It’s 8:20 am and we’re at our second gas stop. Left Mike’s at 4 am and saw a beautiful sunrise while coming through the southern end of Arizona. The mountains were very rocky and very beautiful.

Averaging 9.4 mpg at the moment which is about what I expected considering the Toyota is a monster truck pulling the Shadow Cruiser loaded down with a whole lot of stuff! We’re rotating driving every 2 hours which is nice – just as road fatigue sets in, it’s time for a break.

Got a reservation for a pull-through spot in Van Horn, Texas for tonight. Pull through spots are highly desirable so we don’t have to mess with backing up the trailer. We’ve got a pool, internet, and all the modern conveniences afforded campers – and then some. Just as an aside, my idea of ‘roughing it’ is sitting in my new Sharper Image shiatsu massage chair pad which only had 3 speeds….hmmmm….need to upgrade!

 

More later as the day unfolds.

The resurrection of this blog begins

So, I decided to revive this blog after letting it lapse for, oh, a year. In fact, so much time has gone by where I didn't post a single blog that I'm a bit embarrassed. Eh, I'll get over it. Anyway, onto new and better things. And, "what would that be" you might ask? Well, the big giant hint is in that picture above.

That rig is our new Toyota Tundra full-sized pick em up truck and our 2013 Shadow Cruiser S260BHS Travel Trailer! Yep, we've done it. I'm following in my mom and dad's footsteps into the trailer world. Just as they did, I'm starting with a pull behind trailer, and, a lovely one at that. I bought it in Tucson while visiting big brother Mike in May 2013. And, of course, I had to have a truck to pull the trailer so enter that Toyota Tundra which I positively love!

So, here I sit, in my niece's bed (she's at horse camp in California at the moment), having run all over Tucson with Mike the last 3 days outfitting the trailer. And, let me tell you, there's a lot of outfitting to be done with a new trailer. It was just like when I moved into my first college dorm:

Plates? Check
Silverware? Check
Sheets and blankets? Check, check
Toiletries? Check
Flashlights? Check
The Sharper Image Massage and Shiatsu Chair With Heat? Check - WHAT? How'd THAT get on the list? Well, I decided to have just one luxury and this thing is it! Whomever is not driving (that will usually be moi) will be resting said fanny upon this amazing chair pad. We have an inverter in the truck so I expect to be massaging and blogging at the same time! Is that cool, or what???

Now, the real adventure begins when John arrives into Tucson at 10:00 am to join me before we set out on the maiden voyage tomorrow morning at 4 o-dark-thirty. Oh, um, wait! Make that 'when John arrived into Tucson at 4:30 PM to join me...' - sucker missed his flight. It's starting....

So pleased to be flying to Tucson via LA....

So, the tale begins....

I originally wanted a little bitty adorable 16' trailer which I was quickly talked out of. The issue seemed to be that, with John, me, and 4 dogs along for the ride, there would be absolutely no way to walk around a 16 footer. So, I got talked into a 20 footer which I was ok with until I saw that Shadow Cruiser above at an RV show in Tucson (note to readers: do not go to RV shows without supervision, which, btw, I had in the form of my brother Mike. To Mike's credit, he did try to take some sense into me, but, as is my wont, I charged ahead, literally. Charge card in hand, that trailer was mine!).

So, now I've got a 28' trailer and a whole lot of adventure coming up. So, bookmark this log or sign up for the RSS feed. I'll be blogging frequently from the road as we head home on our first US tour. By the end of the upcoming week, I hope to be an old pro at RVing.

And, along the line, I'll be putting some ads on these pages from which you can buy all kinds of products we're going to find that we can't live without. Do me a favor and buy something will ya? Someone has to finance this sucker!

Here's an article I wrote on Squidoo - my first in what I believe will be a long series of articles regarding travel trailers:

2013 Shadow Cruiser S260BHS Review - An Owner's Perspective

Bobbi, in her infinite wisdom, gave me the Lucy/Desi movie 'The Long Long Trailer' to watch before I left to come back to Tucson. I was rolling! I'm hoping it's not a predictor of things to come. Here's a link for it. It's old but really funny:

Skipper and Marianne hit Duns Cove

Well, John and I hopped on the very first opportunity to take The Bar Tender for a ride. Matee came along for the ride. I brought her a juicy bone which she gnawed on most of the night. We cut across Tilghman Island to save some time. John was most concerned that The Bar Tender was too tall to fit under the bridge so we devised a precise way to see if we would make it. I stuck my head out through the enclosure and put my hand up. Yep, clearance. Perfect.

Across the bay, we set the anchor (more on that later) in Duns Cove. We anchored right in the middle of the cove with no one else around. Dinner was going to be grilled steaks, potatoes and onions, and fresh asparagus but we got rained out. So, dinner ended up being french bread bruschetta instead. That was fine with us though. We just sat on the back of the boat and chatted for 3 hours. I remember so well how Mom and Dad would sit on her bed before retiring for the night and chat about their day. I used to ask what they had to talk about as they were together all day. They both shrugged their shoulders and said how good the day was. And, that's pretty much what we did - with a bit of exploration on the computer of Key West tours.

The first tour is going to be the dolphin watch so I'll know where they are. Sharyn and I will do that the first week we're there. Second will be a head boat so Sharyn and I can fill the freezer with fresh fish. John bought me a fishing pole too so fish is definitely on the menu. Back to The Bar Tender...

Powering over to Tilghman Island for a fill up (our first - gonna be painful!) and then back to the marina or Chesapeake Beach to bum around for the day. We'll probably stay in one of those two places overnight as John has to go to work tomorrow and I have some more prep to do for KW, including running the jet ski over to Jimmy for tuneup. Changing out the tires on the trailer for the ride to KW also. Darn, there's KW popping into the conversation again.

Pictures will be posted in a bit when I upload from the Nikon - what a wonderful camera that is.

Boat Ho!

I'm happy to report that "The Bar Tender" is finally in the water - finally. It's been a long, expensive haul but we're banking on many many enjoyable times with family and friends this summer.

The Bar Tender can carry about 8 so we need to find some friends - not really. We've already got people lined up for trips over to Red Eyes Dock Bar, Tilghman Island, and Solomons Island for overnighters.

John and I are heading out today and going to Dunns Cove across the bay for the night. It's supposed to rain and thunder later this evening, so a dinner feast of grilled steaks, potatoes and a ceremonial popping of a delightful Ridge Merlot will be topped by a sound sleep (I hope!). Matee will come along for the ride and, since she's the only litter trained dog, sadly, she's it.

It's going to be around 60 degrees today so I might head out early and hit the beach down by the marina for a while. I love looking (and finding) beach glass and shark teeth.

Tales of Travels with John and Lori - A fresh start

Well, I'm shortly going to retire my other blog, Gertie's Galavants - Tales of Travels with a 95 year old. Mom died Feb 15, 2012 so it's time to wrap that blog up and start anew with this blog designed specifically to document John and my's travels. In case you're interested though, that blog is Gertie's Galavants.

John and I have been together almost 4.5 years and, as he would say, "I don't hate you or anything!" The first time he said this, I was a bit taken back until I realized that, although my previous relationships had mostly lasted 4 years, they all should have been over around the 2 year mark. My marriage, on the other hand, was over before it started really.

Regardless, here we are together and we couldn't be happier. With Mom gone though, there is a different dynamic; I'm fully John's now. Previously, he had to share me with my Mom and, because of his very giving nature, he understood that my alliance was to her first. It had to be - that's what I promised my Dad and I don't go back on my word.

So, as I step into the future, I couldn't be happier to have this magnificent man by my side. He's a man that I didn't even dare dream of. When Mom told him one day that he reminded her a lot of Dad, he beamed and so did I. I've seen the similarities in the way John looks at me and the way Dad looked at Mom. There's were times when, even in large crowds or family gatherings, I'd see them look at each other as though they were the only two in the room. I'm so grateful to have that same relationship, even a bit later in life. Better late than never.

So, dear readers, whomever you are, we're about to start on a most excellent journey - where it will go, what paths we'll wander is yet to be decided. But, wherever our journeys, they're going to be excellent (and funny).