Maiden Voyage Part 1

I am writing this blog from the passenger seat of our Expedition.  I can do this because modern day technology is amazing.  Scout is driving.  We are in the middle of Arkansas (which is an absolutely beautiful state - I feel like my horizons are broader already...) on our way to Pennsylvania.  The plan is to spend the month of November visiting Scout's family in PA, and then we will head south to visit mine before heading back to California. 

We have been driving for 4 days now.  We got started late in the day on Monday because we had to head up to Los Angeles to pick up the Airstream and get the grand tour.  I took notes while Scout actively listened, and of course she remembers more of what the man said than I do…you would think that after graduate school, I would realize that my note taking doesn’t really help me learn…but whatever.  At least the notes are there in case Scout hits her head and forgets everything (she already knocked it pretty good once on the doorway to the Airstream, so it is a possibility).

There was so much to learn before we set off, but the folks at Southwest Coaches were really patient and thorough.  We had a terrific experience buying the Airstream from them…from helping us find the perfect trailer, to price, to service and finally to delivery…they were awesome.  (Thanks, Bo, Helen and Duane!)

Now, pulling out of the lot was stressful…it was the first time I had ever towed anything, much less a 25 foot travel trailer.  But it really wasn’t that bad after I got the hang of it.  I did pull the truck pretty close to a toll booth without realizing that the Airstream is wider than the Expedition and came dangerously close to bashing right into it, but I was able to correct it in time.  The only other issue we had was that we lost a window pane.  We feel terrible for the person/car or whatever that bore the brunt of that window falling out and smashing on the highway behind us.  We were blissfully unaware until we made our first stop and saw the remnants of the glass on the window hinges. Scout is incredibly resourceful though, and she immediately knew that we should head to Lowes and have a piece of plexiglass cut to size and tape it up until we can get to a service/dealer.  I’m thankful for the plexiglass because it was incredibly cold the first 2 nights that we stopped.

The first night, we made it to Kingman, Arizona.  We have been falling about 2 hours behind our daily goals, mainly because we have been driving between 55 and 65 MPH the whole trip, but also because we are taking our time, enjoying the sights, and making sure we have stopped for yummy dinners each night.  Oh, and we don’t seem to wake up much before 10 each morning…(to our credit, towing is tiring, and we are losing an hour the further we go east…it may have been 10:30 in Oklahoma when we woke up this morning, but that’s just 8:30 California time, and we are California girls afterall…)  Anyway, the first and second night we slept in Walmart parking lots.  Did you know that was allowed?  I didn’t until we started researching this whole plan.  Apparently, you can park overnight in almost every Walmart parking lot, especially Super Walmarts that are open 24 hours – those have security cameras and patrol that keep an eye out for the trailers parked there.  I felt pretty safe that first night and slept really well.  Scout and I were pretty giddy for a while, and kept talking about how excited we were, and how we couldn’t believe we had actually done it!  Adventure begun! 

The second night wasn’t so easy.  We pulled into another Walmart, but this time we had made it to Edgewood, New Mexico.  It was so windy, we actually thought there might be a tornado.  The whooshing sound around the trailer was terrifying to me, and we were swaying back and forth pretty badly.  Plus, it was absolutely freezing out and we hadn’t yet figured out how to turn on the heat.  You really need to be plugged into an electric source to properly run the heat in the trailer, and we were “boondocking,” which is parking without utilities, basically.  So, we were pretty bundled under 2 duvets, and thankful for Bella who maintains a nice 100+ temperature and who really likes to snuggle, and Bella and Scout fell nicely asleep.  I, on the other hand, stayed awake until nearly 4 am, jumping at every bang and whoosh that startled me.  I finally decided I could fall asleep when I saw that despite what sounded and felt like very ominous wind, the thin trees that lined the parking lot were still standing.  If those small trees could make it, we would make it, too.  And we did.

Day 3 was even colder throughout Texas and into Oklahoma.  I saw so many cattle farms, and despite how sad I felt for those cows, I got excited when we pulled into a very cool restaurant called The Big Texan, which has a 72 oz steak-eating contest.  Not only were the waiters/waitresses wearing cowboy boots and hats, but so were many of the patrons.  We were somewhere authentically Texan, and we ordered steaks like a good Texan should.  And it was delish.  (Sorry again, sweet cows.  I wish I didn’t like eating you so much, but I do, so I will just say I am thankful for you and the nutrition you provide.) 

Last night we slept in our first RV park – a KOA park in Elk City/Clinton, Oklahoma.  Scout jumped right to and plugged us into the electric station, cranked up the heat, and connected our water.  We showered for the first time in our trailer this morning, and although it’s a tight squeeze, the hot water lasted and it was nice to be clean again. 

Today we drove through Oklahoma, which was a really pretty state with good road conditions and friendly people.  Arkansas is much prettier than I ever imagined, with plenty of trees and lakes, and soon enough we will be in Tennessee, which is a state that I have always wanted to visit.  Someday, Scout and I are going to live in Nashville for a month, and I will practice a few country songs before we get there, and I will, I will, I will sing in a country bar…even if it’s just karaoke.  It’s on my bucket list, and I will do it.  I will. (You can hold me to it.)

Before I sign off, I want to get back to technology – before we left, we got a Verizon MIFI to take with us.  Our cell phones are mobile hot spots, but we have T-Mobile, which doesn’t have great coverage across the country, and seems to not be very reliable.  So far, I’m pretty impressed with the MIFI.  It seems to nearly always find a signal (mid-Nevada excepted), and the signal stays strong when we are stationary, and is even pretty stable while we are driving…like now.  It’s amazing.  This kind of lifestyle wouldn’t have been possible for us even 5 years ago….but I have managed to work a 30 hour week already from the road and parked in the trailer.  I think that is pretty amazing.  We also bought a power inverter that plugs into the 12V outlet, then it has this base that has a regular 110V plug, so I can charge my computer while in the car.  That is freaking awesome.  I had no idea this kind of technology existed, but I’m thankful.  It is what is going to keep us working and surviving while we are on this adventure.

It will take us another 2 to 3 days to get to Scout’s parent’s house.  Stay tuned for Maiden Voyage Part 2! 

P.S.  Everyone poops.  If you don’t want to read bathroom stories, stop reading now.  If so, I imagine there will be plenty of great bathroom stories from this trip – and plenty of good Walmart stories as well.  Here’s a gem:  Tuesday morning, we headed into the Kingman Walmart and I went to the bathroom.  I went into the middle stall.  To my left was a woman who was apparently having a pretty rough time because she kept saying, “Oh God…Dear God….Oh my God….” With each pause accentuated by loud toilet noises.  In come 2 other women with several small children.  The first woman says, “Shit, all the stalls are full.  Don’t you kids piss yerselves…stand here and hold it.  Don’t you piss on the floor. Shit, it stinks in here.  Damn, don’t they have spray in this Walmart.  It reeks!”  Meanwhile, the woman to my left is continuing her commune with God…I exit my stall, and head to the sink to wash my hands.  The third woman is counting a handful of cash, and says, “How much money did I say it cost?  $260?  That only leaves me with $40 for the rest of the month, and I ain’t even bought my smokes yet! Shit!”  Shit is right. Welcome to Walmart.