Layed Up In Lynnwood

Because our license plate and taillights were blocked by our new bike cover, we decided it wasn’t safe to proceed.  Before we had even made it to Seattle, we were at a standstill. Not a light in sight I spent the morning developing a solution to add some additional rear Continue Reading

Preparation and Liftoff

We spent the first 2 weeks of January getting ready to depart.  Actually, we scrambled to complete what we needed to while making time to spend with family and friends.  Why is it that regardless of the amount of time we have to prepare for a journey, the last few Continue Reading

There and back again — Retrieving our motorhome

I picked up our motorhome from the dealer in Des Moines, Iowa on December 28th.  I drove out into the night and a snow storm. The roads were slick with uneven layers of ice still clinging to them from an earlier blizzard.  I sat idling in the parking lot while I Continue Reading

There and back again — Picking up our Motorhome

We purchased our Solera from RV Direct’s dealership in Des Moines, Iowa.  Why so far away?  There are no Forest River dealers in British Columbia that sell this model.  In fact, there is only dealer in Canada (in Laval, Quebec) that sells them, and they buy them at RV Direct, Continue Reading

Introducing our new motorhome

We purchased a new 2013 Forest River Solera 24S. You can read about our search here The Search for our RV (Part 1) and The Search for our RV (Part 2).  We purchased the Special Edition model which supposedly has a number of upgrades, but I believe that every Solera available Continue Reading

The Search for our RV (Part 2)

After several weeks of researching motorhomes and narrowing down my list (see The Search for our RV (Part 1)), there were still 10 different models we were considering, with nothing significant to separate them.  With a bout of analysis paralysis coming on, we applied a bit of intuition and started Continue Reading

The Search for our RV (Part 1)

Buying an RV is an analyzer’s worst nightmare.  There are thousands of new and used RV models to choose from in North America.  Only a few of these are great.  Some are downright dangerous.  Some key decisions that need to be made are: Type – Should we get a motorized Continue Reading

The Decline of the American Empire

Our recent visit to the United States got me thinking about the challenges facing America today.  I think that the road ahead will be very difficult. What is an empire? Empires are nations whose power and influence extend beyond their borders.  They tend to enjoy false economies based on cheap Continue Reading