Author: mchazen

Today, finally, the escrow documents were ready to sign.  Happy to get this out of the way, we arrived at the title company at 1:00 PM and got on with signing ceremony.  It only took about an hour.  Except for the transfer of funds and recording, this was the end of the process.  The sellers had already signed and on one of our spy missions, we saw the moving truck parked in front of their (our) house.  There really was nothing to derail the transaction and soon enough we would be living in a house firmly affixed to the earth.

Returning to the coach, it really hit us that our excellent adventure is coming to an end.  For the first time in two and a half years, we won’t be able to point to a place on the map and drive our house there.  It all seems strange.  Life is full of these give and get scenarios.  We give up freedom of movement and in exchange we won’t have to worry about where to park the rig, where to find the Walmart Supercenter or emptying the black tank.  It won’t be the first time in our lives that we achieve a goal and then wonder what comes next.

With the close of escrow so close, we decided to do a little furniture shopping.  A priority was replacing the sofa and love seat we sold to the kids.  Jeanne always wanted a leather sofa so we focused on that first and started hitting one or two stores each day.  We quickly found the stores weren’t bashful about asking a hefty price and in desperation, we went to Sam’s Club only to be underwhelmed by what they had.

Finally, we got lucky.  There was spring sale going at one store with an especially hot deal on a floor model leather sofa and love seat.  Talking with the salesman, we discussed how we were new to the area and needed to delay delivery until next week.  No problem.  Then, I also asked for the special New-To-The-Area discount.  He shuffled his feet.  I asked him to check with the manager and off he went.  A few minutes passed.  He returned with good news — an extra 12% off.  Cool.  Before asking him to write it up, I asked for the special free Olive Garden dinner certificate for customers that get an extra 12% off.  He made it clear that 12% off was as far as he would go, but hey, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.  The leather sofa problem was solved.

The new regarding CeeCee is encouraging.  The doctors seem to have stabilized her and have a plan to attack the various problems.  We wish her well and hope to see her very soon.

Still confronted with the sale-of-the-coach problem, we made some call to dealers in Nevada, California and Arizona and all quoted about the same wholesale price.  After talking the issue into the ground, we decided the cleanest deal would be the dealer in California and started planning accordingly.  Complicating the issue, the mattress that came with the coach was in storage.  Early on in our trip, we found the original mattress was marginal at best and decided to swap it with the better one we had in storage.  Now, we need to switch back before the coach is sold.  Further complicating the situation is the interest one of our RV park neighbors is showing in the coach.  They want to upgrade and have already walked through ours a few times.  Their interest seems genuine, but they are Texas residents and we don’t have a clue how to put the transaction together.  We’ll just have to wait a few days to see how all this works out.

With the imminent close of escrow, we can now make calls to turn on utilities.  One strange thing is the water situation.  We found that household water is purchased from the city but irrigation water comes from the homeowner association.  It seems the homeowners own common shares in an irrigation company that were acquired when the land was developed.  This is the same water farmers use to irrigate their crops and it is delivered to each house via a pressurized water system separate the city water system.  How strange.  Bottom line, you can irrigate as much as you want.

In the meantime, these next two days will be two of the longest days of our lives.  There is really nothing more for us to do except wait.  All events trigger with the close of escrow.

It has been a long time since the last triplog entry and not much has happened.  Basically, we’re waiting.

In Colorado, most real estate transactions use a standard state-approved contract that specifies a due date for various events.  For example, there is a due date for the home inspection, loan approval, appraisal, etc.  So far, all parties to the transaction have performed well before the due dates and everything seems to be moving along nicely.

In the meantime, we have been going to the gym every other day for our workout and filling in the rest of the time with meaningless chores that we pretend are important.  Problem is, until escrow closes there just isn’t a lot we can do ahead of time.  Sell the coach?  Nope, we need a place to live.  Move our stuff?  Nope, nowhere to store it.   Turn on utilities?  Nope, we have to wait until the sellers place their service cancellation orders.  For all our worrying and waiting, all we have to show for it is a new cordless telephone and wireless router, both of which are still sealed in their boxes.

At least we have time to think through our next steps.  The close of escrow will set into motion a chain of events which includes the sale of the motorhome and moving our stuff.

Regarding the sale of the coach, the key questions are what it is worth and who will buy it.  After some research on the internet, we have a general idea of what it is worth, both wholesale and retail.  Of course, we can make more money selling it ourselves, but we need it to live in.  Even trickier, we’re sitting in Colorado with a motorhome registered in California and I have no idea how to transfer title.  In fact, there is no title document.  The California DMV issued a ‘paperless title’, which means title is just some record in the DMV database.  Throw in a lien holder and an out-of-state purchaser and you have a recipe for legal disaster.  We need to think long and hard about this.

Regarding the move, we got some quotes from moving companies and felt they were way high.  Having dealt with movers before because of job transfers, we know how the scam works.  You call the moving company and based on an informal conversation, they give you an estimate.  However, what you REALLY pay is based on the actual weight after the truck is loaded.  Of course, once the truck is loaded and weighed, it ALWAYS exceeds the estimate and the price is adjusted accordingly.  At the end of the day, we guess the movers will charge $5,500, but it could very likely be more.  After a lot of discussion, we concluded all those mornings spent in the gym should count for something, like a do-it-yourself move.  We’ve moved ourselves before, when we were 20 years younger, but the prospect of saving $3,000 is just too tempting.  After a little research and a few calls, we arranged to rent a truck from Penske.  Family will help us load in California and we will hire temps to unload in Colorado.  All this was done while my little voice was warning me of a self-inflicted disaster.  We’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out.

You learn things driving around the country.  On our travels, we began to notice the number of U-Haul trucks broken down on the roadside.  Clearly, there was a pattern: renting a U-Haul truck is risky.  However, we never saw a Penske truck drooling coolant by the side of the road so we decided to check them out.  A visit to the local Penske yard impressed us.  The equipment was new and well maintained and although it cost a little more, the last thing we wanted was to break down in the Mojave Desert somewhere between Barstow and Baker.

The news from California regarding Jeanne’s aunt CeeCee is not good.  Without going into a lot of detail, CeeCee has been hospitalized to treat a series of problems.  The family has gathered in California, but we’re stuck here in Colorado because of the home purchase.  We are obligated to meet contract deadlines and certain documents require our original signatures.  Until we get escrow papers to sign, we’re stuck and Jeanne is wracked with guilt.  As reports of her condition change, we are constantly playing what-if with contingency plans.  We certainly want to be with CeeCee and the family during this difficult time, but it just isn’t going to work out.

The past few days have been spent chasing paperwork and planning to move our stuff.  Everything seems to be going according to plan and the closing is scheduled for April 28th.

View from the front, house faces west.

Side view.

Looking east from the back of the house. Grand Mesa and Bookcliffs in the distance.

Looking southeast from the back of the house. On a clear day you can see San Juan mountains in distance.

The back of the house.

The immediate issue is making the house habitable.  Everything we need for everyday living is in the coach and it would be an easy process to pull the rig up to the house and unload.  The only appliance missing is a refrigerator, which is quietly resting in storage in California.  In the intervening weeks, we may make a California run to pick up a few things, but that remains to be seen.  In the meantime the planning continues.

The weather has been spotty.  California has suffered through a series of storms that seem to drift this direction, but by the time they arrive all we get is a few showers.  On one break in the weather, we snapped a few pictures of the house and associated them with this triplog entry.  Once the sellers clear out their stuff, we’ll get some inside pictures.

Otherwise, things have been quiet.

We signed papers to purchase a house and if all goes according to plan, closing should be April 28.  The past few days has been a house-related paper chase, but all seems to be in order and we don’t foresee anything to stop the deal.  Pictures will be posted in a few days.

With all our efforts focused on the house purchase, there has been little time to do anything else.  However, the purchase will set into motion a string of events which includes moving our household items from California to Colorado, selling the coach, purchasing a second vehicle, establishing ourselves as Colorado residents and on and on.  Having gone through the moving drill before, we know that sooner or later it will all get done.

However, one question remains unanswered: What determines the end of the Excellent Adventure?  The closing on the house?  Selling the coach?  Registering as Colorado residents?

Just as important, what next?

We’ll just have to think it through.

Hi there.

You are about to travel with us on our excellent adventure.  

On the day after our arrival in Grand Junction, we re-acquainted ourselves with the layout of the town, contacted our Realtor and began looking for a place to live.  It was a strange experience.  Most of the properties we looked at in the fall were sold, but a few were still on the market.  Already familiar with the various neighborhoods, we could quickly eliminate some properties and do drive-bys on others.  Lana was available to let us into the few we wanted to evaluate in detail.  At this point, we feel that one property in particular meets our requirements; we may offer on it but need to mull it over.

Typical view looking north at Bookcliffs after a light snowfall.

Looking south at Colorado Monument in the distance.

In the few hours not spent looking for property, we ran errands, went to one of the local gyms for our workouts and caught up on season three of the Sopranos.  Nothing too exciting.  We’re also back in the land of nice people.  In fact, almost every interaction with the locals leads to a friendly discussion of some sort.

The weather here has been nice.  The nights usually stay above freezing and the days may reach the high 60s, which is typical for this time of year.  Any rain has been limited to a few sprinkles that make more mud-spots than runoff.

With a little cooperation from the weather, we’re on our way.

Although drive between Vegas and Grand Junction is usually split into two easy days, we decided to just get it over with.  The plan was to be on the road by 7:00 AM and pull into the RV park in Grand Junction before they closed the gates at 5:00 PM.  Along the way, we would cross into the Mountain Time Zone and loose an hour, so we had to make good time.  It was time to get behind the wheel and drive.

The trip is really split into three sections.  First is the drive north on I-15 into Utah, gaining altitude all the way.  By the time we drove through Cedar City, we were at 6,000 feet and there was snow on both sides of the highway.  It was cold outside and the heater under the instrument panel was doing all it could to blow lukewarm air across our numb toes.  The highway was well maintained and the rig just hummed along.

A few miles north of Beaver (yes, there really is a town named Beaver, Utah) we turned onto I-70 heading east.  This has to be one of the least traveled sections of interstate in the country.  After a long climb to about 7,300 feet, the road drops into a high river valley bordered to the north and south by snowcapped mountains.  The scenery is spectacular and by the amount of snow pushed to the side of the road, we were glad we waited in Mesquite for the storm to pass.  When we reached the Flying J in Richfield, UT, the second segment of the trip was behind us.

Truckers can easily spend an hour getting through a Flying J, but the light traffic and friendly small-town attitude got us through in a record 15 minutes.  In addition to diesel, we desperately needed propane, but getting to the tank at the Flying J would be awkward.  No problem, we could fill propane in Salina, UT, only 15 miles down the road, so off we went.  After tanking with propane by the same guy who filled us four months before, we set off on the last segment of our trip.  He remembered us.

Windshield view of the road as we descend towards Green River.

On I-70 just east of I-15 turnoff. The road heads through some high country with spectacular views. Good thing we waited for the storm to pass.

Windshield shot of road between Richfield and Green River. This is a long stretch of lonely highway.

Another winshield shot of I-70 on the way to Green River, Utah.

As the road drops off the mesa, there is a long, steep downhill grade with at least three runaway truck ramps. The ramps are a good reminder to keep our speed under control.

Another winshield shot of I-70 on the way to Green River, Utah.

The pull from Green River to Grand Junction is generally a flat and wide-open run.

The road summit between Salina and Green River tops out around 7,000 feet, but this time there just wasn’t as much snow.  In fact, the farther east we drove, the drier the surrounding countryside became.  In order to reach Green River (yes, the river does have a green tinge to it) the road abruptly drops off the mesa through some scenic red-rock country.  The multiple run-away truck ramps were a graphic reminder to control our downhill speed.

The 100 miles between Green River and Grand Junction runs through some very dry country.  With boring mile after boring mile rolling by, you could imagine our surprise when we came across three cop cars pointed the wrong way along the road median.  There they were, surrounding a pickup truck with an empty boat trailer that was also pointing the wrong way.  It was none of our business, so we drove on and speculated what the problem was.  About three miles down the road was another cop guarding a boat that had obviously fallen off a trailer and skidded along the highway before coming to rest at the side of the road.  Strange as it may seem, the boat was pointed in the right direction.  Another mile farther and we saw the flat-bed tow truck making his way toward the boat.  All the pieces were falling into place.  I’m sure the Highway Patrol and boat owner were discussing how to properly secure a boat to its trailer.

We finally reached the small town of Fruita, which is just west of Grand Junction, about 3:30 PM.  After topping off the diesel, we made it to the RV park in plenty of time to check in and set up.  We were tired and somewhat shaky from the trip, the classic symptoms of freeway shock.  Not wanting to cook, we headed to a BBQ place for ribs and beer and beer.  The meal and drink worked its soothing magic.  Upon returning to the coach, we immediately went to bed and slept soundly.

Despair.

We’re still in Mesquite waiting out the weather and there is nothing left to do here.  We have read everything in sight, watched the first season of the TV series 24, watched the first season of the Sopranos, hit golf balls at the driving range and faithfully did our workouts.  Gaming is not our thing, so the casinos hold no interest.  Worst yet, the internet connections here suck so picking up e-mail is a hassle and web site updates are out of the question.

View of Mesquite Boulevard on day before leaving. Due to construction the traffic pattern was changed daily by moving barrels.

View of Greater Mesquite from hotel.

Snowcapped mountains in the middle of the desert.

RV park was little more than a parking lot with hookups. Can you find our rig?

However, with a predicted break in the weather, relief is in sight.  Hopefully we can get moving again on Thursday, the day after tomorrow. 

All we want to do is leave.

The fact that we’re still sitting in Mesquite, NV is proof that sometimes things just don’t work out as planned.

Mesquite is a very small town right on the Nevada/Arizona border where the Virgin River flows out of the surrounding mountains on its way to Lake Mead.  At one time this was a ranching community of sorts, but now gaming and retirement are the driving industries.  The town boomed in the last few years and there now seems to be a scramble to update the supporting infrastructure.  Several streets are in various stages of repair and traffic snakes through makeshift lanes marked by bright orange barrels.  The few streetlights that are working are not timed correctly and detour signs send traffic around in circles.  It is as if the traffic engineers purposefully tried to maximize traffic with a minimal supply of cars.

Like Vegas, this place can be hellishly hot in summer but relatively mild in winter.  Not much more needs to be said, except that we are stuck here waiting out the weather.  The local weather is o.k., but our route through Utah has been pelted with one storm after another.  So here we are enjoying sunshine locally, but unable to reach Grand Junction.  If we were just driving the jeep we would be long gone, but there is no compelling reason to push our luck moving the coach.  The RV park is full of travelers in the same predicament.

On a side trip outside of Mesquite. View of Virgin River with I-15 and snowcapped peaks in distance.

Jeep dwarfed by the vast desert outside of Mesquite, Nevada.

Lonely desert road along banks of Virgin River.

At least the place is conducive to workouts.  The Oasis Casino has a small but well equipped gym and the surrounding terrain is good for running.  In fact, this is the first time I ran outside for a long, long time.  It is good to get off the treadmill.

Staying out of the buffet is key and we try to avoid it.  However, in a moment of weakness we hit the buffet for the St. Patrick’s Day dinner, where I was able to enjoy all those foods we rarely eat.  Corned beef and cabbage once per year is o.k.  Right?  What could be better than dining with a bunch of people with a BMI index of 38 or more?

It so happened that one of our Florida friends, Luis, was in Las Vegas for a long weekend.  On Thursday, we drove the Jeep down to Vegas to meet him for lunch.  We very much enjoyed the visit and hope to see him again when we settle somewhere.

For some mysterious reason the wireless internet connection on my computer quit working when we reached Mesquite.  Jeanne’s works, but mine refuses to cooperate.  Since my computer is used to write and maintain this web site, we were concerned.  While in Vegas, the connection was tested at a T-Mobile hot spot and it worked fine.  As suspected, the Wi-Fi connection in Mesquite was the problem.  What a relief.

To pass the time we rented season one of the TV series 24, which should keep us busy for quite a while.  Our other activities include reading, fiddling with the computers and running a few errands locally.  There is not much to see here and even less to photograph, but there are some pictures associated with this log entry.

In the Wouldn’t-You-Know-It department, a motorhome very similar to ours pulled in right beside us.  Same basic model and color scheme, but theirs is a 40 foot rig with four slides.  The two rigs have become a park curiosity of sorts.

Part of our travel experience is interacting with the locals.  We noticed Mesquite has a small-town feel and people are generally eager to engage in conversation.  But on one occasion, we had a failure-to-communicate moment.  Here’s the story:

Taking advantage of a break in the weather, we decided to get out and drive around town for a few minutes.  One of the few local restaurants open on a Sunday morning was a small cafe in a strip-mall.  It looked o.k., so we went in.  Upon entering, we could see it was a order-at-the-counter type of place.

It was a little after 11:00 AM, so we decided to have lunch.  My order of a ham and turkey sandwich on wheat was easy enough, but Jeanne’s order was a challenge.

Waitress to Jeanne:  And what will you have?

Jeanne:  I’ll have a tuna salad sandwich.

W:  What kind of bread do you want.

J:  White, toasted.

W, somewhat confused:  You want toasted white bread?

J, somewhat suspicious:  Yes, white bread toasted.

W, after a few minutes:  Do you want the toast buttered?

J, with growing suspicion:  No.

W, to Jeanne:  What kind of bread do you want on the sandwich?

J, impatient:  O.k., let me clarify the order.  I want a tuna salad sandwich with toasted white bread.

W:  Oh.  O.k.

We sit down and in a few minutes the waitress approaches with our sandwiches and sets them before us.  At the moment Jeanne notices her sandwich is on un-toasted white bread, the waitress announces that she will be right back with the unbuttered toast.  Before things spiraled out of control I told the waitress to skip the toast.  We enjoyed the sandwiches, paid, left and wondered what went wrong.  Such is life on the road.

We returned to the coach, reflected on our Five Easy Pieces moment and waited for the weather to change.

The weather changed and we woke to overcast skies.  For once the weather forecast may have gotten it right.  At least the winds abated somewhat.

Our destination is the small town of Mesquite, Nevada, which is close to the Arizona border along I-15.  Maybe a 95 mile drive at best.  It will be a good place to hide out for a few days while watching the weather.

We had to time our departure carefully to avoid the NASCAR traffic.  The racetrack is located a little north of town along I-15 and with 100,000 spectators expected to attend, all the roads around the event will be jammed.  With rain in the forecast, it will be a mess.

Looking north from the coach upon arrival. First time it snowed in 10 years.

Looking east at cliffs after heavy snowfall.

More snow on hills surrounding Mesquite. In the summer, it can hit 120 degrees here.

We pulled out 10:00 and we managed to get by the racetrack with little delay.  The wind, however, changed direction and was hitting us broadside the entire trip.  Going slow, the coach handled it well but driving required my constant attention.  Nearing Mesquite, the weather turned ugly and we drove through areas of light rain, light snow and shush balls.

The RV park at the Oasis Casino in Mesquite is little more than a parking lot with hookups.  We arrived shortly after noon and hooked up minutes before a slushy rain started falling.  We had lunch and settled in for a quiet afternoon.