Timing Our Northward Trek

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.

One thing I really like about having a blog is that it’s easy to check back to see what we did when we did it.   The most recent  information I was looking for was where we were this time of year in the past.  Were we heading north too early?  Was it earlier or later  when we finally started our northward trek? I checked it out and now I have the answers.

Last year at this time we were getting ready to venture into southern Utah for a visit to Zion and Bryce.  A few weeks later on April 5th we crossed the border into Washington State and we were there before Easter.  Sometimes when we start heading north, we start getting a little anxious to get there and that's what happened then.

The year before during the middle of March we  were in Las Vegas checking out all the great buffets and casinos..  Terry, Jerry and Jim took their “famous” ride on the New York New York roller coaster.  We didn’t enter Washington until the 25th of April.  However, having someone rearend me had something to do with the timing especially since we had to return to Phoenix to have the car repaired.

In 2010 we were still in Yuma the middle of March but when we turned that motorhome north, we made good time.  We arrived in Washington March 28th which was even earlier yet and much earlier than we wanted to be. However, this was also the year we had to return early for Terry's cancer surgery.   I think it’s like being on a horse and heading for the barn.  That was the year of the drag racing motorhomes when two Canadian RVers were trying to make it to the border before their time was up.  Terry was caught in the middle and the motorhome passenger mirror was damaged.   

We don’t really have any certain time we have to be across that border into Washington.  We figure March is a little early because it’s cold and rainy.  It still could be cold and rainy in April but the middle of that month usually seems to work for us regardless of the weather and that’s only about a month away.  Heck … it could be cold and rainy in June!!  This year we still need to make a trip back to Phoenix mid-May to pick up our Liberty and drive it north too. 

I found an interesting  website.   The site tracks current weather, warnings, advisories and traffic conditions.  Highways are colored green if conditions are good and red if gridlocked.  Roads where chains are required are obvious.  Even local webcams can be viewed by clicking on the map.  I thought it was a pretty nifty little travel tool so I just bookmarked it.   Check it out and see what you think. It is localconditions.com.

We forgot Tuesday night bingo!! We can't believe we forgot about it especially when we won the last two times we went.  How could we forget??   We did.  We could hang around and try again Thursday night but the plan is to hit the road that morning. It's that hitch itch thing.  We had an appointment Wednesday with Shade Pro.  The latch on our awning broke so we couldn't leave earlier.  Our repair person was here on time and the awning is now road-ready and so are we.

The next header photo you see might be one of the Mojave Desert ... or maybe not.  We don't have any reservations anyplace until the 24th of March and that's in Petaluma so we have about ten days to change our plans around and I'm sure we will.

With hot temperatures closing in on us I fixed myself a yummy cool drink.  I love these fruit smoothies and I love the little Ninja I have to fix them in.  They are fast, easy and so good.  This one was made with a banana, frozen strawberries and ice cubes along with a little liquid (water or diet 7-up).



** Best news of the day ***   Justin has reported in.  He seems to be having the time of his life.  He's seeing the world and being paid to do it.  In the last month he's visited Portugal, Spain and Italy. Who knows where he's at now !!

His ship was featured as a Mighty Ship by the Smithsonian Channel.   The USS Gravely is a guided missile destroyer and is the very definition of a fighting ship. She's the youngest warship in the US Navy's fleet and she's armed with everything from Tomahawk cruise missiles to attack helicopters. The ship is not only loaded with the latest space-age technology, it's also carrying very precious cargo ....... my grandson!

‘Tis life on the road.