Mornings in the Casita…

It’s been nearly a month since I bought the Casita. The seller volunteered to deliver the coach from his home in Phoenix to where I’m staying at the Colorado River. As it happened, he and his wife were celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary across the River in Laughlin, Nevada.

The reality of having this gorgeous coach put me into shock for a few days and it took some time to figure out how to proceed with all the changes that needed to happen. First up was to get the Gypsywagen into safe storage. For that I ferried it back to my friend Luis’ ranch in Española, New Mexico. It was a five-day excursion including a day of rest while I was there.

When I returned to Bullhead City, I went to work building an extension for my friend Cricket’s chicken coop. It seemed simple enough but took some effort to complete the job – I had forgotten how difficult it is to stretch chicken wire. But it turned out well and she was quite happy with the results. 

Then came the tasks of getting the Casita road-ready for the ongoing journey. There was administrative business (licensing, insurance, etc.), and a few modifications to be done. The trailer to truck power plug was a different configuration from what I had so I ordered in a new receptacle and had a local mechanic do the installation. It works perfect.

Then an interior project took the better part of a week to accomplish. Getting the design and configurations correct for a back end cabinet and mattress base was a challenge, but this too turned out well. 

A twin “mattress-in-a-box” from Walmart (the same unit I have in the Gypsywagen) completed the effort. Then I went to get my second Covid-Moderna vaccination, which hit me like a truck. A couple days of flu-like sickness were followed with a few more days of regaining strength – a fair price for “immunity”.

There has also been a rapid learning curve regarding the many aspects of the Casita trailer. As the Gypsywagen was built for utter simplicity, the new reality of water, plumbing & sewage systems, electric & propane power systems and many other technical aspects have stretched my powers of adaptation. It’s all good and each day I feel a little more bonded with this wonderful coach.

In a couple more days I’ll be out on the road again, heading towards the Redwood groves of Northern California as the journey ever unfolds.