We are now down to 11 more nights before hitting the road full time. Since our last post, we have been working hard to empty the house of our "stuff". To say it has been a lot of work would be a bit of an understatement. I think originally, the problem had been more of an emotional one of parting with my possessions. But now I am ready to go, so it has simply become a logistical one, just a very time consuming task. The good news is that we are so very close to being there.
This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday was our big moving sale. We managed to have the things setup in advance but we were up until nearly 2 AM pricing items. Ten minutes before we were to open, our neighbor walked up the driveway to help us with the sale. He commented how many people were waiting out front. I assumed he was yanking my chain since he can be that way at times.
See , we have a 1200 foot long driveway, and are unable to see the road from our house. I had placed an "Open at 9AM" sign on a wimpy sawhorse at the end of the driveway to keep early birds out. As I rode the zero turn down to get the sawhorse, I saw about 30 people standing there with cars parked all along the road. Apparently the sign had worked. Once they saw me, they started up the driveway, looking a lot like the crowds you see at stores on Black Friday morning!
As I passed them, I suggested they get in their cars and drive up, but most opted to walk. I'm guessing that some of these people haven't walked 2 tenths of a mile in some time, but fortunately I did not find any customers passed out along the driveway when I checked later! In hind sight, I really wish I had mounted my GoPro camera in the corner of the garage and done a time lapse video of the first day of the sale.
By the time the sale ended, we estimate that 80% of the stuff sold. Even better, two Craigslist buyers stopped by to look at the John Deere tractor, and the Ram pickup truck that weekend and both of those vehicles sold and are now off our books. Obviously selling these was good, but after having a chance to get to know each buyer, I feel like both my vehicles have both found great homes. The truck will even get to go on some camping trips as the tow vehicle for a young couples' new travel trailer much like it had for us when I first got it.
After the sale, we allowed ourselves to take a several day break when my sister and brother in law came up to visit. We had a nice time and managed to get in some winery visits as we explored the Finger Lake region of New York. For those of you unfamiliar with this area, there are hundreds of wineries scattered all around the Finger Lakes. It will definitely be one of the many things we will miss once we leave the area and will be one of the reasons we will use to come back in the future.
Now the work is to pack up the rest of the things that are worth donating to the Ronald McDonald house. And recognizing that some of the stuff is only worthy of the recycling center or the landfill. Some friends stopped by tonight to get both our king and queen beds. So tonight we will actually be sleeping in the motor home - even if it's just parked in our driveway. Hard to believe, but it has been nearly 9 months since we have camped in her.
I suspect we will be on the road by the time we do our next post. First stop, the Cincinnati area for a family get together. It will be fun to see most of the relatives and will likely fit in a visit or two to Skyline Chili and Graeters Ice Cream, some of my favorite from my college days there.
