The Long Winding Road

Jerry wanted to write the blog this week to give you his perspective of our trip to Arizona!  Thanks for continuing to read about our adventures!  We will continue to keep you entertained with our crazy life!!  

Atlanta, GA to Prescott Valley, Arizona 2,200 miles, 7 days of focusing on the road.  With Susan navigating and me driving, we made an amazing team!

We had the opportunity to spend two nights in Baytown, TX to visit with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle John.  We couldn’t go through Texas without visiting the Buc-ee’s in Baytown.  We stopped for fuel, food and souvenirs! Buc-ee’s started as a fuel station known for having clean bathrooms! The chain has grown and is thriving! We almost had tears in our eyes and we said goodbye to Buc-ee’s.  Not sure when we will see another one. 

Back on the road! Traveling through Georgia was surprisingly good as the highway was in good shape. That all changed when we finally traveled south far enough to get on I-10, the East West interstate highway. We traveled a majority of our trip on I-10. This highway is busy 24 hours a day every day!

Truckers dominate the road which isn’t too bad! The most challenging part is how congested I-10 is through Houston and San Antonio! Even though our GPS routed us around these two cities the traffic was still congested. The most annoying thing is the highway construction! The fact that the speed limit was not restricted through construction zones, coupled with nonexistent safety lights made the drive the most stressful and dangerous!

Little did we know that the section from Tucson to Prescott Valley was going to be EPIC! All because of a monsoon storm! We managed to make it to Eloy, AZ! After seeing numerous cars spun out on the highway, in the ditch, and drivers driving like the road was dry, Susan and I simultaneously said we are getting off the road and waiting out the storm!!! Ahhh!  I believe you read last week about the light pole in the middle of the highway.  Yeah, that was fun.

We pulled into a truck stop with one spot left! The truckers were smarter than us! God obviously answered our prayers that keep us safe from harm and accidents! I’m pretty sure the angel sitting on the hood of our truck was relieved when we got off the road seeking safety from the monsoon!

Driving Highway 17 through Phoenix wasn’t too bad, mostly an uphill pull for Hunky! We had been warned this highway can be shut down from accidents. True to its reputation we came to a traffic stop due to a single car spin out. We weren’t surprised; people drive like they are superman! (I’m being nice!)

We finally pulled into the RV Resort that will be our home until we move into our new home here in Prescott Valley! (Dec 20th) After setting up Madge, we headed straight to our house! Susan gave me the grand tour of the house and three community activity locations included in our HOA!

Now the fun begins! It is in the 20’s at night causing me to get up to speed NOW on how to avoid freezing water piping and keeping my incredible wifey warm! We started using an electric blanket, actually a great addition to our arsenal! I drain and shut off the water and drain the piping! I got up to speed FAST! Amazing how being cold, and the potential of burst pipes will motivate a person!

Our New Home in Prescott Valley! Prescott is pronounced Preskitt not Prescott! We found the best Asian, and Mexican food. The locals are friendly and smile a lot! They drive like they are from LA on your bumper and fast!! I have been to Home Depot several times. The first trip, I was walking down an aisle looking for something and a HD employee asked me if she could help me!!!!! I was blown away! Asking me if I wanted help!!! REALLY!! I told the person thank you. It was the first time someone had helped me without having to ask first! I have come to expect friendly service and look forward to my trip into Home Depot.

I’m looking out a large window in Madge. There is a hill that has had snow for the last 4 days. We can’t wait for the sun to come up and melt the ice on our cars! What cars???? Yes we no longer have Hunky we traded him in for a Honda Civic and Ridge Line. Kind of strange not having a mega truck! We don’t call the Ridgeline a truck, it is “Hunky Jr”

We are anxiously waiting to move into our new home. We signed the loan docs this week and are just waiting to close and do the final walk through on the 20th!  Our first time buying a brand new home.  How strange it will be to be the first owner of a home.  Kind of exciting!

It’s cold in our RV but we are coping! We are tough! Do we miss traveling in the RV? Certain aspects yes, but really, not so much! For example, driving on crowded, pothole freeways and overpaying for diesel is not missed! We miss the beautiful mountains, forests, oceans. America is a beautiful country! The people we have met have been incredible! We have friends for life!

Just One More…..20 degree night (Only 3 more to go before we move into our new home)