Having lived in northern California’s Siskiyou County for the past 16 years, I had pretty much grown accustomed to dry weather. Even when it got wet, it always dried out relatively quickly. So, when I set out on my journey through the Pacific Northwest, I suppose I was a bit clueless about the moisture and humidity I would face. I’ve never been one of those people who hates the rain. In fact, I rather enjoy it–to a point. I made sure my RV was watertight. I bought a brand new rain coat and rain pants. I made sure I bought a camera bag with a rain fly. I even made not one, but two, camera “raincoats.” (You can find instructions for them on Jai Johnson’s blog.) I really thought I was prepared. Then I spent two months in the rain. Yes, two months.

Okay, so maybe it hasn’t rained every day for the past two months, but certainly is has been rainy more days than not. Thus, when getting things in order to move from Waldport to Bandon, much to my horror, I discovered mold! Truth be told, I had been doing battle with the stuff for weeks. When it’s chilly outside, warm inside, and the humidity is high, condensation is the result. The windows get wet and the water drips down them and settles in the window frames. So, I had been wiping down the windows every day or two and trying to stay ahead of the inevitable mold. So far, so good. But, little did I know, in the cab of the motorhome, which doesn’t see much use other than travel days, the moisture was condensing and running down onto the carpet. Only when clearing out the cab and getting ready to move did I discover the moldy carpet! Ewwwww! Not only that, but I had no time to do anything about it. So, I had to drive from Waldport to Bandon in a cab that was looking like a bagle that sat too long in the cupboard! Ewwwww!

As a result, my first couple days in Bandon were dedicated to the battle of the mold. I am now the proud owner of an electric dehumidifier and a bottle of industrial strength moldicide. Probably overkill, but I never again want to see white fuzz growing inside my motorhome.

Once the mold eradication project was completed, I could finally relax and enjoy Bandon. Perfect timing, too, because the rain decided to stop for an hour or two right at sunrise and the light on the ocean was nothing like I have ever seen. Amazing is too mild a word to describe it.

And now I’m thanking my lucky stars that I came here last week because Highway 101 is closed north of Florence due to a mudslide and the Alsea River (which is right next to where I was camped) is rising fast. I hope everyone I met there is safe and dry and I hope this storm lets up before too much damage happens.

Even as I write this latest installment of my adventures on the road, I know that with each new day will come new challenges. But with the challenges also come unexpected rewards. And that’s pretty much what life is all about. I’m still enjoying the good stuff and handling the not so good stuff. In other words, “livin’ the dream.”