Putting the house in order

View of Mount Susitna from downtown Anchorage

Every adventure must have a beginning and ours has begun with three weeks of cleaning and organizing.  It is August 24--the 28th anniversary of the birth of our older daughter, Emily, by the way--and we are starting to feel like we may actually be hitting the road a week from today.  About half of the floors have been shampooed, the girls' belongings are in storage, and we are starting to pack the motorhome.  This is a challenge because our vehicle of choice is a 19-foot Provan Tiger, one of the smallest self-contained motorhomes currently on the market.

It is perfect for the needs of two adults and two 20-pound Australian terriers.  It is a small class C motor home—only 19 feet long—on a Chevy Silverado chassis.  There is a good-sized bed over the cab and a gaucho that makes into a second bed.  It has the usual motorhome amenities in a very compact space—wet bath, three burner stove, microwave, fridge, and television.  It is a little light on storage but we added a carrier on the rear for two bicycles and strapped a “Rubbermaid actionpacker” on the roof to expand the storage.

The size allows us to go to most any campground and to park in a city parking space, providing maximum flexibility and ease in driving.  It would be too small for many, but it suits us perfectly.  We are very comfortable in it.