Pre-Trip Jitters

It's been a few days since my last post because several things have happened.  A spaceA flight out of the Ft Worth NAS going to Hawaii has been posted on their departure board.  So, a decision had to be made as to whether or not to try to be on it.  I have registered for it.  I will take the Casita to the lake house, which is half way between Spring and Ft Worth.  It will be ready to go if I cannot board the Navy flight.  But, if I do board it - the trailer will be safe while I am gone.

Went to Austin last week to meet with Sportsmobile about doing some customization  to the van.  They appear very knowledgeable and professional.   Also, left my puppy Lulu with my son while I am gone on this trip.  He has a cat named Lulu - imagine their confusion when he talks to either of them.

Another decision has been made also.  If I don't board the flight, I will order a Yamaha portable 2400 watt generator and have it delivered to me in Austin.  I plan on not using campgrounds on the way to Ca except in Deming, NM.  I will overnight at the LoWs ranch campground there.

Decisions, decisions!  If I trailer to Ca, there is an excellent chance that I can catch a flight out of North Island NAS at San Diego that will take me to Hawaii, or even Kadena AFB, Japan.  The military RV camp there will be undergoing renovations this fall and in the meantime, there is only dry camping (another reason for the generator).  Supposedly, I can leave the van and trailer in the long term parking at the NAS if I catch a flight there.   If a flight isn't available, then on to Travis AFB.

I have not been particularly excited about this trip up to this point, however the closer the jumping off point gets, the more I am looking forward to it.  I have never had to plan any kind of a trip with so many contingencies built into it before.   It reminds me of my military days, when I had to plan the installation of electronics/communications gear all across the country.

Whichever departure point I get to use - I will end up either arriving at Kadena AFB, or Yokota AFB.  I have to have contingency plans for both arrival points.  I have them already in place, but I will save that posting for later as I have to break off and finish packing a bag for the aerial portion of the trip.

So long for now!

The Serious Preplanning Has to Begin

It's time to finalize the road trip portion of my trek to Japan. If everything falls into place, I will leave for Travis AFB, CA at approximately 1:00pm Friday the 2nd of April.  My first overnight stop is San Antonio, Tx.  Reservations have been made at Ft. Sam Houston RV Park.  Really wanted to stay at the Lackland AFB RV Park, but they don't take reservations and I didn't want to show up there and not find a vacancy.  Lackland would be a much better starting point the next morning to leave for Deming, NM, but life is full of compromises.  The Loners on Wheels (LoWs) singles RV organization has a ranch south of Deming with a RV park on it.  This will make for a rather long driving day, but it won't be the first time.  After I arrive there I will post more about this singles RVing group.
On the trip to Travis, I don't plan on any sightseeing as I want to get there and get on a plane to Japan.  On the way back from Japan I plan on doing some tourist type things in Hawaii, Ca, Grand Canyon and wherever else that might be interesting that I discover.  Any ideas from you would be welcome.
Stopping in San Antonio for a couple of reasons. 1. There is a good friend there that I don't get to see very often. Roy is a neat guy and it is always interesting to get his take on life in general.  2. This will give me and the trailer a good shake-down in case I forgot something, or any obvious problems.
After Deming I plan on stopping in Tucson, NM to have dinner with a retired Army Warrant Officer buddy and his wife.  Without his help it is doubtful that I would have made it through the WO technical school and graduated to become a WO myself.  Bert disagrees with me, but that is because he is so modest.  After Tucson, Phoenix is my next stop to visit with high school friends.  I will get into that overnight stop in my next posting.  Right now I have to go get a new battery for the Casita.

Preparations for the Long Trip to Travis Air Force Base

As part of getting prepared for the trip to Travis AFB - I have made several weekend trips to some RV rallies in the local area.  One to Columbus RV Park in Columbus, Tx, 2 to Cushatte RV Park near Bellville, Tx.  The Casita performed flawlessly and to my pleasant surprise, I have not had any tire problems.  The new Maxxis tires are holding their pressure very well.
To be ready for the trip, I need to attend to several minor items:  Septic tank hose has a split in it and I need to replace the battery.  Since I can't find a replacement hose I have tried duct tape to repair it.  Not so successful.  I bought some Gorilla super tape and I will put a plastic wrap around the hose and tape it tightly from end to end with the super tape.  Hopefully, this will carry me through the trip.  The battery will be replaced this coming week.
Oh, by the way - I was prepared to make this trip without any television since I never did get one of those digital-to-converters to use with my analog tv.  On my last trip to Cushatte RV Park I was discussing electronics equipment for RVs and one couple mentioned that they had a converter that they weren't using.  I got it for $10.  The next morning as I was mounting up to depart the park, a friend asked me if I had seen the small TV sitting on a picnic table with a sign on it giving it away to whoever wanted it.  I picked it up and took it home and plugged the converter into it and they both worked very well.  Now, I may have some evening entertainment on the road.  Some days, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn!


I need to plan the road trip portion of the trip and also prepare for the spaceA part of it.  I will post about that next time we meet here.