Home Where We Roam
It was almost like we were returning home. Driving to Williams Lake felt like the final stretch. We thought the country around Savona, between Kamloops and Cache Creek, was beautiful. We hoped the smoke we’d had most of the trip wouldn’t be worse the farther north we went. Seeing the devastation from last year reminded us how fortunate we’ve been. We knew smoky skies on Vancouver Island whenever there were forest fires in the province, or below us in the northwestern states, but we hadn’t dealt with the fires approaching our community, our home.
We were using our time in Williams Lake to reorganize, to reposition items in the trailer, and to modify the underbed storage area. We were going to clean out the dust, do our laundry, visit with our nephews and the expanding family, and start building a website for A Life Less Burdened.
We moved out of The Coffee House for a week while we did all this. We unpacked the truck and moved some items into the trailer, and the rest into our family’s home. We took the truck in for an oil change and had the brakes checked. We enjoyed the comforts of family living, but as nice as it was to have a dishwasher, roomy showers, and home internet, we missed our cozy bed and space we now knew as our own. In stepping away from what we had gotten used to in our trailer, we could now appreciate what we had. The Coffee House, our home, was where both Jamie and I slept best.
Not having to worry about getting connected to WiFi, or worrying about how much data we were using in Williams Lake, was great. This was another perk of staying with family. We could binge on Netflix if we felt the need, we could use our phones to check social media because we didn’t have to manage our data plans for a week. We could work on the setup of our business. I planned out a blog schedule, chose a template to work on for the website, and planned out other aspects of A Life Less Burdened.
Data management would become an everyday practice. Our habits of using devices at any time for streaming video, or researching areas to travel, would not continue as it had. We still wanted to follow our favourites on YouTube, and read posts from online friends. We took advantage of free WiFi wherever we could, and we turned off cellular coverage for many of the apps we had on our phones. When we worked on the business side of A Life Less Burdened, we used a combination of free WiFi and our mobile hotspot, and of course, our NordVPN service.
Before you build in storage or make any changes to your RV, use the space for some time to find out where the best storage is going to be for your needs. Consider access and weight distribution when you’re on the road. Also, don’t put everything in an area that may overheat when the afternoon sun is full on you.
We have a beautiful butcher block stove cover/tray/table thanks to Malcolm. We’ve used this item as a tray for food prep, as extra counter space when it covers our stovetop, and by utilizing legs from an old IKEA laundry bag, I can turn the butcher block tray into an extra side table (the laundry bag ripped, but I kept the metal legs that supported the bag). The legs by themselves also double as an extra rack for drying clothes.
We were happy we would be traveling again, just the two of us for the first time with The Coffee House. It may take some time before you feel ready for extended travel, and you’ll likely have to leave before you feel ready. As long as you solve problems as they come up, your own life less burdened will reward you in ways you can’t imagine.
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