Preparing to Move

Our time in Erwin is up. We’re moving on today. It is our habit to stay at a location for about a month, seeing and doing what there is to see and do in the area. So we go through this little routine about once a month, or whenever we are moving.

Gene likes to be absolutely sure we have the proper air pressure in all tires. We typically get on the road in the morning, so the morning before we are to leave he will check the air pressure in the trailer and truck tires. We have our own little air compressor if air is needed, which it usually is.

The bicycles are next. These bicycles have been a thorn in our flesh since we started traveling. We don’t ride much, but when there is a nice bike trail, we want to have them. Carrying them has always been troublesome. When we had the pop-up camper, we put them on a rack on the back of the van. This was not an ideal place because every time we needed anything from the back we had to take them off. We had ordered the van with the bars on the roof so that we could install a rack if needed, but the van was so tall it made lifting the bikes up there undesirable. We had also ordered the pop-up with bars on the roof so that a rack could be installed up there. That wasn’t over our heads, but the bikes had to be removed before the roof could be raised. Not so good, either. With the Montana, we are still wrestling with the bicycles. We often see RVs of all types with bicycles hanging from their rear ladders. You can even buy racks made to hold bicycles to ladders. The ladder is made to hold an adult, so the weight of a couple bicycles would not be excessive. However, that weight is essentially magnified with every bump you hit in the road. We have also seen bicycles literally swaying in the breeze hanging on a ladder. We saw a ladder on a class C that I thought was going to fall off on the road with its load of bicycles. We are reluctant to hang our bicycles on our ladder. Another option is to have a hitch to receive a bike rack. Our Montana Owner’s Manual clearly states that anything attached to the frame will void the frame warranty. Not going there. Our current practice is to put them in the bed of the truck. There is not enough room for them to stand up and still have room for the trailer to turn on the pin. They have to lay flat in the bed and, of course, they are too long to do that without taking the front tire off. They have to be situated just right so as not to bang against the trailer light plug. We have stopped numerous times to plug in the trailer lights after a few bounces on a bad road. Other options are under consideration; one being a hood rack for the truck to carry them in front and another being a rack to mount on the king pin.

Also the day before the walkie talkies are charged, The Next Exit gets in the truck, a route is planned, and Gene fills up the truck (ouch). I always get a little lazy being in one place for a month so I have to be sure the food and dishes are once again arranged to travel safely down the nation’s interstate system. I use that no-skid shelf liner in the drawers and between dishes and like it very well. Most of the things sitting on counters or tables are held down with museum putty (poster putty) and they stay put. They are safe even from the cat. I use mounting tape or velcro for the things on the walls and have found that works well, too.

On the day of departure, if we are planning to be on the road during lunch time, I will make sandwiches or salad—something easy to take out of the refrigerator and eat off of a paper plate. Gene unhooks the utilities and dumps the tanks and together we hitch up. We’re on our way to our next adventure.