July 17, 2016 – Planning with Scoop and Molly

Normal drive time from Redding to Sacramento is a little over two hours. In Scoop and Molly drive time that would be three hours (add one hour to every two hours normal drive time). Not feeling rushed we got a late start from Redding after Dave helped Denis wash the rig and Doodie helped to make up the bunks. Doodie is smaller than me and with the voluminous bedding I bought, she was the only one who could fit on the top bunk to make it up.

We were almost to point kayak when a car beside us on I-5 honked and pointed at the back of the trailer. As driver, I panicked but calmly put on the flashers and pulled over. Denis hopped out and disappeared to the back in the vicinity of the bikes. What he found was the Thule supplied rubber straps holding the bikes down had all snapped except one. The bikes had bounced over the support post and wedged themselves between Scoop and the bike rack and were holding on for dear life. My bike was lowest with one tire dragging the pavement. That seemed to be the only damage. Thank God for Denis’ extra rope and sailor knots.

Catastrophe averted, we found our way to our new kayaks and then to the airport for the girls. Greetings, hugs, kisses and loaded we headed off for our week of camping through Northern California – first stop Bodega Bay.

One of the gadgets we decided to buy when learning about the necessities of RVing was a Garmin GPS specifically programmed for RVs. At set-up you enter the length and height of your rig and Garmin promises to keep you on roads that will accommodate your size and warn you about sharp curves or downhill-grades. Our Garmin does all that and works hard to find us the shortest distance, evidently even if it is a dirt road one lane wide after dark.  That is what we were on in our final approach to Bodega Bay. It was well after 9pm when we were backing up Scoop and Molly (our 3^rd time) into our camp spot. Again Denis rocked it even with the pressure of our daughter watching our maneuvering skills. I hadn’t planned for such a late arrival…dinner first night out…Cup O’ Noodles.