So, here we go, again! We plan to RV starting April 13th, when we camp locally to do our final “pack” before going.

After being “grounded” since October 2022 for RV repairs, we bought a small home in Colorado Springs. \240But we still missed our “life on the road” of new adventures and surprises.

So now we will pick up where we had left off - going into Arizona, Utah, and parts of Southern Colorado we had not seen before. \240 A much smaller “loop” than last time, and we plan to stay longer in most places to immerse ourself in other communities. Originally, we planned Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma but have cut those due to heat this time of year and also their proximity to the border. We do not wish to “meet” any migrants!

This time, our goals are different. \240 We are no longer looking for our “perfect retirement small town” - though that dream dies hard, as we love small-town living. \240 But we realized how much we want to be near our kids and grandkids. \240And here they are! \240 So we may “snowbird” each year while we are young enough to enjoy it.

This time, we also have a house to rent in our absence. \240 Fortunately, Sierra manages AirBnB professionally and will handle that for us. \240So we have been busy preparing. \240The items to take back to the RV, making our home more rentable…Lots to buy, lots to clean, and mostly lots to organize! \240 We are busy with that now! \240 So many loose ends to tie up! Our biggest concern is theft or damage but hopefully we will get good renters.

Almost ready! \240 We are down to a few boxes of last minute stuff to take to the RV as we spent about 5 hours at the RV last Saturday, just removing stuff from our last trip, cleaning, and restocking.

Jim’s truck is in to have the AC fixed. \240 Should get it back Thursday. Cutting it a little close! \240 We begin to “camp” locally Saturday. Jim will need to flush out the antifreeze, then we will test our rig, bring groceries from home, etc. we leave the following Saturday to “hit the road”.

Just saw the solar eclipse! \240 Colorado darkened by 65%, but I also watched Dallas Texas as they experienced totality. The cameras went completely dark for a short time. \240 Fascinating!

And, we’re moved!

We spent two exhausting days schlepping boxes TO the RV from home, putting those items away (many areas needed reorganized to fit better) \240and then taking some items (duplicates, things that wouldn’t quite fit, etc) back to the house and put those things where they go!

After a very pleasant day, the weather turns. \240 A cold front moved in last night, with a low of 28 degrees.

We keep warm in our RV, with warm bedding and propane heat. \240 But the wind kept us awake much of the night! \240

We had sustained winds of about 40 mph. \240 We could feel the whole trailer shake. \240I can sleep through that, but you hear all the squeaks and pops and bumps, and wonder with each one if that is a “normal” sound, or the first notice of something tearing loose…. We did lose a cap from our sewer line, and will walk near our RV to look for it. \240 But the window toppers are intact! \240 Those are little curtains over the slider, and they pop and flex in the winds. \240 If those rip they are expensive - and we had just paid to replace one. \240 But all is well.

Winds expected tonight (Thursday) and Friday. \240 Hoping we sleep better! \240

This morning began with a nice walk, though cold, with the camp manager and her two Westies. \240 It was nice to get to know her, and hear their plans for the campground. \240 It is new, and so far has few activities. I wanted to kidnap Oscar or Buster. \240 I really miss having a dog.

And, we wait.

Today we are supposed to move to Canon City, CO - near the Royal Gorge.

But the weather is iffy. \240 It is very foggy, with ice on the ground from the mist and cold. \240 At least we got no snow, but it was 29 last night and the RV interior is chilly. \240 We had to use space heaters to supplement the heat, \240

Still cloudy and cool so we did a short walk in the campground. \240 Then we went to a dinosaur museum here. \240(a lot of fossils come from this area). \240 Most impressive was a massive sea turtle - I bet it was a good 20 feet, head to tail!

Today we went to the Holy Cross Abbey for a wine tasting. \240This is a favorite Colorado brand.

Campground was getting boring. \240 There are only three campers here- ours, the manager, and one other. \240 It is warmer but the winds are keeping everyone in.

So far - not too impressed with Canon City. I have known several who moved here to escape the “big city” but I think it seems depressed here. \240 A lot of poverty, the over-looming prison here, bare cliffs, people who seem very “private”… in our week here we are out of things to do. \240 How many times would locals go see the Royal Gorge? \240

Sierra had the photographer to our house, and posted those to our AirBnb listing. \240So it is now ready! \240 I wonder how long it will take to get our first renter, our first review? \240 It seems that our house starts at about $160ish per night and goes closer to $300 per night closer to holidays. \240 Those are weekly rates. \240I imagine shorter stays cost more nightly than longer stays. \240 Pray with us for good responsible renters.

Today we saw the prison museum, near the Supermax that houses some of the worst offenders in the nation. \240The Unibomber, the underwear bomber, the Boston marathon bomber, Timothy McVeigh’s accomplice, El Chapo, the Chuck E Cheese murderer…

Today was our best here! \240 A beautiful day, we went to Royal Gorge. \240It had largely burned down since we last saw it, so much of it was new. \240They had a real good movie on the history and building of the bridge.

We walked across the bridge and saw the Skycoaster and Ziplines. \240 Jim had pre-purchased that last November but seeing both, I said “no way!”. \240Just too high a thrill ride for me! \240I usually don’t mind heights, but I have my limits! \240 The park employees were nice enough to refund those attractions.

So we rode the tram instead, and walked the area enjoying the viewpoints.

Then, we took our refund and went to a place we’d seen very near our campground - helicopter rides! \240 We did that instead! \240It was short but fun! \240 We saw the bridge from above, and also our campground. \240The pilot was a woman. \240 She was FBI until she moved to Colorado Springs and was a detective working child abuse cases. \240 Apparently she quit when she could no longer handle that and took a “happier” job, flying.

The landing was a little rough, as the wind had picked up and we skittered to a stop. \240 A fun memory! We’d wanted to ride a helicopter since our Alaska cruise. \240 We were supposed to fly one then but they cancelled on us. \240 Chris was so disappointed! \240 I wish he were with us now.

Here we are! \240 Raton, New Mexico -

Arrived with no problems. \240 We were a little concerned about high winds near Walsenburg, but it seems there are always high winds there!

Yesterday was a rest day in Canon City. \240 I did laundry and cleaned. \240 We ate at a nice outdoor restaurant by the river.

Raton will be only two days as there is nothing to do here. \240 Just a good stopping point heading to Albuquerque. At least our campground has some deer to watch!

Here we are near Albuquerque! \240Raton, NM was about 32 degrees this morning, now we are in Bernalillo and it is mid-sixties, very pleasant.

The drive was easy - mostly flat, little traffic. \240 One slight scare was due to a baby mattress covering most of our lane. \240 We managed to move over in time - bet it wouldn’t feel nice to run over a mattress with truck and RV. \240Would you lose control, have a really bumpy ride, or have it wrap around your axles and damage something? \240 I’d rather not find out!

Once here, we went to a hole-in-the-wall pizza place that had amazingly an good live band. It was Nextdoor to our RV park. \240We ate outside, and a local was telling us that the men playing were not a group, but just locals who step forward and jam together. \240 You would never know they hadn’t practiced together! \240 They were tight! \240 The waiter was saying that sometimes famous musicians join in, too. \240 Yet this was a shack of a building, a wooden stage, and chairs out in the sand with awnings overhead. \240As to food, we had a pumpkin pizza - yes, really; with pumpkin seeds, goat cheese, chilies, etc. \240 Really tasty! \240 It’s fun to try local foods that are completely different than what is available in Colorado!

Already we notice how many retirees are in the area; and they seem to be having a lot of fun!

The day started out worrisome. \240 Sierra said our first AirBnB family gave a bad review, but what they complained about seemed more like people looking for a heavy discount than any real problem… There was supposed to be a family of 5, but I saw several others (possibly local friends or relatives?) and a pit Bull dog. \240 When they left I saw them going in and out, in and out - with very large bags and suitcases…I just hope they weren’t “shopping” our things. \240I think I saw one of our drinking glasses go out the door, with a plant in it…. One plastic trash bag (full) looked like those I had my hung clothes in…

Hoping I am just being paranoid.

I was telling Jim - I have felt convicted that I must learn to “trust” again after some situations we faced. \240 For me, this whole trip forces me to trust -

Jim with driving,and our new financial picture with retirement; \240Sierra with watching over our house while we travel; Amy with managing our mail; David/Sierra \240with driving our car periodically.

(Thanks, kiddos!)

I have always been very “hands on” with caring for our goods and responsibilities. \240 This is my first time to “let go”.

Yet we joy in The journey and trust God to watch over us. \240 Days are coming, we believe, that memories and friends might be more valuable than our “stuff”.

Had a great day!

Driving, we love seeing all the adobe architecture here. \240 Some beautiful homes, so different from what we see in Colorado!

This morning we went to the Sandia Peak tramway. \240 Appartently this is the longest tramway in the US. \240 It took about 15 minutes to reach the summit (about 10,000 feet).

From there, you can see all of Albuquerque. \240 The other side of the ridge is the Sandia ski resort, which had great views of Santa Fe. \240 You could even see Colorado’s Spanish Peaks in the distance.

We were going to hike up there but the trails were too icy from a storm last week.

Went to the zoo today. \240 It reminded me of how the Denver Zoo used to be. \240 It was an inexpensive (senior discount) entertainment, and our goal has been to walk a lot to gear us up for hikes we have planned.

Alas, my knee disagreed with that plan. \240It was unhappy at the start of our visit and by the end (I made it through all the exhibits!) it is very swollen and sore. \240I wonder if I had a chunk of the ‘old kneecap break off. \240I kept having to stop and try to realign it - kind of a weird kick maneuver that sometimes works for me. \240 Anyway, it’s weird. \240 Some days it is pretty normal, and then for no known reason it can flare up, really painful.

Additionally, today I noticed the diamond in my wedding ring had fallen out. \240 Doubt it will be found as it could be anywhere. \240I love my ring - though it was inexpensive as we married young and broke, while Jim finished college. \240 But it is 43 years old, and had a small stone. I suppose it is inevitable that it needs TLC.

Whoohoo! \240 I prayed last night, and this morning, found my diamond while I was making my bed!! \240I’m convinced this was a direct answer to prayer.

It could’ve fallen out anytime in the last week or so, in several places we visited, so the odds were incredible! \240Yet, there it was!

I still need to get my ring off so it can be repaired. \240Besides, the remaining prong mountings “catch” on things and poke my other fingers. \240 Hope it can still get over my now-chubbier knuckle. \240 I’ll try later, with some oil. \240I’ve also seen an online trick that involves wrapping your finger tightly with thread first.

Later today we are going to a nuclear museum in Albuquerque, \240then to Buca Di Beppo, an Italian restaurant we used to enjoy in Colorado Springs before they shut down.

Wow. \240You don’t know what you’re missing…Here we are in Grants, New Mexico. \240 Talk about desolate! \240 And poor! \240 We drove through town, and it is largely closed and disintegrating hotels. \240 There is a Walmart, Taco Bell, and KFC. \240 Also, our campground serves dinners and pancakes. At least we won’t go hungry.