One more week until all our things go into storage and two more weeks until we leave.  Still can’t decide if we should get a cargo carrier for the back of our motor home.  More than likely, when we try to get everything in the MH that we want to take, the decision will be made for us.  I’ve been packing for storage by process of elimination and there’s still so much left over that I think we’ll need.  Winter clothes, summer clothes, smaller clothes in case I lose weight in the tropical heat (ha!).  One of the single females dropped out because of the fear factor.  But it looks like we have two more that are joining.  A single man with a class A and satellite internet so he is definitely an asset.  Then another couple with a VW bus are also interested in going.  That makes nine RV’s.  Bob, our leader doesn’t want any more than nine and I agree.  In fact, he was co-leader of an 11 RV caravan to Panama in 2004.  Eight days out and the group split in to two groups because of personality problems.  As time went by, those two split into even more  groups and Bob came back to the US alone.  So this trip is going to be v-e-r-y interesting.   In addition to missing my family, I am going to miss the interesting views from our windows.  Here are just a few:

No, we didn’t change our minds.  As my brother said yesterday, “you better go on this trip so I can watch your dog.”  I tore the house apart this morning looking for the checkbook.  After that, I started going through boxes.  Found it in the sixth box!  I am spending more time on admin type work than packing and that’s why I am getting so disorganized.  Had to find a different company for homeowners insurance because Hartford  wouldn’t insure ours as a rental unless we had another primary residence.   Made appointments for solar and the other motor home work in Oregon for the week of Nov 9th.  We plan to leave Manitou Springs on Nov 6th.

We had visitors this week from a couple that will be in our caravan.  Jack and Chris are originally from Scotland and England but have been living in southern France the past 25 years.  They came to the U.S. a year ago, bought a motor home and have been traveling all over.  In fact, they already spent 4 months RVing around Mexico earlier this year.  They are so interesting and it will be such fun being around all these adventuresome people.  

Things are definitely happening now.  First, we sold our Toyota 4-Runner two weeks ago after not being able to sell our other car.  The Toyota could have sold 10 times over and people were offering to pay more than the listed price sight unseen even though I noted in the ad that it needs a 120K service and a timing belt.  Then, I listed our house on craigslist to rent and in the newspaper.  Not one call from the newspaper ad but lots from craigslist.  We wanted to rent the house out December 1st but a very nice couple wanted it November 1st.  No pets, they don’t smoke, good jobs, and the house they are renting now is immaculate and beautifully decorated.  So now suddenly, my many paged “to do” list that I have been procrastinating with, is quite a bit more urgent.  Steve gave his notice at work and his last day will be the 16th.  We both had doctor’s appointments today and got prescriptions to last a year.  It’s getting colder here now and Pikes Peak had it’s first bit of snow.  I took this picture out our bedroom window.