starter.

Three minutes later the roadside service guy arrives.  He is an employee in his own truck telling me that they are slammed and all the service trucks were on other calls so he volunteered to take the drive out to service me.

I don’t turn Simon off.  Put the dogs inside back up to the hitch and get out of dodge!  Thought about leaving him running when I stopped for gas but at least I was in town and took the chance.  No problem. 

By this time, it is almost noon and I need to be in Portland by 2 the next day…stop somewhere or drive through?  I push through.  Lots of short stops on the way to stretch and walk the dogs.

About half way home the check engine light comes on, GREAT.  I know that sometimes this is caused by the gas cap not being on securely so I check and sure enough it is loose.  Keep going and let Bill (my mechanic) check it out.

Wild Horse Monument.  First time I saw this I 
thought they were real horses.

Wind power...and there was lots of wind

FINALLY around 7 I pull up to the house, get the animals out and collapse.  Time to deal with everything later.

Another sunset at Rimrock.