Rules of Travel Days

The Rules of Travel Days

Hello, all you fabulous readers out there!  Thank you for joining us on our weekly adventures with Just One More…

When we left you last week we were leaving Albuquerque. The Balloon Fiesta was an amazing experience. I must say, we didn’t realize how tired we were until we got on the road. Why, you ask?  Well, for one, we haven’t had to set an alarm since Jerry’s last 3am work alarm.That was over 90 days ago!  Since we’ve been traveling, he’s gotten better at waking up at 6:30 – 7:00 am, and hee even slept in until 8:00 am one morning. Miracles upon miracles!!  That’s a tough habit to let go of.  He’s getting better and enjoying his mornings without having to rush out the door for work. This retirement thing (after almost 40 years) is not an easy thing to adjust to.  Some days we look at each other and say, “do we need to do anything today”?  For two people who were constantly busy, this is truly an adjustment.  Not complaining, mind you, just trying to figure it all out.

This week I wanted to talk about what it’s like traveling in between destinations.   When we were planning  this lifestyle, I had to figure out where and when we were going to arrive in all the different places.  I know this sounds pretty easy but trust me it is a challenge.  First of all, I am fortunate enough to be using an amazing program called RV Trip Wizard.  This program allows me to check out different RV Parks, routes, points of interests and so much more.  I love this program!  Here is the challenge: after the first 60 days of our adventure, we realized that I needed to consider the miles/hours between each overnight stay.  Here is our rule; No more than 300 miles, no more than 5 hours of driving and arrive no later than 3:00 pm.  AND, most importantly, NO DRIVING AT NIGHT, EVER!   This has been a HUGE learning curve. 

Why these rules, you ask?  Towing a 42’ 5^th wheel is mentally exhausting.  Jerry has to keep his eyes constantly on the road.  Especially during construction areas.  Talk about scary.  Why are construction zones so narrow?!  Driving on freeways and highways is also a challenge with the huge trucks zipping by us at 75-80 miles an hour. It is mind blowing how fast these trucker’s drive.  Lastly, we always have to be on the watch for the merging traffic on freeways.  People see us and want to get in front of us so we do not slow them down.  I swear you cannot believe the crazy drivers we have seen merging in front of us.  Some speed up like their life depends on it, while others stop as they merge because we scare the crap out of them.  I wish I was kidding! 

The other issue is following an RV safe GPS.  No, we DO NOT use Google Maps or Apple Maps when we map out our trip.  We have heard horrible stories of RV’s getting stuck at bridges or tunnels because they used the wrong GPS system.  RV Trip Wizard allows us to transfer our route onto their GPS App called RVLIFE.   We have been using this since the day we left Salt Lake City on June 30^th.  It is designed for RV travel and takes in consideration all the different filters and preferences you put into the route.  Such as; no tolls, no tunnels, no dirt roads, etc.  You get the idea.  It’s been a great resource for us and has yet to disappoint.  The RV route is very similar to a Trucker’s route.  Which brings me to another great app we use called TruckerMap.  It lists the truck stops, rest areas, etc.  Another life saver. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, we cannot use a typical gas station to gas up.  We must use a truck stop or find a gas station that has VERY high clearance and wide spaces between pumps.  Easier to use a truck stop, for sure.  I made Jerry promise me after the last horrible gas station situation, he would NEVER do that to me again. Talk about my blood pressure rising! 

The trip to Austin was quite easy.  We left Albuquerque on the 9^th and stayed the night in Clovis, NM, only a 4 hour drive.  From there stayed one night in Abilene, TX which was a 5 hour drive.  We had a GREAT BBQ meal at a place called Cowboy BBQ.  Truly awesome dinner!  Then, on the 11^th, we drove another 5 hours and ended up in Austin.  The two RV parks we stayed in along the way were perfect as both were right off the highways.  They were pull through with full hookups.  You cannot ask for anything better, especially when both were under $40 a night! 

We needed full hook ups after boondocking (which is any time you camp in your RV without water, sewer, or electrical connections) for 11 days.  Honestly, that was very tough on me.  The jury is still out on boondocking.  So many people love it.  Me?  Not so much as this point.  We will be getting more solar added to our rig in January.  I will keep you posted.

We are in Austin until Nov. 19^th.  It is wonderful seeing our niece, Katie, who lives here. I have missed her very much and am so excited to be spending as much time with her as possible. She is working, of course, so lots of weekend adventures are coming our way!  She is a great tour guide, and we’ll have lots to show you in our next vlog, so make sure you’re following our YouTube Channel!

Just One More… full hookup RV Park (the one we are in is the nicest we have had so far) Check it out!