Our new tiny home. On wheels

Brian and I went and picked up the Sportscoach yesterday. I have to admit I was uneasy about it all week. I kept asking myself "Are we making the right decision?" "Why are we buying a motorhome again?" "Is this going to be a money pit?" Our whole plan is to make our life simpler, less complicated, less cluttered with stuff, and I wonder if this is going to hinder that plan. Then, on Friday, I looked at pictures I had taken of it, and I was excited about it.

The moment I saw it yesterday I became excited again and those questions disappeared. What's the point on dwelling on them? It's too late. We bought it. It's ours. I have to remind myself that this wasn't a spur of the moment decision. We've been leading up to this for the past couple of years. Living full time in our coach and traveling is going to be a more enjoyable life than spending our days going to jobs that we don't like in order to pay for our home that is too big for us, and to pay for the useless 'stuff' we've managed to fill it with. A home that we don't get to enjoy because we spend our time working to pay for.

The seller and I took care of the paperwork while Brian attached the windshield wipers we had purchased on our way up to get it since the forecast called for rain. $35. And so it begins.

Brian was super nervous about his first time behind the wheel of a motorhome. He drove it for about 10 minutes on a test drive last week but this was going to be a 45 minute drive, on the freeway, in the rain. He did great and got us home safely. He parked it on the street, turned it off and opened our gate to back it into the back yard. When he went to start it again, it struggled and didn't start. Sounded like a dead battery. I thought "Oh great! Here we go. We just bought a piece of junk." Turns out it was a loose battery cable and Brian got it into our yard like he'd done it a hundred times before.

Here are some pics. We will be doing some remodeling because we feel that some of it is "god awful" so stay tuned for the upgrades.

The couch folds down into a bed.

The captains chairs swivel around and the little table is removable and there is a larger table to be put in its place.

"10-4 big buddy". Yes, we have a cb.

Yes, that is a built in blender! There are other gadgets offered for it online like a food processor and coffee grinder. 

The bathroom. Which will be getting a makeover.

Lots of built in storage and a walk way next to the bed which was a plus for me. Part of the counter folds  up and makes a vanity. I don't plan on using that but it's a cool feature. I WILL be using the built in hamper though.

The bar with the door closed

The ice maker

The bar with the door open. All mirrored inside.

Summer, in a nutshell

I posted my keirin track bike for sell on Craigs List....

...and an old Schwinn that I converted into a single speed.

We had a yard sale and gave some stuff away

We visited Mt. Lassen....

...a creepy cave....

...Dunsmuir, where we slept in a train car and walked under a waterfall...

the yellow car was our home for the night 

...Mt. Shasta...

we decided to go on a hike once we drove up the mountain and i was fascinated by this plant we saw along the way

I was so glad to see there was a sign to teach me what this was

...and Mt. Shasta City where we drank from this natural spring...

...and frolicked through this enchanted forest...

(unfortunately i didn't have my camera on the correct setting. these pictures don't do it justice)

...and roamed the streets where we saw this sign...

...and the home of our most recent dreams. Thus, the craigslist ads, yard sales and giving things away. More on all that in a future post.

The simplicity of camping

Brian and I went camping at our ol' stand by last weekend, Buck's Lake. It's about 20 miles from the town where Brian grew up and it's the place we go when we want to go camping but haven't made plans to go elsewhere. We brought our bikes and went for a ride on Saturday, a long, hilly, strenuous ride that was mostly on a 4-wheel drive road. A ride that rewarded us with the most amazing views and surprised us with a variety of sweet aromatic flora. Camping and bike touring always remind me of how little I really need to live and motivate me to continue lightening the load of all the useless stuff in this house.

Brian lived in this structure 22 years ago when he worked at Lakeshore Resort. No running water, bathroom or kitchen. (the porta potty wasn't there back then) Now it's used for boat rentals.