In my last post I mentioned we might be abandoning this blog, mainly because we were contemplating some changes in what we have been doing. But it turns out the main differences, at least for this year, will be that we will likely linger longer at various campsites and we will do some of our routes in stages (and bypass some segments that we have covered in the past). So we'll keep blogging, and our plan is to hit the road again some time after late April, once all of our healthcare appointments are out of the way.
Alea's surgery went very well and her recovery is going much better than several years ago, when she had the left knee done. The docs were amazed that she was getting around with just a cane just two weeks after the operation and now isn't even using a cane most of the time. In fact, her PT has already been scaled back from three times per week to just two times. She was on a stationary bike on Friday, so it won't be too long before she will be out riding again. But it will still take months of recovery for her to get back to where she was prior to the surgery.
Our first month back in Boise was the snowiest and coldest that we have ever experienced. It has been warmer and raining lately, so most of that snow is finally gone, save for the mountains of snow that accumulated in parking lots all over town, but even those are disappearing rapidly. We are glad that the roads and sidewalks aren't as slippery on most days, as Alea has been given the OK to start walking around more (up till now her time has been spent keeping her knee iced and leg elevated).
Since just before the date of her surgery we've been staying in a 325 sq ft efficiency apartment at the Bond Hotel. The only real benefit for us compared with the camper is that we have a bigger refrigerator and an oven, so we can vary our menu more than when we are on the road. That, and the fact that our three-season camper isn't the place to try to live in frigid weather (at least not for more than a day or two at a time).
Our 2014 tax problems, which were precipitated by some bad advice that we had received from Idaho Central Credit Union when we set up our HSAs there, is likely to end up costing us a few thousand dollars, and we will need to file amended returns for 2014 and 2015 in order to sort everything out. We've filed the 2014 return and are waiting to hear back from the IRS about how much interest we owe before we pay that bill. Once we hear back from them we can file an amended Idaho return and start working on the fix for 2015.
Lately, with the help of Jim Stevenson, I've been working on reorganizing the storage in our van. This latest iteration is once again primarily a response to the needs of our dog, Lana. She had taken to trying to sit or stand on the center console, not being content to be stuck on the floor behind the seats. So we raised her bed up about 8 inches off the floor, so that she can better keep an eye on us, and when sitting up she can watch what is going on up the road in front of us. She seems to be much happier, even though we haven't yet gotten everything completed.
Raising her off the floor has created some extra storage space below her bed. That gives us room to store a privy tent, which will make it easier for us to primitive camp. It also gives us enough room for a chair for Lana (or the occasional guest out on the road). She is too spoiled to lay on the ground (unless it is hot, when she lays under the camper). But when we have a campfire going, if one of us gets up for any reason, she will steal our seat. We tried getting her a simple cot to get her off the ground, but she didn't care for that - she clearly wants her own chair. We also have room to store a small shade awning, if we decide to get one to help keep the sun out of the galley.
We have been doing some preliminary route planning. Our main goal for the year is attending a get together with Alea's siblings at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, which is scheduled for July 22-29. Alea also wants to winter in Florida, and we both want to spend more time out West this year, including a visit to Seattle (probably in late August or early September, but it is too soon to say for certain).
