The Rolling Condo Goes Home

Following our Halloween weekend with the family, we headed the motorhome along I-580, I-205, I-5 and I-80 for the 2.5 hour trip home to Cool, where our Summer/Fall Adventure would end on Nov. 1. 

THE DRIVE HOME

Winds were strong as we drove through the Central Valley. Check out the flag billowing atop the Sacramento Water Tower along I-5 in South Sacramento.

 

Interstate 80 through Auburn has been getting a facelift and there were patches of new pavement as we drove Highway 49 through the American River Canyon.  We have driven this road for 32 years and we treat it with respect. Because of our length, we no longer tow the car through the 6-mile, 8-10% switchback grades.  We stop at a large turn-out, unhook the toad and then complete the canyon driving separately.

FALL COLORS – NOT

We have not gotten to experience the “fall colors” of New England (yet) so we smile when we get to see some colors when we reach home in early November.

Our trees along Auburn business streets and our neighbor’s tree across from our mailbox were about the only “colors” we got to experience this year.

ARRIVING HOME

We have called our Itasca Horizon 40’ motorhome our “rolling condo” because it feels so much like a home.  We spend about 9 months a year (multiple 4-5 month trips) on the road and have everything we need with us.  Much of our “stuff” stays permanently in the motorhome, while other things must come back into our house while the RV sits in storage.

Unfortunately, our home driveway angle and steepness does not allow us to park the motorhome AT the house to unload it. 

So, when we do get home to our “stick house” in Cool, it is always takes a good day or so to “unpack” all those things that have to go back into the house. 

 

 

We DO have an RV storage lot about a half-mile away, next to our community horse arena, where we can park and level the rig so we can safely open the slides to access the closets.  

 

It then takes about four trips with the seats down in the Honda CR-V to move our clothes, foods, meds, golf clubs, dog stuff, computers, and traveling paperwork back to the house.

 

Once unloaded, Luke must then navigate a tight squeeze into and through the RV lot to park the rig.

 

 

We are now back to the routines that we all do whether we are on the road or in the stick house.  We are completing the dentist and doctor appointments, paying bills, house cleaning, doing laundry, planning holiday meals, shopping, and etc.  We hope to hit the road again in early January which will mean reversing all the unloading we just finished. 

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