Adventure 753: Home Sweet Home

Thanks to traveling mercies we made it home safely. Our adventure this winter started with 47 days in Tucson, AZ; 4 days in Bisbee, AZ; 10 days in Gila, NM; 1 day in Balmorhea, TX; 2 days in Luckenbach, TX; 1 day in Lufkin, TX; 1 day in Jackson, MS; 2 days in Montgomery, AL; 1 day in Cumming, GA; 1 day in Paducah, KY; 1 day in Rogersville, MO; 2 days in Hutchinson, KS; 6 days in Manhattan, KS; 1 day in North Platte, NE; 1 day in Rawlins, WY; 1 day in Brigham city, UT; 1 day in Filer, ID; 1 day in Ontario, OR.  84 days on the road. 7,754 miles added to the truck (Not all truck miles were pulling the trailer). We're happy we did it, and we talked of many highlights while driving our last leg today. Really, it's too many to count. We started RVing in 2014. We planned to be gone six months that first year. It was cut to five months because of the deaths of my sister, Sandra, and my cousin's wife, Nora. We changed our paradigm after the first year because we wanted (and our kids wanted) to be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. So in 2015 we started taking the truck and trailer South in the fall for storage until January when we would fly down and begin our winter adventure from the storage point. There were three: San Jose, CA; Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lake Havasu thanks to the largess of our buddies, Mike and Cathy Ellsworth. We didn't travel during the shutdown year of Covid, and we cut our trip short the year the covid panic hit in March of 2019. In addition, we enjoyed a few short summer trips as well. We've loved RVing. We didn't invent it, but we're grateful it's so easy, and our country is truly magnificent. But if any of you know anyone who wants a package deal, let me know. We're ending our run as RVers. I'm readying Frac for sale, and may even try to sell Fric and Frac and a turn key package deal. Who knows? What I do know is that next year we've rented a house in Tucson for the winter. Our thinking is that we'll make this transition while we're still young and fit enough to enjoy the process. Realistically, it won't be long before we'll be less interested in traveling during the winter. In the meantime, we're heading for the sun in early January. How can we beat a life this good, especially today.

Fric is back in his spot in front of the garage. I didn't get to Fric as far as cleaning goes today. But I'm retired. I'll get to it tomorrow.

I completely emptied Frac of our stuff. I think I made twenty trips back and forth. Tomorrow, I'll winterize and start the deep cleaning necessary to get the trailer ready for sale. It's simply the cycle of life. We're so grateful we're in a position to live life as we will. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Adventure 752: Sunnybrook Farm/Riverpoint RV Park Ontario, OR

We got to Filer in time for church, and then enjoyed a pleasant day with our friends the Hooley's, which involved Sunday dinner, afternoon popcorn, oodles of conversation, an introduction to Andy Hooley's daughter Ellie, and a pleasant rest among the squawking peacocks. We always love our visits to the farm. It was too late to write the blog entry last night, so I'm catching up as we sit here in Ontario. We've decided to layover here because a windstorm is forecast on our route. Winds of 55-60 are expected until midnight tonight. We're choosing to be safe rather than sorry. We'll still get home tomorrow as planned. Right now it's overcast and the wind is starting to build. I'll spend the afternoon finishing the book Jeremy Ulmen loaned me about the Drive By Truckers. Maybe the cribbage gods will smile on me so I can whip the Wiley Cager into a submissive moan, or perhaps a banshee wail, or maybe even a plea for mercy. But no quarter will be given at this stage. Naturally, it could turn out much differently. I could be the one moaning, groaning, and praying for mercy. We'll see. This adventure has been one with few regrets. With the exception of unseasonably cool weather in the South and Midwest, we've been fortunate to duck in between heavy rain, heavy wind, tornadoes, and icy roads. We've been blessed with traveling mercies so far. We've covered over 7,000 miles, crossed sixteen state lines, and visited innumerable gas stations. Just now we paid our highest price to date: $4.59. But as I always say, "It's just the cost of doing business." Hopefully, the wind will all down and provide a nice traveling day tomorrow. As always, we're thankful that life is good, especially today.

Loey, seen here disciplining Lottie for snapping at Judy.

A trip to the green house for fresh lettuce, broccoli, radishes, and chives.

The Hooley's turn over a herd of milking cows every two years.

They become part of the family. One of my favorite things about visiting is the smells around the farm.

A couple of new implements have arrived on the farm.

These are truly happy cows.

We kept Ellie's precocious face off the internet, but here's a picture of her  radish patch.

Andy's seed business is expanding as witnessed by the new rail car hopper (left), and the new storage tanks (foreground)

Sarah Hooley has a milk cow, and now a little calf. Sarah makes cheese, yogurt, and of course she accepts fresh milk.

Loey gets  head start on the new growing season in her greenhouse.

Fric and Frac hunkered down in Ontario.

 

Adventure 751: Golden Spike RV Park/Brigham City, Utah

Blessed relief met us with very little wind today, which made the drive easy. We did have a little road construction, which means one lane for sixteen miles or so. We had three doses of that, but otherwise our trip was uneventful. Normally on this leg we camp at Crystal Hot Springs, but they've permanently closed their campground in favor of adding more pools. It's already a busy place and new pools will make it even busier. We decided to drive there before checking into the Golden Spike. We spent about two hours lounging in the soothing hot mineral water, amusing ourselves with a little people watching, and otherwise unwinding from the road. We're now settled in to watch the semi-finals of the NCAA  basketball tournament. We enjoyed the women's games last night, and we're looking forward to tonight's action. I would like someone to send my mind back to me if they find it because even though I've driven this route five times now, I really didn't remember the stretch between Evanston, WY and Ogden, UT. I'm not sure where my mind was on previous trips, but the route felt brand new today. No matter. The real point is that I'm once again thankful for traveling mercies, and grateful that life is good, especially today.

You know you've left the plains when you see the white tips of the Western mountains.

Even the colors change.

Fric and Frac snuggled nicely into a spot at the Western Hills RV Park in Rawlins, WY.

We left with the rising sun in hopes of beating the wind. It worked.

My mind goes blank about here.

 Still blank. I wonder if that's what they call auto-pilot?

Adventure 750: Western Hills RV Campground

We left North Platte around 8:30 after a restful night. The Cager, who won last month's cribbage challenge, started this month off with another win. Not only that, when we got to Rawlins, we played game two, which she won that on the last hand with exclaming, "Oh, Crap!". It hurts enough to lose these very serious games, but it's like a thwack in the ear to have an opponent who doesn't even realize she's won. She may sleep in the truck tonight. Our drive today was harder than usual due to the forty plus winds that buffeted us all day. The big dogs (Semis) added to the challenge. As they whisk by, they create a vacuum effect that tries to pull Fric and Frac toward them. Fortunately, the Airstream's aerodynamics help quite a bit. Other than a bit of pull and tug, the trailer tracks exceptionally well. Nonetheless, I'm a bit tired. We're snuggled in here at Western Hills RV Campground, which sits atop a hill on the West side of Rawlings. Right now, the wind is still howling, rocking the trailer like a not so patient mother frustrated with fussy baby. The wind is supposed to calm down during the night. We'll see. Basically, we're once again grateful for traveling mercies, and ever so thankful that our life is good, especially today.

We took our lunch break at the 8,6544 foot rest stop just before Laramie, Wy. Temperature 36 degrees. Wind 25+. Bunny shivering while I took her photo.

If we'd had come through here two days earlier, we'd be driving through the snow.

Got my old man shades working.

The still shot doesn't show it, but this cloud shadow was on the move!

  I think this is where the Republicans plan to bury Liz Cheney.