Retirement Escape

Whoooooo Hoooo

After a year of escape from a manager from hell, I retired the end of June and have spent the last few months getting my RV (Freedom — license plate I FREEDM) ready for life on the road. Oh, yea — BurningMan was OUTSTANDING.

Thursday morning, October 8, 2015, at 9:15 AM I departed my base camp (Betabel RV Park, south of Gilroy), took a short detour for a gas fillup (Freedom has a unique feature where the gas pump auto shutoff occurs 7 gallons before actual FULL), a bit of a pain filling up.

Headed over the Pacheco Pass I had my first occasion to use 2nd gear to handle up hill, and down hill — also confirmed that the emergency blinkers work.

Really happy I ended up popping the $1000 to replace the Cruse Control. I pulled onto I-5 and set the Cruse Control for 55 MPH and just let everyone else pass me by. Yea, you’d think 55 MPH isn’t me but … time doesn’t matter anymore. I’m driving till I I can’t drive safely, but with no urgency.

Google Maps took me through a really odd route to CA-58 but in the end it was really free of traffic.

Spent the night in a RV park outside of Bakersfield and kicked back. Fixed a nice dinner, did my laundry and am doing this post. Turns out their is a train track close by. Some people would have a fit but I love trains, there is nothing more romantic or longing than a train whistle.

Got a noise in the AC but should be an easy fix once I stop someplace with service (Oohhhh, 2 days later it rattled itself away). As with RVs everywhere, a pin dropped out of a hinge and the latch on the lower door bounced open (Duh). Small fixes.

That’s it, nothing spectacular, nothing profound. Bill 2.1 has launched. Feels good to be on the road.