July 24 (One week into this thing)...

This first week since departing Owatonna has seen the two of us already experiencing the learning curve that is rv-ing… I’ve managed to install a dual 12 volt outlet with usb ports; naturally the first attempt resulted in a blown circuit breaker and a smoking outlet… it seems I neglected checking the voltage polarity. Lesson learned was that wiring in a travel trailer is anything but industry standard. Some help from a new digital voltmeter (and advice from more than one experienced friend) meant the second try was a success. Maybe the more important lesson is that I don’t know “everything”, even though I went to Postmaster school. Beyond that, a few other gadgets and gizmos now will serve to enhance our adventure. The Owatonna People’s Press newspaper profiled us in the weekend issue after our departure (click here) and several folks have already read the first installment of this blog and joined us on Facebook as a result. We’ve received so many notes and posts from people, some new to us and some well acquainted, that we want to thank you all. I’ve begun a file of people we’ve spoken with and their comments; too many to write about this week (and we’ve not gotten out of the state yet). Thank you, Kelly (a retail clerk at Cub Foods) for your positive attitude and commitment; working two jobs as a single mom of a couple of pre-teens. Your words of encouragement go far and I hope you sleep through the next big storm like you did the last one (although you missed a great lightning show)… People like her ought to be on the nightly news.