Moving day, everyone is hitting the road today, going in every direction other than North. The Flagstaff area got lots of snow when we got our last rain storm, in fact the freeze altitude dropped to 4000 feet so Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Winslow, all the spots we just visited got snow many well over a foot or twenty centimetres, yes this is were the altitude of a location makes such a huge difference.

I’m sure there will be tears today, our little group is breaking up, again I feel so blessed to have made such good friends, and I feel so lucky to have met everyone, sitting down to enjoy a meal, playing what ever activity the group has decided on just feels comfortable, there are no awkward breaks in conversation, everyone gets jabbed or teased a little. Everyone has many of the same interests, we are all full timers, a lot of our concerns are the same, you don’t feel like the odd person in the group. I think it was Miss Karen that said over dinner last night that everyone just settled into this new park like we had been here before, it is obviously easier when you have friends with you, as they help provide that comfort zone, there is no urgency to met your neighbors, or get involved in park events…I think it is safe to say this gathering just felt right, it was like we had just been together last month or a few days ago…just saying.

Packing up, becomes just like any regular event, you develop a system, of doing and rechecking every task as it done. There is no right or wrong to most of it, but as we do it with repetition it is just what needs to be done. I have seen all kinds of different check lists, but most don’t work for everyone, and a lot of times even my process changes because of equipment we had out, the weather, or whether we are doing a last minute load of laundry like this morning, these all adjust your packing up process. And this morning will not be any different, oh it will be emotionally harder, as we part ways, but we are already planning our next opportunity to get back together. So it is a difficult day as we say goodbye to the Bannon’s and Savino’s we are looking ahead and forward to seeing many people we said goodbye to almost two years ago, the first winter of our full timing adventure.

It was a core group of people that we met at a little park in a little village just 30 miles north of the Mexican border that changed our lives, they became the first members of our ever growing RV family. I remember like it was yesterday Miss Cindy inviting us to happy hour at the park almost before we stopped moving, and that was when we realized that this was the right life direction for us. It was here that I realized it didn’t matter where you were from, whether you live in a million dollar Prevost motor home or a small tag along trailer, we were all just living our best lives, and meeting people from all the different walks of life, different areas of the map we call home, we all had this adventure bug in common.

Day 788

Saturday morning and we are still at the Roberts Resort in El Mirage, our last full day to play with our little friends…yes tomorrow will be a sad day day as everyone heads in their own direction but it’s only till the next time we are together. So today will be another busy day, a ten o’clock decision will be made for pickle ball, or billiards as an early dinner is being planned by the Bannon’s, and there were rumours of multiple cocktails and / or after dinner drinks. This will be a big day in the Ward house as OH-IO takes on their arch rival Michigan State, Ohio hoping to keep their winning streak alive, it’s an early game here starting at ten this morning…GO BUCKEYES!

I’m sitting watching the news, as there are rescue crews searching for children washed away from their vehicle in a local wash! People remember it’s called a wash for a reason, and for people unfamiliar with the power of water it can be a lethal combination, the bottoms are usually flat and easy to set up on but they are also the first area to flood. Please to all the boondockers ot there be careful, it’s great to be off the grid in the middle of nature but it’s not worth your life or damaging you rig. I can’t imagine the agony of watching your children being washed away.

The sun is coming up as I write, it was cold last night, dipping into the thirties over night and only climbing to 57 or 17 degrees today, I know all you that are up north where it is cold and snowy are not feeling real bad for us right now, but I’m ok with that…lol. We are back into the mid sixties next week and while not real warm, we are fine with those temperatures as they are great for hiking or other activities, and with overnights in the low fifties or high forties it is great for sleeping.

Well Black Friday has passed without the purchase of any batteries, but it appears there may be some bargains to be had on Cyber Monday as there will be a blemished battery sale, just cosmetics, the performance and warranty are guaranteed and in place, and I don’t really care if there are some case imperfects. So Monday morning I will be chasing down some batteries. After speaking with Ray who has installed 3 100 amp/hour lithium’s, I’m looking forward to this upgrade more that you can even imagine.

With a little more rain overnight and the cooler temperatures, the decision was made to play billiards instead of pickle ball, Miss Karen brought snacks and the afternoon was great fun as we all honed out pool skills or not. Miss Shari and Bob prepared dinner with some huge New York strips barbecued to perfection with grilled asparagus sautéed mushrooms and baked potatoes, dinner was great followed by much discussion of what is in store, we all had a chance to face time with Betty and Butch, as it was a good day for the buckeyes, kicking the Michigan around team big time. It is so hard to believe that we have been together for a week and that it all ends tomorrow, this has been such a blessing, and again we just have to give thanks for such great friends and the opportunity to have spent this time together, we had a little celebration for Rays birthday next month.

Day 787