Our Epic Day Four (as compared to our first three days)

Another long day of driving. We made it to Las Cruces, NM. Wednesday we will be back on track when we get to Pheonix, AZ.

We stopped at the Monahans Sandhills State Park and rented a sand disc and board. The guys had a blast. We got all sandy and hot. We fired up the Honda for it's first genuine use. The A/C was nice.

Then it was back on the road. We are very happy with the "Next Exit 2009" book we purchased right before we left. It is extra helpful since we are using only truck stops to avoid a replay of our first day on the road.

Scooby took some beautiful landscape and sky photos. We saw a variety of weather conditions today. As we scanned the horizon the weather would often range from black and rainy to clear with fluffy clouds depending on where we looked. I love being out West where you can see for miles and miles. That is one thing I really miss from my childhood growing up in WA along the Columbia River. I can barely see across the street in GA!

We pulled out the dutch oven tonight and made an apple cobbler. It was very good. We are tired of eating out but we can't trust the refrigerator to stay cold. We check it at each stop and the pilot has usually blown out and the temp is rising.

Day 4!

Still Driving West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA6LLU_Yc70

YouTube - The Epic Grad Trip - Day 3 (Second Half)

More video fun from the boys.
We made it to Dallas, TX yesterday without major TV or RV problems. The tire monitor said we had a tire w/ 0psi but it was mistaken. Our refrigerator popped open. Apples rolled around and butter melted all over the floor. Was easy to clean up but it took hours to cool down again. We thought we may have lost our refrigerator. We put a thermometer in it over night and had ice in the morning. Yay!
Our first night sleeping in the AS this trip was great. Full hook ups so we had A/C. The Dallas Metro KOA is very quiet even though it is an urban camp ground.

We made it out of Jackson!

We are passing through LA.
We were the victims of bad diesel fuel. Our fuel filter had a lot of water in it. It was replaced and they tested the remaining fuel in the tank. It came out clear so they are pretty sure we sucked all the bad stuff out Saturday. We are going to try to use truck stops from here on out.
We have spotted two Aistreams heading East. The first was Saturday just West of Tupelo, MS and we passed a Safari today shortly after we crossed into LA.

We're goin' to Jackson

Not the original plan but we experienced fuel filter problems and lost power. Had to get towed to a GMC dealer in Jackson, MS. OnStar was a blessing. Our 2008 GMC 2500 Duramax is locked in the service department as it is loaded for bear with bikes, generator, etc... The AS is in the parking lot. We are staying at a Hyatt Place less than a mile from the dealership. Quite cush when compared to camping. Indoor pool, huge TV, breakfast bar and close to great shopping.
We needed a replacement charger for Scooby's D40 and this gave us the oportunity to go to Best Buy without feeling like we were wasting vacation time. We picked up a Flip so the boys could vlog the trip as well.
We will be making some changes to our itinerary. All is up in the air until the service center opens tomorrow. Hubby thinks it may be bad gas. The fuel filter light went from 90% to 0% yesterday and we just had it in for a scheduled service last week. We hope to be back on track for the Grand Canyon.

Epic Graduation Trip

We're going cross-country!
Day One of our GA to CA trip in honor of our eldest son's high school graduation. This is our most epic Airstream trip to date. We have had the AS since Feb. and have been to Jacksonville, FL, Washington D.C., Oak Ridge, TN and Chattanooga TN.

We left this morning at 7:15am. Scooby(age 18) has slept since we left. He always falls asleep before we pull out of the driveway and then snoozes for hours. If we stop he wakes, gets out and then falls asleep within minutes of being on the road again. It is really odd.

We will be visiting several national parks to enjoy some hiking and biking. Yosemite will be the main focus and longest stay. Half Dome is the goal.
Along the way we will visit some classic American sights. Carlsbad, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, etc... I will be seeing these for the first time with my sons. Hubby's family took long car/camping trips every summer and he has seen everything USA. My dad had his own business and could never leave it for more than a couple of days. My family rarely left WA.

Now we live 600 miles from one set of Gram and Gramp and a plane trip from the other. When the boys were young they always wanted to see them so we usually spent our vacations time in PA and we flew to the west coast a few times.

We're goin to Jacksonville

My husband may never take me to another RV show. Why, you ask...because we have gone to exactly two and have purchased RV's within a month of each.

Our first RV was a 2006 Winnebago Aspect. My husband and I loved RV camping but our teenage boys were not impressed with the Aspect. In fact, they were mortified at the thought of being seen in it.

Within a year we sold this Class C RV. The Aspect wasn't as goofy as a regular Class C but it still wasn't our boy's idea of cool. Plus, with the nonstop schedule of activities our boys kept us on, we could not carve out the time to justify owning something that was depreciating in value.

The boys didn't give RVing another thought, but Dave and I sighed each time we saw one on the road. So, when Dave found out that there would be another Atlanta RV show in January, we put it on the calendar. Just for fun, we had no plans to buy this time.

But there was a new entry this year. Airstream. Dave and I both have memories of seeing Airstreams while on vacation. "Oh look, there's an Airstream!" Well, we went inside a new Flying Cloud and we loved it. So did our 16 year old son, the one who hated the Aspect. The search was on for a used Airstream. (We almost always buy used) That's when I discovered the CCD's! They reminded me of my 60's childhood. My dad loved modern furniture and I grew up with some real classics. Eames, Saarinen and Nelson. Dad had industrial taste.

We found a 2004 28' International CCD with orange interior. I grew up with a shocking orange leather sofa and loveseat! Yeah, our house was pretty mod.

Well, needless to say, the teen boys love the Airstream even if it doesn't have slideouts like the Aspect. We have a big cross-country family trip planned for the summer. We all can't wait!

So...that brings us to the maiden voyage.

Our eldest son, Drew, is a member of the Augusta Youth Rowing Club. We chose to make his Jacksonville Regatta our first trip in the CCD. Cooper, our Jack Russell even got to go. He was never allowed in the Aspect. Carpet. We also had three family members. Drew stayed with the team.

We had a great time. The CCD pulls like a dream with our new to us GMC 2500. Nick, our 16 ear old, even drove for an hour. The RV park had a small dog park and Cooper had a great time at the Regatta. We even made cookies and muffins in our kitchen.

I would have to say our two nights in Jacksonvill, FL were a resounding success.

Next up...Washington, D.C., Four nights, four people. Will we still be smiling?