We made it to California

I can't believe we've actually been here a week. WoooHooo. After a few days of rain, today is sunny and warm...well warm for King and I anyway.

We left Friday, December 16 in the frigid cold, trying to keep ahead of a predicted snow storm. Not wanting to stick close to the lake (Lake Michigan for the uninformed) and to avoid lake effect snow, we opted to head to Indianapolis and hang a right. Googlemaps kept telling us there was a faster, shorter route and we kept telling her we were very happy with the route we were on, thank you very much. This became a recurring theme throughout the trip here.

We ended up camping the first night in a small state park geared for equestrians near Pickneyville, Ill. Having camped many, many, many years with horses I pretty much knew what type of campground to expect, and I was not disappointed.  It was easily the

View from our campsite near Pickneyville, Ill.

campground furthest off the beaten path. Turns out Googlemaps took us in the back way of the campground and we had to hunt for the campground office on the way out Saturday morning to pay the $8 fee. We had the entire park to ourselves and saw lots of deer. Our camping spot was next to a small pond. Very peaceful and quiet.

The ride to the campground was interesting. We passed through lots of little towns each with their own high school and Quick Stop. Americana at its best. Lovely.

Saturday morning we discovered someone had forgotten to pack King's shaving kit with all his medication in it so we spent a lot of time on the phone with our insurance company trying to get them to pay for the hundreds of dollars worth of medication he takes. They were most unhelpful. Thanks BCBS. We love you too. Not. I guess that's why we pay the big bucks in premiums so you can not help us when we need it. The pharmacist at Walgreens, however, was most helpful and we were able to get a half order of his prescriptions. When these run out we are hopeful our insurance will pick up where we left off when we left home. We had been assured before we left they would. Not holding our collective breath on that one.

We hit warm weather Saturday as we were traveling west on US 40. But the weatherman was, once again, predicting inclement weather and we decided to stick to the main roads as much as possible, as we were worried that freezing rain on backroads to state parks might be treacherous on Sunday morning. We ended up sleeping in a truck stop outside Fort Smith, Arkansas. Not so peaceful and quiet but we were exhausted and fell asleep with no problems.

The young couple from North Carolina
who camped next to us decorated their
trailer with Christmas lights. They were
fairly upbeat despite the fact the water
pipes in their trailer burst because of
the bitter cold.

We were on the road early Sunday morning and by the time the sun came up, the temperature rose to a whopping 19 degrees. It was a day of driving, punctuated by various stops looking for wifi as my "smart phone" isn't always so smart. We ended up stopping for the night in a small city park in Elk City, Oklahoma. There were five free campsites located next to a small lake. Lots of ducks and geese on the water. The water in the camper froze but fortunately the pipes did not burst.
The young couple from North Carolina in the trailer next to us (we were the only two campers in the park) were not so lucky as their pipes burst. They were on the end of a five month trip and were heading for relatives in eastern Oklahoma -- planning to spend the Christmas holiday with them. They seemed pretty un-phased by their luck. They simply went out to eat and were back later in the evening. They even took the time to outline their trailer with Christmas lights.

At this point we realized if we drove like crazy people and took no scenic detours we could arrive in San Diego earlier than anticipated. It sounded like a good plan. And when we got up Monday morning to temperatures of nine degrees, we decided to head south and then hang another right to head west -- so we took US 70/380 south to Ruidoso, NM. Once again we stopped at a variety of places to find decent wifi connections ... McDonald's being the stop of choice. We decided that rather than looking for out of the way places to camp we would look for places not so far off the beaten path. I read about a small county roadside park where camping was allowed right next to the highway. We arrived sometime in the late afternoon and pulled into what amounted to a driveway with a picnic shelter. When a dog from the neighboring junk yard came out and barked at us -- while we were still sitting in the running truck deciding if this place was safe -- we decided to move on. Several miles down the road we pulled into a casino parking lot outside Ruidoso, New Mexico and King asked if they allowed overnight camping. They did, so we stayed put for the evening. We were on the road again by 5 a.m., but not before King stopped into the casino to lose $10 on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine.

There is a whole lot of nothing between Ruidoso, NM and Tucson, Arizona. But sticking with US 70 and US 10 we made it to Tucson in fairly good time. We found a campsite at a county park just outside Saguaro National Park. We had great desert views and the weather was warm (for us

The view from our campsite near Tucson.

anyway). Wednesday morning we left before the sun came up. Googlemaps wanted us to take the back roads out of the park. We declined. We came to a fork in the road that directed us to US 10 -- either straight or to the left. We choose left. We should have chosen straight. As we were cruising through the mountains in the dark King pointed out to a trail of headlights on a switchback in the distance. "Wow, take a look at that."

Ummmm, "That's the road we are on honey." I have to confess, it was pretty scary. Six days of pulling the trailer does not an expert make. We made it through and are still married. I am quite amazed to be honest. I should also mention here that King does ALL of the driving. Sitting in the passenger seat navigating is not something he likes to do. I do have a few more years on him in the parking department -- I spent 10 years pulling a horse trailer around the state. (However, a gooseneck horse trailer does park differently than a bumper pull trailer, but I get the concept more readily). At any rate, parking is my domain. Driving is his.

Sometime Wednesday afternoon we arrived in/near San Diego.

Last spring when I was visiting our daughter she and I scouted a few camping spots in the San Diego area. The campground we chose was picked for its convenience to her home. The fact that it is perched on the side of a mountain with great views didn't hurt. It will be the most expensive place we

The view from the back of our trailer.

stay while on our adventure. And I must confess the park rules and regulations are a pain in the backside. We wanted to stay 21 days. The plan is to babysit while our daughter and son-in-law are ringing in the New Year at a winery north of here (a two night adventure for them) and then babysit again while they are on a getaway vacation to Hawaii. At this particular park (Lake Jennings Recreation Area) short-term camping is 14 days. You can stay 14 days and then must leave for 14 days before you can return. Long-term stays are 30 days or longer. No in between. None. Nada. Nothing. No exceptions. No nothing. So phooey on them. We found a county park WITH electricity for the same price. Their loss. No good reviews from us. We paid them through January 4th and is all the longer we will stay. Had we known their inflexibility ahead of time we would not have stayed one day, despite the lovely views and clean restrooms. We will not be back. Ever.

Other than that one aggravating hiccup it has been a great visit. Christmas with the grandsons and two sets of grandparents has been a lot of fun. King and our daughter are rebuilding her fence in their backyard. They share the fence with the neighbor. The fence was leaning precariously and was pretty rotted. King has a project and the neighbors and our daughter are delighted. A win-win for everyone.

In a few days we will visit the San Diego Zoo and stay late enough to see the Christmas lights. The boys are coming to our campsite some evening to roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Once everyone returns from various vacations, King and I will hit the road again and be off for more adventures.

Happy New Year everyone.

Just do it

It was six months ago today King and I brought home our travel trailer -- complete with soft spots in the floor, sketchy wiring, cardboard covering a hole in the back wall and questionable tires. It was a rather tense trip home, but we made it unscathed.

After watching countless YouTube trailer rehabilitation videos followed by a lot of sawing, nailing, caulking, cleaning, arguing and trips to the trailer parts store, we are eight days away from taking off on our new adventure. Probably one of the happiest days in this rehab escapade was the day we got new tires and the tire dealer confirmed my assertions the axles and bearings were sound. (Up until that point my bravado regarding their soundness was much more of an act rather than true belief).

King and I have pared down our belongings. Some have been boxed up for safekeeping and the rest have been distributed to our children -- or given away. Change is scary. Saying goodbye to my younger sister was difficult. Hugging the children and grandchildren goodbye left a lump in my throat. We will be back, but  our lives will have changed. We won't be the traditional Grandma and Grandpa in a little house next to the river. Those realizations are a little sobering.

But if we don't do this we will have regrets.

Last spring, when my sister was sick with cancer she said several times, "I should have retired last year."  She was under the notion she had to have a  certain amount of money before she could retire. She scrimped and saved and decided one more year of work would help make her life more comfortable. She never lived to see her retirement.

King and I have nowhere near any type of magical sum that will make life easier. We have barely enough to be comfortable. But that is the way we have always lived and when one lives that way one learns "things" do not make happiness. Being together. Having (cheap) fun. Adventure. Doing what one can with what one has. Going out for dinner often means fast food or a greasy diner. King is just as content with boiled hot dogs at home. I am the one who wants a break from the kitchen.

One of my last days of working my retail job, a customer from out of town asked me about winters along the lakeshore. I was asked that often. I told her about winters past when the daily commute to St. Joe or Holland was treacherous. I explained about the work we did as caretakers and the amount of work entailed in cutting wood and feeding critters while battling snow. I told her some winters are snowy, some are not, but this year I would not be around to see what it would be like and talked a bit about heading out for parts unknown.

"Oh, I've always wanted to try something like that, but never had enough money," she said.

"You don't need money. You just do it," was my reply. Obviously she thought King and I have a lot of money. I wish.

I read a travel blog written by a retired executive from somewhere who advised that one needed an annual income of $60,000 in order to travel by RV comfortably. I suppose some might need that amount when luxury sites cost $50 or more per night. We plan to "dry camp" or "boondock." National parks have senior citizen passes at a lifetime cost of $10. Without electric hookups and water camping is free or cheap.

After years of tenting, our 40 year old travel trailer feels like the Taj Mahal -- minus the mausoleum. There are many RV parks that won't allow us to camp with our little travel trailer because it is "too old." Blatant age discrimination. Their loss.

In eight short days we will be heading out west. In eight short days we will be starting a new chapter in our lives. In 10 short days we may find ourselves stranded in Kansas. That's okay. It is an adventure. We've planned as much as we can plan. The rest will be by trial, error and sheer dumb luck.

Anyone can do this. Just. Do It.