Getting ready

The sun will be bright and the temperatures are expected to be in the 50's tomorrow so I'm officially opening our 2009 RV season. After a long winter (it's not really over) I'm taking the first warm day to make the trip over to see the coach. Still parked in a county horse barn some 20 miles away it's well protected. As usual we've kept it in a dry, out of the elements environment which we're sure has kept it from aging. With any kind of luck I can start it up and listen to its rumble as I dream about hitting the road the first of May. Our remodel of the house is almost complete (thankfully) so leaving will be easy. And we will remember to shut off the water lines this time so as not to have another catastrophe.

I wish I were leaving soon but we're really not going anywhere right now as we Michiganders know winter will soon return and the thought of driving the coach through snow and ice seems like cruel and unusual punishment. But it's great therapy to hear it run, watch the gages spring to life, smell that sweet diesel exhaust and sit back and think about where we've been and where we are going.

Actually I do have a little housekeeping to do as I want to take down all the day/night shades and see if I can re-string and clean them. Three of the five broke last year and need to be repaired before we head out again. I also need to figure out how to install a new LCD TV in the bedroom. Should be a challenge as the custom cherry woodwork was designed to fit the old Sony and not the newer ones. I'll also be installing a new digital to analog converter to capture those HD TV signals we will get through our batwing antenna on the roof whenever the satellite system fails to find a signal. Anyway it will be fun to get reunited with the coach after a long winter.

Our travel this summer will be short and sweet. We've booked the entire summer in South Haven Michigan (like last summer) and if we venture out we'll at least have a spot to come back to. It only about a three hour drive from home so if need be we can buzz back. We will have the site from May to mid-October. Beyond that is only a guess but staying in Michigan another winter is something we want to avoid.

So another chapter of our travelling lives is about to unfold and we're looking forward to sharing it with you. Over the past year or so we have had over 1800 visitors to the site from almost every continent around the globe. It's been great fun to hear from some of you and we encourage you to drop us a line when you feel the urge.

Still livin' the dream and looking forward to seeing what's around the next corner.