I kind of forgot I had a BLOG. Well, I didn't really forget. I just kept telling myself I need to update my blog and like everything else I need to do I put it off.
I have been writing in my journals. Yes, journals. As in more than one. Some of them have 6-month gaps, others yearlong gaps. Maybe one day I'll rewrite them all in chronological order.
Yeah, that'll never happen.
I am here today to resurrect and update my blog. Not that anyone ever reads it but more of a record for after I am dead and gone.
My travels in my van have slowly taken place over the last two, almost three years. I have been on some fun short camping trips alone and with some friends. I went out to Quartzite Arizona in January 2021 as my first long distance adventure. That year the RTR was cancelled due to COVID but they had an unofficial gathering out in the desert and I met some seasoned nomads and camped with them for several days. It took almost three days to get there. I overnighted in truck stops and rest areas. It was so much fun.
My plan for the trip back was to take the northern route so I could go through Amarillo and visit with Nichole and Trent. I traveled north of Phoenix through Scottsdale and through the Tonto National Forest which would take me to Winslow Arizona so I could stand on the corner. Well, it started raining as I left Scottsdale after filling up with gas. The snowcapped mountains in front of me were beautiful but for some reason I thought I was going through them not over them. As Big Dog and I climbed in elevation the light rain turned to freezing rain and snow. I must admit I was a bit nervous but according to the GPS I would be on the other side in a little over an hour, so I figured no big deal. I stopped in Payson which was a small town high up in the mountains and I got a sandwich at Wendy's. The snow was definitely beginning to stick, and it was getting dark. I continued on the road that would take me to Winslow. The snow was accumulating on my wiper blades. The defroster couldn't adequately keep the windshield warm enough to melt the snow on the wipers. I was driving very slowly and was pretty sure the line of cars behind me were not too happy. Whenever there was a pull-out lane, I would pull over and let them pass. I was beginning to think I was going to have to just camp there overnight. The snow was so deep you couldn't even see the lines in the road. After people passed me, I would use their tracks as a guide. eventually those tracks would fill in with snow and I was driving blind again. a snowplow came up on the opposite side of the road. I was wondering if he would eventually turn around and come back to our side. Finally, I was pulled over to let cars pass me and debating what to do and another plow came by. I jumped in line behind two other cars and followed it the rest of the way. At the bottom I cheered and waved a hardy thank you to the driver as he turned around to head back up. The road at the bottom was dry and I thanked the Lord for his protection and guidance.
In Winslow I found the statue on the corner and the flat bed Ford. It was dark thirty. There was a guy there taking pictures so I offered to take his picture with his phone if he would take mine. So much better than a selfie.
I made it to Amarillo, it wasn't by morning, more like late afternoon, after a night in a truck stop in West Gallup, New Mexico.
I had a very nice visit with Nichole and Trent. Went to see Kelly play in a basketball game and got to see Caitlyn, Riley, and Wyatt.
On the way home I drove along I40 through Groom Texas and stopped at a really cool Giant cross that had bronze sculpture of stations to the cross and a Lord's Last Supper sculpture. It was very cold and windy, so I hope to revisit one day when the weather is better.
I will close this entry with some pictures from the first two years of travel and pic up with my most recent trip on the next one.
