Traveling south through Nevada and then into Arizona I am once again in awe by the change in landscape. From the wide-open desert of southern Nevada to the saguaro filled open expanse of Northern Arizona we travel along in good weather and even better spirits. The last few months have been a daily push to get everything in order to leave for this journey. While my time was spent more on deciding what stayed and what went, as we packed up our home of the last twenty years, Bob’s time covered not only the task of physically doing the pack out, but also the intense amount of work to get our new “home” ready.
Cresting a hill in Southern NV we saw smoke off in the distance. As we got closer we realized that it wasn't smoke but the "Thunderbirds" practicing outside Nellis Air Force Base. We pulled over and had a private air show.
The last three years we traveled in a very comfortable set-up of a 2012 Heartland Greystone/32ft 5th wheel, and a Mega Cab Dodge that pulled it easily up and over any mountain range in our path. Most of our trips where three months at a time, the longest was almost four, and the farthest we went was from our home in Nevada to Georgia and back last fall. It always felt comfy and we never had any real major issues or problems. I liked the fact that when we unhooked we still had a vehicle to go and see the area. When the decision was made to find a caretaker for our house and become “full-timers”, it was time to listen to Bob’s concerns and get a different set-up. Water storage, tank size, comfort level and ease of set-up was all on his mind and as the passenger along for this wonderful ride, the decision was majorly his. We started looking for a motorhome and stopped at every RV dealer we saw when we did the cross-country trip. After looking at what felt like 100’s, we found the exact one we wanted, and even better, it was in our price range. Then the task of finding the right vehicle to tow behind it was begun, and that too all came together. Today we are driving a 2006 40’ Monaco, with a 2005 Jeep Wrangler. With only 30,000 miles on the home, and 50,000 on the jeep, they were a good choice for us.
Now it’s time to start the journey.