Almost ready for a 9-week RV trip around BC and Alberta

I had planned on being on the road 2 days ago, but Cathy passed on her nasty cold to me, and I’ve spent much of the past 3 days in bed instead. As I write this, I’m still far from feeling well, and although I’m hoping that I can get away tomorrow, it may well be Tuesday (the 24th).

As has been the case for many other areas across North America, Father Winter has refused to leave. This is what we woke up to a week ago, on April 15th. As well as the fact that I’m not taking the motorhome out on roads like that, it makes getting a lot of the work that needs to be done around the house and on the RV much more difficult.

Snow on April 15th in Whitehorse

The cold weather that’s hanging on has made getting the new flooring in the motorhome difficult. I should get it done today, though. All that’s left is the small areas in front of the driver’s and passenger’s seats, and the “doghouse” (the engine access cover). And then bolting the couch back in and installing trim.

New tile floor in the RV

I had to get new summer tires for my car last week. Although “Ruby” is raring to go on a road trip to test the Michelin Premiums on the summer chrome wheels, she’s getting stuck in the garage for 9 weeks tonight instead. Homely little Goldie behind her, though, is getting towed away on another Most Excellent Adventure behind the motorhome 🙂

2010 Cadillac CTS in the Yukon

It’s still well below freezing at night, so I won’t be filling the water tank in the RV before I leave. A blue jug of water will do until I get to at least Dawson Creek, 3 days down the Alaska Highway. I prefer to fill the tank with treated city water rather than from my well in any case, to keep it fresh. The photo shows the ice from the barrel that one of my roof gutters drains into.

Spring ice in the Yukon

Even draining the hot tub has been made more difficult, as once I drained it, I had to run plumbing antifreeze through it to prevent pipes from bursting.

Pre-trip draining of the hot tub

And the en suite bathroom project I’ve told you about? Well, bad timing and “stuff” (mostly the hundreds of hours I’ve put into my Yukon History & Abandoned Places group) delayed it over and over, and as I’m about to leave for the summer it’s still a project rather than a bathroom. The cabinetry just arrived a few days ago – that’s been the biggest hold-up, and that was simply our late decision on what to get. The plumber I hired returns tomorrow to hook everything up, and I’m going to try to have everything ready so that it is then usable, in case Cathy at some point decides that she needs a third bathroom 🙂

Counting down the hours now, I’m really excited about this year’s exploring. I have some amazing places to show you – many that haven’t been on the blog before, or only got brief mentions. Bella, Tucker, and Molly don’t seem to know what’s up yet. This photo from last year is one of the ones I use to remind myself how wonderful RV life is for all of us. Little Tucker is the most wonderful, adorable nurse dog when Cathy or I don’t feel well, so he’s been working hard for over a week now, and is certainly due for a break 🙂

And Cathy? Well, she’s stuck in Whitehorse for 2 weeks yet, then will fly to Kelowna to meet us. That’s working out very well for us – I get the high-mileage days taken care of, and then we wander very slowly for the month she’s with us.