Where to move?

Wednesday May 27, 2015

Home Sweet Home. How much is that doggie in the window?

We've been living in the Sunset district of San Francisco for over four years. One of the things we really liked about the Sunset is the neighborhood feel. Many of our neighbors have lived in the home that's been in their family for generations. There are hardly any chain stores - we love shopping at the local pet store, grocery store and the locally-owned restaurants.

When we moved to the Sunset, the economy was struggling and housing prices, although high, were somewhat in the ballpark. Even so, we struggled every month to meet the monthly housing expense.

It got even worse when the economy turned around, and now San Francisco is the most expensive place to live in the nation. Our lease was coming due for a renewal, and our landlord was looking to raise the monthly costs by $600. 

Live365 headquarters

We started discussing where we'd like to live. My office at Live365 is 25 miles South of the City, so we thought it might be advantageous to find more affordable housing in the San Mateo area. But as we began searching, we were dismayed to find that housing was even more expensive down the Peninsula as you approached Silicon Valley, the tech center of the world.

What to do? Cheri came up with a very creative idea - let's put all our possessions in storage and buy an RV and travel across the amazing country we live in and see if we can find a new community that we connect with. 

I didn't give it much thought, but two days later when we took our MiniCooper in for servicing at our local garage, we noticed an RV parked out front. We mentioned to the shop owner, who has become a friend, that we had this crazy idea about buying an RV to do some traveling. His response, "Oh, don't buy an RV - I have one that I'll give you to use!"

We were dumbfounded and couldn't believe what he was saying. We realized that this was a "Gift from God." If we didn't do this, we would regret it for the rest of our lives. Sure enough, within a week, we were test driving the rig and then signing papers to take the 1999 National Dolphin on the road.

My next step was to discuss our plans with Live365's CEO Mark Lam. As the Director of Broadcasting, I had many responsibilities, and I did not want to suddenly shirk my duties. At a four-hour lunch, we hammered out the details: some of my office duties would be handed over to others, and I would continue to work with broadcasters from the road. We worked out a timetable of when I would make the transition, and at the beginning of June, our new adventure on the road would begin. 

Dolphin Adventures

Thursday May 28, 2015
I’ve been in the broadcasting business for 49 years. It seems only appropriate that since I live in the 49er state, I should celebrate life and do something special. So, Cheri and I are going on a road trip!

If you've been following my posts, you probably have noticed that we've packed up our belongings, including my enormous record and CD collection. This morning, I will back up the Penske truck to our home in San Francisco and fill it with the possessions that Cheri and I have accumulated through the years. We’ll put it all in storage and then load our family (Cheri and me and the boys Bebop and Satch) into our 1999 National Dolphin RV and hit the road. We’ll spend the rest of this year traveling to Bryce Canyon, Olympic National Forest, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, the Ozarks and all the wonderful places that we call America the Beautiful.

Since this is the digital age, I can do my job from anywhere. I will have a rolling office/studio in our RV and will be blogging, podcasting and broadcasting on Live365. I’ll be reaching out to our Live365 broadcasters and giving them tips on how to increase their listenership and to new broadcasters and showing them how they too can start broadcasting on the Internet, find their audience and even make some money doing it.

Keep checking in here for information about the trip - blogs, photos, podcasts and other special treats. It's gonna be fun!

First stop: Arizona! See you on the road.

Stuff

Friday May 29, 2015

All packed up - the truck with all our stuff and the MiniCooper filled to the brim.

Even though we were able to get all out "stuff" into a 26-foot truck, now the road adventure finally begins. After we put the stuff into storage in Arizona, then we take a smaller version of our stuff into the Dolphin for the trip around the country.

Satch decides he will drive the truck.

Cheri is my truck-driving woman!

Truckin'

Saturday May 30, 2015

Here we go, moving our stuff to Arizona

Cheri, driving and feeling the vibe!

Truckin' got my chips cashed in. 
Keep truckin', like the do-dah man
Together, more or less in line, 
Just keep truckin' on.

Sunday Driving

Sunday May 31, 2015

Sunday driving through the desert!

It's lonely out here in the desert.

We drove as far as we could and then spent last night at a truck stop by train tracks. Listened to the sounds of trains in the distance. Satch and Bebop are still a little unsure about this "land yacht" that is our home. The cats are also traveling with us to Arizona, where we will drop them off to stay with grandma. We woke up this morning with two dogs and a cat on our bed. Somehow, we all fit!

Satch checks on driving conditions

The Heat!

Sunday May 31, 2015

The desert is not like the cool, foggy breezes in San Francisco.

Bebop says, "What is this heat?"

...But it's a dry heat. Right.

Cheri, the truck-driving woman

Sunday May 31, 2015

Cheri likes to drive! She's seen here driving our RV, with Rob and the boys in back enjoying the ride.

Storage

Monday June 1, 2015

Today was a day spent unloading the truck of our possessions. Most of it went into a storage unit. However, we saved a dozen boxes of clothes and supplies to take on the RV with us. Finding the clothes box was a relief, as I have been wearing the same clothing for the past four days. We set up our RV at a beautiful campground by a lake in Northern Arizona.

Our next challenge is to figure out how to get our car off the trailer. It's somehow stuck on there; the bumper is in front of the protective strip on the front of the trailer. And when i begin to back it off the trailer, the bumper is being pulled off. Bad design on the part of the trailer maker. So, the car sits on top of the trailer in the Pensike lot.

Cheri has given me the nickname "Sir Naps Alot!"

I've also started the laborious task of finding someone who can get all the parts to put the tow bar and harness on the MiniCooper. Cheri and I thought hauling a small car behind our RV would be a smart idea, but it turns out that hauling a bigger vehicle, like a jeep, is a better idea. The parts are not as abundent for small vehicles. There is only one company that makes Mini-compatible gear (they're in Oregon), so we'll hope that it all will come together in time for our next stop coming up next week - Bryce Canyon.

Our storage unit is packed to the gills.

Runaway Roller

Point Of Rocks

Wednesday June 3, 2015

Our home right now is in the trees of an RV park in the mountains of Arizona. We're in the town of Prescott, which calls itself "The Mile High City." Wait a minute, I've heard that name before somewhere.

I'm happy to report that we were able to free the Mini Cooper from its jailer - the trailer it was stuck on. It took a jack, some large pieces of wood to give us enough height to lift the car up, then 2x4's under the tires and the car rolled right off the trailer with ease.

Today, we spent the day in our Dolphin, cleaning, stocking and getting it ready for the long road ahead. The Mini Cooper is going into the shop tomorrow to get fitted with its harness and braking system.

Point of Rocks

The weather here is absolutely perfect. Cool nights and comfortable during the day. I broke out my shorts that have been sitting in storage for a few years. Everyone is telling me how white my legs are. Yep, they've been covered with blue jeans for years. Hard to wear shorts during San Francisco summers. It feels good to be back in real summer weather!

Tomorrow, I set up the recording studio in the Dolphin to record some promos for Live365. Now, it's on to the fajitas and margaritas...

Dolphin Living

Praise Braces!

Monday June 8, 2015

One of the things I’m most excited about our travels around the country is to see how Americans live in various parts of the USA. Prescott, Arizona is known as the most churched city in America. And this proves it: The Full Throttle Biker Church.  The Church meets on Friday nights at 7:00, and then at 8:00 comes the food. Bikers sit around, break bread and hang out and talk.

When we were digging through the storage bins in the RV, the previous owner left a 3-room tent. So, we pulled it out and set it up. The tents I’ve had experience with have usually been one small room where we all would snuggle together to keep warm and protected from the elements. This tent would allow for separate sleeping quarters for the dogs and us, and still have room to set up a flat screen movie room!

We have musical names for all our animals. Our dogs are Bebop and Satch; our cats are Johnny (Ramone), Elvis and Dusty (Springfield). Even our MiniCooper has a name - “Melody” (after one of our favorite Stones songs). Today, Melody got her braces.

After she got her braces, we hooked Melody up to the Dolphin and took it for a spin today. We will need to add one more piece to the RV to lower the hitch and then we’ll be ready to hit the road on Thursday. Cheri was busy today planning our itinerary and booking RV sites, where necessary. We start in Bryce Canyon, head Northwest and then across the Northern part of our country during the summer. It’s going to be a fun adventure!

The Full Throttle Bike Church Congregation

The adventure continues!

June 11, 2015 

Welcome to Utah! The first major stop for the Constantine gang on our Dophin Adventure

Today is our travel day from Arizona to Utah. It's a beautiful day for traveling. 70 degrees and gorgeous scenery. We'll be camping at Bryce Canyon tonight!

Dennis, Cheri, Satch & Bebop in Utah

The road through Utah Red Rocks

7,777 feet in the air

Thursday June 11, 2015

Drink Driving permitted in Arizona

Finally, after spending over a week getting our rig ready for the long journey ahead, we hit the road from Prescott AZ.Before we left, we stopped at Lloyd's Drive-In liquors to get all stocked up for the long drive to Utah. It was conveniently located right next door to Whole Foods, so besides the liquor, we were able to stock up on organic fruits and vegetables, raw cheese and other assorted natural goodies to balance the equation.

Sleeping under a canopy of trees, and millions of stars at night!

We arrived at our campground at Bryce. It's a lovely place to spend a few days. We chose a KOA kampground for our first experience, and it's lovely. It's surprisingly quiet here. Even with other campers around, the peacefulness is stunning. We plugged the RV in and have full electric service, running water and sewage, And good, quality high-speed Internet. Although, there is no cell phone service out here in the middle of nature. The boys are loving the adventure. Tons more new smells to check out.

Stunning rock formations

After getting up and participating in the camp's pancake breakfast, we took off for Bryce. Bryce Canyon is 7,777 feet above sea level; so there's something magical going on here. 

The National Park Service has a great deal for "seniors." They define seniorship as someone over the age of 55. So, I qualify! It's $10 for a lifetime pass to all National Parks, and since we will be visiting many National Parks in the months ahead, this is a super deal. At Bryce Canyon, hiked through the Sunrise and Sunset area of the park amazed at the formations. 

Is this a  big dog park?

Bebop was excited to see a whole new way of looking at the world. 

We'll be camped here for a few days. We'll be exploring many of the other amazing areas of Southern Utah in the days to come.

Utah Play Day

Saturday June 13, 2015


And the sign says "Welcome to Boulder!" This certainly isn't the Boulder that Cheri and I know so well, it's more like a turn in the road out in the middle of fields and mountains. It was lovely and the drive up the canyon to Boulder was stunning.




We did find the familiar name of Boulder Creek, and I believe this is the first time that the Boys have had a chance to run through a creek. And did they ever. They were just having a blast running back and forth and swimming in Boulder Creek.










Also, another treat for us was to find a real Health Food Store in the small town of Escalante. The owner of the store moved here four years ago from Miami Beach. She and I shared some Miami Beach stories (I lived there in '73-'74). 

The boys are all tuckered out, and Cheri's pulling out the natural healthy goodies we bought to prepare us a fabulous meal here in the Dolphin - which we have named "Dolly."
Last night, we watched About Schmidt, again. So, there might be repeat watchings of RV-themed movies on this trip. We're not planning to go anywhere near Vegas, so hopefully, the nest egg is secure.
Tomorrow, we hook everything up again, and head up to Ogden.

A day in Ogden

June 15, 2015
Cheri and I got to spend a night and day in Ogden, Utah, a lovely town. Reminded us very much of a Colorado mountain town. 

Union Station on 25th Street

We parked Dolly in front of our friends Gloria and Gary's home. They own a really sweet restaurant called A Good Life Cafe & Juice Bar, right on Historic 25th Street. There were some amazing shops there. We found an exquisite vase, and it was priced at only $55! Still, we passed on it. Need to travel light.

Renza was a joy to meet!

Gloria's Mom Renza lives with them. She told many stories about growing up in Italy. She's been in America for 60 years now, but she still speaks with a heavy Italian accent, as if she had just arrived from the Old Country. I wanted to record her stories, which were captivating. However, my iPhone ran out of juice. I will attempt to retell her stories in a later blog.

Five Wives in their Mormon wear

For all its beauty, Utah has some really unusual laws. For example, the alcohol laws: there is a board of Mormons who control what alcohol can come into the state. Problem is, they don't drink. The wine selection is very limited, and for the most part, the wines are ones that you might find at Walgreen. Even the finer restaurants are extolling the virtue of their fine Two Buck Chuck. Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit. But the point is, the wine selection in Utah is extremely limited. And, if you're thinking about going to another state and bringing back fine wine, you could go to jail. The most alcohol you can have in your possession is a pint... that includes wine.

Hey, where are the potatoes?

We closed up the Dolphin, leaving Rob behind to spend a week with Gary and Gloria and left Ogden heading north to Idaho. We find ourselves camped out in a lovely spot near the town of Twin Falls, Idaho. Tomorrow, the journey continues to the Northwest.

Dolly relaxes under the trees at a very nice campground near Twin Falls, Idaho. 

Oregon, My Oregon

June 17, 2015

Dog is my co-pilot

We left Idaho and entered Oregon. Bebop took over as navigator - yes, Cheri, driving the rig, would say that "Dog" is my Copilot.

Dolly's all comfy in Baker City.

We stopped at the first possible place, which happens to be Baker City, Oregon. We settled into a very comfortable camp site, again under a canopy of trees. I must say, the weather here is absolutely perfect. Not too hot during the day with nice cool breezes at night. Great sleeping weather. And, we could once again hear the sounds of the Amtrak train in the distance as it chugged its way up and down the coast. 

We awoke to a different sound - the sound of an RV that had his rig's horns programmed to play "On the Road Again" as they pulled out of the camp. We got a good laugh out of that.

The RV of the day on the Oregon Trail

Baker City is the home of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Cheri and I toured the museum, which basically showed how the white man took advantage of the Indians, killed them and took their land, after they had been so generous and welcoming to the new strange peoples. The covered wagons that the settlers came across the 2,000 mile journey are the equivalent of today's RV - it was their home and their means of transportation, even though they walked most of the route because of the rough conditions of the trail.

I did find an interesting landmark in Baker City - In & Out Burger. It was built in 1957 and is a family owned business that still looks the same today as it did when it opened. It's the old style drive in restaurant, where you pull up to a space, order your food through a microphone and the servers bring the food out to you on a tray that they attach to your car window. No relation the the California In 'n Out Burger, made even more famous by the Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski.

One of the nice things about being here is finding some fine Oregon wines to accompany our freshly grilled Wild Salmon. It's been a fun couple of nights in Oregon, and tomorrow, we pack everything up and head up the Columbia Gorge, where we'll cross over into the state of Washington!

Chop Chop Chop

June 19, 2015

The Columbia Gorge - one of the wonders of the world.

Maybe it's the impression that the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center made on me, or possibly I am just more aware of the scars that we humans have left on this precious earth. Today driving through the Columbia Gorge on the way to our next stop in White Salmon, Washington, I was at once stunned by the beauty of the area we were in, and at the same time, dismayed by the amount of wind turbines there were on many of the beautiful bluffs overlooking the Gorge. Yes, I'm all for alternative forms of energy, but at what cost? Plus, these things are HUGE. One Wind turbine is twice the size of a Boeing 747. And there are hundreds of them all across the ridgetop.

Biglow Canyon Wind Farm. 1000+ turbines chop air

Yes, it was windy at the head of the Columbia Gorge. Cheri was driving, and the force of the wind hitting the side of our high profile land yacht was enough to give her a couple of scares. But, this wind is no reason to create such an eyesore. Plus, it's not safe for birds and other beings to be near this wind farm. They put a chop in the air, much like a boat propeller puts a chop in the water. It creates an unnatural state. And those who know me know that I am Mr. Natural. So, this does not grok with me at all.

Crossing the Dalles Bridge into Washington

We successfully made it through the wind chop and arrived at our destination, White Salmon Washington, on the shores of the Columbia River. It's all about fishing and fine wine here. We found our spot in the campground, surrounded by other adventurers out in the world looking for the next thing. We're parked next to a "fifth wheel." This is the name of the big trailer that is hitched onto the back of a pickup truck. The trailor next to us is called "Wildwood," and boy, is it wild. There was one point where the trailor was rocking back-and-forth. I was tempted to make a temporary sign that read, "If this trailer's a rockin', don't come a knockin'. But I decided to let the couple have their moment of privacy and not create some kind of embarrassing moment. I've had enough of those in my own life.

Dennis relaxes in White Salmon with Dolly the Dolphin

We've been spending some of our time planning out our itinerary. We'll spend a couple nights here, and then it's on to Portland for a week. We're going to park Dollie at my cousin Tom Avergerakis' home, unhitch the MiniCooper and go visit friends and family. We are hoping to have some kind of event a week from Friday to gather everyone together for a fun shindig. After Portland, we're heading out to the Coast, and we'll work our way up to Olympic National Forest, down into the Puget Sound and then on to Central Washington, up to Glacier National Park (where we'll meet up with Rosalie and Barry), then Yellowstone, through South Dakota, Northern Minnesota and Michigan, through Wisconsin and Illinois and through Ohio and Pennsylvania and then up to the Northeast through upper New York State, Maine and Vermont. Still a lot of planning, but this life on the road is inspiring. Without all my stuff to distract me, I can think clearly. Cheri and I are having the time of our lives!

The view from the Washington side of the river looking to Hood River, Oregon

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