Vinnie and the Big Guy

Well, we're "on the road" again, camping in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara, CA. We love it here in the wintertime as it's usually warm, dry and just about perfect. This time, it's cool and wet...not good wintertime camping. The rain will go away soon; the grass will green up; the lake will fill; and good wintertime camping will return.

This entry is titled Vinnie and the Big Guy. The 1 ton Crew Cab diesel truck is named Vinnie after Vin Diesel--the name seemed to fit. The truck is pretty invincible, like Vin is in most of his movies. The Big Guy is the 34 foot fifth-wheel that follows Vinnie like a good puppy. Over the years, the RV has changed and grown. The first one, in 1972, was an 18 foot mini-motorhome. We had her for 11 years and 125,000 miles, when we traded her for a 22 foot 5th wheel trailer and a Chevy 6.2 liter diesel pickup truck; which was replaced by a 28 foot fiver and a Dodge Cummins diesel; which was replaced by a 30 foot fiver and an extended-cab Ford PowerStroke diesel; which was replaced by Vinnie and The Big Guy. The plaque on the side of the fiver says it's only 31.5 feet long, but that's not true. When the truck and trailer are hooked up, we're 58 feet long--a regular road train that no one wants to follow. You don't want to know our mileage! We don't want to know it either.

While we are long and somewhat ungainly, we do have a very comfortable home away from home. We're snug and warm, even in the rain. This is going to be our home for the next few weeks--except for next week. Then we'll board the NCL Star for an 8 day Mexican Riviera cruise