Home Again

We made it back, safe and sound.  The trailer has been unloaded, the laundry sorted, and three weeks worth of mail received and awaiting disposition.  Re-entry is always such a shock.  We had very comfortably settled in to life in the great outdoors, 21 feet of living space to keep together, and the biggest issue being when to move on to the next gorgeous spot.  We had a really lovely trip, and even though we were both ready to head home the adjustment takes a little time.  I really liked my beautiful 21 foot abode - neat, tidy, organized, and easy to keep clean.  I think I'm in training for the retirement home.  Small spaces seem to suit me.

This was really our inaugural journey with Lucky II, our recently restored 1969 Airstream. And, let me tell you, Lucky turned out to be a real gem.  It was like having a cabin on the lake - every night! We traveled at a relaxed pace, choosing back roads over freeways whenever possible, and were awestruck day after day by incredibly beautiful country.  Washington, Idaho, Montana, and back to Oregon.  The Northwest simply can't be beat for beauty!

As you all probably know, food is kind of an issue for me.  One reason we have chosen to travel with Lucky is for the convenience of cooking our meals.  I really can't handle highway restaurant food for more than a day, two at the most - it makes me very crabby.  I continue to be dismayed by the poor quality of prepared food in this country.  Anyway, it makes me feel bad, so I just choose to cook my own.

In preparation for this trip I had been collecting recipes which could be prepared easily in a small kitchen from ingredients that were transportable.  I carry a small file with me and on the back of each recipe card I write a list of necessary ingredients so that I may quickly update my shopping lists.  I had a list of recipes and basic ingredients for over 20 dinners, organized loosley to make the best use of leftovers and things like thawed chicken breasts that could be used for more than one meal.  We shopped for fresh produce, milk and the like about once a week.  I was surprised and delighted with how well my system worked.  We ate really good food nearly every day, mostly a pared down version of our meals at home.  I had hoped to blog about the trailer/cooking experience as we traveled, but we ended up being far from civilation most of the time, away from phones or wifi. I did manage to keep track of our meals and may compile some notes later.

We most often ate my homemade granola for breakfast - until it ran out during week 2- and sandwiches for lunch.  Our final week was spent in Hell's Canyon along the Snake River in Idaho, 28 miles from the nearest town.  We had planned to be there only a few days, but it was just too nice to leave.  As luck would have it, we ran out of bread (and a few other things) before the week was up.  I had flour and yeast along, so I decided to bake bread one day, not entirely sure how my lilputian oven would stand up.  I had the luck of baking on a rather cool day, the oven worked beautifully, and the bread was great, even if burned on the bottom. *I must remember to get an air cushioned baking sheet, since it sits right over the flame.

On driving days, at lunch time, we would pull over, break out the sandwich makings, and have a picnic.  This is one or our favorite lunch spots just near the National Bison Range in Montana.