Well, day one kicked off without a hitch… I mean, we had a literal hitch, obviously, but no issues to start the day!

Yesterday (September 28th), between Kate's (my) appointments, we loaded up the bikes and quads. Sounds easy, right? Not quite. First “hitch” was finding out the Fat Bob’s battery was dead. So, while waiting for a charge, we got impatient and decided to boost it off the Can-Am. Worked like a charm— Fat Bob was back in action!

Next up was a minor problem solve situation over the TV in the garage. We’d wall-mounted it for a cozy “living room” setup, but it had never traveled with us before. Turns out it was wiggling more than we liked. Lucky for us, we found some flat “D” rings leftover from another project. Jay rigged it up while I was at my appointment, and we were set for safe and secure TV travel. (We checked it a few times while on the road—solid as a rock.)

On to travel day! We woke up early to give ourselves plenty of time to pack, take it slow, and find places for our essentials (and some “just-in-case” extras). Five months in one spot had us rusty on our packing routines, so checklists were back in play. Jay took on the outdoor setup while I handled the interior, and after a bit of organizing, I was even able to claim some extra cupboard space—small miracles in RV life!

Then, there was filming… something we’re still getting the hang of. Deciding what’s “camera-worthy” and what’s just normal travel routine will take practice. For now, we just try to remember to grab the camera before we miss another “good shot.”

Drive day went pretty smoothly. We had about 4.5 hours ahead of us from Fort McMurray to Sherwood Park, and we were excited for our first Harvest Host stop at Barr Estate Winery. Jay was a little worn out after a full day of prepping yesterday, so he threw me in the driver's seat to hitch up and pull out, and then we took it easy.

Midway through the drive, we noticed that we might have left a little “souvenir” somewhere on the road: a missing yellow lens cap from a marker light. Guess we’ll be hitting up the parts store in Sherwood Park!

When we pulled into the winery, things got interesting. The entrance was a tad tighter than ideal, and did I mention it was raining? Out of the truck I hopped with the radio, guiding Jay through some close calls with low-hanging trees. We had a few tense minutes of branches scraping the side of the rig, while I was trying to play human-tree-holder and direct him around the branches at the same time. Did we film it? Nope. Habit will come eventually, right?

After a second (wider) attempt, we made it in. Amy, the winery’s owner, welcomed us and gave us a quick tour. The wine tasting was a treat! We’re not big on grape wines, but fruit wines? Now that’s a game-changer. Jason loved “Barb,” a rhubarb wine, while I’m all in on the strawberry-rhubarb blend, aptly named “The Rhuby.” 

Amy had some incredible insights into the medical field, especially around treatments for long COVID. We didn’t realize it costs thousands of dollars to publish open-source scientific papers, which is why so much research isn’t readily available. The things you learn! 

We didn’t let Willow roam much since the host’s dog wasn’t a fan of new canine friends, but she seemed perfectly content with us inside the rig. She had the whole back seat to herself during the drive, though she still looked a little anxious. She hasn’t fully embraced her “road dog” life yet, but we’re working on it.

All in all, day one had a few unexpected moments, but we’re finally on the road.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings!