What now???

April 25   Yesterday was a terrible start to our big adventure. Joe and I was really pissed about the Suzuki but what now? Do we really need a tow car? Do we chance used...again?  Do we just buy new? Joe checked different things and we decided on a Kia Soul. It was difficult finding a dealer that had a Kia Soul with a manual shift. It had to be manual so it could be towed. After spending all day at the Kia dealership, we finally left with a brand new Alien green 2013 Kia Soul and a new loan that we don't need.

April 26   Today we checked in at Las Vegas Oasis RV Resort for 3 nights. We won these 3 nights on a previous trip,so we finally get to take advantage of it. This place is really nice. We plan to clean the RV and get more organized and just relax. Donna and Scott came over for dinner so we had a nice cook out.

April 27   Most of the morning was spent cleaning. Went to Target to buy some plastic bins and get organized. I even bought some plastic containers for the outside so Joe can organize his stuff. Spent the afternoon at the pool. Oasis has an adult pool, so that means no kids running around, splashing, and screaming. We're back on track and life is good!

Not a good start

 Joe has been retired for 2 1/2 years now and I just quit my job at JPAC. So we consider ourselves officially retired and ready to start the next chapter of our lives. Joe and I have been planning this trip for a very long time. One thing that took up a lot of time and effort was the Suzuki Grand Vitara that we bought back in December to tow behind our motorhome. It was a used car that wasn't running that great but Joe is such a handyman, I had no doubt that he could get it fixed up. We spent a lot of money to fix it and ship it to California. The plan was to drive it to Las Vegas where we store our motorhome. Well, things didn't work out exactly as we planned. We left on Tues, April 22 and it's been pretty hectic since. So here's how our last few days went.

April 22 - 23   We left Honolulu this morning and got into Los Angeles at 4p. On Wed, we got an early start and took a cab to Horizon to pick up the Suzuki. When they brought the car out, it was full of bird shit...I'm not kidding, all over. So the first stop was a gas station down the road for gas and a much needed carwash. Then we got started. After about an hour of driving, the first stop was Ontario Mills Outlet Mall. Then onto Las Vegas. We were about 3 1/2 hours away. Well about 20 minutes into the drive, the check engine oil light came on. So we pulled into the next town and Joe checked the oil. Of course, it was full and clean. We were at a gas station, so I went in and bought a bottle of water. Then we got back on I15 and got going again. The check engine light started going off and on so we were kind of thinking, what our next move would be. A few minutes later the car started making funny noises and just died. Right there on I15 in the middle of the f**** desert. I think Joe and I was in shock. We were silent for a few seconds and just could not believe this just happened. So needless to say, lucky I bought that bottle of water because we had to wait for the tow guy to find us. He towed us to the next town which was Victorville, where we rented a car to drive the rest of the way to Las Vegas, and ended up giving him the Suzuki.....good riddance. Finally got to Vegas around 7pm.

The Last 2 Years

We bought out motor home in 2010 and went on an awesome 7 week trip with mom and dad. Since then, our family has gone thru some changes.

 At the end of 2010,Joe retired after 25 years of service with HPD.

 Mama Janet passed away in early 2011, we're just glad that we got to take her on our first RV experience. We all miss her very much and will treasure the wonderful memories.

Our daughter Miki, got married in September 2012 and is now Mrs Kirby Avinger.

Casey, Breezy, Miki, Kirby, Josh, Branden

We took some short RV trips.......

July 2011   We took the kids to the Grand Canyon, south rim.

Miki, Dawn, Casey, Josh

October 2011   We went to Albuquerque for the International Balloon Fiesta. Our friends, Donna and Scott Hoadley met us there.  Then on to Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is absolutely beautiful, I know we'll go back there one day.

Taking a tour in Sedona, Arizona

Donna & Dawn in Albuquerque

March 2012   Went to Las Vegas and checked out the RV parks in the surrounding area. We enjoyed Sam's Town RV park, Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort, Nevada Treasure RV Resort in Pahrump, and Lakeside Casino & RV Park in Pahrump. The best was Nevada Treasure in Pahrump. The facility and amenities are great. We could stay there for a month and be absolutely happy. Life is good.

Grandpa Chuck & Josh

 June 2012   Joe and our son, Josh, flew to Baltimore to visit Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Mary. Went sailing on the Chesapeake on Grandpa Chuck's sailboat. This was Enigma's last sail, Grandpa Chuck donated her after this adventure.
Then on to Las Vegas and spent some time in the RV and visited Valley of Fire State Park.




November 2012  Flew to Las Vegas where we stow our RV and drove out to Tecopa to check out some hot springs then on to Death Valley National Park.  Joe and I love hot springs and Tecopa has a few. I'm glad we got to check them out because that is not some place I'd recommend our friends to visit. Death Valley was a surprise. There was a lot to see and the weather was wonderful. You definitely don't want to visit Death Valley during the summer.

Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park

Now we're planning our next adventure.....driving to Alaska.
Stay tuned....