Week 861 - Dear Diary - 02-12-2023

Dear Diary

This week we present another important document that everyone can benefit from.

Who hasn't written a diary at sometime in their life? If you did, when did you quit making entries?

In the summer of 2000 we took a 25 day 5th wheel trip with our daughters Emily and Melissa. To create great memories we purchased a digital camera and took hundreds of photos. And we bought a small hard bound diary book to capture the best of each day. Everyone was excited to write in the diary. We took turns with each of us writing a page, just one page per day. What a great memory maker. Surprise, surprise! At the end of the trip only half the pages were filled in.

Why? We ran out of worthy things to say? Or, we just forgot? Or, it's seemed like too much work?

Since we purchased the MotherShip on 4-5-2006, we have made a daily entry in our diary. That's 7,018 days and counting, never missing a day! Wow, you say, how do you make the time and never get tired of it? Easy, it is a single line entry each day, whether we travel or not.

Here is a sample of our Daily Diary. Again, we use Notepad or TextEdit as we explained last week.

Week 787
   21-09-12 138153 Tonapah RV, Nevada 5WSCI (3.5) $36, Host:Barbara
   21-09-11 138035 Sportsman Beach Walker Lake NV $3
   21-09-10 138035 Sportsman Beach Walker Lake NV $3
   21-09-09 138035 Sportsman Beach Walker Lake NV $3, no other campers
   21-09-08 137872 Truckee Rest Stop, free, slow Internet, move to Cabelas 137905 Verdi NV
   21-09-07 137745 Emily & Chads, pick up Jeep on 9-8-22 in Chico
   21-09-06 137745 Emily & Chads
Week 786
   21-09-05 137745 Emily & Chads, The Table Church
   21-09-04 137745 Emily & Chads
   21-09-03 137745 Emily & Chads, PB
   21-09-02 137745 Emily & Chads, PB
   21-09-01 137745 Emily & Chads
   21-08-31 137745 Emily & Chads, PB
   21-08-30 137745 Emily & Chads
Week 785
   21-08-29 137695 Durango RV Resort Red Bluff CA, now KOA $76 river lot, $66 pullthru
   21-08-28 137565 Yreka RV Park, $44
   21-08-27 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR, drive rental car to Elite, Robert manager, pick up MH
   21-08-26 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR, drive to Emily's, take Jeep to dealer (serpentine belt)
   21-08-25 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR, John H., dinner Janice/Frank, Steve/Sue
   21-08-24 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR
   21-08-23 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR, visit John M, dinner Janet/Brad, John/Janice
Week 784
   21-08-22 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR, ABC, remove Janet/Brad deck
   21-08-21 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR
   21-08-20 137322 Elite RV Harrisburg OR, flat floor repair, drive to Paso
   21-08-19 137305 RV Glass Coburg OR, windshield No 7 installed
   21-08-18 137305 RV Glass Coburg OR
   21-08-17 137305 RV Glass Coburg OR $Free, Armstrong RV Repair, fix water leak
   21-08-16 137270 Bishs RV Park Junction City OR C1 Wendy $45, PB Meadow Park Springfield
Week 783
   21-08-15 137262 Bennett Vineyards & Wine Company Cheshire, OR Dry (3) $HH
   21-08-14 137208 Florence OR Elks Dry (nearby Elks)
   21-08-13 137182 Salmon Harbor Marina RV
   21-08-12 137182 Salmon Harbor Marina RV
   21-08-11 137182 Salmon Harbor Marina RV, Winchester OR Dry (3) $25, Donnalee/Don
   21-08-10 136960 Bend OR Elks, PB
   21-08-09 136960 Bend OR Elks $20, Barbara secretary

Each entry is just one line. Date, mileage, location and notes. It only takes a few seconds each day. The rewards for this diary are endless. Here are a few examples.

When were we at Sportsman's Beach Walker Lake the time we were the only campers out of 30 sites?
What was the daily cost?, oh yeah, $3/day.
When was the Jeep serpentine belt repaired and in what city?
Where was that Cabelas we stayed at, the one with the huge parking area?
Who did we camp with at Salmon Harbor Marina?, oops, it was Pete's sister Donnalee and Don.

As you can see it takes only a few seconds a day to record "your memory".

As we sit for six months at Palm Creek Resort, we still update our diary. The information is not as varied, but still valuable for our recall. Like who did we do what with and when.

Week 850
  22-11-27 144570 Palm Creek, Cowboy Church, PB
  22-11-26 144570 Palm Creek, PB, bingo w/Jim & LaRae
  22-11-25 144570 Palm Creek, PB, meet Kirk/Sherry, sit Angel at Steph/Al's house
  22-11-24 144570 Palm Creek, Thanksgiving w/Patty&Connie,Jim&LaRae
  22-11-23 144570 Palm Creek, PB
  22-11-22 144570 Palm Creek, cards, MO PB training
  22-11-21 144570 Palm Creek, LineDance (LD), AZ DMV, PB
Week 849
  22-11-20 144570 Palm Creek, Cowboy Church, PB
  22-11-19 144570 Palm Creek, PB, Patty comes, bingo
  22-11-18 144570 Palm Creek
  22-11-17 144570 Palm Creek, PB, Dinner w/Rosemary
  22-11-16 144570 Palm Creek, PB, Caribbean Party
  22-11-15 144570 Palm Creek, PB, repair Blanch's carport posts, cards
  22-11-14 144570 Palm Creek, PB

In Week 858 we presented our 17 Year Travel Summary. All that information came from our Daily Diary.

If you travel, keep this diary. If not, it is still fun to have the history. And you will need it when you write Your Memoirs.

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from our archive