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Getting Ready
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Preparations for moving from the Bay Area (El Cerrito) to Kennewick, WA first focused on what to bring and what to store. Gilbert was responsible to find an apartment for the family, preferably a quiet ground-level one. There were three complexes under consideration, with Gilbert hoping to get a two-bedroom/one bath unit in the complex where he had initially gotten a one-bedroom. However, when he asked in early March about availability beginning April 1, he was told they had just rented out a couple and he would have to wait to see whether they got any notices from anyone vacating one.
Meanwhile, Winnie was starting to pack away items in boxes and getting quotes for storage. Gilbert’s company would pay for shipping 1,000 lbs. of personal belongings. A quick estimate showed not much could be brought up and we requested an estimate for overweight shipping to compare against storing, giving away and buying replacements, etc. for different items. Meanwhile, Gilbert would manage to check 50-70 lbs. of baggage in boxes each time he took an airline trip. After a late-March trip home, Gilbert had a message telling him there was a two-bedroom apartment in his complex that would be vacated. The night of the 31st, he was able to move his belongings with a hand truck to the new location. The first week of April was one of sleeping on the floor (the previous apt. was furnished) and leaving the windows open whenever possible to clear the new-carpet smell. Eventually, it became clear that the cost of renting a truck was considerably less than having overweight shipping, even without considering air travel costs with the shipping option. Winnie did some research about trucks and decided on the 15 ft. Ryder “family van” with rear jump seat for Josiah. However, the local dealers reported not having any available and she even made a reservation for a round-trip reservation from Kennewick as a backup. Finally, one was found for pickup from Berkeley on Friday, April 9 for return in Kennewick on Wednesday, April 14 (the Ryder dealer there was 1 block from the apartment complex). Packing
Winnie continued packing and Gilbert flew home Thursday morning to join the action. He saw a flatbed truck which he thought would have deposited the portable storage lockers, but returned to find they had not been delivered because the driver feared he could not park them in the driveway without damaging the landscaping. Winnie also had been told that the Ryder truck was not ready yet due to mechanical work being performed.
| Preparations seemed to be falling apart and prayer was needed to reassure ourselves that things would eventually get done. Gilbert managed to do some yard work and clear space in the garage as well as aid in packing. Friday morning came and confirmation that the truck and storage units would be ready. Later in the morning, assistance came (Winnie’s oldest brother Raymond and a friend from church) and Gilbert went to pick up the truck. Items to be given away were separated, then mattresses and queen bed frame went into the truck. The large armoire was put into a storage container, along with the small bed frame. Crib and dressers went into the truck, along with the futon frame (the futon was reserved for some more sleep). Gilbert discovered none of the locks the family had had a long enough shaft to lock the truck and had to take a quick bike trip to a hardware store to buy one. Friday night brought another late packing night as well as Gilbert finishing tax returns. Saturday morning would bring more help from family and friends but also an unwelcome visit of rain clouds. The most difficult piece of furniture was Winnie’s desk, to be put in a storage container. Kitchen table and small desk were disassembled and put in the truck. There was enough room to take one of the two large bookshelves in the truck, with the other being put in a storage container. After putting many of the boxes in the two containers, we discovered that the Chinese chest would not fit in the container with the desk as planned. Boxes were then taken from the other one to make room, and the inventory sheet had some editing. As it grew close to the time to get ready for Gilbert’s dad’s birthday dinner, the lockers had to be closed and the protective covers Velcro’d in place. However, the one with the armoire was not seated on a level part of the driveway and the doors would not shut. Winnie’s brother Herrmann climbed on top and tried to use his weight to get the doors aligned, but the latch still had to be hammered for the clasp to close and the lock put on. After dinner, another late night was spent with the few remaining boxes. The last items would be haphazardly tossed in bags and stuffed in the rear of the truck. A few more boxes were put in the container with the desk. Although there might have been room in the other one, the risk of not being able to close it were too great to try. Sunday morning was still damp, but some more stuff was put in before church. A cover was put over the futon, but it was too unwieldy for Gilbert and Winnie to load alone. Winnie managed to have enough energy for church despite only two hours’ sleep (Gilbert had at least five). There was a recognition and farewell during the service and a time to bid farewells afterwards. Josiah sought out his good friend the big truck to ride one last time. After church, more help arrived to load the futon and clear out the kitchen. Gilbert’s parents then arrived with video camera to document the last hours of loading. The storage containers had been taken away earlier that morning and the forklift had forced the plywood deep into the ground because of the rain and the greater weight of the boxes. The hoped-for departure time of 3:30 passed without being ready. About an hour later, with Gilbert’s family left behind to throw out the last trash, the good truck Ryder weighed anchor and headed north. The Drive- Day 1
The cab was loaded with snacks, water, and some reading material, including a new truck book for Josiah from his uncle Stuart. However, the jump seat faced sideways and there wasn’t any small quarter windows like pickup trucks often have, so Josiah’s view was a crack forward around the front passenger seat and a slice diagonally between the front seats. He did get to play with some new small toys given by friends from church. Later, he was also given a little Maisto U-Haul truck Daddy had brought for him.
| Gilbert was concerned because the “Check Engine” light had come on during the drive from the dealer Friday. It had not lit when shifting locations later, but it came on again shortly after getting on the freeway Sunday. The cloud cover had broken once past Vallejo, and the earlier rain meant that there was still a Giants baseball game on the radio. We had no reservations but only a Motel 6 directory from Gilbert’s sister Elaine (the AAA guidebook had been mistakenly packed in back somewhere). The original target was to get to Redding or Red Bluff, but having gotten a late start we were satisfied to get to the Shilo Inn in Corning. A bonus for Josiah was that there was a truck stop within walking distance, but unfortunately the Mrs. B’s restaurant was not as full of truckers and pictures of trucks as the one he had seen in Troutdale, OR. However, there were some big rigs cruising by that could be seen through the window. The Drive- Day 2
The next morning was Gilbert and Winnie’s first good night of sleep in almost a week, and the road was not hit until Josiah had time to watch Barney and Teletubbies, which he normally would never see. Winnie and Josiah were forced to wear the previous day's underwear because the bag in the cab didn't contain any. The weather again was good and Mt. Shasta was visible from a great distance.
| After Shasta was the first decision to make. Although the “Check Engine” light remained on, the motor sounded healthy and Gilbert decided to take the shorter US 97 route rather than I-5. The lower top speed would not be much of a concern given the truck’s limitations, but the risk would be that towns and roadside assistance would be further apart. So at Weed we turned away from the freeway (and foolishly filled the tank with higher-priced California gas just before crossing the Oregon border) onto the two-lane highway to Klamath Falls and Bend. We took the lightly-traveled highway under excellent driving conditions, occasionally seeing distant mountains and making slower time than with a car. At lunch, we were only at Klamath Falls due to our late start. We got some light rain between Bend and Redmond, and listening to weather reports we were glad we weren't on the wetter highway 5. After passing Madras, a second decision was whether to slant northwest on 197 to The Dalles where there were numerous places to stay, or forge ahead on 97 towards Biggs, and Gilbert decided to stay on 97. We went through smaller towns that weren't even listed on the map as night fell. Looking at the gas gauge and the clock, getting to Kennewick before midnight was a distinct possibility. However, the passengers were getting mutinous and Josiah was unable to sleep, asking us to turn on the dome light whenever there wasn't any oncoming traffic. So instead of counting hours to Kennewick, we counted the mileposts that told us how far to the Oregon-Washington border, where we would stop. Biggs was bustling with temporary visitors from I-84, and Josiah enjoyed sitting in the front seat with Mommy watching the night trucks rumble about as Gilbert stepped out into the gusting winds to check in at the Riviera Motel and run across the highway to pick up a Subway sandwich. After a fruitless search in the back of the truck for a bag containing any change of clothes, Josiah watched some television ("Murder, She Wrote") and everyone went to sleep. The Drive- Day 3
With such a short drive ahead, there was no rush to get started, and Josiah watched some cartoons, and a children's show with a dog and cat puppet fishing for a donut, and Winnie got an extra hour of sleep. Gilbert had discovered one of the toes on his right foot had gone numb from driving and had to join Winnie and Josiah in wearing day-old socks. He hoped to catch a triple-trailer truck on the highway for Josiah to see, but they weren't out in any numbers. There was one at a rest stop but Josiah was asleep and it was too late to pull off to see it.
| We crossed the Columbia into Washington and made it to the apartment before noon. One advantage of a daytime arrival was being able to grab a close parking space.The afternoon was a time for resting and setting up some of the easy furniture before some of Gilbert's co-workers came by in the evening to move in furniture. It took almost two full days of driving and several weeks of packing and unpacking, but the Chan family is now in Kennewick and learning where the interesting places are. Josiah likes being able to go to Target in the stroller and look for trucks. However, he has not asked to get a replacement for the U-Haul, whose trailer with "California" on it was lost on the journey. |