Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!   We are 980 miles down the road set up at McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, TX.  Nice park with two falls according to the brochure...we have not seen much of it yet but hope to go hiking today.

Thursday night was spent in the RV parking at a Cracker Barrel on I-10 just before the Texas line and it's amazing how well we slept.  The bright lights over our head were a little bothersome, but it's a trade off as we felt safe. It was a long travel day ( for us) going through all of MS and LA.  The highlight of the day was traveling over a long bridge with bayou as far as we could see. (Mental note...return with our kayaks someday).

An pleasant surprise happened yesterday when a blogging friend returned an email and we discovered that they were only 30 miles away!  They were traveling north after finishing up a work kamping job.  Also wanting  to get off the road for the holiday, they're set up right next to us!  We spent the evening sharing travel stories.  They are also planning on attending the Casita Quartzsite gathering so we may see them again.  There is one more Casita set up here in the park.  Me being me, I had to go meet them.  They are locals from Austin and plan to visit with us some today...a mini Casita gathering!

We are having beautiful sunny weather so I should not complain about the chilly nights.

Saying Goodbye

I did not realize how hard it was going to be to say goodbye to our cats. When the time came to load them up and take them to their new temporary home,  we almost changed our minds.  We discussed taking them and, again, the fear of them getting out of the trailer was too great!
So here we are 291 miles from home and the trauma of leaving, not just the cats but our home, friends and family, is beginning to fade.  Hello to Meridian MS!  It is 5:30 AM, 30 degrees at the Bonita Lakes RV Park.  My husband is sleeping and our new TV is thankfully off and I am snuggled into my seat with wool socks and a blanket tucked around me.
We have questioned this quest to the desert.  Why are we going  somewhere that's cold at night?  Florida has always been our winter destination.  We have decided that this is a trial and we will see; this maybe our one and only winter Arizona trip.  Our ultimate destination is the Quartzsite Casita gathering during the middle of February and meeting some of our Casita friends.  Our plans today include dewinterizing, I hope we don't regret it but we are heading south, going an extra distance just to get away from the cold.  Austin is the plan for New Year's Eve.





Most of this post and the pictures were taken with my samsung tablet.  Still experimenting....I don't like the pictures but not enough to redo.  The Virgin mobile MIFI did great in the car (but we are still east of the Mississippi) although my speed has slowed considerably.

Still getting ready

We are still trying to balance Christmas and packing!  This morning I am cooking a turkey, blogging, and trying to discern what's next on the getting ready list.   Next is the internet access.

After spending countless hours last week looking at Verizon and trying to figure a way I could justify getting their service, the Virgin Mobile MIFI is still not installed.  I have been told that Sprint will have limited service once we get into west Texas but the prepaid usage is limited on Verizon and the device cost is astronomical.  I refuse to be back under a contract.

We are both fighting colds.  I figure that it is the stress of leaving as we rarely get sick.  As much as we want to be free and flit around the country, a part of us hates the leaving.  I felt sad yesterday as I watched a cardinal  pecking away at his suet.  Soon there will be no suet from us!

Once we get Christmas Eve and Day finished, we will become more focused on the trip and the mixed feelings will be replaced by joy!
Merry Christmas to everyone!

Technology

I am overwhelming myself with too many gadgets and then trying to learn how they work before the trip starts!   The thought of being without an internet connect while we travel drove me to Best Buy yesterday.  Another pricey purchase, a MiFi,  that I must master in a few days.
Now I am trying this blogger app to see if it really works and I am typing on my tablet...without a real keyboard...no easy task.  Forgive me for posting a non desert scene but I want to see if this really works!

Getting Ready

Counting down!  Making lists, running errands, trying to simultaneously juggle Christmas shopping and trip preparation.  Yes, in just a few short weeks we are taking off for our Next Big Trip!  The Arizona desert has been calling us for a couple of years and now, without any current health challenges, we are heading to the warmth of the Arizona sun.

After spending countless hours on the internet researching campgrounds, pricing, and low temperatures, I am still fighting fears of being cold.  This is actually a realistic fear as temps often drop to freezing in the desert and we plan to be camping without electricity for much of the trip.  Our precious little camper did not come with a furnace so we will be relying on propane fuel.  (Yes, we will leave a window open.)

My other fear of the cats escaping has been banished, thanks to the kindness of a dear friend. They will be safe in a loving home.  We will miss them and they will miss us but I was not looking forward to 1900 miles of meowing and then there would be the constant worry every time the camper door was opened.

I'm new to the blogging.  Bear with me as I attempt to chronicle our journey.