We have found that we have everything we need, but everything has its place and it must stay in it - even if it means sharing space in odd ways! Some things only fit in certain cupboards, and some cupboards are easier to access than others, so the ice trays really are in the same place as the extra sheets! But, you know what - we know where everything is, and we are really enjoying everything about the trip - including living in 19 feet.
I actually prefer our nights in the Van - everything is handy and you don't have to haul things into a motel - Phil, however, does enjoy having the room to stretch out in a motel every couple of days.
The ability to stay in touch so easily has really made a tremendous difference. It is so nice to hear the cell phone ring and have one of the grandchildren on the other end, or a friend with great news. To open up our email and have five or ten notes from people commenting on something on the website, or sharing Charbonneau news is really exciting and makes this whole adventure much less isolating.
Our week at Pebble Beach for the U S Open was magnificent. We had traded 2 tickets to the Open for a week's lodging in a condo in downtown Carmel. A perfect hideaway above some shops, one block from the main street and about 8 blocks from the ocean. It worked out better than we could have planned, as we were able to walk to Pebble Beach every day, avoiding the mass transportation scene from Fort Ord!
The setting just takes your breath away, with the immaculate fairways set against the brilliant blue bay, the flowers nestled everywhere, the trees reaching ever inland, and the sun burning off morning clouds or fog made watching the golf almost secondary. Seeing the Pros up close was really inspirational - how they make the ball do some of the shots is still amazing.
Each day we viewed the tournament differently. One day walked all 18 with Brian Henniger from Portland, two days we picked holes to watch the groups come through, and the final day we planted ourselves in the stands behind the 18th green and watched everyone come home and see Tiger get his trophy.
We felt sorry for all the other golfers. It was like they were defeated after the first day. You could always tell where Tiger was by the mob scene - the galleries for everyone else were tiny by comparison.
All us amateurs take heart - we actually saw Justin Leonard hit a house on the par 3 12th! The owner came running out with his camera to record the unlikely event!
We hated to leave such a magical experience, but the road was
calling. We have now been in 8 states and covered over 4000 miles.
Major stops this month have included:
§ Yosemite (we had to see where Phil's son had climbed El
Capitan),
§ Lake Tahoe (North and South shores),
§ Hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail with some friends,
§ Carson City (a fabulous thunder and lightening storm -
fortunately we were in a motel),
§ Great Basin National Park (across the Loneliest Road in
America - beautiful in its desolation),
§ Salt Lake City and Park City (the preparations for the
Olympics have those two cities in total chaos! but we saw where
some of the major events will be),
§ Sun Valley for the 4th of July (saw Katarina Witt Ice Skate
before wonderful fire works choreographed to "The Stars and
Stripes Forever"),
§ Jackson Hole and the Grand Teton National Park (river rafting
on the Snake and the spectacular scenery here make this a must),
§ Yellowstone National Park (sights like nothing else we've
ever seen - pictures just don't do it justice!)
We can't share all the fun we've had in an article like this,
but do check our web site (http://home.att.net/~retirement_lifestyles)
if you want to see pictures and more information about our travels.
So long for this month!