So, my friends, today was the day. Hubs hit the wall yesterday and rested a lot. Today was my day. I slept warm for the second night in a row. And it was glorious!

The grandkids are very understanding and even brought some kiwi to help me feel better.

This crash was not only physical but also mental and emotional. The trip was exciting and tiring all at the same time. More than that, though, was some relief from the last couple of years of roller coaster emotions as we navigated isolation, work tension. and world chaos.

Changes are great if you get to choose. If you don’t, they can be a challenge to say the least.

My heart aches as the world is forever changed because of COVID-19 and all the variants that further kept us isolated from one another and claimed colleagues, friends and family.

And having this underlying grief for so long was alleviated immensely by the relief of hugging my son, daughter-in-law and grandkids and brought me close to tears. Granddaughter, who does not care much for kisses, even let me give her more than one!

“The road to a friend’s [the grandkids] house is never long.” A Danish proverb, paraphrased for my purposes. Indeed at the end of the journey, when the hugs and kisses and more hugs are shared, it’s worth every mile!

Hubs has been doing ALL the driving, by the way, so it’s pretty easy for me to make statements like that. Keeping Gracie on the road in the wind was work for the Hubba Bubba’s strong arms. We stopped most days around 6 or so (local time) and left in the mornings around 10. or so. Then yesterday, we were SOOO close. And Hubs decided to slog on.

We arrived after dark and were grateful for the escort from the little town near the mountain cabin. Our son and grandkids met us and guided is into the mountains. Yes, mountains. With tall trees and beautiful skies. Hubs backed Gracie into a perfect spot by the outbuilding at the end of the driveway. We unloaded some stuff and got the tour. Then dropped into a soft warm mattress.

What made me think that I could write while traveling 2,123 miles with three dogs, towing a 25′ travel trailer that had to be set up each evening and packed up every morning? For the first time in my adult life. Learning curve.

Have I told you yet how cold it can be at night in April–across any state along this route? Learning curve.

Does it matter how much planning you do, how many checklists you make, how many thing you actually cross off the list? There are still things you forget. Like a really great warm wool blanket for the cold nights in April. Like the blueberries for breakfast. Like Suzy’s thermal sleeping blanket. Learning curve.

And as much as you think you can pack a trailer so nothing falls out of cupboards, nothing can prepare you for opening the three-shelf pantry to find the shelf clips broken and the top two shelves collapsed into the shelves below. Learning curve.

Now lest you think this is complaining, it is not. Every single one of these learning curves is valuable not just for traveling, but also for life. The lesson? Roll with it, embrace the unknown unknowns, and improvise with creative gusto.

It takes longer than you think to do stuff. I’m not sure if we really had a be-on-the-road time when we left on Saturday. Maybe it was 10 or 10:30am. Since Hubs worked all week, it was a slow start to Saturday. I was off work Thursday and Friday. I worked pretty hard on Thursday, checking lists, carrying stuff to stock Gracie with those things I figured would enhance this new adventure. Friday I went to Tulsa for a couple of last minute errands. It takes longer than you think to do stuff. Friday night pizza and a movie required Hideaway Pizza. And I picked up a couple for the road. I was also requested to stop by my friend Maxine’s to pick up a couple of gifts, both of which I I discovered were necessary for the trip. Indeed they were! Remembering when the IT Tech at work and I would make s’mores in the little toaster oven, she spotted an electric s’mores maker and realized it was a must. The grandkids and I will enjoy this immensely! Her daughter gave me a long-sleeved t-shirt (which I realized wasn’t on the list of things to pack). Isn’t is perfect?!

Hello. We are the new owners of this magnificent r-pod R-202. When we were shopping for an RV, we stepped into many models and none suited us. When we stepped into this one, we felt the warmth and care that were left here for us. Thank you for taking such great care of it and for leaving some things here for us to enjoy. Please know that we LOVE this RV and have named her Gracie, for she came to us through grace. Her first trip will be cross-country. She is ready. Blessings to you.