26 November, 2004: East bound on I-10 we were stopped twice because of flooding. But in spite of bad weather, we had a safe and uneventful trip home. Once we arrived we began unpacking some things and re-packing others. The next few days were a bustle of activity, rearranging the things inside our home. Later we packed the camper again for my trip. Suzie helped with the organizing and arranging. She stocked the fridge for me and packed my clothing neatly in the closets. While she vacuumed the carpet, I checked the rig once again. I changed oil in the truck and then on the first of December, I was both on my way and on my own !
December 1st. Wednesday. I left home this morning and drove 512 miles to Castleberry, Al. where I spent the night at the same park Suzie and I had stayed at. It was early to bed, and the following morning I drove the final 150 miles to Biloxi. After four days of resting up there at the Keesler AFB Family Campground, I hit the road once again. Only this time, alone.
5 December, 2004: This bachelor life isn't all that bad. Not at first anyway. I am getting used to cooking (heating up)and some other things which Suzie did for me. I began to realize I had taken her for granted a lot. But now the excitement of my trip was foremost on my mind. I was up early the following morning. It was Sunday. The skies were dark and ominous and I knew a storm was brewing. But, I reasoned, traffic would be light and in spite of increment weather, I expected to make good time. I set the cruise on 60, and listened to the monotonous rhythm of the windshield wipers. I breezed through Houston and the only problem I encountered was road construction. While there were no workers present, some of the highways near the city were cordoned to one lane.
Later, the rain eased and the skies brightened. But by the time I arrived in Alleyton, it was very dark. The skies had cleared, revealing millions of stars. I quickly set up the trailer for the night, popped a "Hungry Man" chicken dinner in the microwave and turned on the water heater. After supper, a quick shower and then to bed. I had driven 483 miles this day.
6 December, 2004: It was nearly 8:30 by the time I left Alleyton. it looked like another stormy day. But I was anxious to get moving and the only thing that concerned me was the wind. I had not refueled the previous night before stopping so I drove on another 160 miles to Fabens, Tx and filled up there. I had a cup of coffee and after half an hour, was on my way again. I stopped for fuel two more times this day. Once in Sonara and then in Fort Stockton, Tx.
Along the way, I was reminded of the dangers of what those high Texas winds could do to the unwary. I passed a pickup truck that had been hit broadside by a gust of wind and flipped over. The occupants, a young man and girl, were shaken but unhurt. The truck was a mess. I made a mental note to watch my speed, especially during high winds. Actually the winds blow very hard most of the time in that part of Texas. I just wasn't accustomed to their weather. So, what the heck? I slowed down.
After leaving Ft Stockton, I drove 52 more miles to Balmorhea. It was there I spent the night at the Saddleback Mountain RV Park, just off Exit 212. It was VERY windy and I was surprised by the desolation of this place. Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. (Of NOTHING !) There was the campground, a truck stop all alone, and that was pretty much it for miles around. But the campground was spacious and I had few neighbors. The wind, with no mountains to slow it down, rocked the camper most of the night, but I slept like a baby in a crib.
This was a 530 mile day.
7 December, 2004: Tuesday. I left Balmorhea early, having decided I would grab a bite to eat later down the road. The weather had cleared and the wind had died down considerably. My goal this day was to drive to Bowie Arizona. I made a fuel stop at Fabens, Tx. and had lunch. Diesel was $2.03. I stopped again for fuel at San Simon, Az. Then on to Bowie where I spent the night. Total miles driven; 408.
All the campgrounds I've stayed at thus far have been large pull throughs, full hookups and $10.00 $12.00 a night. I used my Passport America half price card many times, and it paid for itself a couple of times over. None of the parks were crowded because December isn't a big tourist season. Quite a few campground owners/managers told me the fuel prices were hurting their business. I know I didn't see any crowds.
8 December, 2004. I slept in until 9 this morning and had a leisurely breakfast. I took my time leaving because it was to be a short day, less than 150 miles to Tucson. When I arrived there, it was nearly 2 PM. I called my friend Joe again, but no one answered. So I continued to drive 50 miles West of Tucson to a Flying J truck stop. I stopped there and parked my rig out back in their huge parking lot. I parked far to the rear of the huge lot, started my generator and plugged in the trailer. I went back in the trailer with my lap top and connected to the internet via their WiFi. I caught up on my email and banking while I brewed some coffee and had lunch.
I had lost track of time and it was getting later than I had realized. So I called Joe once more. I decided that 
if he wasn't home by then, I would go on to Phoenix and visit him and Dianne on my way home. I dialed his number but this time Dianne answered. She gave me directions to their home and warned me to hurry or it would get dark quickly and I might have trouble finding them. I thought I would have plenty of time before it got dark, so I told her I was on my way.
By the time I got to I-19 South, it had went from daylight to dark almost instantly ! I never saw the sun go down so fast. And when it got dark, it was very dark. Especially out in the country where I was heading. After a couple of wrong turns, and a few more calls for directions, I pulled into their driveway. It was nearly 6 PM and as dark as I had ever seen it.
Getting re-acquainted: I had met Joe's wife Dianne briefly in 1963 just before I shipped out from Mc Chord AFB for my new duty assignment to Okinawa. Joe and I were good friends and we partied together often, frequenting the seedy Pacific Avenue taverns of Tacoma. At that time, the streets were littered with drunks and wine-o's and the bars were saturated with the dregs of humanity. Pacific Avenue was a place of interest for us I suppose. While some of our peers went to night school working on their degrees, Joe and I along with some selected friends proceeded to waste ourselves doing the thing young men sometimes do while they're finding their station in life.
Joe and I sat on his patio, drinking iced tea and diet sodas. We talked about what was and what is now. We discussed arthritis and bad knees and stiff backs. We compared aches and pains in the wrists and hands. We caught up on each other's lives. All things considered, we turned out ok I guess. He and I were both in the Diesel field in the Air Force and had subsequently pursued careers along those same lines. We were both reasonably healthy, although somewhat worse for the wear and tear our life styles had given us. Joe and Dianne were great hosts. Joe took off a couple of days from work and showed me around Tucson. He has a nice garage and lots of tools, so we went over my truck, checking fluid levels and inspecting this and that. During the course of our looking over everything, I discovered the right rear tire on my trailer was wearing really bad on the inside. This was not good.
After a few phone calls, Joe found a fellow South of Tucson who repaired trailers. The man told me he could put a new axle on the trailer cheaper than I could have it straightened. So 4 hours and less than $200. later, I picked up the trailer. I was very relieved to have it done so expertly and cheap.
Joe took me to his work place, an open copper mine. See pictures:
15 December, 2004: All too soon, the week I allotted myself was up. I was beginning to miss home. Christmas was near. I had initially planned to spend the winter at Quartzsite, but after a couple of weeks on the road alone, I learned a valuable lesson. Traveling alone is fine for a divorcee or widower, but not for me.
I left Joe and Dianne's at 8 this morning. As I drove out of their driveway, I felt a tinge of loneliness. But Suzie and I are planning another trip out West to the Grand Canyon sometime this year, probably in April, (2005). Of course, we plan to visit Joe and Dianne.
On my trip, I carried my cell phone constantly and Suzie and I spoke at least once a day. Often times twice or more. I saw many new things on this trip. For the first time in my life, I saw a Road Runner, (Arizona's State Bird). No, it didn't go "beep beep". In Louisiana, I saw pink Flamingos flying high overhead. (Before this the only ones I ever saw were in people's front yards on sticks). In Texas I watched as the first tumble weed I ever saw darted across I-10 in front of me.
Ain't life awesome ?
My trip back to Kentucky was literally the reverse of the one West. It is 2500 miles from Tucson to Biloxi to Kentucky. An interesting trip for sure. Below, I have listed three things this trip has taught me.
1. I really don't care much about traveling alone;But the most important thing I learned is that it is better to try and then fail at something you want to do than to never try at all.2. I would caution anyone who jumps into this life style without having tried it to think it over before investing in an RV. It is a great life style, no question about it. But it isn't for everyone.
3. If I were doing this again, I would have bought a larger trailer. A couple of extra feet would have make a big difference.