Introduction to my life on the road.

I’ve decided to write a blog about my life on the road with my husband and some of the challenges of living on the road, such as trying to eat healthy, get in exercise, and live with minimal possessions, as well as some of the advantages we experience. He works for a wind energy company and we get transferred…a lot! Sometimes we get as much as 4 days notice, but usually less, which sometimes takes us by surprise when we are on a junket home to Fort Worth, TX. On more than one occasion we have had to fly back to an assigned site only to pack everything and move right to the next one. We have learned to travel light, which keeps us from spending a lot of money on shopping trips because we have nowhere to keep anything. We carry a few clothes and cooking utensils. This last trip to Oregon we were required to fly here and leave our truck and trailer in Texas. That presented a challenge with all the weight limits on what to carry on the plane, especially for an undetermined amount of time and unknown weather conditions. For example, its been raining and cold since the day we got here. Thank goodness I brought some light jackets. So much for all those cute tank tops I bought while I was in Texas. We also could not bring our other provisions and essentials. We were fortunate enough to find a vacation rental considering it’s their peak vacation season. Hood River is claimed to be the Wind Surfing Capital of the World. Though I doubt I see anyone out on the river today. The summer season is more popular for tourists than the winter even though they have great skiing on Mt Hood. I am rather impressed that the kitchen in our rental is well stocked. That is not always the case. Usually you get a pan and two of each: plate, cup, silverware.

There’s no room for gourmet cooking on the road. Cooking healthy is a challenge. We do eat a lot of grilled chicken and fresh veggies. We don’t have much inventory as far as spices; Salt, pepper, and McCormick Perfect Pinch Savory All-Purpose Seasoning. If I’m going to be somewhere for a while, I will get some garlic powder and onion powder at Wal Mart or Dollartree for about $1.00 each. Waterfront Bistro pre-seasoned seafood is a great option. I love their selection. And the fact that they are pre-seasoned is an advantage. Other healthy options we prefer are Uncle Ben’s brown rice in the steamer bag, and Green Giant’s Valley Fresh Steamers. They come in a variety of flavors and the fact that they steam in the bag cuts down on having to have extra bowls to haul around. And we eat a lot of fresh veggies and salads. I like to buy the pre-packaged salads with the dressing including. That way you’re not lugging around a bunch of dressing bottles. I wish they would make some items in smaller containers so I don’t have to buy so much of something. Like butter, sour cream, and mayonnaise. You would not believe how much of these we’ve had to get rid of or throw away only to buy another container at the next location because it either doesn’t travel well or we are flying instead of driving like we did this last trip.

Being in certain locations can be advantageous when it comes to the local Farmer’s Market. When we were in Cheyenne we had access to a variety of local produce and fresh bread at the Farmer’s Market at the Cheyenne Depot Plaza in downtown Cheyenne. I bought lots of fresh peaches and corn when we were there in the fall. Here in Hood River we have access to the “Fruit Loop” which is a loop that goes around the area where all the orchards are located. www.hoodriverfruitloop.com. At certain times of the year you can get fresh apples, pears, raspberries, apricots blueberries strawberries, cherries, chestnuts, etc. Not to mention the wine. There are close to 40 wineries in the Columbia River Gorge area. I may have to write another blog about that.

I just touched on a few items this entry. I will talk more about each subject in more detail in subsequent entries as well as other adventures. This is a blog about my journey and activities. I hope you follow along as I encounter each situation and what I do to overcome the obstacles of living on the road. I encourage you to comment regarding your trials and encounters in your journeys as well.