A Few Days Later...

 So it's now the 10th of September, and we're in Livingston, TX.  The weather is better--only high 90's instead of the avg 105 we were having last week. 

The cats have surprised me.  After a rough first day, they've just really buckled down and delt with it.  The first day was my fault--I gave them breakfast!  And also a stupid vet-recommended Dramamine tablet, split between the two of them.  They hollered and both barfed (yes, on our bed, too).  Gypsy has not suffered a sick stomach, but she does get anxious, and was sick of being stuck inside because of the heat. 

(Here's hoping Congress AZ really does have cooler temps in October, or we're going to roast.)

But back to the cats: I was so sure they'd freak out, be miserable, even to the point of wanting to run away.  They are fine!  For the days of travel, I gave them both their meals when we "landed" and nothing in the morning.  They find a place to hunker down and endure the noise and commotion, but when we stop and get to hooking up Riggs, they climb out and ask for food.  They even sometimes come out DURING the trip.  Blows my mind.  And I'm so glad I didn't rehome them to avoid a miserable life of travel. 

That said, we took Gypsy to the dog park this morning.  It was cool and shady (oh my, it's gorgeous here!) and when she got off leash, she ran manic zoomy circles around the whole thing.  There was a lot of pent up dog-nerves in that girl.  She's slept like a dead thing today, so it must have been good for her!  I think the majority of that is being penned inside the rig, because she is NOT a hot-weather gal. 

We're supposed to be here two weeks.  But we only paid for the first week, because they don't do refunds, and Gabe (Phil's Dad) is in the hospital with pneumonia.  Never know if we might have to break camp and hit the road early.  We're anxious to get back to AZ, at any rate, so we can help with his folks.  Still coming this week: get our mailing stuff in order, go get vehicles registered and inspected, and voter registration, etc.  All that makes us official Texas Residents again. 

Once we do get back, we'll start scouting for the fifth wheel trailer we want, and the truck to pull it.  Yes, it's early to make a change like this, since we've only had Riggs a year, but we've lived in it long enough to know the space needs to be different for full time than it does for camping. 

We have also decided that while we do enjoy the scenery of small town roads and tiny highways through the countryside, nothing beats an interstate for getting you where you're going.  (I won't bore you with the few "detours" we ended up taking thanks to small town road signage and the white knuckle driving Phil had to endure pulling this giant bus down roads with no shoulder!)  So we'll be following I-10 back to AZ.  The stops: Lulling, Sonora, Ft Stockton, El Paso (all in TX), Lordsburg NM, and Florence AZ.  We'll land at Congress and stay there the month of October. 

First day on the road. This IS really happening.

 Let me begin with an apology to Riggs, our 37 ft, 2016 Fleetwood Bounder.  Riggs, I had assumed, based on one ride, unloaded, and on really bad roads, that traveling in You would be miserable.  I was steeling myself, preparing to endure a horrible, noisy, teeth-jarring ride. 

But.  Apparently having all our stuff loaded, along with two adults, a large dog, two cats, and a 1/3 tank of fresh water on board makes a big difference in the noise level.  I am sorry I doubted you, Riggs.

We're on the first leg of our trip to Livingston, TX, to establish all the legal domicile administrivia.  Lakeside AZ to Socorro NM, and it took much longer than RV Trip Wizard said it would.  Lesson learned.  I'm glad I sort of "coasted" our itinerary, making sure we had some easier days until we learned the routine.  He's tired, and I do NOT blame him.  Concentration, learning, and getting to know a new vehicle...one that's loaded with everything you own.  No pressure. 

We got to our first stop: Casey's Socorro RV Park.  It is clear to us now that these folks have a different definition of "big-rig friendly" and "pull-through sites".  Oh well.  It feels good to start out.  And so what if there is no staff here?  There is at least Wi-fi, so I can write about our first day.  We didn't have to unhook Jeep, so there's that.  It was 96 degrees when we pulled in, so we also decided from now on, the last thirty minutes of travel will see us turning on the generator and ACs so we land in relative comfort.  Poor Gypsy was a hot dog.

Tomorrow is Las Cruces, for two nights.  (Told you I was coasting the itinerary.)  It's only 146 miles, due south on I-25.  More on that later. 

Here's to travel, y'all.  There is sooooo much to see out there.
Cheers!

No more excuses.

 We're living on the road now, so this part of the story has begun finally.  Beginning July 26th, which was the day before we closed on the Fire House Lane house.  Brought Riggs over here to Ponderosa RV Park, in Lakeside, AZ.  It's a good place to start out--loads of seasonal residents, a few permanent, and a sprinkling of in/out campers.  We've made a few friends and met lots of folk.  I even danced at a party (mostly because it was all ladies on the dance floor.)

After some searching around, only to discover we won't find anything ELSE up here on the mountain, we've secured a reservation for three months next summer here--it's a good park, we like the people, and I don't have to drive one way for an hour to get groceries, like we would in Heber.  Well, we'll do September in Clay Springs, but then back closer to the valley as things cool off. 

Speaking of cooling off: our plan is to do a month here and there--Congress, Wickenburg, then Goodyear, Maricopa, back up to Wickenburg, then Payson, and back to Lakeside.  This September, however, we'll toddle along to Livingston, TX, where we will tend to all the Domicile Legalities.  Voter and vehicle registration, securing an "official" address, maybe updating wills and poa's.  We'll spend two weeks there (and in September...I'm glad they have a pool) before heading back to AZ, where we'll land in Congress. 

We have (yes, I know) decided that we want a fifth wheel RV.  Riggs is a fine machine, and a cozy place when it's raining out, and his AC has been nice this summer.  But the space usage is a problem, and that's not really something you can find out before you live in it.  I've heard "rent first!"  But full timing is a leetle different than just camping.  I mean, when you camp for a weekend--or even a week--you don't bring literally everything you own.  It seemed fine at first.  We have a place for everything and everything IN its place.  But when you have to move three other things to get to the thing in its place, (rinse, repeat) it gets clear really quick that space allocation in a fifth wheel is different and more suited to what we need.

Also, I think Phil wants a truck.  He sold his last spring, and even though Jeep is fun, I think he is sad without a truck. 

The weather here in the mountains has been hot, but cools off every afternoon because the monsoon rains were late this year--usually not still raining this late in the year.  So we've been lucky. 

We're ready to hit the road, though, because as great as this little town is, we've lived here since 2020 and are ready to see something else!  The drive to TX will help us appreciate the boredom of staying in one place, though, so by the time we get back to AZ, a month at a time in any one place will be perfect. 

So: no more excuses.  I can post our travels and adventures now, because we're...well, having travels and adventures.  September 1st, Gypsy and the Hermits will head west.  Ciao y'all.