Carol's BIG Trip, week 1

An RV is more than a "thing." It's a magic carpet that takes us on grand, memorable adventures. RVs provide an ongoing source of wonder to those who own them. And unlike most of the miscellany in our lives, the passion an owner feels for an RV rarely dims. No other possession of mine continues to provide me with such great pleasure and satisfaction year after year.

            ---Chuck Woodbury, RV travel newsletter

Wheee! I’m on my way! And if all goes according to plan, my “magic carpet” will be my home on wheels while I travel the USA for the next six or seven months!  

After a week in Rio Rancho – and getting some service on Jeremiah Junior – I’m camped at Santa Rosa Lake State Park in New Mexico. The day is lovely and the birds are singing! I’m a happy and contented lady. After a busy time in my old stompin’ grounds, it is good to sit back and count my many blessings.

It was a sweet treat to spend time with friends and my daughter and granddaughter. Friend Jesse again let me park in his driveway and loaned his spare care so I could get around. What a blessing!

Santa Rosa Lake State Park

Those who read my blog last year will remember that I was the volunteer campground host here for two months.

When I arrived at the park, I noticed an RV and vehicle that looked familiar – and before I even parked in a site I stopped to see who it was. Imagine my surprise to find Carol and John (fellow campground volunteers from McDowell Mountain Park). I parked at a campsite across from them and we had a super time catching up on our lives. And they invited me to have supper with them! After a walk along the lake shoreline, it was picture taking time. They are on the way to a summer volunteer time at Smithville Lake in Missouri – which is now on my list of places to visit. 

PHOTOS, top to bottom: Me with Carol Pletz, Carol and John Pletz, and Jeremiah Junior at SRLSP.

It seems strange to not to be the campground host. That doesn’t keep me from walking around and meeting campers; they all have interesting stories.

Finally I get some nice warm temperatures – days in the mid 80s, nights in mid 40s. I’m definitely a hot-weather person. The drought continues and the lake level is too low to even launch boats. The “lake” is pretty much just a “river”.

Book I’m reading: Lee Child’s “A Wanted Man”. Before I left home earlier this month, I read Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America? By John Siegel-Bottener. A true story and grear read. The author, a junior high social studies teacher from California, and his wife take five 12-13 year-olds across America on bikes – with no sag wagon or other support vehicle!

Looking forward

Thanks to many of you who have sent suggestions for places to go and things to see, there are many adventures to experience. I keep refining my “rough and flexible” travel plans and will continue to do so throughout the entire trip. I did mark my plan on a map and here’s a photo of it. As I go along, I’ll mark another map to show my progress.

Remember, you can double-click on photos to enlarge them.

 

I’m still open to suggestions – the states I have on my list are: New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Northern Arizona, Northwest New Mexico (Navajo Lake State Park), Rio Rancho, NM, and then back home to Prescott Valley

That’s it for this time. Email me with suggestions, etc. My cell phone number is 928-830-6271.

Today I’ll drive to Bottomless Lakes State Park near Roswell, New Mexico. The hosts there are friends of mine so I’m in for some more sweet visiting time.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Oldness happens when a person loses sight of dreams, regardless of the number of years they have lived. – Ardath Rodale in Prevention Magazine