Our life on the road has been one of so many changes that it now seems normal to not follow "THE PLAN". We started out with definite ideas and itineraries. Along the way we found that these were merely guidelines. The next year would prove to be the case.
Our second summer on the road was filled with boating, fishing, times of celebration with the kids, and campouts with good friends. Few troubles intervened and life was wonderful. We arrived back in California looking forward to the holidays with family, short trips to the lower deserts for some warm days and our next summer in Ohio. Already we were missing the green hills and golden fields of the Midwest. Living most of our lives in the desert, we long for greener pastures.
A very pleasant surprise greeted us when we arrived at our "home" in Apple Valley. The clubhouse, which was begun shortly before we left, was completed. It is a beautiful building in the Spanish style of the rest of the complex. The pool was in and the landscaping finished. With emerald lawns, red tile roof and sparkling water, it is an addition we really appreciated. Our resort developer, Gary, was just beginning the interior amenities such as satellite TV and big screen television installation. Naturally Terry immediately became "head technician", and spent many hours troubleshooting and fixing various projects in the park. He became the resident expert on the electronic gate system as well as rewiring light and telephone systems.
Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went, spent with family and friends. It was time once again to head for Quartzsite and the annual campout with our Alfa group. A great break from normality, "Q" gives us a real appreciation for our fiver and it's solar system. We are set up for extensive boon docking and we look forward to the times we "unplug".
Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly and immediately immersed ourselves in the Q lifestyle. With our group, not much is planned. This is a time to see old friends, meet new ones, catch up on all the news, visit the flea market and RV shows.
On the first day, Terry and I were approached by our club President about taking over the job for him and his wife, who is the secretary/treasurer of the group. We decided to seriously think about it, which of course meant yes. We spent the next two days immersed in the various duties involved, which are many. Terry spent a great deal of time loading info onto the computer and I waded through piles of paper. It was almost to the point of being overwhelming when we got a phone call from "home". Our plans were about to change.
During the holidays, my Dad had not been feeling well, and we thought it might be pneumonia. A few days before we left for Q, he went to his doctor for tests, X-rays and an MRI, and within days, was diagnosed with Pleural Mestothelioma, asbestos-related cancer. He was now in the hospital in intensive care, and given only weeks to live, pending the outcome of emergency surgery. We were packed and on our way back to Apple Valley in less than an hour.
For five long hours we traveled in relative silence, running thoughts and scenarios through our minds. The one thought that was prevalent was how glad were that we had bought the lot at the Jess Ranch. We were going to need it much sooner than we had anticipated. We arrived in AV, set up in record time, and headed for the hospital.
The next few months were a blur. Dad was in and out of the hospital several times. After surgery, which went well, he started chemotherapy. The chemo and resulting infection nearly killed him. Dad is definitely a fighter, and my Mom is his rock. He made it through this crisis with the support of family and friends. It is amazing how family we haven't seen in decades suddenly appeared. It was an impromptu family reunion. Dad stabilized in April and we felt comfortable about leaving them to attend the Alfa National Rally in Sierra Vista, AZ.
We had a great time at the rally, with the bulk of the time spent working on our soon-to- be jobs as President and Secretary/Treasurer. We did a little sightseeing but not much relaxing. What a great bunch of folks and it was good to see everyone again. These rallies are always full of surprises and this one came up to expectations. The park we stayed in had no meeting facilities for 300 plus folks, so a large tent was erected on the concrete. Staking it down was not an option, so it was anchored with "50 gallon" barrels of water tied to the tent poles. Seemed like a good idea at the time……until the famous Arizona wind blew, and blew and blew…..We were all gathered for dinner, out of the wind when the tent decided to depart like the house in Oz. The roof lifted and the sides started collapsing. Men and women held onto ropes and poles while people exited. Trucks were moved to the area to anchor the tent. The "no parking on the grass" signs were ignored and the tent was saved. Disaster was averted with only minor injuries and the loss of three big coffee urns. The term "everyone pulled together" was literal! After nearly three weeks in Arizona we headed back to Apple Valley. We were planning to get ready to head east.
At this point I must digress. When we got our fiver in 1998, we knew the truck we had at that time would not handle the load. After much discussion, (I wanted a Freightliner RV puller, Terry wanted a Ford F450) we ended up with the Ford. It has been a great truck, but as the years go by, Terry has decided that the puller is probably the way to go. We looked at them again while we were in Quartzsite (2002), and made an appointment with a dealer in February. We hauled the fiver to our service center for it's yearly service and headed for the truck dealer. After driving and drooling over the current available trucks, we decided that we did not want to commit ourselves financially to a new truck. We headed back to the service center and with time to kill (2 days) we looked at the selection of new motor homes and fivers. Not yet convinced that we are motor home type, (our taste runs to Country Coach), we concentrated on the new Alfa fivers. Every year we look and compare the new ones to our now four year old. We found one we liked and decided to trade in the old one. Now we would have a washer/dryer, king bed, walk-in closet and flat floors. Because it was still on the production line, we were able to go to the factory and see it under construction. What fun! When it was completed, we spent nearly two weeks at the dealer's prepping the new one and moving out of the old one. We had the solar system moved and a new receiver for the bike rack added. We had a great time moving, and even managed to find things that had gone missing for years! Of course others are missing now, guess we will have to change again just to find them………The shakedown cruise for the new fiver was to the rally in Arizona. All went well and we had a great time showing everyone the latest model. We still have the Ford………
It was now late April and we were still planning to go east. Suddenly my Dad was back in the hospital. Complications from the chemo were the cause. We canceled those plans and the decision was to wait and see how things went. At the end of May we decided to try to get out of the desert for the summer, preferably the beach. I started making calls, knowing it was futile to hope for a site for the whole summer. Several parks in the San Diego area were working on it for us, but no luck. On a whim, I called one of our favorite little parks in Grover Beach. Pat, the manager informed us that a cancellation for the summer had come in just that morning for one of the only sites that could accommodate our rig. We had the site from June 1 on. Three days later we were on our way. We would be only four hours away from the folks, and on the beach. It was meant to be. We would miss being with the kids in Ohio, and a summer of boating, but that is what this lifestyle is all about.
Dad stabilized again and we spent a wonderful summer on the beach. We made new friends and I even worked in the park office for a few weeks. We were offered a full time position at the park, but couldn't bear to be that tied down. During the spring when we realized we might not be going east, we applied for several State Park positions as camp hosts. We accepted a job at a state beach in Ventura, CA. What a good experience. The rangers and other hosts we worked with were great, and we enjoyed giving some time back to the people of California. We would like to host again.
Once again we spent the holidays in Apple Valley. My Dad had stabilized and we had a wonderful winter. Short trips to the lower deserts, Quartzsite included, and to the coast were a break from the desert. On one of our trips to the coast, we were camped at a park that was situated on a hill. While backing our fiver up into the site with the 450, the transmission fluid boiled over. We had just had it serviced, and Terry was pretty sure it had been overfilled, however, that was a good excuse to start looking for medium duty trucks….again! This time we actually looked at some used Freightliners. We couldn't find one to suit us, so we decided to contact a dealer in Nashville, Tenn who had been referred to us.
The decision to buy the truck in Tennessee was a good one. We were already scheduled to be there for our 2003 Alfa National Rally in May, so we left six weeks early and headed for Nashville. Once there, we ordered our truck. It took a month to take delivery, but well worth waiting for. The dealer was a dream to work with, and he had our F450 sold before we even arrived! Someone else is now enjoying Terry's dream truck. We are enjoying mine! The story of the freightliner will be a whole chapter in itself, but let it be said…this truck has been well worth the wait. We now have the truck to suit the fiver and our anxiety level has plummeted. There is no comparison to the Ford.
We are currently in Ohio, enjoying the boat, grandkids and the beautiful green summer and will head for Colorado in September. Mountains…here we come! We are planning (dare we???) on going to Alaska for three months next year, now that we have the truck to do the job. Our adventures through our great country continue slowly, but then, we have the rest of our lives to do it!