A heady infusion of jet lag, anticipation and mild anxiety set the tone for the day, as we headed over to the garage where we viewed our wheels (all 10 of them) for the first time. Our spectacular 1994 Country Coach Magna sat gleaming on the tarmac, together with the Mercedes ML to be hitched on the back. Uncle Stephen gave us a detailed tutorial on the various perks, pitfalls and promises of the vehicle. I tried not to notice the bird’s nest complete with egg sitting behind one of the grilles, focusing instead on all the much appreciated work and maintenance that had been done to make the rig road-ready in preparation for our journey.
We hit the road in high spirits at 3.30pm, bellies full on corned beef, hash, poached eggs and pancakes.
An elusive slipway bound for interstate-84 east provided us with our first minor problem, resulting in getting stuck unexpectedly in heavy Portland city traffic – not a welcome scenario for the first-time driver of a 60 ft vehicular ensemble. Plain sailing on the freeway was followed closely by our first ‘overshoot’ whilst stopping off for tea at Bonneville Dam – a troubling scenario in which one’s large RV, together with one’s not inconsequential towing vehicle, cannot make the turn. The only way out of this particular fix is to detach the ‘dingy’ (pet name for a towing vehicle) and reverse. With a queue of cars waiting to pass given that we were blocking the entire road, this called for some swift manoeuvring! Our final challenge of the day was the discovery that our dinghy battery ran flat during the tow (a nuance particular to the towing an automatic car).
Thanks to our friendly RV park owner Randy, we now have a charged car battery, an RV-park guide for the entire country, some well-meaning but very antiquated wi-fi, and a peaceful night to recharge our own ebbing batteries in Rufus, just off the I-84.
As we sit in the rig, tunes (and wine) flowing, basking in the knowledge of a day of challenges met with definite tenacity, we try not to think too much about the questions of tomorrow. Today we have seen some incredible landscapes along the Columbia river gorge, wildlife aplenty, and rigs on the highway the size of the scotrail service from edinburgh to glasgow. More than enough to whet our appetite for adventures new tomorrow as we leave Oregon state and head to Spokane, Washington.
This trip looks awesome. How long will it take you? That rig is huge! Looks swish inside as well. A lot more classy than our wee van. You also have a lot swisher blog! Have an awesome time.
Wow – glad I found this blog on my not very often visits to facebook. Want to see more photos of the inside. It’s Huge! Have a lovely time xxx