I finally come to my page to put something down. We have been on our trip for almost three weeks now. We have traveled more than 1200  miles and yet find ourselves in Northern Arizona still, really enjoying the geology and ancient pueblo ruins. The weather has been quite cold--low twenties at night and varying degrees of warmth during the day. We pushed the snow off a picnic table one day to have an outdoor lunch, but other than that we have been living inside the trailer when we aren't out touring. 

Living in the trailer is quite the adventure. There is the expected adjustment to living in a small space and a general lack of privacy. We (meaning the girls and me) are learning how all the systems work like the solar energy inverter and the water pump. I am learning how to attach and detach the trailer from the van, which is quite the elaborate process. The thing bit me yesterday because I didn't hold on to it strongly enough. All of these things are the logistics of our lives. The trailer still is not finished, as well. We are missing a cabinet above the refrigerator, which I was counting on, and so there are some things in odd places waiting for the cabinet to be available. We don't have a working black water tank so we aren't able to use the toilet yet and the faucets in the bathroom sink and bathtub both leak, causing the water pump to come on periodically to provide water for the leaks.  These are small annoyances that I find are becoming increasingly more frustrating.

We look like the Joads traveling down the road with our two spare tires tied to the roof of the van, which is already a stunning piece of work. Couple that with our Jurassic Era trailer that is patched up a bit and has a fine patina of many years of use. Since we have been driving in the snow and mud, our "rig" (as we full-timers call it) is a total mess. We pull into RV parks and find ourselves surrounded by gigantic motor homes that are gleaming and nearly brand new. 

Add to this the fact that we have all been sick with colds. The pantry keeps opening while we travel, spilling out some of the contents.  Doug has been grumpy because of his cold and, in truth, I think he misses the patience of Hank, Rob and my Dad. Instead he is stuck with too much female energy that is used to quite a bit of creature comfort.

Having painted a bleak picture of our lives, I would like to comment on the great parts of this trip and why I am pretty sure we won't be turning back quite yet.

Joya and Jordan are wonderful travelers. They are getting along really well and enjoying seeing the country. We have been, more or less, following the old Route 66 and seeing lots of Americana (cement teepee motels and diners, etc.) We are in the process of shedding our old routines and time constraints and rethinking why and how we do things. We are eating really well (tasty and healthy) thanks to the wonderful kitchen Doug built and the amount of time we are all willing to spend on food prep. We are slowing way down. Everything we do takes longer than we think it should and we are actually surrendering to it. We are trying not to be in a hurry for anything. We are seeing such beautiful country--high desert with snow capped mountains, red mesas, canyons and rivers. The fact that the weather is cold and the winter season is upon us makes the road less traveled and accommodations are easy to come by. 

I find myself surprised at the emotions I have felt around this trip. I have so much gratitude for my community at home. I have not made many phone calls for fear of lengthy chats with dear friends. We were so taken care of prior to our leaving, with meals, home stays and many, many donated hours of labor. We felt so loved. I have been overcome with a sense of isolation, at times. The people we have encountered thus far are at least 15 years older than Doug and me and are at a different place in their lives. I haven't been particularly friendly at the RV parks we've stayed at. I've not been unfriendly, either, but I'm not putting it out there. 

3.09.01    I am the primary navigator and that is proving to be kind of fun. Jordan is the other navigator and doing a really good job of it. Doug and I are often wanting different things in a road. He wants flat, straight pavement with regular places to get cheap gas. I want to drive on roads without billboards, that go through small towns and have tired looking ice cream shops. I also can't seem to manage to give Doug enough warning to stop. He isn't able to pull into a driveway when I tell him that is the place I want to go just a second or two before we pass it (or sometimes after we pass it).  

It has been really enjoyable to watch Doug slowly unwind. We had a flat tire yesterday on a fairly busy highway and Doug handled it all in stride. We were waylaid two hours this morning trying to get the tire situation fixed (see the section on trailer life) and Doug never got frustrated or upset. He was only happy to have the problem fixed. The new Doug.  

We finally stopped at Cracker Barrel. For the uninitiated, Cracker Barrel is a kitschy chain of stores that have a Southern feel to them, with a cafe/diner inside and rocking chairs on the front porch. They sell travel games and souvenirs, but the reason we get so excited is that they rent books on tape that can be returned at any other Cracker Barrel in the country. We have 3 books on tape in our possession as I write this and we are currently listening to Bill Bryson read his own book "Neither Here Nor There, Travels in Europe". He is very funny, but his observations are uncanny. We are making similar observations about folks around the U.S. One of the most amazing things we have seen is the drive through Daiquiri Hut  where we saw several cars in line waiting at the window for their daiquiris to go. More later.