Road Trip 2021 - To Maine and Back

Today tested me. But first, let me back up.  I didn't post yesterday, so this is day 4 & 5.  Yesterday (Mon 3/29), we woke up to the first snow in the camper! Then, we walked into town to do some errands. It's about 2 miles each way, so we were deinifitely getting our exercise! Especially in the cold wind.  Then, we continued our walk around town to check out some local sites! Dick & Janes House and the Bull on the Bench are two popular landmarks.  Today, is Day 5 of the trip - and it tested me. So far I've stayed positive, upbeat, and haven't let this whole mechanical setback affect me or my mindset about the trip. I've been going with the flow - But today was different.  We woke up this morning bright and early to get to the mechanics by 8.  We dropped off the truck and unloaded the camper from it too. The truck has to get an alignment after the steering gear box is put on, so...

Today I felt more of a calm sense about the whole break down situation. Was I panicked, upset, or stressed about the situation? No. But am I happy that my trip has been delayed five days and I should have been snowboarding tomorrow but I'm not? Of course not. But it is what it is and I can't do anything about it. Being mad or upset won't change it or help anything. So instead, I've accepted it. My trip will go on and I will figure it out as it goes. And honestly, I am so proud of myself and how I handled the whole situation. I've been working on myself a lot lately and how I allow situations to impact me and my emotions. Staying level headed throughout this situation has definitely proven that. I was definitely running on adrenaline the last three days. But I remained level headed and not once let any emotions get in the way of being able to take care of the situation.  So onto today... Today we slept in, had a delicious breakfast, and took it easy. We helped our fa...

Long story short, we are safe, and parked in Eastern WA until about Wednesday when the truck will be fixed.  Now for the long story... We woke up this morning at 6am in the church parking lot to be able to meet the mechanic (who lived just down the street) at 7am. Also,  cows were not the neighbors I was expecting to have our first night.  We pulled up, squeaking the whole way. He met us, took a look, and gave his best analysis. It seems that it's my steering gear box. (I just had my steering redone about two months ago.) He was very kind, had great mechanical knowledge and customer service. He refilled my power steering fluid, and by 8 we were back on the road (sort of).  We went downtown to a Fred Meyer parking lot to hang out until I figured out what the next move was. There were two options. One, I could get towed back to Bremerton with AAA and have my mechanic fix it. Two, I could baby it back to Bremerton and stop often to keep my power ...

 So, I was going to title today's post "Never Ready". Because it seems that I am never actually ready to start a new adventure or trip, until the moment it happens. There's always too much to do before hand, more packing to be done, and it never feels real; until you're there.  This trip was different though, I almost felt too ready. I was too calm and didn't have that sense of urgency or stress in the days leading up to it. Yes, there was lots to do. But I paced myself. I have been planning and preparing for this trip for months! Maybe that's why.  Until, I found an oil leak at 5pm the night before I was supposed to leave. Then, I didn't feel ready. Of course something like this would happen the night before I'm supposed to start a 4,000 mile two week road trip. So I panicked, called my mechanic at 5pm Thursday night and they said go bring it in first thing in the morning. So Friday morning, I panicked, and called my boss, to ask for time off to b...