We still haven't gone anywhere with Harvey, but we're sure getting ready to go someplace!
Wed ,Feb 9, 2022
Remember that spare tire holder?
Heh, we’re not going to forget it any time soon!
But we’re home and time to have something done about it. We find a local welding shop and take Harvey in. The shop is right next to a small airport, so if they’re welding airplanes, they ought to do a good job on Harvey.
Anyway, thanks to the Supply Chain Kerfuffle, they can’t get to it until next week. We promise not to get any flat tires before then and depart.
Fri, Feb 11, 2022
It’s time to make Harvey an official Washingtonian!
We head down to the local vehicle licensing office (only five miles away!) to get Harvey’s title transferred from Oregon (land of no Sales Tax) to Washington (yea, you bought it in Oregon, but guess what bucko—Washington is getting their pound of flesh when you register it!).
It’s mostly pretty boring, except for the part where—thanks to everybody being masked—the Licensing lady wants to verify how long Harvey is (21 feet), but Robert thought she said “21 seats” and says she’s crazy, there’s no way you could fit 21 people in there—heck there’s only seatbelts for eight people!
Also, they want three thousand bucks for Harvey to sport authentic Washington plates (you can buy fake plates on Amazon for a lot cheaper, but by the time you factor in the fine and the bail money, it’s a wash).
Harvey is now officially a resident of the Evergreen State! Since he was manufactured in Yakima—he’s back home!
Sat Feb 12, 2022
Our destination: Camping World!
We’ve heard this name before—the Mecca for all RV’ers. It’s supposed to have golden sewer hoses and camping china and more organizing bins than you could have things to organize!
So we bundle up a granddaughter (Zoe—her first trip!) and a neighbor (Wendy M.—also her first trip!) and head North in Harvey towards Everett and beyond. Seriously, the closest Camping World is in Burlington (about 60 miles away).
When we get there, we discover why it’s way out in the boonies—this place is huge! It makes Fred Meyer look like a 7-Eleven. And everywhere you look there are huge trailers and RV’s, all of them doing an excellent job of blocking the view. It doesn’t help that there are four (five?) giant warehouse-sized buildings all proclaiming “Camping World---RV Sales.”
We drive around for a bit and finally resort to phoning them. We ask, “Where are you?” They don’t reply by asking us where we are. Nope. They’ve had these phone calls before. They know we are wandering the grounds somewhere and direct us from there.
Once inside, we realize—wow, there’s a lot of RV stuff! Within minutes, Robert returns all excited, “Look~ It’s a sewage hose kit! And it’s got a clear elbow joint!” (This is what happens when you read one too many RV books.)
They have lots of camping gear. Everything from electrical to plumbing to travel beds for your dog. They also have, inexplicably, loungers and sofa beds. We are hard-pressed to imagine one of those inside any RV, much less Harvey. But after a while of wandering around shopping (“They have the biodegradable black water tank treatments!”), Robert and Zoe are happy to test the loungers out.
Gini is very happy, because she found some folding camp chairs that have sturdy arms that make it much easier for her to get up. Robert shrugs and remembers one of his Mother’s favorite sayings. “To each his own said the lady as she kissed the cow.” Gini mutters something about sewage pipes.
Our shopping now done (and our checking account now depleted), we decide to have our first meal in Harvey. What better place to go than Coconut Kenny’s—a Hawaiian themed pizza joint, which is about a mile away. Gini and Robert chow down on the Kanaka pizza, while Zoe enjoys a macaroni-and-cheese pizza. Wendy sticks with a classy vegetarian pizza.
Pizza in Harvey
Harvey gets lovingly christened with grease and some cheese, and a good time is had by all.
For the drive home, Robert decides to take the “scenic route” down Highway 9, which is only slightly less than perfect because it is pitch dark and Highway 9 has no streetlights. Still, we don’t have to worry about getting hypnotized by the winding road and numerous hairpin turns. Just turn the music up (Harvey has an excellent sound system!). Meanwhile Gini silently gritted her teeth. Why does 30 to 55 mph feel like 75 to 80 in the dark?
We finally pull into our home port at 7:30, content with our camping chairs and new RV toilet paper. It isn’t long before we’re dreaming of our next adventure with Harvey.
Gini & Robert
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