People!!

Arriving at Remeadies Intoxicating Potions.

It is really nice to meet new people on the road. Traveling in the van, solo, can get lonely at times! Going to the National Parks is fun, but so is conversation.

I am constantly in awe at the beauty of the drives, something I likely take for granted most days. The US has many great places to travel, clearly, and I hope to see many! Driving on these roads, the scenery so beautiful, the roads cut into the mountains, around the water; sometimes they’re scary (as I’ve mentioned). And I have had many moments where I think, man, I am scared driving this road, can you imagine making it? SO, shout out to all those crews making roads and keeping them drivable!

Highway J132 was stunning, the landscape changed quite a bit, from lush forest areas to lakes with small pods that looked like something from a movie set. Our van time was a bit long again, meandering through the hills and valleys. We landed in Squaw Valley, another truly scenic area. Our host of Remeadies Intoxicating Potions, ( a mead-ery) met us at the gate. It was adorable and inviting.

There were two other guests setting up, so the host asked if I would wait so we could do a tasting together. ‘Of course, I replied. People!! Finally, people. I needed to talk to people! As we were talking he mentioned they may make homemade pizzas that evening. For $10 he would supply the crust, oil, spices (they make and sell their own spices) and any fresh veggies from their garden. I am in!

Pizzas and Mead!

The couple, Eric & Kathy, had finished setting up their trailer and it was time to taste some mead! Eric asked where in Washington I was from. Hmm, how does he know I am from Washington. I remembered, ahh, my license plate! My pat reply is Seattle. Eric asked, where in Seattle, my next reply is east of Redmond. ‘Where?’ he asks. I reply, Duvall. He lives in Snohomish near Lake Rossinger, about 20 miles from Duvall, hence they were familiar with Duvall. Such a coincidence. Kathy, lives in Canada. She has yet to retire. As a set designer on a popular TV show, Tracker, I can see why. It sounds like a fun job!

We enjoyed our mead tasting, subsequently learning more about mead than I ever thought I would know. Mead is the oldest alcoholic beverage, dating back to at LEAST 7,000 years ago, likely as long as 20-40,000 years ago in Africa! WOW!!

I made a quick run to the ‘Country Store’ for more veggies. Cleaning, chopping, slicing and dicing in not quite as easy in the van, as it is at home. It’s a small space! I was done prepping, so I brought my veggies out to the patio and my crust was ready to be topped! Olive oil, some of their spices, fresh hot peppers and basil from their garden and then my additions from the store. It was a nice little feast.

Kathy, Eric and I enjoyed our pizzas together on the patio, along with some more mead! It was a lovely evening, getting to know people and chatting. We were all heading into Sequoia and/or Kings Canyon National Park the next day. Eventually we said our goodnights. I was hoping we would chat again the next night!

The Parks

Since the parks are right next to each other I decide to see them both. I didn’t know much about either park so I was excited to learn. We start UP the road and there are weird signs… Radiator Water ONLY, Turn OFF your AC hmmm…. It wasn’t a hot day so no AC was on and I just kept going along, going up and up and up! We stopped along the way at the sites, took pictures, walked a bit and then I noticed a weird smell; propane. CRAP!

I didn’t know what to do so I kept driving. I made it to the visitor center at Sequoia and still the smell, along with a hissing sound. This cannot be good. I turn the battery to off on the panel inside the van. The hissing stops, there is still a faint smell and I decide, we gotta go! Heading back down I am feeling okay, the smell isn’t inside, Lambert is okay, let’s just get back! Then a fffiiinnngg BEE is flying around me in the van. I am allergic to bees and I am driving down a mountain pass with something weird happening with the propane. This is not great!

A few miles down the road there is a restaurant so I pull in to get the bee out! At least if I get stung here maybe someone will help me. I get the National Park newsletter they had given me on the way into the park and I try to encourage the bee to leave, it decides to go between my dash and windshield. OMG, really? So I use the paper to try and scoop it out of there, about ten minutes later the bee is gone! Thank God!

Now what?

I arrive back at Remeadies exhausted! I call Poulsbo RV (link in this blog post) and ask them what the issue could be. The service guy tells me to shut off the propane on the side of the van (DUH – I should have thought if that!) and to also shut it off at the tank. He tells me I need to get it checked. I ask about using the battery power for the evening and he replies, I wouldn’t if it were me. Great – ‘tent’ camping in the van! So back to the owners manuals to figure out how to turn the tank off and back on the phone to Pouslbo because the manual shows a tank different from mine. They cannot help, but mention I should be fine since it is turned off on the side. (Love that term, should be fine…)

Now to find a place to take the van for repairs. I call a local guy, he can see me on Saturday, it’s Tuesday, so no thanks. He suggests I call a Camping World place. Fresno is the closest and I am set for 11am Thursday. Kathy and Eric return and ask about my day…. and TADA – Eric was a mechanic and would gladly figure out how to turn off the tank. Tank is turned off and I share my homemade Focaccia bread (from Remeaderies) with them, we partake in a glass of mead and I head to bed (in the ‘van tent’ with a lantern).