The first two months – a long post!

It’s been a tumultuous two months. It all started on Aug 17, when the plane touched down on JFK and I lugged onto the subway a duffel bag containing my personal belongings for the next couple of years. The bag was surprisingly light – 7 of each: t-shirts, underwear, socks, a sweater, my trustworthy down jacket, and a pair of boots. Plus one shirt for more formal occasions.

Photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/resTu9P4uj9vJyn77

I spent the next few days at my very good friends Ivan and Tina in CT, took possession of the truck which was purchased a few months before and set out to unpack a mountain of Amazon boxes with gear I had ordered the previous week. The plan was for me to get things in order, while waiting for the rest of the family to arrive a week later. In short, I had to register and insure the truck, sign-up the kids for school, get medical insurance, find and purchase a camper and outfit it with everything a family of 4 would need for the next two years. More on what to pack for a 2 year camper expedition in a separate post.

The following week I shuttled b/w CT and MA, where I managed to get most of the above done and also I helped out our friend Natalie in MA to renovate her house, visited clients in NY and finally on the 24th met Lucy and the kids at Newark Int’l. We headed straight for our friend Yon in NJ. An endless string of parties, which lasted until last week, was about to begin. I am not going to recount every welcome party thrown for us in detail, suffice to say there were plenty. After the hangover and exhilaration had subsided, he headed on Aug 27 for Natick MA. The plan was for the kids to start school in Natick and attend for 2 weeks, while we were packing and looking for a camper and then hit the road.

We had a wonderful time in Natick, courtesy of our hosts Natalie and Lubo, the kids integrated well into the Natick public school system. Everything was a blast! In the meanwhile, I found a truck camper in NH, close to the MA border. When Lucy and I drove to see it, it turned out to be everything we had wished for – a Lance 950S, clean, just the right size and rather new – a 2011 model. Asking price was 20K, but we settled with the dealer on 17K. Gotta love NH – no sales tax! We had to come back to pick it up a week later, while the dealer was getting it ready for us. We used the time to shop for more stuff for the trip – Amazon prime and the two day free shipping is a godsend!
I also had to put new tires on the truck and do a bunch of repairs. Nothing major except for the e-brake, which snapped and the entire assembly + cables had to be replaced. $1,700 for parts, but mostly labor. Ouch, I had forgotten how much mechanics charge in the States, au par with IT consultants! Speaking of the rig, which got the monicker Malkia Muk: I almost had one of the truck batteries explode one fine day in MA. It was hissing acid vapors, glad I caught it on time! Off to the store for two new truck batteries – yes, the truck has two of them. While we’re at it, I also replaced two of the camper’s batteries with deep cycle marine ones – the real deal! Who needs solar when you’ve got a total of 5 batteries and a Honda gas generator? 😉

We also drove one eve to Providence, where we met our friend John and his wife, along with my old buddy Steve. It had been more than a decade since I last saw John and Irina, it was a blast to see them. John, you haven’t changed a bit, stay true old man and keep that grill fired up!

We finally got the whole rig together, withdrew the kids from school and changed them to home schooling and on the 14th of Sep we were ready to ship out from Natick. To Madison Square Garden, AC/DC concert! Lucy, my buddy Ivan and I had a blast, albeit we had forgotten our tickets and had to find a printer at 9pm in Manhattan, but those are minor details. The concert was super fun, Axel Rose was at home in Brian Johnson’s shoes and the $14 beer was flowing. We came back to Ivan and Tina’s house to find out that a major storm had devastated the area, fallen trees everywhere: train tracks, roads, including a huge one which had fallen smack into Ivan and Tina’s yard, demolishing the fence and almost cutting out the power. Interesting.

Next we drove to Yon’s house (is there a pattern here), where we spent the next few days. Yon had invited several of his friends for a BBQ get together. Our classmate Vera and her boyfriend Medi were also in attendance from Toronto, CA. Don’t we feel flattered 😉 We also met (and partied with) our friends Sisa, Dinyo, Ceco, Ivetza and many other friends from NY and NJ. Did I mention there were a lot of parties?

Finally, on Sep 19, we headed to MN, where we were to meet all our friends from the area and stay at Maria and Kiro’s house. Nothin spectacular to report on the ay there, as the stretch of road b/w NJ and MN does not offer many natural wonders. We had a slight problem in the middle of WI, when our truck alternator seized up, as it turned out. We were lucky enough to find a truck shop nearby. There, I found out that the truck had not one, but two alternators! And it had to be the 2nd alternator, which is not at all that common, so there were no replacement parts in town, closest one being some 80 miles away. The folks at the truck shop were kind enough to lend us their pickup truck, and off we went to fetch the part. We had a wonderful drive through the Wisconsin backroads and 4 hrs later we were back with the part and an hour later ready to hot the road. There was a slight problem though – it was monsoon season in WI and MN and I had to drive at dark in a torrential deluge, accompanied by gusting winds. Driving a 5 ton rig in these conditions ain’t a child’s play, but my trucking skills from yesteryears came in handy and we made it OK to MN. Of course, there was a welcoming party in MN. As a matter of fact, not one, but four! We had a wonderful time in MN, thank you Mimi and Kiro, Eli, Toni and everyone! But, all good things must come to an end, so on Sep 26 we continued our journey to Denver, CO. We drove through SD, where we stopped at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Nice, but nothing special. We spent a night camping in WY, in a campground smelling of cow s**t. These minor details notwithstanding, WY is a wonderful state well worth visiting. We also visited Rocky Mountains National Park. Ah, the beauty of it, one could spend months hiking and exploring the area.

We made it to CO at the end of Sep. and for several days enjoyed the hospitality of our friends Sylvia and Ivan. The kids played with their friends Angie, Abbie, Kira and Ada, while we got to see our ex-neighbor Barbara. Keep it up, Barb, looking great!  We visited the Denver Museum of Nature and Science – a well thought-out, very interactive place, great for kids and adults alike.

From Denver, we decided at the spur of the moment to pay a visit to Utah – Moab and the whole area, Arches National Park, the Canyonlands. Ah, the beauty of spending a night under the stars with no light pollution, make a fire and throw something on the grill… I am starting to enjoy this, I believe Lucy and the kids as well.

From Utah back to Denver for some final goodbyes. Lucy and I spent two nights “camping” on the streets of Cheeseman Park, a posh Denver neighborhood, despite the insistence of Milena and Ogi to stay at their apt. Not bad at all, but the whoosh of passing by cars can be quite unnerving. Next time, in case of emergency, Walmart parking lots!

Finally, at last, on Oct 11, we hit the road south. No more staying at friends’ places, we’re on our own now.

I’d like to end this post with a big “Thank you everyone for your hospitality and friendship! Stay in touch!”

Photos here: https://goo.gl/photos/resTu9P4uj9vJyn77

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2 Comments

  1. Ivan
    October 17, 2016
    Reply

    Awesome photos and videos! Where was the one with the elk on the road taken?

    • rustycamper
      October 17, 2016
      Reply

      In Estes – a town close to Rocky Mountains national park

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