roadquill1

Hello Dear Family and friends,

We were both thrilled to hear from so many of you after my first posting last week since our Southern Hemisphere trip last Spring. Thank-you so much for your responses and well-wishes – from the Lower Mainland, Edmonton, Kingston, Namibia, Montana, and Vancouver Island etc. etc. Your responses encourage me to keep up with writing this blog!

We finally got Truck House sorted out last week. The coolant leak was a pinhole in the coolant hose which opened when hot, and closed when cold. (Thus, no leaks in the carport!) In the process of getting Truck House ready for travel, we learned that all 4 brakes needed replacing. Done…and Done! With the end of the Provincial Basketball Championships at Vancouver Island University, we were free to pack up and ready ourselves for Monday morning departure.

An overnighter in Fort Langley brought us up-to-date on family news and issues, and by 9:00 a.m. we were through the border at Aldergrove. A quick stop in Bellingham put a new SIM card in my phone and put me on a 30 day T-Mobile plan. By 4:30 we were in Woodburn where we checked into Portland-Woodburn RV. Overnight parking is now almost $50 US! And, it is incomprehensible how the neighbouring Outlet Mall shops can stay in business with so few shoppers. By the way, you quilters may be wondering how there is no mention of the Fabric Depot in Portland. That is because my quilting partner did not want to stop there on the way down. That should allow me to make 2 tool stops to keep up the count. It is still quite cold in the evening! 

Toque, and jacket on backwards for frosting reading in bed.

Our drive (on Wednesday, day 2) is always one of our favourites for scenery – Woodburn, OR to Red Bluff, CA. As we were pulling into Red Bluff RV, I announced to Sandy…”Maybe we’ll be able to reach Yuma, AZ without ever turning on our windshield wipers.” Too soon…too soon! 117 raindrops hit the windshield, but I refused to turn on the wipers. The drops soon dried. Red Bluff RV is a nice spot, with clean washrooms, however, since we seldom reserve, we often don’t encounter managers by the late time we arrive. Thus, we don’t know needed codes. We grabbed a spot, and after asking around, a long-term RVer provided us with WiFi and washroom door codes. Dinner to patter of rain.

Today (Thursday, March 8) started in chilly overcast weather in Red Bluff, and ended in sunny, warm weather in Bakersfield, at our favourite Orange Grove RV.

There is lots of space available, and there are still numbers of beautifully ripe oranges hanging near the tops of the trees. “Help yourself” is a welcome sound, and I grab an orange-picking pole to snag 8 oranges for our supplies. This place also has one of the most beautifully appointed “Social Rooms” with an elk head above a live-edge bar, a moose head over a huge fireplace and a lounge area in front of a TV.

Tomorrow we head for Yuma, AZ (actually Winterhaven, CA) and Rivers Edge RV where we will spend a few days before our trip to Squaw Lake near the  Imperial Dam on the Colorado River. This year, as always, the plan is to cycle in the desert, and paddle the waterways of the interconnecting lakes, however, I will miss bass fishing with my buddy Mike Harris who couldn’t join us this year.

I had hoped that my T-Mobile plan would allow me to tap into internet anytime (unlimited data) and it might, but the 4 GB of data that I was allotted for fast access are almost 1/2 gone already. It might make the slower speeds too painful for future postings. I will have to wait and see. There is always a Starbucks somewhere!

Love and best wishes to all of you!

Tony and Sandy

Dear friends and family, and our greetings to you in 2018!

The snow is falling and the maps are spread out on the table. Must be time to vacate this chilly white winter clime and head to southwest US! Sandy is going over old routes (highlighted in colour) and reviewing our notes from earlier travels.

We have not visited the southern roads for a number of years (since 2013), and we are anxious to return to some of our favourite spots as well as explore new roads. The plan is to return early in April as I really only want to miss the one Mid-Island Woodworkers’ Guild meeting in March.(www.miwg.ca). Besides, we have discovered over the years that the sweet spot for being away from home is between 5 and 8 weeks. Beyond that, my travelling partner begins to get the opposite of “itchy feet” as she dreams of her quilting room and spring landscaping!

The biggest problem that we had to face as we prepared for the trip (besides the potential for a large snowfall today) is that the GMC (2005) has had a “Low Coolant Level” warning showing repeatedly. Our first $1100 fix didn’t solve the problem, and the current concern is that it might be a head gasket which could cost “between $5000 and $8500”. However, a call to the mechanic yesterday suggested that the issue was a simple “small pinhole in the coolant hose” which sealed itself when the engine was cold, and opened when the engine got warm”. I am relieved to say the least but it does open up the question…What was the reason for the replacement of the EGR Cooler in December – for $1100? Hopefully, the news today will be that all is well.

Okay…back to the maps. The plan is to leave sometime next weekend (March 3 or 4) after the Vancouver Island University finishes hosting the Provincial Basketball finals which will include our niece, Olivia’s VIU team. We haven’t missed too many of her games since she started playing in Elementary School.

I’ll certainly keep you posted about our travels which will certainly start off with a day or two stay with our Lindsay family in Fort Langley. Hopefully, you’ll continue to travel with us!

Best wishes and much love to all!

The “Quill” (Tony) and the “Quilter” (Sandy)