Rock Guard for the Shasta

On our journey back from picking up the camper and getting the hitch installed we wound up with a broken front window. The road conditions were terrible, and the only thing worse than the roads was the weather, so needless to say we had a broken window and a wet dining area. Obviously that wasn’t going to work long term so my husband set out to make us a rock guard and, though I’m biased, he did a bang up job.

After coming back from a 32 day journey out West I can say that this worked great! No problems, except for quite a few dead bugs.

Here are some photos:

Materials Used:
Lexan – cut to size. If I remember correctly Lowe’s had the sizes we needed in store and they will cut them for you using your measurements.

Super Magnets – (Countersunk hole)- Screw onto Lexan using knurled nuts. We used a zinc washer on the camper to attract the magnet.

Knurled Nuts– Use to secure magnet on the Lexan.

Suction Cups- Not required, but we used them as an additional layer between the window and the Lexan to keep the panels from moving so much in the wind. And, as an added layer of attachment to the window.

It’s removable, doesn’t compromise the look of the camper or the use of the windows, and, most importantly, guards against rocks.

Adventures in the Shasta- Part Two

It took us about 10 days to get out to Seattle from Nashville. That’s with us driving manageable/short days and making all our stops for sightseeing. Not too bad.

Before reaching our campground we made a stop in Snoqualmie Falls. I’ve only watched the first episode of “Twin Peaks” but my husband wanted to stop there because of the show. It was a precious little town. We had lunch at The Black Dog Arts Cafe. It was a comfortable restaurant/coffee shop/boutique with a delicious egg sandwich.

We tried to see the falls but there was no parking for us folks pulling a camper.

Once in Seattle we set us camp then went to a Mariners game. Because of the industry I worked in I’ve seen quite a few ballparks, but not Safeco Field. It was beautiful! We got some tickets on Stubhub and fully enjoyed our night at the ballpark. Helmet ice-cream included.

Here’s a shot from our drive in.

For our full day in Seattle we started off having breakfast at Dahlia Bakery. I still think about that breakfast sandwich because it was so good! They have a cookbook out that I’d like to get and try some recipes.

After the Dahlia Bakery stop we made our way over to the Pike Place Market. I could stay at that place for a week! There were so many things to look at and so many delicious foods to try. One of my favorites was Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. It was neat to watch them make cheese and then eat cheese.

Making cheese…

Eating cheese…

We walked around a bit before taking the monorail back to the Space Needle area. We saw this cool food truck while walking around. Too full to sample the food, though.

After we left downtown we ventured over to Gas Works Park. That’s a neat place with such a nice spot for a picnic! We hung out for a bit before going back to the camper. Here’s the view.

I didn’t know what to expect because it was my first time in Seattle, but what a lovely place! Everyone we met was just delightful, and I love the quaint feeling of the city. It’s big, but the trees and architecture really make it feel homey.

Campground Info:

We stayed at the Vasa Park Resort. It was very convenient to town, and for that I give it high marks. However, the set up isn’t so great and there’s no privacy. The quiet hours weren’t really enforced and it became a problem one night. It’s definitely urban camping. They are also a boat dock and event space and there aren’t separate bathrooms for campers and day visitors so the bathrooms can get a little rough. While they are nice people, I think they are trying to do too much in one place without more separation. I’d stay there again, just something to keep in mind. (Rough bathrooms were mainly the men’s bathroom, it wasn’t that bad in the women’s.)

Next up- our trip down the coast.

A quick garden update and the fall garden plan

During our extended absence I let the garden go unwatered, but to my surprise we had tomatoes when we got home! No tomatoes when we left, but three when we got back. I was pretty excited about that. I’m guessing I was watering them too much. Oh, and the tomato plants were about 10 feet tall, so something is definitely up.

It’s about time to clean it all out and start over for fall, but before I do here are some pictures. Looks pretty sad, right? Thankfully the flowers are still blooming and brightening it up a bit. The new rose bushes did great while we were gone. I couldn’t believe it, but was so happy to know they didn’t die.

For fall I’ve ordered the following seeds from John Scheepers:
Purple Peacock Broccoli
Purple Savoy Cabbage
Dakota Peas
Bloomsdale Long Standing Spina
Blueberries and Cream Alyssum
Flashback Calendula Mixture

I want to try some potatoes but I think I may have waited too long. Same story with the cabbage, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway. I’ll post pictures once I get the current mess ripped out and get the new seeds in.

Wish List Wednesday

It’s finally getting cooler here in Nashville and that means it’s time to switch around the wardrobe. It’s not cold, just cool and crisp. I love it, though I’ll complain about the cold in about three months. It’s just how it goes.

Here are a few things I have my eye on for Fall:

Banana Republic Flats

J.Crew Solid V-neck cardigan

J.Crew Shawl Collar Cardigan (any color)

And a non-clothing item:

Rifle Paper Co Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Things I’ve already bought for Fall:

Dolce Vita Booties – I love these! I sized up a half a size and I’m glad I did. They are a tad narrow, but very flattering.

GAP Trench– Well, I haven’t received this yet, but it’s on the way. Hopefully it will be a love.

Adventures in the Shasta- Part One

The first leg of our journey was from Nashville up through Independence, MO and over through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho to Seattle.

The first night we stopped in Independence, MO to stay at the Campus RV Park. I realized when we got there that it was right in the middle of all the various Mormon facilities in Independence- bonus! I’m intrigued by the LDS religion so that was a fun surprise. Before we left the next morning we made a stop at the Visitors Center and had a nice tour. Our Sisters were very kind, but I was hoping to do more looking/reading without a tour guide. Oh well, maybe next time.

South Dakota was beautiful and, while Mount Rushmore is interesting, I’d say my favorite was the Badlands.

I will say this a lot, but the scale was almost too much to process. We had a nice leisurely drive through the Badlands National Park stopping every once in awhile for photos. Visiting Mount Rushmore was surreal. After seeing it in history books and in movies being there in person felt strange. It’s also just a really weird thing. You drive and drive and drive and then get there, look up, and there are these big faces. Very cool, but also weird. The concept of generating jobs and creating a tourist spot in the middle of nowhere is an interesting idea and use of government funds, so I get it, but it’s still just a curious thing to me.

We also made the trek out to Devils Tower because, why not.

Other South Dakota Stops:
Mitchell Corn Palace
Wall Drug
Murdo Drive-In – I mention this hole in the wall because it is totally worth a stop. We had delicious burgers and fries, along with funnel fries. Funnel fries are a funnel cake in fry form- genius! I’d stop there again any day.

The sunflower fields in South Dakota were beautiful, and we seemed to hit it at the right time because the flowers weren’t so weighed down with seeds that they were actually pointing up!

Wyoming is beautiful country, but sparsely populated. I knew it was, but going miles and miles without seeing so much as a gas station or house was a little disconcerting. We stopped at Yellowstone for two days and could have easily stayed more because it’s so large and there is so much to see. Upon arriving we were greeted by a Bison walking by. I froze and didn’t get a good photo from the front, but here he is passing us (in the other lane, notice).

My favorites were Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Spring. If I’m being honest, Grand Prismatic Spring was a little of a let down. I was expecting much more, but with the viewing angle (ground level) it’s very hard to see and enjoy the colors. You know they are there, but it is hard to see them standing on the ground. Thankfully it shows up better in photos than it does to the naked eye.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Hayden Valley was so peaceful and we saw more wildlife there (Bison, Elk, and some really cranky birds). No bears though. Oh, and Yellowstone was very very crowded. I can’t imagine what it’s like during peak Summer season, but everywhere we went there were tour buses full of people.

Glacier National Park had to be my favorite of the National Parks we visited. It was so beautiful, crisp and quaint. It’s pretty far up there so it wasn’t as crowded as Yellowstone was. Upon recommendation from a fellow we met at a campground we did the Red Bus tours. It isn’t cheap, but I think it was worth it because we both got to enjoy the park instead of one person focused on driving and the other person trying to point things out. The tour we did lasted about four hours and it took us around the park and up Going-to-the-Sun Road. Just having someone to drive us up that road was worth it. Talk about narrow and steep- yikes!

You literally ride in red buses and they are the body of the old 1930s buses, but of course the working insides have been modified. They can also run on propane which is pretty cool.

The same fellow that recommended the tour also recommended Eddie’s Cafe. He was right- yummy! The Huckleberry Cobbler was very good and the wrap I had was delicious too.

This photo shows how far we’d gone in seven days. Crazy!

Next time…Seattle!

Long Journey

I’m not really sure how to write about our trip, but I really want to, so I’ll probably try to do it in bits and pieces. I’m still going through photos and, essentially, re-living and remembering again what we did. We did and saw so much!

Here’s a photo of our Google Map we worked from. I removed all the pins but this will show you the loop.

Favorite Things:

Driving through all of the different landscapes. Our country truly is beautiful. While I think Tennessee is wonderful with the green rolling hills, there are many other landscapes that are beautiful in a completely different way.

Glacier National Park. There’s a quaintness there that really appeals to me. Not to mention the crazy scale of everything. And the water. And the trees.

Oregon Coast. It’s beautiful and different from anything else I’ve seen. This is one of my favorite pictures I took over the course of the journey. I’m not a photographer and have no knowledge of photography, so when I take a photo that I like it’s exciting.

Seattle. Everyone we met was so very nice. There was also good food and wonderful things to see.

And I can’t stop thinking about these stops in Seattle…

San Francisco. For so many reasons.

More to come…

Long time, no see

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything but that’s because we went on a 32 day journey out West! I tried to get my act together and schedule some, but with all the trip planning and prepping it didn’t work out.

I’ll get it together, though, and give a breakdown of where we went, what we learned, what campgrounds are great (and which are less great), and all the other juicy tidbits. Garden Updates, Product Reviews and Wish Lists- oh my!

Organizing the Shasta- Update

This is just a little follow-up to the original organizing post. I learned that there are some really cool organizational products out there, but not all of them worked for me.

Back “Closet”: I kept The Container Store drawers for the small hole/closet area and I think they will be excellent. There is still some space on the side and at the top which should provide room for the few hanging clothes we may have. I got a small tension rod to hang clothes on and I think it will provide just enough space. Who really needs a lot of dressy clothes on a camping trip? Not me.

Bathroom: I got a shower curtain rod and a shower curtain to keep as much of the water in the bathroom as possible. I can’t imagine us showering in there everyday, but you just never know. I got this neat little thing to hang on the window curtain rod, but after getting it home I still didn’t know what I’d put in it so I’ll be returning it. I don’t have anything to hold the TP in the bathroom, but I’m not worried about it. This over the door rack did not work because the door wasn’t tall enough to stretch the bungee cords and keep it on. I will use this instead:

I picked up this rug at World Market to put outside the bathroom door. If we do shower in there I wanted something to soak up the water from our feet.

I think that’s everything in the organization department.

Product Reviews- Things I’ve bought lately that I really like…

Loft by Umbra Bunky Bedside Stand

We have been looking for an iPad stand for watching movies/tv shows in bed (small room=no space for TV) and it’s been a difficult thing to find. They are either way too flimsy or really bulky. The reviews are always a little too mixed for me, and they are expensive. Bad reviews/big bucks isn’t the combination I’m looking for, but while browsing Target.com I found this little gem. We used it last night and it fits the bill. The quality is great, it’s sturdy, and holds the iPad at a good viewing angle.

Also, here’s a cool write up about the student that designed it (and other products/designers from the same program now available at Target).

Rifle Paper Co 2016 Planner

I’ve been a fan of Rifle Paper Co for awhile, and I use a physical planner, so this is a jackpot for me! I pre-ordered one about a month ago and it arrived today. I’m very impressed. The weekly breakdown provides ample space for daily tasks and notes, and the dividers make it easy to get to the month you’re looking for. I typically like there to be a notes section within the week, but I think there will be enough space for notes with the layout they chose. I do wish the paper was a little thicker though. But that’s probably just me being picky. Overall I’m pleased, and will be excited to use it come January 1st. Now through Monday August 10th use “Plan2016” for 10% off a planner.

Converse Shoreline Sneakers

These fit the “casual shoe option that I can also wear with dresses” hole in my wardrobe. I’d originally looked at the Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars, but they didn’t look quite like I was hoping on my big foot. Enter the Converse Shoreline. They have a lower profile and a scrunchy back. My old Tory Burch shoes with the scrunchy back were a bear to break in so I was prepared for the same scenario with these. To my surprise, they felt great the first time I wore them! No blisters, no problems. They look good, feel good, and are versatile. What more could you ask for?

I bought mine from Nordstrom.com and as usual they came super-fast and the shipping was free. I went with my normal size nine and they fit as I expected.

Organizing the Shasta

We’ve taken a few trips in the Shasta and the clothing storage has a left me wanting more in the way of organization. I feel like we have a handle on the kitchen supplies, toiletries, and bedding, but the “where do we put our bags” question needs to be answered.

So far my husband has put his clothes in the cabinet above the table/bed but I’ve left mine in an overnight bag. His storage method worked out, but mine just proved to be in the way. Of course. So in preparation for another trip I’m trying to get a better method of organization in there. I’ll make use of the other cabinet above the table/bed area but will still need a place for shoes and hanging clothes. We have that smaller closet back in the gaucho space but it’s just one big cavernous hole so it will need to be organized.

My first and favorite stop for organizing anything is The Container Store. I’ve loved it since my first visit when I was in 8th grade and we took a school trip to DC. At first look online I thought these things may work for the back closet:

Akro Bins

Janus Locker Shelf

When I went to the store my opinion changed a bit. The dimensions of the Akro bins weren’t exactly what I was looking for and I was afraid that stuff would fall out. The locker shelf probably would have been good, but the dimensions were a little off and I thought it would create more dead space in my effort to solve the current dead space problem. I would highly recommend it for those with lockers though.

Here’s what I purchased:
Bungee Overdoor Towel Rack by Umbra – Still not sure if this will work.

Mesh Laundry Bag

Small Tint Stacking Drawer

Sorry for the grainy photo, but this is what they look like inside the closet.

Still left on my list:

1. Tension Rod for the back closet to hang a few clothes. I’ll purchase this, as I have a few around the house already and they work pretty good.
2. Rod/Shower Curtain for the bathroom
3. Collapsable wash basin for washing clothes. I will buy this one.
4. More Gorilla Tape. Obviously.

I’m sure there are still problems that need solutions, but this is a good start to address the conspicuous problems.