Going To Check Things Out

We will be leaving Tuesday for a 4 day trip to Pioche to check out that little house. 

The chimney might need to come down, its a Dr Seuse chimney

The blue wall is the utility room and it needs to be removed

This is the main room. They have removed the supporting wall and if you look closely, there don't seem to be any 2x4s going all the way up to the rafters and the exterior walls are bowing

Next 2 photos are the kitchen, it might need to be removed too but we'll figure that out after we see it in person. AND they removed the sink. Assholes.

It looks like the bathroom used to have the washer & dryer in it.

We both agreed to get rid of the tub and put in a shower, then there will be room for a stacked washer & dryer.

We leave Tuesday, fly out at 9:30am and arrive in Las Vegas at noon.  We'll get a car, a jeep, and head to Pioche. We will stay at the Overland Hotel for 2 nights.

On Wednesday at 11 we'll meet the realtor and spend a good amount of time checking out the house. Since we're not buying it thru a bank, it won't need an inspection or appraisal.

I don't know what we're doing Thursday besides driving back to LV and dropping off the car at 9:30am and flying out Friday morning at 6am, which means getting to the airport really fucking early.

 

While We Were Gone

We checked out a couple of houses in the small town we're beginning to love but neither of them was this one. Both the others were huge houses, way too big for what we'd be interested in having as a vacation home or AB&B place.

This little home has been on the market for a long time, about 9 months. it was purchased in 2022 for $45,000 and they started taking it apart to flip it but then the money guy died. Now they're asking $79,000. Thats a joke.

We didn't even drive by this house, not that we know of for sure, but there is NO WAY IN HELL its worth anywhere near that much, especially since all they did was dismantle the guts.

We're talking over financials and might make an offer next week, 

an offer higher than 45 but way lower than 79.

They were obviously going to reuse the same old insulation and they left piles of the old 2x4s in the yard so I'm sure we'd have to dispose of them.

What I like is its in the small town I want to live in, 

its got water, sewer and power and is halfway fenced in. 

If we decide to make an offer it will be contingent on our personal inspection 

and we'd make a cash offer. 

Paying cash should make them go down on how much they want for it.

We would fly down and inspect it and if its acceptable we'd want to sign papers that weekend and own it fast.

If anything happens, like the house sells to someone else before we make an offer, we'd use the cash to rebuild our shop here. It needs an entire new roof and a bunch of walls are pretty bad too. I'd want a new footprint, adding covered parking on the house side for the RVs and a lean-too on the barn side for the tractors and implements.

Fingers crossed. 

I'm just tired of finding places I like & losing them due to procrastination or 'we're not ready'.  

I AM READY. 

 

4,348.4

Thats how many miles we drove on this amazing trip.

9 States: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona 

(not in that order) 

And the country of Mexico.

We had a good time, aside from the truck having issues like a burst air shock, broken brakes, camper being bucked back 6 inches a few times from rough roads.

We saw the 4.8.24 total solar eclipse from Del Rio, Texas for 3 minutes 25 seconds, through the cloudy that parted just in time. It was an amazing sight.

We won't have another total eclipse in the lower 48 for 20 years and I'm planning on being just east of Reno, Nevada for that one. I'll be 81 years old.

I was able to spread some of Dentons ashes at Death Valley, on an overlook into the beautiful park and another vial of ashes during the eclipse, again, in a place of grandeur overlooking a big lake.

We were able to visit Jon and that was a good day. We had planned on driving another 300 miles that day but decided to stay there and spent time in the town on Pioche. We looked at a couple houses that are for sale and I have another small one I really want to buy but we weren't able to see that one as it got dark.

I am ready to invest in my future, in some place we can visit where its warm and there will be places to explore. I'm 61 now, I need to get shit going, its time to retire soon.

Counting Down The Days

 We've been planning for 6.5 years and now we're so close I can taste it...

but we're not ready.

I still have to get the entire camper organized and loaded. We'll need both hot and cold weather clothing and supplies, we're going to have his dad for 5 of those days and we'll be leaving the country at some point.

Most of my clothes are ready but his aren't. His dad better be planning on taking his own carry on because we won't have room for that.

We will have room for his outside equipment such as metal detector and wand.

Going into Mexico had previously been planned as a single days outing after we leave Las Vegas but now we're contemplating renting a car and taking one of the Vegas days to get there. 

I haven't been feeling well the last couple days and have had bad heartburn and yesterday called in sick for my last shift that would have been graveyard this morning 1am-9am. I'm still not all well so glad I didn't have to do it and my coworker got OT.

Today I need to clear branches off the electric fence and make sure its functioning. I need to make sure all the horses feed is ready and Brandan will have an easy go of it. I know the chickens will be good to go, I've asked Mora to pick up their eggs every day and I don't care what she does with them then. The dogs have enough food and the cats are good to go.

I've spent about $300 on our food but thats OK, its for 2.5 weeks plus his dad. We'll still eat out and we'll still buy more food but I've got a menu and I'm really hoping we stick to it, sort of.

Travel Plans

 We travel more than any other couple I know.

On March 28, 2024 we will head out for a two week trip to west Texas to see the solar eclipse on April 8th. We have been planning on making this trip for 6.5 years, since the one we saw in Idaho in August 2017.

We've put countless hours into planning but let me tell you, we do not have this entire trip planned at all. We're not even sure what route we're going to take getting there. 

We will be arriving in Las Vegas on April 1 and leaving on the 5th, 

then heading south to Mexico for a short visit, 

then east into Texas. 

We will leave Texas probably on the afternoon after the eclipse but we're not entirely sure.

My Cousin Died

 Verla was only 63.

Planning ANOTHER Trip

On April 8, 2024, there will be another total eclipse of the sun.

we're going to be there, in its totality, just as we were for the one in Idaho in 2017.

This is a map we might take

This is the map of totality and it will last over 4 minutes along the blue line.

We plan on being north of San Antonio.

This is a map of the Mighty 5 in Utah, the 5 big National Parks; 

I'd like to go to each and every one of them 

but sadly we won't have enough time.

Anyway, we've been planning on being in Texas on April 8 for 5 years, ever since we saw this in Idaho and I can't wait to see it again.