07-19-09

Coffee was the first thing on my mind when I woke. I have a well thought out coffee routine that produces the best cup of coffee in the world. There are many subtleties to the procedure, but the highlights are grinding the beans myself and using a French press.
Moving into the motorhome had forced me to reinvent certain parts of my coffee routine. If I heat the water in the microwave while off of the grid, then I have to turn on the generator. It was an early morning and I didn’t want to bother Jack and Beverly, so I figured I would heat up the water on the gas stove top. I poured the right amount of beans in my grinder and hit the button…nothing happened. I hadn’t factored that the grinder is electric. Jack and Beverly are nice, but coffee is highly addictive, so I fired up the generator.
We were getting low on LP, for the generator, refrigerator, water heater, stovetop etc. We knew where to get more in town but I wanted to wait another day. The place was probably closed on Sunday and I didn’t want to drive the bus into town for nothing.
I was in dire need of a shower. When I turned on the water it started to sputter. I knew we were low on water, but didn’t think we were empty. The gauge said empty, but I went outside to thump on the tank for a second opinion. Hollow and empty.
Being two days into a blossoming love fest I felt it was in my best interest to bathe.
We packed up the bus and headed toward a campground near town. For $10 we dumped and filled the tanks. Trinity was excited to observe this delightful task for the first time. In the middle of the procedure I had the brilliant, yet almost inefficiently too frugal idea of taking a shower while hooked up to the campsites water. That way I’d get a shower and the fresh water tank would still be full and the grey water tank would still be empty. “It’s like a free shower”, I thought. We we’re near civilization, so Trinity was able to be on-line while I showered.
We went into town just to check, but the LP place was closed. It was a nice drive through the mountains and Red Lodge. The bikers were packing up. Most were gone and the town was returning to it’s normal laid back routine.
Back at the site, Jack came out to help me back into my space. I said, “I want my back wheels right there on that rock”. He said, “Alright” and waved me back perfectly into my spot.
There was a beautiful thunderstorm rumbling through the mountains and we spent a quiet evening at home.