On the road again - Finally!

Well, after a delay of a couple of weeks to resolve some health issues, we finally hit the road West this afternoon. We managed to get out of the house in typical fashion, at about 1:10. Fours hours and fifteen minutes and 219 miles later finds us here at Creekwood RV Park for the night. Very nice park on a creek (duh!) with 125 sites all with full hookups. Our Passport America membership gets us a nice level pull through site at half price for $18, WiFi and cable included.

After we got situated, that is to say, the power plugged in, the water hooked up, the dog walked and Diane crashed on the bed, I tried to start this blog from my iPad, only to find that I can't post pictures from the iPad. Bummer. So, fire up the laptop, run out with the camera for more pics and here I am. A bottle of Highland Brewing Black Mocha Stout is on the windowsill for company.

The first leg of the trip was pretty uneventful after Diane got used to the fact that, no, I wasn't going to stop in Greensboro for some last minute shopping. I tried using the cruise control again and it seems to cooperate just fine after it adds some speed to the setting. I was doing 58 when I set it and it wanted to cruise at 64. But at least it stayed there instead of gaining speed as it had before I replaced the speedometer. I'll play with it some more tomorrow.

I was a little anxious about going up the grade at Old Fort (the Eastern Continental Divide) but it went just fine. Of course, that means 37 mph in third gear, but that's OK. For some reason, the engine is losing a little bit of coolant as I drive. Every morning before I start out I top off the radiator and put in somewhere between a pint and a quart of antifreeze. I can see the depletion as I drive because after a while, the temperature starts to rise on the hills. I'm learning to cope with this but I wonder if it will stop me in the mountains out West.

I thought I might feel more anxiety at this point. I've just left the house for the summer in the care of friends and family and we're looking at maybe four months or more on the road with no real plans other than getting to Arizona. But I'm good, Maybe it's the stout. Or not. I've done everything I can think of to make this trip a success. I've brought everything and more that I think I'll need. But most important, I've brought a mindset that says each day will take care of itself. Bad things will happen, but we'll get through them. Good things will happen and we'll enjoy them. Altogether, it will be a life-changing experience.