So, what do four warm-climate-accustomed visitors do in the depths of an Oregon winter with a bit of time on their hands?
First off, let’s be honest. February in Southern Oregon is a far cry from February in New England or the Northern Plains. Temperatures rarely dip below freezing and snow is something you go looking for in the mountains.
But overcast days are dark and dreary, and rain is a given. Plus, even temperatures in the mid-40s are enough to send the four of us running for the coat closet for another six layers.
For weeks straight (with the exception of the occasional wash), Noe practically lived in his astronaut pajamas and ski hat, despite Grammy and Grampy’s best efforts to keep their house nice and toasty.
He also took up reading the news.
Wildlife spotting is also a favorite activity, and Nanny and Poppi’s backyard is always full of surprises.
At the beginning of our visit, I unloaded a few old toys from the shed every day or two. Always a few favorites along with a couple of surprises.
The boys are finally getting to a good age for board games. Nanny and Poppi unveiled a Dinosaur themed game that proved to be a crowd pleaser.
And Noe schooled his Old Man in a no-holds-barred game of chess (his school in Mexico had a chess class every week and I was really impressed).
What visit to Roseburg would be complete without a visit to Wildlife Safari? For years, we’d take the boys and it was like visiting for the first time. It wasn’t until this past summer that Noe started to remember previous visits. After our next visit, he might just have the whole drive-thru area memorized.
We usually visit in the summer months, but February turned out to be a great time to go. We never see the hippos, lions, and cheetahs this active.
One of Riley’s favorite activities to do with the grandparents is baking. I can’t imagine why.
Things are moving along with the MoHo. The inspection passed more or less with flying colors, so in the end we didn’t have a lot of negotiating wiggle room. But I’d rather have a near-perfect vehicle and have to pay closer to the asking price than a laundry list of things to repair.
I wasn’t crazy about buying from an RV dealer. I’ve never bought a car from a dealership and generally feel like a private party is more trustworthy (particularly a single owner) than a salesperson working on commission.
But…this being our first RV (and given what we were looking for), it made sense to go through a dealer. Plus, the pre-delivery inspection meant we’d be getting a vehicle fully serviced and ready to Mexico. That’s the hope at least.
We opted for the 3rd party inspection because, again, this is all new to us and we wanted peace of mind driving it south. We also think it will help when we go to resell the rig in a year or two. We’ll have a 140-page document by a certified inspector to hand over.
Getting back to the inspection, whatever issues that were found were either minor (rip in upholstery, cracked outlet cover, expired fire extinguisher, etc.) or replaced immediately (they replaced the old awning with a brand new one on the spot, as well as the expired propane alarm).
Strong engine, excellent generator, no leaks, all appliances work. That’s what we wanted to hear.
We’ve got the cashier’s check all ready to go. All that’s left to do is figure out drivers and a pickup time.
Meanwhile, we’ve got a fun-filled visit planned with my sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece. The boys can hardly wait.
All bundled up for a hike through one of the area’s newest park, Chehalem Ridge. We did this hike together last summer and really enjoyed it.
Wearing way more clothes than any reasonable person would want to in February. But it’s worth it to get to hang out with this crew, if only for a few days.
Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Mexico anymore.
Noe was very confused as to what was going on here. “So, you put money in and you can choose any of these snacks?” Mind blown. Next question, “Do they take pesos?”
After a whirlwind weekend up north, we rolled back into Roseburg just minutes after kick off of Super Bowl LVIII, only to watch a heartbreaking loss to Taylor Swift’s less significant other.
Tomorrow, we get our new home on wheels!
