And the Adventure Begins...

Kickin' Kamper 14' Bamboo Ultralight

My blog page has been inactive for more than 2 years. Our upcoming road adventure seemed like a good opportunity to breathe new life into this space.  Gerard and I and our sidekick Sitka have decided to take to the open road... to become shunpikers (those who avoid the turnpike and tollroads) Of course, we know nothing about Rving but we decided to jump right in and buy a 14 foot travel trailer anyway. It is being built in Tucson, Arizona. Our plan, weather willing, is to pack the car and our new  Thule (car top carrier-thank you very much to my son for this generous xmas present) with everything we need to live on the road for 3 months and head off to pick up the "cabin" March 2nd.

Being held hostage this past week inside by a polar vortex–coldest below zero temps in 20 years– has been a good time to research our upcoming adventure.  Oh my.... I may have waited too long. What a learning curve. I am reading rv blogs like crazy and learning we know absolutely nothing! I am so grateful for making a connection with Gerard's cousin-in-law. Steve is giving us a crash course. Keeping a blog, I believe will be instrumental in watching our progression from newbies to seasoned rvers. Who knows, maybe we will become full-timers some day. I am sure there will be plenty of humorous mis-steps along the way and our blog entries will be amusing fodder for friends and family. 

inside the "cabin"

At the moment, our guest room has been turned into a staging area and the packing has begun! We are just beginning to formulate questions we should have probably been asking months ago–12v outlets? Solar panels? Black water hoses? Tank insulation.... who knew?! So much to know. We will be pulling this 1700lb trailer with a 2005 Saturn Vue. Oil change and brake flush..we should be good to go. We will be adding brake controls and sway bar and this light little trailer will get hooked up and ready to explore the southwest. 

our tiny kitchen

Our travels this year were meant to be exploratory. We really wanted to check out southern New Mexico–White Sands, Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, Elephant Butte. What for? you ask.... possible relocation? Possibly. I can't imagine ever leaving our view of Lake Superior for good, but we ain't gettin' any younger and these winters are harsh. Taking to the road satisfies my soul on so many levels. Especially in the winter when wanderlust grabs hold of me. Our plan is to spend most of our time in New Mexico and Utah before returning north at the end of May.

Today ends with Gerard obtaining his lifetime national parks pass ($10). Age pays!!!! The annual pass for the national parks is $80 per year. If you are over 62 years old the lifetime pass, yes, I said lifetime is $10. All the bedding(2 sets of sheets, down comforter, pillows and towels!), is shrink wrapped and in one tub organizing the camper kitchen tub and making hotel reservations in Tulsa, OK and Roswell, NM.  I know, I know we're not leaving until March 2nd.