And he's off

 I set off this morning on the 7.30 ferry after dropping my son off at his passenger ferry for college. I hit the rush hour at Seattle, but I had to stop and get gas and a coffee from Starbucks. The sun was shining and the snow up at Snoqualmie pass was stunning. 

The journey through to Pendleton was punctuated with short bathroom stops in Ellensburg and Prosser and as the journey continued, I left my home area further behind as if shedding the large security blanket that has been my home for 25 years. As I dropped down towards the Columbia river, I was now looking out over virgin territory. This part of Oregon is agricultural  with miles and miles of open land dotted with cattle, a few sheep and lots of horses.

I found the KOA camp site for my first overnight stop and set up the GO camper in about 30 minutes. The site is full of large camper vans the size of my house on

Vashon (almost), and the tent section was shoehorned into the back lot next to a housing estate. It is not the most attractive of sites, but hey, they have hot water for a shower tomorrow.

 It is freezing in the camper, so I may crawl into my sleeping bag and call it a night 

Good Morning Pendleton.

I have not unpacked the food and coffee yet, so I drove into town in search of breakfast. I had a little wait for things to open, but I managed to get some coffee and Biscuits and Gravy. Oh Yes !! The rest of the town won't be open for a few more hours so I will enjoy this experience.

Pendleton was a last stop along the Oregon Trail and still has a Wild West atmosphere, with Western Wear and saddle shops galore. It has seen better days but still worth a visit

I decided not to wait for the stores to open. I guess I will be seeing a lot more saddle shops in New Mexico., So off to Boise for the next stage 

The Geordie Tinker goes LIVE- Almost

Since my last Stroke, my energy and fitness level has taken a hit. My weight has gone up and my Congestive Heart Failure is causing swelling in both legs. I plan on reversing this health decline by eating better and getting a lot more exercise. So, with the aid of My New Sylvan GO camper, which will be ready by the end of February, I plan to head off on my new adventure, a round the USA trip taking in all of the places I would love to visit but have never had the time. WELL, I now have all the time in the world as I am fully retired. 

I took a quick stab at mapping the destinations this morning and it looks a Doozie!!

As the trip planning progresses, I will keep you informed. Here is a rough idea of the route, but specifics are changing every day as I get more info and respond to feedback. I will be heading off on the 2nd of April to avoid the obvious date, and my first stop will be in Pendleton OR where I will be stocking up on a few wines to help with the journey, Then on through southern Idaho, Utah and down into the Four Corners and The Northern rim of the Grand Canyon. Onwards through New Mexico, Texas,Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and eventually ending up in Maine before taking a leisurely stroll back home through Vermont , New York State, Pennsylvania and across the great Plains and into Yellowstone.

UPDATE!! 

It arrived this weekend, and I have been playing with the set up in the back garden before taking it out on the road. I figured it would be a safer option to iron out the bugs in relative comfort and safety. The couple hauling the camper safely unloaded it then left me to play with the new toy

It reminded me of a chrysalis giving birth to a large winged insect

The set up was fairly easy as it is well documented on YouTube, and I only had to retrace my steps once when I inserted the wrong color poles in the sleeping pods. 

Note to self: Read ALL the instructions:

The hardest part was setting up the Solar Charging system, as the documentation was out of sync with the website. I gave up trying to get the Bluetooth to work and ending up shouting at the screen when it told me to hold my phone closer to the device for the umpteenth time. "Any fucking closer and they will be copulating," or words to that effect.

Electrics unpacked and installed and tested by the light of a lovely full moon helped reduce my stress level. It was reduced a bit further by a large glass of Speyside Malt before I settled in for the night.

Apart from the usual camping stuff, I will be taking a few of instruments. I will dust off my old 1937 00017 Martin, my Docherty Mandola and an Appalachian Dulcimer.  Finally, A SOLO campfire stove, a solar power generator, and a Kona Electric bike to help with the hills. 

I plan on keeping a blog of my travels and you can reach me here https://thegeordietinker.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-geordie-tinker-goes-live-almost.html

Wish me luck 😜