My idea to take the trailer out had to be postponed for a few weeks.

First thing is the weather. What fun is it to go someplace to unwind if you have to stay inside an RV the whole time because it is raining? The forecast was a bit shaky for a couple of places I wanted to go…not horrible but still a possibility.

Second, choices for a campsite were rather slim – the ONLY drawback of my “no planning” travel methodology. Lots campgrounds but pretty picked over. Looks like I’m going to need to make a reservation. Ugh.

Third, I need to get the Avalanche in for an oil change. Pulling a load like a trailer is additional wear and tear so it needs changed a bit moire frequently. The “Change Oil” light just came on and I want to stay on top of it. That truck runs like the day it was born and it should for a long time yet. My dad changed the oil in it regularly and had no problems with it. I put brakes on it and there is the dash gauge cluster needing to be fixed, but other than that and oil nothing else has been done.

Fourth, I will be having an even longer extended weekend in a few weeks so I can look forward to doing that. I’ll be able to spend more money on that adventure to go farther and see more.

I will also have to go against my usual lack of planning and, well, plan and make a reservation for a site. Plus, the weather usually changes around that time and the rain becomes more scarce.

All of these added up to deciding I will put my energy and finances towards that next trip so I decided to stay close to home and try to find things needing done (which isn’t very much).

I do have a particular destination in mind for that upcoming road trip. It is actually a long-time Bucket/Life List item for me so I am excited to see this place.

It was a rather leisurely day today, but I still got some things done and did not just sit around on my ass. Trailer stuff is now all packed away inside and it’s ready to tow. Got some things consolidated and cleaned out of the storage unit and finally found a few things I needed in there. I got my truck mostly cleaned out but still have a few things to take to recycling.

Part of that recycling is the box my new portable propane grill came in. I got it put together today and fired it up to burn the new out of it. I then grilled up some lunch – salmonburgers dripping with melted Baby Swiss cheese and presented on a grilled bun (hahaha). They were as delicious as it sounds. The grill seems to cook fairly evenly and I am glad I decided to get it. I have missed grilling. It will be so handy for traveling and I can still grill if I am out traveling during a fire ban.

As I type this I am cooking up a “chicken burrito bowl” recipe that I have made before but it has been a few years. I am using the Instant Pot this time but last time it was in my slow cooker. The house smells so good right now and it is almost done, It wasn’t 4-5 hours in the slow cooker but still took maybe 90 minutes. I had to start by pressure-cooking the dried black beans, THEN take them out and dump in everything else but the rice. The recipe called for canned beans but I had dried ones and had to cook ’em up first so my total cook time has actually been about an hour or so. Not a bad shortcut!

Oh, and I finished mowing the grass.

Not a stressful day at all – it’s really very nice to have the weekends freed up by taking care of stuff after work. I am trying to get all my doctor appointments scheduled to not interfere with my time off – that way if I decide to take a trip I can go on a whim.