A Whole New World

Good news!  I made it!  It wasn't all fun and games.  There is definitely a difference between using the rig in your back yard versus using it on the road.  A gigantic headache ensued as I tried to figure stuff out.  

We started out on the couch at home ... with Cooper snoozing since I kept him awake most of the night.  Let the packing begin ... or finish since I already did most of it.

Off we went.  Everything about this rig is not like any other.  It drives different .. lock the doors before you start the engine .. turn off all the Assist Junk .. figure out where the cruise control is (it's a rolling knob) and where the radio control is (another rolling knob).  Every time I hit the turn signals, the windshield wipers came on.  That was embarrassing since it was sunny!

We cruised along until I saw the sign .. Castroville.    Phil's used to be in Moss Landing.  The best fresh fish in the State and an amazing restaurant.  Sadly, they had to move the restaurant to Castroville.  I took the off ramp and found parking right across the street.  No one said I knew how to park this beast.  I was so crooked on the street that I got back in and reset.

Mr. Cooper got to take a little walk while I waited less than 2 minutes for this huge container of CLAM CHOWDER!!  It's been AGES since I've had this.  For $18, I think I've got food for four days!!  No Dan, it is NOT the chowder of Pacific Seafood in Bay City, but it was not bad.

That's when I got lost.  Way back when I was running and diving, I had an apartment here in Monterey.  I knew every street like the back of my hand.  We took a wrong turn and I blame Cooper.  It was all HIS fault.  I toured the car lots if you know where those are, before getting back to the beach.  

If you drive far enough, you will find lots of parallel parking.  Yeah, I parked crooked, tried to fix it and apparently hit the curb.  As I walked back, it looked like the step rail was resting on top.  UGH ... in my defense, you cannot SEE that low in the mirror.  I guess we'll find out later.  I leaned to the left as I carefully pulled out, hoping the damage was minimal.  

Mr. Cooper on the other hand was having a GREAT time smelling the smells.  He was not impressed with the crashing waves.

It was cool, sunny and beautiful.  I've missed it.

Well we know what these guys are going on THESE rocks.  Pelicans were gathering all along the shoreline.

This guy was cleaning his feathers one at a time, surrounded by kelp and cormorants.  

At last I was headed to the Elks Lodge to park for a couple of days.  They don't have many slots and reservations are a must.  The thing I didn't know is that the sites are all downhill.  I have never EVER backed up that crooked while looking at the backup camera.  At this point I have no defense.

I made it on the second try, but boy oh boy, am I heading downhill.  I do have a few yellow blocks for leveling since this rig has no jacks.  I got them out, but wasn't sure how to set them up or when to stop on top.  I highjacked the guy two doors down to help.  He was very nice and had me set up in 60 seconds.  Apparently I really need MORE blocks.  No worries, we will survive!

Let's hook up the power.  My EMS system could not be plugged in to the box.  The plug was inset too far inside, which made for the prongs sticking halfway out.  I plugged in directly.  I'll be praying a lot that we don't have electrical problems.  But WAIT ... though my cord is 30 feet long, it is too short.  AAAGGGHHH!  No, I did not bring the second one.

I crawled on my belly and ran it underneath the rig.  We have power!!  Surprisingly, the inverter is not running.  The is fun, YES?  After all this, it turns out it is the CHARGER making all the racket.  Turn that off and it's relatively quiet.  YAY!!  I do need the charger at some point because the fridge runs directly off the batteries, NOT on gas or electricity, so the batteries will need charging during the day.

Television was another animal altogether.  I got 14 Mexican channels, 35 with nothing at all and PBS.  I can do the cha cha cha while I reheat my clam chowder.  I'm hoping Bill and Patsy will give me lessons on their StarLink to see if it's worth the $150 a month it will cost since you KNOW I'm a TV person.

So here we are ... all tucked in for the night.  I have more pictures, but I'm too tired to think.

In spite of the "fun", it's the perfect way to find out what I need.  An extra not-too-long 30 amp extension cord, a few more blocks for leveling, though I've no clue where they will live, and maybe I can get that shade fixed.  

Oh yes, I pulled down the front shade carefully.  It went click click click and completely unrolled to the floor.  There's no way to fix it that I can see, so with my fingertips, I got it rolled back up and stuck a silicone spoon between it and the window in order for it to stay up. 

I did get a little sleep after the fridge turned off around midnight.  I set the gas heater and it worked just fine, but woke me up every time it turned on because for the life of me I could NOT find those ear plugs. 

 Jonathan's heating pad quit working ... a big no-no, so I dug out my little electric heater this morning.  It's not all that quiet either, but hopefully when I use it tonight, (if I can figure out all ten buttons) I'll get at least a little sleep knowing we all are warm.

It's a whole new RV world ......... where I'm trying to teach an old dog new tricks.