Fall 2015-1: It's Fall--Time to Hit the Road!

    We've made some nice additions to the Traverse, our Ford PleasureWay van conversion complete with pop-top.

PleasureWay Ford Traverse Poptop—like a VW Westy

  

1st we got new "business" cards, for imagine telling folks about your new pop-top Ford van & they see a picture of the MRV. 

    To most that ushers in a conversation as to why we sold such a nice “little” RV, complete with bathroom, and got a mere conversion van. 

The "MRV" (Marilyn's RV), a PleasureWay Excel TS, the Traverse's predecessor.

    Good question, and to many my offering that the MRV was too big just does not float. Yet for our style of travel, we think the Traverse, like its predecessor the VW Bus, will do the job. Marilyn once again got the pictures and captions on the card so perfect, and as we ordered 500, we will soon try to get one to you if you wish. 

    Additions to the Traverse include a new radio, complete with so many bells and whistles: a back-up camera—rah, it is sweet and no longer will I wonder what is behind me; XM radio; blue tooth—what, I can legally talk on my phone? Feel I am back in the helo yet without the helmet; aux jack for my Audible books; and GPS with a booklet larger than the one that covers the rest of the radio—think I shall stick with my trusty $50 GPS for this trip and let Marilyn walk me through the new one once she is with me. We also had the passenger and back bench seats rebuilt.

    As we have limited space, we quickly realized we needed to convert our only closet, designed solely for hanging, to an actual closet. So after numerous trips to Lowes, I was able to add shelving, and voilà, Marilyn has a place for her clothing.

New shelves for Marilyn's clothes.

I also added a shelf below the bed to accommodate our laptops.

And a hanging shelf above the microwave.

Pantry, open, next to hanging shelf, closed.

And a shelf above the porta-potty for stuff.

    I think we are ready. I am comfortable living out of a tube bag, the same one I have drug through my many VW buses, so why change. The Traverse is designed with a bed upstairs for when the top is up, but as with the VW bus we took it out and use that area, now termed "the attic," for extra gear. I am reminded how similar this is to packing a sailboat, only we have the advantage that we can stop daily for groceries so do not have to plan our menus in advance. 

    Speaking of food, I also added a 1,000-watt inverter, with the goal of cooking on the road. I plan to fill our 2-quart crockpot Sunday morning before departure with good stuff, plug it into the inverter, put it in the sink so it does not spill, and when I arrive, enjoy a meal, not to mention enjoying the aroma as it cooks.

    So with all the work done, and as it is past time for another adventure, we are off to the Pacific Northwest. I plan to leave Sunday, and Marilyn will fly up the following Friday. Saturday my friend, Tim, whom I have known since the ‘70s, is to wed a most lovely lady, Diane, in Edmonds, WA. To my amazement, I was asked to be in the wedding—like aren’t I too “mature” or ??? Yet armed with charcoal gray suit, I am ready to share their joy. Another grand thing is that my daughter, Katie, and husband, Javier, will be there, as Tim was the officiant at their wedding 3-1/2 years ago. So it will be a bit of déjà vu and PARTY!

    As I scheduled a solar consultation—the Traverse’s refrigerator runs solely on electricity—in Springfield, OR, for Tuesday morning, the first night is Klamath Falls and enjoying my crockpot dinner. Monday morning is easy: grab coffee and head to Crater Lake and walk. After enjoying my nature fix, it will be off to Bend for a late lunch and then a leisurely drive across the southern Cascades to Eugene to check out their town and then get ready for the solar consult the next morning. 

    After the solar consultation and hopefully scheduling the work for the return trek, I want to hit the Oregon Coast and head north, with a stop in Tillamook for cheese and ice cream—it is so good. After filling the body, it is a slow drive up the coast, with stops to walk on the beach, and finally Astoria for the night, a town that just captivates me. 

    The next morning, again after coffee, it is off to enjoy my favorite bridge, where I swear you are high enough to get a nose bleed: the 4-mile-long Astoria-Mengler Bridge across the mouth of the Columbia River. Then it's on north to the next best place in the PNW, Port Townsend, WA, via the Hood Canal. 

    Port Townsend is another town full of things to see: visit the  Wooden Boat Chandlery and drool over their beautiful hand-made boats; wander the harbor and enjoy the many different sailing vessels; and visit Pygmy Kayaks, home to the make-your-own wooden boat (Pygmy Boats). Additionally, it is a town with great food and evening atmosphere. An aside, during WWII, my father was stationed there, so as I wander the town, I shall also enjoy just being where he was and remembering the stories I grew up hearing.

    The following morning, my last on this segment, it is off to Edmonds. I so enjoy this trek, which is full of nature and water. Be it driving across the floating Hood Canal Bridge or relaxing on the Kingston/Edmonds Ferry, I enter civilization with a great feeling of satisfaction. In all, I’ll have at least 4 nights sleeping in the Traverse at the first flat spot I see. Then it is activity: rehearsal and dinner with the lovely wedding party.    

    Friday afternoon I pick up Marilyn and move into our motel where we will spend 2 nights, enjoy Edmonds (Rick Steve's has his office and travel store there [Rick Steves]), and get ready for the big event.

    With a vehicle that allows me to stop whenever I wish for the night—called "boondocking" in the RV world, "stealth camping" for the VW bus types—life is rather easy. A major caveat to boondocking: no bathroom, merely the Traverse's porta-potty. But for a shower there are many options: stop at a local pool and enjoy a swim, stop at a campground and offer to pay for a shower as you already have your towel and soap, stop at a truck stop and pay for a shower, or seek out public showers, like the ones in Morro Bay that I use when we are cat sitting. Note: Always leave home with at least one roll of quarters and another of dimes for the campground showers; there is nothing worse than not having them, only to find the office is closed. The fall-back is the sponge bath, not a bad option for one who has spent many a night backpacking. With Marilyn, though she has done her share of hiking and backpacking and is well acquainted with going without a bathroom, we seek out campgrounds. I also factor in a motel on a regular basis, but she has always opted to sleep in “my own bed” as she puts it. 

    Okay, I have set in print my expected route. Once I get to Edmonds and settle in our motel, I shall attempt to explain my detours and deviations. After the wedding we are heading north to BC to visit our friends Alan and Gail and then off to Vancouver Island, including Butchart Gardens and Tofino, a small community on the Pacific Coast, for as long as the weather and scenery allow. 
    Stay tuned.
                                                   —Doug