Almost Packed and Ready to Go

Hubby and I watched the Camping World DVD of how to use your RV. It was spookily like the Dharma Initiative videos from "Lost" - and just as complicated.

We've spent a big chunk of the day packing things into the van (now officially, though unimaginatively, christened Big Bertha) and generally admiring all the cupboards and knobs and such like, and starting to feel quite at home in our tin can. But having watched the "instructional" DVD with its many directions regarding the propane gas, the detailed commentary on the tanks and battery monitoring panel, and the discussion of different kinds of hose, we are now feeling a bit less cocky about it all.

Looking on the bright side, we've packed a substantial cross section of our belongings into the van with room to spare. All that needs to go in now are my clothes and the fridge items. The interior has nine cabinets, six drawers, a medicine cabinet, small wardrobe, and a bookshelf. There is additional storage space on the exterior of the van (good for wood and walking shoes) and inside the van under the dinette seats (though that's a bit dusty, so we might skip putting something in there unless we have to). We've been wondering how to stop everything rattling and falling about inside the cupboards, so we've adopted a slightly haphazard but hopefully effective packing technique of putting squashy things next to hard things. So, for example, the jar of salsa and the can of beans is wedged in behind a pack of bagels, while the saucepans are cushioned by multiple plastic bags and a kitchen roll. (Hubby said that the interior rattled quite alarmingly on the drive down the peninsula to home, even when it was competely empty.)

While Hubby took charge of packing the exterior storage, I was in charge of the inside. One consequence of this is that I will be the only one who knows where anything is. Ah ha, power! (Evil cackle.)