All the little things

We finally went on our first trip in the RV!! It was a last minute decision, and I find that last minute plans turn out the best. This was usually applied to my life in Bristol - the rave you just happen upon, the pint that turns into the best night ever. But I'm growing up (kicking and screaming, mind) and more wholesome things are becoming those last minute awesome ideas.

We tried to find somewhere near to our RV, but nowhere had spaces. So we looked a little further afield and ended up in Leavenworth. Over Christmas we had booked a cabin in Leavenworth as a getaway and it was cruelly torn from our grasp by snow storms. But we made it! We finally made it! Leavenworth is a tacky Bavarian style town created in the 60's. It was a genius idea to pull a once thriving railroad town into the spotlight after the relocation of the railway and it has been a success. But I do worry that Americans genuinely believe that Germans wear lederhosen and solely eat Bratwurst.

The hole our poo is meant to occupy

Sardines, anyone?

We needed full hookups to test out all the different bits on our RV. For those in the dark about this stuff, you basically hook up to a power mains, water mains and a charming poop shoot. This trip was a steep learning curve and I now know that 'partial hookup' means no poop shoot. There was also cable available, but I'll be damned if we could figure that one out.

The drive up was fun - it was the first time both Dave and I were in the vehicle for a good, long drive. Considering our car has no stereo, radio or any way to make sound apart from the disconcerting rattles and squeaks, the music was a real treat. And yes, I went for my first number two in a moving vehicle (barring planes, of course). This isn't the depth of information I would normally share with everyone (those of you who know me know this is somewhat of a lie), but it felt like a momentous occasion - one of which I am very proud. But saying that, I wouldn't choose to do it again. Luckily the bathroom is very small, allowing me to brace myself against the walls as it swayed to and fro. So, with that mental image in tact, I can tell you it was anything but the relaxing bathroom visit you cherish.

We had decided to take this trip because Seattle was experiencing a heatwave. It was in the 90's and beautiful sunshine, so it seemed absolutely perfect. Dave did have to pull a sickie - but it's one of those rare treats that makes it feel even more special because it's kind of naughty. But we thought this was a worthy cause. So, there we are on our way out of Seattle, driving into the mountains, and we see dark, heavy clouds around. It's pretty early so we figure the clouds will burn off. The closer we got to Leavenworth, the darker they got. And then it opened its spiteful guts all over us. We pulled into our campsite in a thunder storm accompanied by torrential rain. Backing this beast up is not something you can do without someone guiding you, so I'm standing in my little summer dress trying to guide the RV into a narrow camping spot for the first time. To the naked eye I look like a sopping wet idiot, but inside I was filled with stomach sickening, saccharin sweet glee. It may have been pissing it down with rain, but this was the Damy-mobile's maiden voyage. We had burgers, we had booze, we had everything we needed to make the best of it.

The fruits of our hose labor!

So, in the rain, we start to set up our little domain. The hookups aren't too complicated. Plug in RV - literally all you do with the power cable - just plug it in like a hair dryer. We found out we needed a new hose for potable water. Luckily our campsite was right on the main road opposite a Safeway (supermarket) and a hardware store. So we trudged across in a little moment of sunshine and bought ourselves a new hose. We got everything up and running, and I think that was the closest feeling to having children I think I've had. The pride, the joy, the amazement that it all works and nothing is wrong. Well, I say that...we couldn't connect the shit slide as we didn't have an adapter. We have since purchased one, a little arm that connects the tube to the hole. We bought a clear one so that we can see when the tube is empty. Ahem. Honestly, pure function, not comedy.

So we whipped out our lawn chairs, sat under the awning with our tinnies and watched the cars go by. We had a bbq for dinner, and realised that our beers were getting warmer as they came out the fridge. Another lesson learned - the RV really does have to be very level for the fridge to work. It is cooled by ammonia moving around the fridge, and when it isn't level, the ammonia doesn't move around the fridge, meaning it doesn't cool. But please do not take my word on that little technicality.

We only stayed a night - luckily the rain went away in the evening and we had our camp fire, watched a bit of TV inside the rig to get a feel for home life, and went to bed as happy little clams. The bed is comfy, but the thing rocks just when you are walking around in it, so for the sake of privacy, we have invested in stabilizers. I don't think the families or retirees would get any amusement out of a vigorously rocking RV, regardless of it being accompanied by a neat little rhyme.

Letting the brakes cool

The way home was kind of sad - we wanted longer in our new home, but we had to go. Leavenworth is in the mountains, so the way home was a steep gradient downwards pretty much 70% of the way. Since neither of us had ever driven a vehicle this long before, we were surprised when we smelt burning rubber. After a while we decided it had to be us so we pulled over. At this point we saw the smoke. Lots of smoke. Coming from the brakes. We had a tanker pull up behind us and saunter over. He informed us that we had overheated our brakes and we needed to go down a gear to make it down the hill without doing any damage. Of course this dawned on us just as the words fell out of his mouth. It seemed so obvious. It was something we both knew from our driving test in England (definitely not the kind of thing you learn as standard here!). But then we realised, we are part of a club now. The Big Vehicle Club. That guy didn't have to stop, but he did, and we were very grateful. We weren't sure what was wrong, we could guess it was the brakes, but this geezer put our minds at rest. We still have the get the brakes tested now, but we knew we would make it home alive. So, we chilled out in the RV for 15 minutes and hopped back on the road.

We breathe in as we go through these!

Dave's knuckles were white by the time we made it back, but we came away from the experience much more confident. Not only that, but twice as excited to hit the road, to embrace this lifestyle with big, open arms. Man, we're RVers baby!

The area is called The Cascades for its abundance of waterfalls