Adjusting, Arranging, and Planning

Well, time is marching on, and we are now approximately one month from departure. We've been living in Scottie LaBlanca for more than four weeks now, and I think we are pretty much adjusted to life in a small space. We're still trying to find the "perfect" arrangement for pots and pans, dishes, food and supplies, but we're getting closer and closer as the days go by.

So, there are several areas where some fine-tuning is needed, and our focus shifts towards those areas as we hone in on the home-stretch:

Storage: this is a commodity truly at a premium, and some hard decisions will need to be made as we get closer to departure. Some things will just need to be left behind, whereas others will just have to find a place to live.

Towing: whether or not to tow a car is truly something we are wrestling with. There are many opinions about whether or not to tow, and we are considering our options carefully. While it is true that towing a small car will indeed impact our gas mileage over all, having a small car to drive around locally when we're parked at a campground or community will decrease the amount that we drive our big rig on small local roads in attempts to go shopping, visit hard to reach sites, and explore back country roads that a 29-foot truck can't negotiate. So, having a fuel-efficient small car for such local driving would most likely offset the loss of mileage on the long hauls. To tow or not to tow, that is the question. And when that question is answered, which car comes along? And, needless to say, we'll need the equipment to do it (compliments of the local welding company.) And one more thing: the tow car will significantly improve our storage capacity!

Grease conversion: now that we feel more serious about converting to veggie oil, we are faced with the fact that the actual mechanical work to do the conversion may take 7-10 days to execute. Since we're living in the rig full time and have nowhere else to stay, giving up the rig for a week seems almost impossible, especially since we want to leave so soon. So, we may forego the grease conversion for now, keep raising money towards the work, and have it done down south or out west when we have more time to spare and can perhaps find a less expensive conversion mechanic to do the greasy deed. Converting to waste vegetable oil is important to us, and we just may have to wait a little while to do it. Meanwhile, we'll look for biodiesel wherever we fare.

Mechanical issues: making the rig road-worthy has been a process, and we're almost there. Like any used vehicle, it's needed some work. The brakes are now up to snuff. A few tires, the internal water pump, and a tailpipe will soon be replaced, and then we'll pretty much be ready to roll once our mobile RV mechanic makes one more visit to button up a few small details.

There's more to tell, but that's the report for now. Our jobs are absolutely ending on the 15th of October, so the end is in sight. Meanwhile, every weekend from now til our departure is booked for visiting friends prior to our journey.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

---Keith