The last few weeks had been busy! As patience would have it everything is eventual- and with persistence and dedication it will happen. I chatted with the seller during this time- and he told me a bit about the rig- and that’s when I found what he had named his rig- Nelly! I loved that he had named it- and he let us know how stoked he was she was going to a good home.
Nick got back from his vacation from Vegas- and he and his lady did me the huge kindness of planning a trip to Girdwood from Anchorage to inspect the rig. He warned me he wasn’t a motorhome inspector- just the mechanical end of things was his specialty. I let him know I totally understood- and connected him with the seller. The day of the inspection was a long one- I waited with fingers crossed to hear the bill of health…
I received a message from the seller letting me know that they had stopped by and he thought it went well- and that they were cool. Good news! I let him know I just needed to have a talk with Nick to get things moving forward. I sent Nick a message and waited. (I wish I could say patiently- but I was certainty toe tapping the whole time)
That night Nick gave me the call. He said mechanically the truck was in great shape- and a lot of custom work had been put into into it. It sounded like they had hit it off with the seller quite well- and they all hung out for awhile. He had even gotten a copy of an album the seller was in! He had preformed a compression test on it and gave it a look through and she was good to go! I thanked him profusely- and asked if I could repay him for his efforts. He declined any moo-la, he just simply said if it could work out, could he drive it for part of her trip down to Homer. Not only would he get to drive it- but it was a great reason to visit!
I happily accepted the request- and sent the seller the good news. Now it was time to finalize paying for it. The first criteria of the loan was fulfilled- a mechanical inspection and pass. The second requirement is I had to draft an Alaskan Bill Of Sale and have the seller sign it- in which he agreed. With everything in place we made a plan to head North again that weekend- and then all there was to do was to wait for A VERY LONG FEW DAYS!
I spent that time to winterize Serenity. I drained her lines, filled everything with RV Coolant, and parked her on blocks for the season. Once again we had reached my least favorite time of year, where I had to put her away for the season. But this year would be different- we might have a rig where we could continue to travel, even in the winter time!
That weekend we were on the road again! This time we just took our pickup- The Tundra. We made a plan to speed run up to Anchorage, hit Costco to stock up on supplies, and head straight back to Girdwood for the purchase. I attempted to coordinate things with Nick- but unfortunately plans did not align for this one. Bummer- it would have been a fun trip with him! The drive up went off without a hitch- and on that fateful trip we officially gave the 4×4 Odyssey her official new name- The Ohana! (Or Our Ohana)
That folks, is a huge part of why we named this blog what it is! Between the name of our new rig, and searching the country for possible new home in the next few years, we began our new plan of Finding Our Ohana!
By that afternoon, we were sitting in The Ohana with the seller, going over the paperwork and getting in as many last minute questions as possible. At this point he had removed the bike rack and his Yakima pods. (I had declined on buying the pods, I wanted to put ones on her that had more storage capacity like I had on Serenity) We talked for awhile, and after laughs, hand shakes, and well-wishes we were going home.
She was tough. Heading home that day the weather was insane- and would immediately give me a testament on how tough our Ohana really was. The wind in Turnagain Arm was ripping fast. Cars were pulling over on the side of the road to wait out the worst of it, gravel and small rocks, danced down the highway with the pull of the powerful winds, and to top it all off rain swirled around everywhere to make it a full torrential mess. Yet, The Ohana pulled through it! Sure, the wind pushed on her but I never fell below 45 MPH in the worst it- she was “hella tough”! She might have been scary to someone who hadn’t driven a taller rig before, but after countless Semi’s and Box Trucks, I was completely at home with how she handled.
After I had gotten through the arm, we entered the pass. The wind was still strong, but it backed off a bit at this point. By this point the day had shifted to night, and it had grown dark. The Ohana’s headlights + floodlights were highly outdated, so visibility was okay but nothing compared to LEDs.
After awhile of driving and listening to her run, I decided to see how the radio worked. I pushed the stereo on, and to my surprise it immediately started to play a CD. Of course, I had received whatever was in the player- as most people always forget to check when they are selling a rig! What I also didn’t expect was what was going to play. It would be best described as smokey and gritty music from the Bayou. It was dark and seedy themed and carried almost the bobbing cadence and chanting that pirates out of sea would enjoy. So for the next few hours that is how I drove- to the chanting of angry pirates, swaying with the gusts of wind, water coming at me from all sides, and all guided by dim headlights and the glow of the dash cluster as I battled my way through “the sea”, A.K.A- the stormy weather of “The Pass” as I headed south. After the trip, Laura would nick name The Ohana “Our Howls Moving Castle” to describe the way it looked as it drove home that night.
FYI- If you are dying to know the CD that was in the stereo. It was two bands playing together; Black Eyed Vermilion With The Inheritance. The album was name “The Pleasure Tide”. If you can listen to it- check it out; it’s a trip!
Anyway- we made it Soldotna and decided to do one last shop at Fred Meyer before returning to our town of limited options. When we came back out to leave- we ran into a problem. As I went to start it- she immediately lit up and then all the power went out. I gritted my teeth, pulled the hood release, and prepared for the worst.
It wasn’t bad! It was a weathered cable to the battery, and where it had finally broken was right at the head where it had been mounted. It could just barely reach the terminal, but any amount of dramatic jostling there was a high chance it would come loose. Luckily, the O’Reilly’s we had stopped at during the last Serenity trip lie just at the edge of the far entrance to this very Fred Meyer parking lot! Also- luckily, it would still be open for a little while!
So we got the cable in place and barely held. Soaking wet from the never ending rain it was time for a little moment of truth. The Ohana fired right up- and we gently cruised her across the Fred Meyer grounds into the O’Reilly’s parking lot.
Not even 15 minutes later (after buying some new cable, wire connectors, and a new terminal mount) we were back out in the rain working as fast as we could. Not even 10 minutes after that- we were ready to roll. It’s nice when a problem turns out not to be monumental- which turn out that way 5% of the time historically!
We topped off The Ohana one last time before we headed to our final destination of home and steep gas prices.
Late that night we pulled into our driveway with our new project and baby- stars in our eyes, beaming grins across our faces, and dreams of far away places. That evening we resolved to do a better job cataloging our work on this vehicle, to take more pictures and keep a more thorough record of our journey. And with that we started our next chapter.
Geoff Murphy 3/19/2020
❤️ it!!