Back to Seattle. Happy Father's Day!

Last night I had the world's simplest dinner at the campsite in Yakima. I bought firewood and had a weiner-roast. Really. What better camp meal than roasting hot dogs (or in my case bratwurst) over an open fire while the smoke keeps the mosquitoes at bay. Add a salad, potato chips, and a beer, and life is complete.

I could smell the smoke from the campfire in the trailer all night!

I spent a lot of time Saturday trying to find the perfect place for all my stuff in the trailer and totally failed. A bunch of little things are all just flung into a drawer. Nothing is hung up because I didn't have any hangers with me. Some stuff needs to be brought into the house now that I'm back in Seattle.

Which brings me to the next chapter. In order to get back to Seattle, I actually had to hitch up the rig by myself and drive it for 125 miles. On a freeway. No way around it. So Saturday I practiced backing up and trying to get lined up and the right distance back. I'm miserable at it, so another run to Big K was called for. Fishing pole, bobber, some weights, and thread. Here's my invention seen out the back window of the truck.

The bobber hangs directly over the hitch. All I need to do is line the lock on the cover up with the bobber and I'm exactly on target. I still have to work on depth perception a bit as I end up too far back or too far forward, but at least I was able to line up correctly. I went through a complete pre-flight checklist before I left the campground. Everything inside put away and buttoned down, exterior windows, vents, and doors closed and locked. Power disconnected. And, of course, the hitch wrestled into place. I got a great heavy-duty hitch that holds the trailer steady as a rock, but the dang thing must weigh 150 pounds. Hauling it out of the bed of the pickup was a task. I need to figure a place to store the hitch when not in use that isn't so difficult to lift from.

I crossed four mountain ridges and Snoqualmie Pass on the way back to Seattle. Had to snap this shot at Indian John Hill rest area to show exactly how small the rig really is.

Trailer and truck together are shorter than a semi trailer. And slower. This guy pulled out of the rest area just ahead of me and I never saw him again. According to the truck computer, I averaged 11.2 miles per gallon on the trip back. I figure that bodes well for flatter terrain. After Father's Day lunch with daughter and wife, I'm just about ready to back the rig into it's staging area on a neighbor's RV pad. Maybe I'll take a nap first before I try backing up for the first time!