On the Road Again with La Jefa
Thanks so very much to everyone we got to visit during our time home! We had a whirlwind two weeks.We reconfigured the sleeping arrangements in the motorhome and did some yard work so that 60-120 peach trees can be planted this spring.Thanks to everyone who helped us accomplish these goals and for the visits in between.
While we were home, Adam had a chance to take the boys out hunting. Wyatt is 10 this year and has completed his C.O.R.E. course so it was his first chance to try and get a deer. As luck would have it, he spotted a nice little mule deer buck on the evening of his first day out. A small case of nerves (“buck fever”), but he made a great shot and had his first deer down.
I was so so so excited to have a mini home on wheels and was so sure everything would work out as we now had more options and space in a motorhome. So we just took off, leaving Adam’s mom’s place in Oliver, on the 16th, with no place to stay or a direction really. First stop the US border .
Things went as planned, sort of. A two min chat with the border guard and we were on our way. However, it could have taken a turn for the worse when Wyatt thought it would be funny to add information he was not asked for. After the Boarder guard mentioned/asked if we would be homeschooling the kids, we replied yes, and Wyatt piped up and told the border patrol that his Dad was now going to be his Principle, and he was thinking of bringing the strap back! It was a joke he heard Adam say, and thought it would be funny in this scenario. Nope! Not one bit funny. We then had to chat about appropriate jokes and un-appropriate jokes for both the kids and Adam. UGH, You DO NOT volunteer information in a serious setting such as at a border crossing.
We hit up the Walmart in Omak for fresh food as we were not allowed to bring fresh produce over the border. I tried to get a cell phone plan there too, but no one knew how to help me. So off to an AT&T store to get it sorted. Of course it was another ordeal because my US Creditcard would not work because I did not have an US address. The man was helpful and we worked around the problem. By this time it was 3pm and we still did not know where we were going so we continued on toward Idaho. We saw the Grand Coulee Dam. We “tried” to stop to stretch our legs, but Wyatt complained about the mosquitos and Gibson was hungry so back to the RV and we trucked on. We arrived at the Trails of Coeur D’Alene around 10 pm and found a road side pull out to sleep at.
To summarize day one: Me without a plan = stress. So first day = meltdowns.
We started day two with a bike ride along the Trails of Coeur D’ Alene. These paved trails run the full width of Idaho (across the narrow part of Northern Idaho) for 72 miles. We did 13 miles and got our fresh air before we got back into the motorhome for our first scheduled sleeping arrangement.
Has anyone heard of Harvest Host? It is AWESOME! You pay an $80-100 fee for the year to have access to the App, which allows you to pick locations where you can park your RV or trailer for free as long as you support the business your staying at. Farms, museums, breweries, wineries, etc. There are locations all over North America. We booked our first night at Grass Valley Farms, just outside of Missoula. AMAZING! Hit them up if you’re ever in Montana.
We pulled into the area where they told us to park, thru the app. It was a flat field above their 1000 acre farm with room for up to 15 units. We met a fun family from South Lake Tahoe who taught the boys to fly fish and we got to have great conversations into the evening with them too. We exchanged numbers and are sharing fun locations that we think each other would like.
This particular Harvest Host offered a composting class in the morning for anyone who would like to join (Free of charge). All of us got up early (as Montana is ahead of BC time). We learned so much!!! Like I thought I knew about composting and that it was about worms and food waste, but I was wrong! We learned about anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. We also learned that plants want a 5:1 ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen and Humans need a 30:1 and how that relates to soil because we expel our excess nitrogen. We got to look at the compost under a microscope and see the millions of bacteria. I can’t even explain everything I learned, but I know I will be watching Dr. Elaine Ingram on Youtube when I get home to make my soil and land better! That was how we started out first day of school! #winning, or so I thought. We then needed a few supplies so we left Grass Valley Farms and went into Missoula for the necessary items. We parked in a parking lot and did some schoolwork while Adam fixed a few items on the RV. New routine struggles! Oh man did the kids fight back and get frustrated with us, and us with them! We ended up calling it quits early; needing to regroup!
We started schooling on the Monday after we left (The road trip started on Friday). We decided to go the undirected homeschooling route- which has no requirements for us to hand in anything- you are truly left on your own. We don’t have regular WiFi to be able to send in assignments with a homeschooling teacher. So, I ordered books online. Just my luck, one came used and by the time I realized it and sent it back and ordered a replacement it was too late. It did not arrive in time. Grrrr. So Gibson has his, but Wyatt and I will have to figure something out.
We are on day two and lets just say, it’s WAY HARDER than I thought. Wyatt’s moody teenage ways have proved difficult to motivate and navigate. Gibson’s short attention span means that after a few minutes of work he ends up colouring/doodling all over his page.
We spent the next night at a campground that left a lot to be desired, so we moved on to another Harvest Host for Tuesday night, Living Sky Grains. We bought some eggs, flour and flax in exchange for a night on their cool farm across the road from Copper City Mountain- mountain bike trails. We all LOVED this hill! So next morning, we did our duo lingo ( trying to learn spanish) and off to the hill for a second round of mountain biking.
To get to the parking lot at Copper City Mountain you have to drive some pretty gnarly roads…. Like Whoa! We had no where to turn around so the Motorhome had to just keep going. At one point, we had to gun it up this steep rutted hill and the fridge door burst open and contents went flying!!! Kids were like WHOA! More cupboards and drawers opened but Adam could not stop. This is how our Motorhome got the Spanish name ‘The Boss’ ‘La Jefa!’ I might shorten it to Jefy ( Heffy!)
A couple of people have asked about finances, so here is our update. Our last month of August was pretty much the same as July. We averaged about $11,000. A bit over our budget but pretty close. However, this go around in the States is going to be rough financially, I think, with our dollar exchange being almost $1.40 CAD to $1 US. We find that food and gas are not really any cheaper priced in the US than in Canada, but we get hit with the exchange rate. Gas milage in the motorhome is 26-29 litres per 100 km, which is pretty poor when you compare it to our Highlander, that was 9-10 litres per 100km. We are carrying a house, so this was to be expected. Anyone know what the diesel pushers get for gas milage? So, I think we will spend the same amount each month - $10,000 US- but it will translate to $14,000 CAD- Crazy eh? So we might not make another 11 months, but we will see. No sense worrying about it yet, as we don’t get to do this everyday.
We just finished our beautifully scenic drive from Living Sky Grains farm, outside of Three Forks Montana, to West Yellowstone. We landed the last spot at Baker’s Hole Campground (it’s just outside the National park.), which is right on the river where the kids can fish. We ended up being super lucky because when we pulled up to the campground entrance the “CAMPGROUND FULL” sign was already out. We parked in the day parking area and decided to find the camp host to see if we could get a spot for the next day. The host, Dan, was a quick-witted, funny guy and when the kids asked if he knew something for sure he pointed to the sign on his trailer door which read: “I may be wrong, but I doubt it.” So, this became the running joke when talking to Dan. Dan told us to walk the campground and look at the camping signs to see who was leaving the next day, that way we could figure out or talk to the campers and see if we could take their spot the following day. We decided to stretch our legs and walk the park…. What do you know…. We found someone who had left and the site was vacant! We took a picture of the sign so we could verify with Dan (as he is not wrong). And to our luck…. We got a spot. This saved us the huge headache of trying to drive further for another spot!
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