Gearing up for Departure

The snow won't stop this year! This photo was taken April 1st as we prepare for our departure to warm weather; the mobile condo will be parked near palm trees soon.

There is a bunch of stuff to do before leaving home for extended periods. First is getting the mobile condo ready for the season. Since we are no longer going to rent out our rig, I spent time purging and adding things that we like, such as a cordless vacuum, Flor carpet tile rug, and setting up to have our cat travel with us.

For other long trips I prepared food items ahead and stocked up on lots of groceries; this time I am not going overboard and planning to shop more often. This makes packing easier and our rig won't be overloaded.

Again, this year, we will be driving our van separately. We had hoped to get a tow vehicle, but we just didn't have the time to get what we needed. Renting a vehicle for a few weeks is pricey; driving the van is cheaper.

Whiskey and I communicate via walkie-talkies; the range is pretty good on those.

The benefit is that we can bring more stuff that might not otherwise bring; we are always keeping our rig cargo capacity in mind when packing; and we can each listen to our preferred audiobooks. I like true crime and memoirs; Whiskey likes musician / rock band memoirs, history, and financial themes.

If you want to be bored to death or lulled to sleep if you have insomnia, watch this video as I get the rig ready.

Willy the white cat has a harness for walking and hanging outside with us. He seems comfortable with it so far. I think we will be creating a monster once he gets a taste of the outside world. That's fine. He can hang out with me in the garden, tethered of course.

Now that we are traveling with Willy, that means cat litter and fluffy white hairs. I purchased a cordless vacuum that I can use regardless of having the rig hooked up to electric.

The litter box is in the shower with a rug under it. This is the best spot for it. Obviously, the box comes out when showering, therefore, a box with a handle is a must. And the box must be color coordinated with the decor. 😁

✔️Laundry done

✔️House Cleaned

✔️Trash to the Dump

✔️Plants Watered and Note for House Watcher (Thanks Crabby Jack!)

✔️Lamps on timers

✔️Security Cameras in Place (so we can watch the snow melt)

✔️Mobile Condo Packed

✔️Bike Rack on and Loaded

✔️Mototote on and Loaded

✔️Van Packed

✔️Walkie-talkie Batteries Installed

✔️Wine

✔️Whiskey

This is why we couldn't coordinate the tow vehicle. Can't do the motorcycle and a car unless we have a trailer to hold both. More research needed. One thing for sure is that we don't want a larger motorhome.

Blueberry Lemon bread is done; I made it as a hostess gift as we visit family along the way.

We are ready to hit the road and leave the melting snow and mud behind. April is my least favorite month in NH.

Our round-trip route is 2450 miles with six overnight stop locations. Three overnights are at Harvest Hosts, two are family, and the longest stay is at the Hilton Head Motorcoach Resort.

Bye-bye mud season!