HOME

🏡 Home.  I LOVE travelling.  Whenever we head home after being on the road for a while, I always feel “some kind of way.”  It is very bitter-sweet (for me).  A big part of me wants to keep on travelling and exploring. A very small part of me is happy to go home. I have to admit, I am a wanderer at heart, a free-spirited soul.  If I had it my way, we would sell our home and travel the country for a year or two staying here and there along our travels and really exploring this big beautiful country of ours.   Craig on the other hand is always happy to get home, to dive back into his routine. Craig thrives with a routine.  Not me, routine for me is, BORING, stifling in fact.  I need to mix things up. I have to have something to look forward to, so I am always looking for something for us to do or somewhere for us to go. I NEED adventure in my life, I thrive on it. We are so different in this area.

Anyway, we arrived home late Sunday evening and unpacked very little.  Monday morning I got up and unpacked and cleaned Shorty up.  I thoroughly clean the inside of our rig; strip the beds, scrub the toilet, sink, shower, fridge, kitchen sink, stove, sweep and mop the floors, wash the rugs, wipe down the couch, and fabrezze the entire interior.  Craig scrubs the outside, which had thousands of bugs from seven states.  It takes a couple of hours to thoroughly clean him up and get him ready for his next adventure.  We still have to empty his tanks, refill his freshwater tank and fuel him up.😁

SHORTY

Our rig, “Shorty” is a 2016,  24-foot Winnebego Navion built on a Mercedes Chasis. We get an average of 12 to 15 miles per gallon, which is pretty good for an RV. 👍🏽 Here are some pix of Shorty’s interior all cleaned up.

RECAP

This trip was 18 days; we left on October 1st.  We hit seven states; starting with our home state of CA, then Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. We added three new states to my map on this trip; Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. The goal is to hit all 50 states within five years. So far we have hit 19 states since we bought  Shorty in January 2019.

This trip we kind of cheated to add Colorado, we just did a drive thru the lower right corner of the state, but I do plan to  visit Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado next year. 

STATS

Some stats: We stopped and fueled up 21 times. We spent a total of $664.40 on fuel and about $22 in tolls. I didn’t add up how much we spent on dining out, but I would venture to estimate about $400. We probably spent about $100 on souvenirs and entrance fees. We spent $83 for RV park fees, we mostly boondocked at Walmarts, Cracker Barrels and friends houses. Grand total for this 18-day road trip was approximately $1,269.40. That is VERY reasonable with fuel and food being our highest expense. I have spent more than that on a week long vacation in Hawaii!!

Future trips

I am working on a two-month road trip next year to the mid-west and east coast. I am thinking that September/October would be good travel months, it will be cooler but not cold and we should be able to  catch some of the fall colors on the East coast.  I am still working on that route and deciding on what to see in each state.  I know for sure I want to visit Niagra Falls and a couple of cities in Canada, along with a good portion of the mid- west and east coast, particularly those smaller states.

Settling Back In

Something that is a little overwhelming when we get back home is the amount of mail to go thru.  Adulting, as I call it. Since this is an election year there is a pile of that mail alone, along with bills and 📦 packages that were delivered while we were away. Lots of sorting, reading and filing to do.😑

It usually takes me several days to get back on track at home. Not Craig, he is quick to jump back into his routine; morning walks, zoom calls, following up with clients and working on his various projects. Me? I go through what I call an adjustment period. After I unpack, do laundry and clean Shorty up it takes me days to settle back in after being on the road. It’s a mental thing, I know. I have to mentally prepare for the daily routine of being back at home. I will typically do NOTHING for a day or two but readjust my mind. I may veg out in front of the TV all day, nap, play brain games on my phone or go through my pictures and relive the entire trip in my mind. (That always makes me smile.) I will also highlight our routes on my paper maps and file them away. Don’t get me wrong, I have a nice home life and Craig is a great husband. I just find that I am HAPPIEST when we are on the road. Travel is MY BLISS.🥰

Home: My Yard

I told Craig that when I retired we would fire the gardener and I would take over. Well we did, and I do. I really enjoy working in my yard, that is my reprieve. There is something about mowing the lawn and the smell of fresh cut grass that is so refreshing and clean! The same with planting and working in the soil; the smell and feel of the soil is life giving. (My grandfather was a gardener at Disneyland for years; gardening is in my blood.😉)

Today, I spend hours in the backyard pruning the fig tree, cutting back the 🍅 tomato vines, clearing out weeds, raking leaves, trimming the parsley and basil, cutting back the Rosemary, spearmint, peppermint and mint plants, turning my compost pile, and watering. I loved every minute of it. Between the backyard, front yard and side yards I stay busy when we are at home. In the yard, every day is different; I plant trim, cut, rake, water, whatever. I enjoy listening to the birds and watching the bees🐝 and butterflies🦋 hanging around and pollinating my flowers and plants. I enjoy turning the soil and seeing the worms.🪱 I even enjoy watching the spiders spin their webs.🕷🕸 I am a nature gurl.😄

We have been home five days now. Craig is thoroughly settled back in. I will be by this weekend. Anyway, until next time.👋🏼 Stay safe and well.