In late December we departed from Eugene, Oregon on an adventurous journey to Baja. We left with visions of warm, sunny beaches and blue surf. We left in a flurry of snow showers and continued in snowy conditions on I-5 South to Grants Pass where we veered off to catch 101 on the coast since we were not in a time crunch and thought 101 would be a more beautiful drive. Unbeknownst to us, we had neglected to fully lock the front sliding window and it worked its way open over the bumpy, windy ride. We were buffeted by 60-80 mph wind gusts on the coast. We arrived in Crescent City where we spent a night near the beach with the winds continuing most of the night. We were dismayed to find a wet carpet that night when we set up camp. We had toyed with the idea of changing the floor prior to our trip but didn't think we had time to do that. We tried to dry out the carpet as best we could that night with the heater, fans and hair dryers. You could hardly notice a difference. We continued on our way the next day. A break in the weather gave us opportunities to walk the dogs and stretch our legs. Then we were hit by more snow and sleet and wind. The next night in Wiletz we continued our efforts to dry the carpet. That night Dennis and our dog, Luna, were snuggled in the warm, dry bed quietly snoring and content to sleep. I was also in the warm, dry bed but I was obsessing about the wet carpet below and had visions of impending mildew. The next morning Dennis made some coffee and I dug out a steak knife from our utility box. I pried the knife under the carpet and began to cut the carpet. I was intent on removing it and its promise of mildew. Dennis' eyes grew big so I suggested that he might want to walk the dog for a few minutes while I "tidied up a bit". When he came back, most of the carpet was out and the floor was dry. He was very pleased and after we traveled in the snow and rain for another day we made camp and he helped take out the rest of the carpet. We stopped in Bakersfield at Home Depot and bought area rug remnants to cover the floor for the duration of the trip.
Upon our return we replaced the carpet and added a nice pad underneath. With the new "Burnt Sugar" brown, it seemed only right to change the curtains to a warmer color. Gina would love the Italiante design made so popular in late Rennaissance by the Medicis. So, goodbye to the blue and welcome to the new warmer shades. Here are some photos of the changes without the seat cushions back in yet.