Tom just booked us reservations at a campground in Winchester Bay for the last weekend in May and I am SO excited. The campgrounds are open to Oregon residents only, but they’re letting us slide by using the address where we’ve been living for the past almost-two months. Yes, that will be two months in the same locale – and we’ve been getting itchy feet lately.
While on one side, the time has flown by (read that as I have not accomplished all the tasks I thought I would while staying here). On the other hand, time seems to be standing still. It’s almost like we – along with the rest of the world – are in limbo, just waiting to see what will happen next. I’m not a fan of all this uncertainty.
The good news is that we’re settling into our new – and spacious – home (the new-to-us Monaco). It feels less like an RV and more like a small apartment. I have made peace with all the light switches being in goofy places and have learned to access the TP with my elbow. It is SO much easier to access the fairies and packing materials and I have room to spread out to work on things. And I was able to buy a WHOLE head of lettuce and fit it in the fridge! So yes, after a rocky start, I’m truly enjoying our new home. And it has probably made staying here a lot easier.
Tom has switched out the TV, all the lights to LED and the solar panels arrived last week. We are just waiting for a day that it’s not raining and he won’t be blown off the roof for the install.
Life is good except for. . . this covid thing. We are trying to balance between getting too saturated with viral information while keeping up to date on changes and making sure we stay informed with the realities of the situation (and not just believing everything that pops up on our news feeds).
All this uncertainty has led to a new chapter in our RV travels:
If you’ve followed along, you may remember that looking for a new place to live was part of what started us on our adventure. And while we’ve never had a stop-date in mind, Tom has always said that we should enjoy camping on public lands while they are available – because it won’t be forever. And it looks like his prediction is coming true – at least partially – with all the shut downs and restrictions. So, while we’ve been “stuck” here, we have done a lot of thinking, talking, and online shopping. . . for a more permanent place to stay.
Not full time. We still want to travel. But the current situation has made us (and many like us) want a piece of land that we can park on without restrictions. Yes, I know that “owning” a piece of land can have restrictions and can even be taken from you in extreme situations. But it offers a little more security. Especially if travel restrictions between states ever gets worse.
As we did before we left California, we talked about the pros and cons of living in another state. And what state that would be. Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington and Oregon all made the short list then and now. (Well, Arkansas wasn’t on the initial list!) The problem is – there is no one perfect location year-round. And we don’t plan on staying in one spot year-round. However, after looking at properties far and wide, we picked – drumroll please – Oregon. It’s a days drive from family, we both have relatives in the state, and we can access it year-round without driving through snow – just in case.
We spent two days, just five days apart, on marathon drives looking at properties from here to the coast. That’s leaving at seven am and getting back after ten pm; LONG days! And even more time browsing on Zillow and Realtor.com. There is a lot of water in Oregon. We saw beautiful riverside lots – only to find a money pit sitting on the property:
And we are keeping to a strict budget, so fixer-uppers were all that we looked at.
But we think we found it! We just opened escrow on a place a few days ago. YIKES! Obviously, there will be more news to come if the deal goes through. For now, it’s pins and needles time while we wait on inspections.
The irony of Oregon as our choice is that I have hardly enjoyed the weather the entire time we’ve been here, and when Tom lived here for a year as a kid, he vowed he’d never live here again because of the weather. Too cold. Too windy. We figure we can try it out for a summer or two and move on if it’s not right for us. In the meantime, visions of ferns and fairy gardens have been dancing in my head!
Stay tuned for a lot more adventure as we try to balance fixing up a new place with getting back on track with our summer travel plans. Who knows what’s in store at this point?
Peace & Love, Joy
If I remember correctly…we have relatives in Coos Bay…
Well, cousin Marlene is not far from there – near Grants Pass. We had a lovely visit with her last month.
Sweet, did you buy in Coos Bay? we’re looking for a second chunk of land/tiny home etc We have Arizona for the Winter, now looking for Summer
Yes, on a hilltop in Coos Bay. We love Arizona in the Winter as well! That state does not seem to be as restrictive as Oregon on land use.
CONGRATULATIONS!! My son worked in Coos Bay last year and should be returning before fire season this year. He said it was beautiful there. So jealous!! When you guys decide to move on, let us know. I’ve always dreamed of living in Oregon.