Day 193, 194 - Still in South Beach, OR - TT

Sunday (193) - Another nice day on the Oregon coast. Today is day 365 since I started driving the Prius V from Fairbanks towards the Pacific Northwest. I’ve returned to Fairbanks twice since then and cancelled a third trip in May and there would normally have been a fourth trip by now. It’s been frustrating not being able to get back home easily. Multiple doctor and dentist appointments have been cancelled or done via Zoom. The 5th wheel and truck are still in Fairbanks both with multiple issues that need to be addressed. The plan was to have both of them sold this summer but that isn’t happening. And, until the 5th wheel is sold we need to keep the truck.

So, we have become “accidental full-time RVers”. So what do we think… I still enjoy traveling and even during these COVID-19 times. A self-contained RV is a great way to self-quarantine as we don’t need to use any of the campground amenities. We venture out to get groceries about every 5-8 days and it’s been simple to “social distance” in a campground. Yes, a lot of attractions are closed but we can always come back to an area again. We generally avoid going anywhere on the weekends and we always have the option to leave if it looks too crowded.

Repairs have been needed on the coach but the total is still less than I had anticipated though there are still some things that I need to do such as replacing four tires. The smoke problem is an annoyance but it doesn’t seem to impact driving. The overheating problem did affect driving and I think that has been fixed. After all the horrible roads within Pacific City TT, I’m not too worried about the windshield anymore.

We still have some cleaning and maintenance that we need to do especially before colder weather. Such as cleaning the furnace ducts.

Monday (194) - We headed into Corvallis for the day and it was HOT! Bridget had some shopping to do and I picked up a bar-end mirror for the e-bike. I’ve used a rear view mirror when bicycling for years and not having one now seems almost dangerous. Especially since this bike travels faster. We are at my moms home trying to help her sort through a lifetime of stuff. We picked up a few kitchen items for use in the RV.

So, I am not tired of the full-time RV lifestyle. It’s nice to be able to visit friends and family and not feel rushed. Every couple of weeks the view changes as well as the grocery stores. There are some challenges with the RV and it’s much nicer to be somewhere with either cellular or WiFi internet from the RV. If that’s all I have to complain about then things are pretty good.

For now, we have some loose plans for upcoming travel but nothing concrete. Hopefully we’ll be able to safely fly back to Fairbanks sooner rather than later.