Departure prep in the rain

Today is Thursday, December 29, five days prior to our departure from Healdsburg, CA and the beginning of our 2023 adventure to the east coast of the United States. We are getting the truck and RV ready between the storms here in Sonoma County. According to the Press Democrat newspaper, "Sonoma County residents are anticipating another heavy round of rain starting Thursday and potential flooding leading into the weekend, according to officials. The new rainfall over this past week has brought the totals recorded at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport to 8.36 inches for the current water year, which started Oct. 1. That is about 2.7 inches below the long-term average for this time of year." Fortunately, here at the Herrick Vineyard RV pad, we are near the Russian River, but far enough away to not be affected by flooding..

As this year comes to a close, it has been great spending time with our good friends, neighbors and church family during the holidays. We are getting excited to be on the road again but this is a bittersweet time for us as we say our goodbyes. In planning for the lengthy trip away from the west coast, we opened up our storage trailer to pack the equipment and clothing we anticipate we'll be needing for the next year. We're 90% packed now and tweaking the list as Tuesday, January 3, 2023 approaches.

Finally, two new things to share. One, we recently signed up to join HIPCAMP, an online booking platform where campers, glampers, RVers, and outdoor enthusiasts can find unique outdoor stays on private land. Landowners earn extra monthly income by hosting Hipcampers for overnight stays, and all you need is a flat piece of land and access to the great outdoors to start earning. We talked to our good friends Lorri and Greg Herrick about the platform and they recently joined. So if you're traveling to Sonoma County and need an RV site, look them up at Herrick Vineyards RV Pad. They are charging $55 a night with full hook ups.

And two, we are excited to report that we received confirmation that our application to join Roving Volunteers in Christ's Service (RVICS) has been approved. According to their web page, "Roving Volunteers in Christ's Service (RVICS) is a volunteer non-denominational Christian ministry with a heart to serve the Lord during the years leading up to retirement and beyond.

Our missionary teams provide a wide variety of maintenance, service, and construction assistance to needy non-profit Christian organizations. Our missionaries live in their own self-contained RV's serving on teams typically consisting of 4-6 couples. Project hosts commit to providing RV parking sites with electricity, water, and sewer, free of charge. The project schedule allows generous time for recreation and relaxation."