free grain: On seeking perfection.

After our business meeting in Denver on Saturday and a relaxing Sunday afternoon with Jim and Myong Hui (w here I stuffed myself with fresh Kim Chee and Kalbi) we departed Denver for home around 10:00AM on Monday. I promise not to bore you with any more hitch stories... well maybe just one. We hooked up on THE FIRST ATTEMPT this time. You will recall that it took us 3 hours in Santa Fe. This time... 10 minutes. Hate to say it but reading the book has it's advantages. We struggled all day with powerful winds blowing across I-80 between Colorado and Rawlins WY. Lots of warnings for high profile vehicles to get off the road. The big 18 wheelers and everyone else had their hands full as did we. We finally called it quits around 4PM and had a stiff drink along with some great leftovers that Myong Hui packed for us. Tense but safe day.

I was going to post about our time in Santa Fe and Taos, however, some of you have asked to hear more about what it's like to live in a trailer and what works and what doesn't.

From a towing and hooking up POV, travel trailers are worse than 5th wheels or coaches. Here's my routine when we pull into a new park. First I disconnect the hitch from the trailer including safety chains, emergency brake cable and power cord and put chocks behind the wheels. Then I put down all 5 support jacks. The trailer comes with a rod and handle to do this manually which is a real PITA (pain in the ...). I bought an electric drill and put a socket on it that fits the jacks so now I power them down. Likewise I had a powered tongue drive installed so I don't have to do that manually either. Once the trailer is level and braced I hook up the sewer, water, electric and cable TV. Then I have Jill activate the slides while I watch from the outside to make sure they don't hit anything. Invariably while I'm doing all of these tasks the wind is blowing or it's raining or it's cold or all of the above. Also while I'm freezing and cursing, some guy in a big coach pulls in next to me, pushes a few buttons without leaving his warm comfy environment and viola! the jacks come down and automatically level the unit. His satellite TV dish hums searching for a signal while he's making a gin and tonic... showoff!

I have to admit there is a strange, visceral satisfaction being involved with the tasks that provide life's utilities. At home one rarely thinks about whether or not the water is hooked up, or if you will run out of propane in the middle of roasting a chicken. Even watching one's poop as it slides through a clear plexiglass tube that allows one to see when the holding tank is empty gives one a bizarre sense of involvement in the basics of life that we rarely experience in a fixed environment.

As for the inside of the trailer the two most important things as far as I'm concerned are the shower and the bed. Most units we looked at had showers so small that if I dropped the soap I couldn't bend over and pick it up without opening the door. Our shower, however, is roomy enough that I can shower in comfort. When we're in parks you see people toting their dop kits up to the public showers... that's not for me... had enough of that in the service. Shower selection is vital.

We have a full queen size bed the same as we have at home. We added a Tempurpedic topper to it so it's super comfy. We have a three burner stove with oven and microwave and we installed a drip coffee maker. Our fridge and freezer are adequate, but small. One must adapt to shopping more frequently as space is always an issue.

Finally the thing that allows us to continue to work wherever we are is a Verizon MiFi wireless device. It cost about $60 for 5 gigs of download a month. It's a credit card sized device that picks up a signal from a sattelite and then rebroadcasts it throughout the trailer so both of us can be online at the same time... magical! Although many RV parks advertise free WiFi it's been our experience that the signal is often weak and the service slow. MiFi rocks!

Finally... no matter how fancy or big your RV may be, it's a lot smaller than your home. It's like living on a boat. Jill came up with a great line we try to live by... if it's not put away it's in the way!