Compared to other years, it seems like we haven’t been “out and about” all that much in 2016. We had an outing in January for four weeks, the Spring for about six weeks, and another in the Fall, for another six weeks. So for the entire year, we were “only” gone traveling for about four months. Oh, and there was that one-week trip on a cruise around the Caribbean.

OK, I know, by some standards that’s a lot. But compared to 2015 (almost seven months’ total away from home), it seems more sparse. And yes, I know some folks would kill to have this much time off. All I can say is – – we did earn it. Now, after a lifetime of vocational focus, our own tasks and priorities more than fill our daily lives. We both joke that we don’t know how we ever had time to hold down a job <grin>.

So, the reason we didn’t travel quite as much this year was strictly due to self-assigned projects at home. We were literally back-to-work again for all the other months of the year.

In this year-end post, just for grins I thought I’d share the highlights of our year, and give you a larger idea of our lives outside of our travels. I published 35 travel posts in 2016, so I won’t revisit much of that (you can always go browse through those posts). But what I will do is string them together with our other projects and give you a bird’s-eye view. I’ve included links to just a few of the many posts for the year.

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WINTER BREAK – – At the beginning of 2016, we had just finished our dual family gatherings – – one at home and the second in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since we were already 500+ miles from home anyway, we stayed down in the southern deserts, explored around a bit, and attended the massive RV show in Quartzite, Arizona. That whole series is covered in previous posts; here are a few links:

• Mojave Preserve – wonderful piece of desert in southern California
• Slab City – the oddest “encampment” we’ve found yet
• Blythe Wilderness – lonely desert landscape
• Quartzsite – huge RV show and bazaar
• Yuma Proving Grounds – public-accessible military gunnery range

 

The nice thing about winter in the low desert is that it’s about the only time of year that the place is reasonably pleasant. The rest of the year, you’re better off as a lizard. After Quartzsite, it was still ‘early’ (nice weather) – – but it was time to come home for our first big house project of the year.

 

 

FLOORS – – after 14 years, it was time for a new look. We got rid of old bleached-out wood and worn carpet, and re-surfaced every square foot of all the floors in our house except the laundry and bathrooms. Big damn job, and well executed by Samoya Floors of Santa Cruz. The work consisted of peeling up the old and laying down the new on one side of each room, then moving all the furniture onto the new floor and finishing the other half. Move to next room, repeat. We stayed in the house the whole time, and it took over four weeks. Phew.

 

THE CRUISE – – We finished the floor project just in time to get ready to take my nonagenarian Mom out on the Coral Princess for a tour around the Caribbean, including the Panama Canal. Karin and Mom had been cruising before, but for me it was a first. My posts probably reflect my novice status:

 

• Newbie cruiser – first time on a big cruise ship
• Panama Canal – a tour of the famous waterway from end to end
• Cruising vs Rving – reflections on different travel styles

 

We all had a super time aboard the big boat, with calm seas the entire trip. After this long-short week, we flew back home to rest up a bit – – and head out again <grin>.

SPRING BREAK – – We really don’t like traveling in the summer very much. Too much heat, too many crowds (Alaska was different of course; most folks go there ONLY in the summer). So, with June fast approaching, we wanted to take off for some Spring exploring, especially up in the ION area where we had just whipped through on a previous trip. Bundling up our maps, we took off for a 6-week tour of southeast Oregon. Even with a focused trip, we felt we had barely scratched the surface, and we came away eager to get back again and explore even more of it. We really like that area a lot.

• Steens Mountain – a 35-mile long rift formation in southeast Oregon

 

Back home again at the end of May, we settled in for a long and productive Summer, working on house and vehicle projects. I haven’t posted much on most of this activity, but it was extensive and time-consuming. I published one post summarizing a large list of mods to Howie and Ralph – – here is an overview of the ones from Summer 2016.

RALPH – – in addition to some weight reduction, bed reorganization and cleanup, our 1996 Ford Ranger Ralph got some major surgery. He turned 20 years old in 2016, with 122,000 on the odo. Not that much, but 85,000 of it was by an abusive prior owner. I was having just too much trouble with the engine and transmission, especially for a vehicle that we counted on for literally our survival in remote exploration. Over the course of the year, Ralph got a new engine, transmission, and transfer case. And even these had some initial teething problems. Hopefully behind us now. Some new screening and brush deflectors went in to protect all that shiny new stuff.

HOWIE – – Our erstwhile motorhome has most of his major projects long finished (solar, chassis/suspension, generator, composting toilet, etc.). But he still “needed” some mods and upgrades. I totally re-did the dinette and the galley, with radical redesigns of the counter tops and table space. I even built Karin a new spice drawer, from scratch.

The roof also received a Turbokool evaporative air conditioner, which does not need 120VAC to operate – – so it’s great for boondocking.

And FINALLY I got the front-end fiberglass damage repaired. (Remember that deer that I hit coming out of Canada in 2015?) Howie’s ugly mug is finally pretty again.

There was some other stuff, like a hot water return system (for saving water), and a warm-air recirculation fan (to keep plumbing from freezing). Oh, let’s not forget about all-new blinds, and converting the entire decor from all-brass hardware to all brushed-stainless (about 427 knobs, handles, hinges, screws, lamps and fixtures. Jeez.) Last but not least is a buried transfer switch that lets the whole coach AC wiring run off our 2500W inverter. With our fabulous lithium batteries, we can run hair dryers, microwave oven, virtually any appliance anywhere in the motorhome. Pretty sweet.

You can see some more details on some of these jobs at THIS POST(getting ready)

FUN BREAKS – – “All work and no play…”, you know the saying. We took some ‘time off’ for fun rappelling in the REDWOODS, and some KAYAKING at local ocean bays.

  

BACKYARD STAIRCASE – – We had built a rocky staircase several years previous, and it was a gorgeous, but rough/tricky path, down into our wild-and-wooly property. I’d been longing to put in a safety hand-rail, but never figured out a decent design. This year, I had an inspiration, and ended up designing, fabricating (from raw materials), and installing a heavy-rope double-rail. It looks great, and should save a few broken ankles.

HOUSE PAINTING – – Clearly, we didn’t learn any lessons from the flooring job, so in late Summer we had some guys come in to paint the interior. And yes, we lived in the house for the whole job. All four weeks of it. Phew again.

FILLERS – – Along the way, I’ve been working on my music, and writing.

I’ve been having some fun at open-mic at a local spot, and some bluegrass jamming on Monday nights. I also write an occasional opinion piece over on my other blog geethreeblog (but watch out, it’s not always G-rated). Also doing some writing for our mountain news magazine, and of course various stuff at rvtravel.com. Karin is involved in church activities and charities, and of course we’ve both got our various medical tasks at odd times. Not much in the way of time gaps, huh?

FALL BREAK – – We cannot get enough of the ION region, and we went back again, for even more in-depth exploration. Another six weeks, and we’re still far from tired of it. Lots of stuff seen, and lots more to see. Check out these links:

 

 

 

 

• Sheldon – vast wildlife refuge in northern Nevada
• Jordan Valley – small-town sample of rural Oregon
• Owyhee – the huge plateau forming the northern area of the Great Basin
• Craters of the Moon – indescribable sweeping jumble of lava fields in central Idaho
• City of Rocks – bundles of boulders in southern Idaho, a climber’s Mecca
• Wild Horse – wild, open mountains of northern Nevada

 

BUT – – one more big project was still waiting for us, so we boogied on back home – – to work our way into the Holiday season.

PATIO COVER – – We’d been sick of our raggedy-ass fabric awnings almost from the day they were installed. Crummy-looking and high maintenance, plus they couldn’t be left open in any kind of wind. We finally bit the bullet and tore off a big chunk of cash for all-aluminum louvered covers. These open to the sky with rotating blades, like Venetian blinds. Wow, what a difference. But I had a huge amount of work that I needed to do for this job; it wasn’t just sit back and watch the guys bolt it up. I was kind of the Project Engineer, coordinating my own efforts with those of the fabricator (Louvretec USA) and my contractor (Terry Wellfring). Not without a lot of close attention, it ended up a beautiful construction, complete with built-in outdoor heaters. We were just in time for Thanksgiving, and later our Christmas Family Gathering, both at our house.

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Which brings us full-circle, to the trip we’re on as I write this. We’re in Las Vegas (for our other family gathering), and that wraps up a very full twelve months.

Warmest wishes to everyone, and a happy and prosperous 2017.

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