RV Trade Offs

Hoodsport was incredibly beautiful with stunning sunrises, picturesque sunsets, and eagles hunting. I certainly don’t need any more entertainment than that!  I was as close to the highway… as I was to the water on a high tide and while that makes for the splendid view… the road noise was not so comforting. Often we find tradeoffs, and this will be just one of many in my new RV life.
My dear friend Kathy came out for the weekend and was treated (or maybe tortured) to my RV chef and bar tending skills!  I can actually make a mean margarita… although we were super happy after a couple of mean ones! I hope her long drive was worth the visit for her as her company was certainly enjoyed.  Dive buddy Donald make a couple of pit stops to check in on me while traveling back from work, as did my mom and Ron.  I finally took the time to visit Jen, Larry and Trent – my wonderful neighbors from my old home in Tumwater.  They bought the cutest little cabin in the woods near Lake Cushman and are enjoying it immensely.  It was so great to catchup with them. They were the best neighbors ever and I hope to see them again next time I dive or RV in the area.  Speaking of great neighbors… I also managed to make a couple of new friends at the park – Gene and Joanna!  She affectionately referred to him one evening as her Italian Meatball for which I got a good little giggle. They had me over for dinner before they headed out.  My first official RV neighbors and they turned out to be super sweet!  I wish them well as they venture into full retired and a 40th anniversary.  I also met some of the other long-term RV’ers and picked their brains a bit about mounting ladders, tow vehicles and area rugs. I gleaned a couple of nice tricks!
I got a nice dive in on a Friday evening at Sund Rock Marine Preserve.  It had been so long since I last dove, I went without a camera just to check out the weighting and gear config since I had made a couple of changes.  It felt awesome to be back blowing bubbles and as timing would have it – the perfect opportunity to check out how to best dive out of the new Dinghy Car!  Yes, I did it…. Sadly, I sold that lovely, fully loaded Ridgeline in for a little tiny base model, 6-speed manual transmission, Honda Fit!  Talk about a downgrade!  Oh well, just another tradeoff on this adventure, right?!  I immediately knew I needed to make some modifications to my kit up and dive gear cleanup process.  I purchased a handy little workbench table to replace the highly missed tailgate and may make a couple other changes to help... it will be a bit of trial and error to get this dialed in. 
​This past Saturday we did a club dive at Pt. Hudson in Port Townsend.  Diving went much smoother this trip, with exception to a little extra current on the second dive.  Visibility was a bit challenging as a photographer but managed a few photos worth keeping.  Gear cleanup was definitely easier the second time although I have some ideas to incorporate to make it a little smoother and we got a good rinse at the site which always helps. Whatever I figure out to make it easier will never be the huge laundry room with the large utility sink, boot dryer and counter space that I once had. It’s just another one of those little tradeoffs I must keep in perspective with the big picture.  Kitting up with the HP100 tank was fairly easy, it’s the HP80’s that are just a little short for my little short car!  Work in progress…
While I was really hoping to get more diving in during June, there were still so many things to organize and finalize for this new adventure.  I will be back to the Hood Canal – in fact, very soon!!
Sunday was relocation day!  I took my time and got everything ready to roll down the highway…and then actually rolled... Always good when a diesel engine you are not all that familiar with actually starts back up after 30-days without a hitch. Lots to remember and overall, I think I did good – I do want to remember to bungy that darn computer sliding drawer… every left turn it slammed shut and every right turn it flew open…and Highway 101 has a crap load of curves!  Needless to say, it was a noisy little ride.  Other than that, … I learned truckers do not slow down they pass you before you can finish your turn so don’t change your mind!  While that particular trucker wasn’t impressed by my driving skills, I did manage to impress a few RV’ers as I backed into my spot on the first attempt with a 40’ coach! I did take a neighbor up on the offer to guide me back since I couldn’t see squat from my backup camera.  Must be original equipment (like the VHS tape player I have)….black and white with a weird concaved view!  While I can see a picnic table right at my bumper so I don’t hit it, I couldn’t make out the grass from the gravel from the trees…. It was all fuzzy lines! Finding a few items that may need to be upgraded.

So many lessons this past month, so many tradeoffs I’m learning to accept …

It really is about the journey, not the destination.  We shall see what the next few weeks of this journey have in store!
Cheers!
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