4/1/09: Run in w/ the law

Technically I am homeless now. My first night living in the RV was abruptly interrupted at 2:30 am by the banging of a mag light on my door, firmly held by a police officer. We will get to that story in a minute but first a little background…

I am currently enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program and am about to start the second and final year of the program. This first year I have been sitting in a classroom for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, attempting to cram mass amounts of information into my brain. Now that my brain is completely saturated with random facts, and most of the information has leaked out by this point, it is time to put it all together during the clinical year. During the second year, every 6 weeks I will be starting a new rotation that can be anywhere in the United States including Alaska or Hawaii.

I have very little control over where my rotations will be, I am responsible for finding housing for 6 weeks, and for transportation between rotations. I also have a faithful companion and side kick in my adventures. Summit, my yellow lab/golden retriever mix has been a constant companion and that was not going to miss out on the adventure of the coming year. Considering all of these factors, and to avoid paying pet fees at every location I decided to purchase an RV.

I bought a 24’ Class C, 2000 Four Winds Majestic RV in mid February. I purchased it from a private owner and despite having paid $200 for a “buyers inspection,” I have encountered numerous little “unexpected gifts.” (Do NOT ever trust the work of Lassen RV in Albany, OR) One month after the title was in my name I noticed significant and active leak in the roof that was allowing water to accumulate in the walls of the RV. A quick visit to the local RV dealer (not Lassen RV) revealed numerous indications that there has been longstanding water damage to the walls of the RV over the cab of the vehicle, as well as many other locations. The bottom line; over $5,000 to fix the leaks correctly, or over $500 to simply stop any further water leaking in. $500 worth of resealing and I was back on the road again.

At midnight on 3/31/09 my roommate and I finished cleaning our apartment in Beaverton, OR. That is when I officially became homeless. All of my material possessions were now either in my RV or in a storage facility nearby. My first night in the RV I decided to find shelter under the comforting wing of a local church’s parking lot; evidently they don’t take to kindly to vagrants. I was awakened by the loud thump of a mag light on my door and the disco ball effect of the police lights on the RV shades. Summit, being new to his surroundings, just about hit the roof secondary to the rude awakening. After a little smooth talking, I was able to keep the RV parked where it was with the promise of moving in the morning and saying three hail Mary’s.

The laundry list of what is stuffed in my RV:
1. Yeti 575 mountain bike
2. Klein road bike
3. Trek commuter bike
4. Panniers for commuter bike
5. Tent
6. Sleeping bag
7. Hiking boots
8. Backpack and all the gear to go backpacking
9. Pair of telemark skis
10. Ski boots
11. All of the gear to backcountry skiing
12. Climbing harness and chalk bag
13. Basic rock climbing equipment
14. A few books to make it look like I am smart
15. 2 lawn chairs
16. Enough refrigerator space for a case of beer
17. And 1 gecko attached to the side view mirror