Quartzsite, AZ - Day 2

Miles 276

We traveled on Hwy 40 to Needles where we took 95 to 10. We passed into AZ just before Quartzsite, which is on Hwy 10. We gained an hour as well. It was an uneventful day, other than missing the turn off for our spot for tonight at Scaddan Wash. It was just a short distance to go back though. There are no services at Scaddan Wash but we are self-contained, so no problem, plus it is free. There are several sites similar to this operated by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). We almost enjoyed a nice sunset but the sun slipped behind some clouds and it got cool quick. We have greatly enjoyed our heater these days! In fact last night we had to turn it down as it got TOO warm! We had a big lunch (burgers) in Needles at the Wagon Wheel Cafe, so it will be soup or something small for dinner then off to bed. 

Hitting The Road - Day 1

247 Miles
Off we go! Our rig is packed up and we are ready to hit the road. We have audio books, plenty of fresh food, plenty of non-perishable food, all weather clothing, book-loaded Kindles, and even our laptops! What more could we need? (I hope we don't find out) Tony is ready too! He had his annual checkup just recently, all his shots are current, his food and snacks are packed, and I think we have everything he could possibly need! We left home at exactly 10a but after running a couple errands we were on Hwy 99 heading south by 11a!

So far we realized we forgot any DVDs to play when we are stuck inside because of rain. At least we have Netflix or Prime just in case. Our other event of the day was the Thule carrier popped open and we lost our extra paper towels, luckily, nothing else was lost! Strange seeing the rolls fade from sight in my rear view mirror. 

There was so much traffic going the opposite direction, I guess coming from Las Vegas, I'm glad S&S didn't go there for New Year's. There is some snow on the Tehachapi Mountains but nothing low enough to concern us. 

John Hosed Off The Casita, We Are Ready!

Traffic From Las Vegas

Snow On The Mountains

Memories

As we prepare for this road trip it has occurred to me some of the joy is absent from the preparation. It didn't take me long to figure out - it was my Mom's excitement for us that is missing. Every time we planned any sort of trip she would get out her maps and atlas and track where we would be going. She would read about things nearby and give suggestions for what we could see. She had wanderlust, which is funny since she passed away just miles from where she was born and lived most of her life. She certainly enjoyed road trips in their trailer but they mostly went "north" into Canada, including an Alaskan Highway trip. She did travels more after my Dad died and ventured out of the country multiple times with close friends or family. She was always eager for some adventure even into her 90's. The reason I started blogs for our trips was because of my Mom. With a blog she could "follow" our adventures every day, which she really looked forward to! 

I miss you Mom...

Beds & Storage

Today we finished the final prep for the beds. We got the new mattresses some time back but decided against ordering the custom sheets. I decided to just sew and adjust the mattress pads and sheets we already had to make them fit. So, all this is done and we went out to the trailer and made the beds. It all worked out fine. We just need to adjust the storage area at the foot of our beds and we will be all set. We also did a trial run putting our old Thule cargo box on top of the Jeep. It worked out fine and we tried putting the things we wanted in it and everything fit. Normally we don't use the carrier but with this longer trip we do need it to take our luggage that we will need on the cruise as well as a few other comforts. It would just be too much clutter in the Jeep to carry it inside.

Our Thule looks similar to this:

Further Prep

Today I am working on our calendar. Mostly for things revolving around our stop at LHC and the cruise out of Port Everglades. It feels good to get some things in place, but also a bit daunting to realize how little I have in place as far as reservations for this trip! Of course, there are a  lot of people who don't really make reservations when traveling, they are  more  "free spirited" and it works out well for them too! 

Preparing to Launch!

There are a few things to be done before we leave. We both need to get on this list so we can be ready to head out. Launch date is January 2 - if all goes as planned. Looking forward to this pace of travel even though we greatly enjoyed Israel and Egypt, we love using our Casita and the comfort of and convenience of calling it home on the road.

Little House Customs

I procrastinated a bit about this appointment because when John wasn't feeling well we thought maybe we wouldn't go. Anyway, for now we are planning that we ARE going. I emailed Larry G. at LHC (Little House Customs) in Quitman, TX to set up a time for our work to be done. It's a good thing I did because they only have a few days left in January!!! This is a popular place serving Casita owners with all sorts of routine service, upgrades, and modifications. We are planning to be there on January 9, to complete our list of desires! Now, to finalize that list!