On the way from Gallup, NM to the Grand Canyon, we took a brief side trip to Horseshoe Bend. About 5 miles below Lake Powell, the Colorado River curves around the rocks and forms a horseshoe. We got out of our RV for the 3/4 mile walk and noticed it was about 110 degrees. We left the dogs in the air conditioned RV and all hiked out to the overlook. The view was stunning, and we could see kayakers on the river. Well worth the hike, even in the heat. Gypsy and Bella thanked us for leaving them in the cool RV. Off to the Grand Canyon!
Got a little behind with my blogging, but wanted to share our alien experience in Roswell, NM. Great RV park next to an Alfalfa field, which made me think of the Little Rascals. We ventured over to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. Very cool museum and picked up lots of alien swag. Off to Gallup, NM
One of the most delightful parts of RV life is hooking up the sewer hoses and dumping the gray water (shower/sinks) and the black water (aka poop). All three boys are taking turns helping with this fun task. Most important things to remember are to make sure the hose is connected securely and black water first, gray water second. Or is it gray first, black second…until next blog, Yours Truly, Cousin Eddie
Yesterday was a long day of driving in the intense heat. The temperature was 102 at one point in West Texas. Around 3PM, we got gas at a Loves truck stop in Pecos, Texas. It was so hot that we had to carry the dogs to the dirt section because the pavement was so hot. Pecos was like an oven—a hot, dusty, ugly oven. And to make matters worse, our generator stopped working the last 150 miles of our trip. (Yep, it was quite warm in the RV.) But after reading a couple of websites and later talking some guy from Houston at our RV park in Roswell, NM, it seems that it’s common for generators to automatically turn off when it’s extremely hot. But the boys were great, as we all took turns sitting in the passengers seat to enjoy AC from the front of the RV. Hopefully, today we will not sweat too much because we have a shorter trip.
This morning was cooler, thankfully. Our RV is backed up to a beautiful alfalfa field. We woke up to birds chirping and the sound of roosters crowing. Now we are about pack up and head in to town to grab breakfast and visit the International UFO Museum and Research Center!
It’s 11:55 AM. I’m sitting here somewhere in the middle of Texas. We left San Antonio this morning around 9:00 AM. With an RV filled with 5 people and two dogs, we travel about 45 miles an hour including all the stops. We try to stop every couple of hours to walk the dogs and get gas. We get about 9 mpg. This morning we are trying to hold off running the generator (the generator runs the AC in the RV). When we run the generator, we go through gas much more quickly. But when it’s 95 degrees, we don’t care.
The boys have been great. Oh, we’ve yelled and argued for sure. But we all make up quickly and don’t let it ruin our day. This morning, I swore to the boys that I was going to take away their phones for three days!!! But then they said, “Well, you’re on your phone.” Well played, boys. Well played.
At the moment, everyone is very happy playing on our phones and laptops. Some playing Clash Royale and some blogging away. This is a long trip, so for now, I’m picking my battles.
My husband Kerry is a rock star. He’s a natural driver. He has driven the past 3 days. I asked this morning if I could help drive today, so he wouldn’t get too tired. He said, “No.” I love him for that. But for the record, I can drive, but I respect my husband too much to argue with him. (And if anyone really knows me, you will hear the sarcasm in my voice.)
RVing with a spouse is a whole other dynamic and quite frankly, a minefield for arguing. You really have to trust each other…and forgive each other daily, if not hourly. Neither of us are experts at this. At times each day we become stressed and can lose our cool with each other. But the best thing about Kerry is that he is easy going and things quickly roll off his back (quicker if he has food or a cold beer). And typically, in a few minutes we will “hug it out” and move on to the next task.
Quick note…I just asked my oldest son Kirby to start up the generator so we can start the air conditioner. (It’s like a sauna right now.) He just got up and clicked all the switches and voila, we have AC. It’s cool to see how quickly kids can adapt to a new situation. Three days ago, we were terrified of the generator.
We are starting day four of our trip. Every day we learn more and adapt to living and traveling in a motorhome. Everyone we meet at the RV parks are extremely welcoming and helpful. If you ever get fed up with America and think our country is on the verge of collapsing, just go to an nice RV park. You will realize that there are amazing people ready to help their neighbor and just beautiful places in the country to explore. Next stop, Roswell, New Mexico, 366 miles to go.
We left Louisiana pretty early in the morning, wanting to avoid the heat, but sadly, that didn’t really do much. The rv was like an oven the entire drive from Louisiana to Texas. The trip itself wasn’t too thrilling. I watched some tv and listened to some music, and that’s about it, But when we got to our destination, we had quiet an eventful evening.
We were planning to meet up with one of my mom’s teacher friends, named Ms. V. With Ms. V in tow, we saw the Alamo and went to eat dinner at the River Walk . The River walk was extremely beautiful, and they had some really good food there.
After we all ate, we said goodbyes to Ms. V and went back to our RV to sleep.
I’ve always wanted to go across the country in an RV. Who knew it would take a pandemic to encourage me (and my family) to actually book the RV and then book the RV sites. So many people have commented, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to do that!” Well, I guess we were crazy enough to actually do it.
We started planning this trip back in December, 2020, at the height of the pandemic. I asked my son Casey what would be his dream vacation for 2021 and he said, “let’s rent an RV.” So, we did. If anything, COVID-19 has made the world focus on what is really important and enjoy every minute of every day.
Seriously, there is so much information out there for beginner RVers, that with YouTube and Amazon, there is no excuse not to take that RV trip that you’ve always wanted to take.
