Fill 'er up!

Last weekend, I cranked up the generator, turned on the air conditioner and cleaned my Winnie Minnie motor home. It didn't look very dirty to me, but I had to change grimy water several times, so I guess it had accumulated a lot of dust.

I wanted to take the mattress outside and let it lie in the sun for several hours to air it out and ensure any mighty mites were fried by the UV rays. But that thing is H E A V Y !!! and I couldn't budge it more than to raise each corner just a bit to slip the mattress cover off. So I vacuumed it, wiped it with a wet cloth, and threw the mattress cover in the washer and dryer. Then I unrolled my new foam topper and placed it on top. 

It could use a little trim around the edges.

I've been collecting kitchen utensils and dishes over the last year, and had fun finding places for them in the cupboards and drawers. I found I had purchased way too many plastic covered containers, so I put a lot of them in the house kitchen. I guess I was imagining having lots and lots of leftovers when I travel. (Maybe I'll be putting things in them to keep mice out of them. Yuck!)

I still need lots of stuff, but it's a start. With what I have so far, I can make coffee and toast, heat up a can of soup, or cook a burger. That should do me, don't you think? I'm hoping to take my first weekend trip on August 15-16 and drive up to the Rim to spend one night.

National Park Passport

I heard about the National Park Passport book from Kimbopolo, one of the bloggers I follow. She described how the National Park Service developed the guide and keepsake to help travelers discover and collect memories of the wonderful treasures that exist throughout our beautiful country. I knew I wanted to get a book and begin collecting stamps from the parks, monuments, memorials, forests and recreation areas that I visit in my RV. So I ordered one online.

On my recent cruise to Alaska, I realized I had forgotten to pack my NP passport book. We visited Mendenhall Glacier, a federal recreation area which sits in the Tongass National Forest. As I listened to a ranger talk at the visitor's center, I was very disappointed not to be able to collect my first stamp.

A few days later, we visited Denali National Park, and again I was lamenting not having my passport book with me. So I went into the visitor's center to buy a new one. They told me they were out of books, but that I could get a stamp at the main desk and put it in my book. I walked over to find people stamping small pieces of paper, so I did the same. As I pushed the stamp down on that scrap, I said to the ranger, "I forgot my passport book," and she replied, "You're the only one who ever has." (wink!)

When I got home, I carefully cut around the stamp and glued it into the Pacific Northwest & Alaska Region page. My first stamp in my book, and it's from the king of all National Parks, magnificent Denali!